Salsa and Speedbumps

by Baganz, Susan M. ;

  “You spied on me?”

  “Your phone kept going off, and you weren’t feeling well. I checked it to see if there was some kind of emergency I should make you aware of.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t even get the sexting until after you dropped me off at the restaurant and I checked my phone. I was surprised she had gone that far.” To be honest, he had been flattered and disgusted all at once.

  “Well, you are a devilishly attractive man. I guess I can understand her desperation.”

  “You can?” His heart lifted. He put his arm around her and drew her close to him until she was snuggled up against his side.

  “I practically propositioned you on our second date.” Sniff.

  “Oh, yeah. I had forgotten that. You were definitely more of a temptation to me, though.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. You dressed modestly, you touched me so expertly and you cared about me and what I thought and felt. I never thought you desired me only for my body.”

  “Not just eye candy?”

  “No, you were definitely far sweeter than eye candy. I’m grateful God allowed me to marry you so that I could taste just how sweet.” He leaned forward to kiss her.

  “So sweet,” she whispered as their lips met.

  * * *

  Robbie walked in as Stephanie was changing to go out to dinner. He was straightening his tie. He saw her start to pull up her slacks.

  “Whoa, wait a minute here.” He stopped her progress and pointed to her right thigh. ”Where and when did you get this?”

  Stephanie pulled the pants up, concealing the bruise. “Last night when I got home, in the parking lot.”

  “Didn’t I tell you to be careful?”

  “I was a trifle upset about my discoveries, your strange behavior, and lack of communication.”

  “So you threw caution to the wind? How is the baby?” His hand went to touch her stomach but felt nothing. “Why isn’t he moving?”

  “He or she is fine and has been very active. I see the doctor tomorrow. I called in about it and they said I was probably fine. The baby is wrapped in a cushion.”

  Robbie grabbed her right arm gently and saw her wince. He pulled the sleeve up to reveal the bruising there as well. He looked at her. “Is there more?”

  “My heart took a bit of a battering as well.”

  He bent over to place the barest breath of a kiss against her lips. “Guess I’ll have to apply some tender loving care, won’t I?”

  “Couldn’t hurt,” she mumbled as she turned and put her arms around his neck and let him hold her close.

  * * *

  Robbie and Stephanie decided to go to DeLuca’s for dinner. Holly seated them, and Penny took their order and brought them fresh baked bread and soup.

  “So, what do you think about me going back to Harrington?”

  “I think that should be your decision.” She spread some butter on the bread and took a bite. “Oh, I forgot how good Tony’s cooking is.”

  “What do you mean, my decision? I thought I married you to be my helpmate. My partner. I want you to have a voice in this.”

  “What will this mean for us if you take the job?” Stephanie took another bite.

  “Look at what’s in this envelope.” He slid the envelope across the table.

  Stephanie set down the bread on her plate and wiped the butter on her napkin. She took a sip of water, glanced at Robbie, opened the envelope, removed the letter, and began to read. Her eyes got wide, and she glanced up at Robbie. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “Why wouldn’t you take this? Is there a hidden cost?”

  “I would be gone regular hours but it is possible that I could, at times, be bringing work home. Most of my work I will not be able to discuss with you due to confidentiality.”

  “So you will work long hard hours. Do you think you are up for the stress level?”

  “Well, my job at Marquette is in no way assured and would never come close to this in pay or benefits or opportunity for advancement. And, well, it’s been a bit stressful due to Natasha. Who knows what will happen with that case. There has been a lot I have enjoyed working as an attorney.”

  “Would the case at Marquette affect your job at Harrington?”

  “It shouldn’t. A position at Harrington might actually be a benefit in my defense.”

  “Do you feel at peace about taking the job?”

  “I like the work and the challenge. I now have a beautiful bride to help with stress relief.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “When I left Harrington’s office, I experienced...joy. Like God had provided an answer to prayer.”

  “What prayer?”

  “For how I would provide for our family. I’ve been anxious about what we would do if the insurance doesn’t pay for things, or for when the savings accounts run dry and we cannot afford to even pay the rent.”

  “I could always go back to work if that happened.”

  “You’re on bedrest. While I think we have enough to get us through for a few months, we can’t count on your income. It’s my job to provide for our family. I thought we had agreed that you would stay home and be a full-time mom to our children.”

  “Children?” Stephanie raised an eyebrow.

  “You don’t think I would be happy with just one child do you?”

  “How many do you want to have?”

  “As many as the Lord would give us?”

  “That scares me.”

  “We can discuss that later, can’t we? It’s not like we are working on number two yet, anyway.”

  “Nope, only practice runs.” Stephanie tried to hide a smile as she dipped the spoon in her soup.

  “Training is good.” Robbie grinned at her.

  “Well, you have the makings of a champion, I think.” Stephanie gave into the giggles, and they both laughed, drawing the attention of diners around them.

  At the end of the meal, Holly came to bring Stephanie a large envelope. “Steph, this came for you last week.”

  “Oh, thanks, Holly.” Stephanie lay the envelope to the side but gazed at it.

  “What is it?” Robbie asked.

  “Nothing important. I can look at it later.”

  Robbie reached over and took the envelope. “May I?”

  “Curiosity is a besetting sin of yours?”

  “It makes me a good lawyer.”

  “Go ahead.” Stephanie leaned back in her chair.

  Robbie ripped open the envelope using his butter knife and pulled out the paperwork within and began to scan the cover letter. He let out a low whistle and glanced up at her. “You would have seriously considered this offer?”

  “What do you mean, ‘would have?’”

  “We are married now. You can’t go moving to Chicago and leave me.”

  “Who said I would leave you?” Stephanie was acting coy.

  Roberto growled, “Stephanie, what’s going on?”

  “You remember me telling you about the offer from DeLuca’s in Chicago, don’t you?”

  “Well, yeah. But I thought that was a closed door when we got married.”

  “Apparently Mr. DeLuca doesn’t see it that way.”

  “You have been corresponding with him?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “That I had married and was expecting a child and would not be able to consider his offer at this time.”

  “At this time?” Robbie set the papers down and leaned forward. “How about never.”

  “It’s a decent offer.”

  “It’s an indecent offer. There’s something fishy about this, and I will need to look it over to find out just what.”

  “Why is it indecent? Because the numbers are bigger than the ones on this piece of paper?” She raised the envelope with the Harrington job offer in it. “Remember that the cost of living in downtown Chicago is higher than it is up here.”

  “Why have you never mentioned this to me
before now?”

  Stephanie shrugged.

  “Were you ever going to tell me?”

  Stephanie looked down at her empty plate. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it was important since I wasn’t considering it. Mr. DeLuca is the one who keeps pursuing it.”

  “So you were going to continue to correspond with a man of questionable morals about a job with unspecified responsibilities in another state,without ever telling me?”

  “Possibly.”

  “How dare you.” Robbie was livid now.

  “How dare I? Didn’t I let you open the envelope and read its contents? I didn’t dare tell you what decision to make with Harrington, nor did you consult me about working at Marquette. You never even told me about Natasha until the situation was so far out of hand that you had to take legal action.”

  “You weren’t going to tell me about the fall you took. You would have said nothing to me at all about it if I hadn’t seen the bruises and questioned you.” Robbie threw his cloth napkin on his empty plate.

  Holly came forward with the bill and laid it to the side of the table.

  “Thank you, Holly,” said Roberto tersely.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll come for that when you are ready.”

  When Holly left, silence descended between them. Robbie pulled out his credit card and placed it in the black sleeve of the receipt holder and set it back down.

  Stephanie took her napkin and folded it neatly by the side of her plate and busied herself with piling up the plates

  “Stop that.”

  Stephanie looked across the table at her husband. “Stop what?”

  “Stop avoiding me.”

  “I don’t know what else to say or do.”

  “Me neither.” Some of his anger dissipated as he watched his wife. She hadn’t been seeking the correspondence. Still, the idea that she kept her toe in the door without telling him rankled.

  Holly came to get the card and returned while the two sat in silence at the table, glancing at each other and away.

  The receipt came back, and Robbie filled out the tip, signed it, and pocketed his credit card. He stood to rise and walked around to assist Stephanie from her chair. Stephanie reached over to grab the two envelopes. They rode home in silence.

  * * *

  Stephanie didn’t know what to do to break the wall that had come up between them once again. Entering the house, Robbie, ever the gentleman, took her coat and hung it up while she sat down to remove her shoes by the door. She rose and walked over to the window and looked out at some of the Christmas decorations that were already up and lit, even though Thanksgiving hadn’t even arrived yet. Robbie came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

  “I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t more up front in communicating with you about stuff.” Stephanie turned around in the circle of his arms. “You are more important to me than a number on a paycheck, or job security, or even health insurance.”

  “What about Harrington? Do you think I should accept?” Robbie asked, sounding hopeful.

  “You want to?”

  He nodded.

  “I think you should accept, and I will do my best to support you.” She leaned her head forward against his chest.

  “Thank you. I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t regret putting your trust in me.”

  “I think I’m the one who failed you. I suspected you of falling for Natasha and doubted your love and faithfulness to me and our baby. Will you forgive me?”

  “Will you forgive me for my lack of communication, self-centeredness, and temper?”

  “Certainly.”

  “And, Stephanie, thanks for encouraging me to take the medication.”

  “I love you, Robbie.”

  “I love you too, Steph.”

  He reached over and closed the blinds. Stephanie decided that she didn’t like fighting with her husband, but making up afterwards was worth it.

  * * *

  The doctor appointment the next day was uneventful. Stephanie’s blood pressure was still unstable, but the baby was fine, and rest was the continued recommendation.

  Robbie started his job at Harrington. Stephanie came home to plan a nice meal for them later. Putting the makings of chili in the crock pot allowed her to put her feet up and read.

  Her phone beeped. She wondered if Robbie was contacting her.

  I know where you live. I will hunt you down.

  Stephanie was confused. It sounded like the kind of thing that Luis would say, but he was in jail. A sense of foreboding overtook her but she quoted Scripture: “Be anxious for nothing…” She started listing all the things she had to be grateful for in her journal. She enjoyed reading novels, biographies, and information about caring for and raising a child. She was able to shut the disturbing text out of her mind, and by the time Robbie came home, it was forgotten.

  TWENTY

  Desgracia compartida, menos sentida.

  Two in distress makes sorrow less.

  ~Mexican proverb

  Thanksgiving was upon them, and the doctor forbade Stephanie to travel to St. Louis to meet her in-laws. She was also instructed not to go to Mundelein either. Tony and Renata invited the newlyweds to join them, instead, for the holiday.

  Tony was out on the back patio with Robbie by the grill. Both wore their winter coats.

  “I’ve never had grilled turkey.” Robbie hugged himself, sticking his gloved hands under the armpits of his winter coat.

  “It’s worth the time and effort to cook it like this, Roberto. When it melts in your mouth, you will know how much better it is this way.”

  “I look forward to it. How did you ever get to be such a good chef?”

  “Being raised in a family that cooks for a living, I think I learned by osmosis. But I’m the only one of all the kids that has a passion for the work and the business. Everyone in my family can cook. I’m the only one who does it for a living and still doesn’t mind doing it when I get home.”

  “Does Renata cook too?”

  “She does. It’s not a passion of hers, but she can be quite creative in the kitchen, and because she knows I love good food, she tries new things and makes a game of trying to ‘stump the chef’ with unusual ingredients and spices.”

  “Do you like that?”

  Tony grinned. “Oh, yeah. Spice is good for a marriage.”

  Both men laughed. Robbie became serious. “Sometimes, I think spice is all we have had in our relationship since we met.”

  “You have both been on a wild ride. Rapid courtship and so much drama surrounding your relationship.”

  “Yeah, and it concerns me.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Well, it’s been good in that it’s forced us to depend on God and each other, but what happens when life becomes ‘normal?’ Will we get bored?”

  “You’ve only been married a few months and you are worried about getting bored?” Tony’s right eyebrow shot up as he looked at Robbie.

  “I know, right? Still, I wonder how we will settle into a routine with the new job and when the baby comes.”

  “Trust me, Robbie, when that baby comes, your life will be anything but boring. Kids have a way of turning your world upside down. It starts in your heart living outside your body and changes your perspective on the entire world.”

  “So I have nothing to worry about?” Robbie chuckled.

  “I think you have everything to worry about, but it’s not productive. I just think boredom should be at the bottom of your list.”

  “You are probably right. Hey, I need your advice on something.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “I found out last week that Luis got released from prison. No clue where he is or what he is up to.”

  “How could they do that?”

  “I think there was some error in the court system. It happens. I think he slipped through the cracks somehow, but that’s a separate issue and one I can’t think
about right now. What concerns me is how to protect Stephanie and the baby.”

  “Do you think he will still be a threat to her?”

  Robbie gave Tony an incredulous stare.

  “Yeah, right. Given his attitude, he will do anything he can to seek revenge against you both, and if the baby is a victim in the process…” Tony frowned.

  “Right. But with no known address and no specific threats, we can’t get a restraining order.”

  “Well, much good that did last time.”

  “Right.” Robbie watched Tony baste the turkey with beer and butter.

  “So what does Stephanie think about this?”

  “I haven’t had the courage to tell her. Her blood pressure still goes high and low, and I don’t want to add to her stress.”

  “It’s the pregnancy messing with her blood pressure, though—not stress. I think you need to give her more credit. She’s a stronger woman than you realize.” Tony put the lid down on the grill.

  “I’ve been finding that out the hard way.”

  “Your wills have been bumping into each other?”

  “You could say that, but add in a healthy dose of hormones for her and the side effect of pain for me, and bouts of miscommunication, and it can be combustible.”

  “So all is not blissful in honeymoon heaven?” Tony sounded concerned.

  “I wouldn’t say that. I love Stephanie and she realizes that. But we do have some pretty good arguments. She’s been pretty ticked at my reluctance to take the muscle relaxants, but she doesn’t understand how it affects my mood when I do.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I may find relief from pain, but it distorts my thinking. I want to think of good things like in Philippians 4:8, but the medicine brings me down.”

  “Whatever is good, think on these things . . . that verse?”

  “Yeah. I struggle so hard to do that, but the medication puts a grey cloud over my head, like a wet woolen blanket that is suffocating me and blotting out the sun.”

  “Sounds uncomfortable.”

  “Yeah, but so is living with the pain which can bring its own depression as well.”

  “Wow. I understand better how to be praying for you, Robbie.”

  “Thanks, Tony. Stephanie is really pushing for me to do the back surgery.”