Now and Forever 5, Love's Journey (22 page)

* * * *

Rex returned at two thirty in the morning
and swiped Alan’s keys. He went to Alan’s office and checked his
cameras.

“Crap!”

There was nothing on the cameras. He was
impatient, wanting to get the goods on Alan. Rex wanted to control
Alan, bend him to his will. He reset the cameras and went home to
put back the keys and get some sleep.

“I’ll get you…eventually.” He glanced toward
Alan’s bedroom, then turned out the light.

* * * *

Marcia had given up hope of good news weeks
ago; each day all she hoped for was no bad news. But it was October
and Dr. Cho saw the end was near. Jay had little strength and could
barely smile at her when she came into his room. Marcia got a sick
feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to smile and be
warm and positive for his sake, even if she didn’t fool him.

Dr. Cho pressed her about hospice.

“Don’t wait until the last minute, Mrs.
Wilton.”

She nodded at him without hearing.

Her sister plagued her about funeral plans,
warning her when the time came, she wouldn’t be up to handling it
all. Marcia made excuses, preferring to avoid the inevitable.

Exhaustion sapped her strength on this
blustery fall day. She could barely drive home.

* * * *

Waiting for her arrival, Jakub saw her pale
face and faltering steps and hurried to the door. He arrived barely
in time. Marcia put her hand on his strong forearm and her knees
buckled. He carried her to the sofa.

She was hardly able to sit up but Jakub
brought in the tray of food anyway. Marcia tried to eat but after
three bites, she couldn’t swallow more. With no strength left, she
couldn’t move. Jakub picked her up in his arms and carried her up
the stairs and put her down on the bed gently. By now, she was
asleep. He couldn’t leave her dressed and on top of the covers, so
he took off her shoes and socks. Then he unzipped her charcoal
sweater and unbuttoned her pink blouse, removed both, folded them
and put them on a chair. Sliding her black pants off was not as
difficult as he thought it would be because she didn’t weigh much.
She barely stirred. Jakub pulled the covers down and lifted her
tenderly into the bed. He looked down at her and realized she
couldn’t be comfortable wearing her bra to bed.

He leaned over her and unhooked her bra and
slid it off gently. Moonlight came in the window and rested on her
thin, pale body, giving it a glow of warmth and life. He looked at
her breasts, even though he knew he shouldn’t. As thin as she was,
her breasts were still beautiful and her short, dark hair gleamed
in the moonlight.

She gonna know when she wake up I undress
her. What she gonna think?
Jakub worried about losing her good
regard. He wanted her friendship, and he wanted something more, but
she was married and too young for him anyway.
What she want with
old man like me? Nothing. Hope she not mad.

Jakub thought how long it had been since he
had made love to a woman other than Nika and wondered if he still
could without fumbling and being embarrassed. He pulled the covers
over Marcia to protect her from the chill in the room and tucked
the quilt snugly around her small frame. He kissed her forehead
then went home.

* * * *

Ten days later, Dr. Cho suggested Jay’s
hospice care should begin on the first of November.

“I’m sorry, Marcia. He’s running out of
time.” Dr. Cho placed his hand on her forearm.

She nodded again, not completely hearing
him. The time to say a final goodbye to Jay was coming quickly. He
was weaker than the week before, but he still smiled when she came
in the room. They had discussed everything about their lives
together, including what to do with money, his will and even a
little bit about her life after.

“Don’t die with me, Marcia,” Jay had
said.

She knew what he meant, but she was numb,
barely living now as it was. She didn’t expect it to get any better
after he was gone. She had no idea what she was going to do or when
or with whom. She couldn’t face thinking about it.

When she arrived home, Jakub was there with
a warm plate of food. At first, she couldn’t look him in the eye,
remembering the small pile of neatly folded clothes she found on
the chair in her bedroom. He’d undressed her but here he was, not
leering but helping, not coaxing her into bed, but coaxing her to
eat. She’d need to be stronger next week, so she ate the food he
offered.

After dinner, she turned on the television
to take in the end of a Jets game and made herself a strong
drink.

“Jets! Thank you, Marcia,” Jakub said,
smiling.

After the third drink, she passed out on the
sofa, as always.

He carried her to bed, undressed her down to
her panties. Kissed her forehead and left.

After a week of Jakub’s food and
ministrations, Marcia was feeling stronger though she still had
three strong drinks. She still passed out, relying on Jakub to
carry her upstairs.

But this night, when he went to pull the
covers up, Marcia opened her eyes, put her arms around his neck and
pulled him down, covering his mouth with hers softly in a tentative
kiss. Jakub was astounded, but he responded, slowly caressing her
lips with his.

Marcia had reached her limit of being alone.
She thought she’d lose her mind in bed every night by herself. Then
she remembered Jakub. Strong, attractive Jakub, who took care of
her, who’d seen her almost naked and had not taken advantage of
her. He seemed like the perfect antidote to her bone-crushing
loneliness.

“Jakub, make love to me,” she whispered in
his ear.

He moved his head up and their eyes
connected. He looked at her quizzically, as if to ask her if she
was sure. She nodded.

“Please,” she said.

He put his warm hand on her cheek and kissed
her more passionately, his lips parting hers, his tongue invading
her mouth. It felt strange to her at first, but the gentle
insistence of Jakub’s tongue raised desire in her, a feeling she
hadn’t had for a long time.

He got up and stripped off his clothes,
revealing a working body, a body in good condition, a hard chest,
strong legs and a stomach not yet gone to pot. Then he removed
Marcia’s panties, his eyes gazing on her totally naked loveliness.
He muttered something in Czech as he ran his hands down her soft
flesh, over her breasts and down to her thighs. His lips sought
hers again as he possessed her mouth with his. He lay down on the
bed next to her, putting his free hand on her breast and parting
her thighs with his knee.

His lips found her peak and Marcia arched
her back as the ache in her loins grew and fire began to fill her
veins. She touched his chest, covered with soft brown hair
beginning to gray. She ran her hands over his strong shoulders and
arms, the arms that had carried her night after night up to her
bed.

Marcia noticed that touching her soft warm
flesh made him hard. He kissed her, his hands caressing her body,
gliding over her silky skin. His fingers on her inner thigh slid up
quickly into her soft, moist flesh, exploring and stroking her
gently. She was slipping into another world where nothing existed
but her senses. His persistent stroking filled her mind and her
veins with hot desire, pushing out rational thought, replacing it
with lust.

He murmured sweet words in Czech against her
neck as his lips found her pulse. Marcia moaned and called out his
name as he made the ache inside her grow to the breaking point.
Then he was inside her in an instant, moving slowly, gently at
first. She groaned as her hips moved with him, and she was consumed
by feeling, longing. Intense excitement took over her body as Jakub
increased his pace, causing her to explode in ecstasy with such
force she cried out, completely out of control, submitting totally
to Jakub and the needs of her body.

Her response caused him to lose himself in a
powerful release that followed hers. He exclaimed in Czech and held
her close. Afterward they lay there in silence. Jakub rolled off
her and took her in his arms. Her tremendous climax loosened her
emotions and she sobbed onto his chest, pent-up anger at Jay’s
disease and sadness overflowing in hot tears.

“I hurt you? I’m sorry,” he said, kissing
her forehead.

She shook her head, unable to control her
voice. He tightened his grip on her as if it would ease her pain.
In a few minutes she calmed down, relaxing against him, taking in
his scent and refusing to think beyond the first feeling of peace
she had known in five years. When his body surrounded her senses,
shutting off her mind, nothing bad could penetrate; death was kept
at bay, and all she could feel was a resurgence of life through
sexual energy. Her reawakened passion renewed her spirit, made her
come alive, feel something, more than she had since she could
remember.

Marcia got drowsy. Jakub slowly released her
from his arms and slid across the bed to get out the other side
obviously trying not to disturb her. Her eyes flew open and she
reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Stay,” she commanded.

“Stay? All night?”

“Please.”

He slid back into bed and pulled her close
to him. She cuddled up against him and quickly fell asleep.

* * * *

Jakub awoke at six with the sun. He was
expected to get up with the grandchildren, give them breakfast and
get them ready for school so his son could make love to his wife in
the morning and laze in bed a little. Jakub loved greeting the
children first thing in the morning and taking care of them. He
adored his grandchildren, but this morning it was his turn to make
love.

He stroked Marcia’s hair, hoping she
wouldn’t turn him away. How did he know if this was something she
wanted to do with him again or if she lost her senses and wanted
him for only one night? He took a chance. He leaned over her and
kissed her neck softly, moving his hand up her rib cage to surround
her breast.

“Make love?” he whispered in her ear,
caressing her slowly.

Marcia opened her eyes and rolled over. Her
gray eyes looked into Jakub’s brown ones and she smiled. Jakub took
her smile to mean she wanted him too, and leaned down and kissed
her neck, running his lips down to her breast. Her pale body didn’t
have the same inviting glow in the morning light it did in the
moonlight, but her skin was still soft and warm. Jakub looked at
her slender body, passion stirring in his veins. Marcia touched his
shoulders and his chest.

Making love to Marcia made him feel like a
man again, not just a father and grandfather. He was experienced
and sweet, taking delight in her responses to him, anxious to
please her. His tentative touches became more assertive and
arousing as he, too, left his past behind, focusing on the here and
now with her.

The alarm clock sounded at seven-thirty.
Jakub looked at the clock and grunted an expletive in Czech as he
slowly pulled himself away from Marcia and got out of bed. He was
very late for Johnny’s children.

“Breakfast for children.”

“I understand.” She sat up and swung her
legs off the side of the bed.

He pulled his clothes on quickly and stood
up. Naked, she met him at the bedroom door. He was surprised she
was not shy with him as she threw her arms around his neck to hug
and kiss him goodbye. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled
her close to him. He hated to leave her soft sweetness. He bent his
head, kissed her breasts, then her lips, went down the stairs and
out the door.

It was almost eight o’clock when he reached
Johnny’s house. He let himself in the back door and found Rebecca
cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

“I’m sorry,” he said to her, picking up the
dish towel to dry the dishes. She put her hand on his arm and
stopped him.

“It’s all right. You’re entitled to a life.”
She looked at him keenly, smiling.

“Where were you?” Johnny asked, picking up a
leftover piece of toast off a plate and tearing off a piece.

“Out.”

“Out where?” Johnny persisted then popped
the toast in his mouth.

“You don’t question your father. I’m not one
of your workers or your child. Show some respect,” Jakub said in an
irritated tone.

“I want to know,” Johnny demanded.

“Why?”

“Johnny, isn’t it obvious??” Rebecca
asked.

“What do you mean?” Johnny questioned
her.

“Your dad must have a girlfriend.” Rebecca
turned back to the dishes.

“What?”

“This is not your business.” Jakub’s cheeks
reddened.

“How do you know this, Rebecca?” Johnny
asked, sliding down onto a kitchen chair.

“Well, you checked his apartment and the bed
had not been slept in. He wasn’t there. He must have slept
somewhere. He doesn’t look like he was up all night does he? He
looks pretty happy, well rested and…uh…satisfied to me,” she
responded, her eyes twinkling.

Jakub looked at his daughter-in-law with new
respect. She was sharp. But still he refused to tell either one of
them where he had been or with whom.

“You’re sleeping with some woman, some
whore?” Johnny raised his voice.

“No whore! You don’t talk like that to your
father,” Jakub shouted.

“Johnny, let’s talk for a minute, privately.
Please excuse us, Jakub.” She pulled Johnny into the bedroom.

* * * *

A dozen blocks away, Marcia was finishing up
breakfast. She took a shower and dressed in a red dress, brushing a
shine into her dark hair. Her gray eyes looked steadier than usual
and her step was a little lighter. She felt happier as she drove
the too-familiar drive to the hospital. Then she steeled herself.
When she walked in to Jay’s room, it was obvious he noticed the
difference in her right away.