by Unknown
“Oh fuck me Collin, love me please!” Regina moaned as he continued kissing her lips, her whole body started to tremble as she held on to him tightly.
Every muscle in her body tensed into an orgasm as he repeated, “I love you Gina. God, I love you.”
And there it was Regina thought, the three words that now meant something. He truly and honestly loved her. She didn’t realize tears were streaming down her face until he kissed her cheeks.
“What’s wrong baby, why are you crying?”
He sat up and situated her in his arms again. “I’m so happy to hear you say you loved me.”
Collin smiled as he rested his forehead against hers. “Well I do love you Regina and always will love you.”
Then she noticed a strange look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
At first he didn’t say anything, but then he looked back at her and started laughing. “I know you’re going to kill me when I tell you this, but now I want some of that cheesecake you were promising me earlier.”
Shocked, Regina grabbed the pillow behind her and hit him upside his head with it. “You would ask for cheesecake now, you nut!” He laughed even more as she sat up and continued pummeling him with the pillow. Grabbing her around her waist, he pulled her into his lap and smothered her with kisses as she squealed with delight.
“Why don’t I go out to your car to get your bag while you start up the shower and then we’ll take a nap before it’s time for dinner?” Getting off the bed, she went into the closet, grabbed her robe and shoes and put them on. She looked around and asked, “Your keys?”
“Pants pocket.”
She walked outside to his car, went in the backseat and got his bag, then returned to her room. When she got back inside, Regina heard the shower going on as she took off her robe and shoes. He walked back into the room naked and he went inside his bag to pull out his sponge and soap. “Let’s take that shower and have something to eat.”
He washed her with such loving care, scrubbing with soft small circles all over her body. Collin cherished her in more ways than she could ever imagine. He smiled sweetly at her while she washed him as well. “When we move in together, would you like to change anything in the house?” he asked her while rubbing her shoulders.
Regina looked at him puzzled but then laughed and told him sincerely, “I don’t want to change a thing in that house, leave it as it is. I know that I could probably sell my furniture. The only things I’ll have to bring are my clothes and a few other little things I have gotten over the years.”
Collin kissed her wet forehead and softly on her wet lips. “That sounds just fine with me then darling, just as long as I have you then I’m just fine.”
She found herself back in Collin’s arms again, so relaxed after they had made love and taken that wonderful shower together. Regina didn’t want him to ever let her go as he whispered, “Are you asleep darling?” Regina smiled and told him, “Almost asleep.” She heard him start to hum, it must have been a song or something, but whatever it was, it was making her even sleepier than the shower. It would be the first time in days either one of them had had a good night’s sleep. Now that they were together at last, every night they slept together would be relaxing as well as fulfilling.
When they woke up from their nap and got dressed for dinner, Regina and Collin walked to the dining area where they met with the Rosenthal’s and the Warrens. “Ah ha, here is the young man you’ve been talking about I see,” Fred shouted as he came toward the two and shook Collin’s hand. “I’m Fred and this is my wife Mary Rosenthal and these are the owners Bertha and Jeff Warren, please come and sit down.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you all.” After helping Regina into her chair, Collin sat down next to her and she beamed with pride while Fred started talking once again.
“We were talking about the best food we ever had and I was telling Jeff over here that the best sandwich I ever had was this place in Indianapolis called ‘Goose the Market’, me and Martha had this sandwich called the Batali after that chef on television’s father. Best sandwich ever and I know my sandwiches, don’t I Martha?” asked Fred while he took a sip of his wine.
“Yes dear you do, I also remember that after you had that sandwich, you had the worst case of indigestion. The entire night, he was complaining about his acid reflux bothering him and kept me from sleeping.”
Regina tried not to laugh as she watched Fred get flustered.
“I think the best thing I ever ate was this place Regina took me, Mrs. Ramona’s over at the park where we would go to have lunch. She made this stew that was so delicious and we would have it with some bread and even with that it was just amazing,” Collin said.
“You didn’t tell them about how you reacted while you were eating the stew, it was like he was chomping down on his first meal ever. He was making these sounds that were so funny that I had to stop eating otherwise I would’ve ended up choking, I was laughing so hard,” Regina told them as Collin started to blush a bit.
“How did he sound?” Martha asked.
Regina started making the exact moans and groans he’d made and Collin shook his head in embarrassment. When Regina saw how uncomfortable he was, she laughed and patted his back. “Oh sweetie, it’s all right but that is how you sound when you eat Mrs. Ramona’s stew.” She chuckled and kissed his cheek as he laughed a bit too.
“I couldn’t help it, it was so good.”
Jeff and Bertha came back in with their food, which consisted of marinated prime rib with roasted vegetables and baked potatoes with butter and sour cream on the side. Everything was so fresh Collin couldn’t stop praising Bertha about how delicious everything was. Once they finished eating dinner, Bertha brought out dessert, which for Collin was that piece of cheesecake he was promised.
“Thanks Bertha, here is your cheesecake I told you about.” Regina smiled as he picked up his fork and took a small piece and slowly started to eat it.
“You were right, this is amazing.”
He took another forkful and was just about to eat it as he looked over at Regina enjoying a piece of chocolate cake. Tapping her on the shoulder, Collin waved his fork near hers and she smiled. They both sat there and fed each other their dessert.
“Awww, you two are adorable,” said Bertha as she came in with coffee for Fred and Martha.
When they went back to her room, Regina and Collin ended up talking more about their plans of moving in together. “I want you to know I quit my job,” Regina told him as she changed into her nightgown.
“Really, why did you do that?”
“I don’t want to be in a place that would remind me of all the shit I had to deal with. I can’t go back Collin, I won’t.”
Collin held her as she rested between his legs on the bed. “Well, that’s all right because I can afford to take care of us both on my salary. So there won’t be any need for you to work, I can provide for you Regina.” And with that he kissed the back of her neck.
The phone startled them as it began to ring. He grabbed the receiver and handed it to her. “Hello?”
“Hi Gina, it’s me Max.” Her tone sounded so somber that an immediate red flag popped up in Regina’s mind.
“What’s wrong Max, you sound odd?”
At first she didn’t say a word but Regina could hear her sniffling as if she had been crying before she had called. “Gina, I walked down to the park for lunch and I went to Mrs. Ramona’s for her stew. But she wasn’t there at all, not even her cart, which I thought was odd because usually it is. So I asked around to one of the other vendors. He got real quiet before he told me Mrs. Ramona died in her sleep.”
Regina looks into Collin’s eyes and started tearing up and couldn’t stop.
Not since the death of her parents had she heard anything as devastating as those words from Maxine. Mrs. Ramona, a woman that she not only considered a wonderful person but also like a mother to her was now dead. How this could happen. Collin quickly grabbed the phone fro
m her and started talking with Maxine. She watched him close his eyes and shake his head for a moment and look over at her as she continued crying. Regina heard him say goodbye and quickly took her in his comforting arms and told her sweetly, “We’ll leave in the morning Gina. Max told me they are having her funeral this Saturday.” He continued holding her in his arms as she cried herself to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
Ramona Baptiste was her name.
Regina never knew her last name until the day of the funeral. It seemed she had been really sick for the past couple of days and using home remedies didn’t seem to work. Her heart gave out while she slept. This is what she heard from one of the relatives that day after the funeral procession. Maxine, Collin and Regina were sitting at one of the many tables of the reception when a lady came over. “Are you Regina?”
“Yes, I’m Regina.”
“Let me introduce myself, I’m Amelia, Ramona’s niece,” she said with a smile that reminded her of Ramona’s while she shook her hand.
“Nice to meet you, this is my friend Maxine and my boyfriend Collin.”
“I know this might sound weird to you but my aunt always talked about you. You see, she couldn’t have any children so she always treated her nieces and nephews like her own kids. Well, she would talk about you constantly, saying you were one of her favorite customers,” Amelia told her with that smile of hers. It lifted Regina’s spirits to hear that Ramona thought so well of her.
“She was an amazing lady that’s for sure, she always had me in stitches.” Regina smiled as Maxine nodded at her.
“I have something she wanted you to have.”
“Something for me you say, what would she want to give to me?” Regina wondered as she looked at Collin confused.
Waving her hand to get a man’s attention, Amelia signaled him to come over to their table. When he did, Regina saw in his hand was a small wooden box. “Here you go Amelia.”
“Thank you Peter, this is my husband, sweetheart, this is Regina.”
“Oh you’re Regina, so nice to finally meet you at last,” Peter told her as he shook her hand.
“Thank you, it seems like she talked about me a lot to everybody in her family. What is this?”
Amelia handed her the box with an envelope.
Regina found a letter inside. She opened the folded paper and started to read.
Dearest Regina,
If you are reading this letter, this means I have gone. I know that I don’t have much longer to live now, I’ve been sick for years but I guess all my remedies and the medications the doctors have given me aren’t working like they used to. I have considered you like a daughter to me, since I have never been able to have children of my own. You always brightened up my day when you come to my stand. I was so very happy to see that you had found someone in that handsome Irish man of yours. You two were made for each other and I hope that you will be happy together for the rest of your lives.
In this box are my recipes I have made over the years, most importantly the stew that you two loved so much. I hope you enjoy these recipes and pass them down when you decide to have children.
Love Always,
Mrs. Ramona
Regina started to cry again as she gave Amelia a hug and the woman started crying too. “I don’t know what to say. I never thought she would do anything like this for me, much less expected her to give me something so valuable. I thought she would have given her recipes to her immediate family and not a girl who would come to her stand for a bowl of her stew.”
“She had already given us her recipes, but these are her original ones in her handwriting, so they are more precious than anything. I hope you enjoy them Regina, all of you,” Amelia told her with a small smile as she walked away from the group.
* * * *
When they got back to Regina’s apartment, the couple decided to rest that afternoon, it had been an emotional and exhausting day. They laid together, his arm around her waist while she rested her forehead against his cheek as they slept. Her hand rested on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. It was a comfort Regina needed badly during this time. Thankfully things between her and Collin were finally at ease and they could get back on track as far as their relationship was concerned.
Waking from her slumber, Regina saw that Collin was gone but then she smelled something coming from the kitchen. She got up and saw that he was cooking. “What are you making there?” Regina asked, walking toward him.
“I got hungry and thought I’d make me some toast with butter and jelly.”
“I can whip us something more substantial than that. Or maybe we should just order in tonight? I want to get started on trying to figure things out as far as what needs to be sold or, now that I think about it, I might just donate everything to charity.”
“Ordering in sounds good and I think that donating would be a better thing than actually selling it to someone, that stuff takes time you know. Plus the sooner I can get you in my house the better I think, don’t you?” Collin told her while he wrapped a strong arm around her waist.
Looking up into those beautiful green eyes of his, Regina raised her hand and softly ran her fingers through his red hair. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I think that is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time baby.”
Collin chuckled, laying his forehead on hers. “I love it when you call me baby, don’t ever stop calling me baby.”
“I promise I won’t.”
* * * *
One year later…
“This stew of yours is amazing Regina,” Bobby said as he came back into the kitchen for thirds.
Regina Talbot-Noonan laughed at her brother-in-law and grabbed his bowl to serve him up another helping. “I know if Mrs. Ramona was still around, she would be happy to hear you say that.”
The entire Noonan clan had come to their home that summer creating a parade of children, brothers and sister-in-laws as well as a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. “Are you sure you don’t need any help dearie?” asked Virginia, Kendrick’s wife.
“I think I’m going to rest for a while outside in the shade, I swear this little booger has kicked me non-stop for the past five minutes,” Regina said as she rubbed her now eight month old bulging belly.
Yes, who would have thought Regina would now be pregnant with child, her and Collin’s first child. They had gotten married in Ireland in a lavish wedding where Collin’s family had lived for centuries. Soon afterward, she found out she was pregnant and Collin was the proudest new dad anybody had ever seen. He was there for every appointment and every birthing class. And when he found out they were going to have a boy, he was the first one to come home with an onesy that said ‘Daddy’s lil man’.
“Do you need any help Gina?” Randy asked taking her hand as she walked toward the sliding glass door that led out to the big backyard where most of the family was at.
“No not really, I think I can manage.”
Making her way off the porch, she saw Alannah waving at her. She waddled her way toward her mother-in-law and sat with a thankful sigh. “I didn’t think I would make it here.” Regina laughed with Alannah.
“How are you holding up sweetie?”
“Better than I thought I would be, just one more month and this booger won’t be kicking my insides anymore. Damn, I should have brought something to eat, that’s why he keeps kicking me. He smells all that good food and wants some.” Regina smiled while rubbing her belly again.
“Regina needs something to eat!” shouted Alannah and soon Collin, Kenny, Randy Sr. and Randy Jr.’s son Randy III came over.
“What do you want Regina?”
Regina had to laugh. “Now isn’t that something Alannah, it’s not every day that you get serviced by four handsome men all at once. Why don’t you guys surprise me?”
They all nodded and ended up going in different directions.
“I know I’ve watched how they make sure nothing happens to you. It's nothing to worry about though, they
’ve been that way with all the Noonan women when they were pregnant,” Alannah told her with a smile.
Soon Collin brought her some fruit. “Here you go baby, some pears, grapes, and some melon.”
“Thanks sweetie.” After she gave him a kiss on the lips, he walked away. As she bit into a piece of pear Randy III came over with a plate from the table.
“I didn’t know what you wanted so I just brought you a little bit of everything they had.” Handing her the plate, he smiled.
“Thanks dear.”
While munching a bit more on the pear she was eating, Regina almost choked as she let out a groan.
“Are you all right Regina?” Alannah asked with concern.
Taking a deep breath, she looked over at Alannah anxious. “I don’t know, this time that kick was sharp as hell.”
“You haven’t had any contractions today have you?”
“No, everything has been going pretty good except for the kicking he’s been doing.” Then another kick came along and this time she could feel a trickle of what she thought was water and then a gush. Regina sat staring wide-eyed at Alannah as alarm flowed through her. “You better get Collin.”
“Collin, Collin come quickly boy! Regina’s water just broke!” Alannah shouted as Randy Sr. came over.
This couldn’t be happening right now, something was wrong. She looked up and saw Collin standing there with his mouth agape as he stared at her sitting in a huge puddle. She knew by the look in his eyes that he was just as scared for her as she was at that moment.
“It’s time?” he asked her.
“I guess he wants to come out a little bit early, we better call the doctor.” With help from Collin and Randy Sr. she walked slowly back inside the house. Regina grabbed the phone as they went in their bedroom so that she could change out of her dress first. Once Alannah helped her clean up and she got dressed, Regina sat down and called Doctor Anderson, her Ob/Gyn.
“Hello?”
“Hi Doctor Anderson, this is Regina Noonan. I’m calling because the baby has been kicking me pretty hard and my water just broke.” Collin sat next to her as everybody else stood around waiting to see what was going to happen next.
