Salsa and Speedbumps

by Baganz, Susan M. ;

“What’s the reservation on that?”

  “Well, for a while, it was the cost as we didn’t have health insurance, but that issue is moot now, with my return to Harrington. But with her on bed rest, how is she to deal with me recovering from surgery? I need to be there for her. And what if the baby comes early? That’s a distinct possibility as well. There is the risk that something could go wrong with the surgery. I wouldn’t want her to have to deal with that.”

  “I think it’s cool that your consideration is for how this all affects Stephanie, but what does she say to those concerns? Doesn’t the pain issue as it stands now have a negative effect on her as well?”

  “Yeah, it does, but at least it’s a known effect. I haven’t talked to her at length about my concerns.”

  “Maybe you should. You are a couple now. It’s not just you alone making decisions. You are hers and she is yours. You need to listen to her on this and consider her perspective. Pray together and make a decision.”

  “What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

  “Talk to my wife. Pray with her about it, and listen to hear what God might lead me to do.”

  Robbie knew Tony was right. He and Stephanie needed to have some serious conversations, and soon.

  “How about we go inside and warm up?” Tony offered as he opened the sliding door and ushered his guest into the warm house.

  * * *

  Stephanie and Renata had been sitting in the girls’ room on the floor, playing with them and visiting.

  “Soon, Stephanie, you will have your little boy or girl in your arms. Are you getting excited?”

  “Yes, and nervous. It’s been such a huge change to go from being a single, independent, self-sufficient working professional to being a stay-at-home woman with nothing to occupy my time and being supported by my husband.”

  “Well, there are some benefits to that position, aren’t there?” Ren winked at her friend.

  Stephanie grinned. “No complaints about that, although with Robbie’s back pain and my protruding stomach, we have had to be more creative. Still, it’s been good and better than I ever thought married intimacy would be.”

  “Are you glad you waited for the right man?”

  “Yes. I am grateful that I didn’t settle for someone like Luis.”

  “Have you heard anything more about him? Will he still be contesting the adoption?”

  “He’s in jail, so I’m safe for now. Not sure what will happen when this little one is born and we pursue the adoption. If he would leave the country or be deported it would make things so much easier.”

  “Have you thought of names for this little person?”

  Stephanie shook her head. “I think Sophia if it’s a girl would be pretty. But if it’s a boy? I don’t know if Robbie would want another man’s child to carry his first name, so I keep trying to think of something else. I like Levi.”

  “Have you discussed it with him?”

  “So much has been happening in his life that this has not been a topic of discussion. He speaks of it being ‘our’ child, but will he really be able to accept it as his after all Luis put us through?”

  “You need to trust him. This baby will wrap itself around both your hearts, and it will be the child of both of you because of your love for him or her. I like those names, by the way. You need to agree on that with him, though. My opinion means nothing.”

  “I know. I just don’t want to add to his stress level as it increases his back pain.”

  “Are you relieved he no longer has contact with Natasha?”

  She nodded. “I struggle to get those images out of my mind. He deleted them from his phone, but how does he erase them from his memory? Can he? I find myself jealous of where his mind might go given what she did. I know he wouldn’t be able to help himself, but I still feel jealous of him even thinking on those images.”

  “Almost like he’s having an affair in his mind?”

  “Yeah, but I know he wouldn’t be doing it on purpose.”

  “Tony steers clear of most things that would bring images like that to him. He said it is too easy to go there and he wants to honor me. But he probably has stuff ‘stored in memory’ as well. I guess I hadn’t thought of it. I probably should be praying more about that inner battle he might be facing with the pictures the world would try to plant there.”

  Stephanie bit her lip. “If I struggle to let go of those images, how much more would he? I try hard to make sure he’s happy and satisfied in our marriage. I really do want to please him in that way. But I keep getting larger, and soon there will be another little person taking up my time and energy and there will be that time period where we can’t…”

  A beep of a timer came from the kitchen, so the women rose and collected the babies and headed to that part of the house.

  Stephanie’s cell phone beeped. She pulled it out of her purse and glanced at it.

  You are as big as a butterball turkey.

  She stared at it, perplexed, when the phone beeped again.

  I would love to carve you up and serve you for dinner.

  She gasped out loud at this. Robbie came to stand behind her.

  “What is it, love?”

  “Some nasty text messages I’ve been getting in recent days.”

  “Let me see. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “At first, I thought they were a weird fluke. I don’t know who they are coming from, but now I’m getting scared. I would suspect Luis, but he’s in jail, so it can’t be him.”

  Robbie scrolled through the messages. His eyes narrowed, and he scowled. Stephanie looked up at her husband.

  “What is it, Roberto? Luis’s still in jail, right?”

  Robbie shook his head. “Sorry. He got out last week.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “Not worry? You didn’t want me to worry?” Stephanie turned to him and leaned her face against his chest. “I’m beyond worried. I’m terrified.” Dizziness from the fear forced her to hold on tight to the solid man beside her.

  “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you and the baby, sweetheart.” He put the phone down and wrapped her in his arms and lay his head on hers.

  “What can we do? How do we stay safe?” She fought to keep the terror out of her voice.

  “I wish I knew. We can go to the police. They can try to track the cell phone number, but that can take time. Beyond that, we have no other options. I’ve been checking.”

  “Can we go now?”

  “It’s a holiday. Not the best day for that.”

  “The man has threatened to carve me like a turkey!”

  “Fine, let’s drive over. The station is not far from here.”

  Tony and Renata had overheard everything as they were nearby.

  “The turkey won’t be ready for at least another hour. You can go and come back. And we’ll be praying for you and your safety.” Tony went to grab Stephanie’s coat and help her put it on. She slipped on her boots, and they were gone.

  * * *

  On the way back from the police station, Stephanie asked, “Can we block the cell phone calls like you did with Natasha?”

  “I don’t think that’s wise. We need to track him, and we need a record of his threats.”

  “I can’t live like this.”

  Roberto reached over to give her hand a squeeze. “We’ll get you another phone tomorrow and a new number. I can carry this one and monitor it until we catch him.”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “And, Steph, we need to pray for protection. He sounds far more dangerous and unstable than he was before.”

  “He knows where we live.”

  “Do you want to stay at a hotel for a while?”

  “What about with Renata and Tony?”

  “That might put them in danger. He would suspect you of being there and retaliate against them as well.”

  “You are right. I guess a hotel would be good, hu
h?”

  “I wish there were more we could do.”

  “Do you think he knows we are with the DeLuca’s today?”

  “It’s possible, I suppose. He could text things to you that aren’t true, however, just to keep you off balance and strike fear in your heart.”

  “Well, he’s succeeded.” Stephanie sighed. “Be anxious for nothing? That’s impossible.”

  “With God all things are possible. David wrote ‘fear not!’ and yet he was hunted down too, just like we are. He had to hide in caves and trust in God, even when enemy armies encamped around him.”

  “Yeah, and he struggled with fear and wondering if God had left him.”

  “But God hadn’t abandoned him, even when he felt alone and exposed and feared his life would be over. He placed his trust in God.” They were parked in the driveway now and talking with the engine running. Robbie reached over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Another way for God to stretch our faith, just like this baby is stretching my stomach. Sometimes, I think it is impossible for my skin to stretch even further, but it does. I wish my faith was that flexible.”

  “It is, and remember, we’re in this together. You’re not alone, and God is with us, and we have great friends and a church to pray and encourage us as well.”

  “Can you pray for us right now, Robbie? I need to hear that.”

  He held his wife’s hands, and they both bent their heads, and he offered up praise and prayers to the Holy King who alone had the power to protect them.

  Robbie inwardly pleaded with God for the strength to do whatever he needed to do to keep Stephanie and their child safe. He feared it might require a great deal more of him than he was prepared for. He helped Stephanie from the car, and the thought of living the rest of his life without her made him swallow hard. Please, Lord, whatever happens, spare Stephanie and our baby.

  * * *

  “The turkey is wonderful, Tony. I’ve never had anything that tasted better.” Stephanie leaned back and patted her stomach. “I think it put the baby to sleep. Gotta love tryptophan.”

  “Glad you liked it. I’m also grateful you could join us as we try to start a new family tradition. Remember two years ago, when I took Ren up and met her family?”

  Steph shuddered “Oh, that was not a good thing. You came back livid and wishing you could have pummeled the lot of them. Were it not for one of her brothers being a police officer, I suspect you would have thrown a punch or two.”

  Renata laughed. “I’m glad he got to see what I had to live with though and understand I wasn’t crazy. The reality was verified, making it much easier to close a door on any relationship with them.” She smiled at her husband. “So we decided last year that we would do our own family Thanksgiving and make it special by inviting people who may not have a place to go, since Tony’s family does their big date with everyone on Sunday.”

  “This is our second year, and what a great way to celebrate and give thanks to God for all He has done in our lives, in addition to all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do in yours. I choose to believe, Robbie, that none of what you are going through will be wasted in the kingdom of God. We want you to know we pray for you both, and you have our support, and we’ll do whatever we can to help you on the journey ahead of you.” Tony grabbed Renata’s hand and squeezed it.

  “I agree with Tony. You guys are welcome here anytime. You’re family.”

  “You guys are sweet. Robbie and I talked in the car, and we are going to stay distant until we find Luis. We don’t know what he is capable of, and we don’t want to endanger any of you, your home, the restaurant…we’ll be staying in a hotel for a while, I think, until the police can track Luis down.”

  Renata looked at Tony, concerned, “I didn’t even think about him striking again at the restaurant. He wouldn’t know Stephanie is on bed-rest and not going to be around there.”

  “I’ll talk to the police. We can pray. The rest is in the hands of God, and it won’t pay to worry about ‘what if’s.’ Living in that kind of fear is exactly what Luis would want. What our enemy would want. We can’t give into the temptation and abandon our hope and faith in God’s perfect plan.”

  Renata took a sip of water and considered her husband’s words. “So you are not concerned?”

  Tony squeezed his wife’s hand. “I’m more than concerned. I’m scared. I’ve seen Luis in a rage. He’s capable of almost anything, but how profitable is it for my imagination to become creative with what he might do?”

  Stephanie spoke up. “I’ve been trying to memorize Matthew 6:34, ‘So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ I have to admit, though, that living that verse is difficult. I often have too much time on my mind to think about the possible troubles.”

  “Prayer and trusting in God whatever comes our way. That’s what we are charged with, aren’t we?” added Robbie.

  The girls were stirring from their naps. Stephanie and Renata rose to take care of the children while Robbie and Tony cleared the table.

  Before they left for the evening, the two couples sat by the fireplace and prayed together.

  Stephanie smiled as she settled into the car, and Robbie reached over and squeezed her hand. “You look happy.”

  “I’m at peace for once, in spite of everything. That is a gift.”

  Robbie leaned over to give her a kiss. “Let’s go home and pack our bags for an extended stay somewhere.”

  “Could we find a hotel with a pool? The doctor did say I could do swimming or walking in the water.”

  “We’ll find one with a pool.”

  * * *

  An hour later, the car was loaded. They found a hotel not too far away, checked in, and went to bed, safe and secure in each other’s arms. Robbie lay awake, watching the moon peek through the gap in the closed blinds. How safe were they really? He kissed Stephanie’s forehead. She murmured something unintelligible and snuggled closer. Robbie let the tears of fear fall. This was all so far beyond him. For all his words of protection, he realized there was very little he could do against a threat with no specifics. He wished he could stay here with her every day, shadow Stephanie every step and secure her safety. Finances precluded him hiring security, and that would only make her more anxious. His hand rested on her belly, and he felt the wave of movement underneath. God, You planned this life and You brought us together. Sustain us now in this nightmare. And keep my wife and our child safe.

  * * *

  The next day, Roberto attempted to take Stephanie to the cellular store, but as the crowds were heavy due to Black Friday deals, they decided to wait to get an extra phone on Monday. At the hotel, there was a phone in their room, and Stephanie wouldn’t be going many places. Police struggled to track down where the messages came from because they originated from disposable phones from different areas of town.

  “I feel trapped, like I’m being held hostage again,” Stephanie complained after they had finished dinner at a nearby restaurant and had arrived back in their room.

  “I’m sorry.” He pulled her down on to his lap to stop her pacing. “I’ll pick up the phone for you after work Monday, and that will give you more freedom. We changed the plates on your car, and you’ve driving mine as a precaution. The fact is, Steph, you are on bed rest. It’s not like you were going to be going far anyway.”

  “True, but it was more comfortable to be on bed rest in my own bed.”

  “This one’s not too bad, though. I’m not that much sorer when I wake in the morning.”

  “You still taking your medication?”

  “Yes, dear, I am.”

  “Thinking about surgery at all?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  “Robbie?”

  “I don’t want to discuss it right now.”

  “If not now, when?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “There’s something you don’t want me to know.”


  She was greeted with silence.

  “Roberto?”

  “We have too many other things to figure out and get through before we throw major surgery into the mix.”

  “Life is not going to get easier once the baby comes.”

  “I can’t think of being laid up when your life is at risk from Luis.”

  “At least go for a second opinion. God can make a way.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Stephanie rose and moved behind him and began to massage his shoulders and neck. “I’m sorry to bother you about it, Robbie. Please forgive me.”

  “I know you care and worry about me. I appreciate that.”

  “I’m ready to listen when you want to talk more about it.”

  “I know. Thanks, hon. Now let’s see if we can get our minds onto more pleasant things.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  Pasan las cosas cuando menos las esperas.

  Things often happen when you least expect.

  ~Mexican proverb

  Sunday morning brought snow. Stephanie and Robbie managed to get to church and sat with the DeLuca’s. Robbie leaned over to Tony.

  “He’s here. I can feel it.”

  “Me too.”

  “What can we do?”

  “There’s nothing we can do until he chooses to act.”

  Robbie tried hard to focus on worshipping God, but intense fear grew out of anticipating something going wrong. He knew Stephanie needed to be out of their suite and see people, but now the risk seemed too high.

  As the last song played, Tony leaned over to Robbie. “I have to bug out to get to dinner with the family. Call or text me later to let me know you’re both okay.”

  “Will do.”

  “What was that about, boys?” asked Renata.

  “Yeah, whispering in church like us women do?” Robbie felt Steph elbow him in the ribs.

  “Just guy stuff,” said Tony.

  “Mmmmmm.” Renata grabbed her husband’s hand. “We had better go get the girls from the nursery so we are not late to Grandma’s.”

  “Right with you there. Have a great day guys.”

  “Thanks. You too,” Stephanie responded, grabbing her own husband’s hand and looking up at him. “Something’s wrong. I can sense it. You’re wound up so tight, and the lines on your forehead are more pronounced which happens when you are in pain. Did you take your muscle relaxant this morning?”