The Daughter in Law (8 page)

Now here we are, two days before
Xmas and I’m sitting in a parking lot wondering what the hell had happened to
my life, and how long it was gonna take Damien to realize that I’d been kicked
out of the hospital?

It wasn’t that long because ten
minutes later I saw him coming. I tried to gage his mood from his facial
expression but that was a bust because the aviators he had on hid his beautiful
stone grey eyes. I guess I got my answer when he slammed the door as he got in.
My stomach started to twist and turn again and I was back to inhaling my
cuticles.

“What the fuck happened in there?”

“Um…”

“None of your bullshit Vanessa I want the truth out of you.”

“What?” I started crying and I hadn’t even started telling
him yet. Why was he acting like I’d been lying to him or something? “She was
mean to me and pin. She was saying horrible stuff and…”

“So you thought it was okay to
put your hands on her? That’s unacceptable, I wouldn’t let her do it to you and
I won’t let you do it to her. You owe her an apology.”

My chest was
concaved from me crying so hard. This was so unfair. Okay maybe I shouldn’t
have hit her, but couldn’t he see how her pushing and provoking might lead me
to do that? He had some other choice things to say about my behavior and I sat
there like a child and let the words rain down like blows. I’d never felt so
hurt and miserable in my life.

I listened as
all the work I’d done in the last few weeks unraveled, because the spawn of
Satan had convinced him somehow that it was my fault that she was suicidal.
Luckily for me, I had a what the fuck moment right then and
there
in that parking lot. I dug down deep for the girl I use to be before I ever met
this ass wipe and his family from the cast of a real trailer trash Jerry
Springer show. I was remembering the girl that use to kick ass on the streets
of
Bensonhurst
Brooklyn. The one who didn’t take shit
from anybody because her daddy would level
them
, and
their grandpa if they fucked with his baby girl. What the fuck had ever
happened to her?

My mind started racing because I
knew this was a pivotal moment right here.

“Fuck you. Fuck you and your
prune faced bitch of a sea hag mother, and fuck your rot crotch slag of a
sister. Take the apology you think she deserves, roll it up fine and shove it
back in your mother’s
vajayjay
where apparently you
just decided to go back to.” His mouth was hanging open like a landed trout.

I got out of the car cool as you
please, fuck him; pin and I will just find our way to New York, he could stay
here with the toxic waste.

“Vanessa get the fuck back in the car now.”

I kept waking because I was so
done. I had no idea where I was going but I had money, I could call a cab to
take me to the airport. Shit my carry on was in the trunk. Thank heaven that’s
all the luggage we’d taken because I’d planned to shop in the city and I needed
the room. Oh well that was shot now.

The idiot man got out and wrestled
me back into the car. I didn’t say a word to him even when he was staring holes
in my head. Then he really lost his shit and started pounding his fists into
the steering wheel. I buffed my nails.

“Take me to the airport please.”

“What?
we
can’t go now we’ve missed
our flight.”

“My mom got us new ones, you can stay here if you want but
me and pin are going.”

“Vanessa…”

“Just because you stuck your
head back up your mother’s snatch doesn’t mean I have to.
 
Now either you take me or I call a cab.”
He punched the wheel again and pulled off.

I was so
scared and sick on the way there I didn’t know what to think. If he didn’t come
with me I knew I was going to be mad at him for a long
long
time. It really stuck in my craw that she’d won after all. I hated her so much
in that moment it was hard to believe. When we got back to the parking dock I
got out to of the car and got my carry-on after he popped the trunk. “Wait.” I
stood next to the trunk and waited as he came around and got his.

I took my
first easy breath. Then he put his hand in the small of my back and led me
along. I was beginning to feel better by the minute. We didn’t say anything as
we sat and waited for another hour or so for our flight to be called. I spent
the time worrying about what was going to become of my marriage and how I was
going to get through this pregnancy without him if it came to that. The thought
of losing him made me hurt so bad I wanted to cry but I held off.

When we boarded he once again had
his hand on my back; that one little piece of contact felt like manna to a
starving soul.

After we were seated and belted
in he turned and studied me for the longest while without saying a word. Oh
shit he’s
gonna
tell me that we’re through. Instead he
wrapped his arms around me and hugged me, and for some twisted reason the
floodgates opened up. “Shh, baby come on it’s okay.” He unhooked me and pulled
me into his lap and I held on like a lifeline. He rubbed me and soothed me, and
all I could think was, if that horse face flight attendant said anything about
buckling your seatbelts I was going to knock her ass out midflight. We hadn’t
taken off yet though so no one said anything.

When it was time to take off he put
me back in my seat and buckled me in, then when they released the seatbelt
light he told me to lay back and take a nap. “You’ve had a long day baby why
don’t you take a nap?”

“What’re you going to do?”

“It’s just a four hour jump to New York, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay just for a few minutes.”

 
He pushed my seat all the way back
because first class has these kick ass seats now that can turn into a bed. He
threw the blanket over me, kissed my hair, and took my hand before rummaging in
the back of the seat for a magazine. I held his hand so tight.

The next thing I knew he was waking
me up because we were getting ready to land.

“Was I snoring?”

“No but you did drool a
coupla
times.” I wiped my mouth.

“Not to worry I cleaned you up.”

“You’re so full of shit.” I
punched his arm and he kissed me. Hard to believe just a few short hours ago we
were sitting in a parking lot close to divorce.

We grabbed our carry-ons and left
the other suckers heading for baggage claim. Momma and daddy were there with
two of my nephews waiting. Momma was looking sharp in her white Fox and her
Breakfast as Tiffany’s shades. She gave me the once over and daddy was eyeing
my red eyes, but neither of them said anything. After the hellos we just headed
for the car and home.

That night we decided to take
it easy because I was wiped out. Damien called home a few times but he didn’t
offer any information and I didn’t ask.

After we went
to bed in my old room we had a ball trying to be quiet while we made love. It was
a very confusing time for me. How could this man who was so loving and kind be
so blind when it came to his family? He touched my hair and face as he stroked
in and out of me nice and slow. “I love you.” I started to cry again for no
earthly reason because he was being so sweet and I hated and loved him more in
that moment than anything. “We’re going to be fine baby okay.” I nodded my head
because I couldn’t form the words.

I had the best
orgasm that night; it wasn’t a Damien Spencer special but it came from the
depths of my soul. It was soft and hot and sweet, and rolled through me like a
wave. He covered my mouth when my screams got out of control but I bit his palm
and licked it so he replaced it with his mouth. That only prolonged the sweet
agony and I drenched his cock as he kept up a steady pace of in and out
strokes. When he buried his face in my neck and groaned I clenched around him
squeezing that last drip of goodness out of him.

He held onto
me so tight that night I was almost afraid. Was he saying goodbye or something?
He turned to me twice more in the night; each time was sweeter than the last.
He whispered all kinds of goodies in my ear and I was lost. That sick fear I’d
been feeling was slowly dissipating. No man could touch a woman like that and
make promises to their unborn child if he had one foot out the door.

The next day we went shopping and
sight seeing with the rest of my family. We even took a carriage ride through
Central Park and ate chestnuts. We each got one of those giant pretzels with
loads of mustard on it as we walked hand in hand through the streets of
Manhattan. “You sure you’re supposed to be eating this stuff?” Here we go.

“Of course, what’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing, I just think you should have some fruit or
something.”

“I already had a banana this morning.”

“You did? I don’t remember seeing that.”

I eyed his junk and he put me in a headlock that had me
squealing with laughter.

We had a fun, blissful, stress
free day.

My family has
weird holiday traditions. Like playing word games together while drinking
eggnog or warm cider for the kids. I had to get in on the cider this year
because the pregnancy police was out in full force. I’d been a bit worried with
all that was going on that maybe he’d have some bad moments, but I couldn’t see
where that was true. He seemed to be enjoying the ribbing from my brothers and
rough housing with my nephews.

When it came
time for another time-honored tradition I was hoping and praying that he’d
notice the difference between this year and the last. We’d spent our first Xmas
as man and wife with his family. I’d felt left out of everything since the
demon and the hound of Baskerville had led every conversation, and they were
all about past events that I knew nothing about. Meanwhile my family were
asking him all about the military and giving him props for looking out for his
country. And when he opened the one gift we were allowed on Xmas eve, I hope he
noticed the thought that had gone into the lovely engraved golf clubs that my
parents had got him.

He’d been
talking about taking up the sport so much that when mom asked, I’d told her
that they would be perfect. His face told the story, and I was so pleased with
my parents for being who they are. Did he even remember the passive aggressive
night we spent last year with his family? Or the crappy dollar store robe his
mom had given me that smelt like mothballs? I’d burned that shit the first
chance I got.
Haggie
had the nerve to ask me why I
didn’t wear it around the house sometimes when she dropped in, and I told her
it got damaged in the wash and I had to throw it out. You’d have thought it was
the Hope diamond the way she carried on to hubby about it. When I’d told him
the truth he’d said it was the thought that counts, I had to let him know I didn’t
like those thoughts too much.

After we were through with the
gifts and it was time for bed we went up the stairs hand in hand. It was as if
the day before had never happened. I knew it was dangerous to leave things up
in the air like that, but I also wanted to salvage what was left of my holiday.
It was pin’s first holiday and I wanted it to be great. “Imagine, next year
this time pin will be here.”

He put his hand on my tummy and rubbed. “Yeah, I can’t
wait.” He kissed my hair and squeezed me and I felt my world right itself.
Tomorrow was another day; let’s hope the bitches of
Eastwick
don’t pull any shit.

The next
morning we awakened to bedlam. The nephews were running around like mad
hatters, mom had cooked enough breakfast for Napoleon’s army and now she wanted
us out of her hair for the next few hours while she did her thing in the
kitchen. We were only allowed in there to do the grunt work. She still hadn’t
said anything about my little situation and I was getting nervous. It wasn’t
like her to hold her tongue where her kids were concerned.

“You okay baby you had enough to
eat?”

“Yeah me and the pin are good.”
He came up behind me on my family’s enclosed back porch and wrapped his arms
around me. I felt so loved and secure in that moment. Why couldn’t it always be
like this? I enjoyed the peace and calmness that I always felt when I was close
to him like this. I pushed aside the feelings of betrayal and just held on to
the here and now. Was he ever going to bring up what had happened or was he,
like me, trying to salvage the rest of our holiday?

“What’s on your mind beautiful?”

“Nothing.” My ass.

“I don’t want you worrying about anything right now Vanessa,
you know what the doctor said, avoid all stress.”

I didn’t even bother answering him, because as long as
Kublai Kahn was still breathing I’ll never have another moment’s peace.

“Can I ask you something and please don’t get mad?”

“What is it?” He turned me around to face him.

“Can you turn off your phone for the rest of the day?
Please. I know you have to call and wish them a happy holiday but after can you
turn it off?”

“Why?”

Why? So I can get rid of the knots
in my stomach for one fucking day. I didn’t say it out-loud but he must’ve seen
the sadness in my eyes.

“Is it really that important to you baby?”

“Yes.”

He took his phone from his
pocket and turned it off and I felt a weight lift off my chest. He also let me
know he wasn’t mad when he pulled me in close and kissed my hair.

We spent the rest of the day until
dinnertime playing with the kids and bullshitting with my brothers and their
wives. There was no tension, no one was making snide comments to anyone, and
the atmosphere was warm and festive. By the time mom called us to the table I
had relaxed and was really starting to enjoy the day. The house phone rang but
that had nothing to do with us.

Mom seemed a little harassed
when she hung up and came back into the room, but she didn’t say anything, just
gave dad a look and took her seat.

Ten minutes later, just after dad
had finished saying grace, it rang again. No one else seemed worried but my gut
was starting to hurt. Mom got up again and was back in a few seconds, and I
started breathing easy again when she didn’t say anything.

The next time it rang dad got
up and got the phone that was right there in the room with us, and I wondered
why mom had walked all the away into the other room before?

“Listen I
don’t usually get involved in this shit because half the time I don’t know what
the fuck, but my wife let me in on some of what has been going on. Let me give
you a little background here so we can clear this up once and for all.”
Everyone at the table was staring at dad like what the fuck? “Take the kids out
of the room for a minute girls, I’ll call you when it’s safe to come back.” Mom
clasped her hands under her chin as I watched my two sisters in law take their
boys by the hands, as the kids questioned why they couldn’t eat. Damien was
looking stupefied and I wasn’t too sure as to what was going on myself but my
gut knew.

“Vanessa is my
only daughter, I’ve got two boys and the one girl. Now I don’t know how they do
things down your end but up here daughters are cherished. I’ve looked out for
her
her
whole life and I don’t mean to stop until I
draw my last breath. When she was young, I was the one that dealt with the
bullies and the assholes as they came. Now just because she got married doesn’t
mean that that’s changed, she’s still my kid and I don’t like people fucking
with my kid. I understand along with everything else there’s a baby on the way.
My kid showed up here with puffy red eyes and I’m thinking that can’t be good
for her or the baby. If you want to keep up this shit campaign of yours I’ll
come and move my kid back home, her and the kid she’s carrying. If your son
wants to come he’s more than welcome I’m sure the army could find him a post up
this way. Are you getting what I’m saying here or do you need me to spell it
out? Good to hear it. Now I’m about to sit down to dinner with my family, I suggest
you do the same.” He hung up the phone and I was afraid to look at my husband.
There was no doubt as to who that was.

Mom made as if to call the others
back into the room but dad stopped her. “Just a second Jacks.” He turned to
Damien who was sitting there with his stoic face on.

“Boy I gave you my daughter
because you promised to take care of her. I let you move her halfway across the
country to bum fuck U.S.A. are you
gonna
make me
regret that decision? Because like I just told your mother I will move her back
here, her and my grandkid.”

Damien got
that tic he always gets in his cheek when he’s pissed. Then he took my hand and
turned to face my dad. “No one is taking my wife from me, not you and not my
family. I asked her to let me handle it and just because I haven’t been
stressing her with all the details she thinks I’m a whipped puppy at the end of
my mother’s leash. She thinks flying off the handle and saying fuck you is the
answer. It’s not, that shit will only last so long before the next cycle begins
again. I admit that I had no idea any of this shit was going on, how could I? I
was halfway around the world. After she told me what was going on, she told me
a few days later that she was carrying my child. I made the decision then to
shield her from as much of this shit as I could, because contrary to what she
seems to think, I love her enough to want her to enjoy her impending motherhood
and all that entails.

 
I had a talk with the only other person I
trust implicitly, my dad. He filled in the blanks and he didn’t sugar coat it.
I wanted to commit murder when he told me some of the shit that had been said
and done to my wife while I was off fighting a fucking war and believing my
mother’s bullshit lies when she would tell me how she was looking out for my
girl. As I said before, there’s a way to handle this and if it’s not the way
anyone else would do things, it’s my way. I know what the fuck I’m doing so
with all due respect sir let me do this shit my way.

I told your
daughter she needed to apologize because she was wrong to put her hands on
Barbara. Not because I don’t think Barbara provoked her, but because what she
did set me back. It made me lose ground. Last thing I’m
gonna
say on the subject, I have a kid on the way, he or she will hopefully be the
first of many. I don’t want any of this shit flying around my kids. Let me work
it; and don’t ever threaten to take my family from me again or I’ll pack her
ass up and no one will know where the fuck we are.” You could’ve heard a pin
drop. I was a little worried about dad’s reaction but all he did was clap
Damien on his back and said ‘let’s eat’. Me, I didn’t know what the hell had
just happened.