“Dinner is ready.” Stephanie turned towards her father. “Could you turn off the television and join us in the kitchen?”
Her father grumbled but complied and rose from the chair with a grunt.
They sat down, and Robbie grabbed Stephanie’s hand to pray over the meal. When she looked up from the prayer she noticed her parents glaring at him. He glanced at Stephanie and shrugged. This was not going to be pleasant.
The meal started out in silence which was broken by Mr. Simson saying, “Stephanie, I don’t understand why you won’t move to Chicago. Your husband can find work anywhere, and that job opportunity at DeLuca’s is profitable. You told your mom that on the phone during the summer. You would both be financially secure if you did that.”
“Papa…” Stephanie started but was interrupted by Robbie.
“DeLuca’s in Chicago is not an option. Discussion closed.”
Stephanie turned to her husband. “Closed? While I agree that right now is not a good time for that, in the future…?” She really never wanted the job, especially now that they had married, but his statement raised her hackles. How dare he tell her no?
Robbie set his fork down. “Understand me on this, Stephanie. There will never be a future for you at DeLuca’s in Chicago.”
Stephanie bristled at his autocratic tone. “I don’t understand why not. I realize right now—”
“Over my dead body, Stephanie, and even then, I would hope you would respect my wishes in this. I can explain my reasons later, but this is not the time or the place for this discussion.”
“Stephanie is a grown woman and capable of making her own decisions, I think,” stated her father. “Although I do admit, some of them have been pretty bad.”
“Could we change the topic?” suggested Mrs. Simson.
Stephanie seethed. She pushed her plate away, her appetite was gone. She had rarely known Robbie to be so firm in denying her anything. For him to do so without discussion rankled.
The baby cried. “Excuse me. I will go get Levi. I’ll return after I’ve fed him.”
Stephanie rose and left the room.
* * *
Robbie regretted the way the conversation had gone. If only he had been able to tell Stephanie last night about what he had learned. He understood why she was angry and saw how little she had eaten. He found his own appetite had flown.
“I still don’t see why you would deprive us of being closer to our only grandchild. I don’t even understand why she had to marry you and not just give the baby up for adoption. This whole business is distasteful to me.” Her dad bit into a piece of tenderloin and chewed.
Now it was Robbie’s turn to burn. “Why don’t you approve of Stephanie’s marriage and child? What have I ever done to offend you?”
“Well, for one, you’re Hispanic. Don’t trust spicks. Secondly, you are not even the father of this child, and since she met you it seems she has totally changed, and not for the better.”
“And third?” Robbie asked.
“You keep her locked up here. She’s fat, lazy, and not doing anything worthwhile with her life.”
“Really? And what do you consider ‘worthwhile?’” Robbie asked, his anger held in check.
“Making money. Marrying up. Not living in a hovel like this, not able to make her own decisions and spending all her time taking care of a brat rather than putting it in childcare.”
Robbie lay down his fork with care. Stephanie had entered the room with Levi on her shoulder, patting the infant’s back. Her face was drained of color. She had overheard her father’s comments.
Robbie rose to his feet and stood by his wife and their son. “I refuse to have someone in our home who would dare to abuse my wife in any way. She has the most important job in the world, raising our son, and there is no salary high enough to compensate her for her work, but I do my best. She is far from lazy, and she is beyond beautiful. I suggest that it is time for this visit to end.” He nodded towards Mrs. Simson. “Tomorrow, you may come by to see the baby as long as you come alone.”
Robbie turned to go to the hall closet and withdrew the coats in there and brought them to his in-laws as they stood to leave the table.
Stephanie remained still, clutching the baby.
“You are not going to allow him to evict us from your home, Stephanie. We came all the way from Chicago to see you and the baby.”
Stephanie shook her head and said nothing.
Mrs. Simson came toward her daughter and glanced at the baby in her arms. Stephanie moved the baby lower so that her mother could see his face. He gazed up with bright blue eyes, his clenched fist waving in the air and a cloud of dark fuzz over the top of his head. Mrs. Simson leaned over to kiss the infant’s cheek.
“I’m sorry,” Mrs. Simson whispered to her daughter. “I’ll come back tomorrow. Alone.” She moved towards Robbie and allowed him to help her with her coat. Mr. Simson was already out into the hall, blustering about spicks, hovels and ingrates.
“Good night.” Robbie closed the door and bolted it. He turned. “I’m sorry, Steph. I couldn’t stand the verbal harangue he was on. I suspect he started it when he first came?”
Stephanie nodded, her expression somber. “You didn’t have to kick them out.”
“You’d rather they stayed and abused you further? I don’t think so.” Robbie moved past her to the kitchen and sat back down to pick up his fork and resume his meal. “Come and eat. You outdid yourself on this meal.”
Stephanie shook her head. “You go ahead and eat since this is nothing to you. But I cannot believe how you treated me. Denying me the opportunity to work at DeLuca’s without discussion? Kicking my parents out based on a few minutes’ conversation? I wonder if I even know you.” Tears started to flow down her cheeks. “I don’t want to be around you tonight.” She handed the baby off to him and strode from the room and down the hallway. He heard the door slam.
Robbie looked down into the wide eyes of his son. “Well, Levi, seems like in my efforts to protect and defend your mom, I hurt her too. We’ll have to pray she is able to calm down and talk about this soon. I really don’t relish sleeping on the couch tonight.”
Levi gurgled in response and shoved his fist in his mouth.
“Hmmm, maybe if I had said nothing there would be more peace? Sometimes peace isn’t as important as standing up for what’s right.” Robbie gazed towards the empty doorway. “Well, it’s quiet now.”
Too quiet.
Robbie put his son in a bouncy chair on the floor while he cleaned up the kitchen and put the remainder of the food away. He spent time playing with the baby before giving him a bath and putting him to bed for at least a few hours of the night. It was late and there was no light coming from under the bedroom door. He knocked, “Stephanie? Can I come in?” He was met with silence. He tried the doorknob and found it locked. He leaned his head against the door in defeat before reaching into the hall closet to draw out an extra blanket and settle down on the sofa. He knew he would not be sleeping well and would wake up with lower back pain. He debated sleeping on the floor, but in spite of the pain he was already experiencing, he drifted to sleep, praying God would somehow break down the barrier that had appeared between his wife and himself.
Morning came and Robbie found clean clothes set out for him in the bathroom and the door to the bedroom still locked. Robbie had been up several times during the night, taking care of feeding Levi. He was exhausted and in pain. He showered and, with weary hands, put his tie on. How long would Stephanie remain angry? This was so new. In the past, they usually spoke their minds and moved on. Skipping breakfast, he headed out the door to the office after noting that Stephanie had also moved Levi to the master bedroom.
* * *
At ten o’clock, the doorbell rang. Stephanie ran to open it with Levi in her arms.
“Good morning, Stephanie. I told your father he could come because that husband of yours wouldn’t be here to know, but he is stubborn and refused.”
“Men. Who can figure out their moods? Let’s take a look at this grandson of mine.” Stephanie handed over Levi and watched her mom coo over him.
* * *
After her mother left, Stephanie lay down on the couch to rest. Weariness overtook her, and her mood remained sour as she thought over the events of the night before. Frustrated with her blue mood, she picked up the phone.
“Renata? Hi, it’s Steph.”
“Hey, girlfriend. How did your visit with your parents go?”
“Not so well. Robbie kicked them out last night after being pretty autocratic about something we disagreed on.”
“Really? That doesn’t seem like him at all. What did he say later, after your parents were gone?”
“Nothing, I had closeted myself in the bedroom and fell asleep. I didn’t see him this morning.”
“Steph, did you lock him out of the bedroom?”
“Well, yeah, kinda.”
“It is not healthy for a marriage for you both to go to bed angry. Where did he sleep? I thought his lower back was still giving him problems?”
“I think he slept on the couch. It serves him right to have a sore back after the way he humiliated me.”
“He humiliated you? How? What exactly happened?”
Stephanie described the evening to her friend.
“Stephanie, it sounds like your husband was protecting you. You father has been a bully all your life. I could see someone like Robbie taking offense if someone bad-mouthed his wife.”
“Maybe. But what about the whole thing with Chicago DeLuca’s?”
“He said he would explain, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“But you didn’t give him a chance. Did you?”
“No.” Stephanie wasn’t feeling better. She was beginning to feel worse. “I called you so you could cheer me up. I’m not feeling cheerful.”
“Sin is never cheerful. You need to speak with Robbie and let him explain why he was so adamant. From what I understand from Tony, they talked about Chicago. Something serious, but he won’t give me the details. He said he can’t discuss it until there’s more proof. Stephanie, I think you need to listen to your husband and trust him on this. Besides, I don’t think you really want to give up this time with Levi either to work full-time in Chicago. I know it’s been hard being a mom, but I wonder… “
“Wonder what?”
“I wonder if you might be suffering from some post-partum depression.”
“Why would you think that?”
“You seem more down. I know the sleep deprivation is hard, and nursing and all the pregnancy hormones, as well as being newly married…”
“I’m not that sleep-deprived.”
“No? Is Levi a good sleeper already?”
“No, he’s up every three hours during the night, but Robbie usually takes care of him so I can rest.”
“That’s sweet. But you are so tired, something seems off. You might want to call your doctor.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“How about coming with me to MOPS tomorrow morning?”
“Mothers of Preschoolers?”
“Yeah—it will get you out of the house, and you might make some new friends too. Some of the gals who used to attend the young adult group attend as well. You will see a lot of familiar faces.”
“Maybe I’ll come. What time?”
“Nine.”
“I’ll write it down. I forget everything.”
“And write down this too.”
“What?”
“Talk to Robbie, and do not lock the bedroom door.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good. See ya tomorrow morning. I’ll be praying for you.”
“Thanks, Ren.”
* * *
Robbie texted Stephanie later in the afternoon.
Late meeting tonight and acctblty grp. Won’t be home for dinner.
She groaned and texted back. Fine.
THIRTY
Cada uno lleva su cruz.
Everyone bears their own cross.
~Mexican proverb
Roberto left a late meeting and headed over to the restaurant to meet the guys. His back was complaining, and he longed for a drink or a pill or anything that would numb the pain he felt, combined with Stephanie shutting him out. Not having fully recovered from his surgery, Roberto was almost relieved to not be going home early. He was a coward, but he still couldn’t quite figure out why she had been so angry. Stephanie’s dad was just a bully, and he’d had to restrain himself from wanting to throw the guy a punch for the way he talked about Stephanie. Robbie wasn’t too fond of the way the man talked about him, either. While he didn’t need to be loved and approved of, a little respect would have been nice. He did feel bad that his choice to defend his wife ruined the wonderful dinner she had worked so hard to prepare.
After his meeting with the guys, he let himself into the dark, quiet apartment. He walked into the kitchen to check for any leftovers. While he could have eaten at the restaurant, he had only had some lemonade and was ravenous. He pulled out some of the dinner from last night and heated it up and sat at the table to eat with only the moon giving light to the room. He had left off his shoes by the door, and after washing his dishes to put in the side rack of the sink to dry, he tiptoed down the hallway to the bedrooms. He peeked in to Levi’s room to find he was not there.
He turned to try the doorknob to the master bedroom to find it locked once again. He wondered how many nights he would be forced to sleep in his clothes on the sofa. Defeated, he turned, grabbed the blanket and pillow, and headed to the living room. Before laying down on the couch, he wandered back to the kitchen to reach for a bottle of prescription pain medication. He knew he was going to need it.
Friday morning was a repeat of the day before. Robbie had not slept well. He was up early, found fresh clothes waiting for him, and left the house without giving his wife a kiss goodbye.
* * *
Stephanie waited until she heard the door close to get up, shower, and dress to leave for the Mothers of Preschoolers group at church.
After returning home, she found a message on her voice mail and returned the call.
“Stephanie, how are you doing?”
“Mr. DeLuca? I’m fine, thank you, and you?”
“Wonderful. Just wonderful. Especially now that I’ve managed to get a hold of you. You keep sending me letters stating you aren’t interested in the offer I made you last July. But that can’t be right.”
“I wrote those letters and can testify that they are what I meant to communicate.”
“What’s holding you back, dear?”
“I’m recently married and just had a baby. This is not a season of life where I feel it is right to make a career change.”
“Ah, I suppose that husband of yours is not agreeable to you moving to Chicago.”
“As a matter of fact, he isn’t.” Stephanie’s hair rose up on the back of her neck. Why was he bothering her?
“Well, I think we can take care of that for you. Just remember, I’m ready and willing to fulfill my contract with you.”
“We have no contract.”
“We will, my dear, trust me, we will. You’ll be hearing from me again very soon.” Mr. DeLuca gave his farewell, and Stephanie hung up the phone, feeling sick to her stomach.
How was she ever going to tell Robbie about this? He would think she had initiated the call after his adamant refusal to consider the job offer. She knew she had to risk that if she attempted to bridge the chasm between them.
* * *
It was just nearing five o’clock on Friday evening when Robbie’s office phone rang.
“Mr. Rodriguez?”
“Yes, may I ask who is calling?”
“It’s Mr. Rubinski, Natasha’s father.”
/> “Yes. How can I help you?”
“It’s me who is calling to help you. Is your wife’s name Stephanie?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Don’t ask me how I know this, but I wanted to warn you to watch your back. I’m not sure who you crossed in Chicago, but I got wind that there is a contract out on your life.”
“Seriously?”
“Deadly serious.”
“So why are you calling me?”
“You were gracious to me. I like you, and I hate to see one of the good guys die.”
“Are you on the wrong side of the fence yourself?”
“No. Let’s just say I hear the scuttlebutt on the street. I wanted to warn you.”
“But if someone wishes me harm, what can I do?” Robbie heart rate increased.
“Just be careful. Very careful. They are out to kill.”
“Wonderful. Thank you for warning me, Mr. Rubinski.”
“You are in my prayers, Roberto. Only God can protect you now.”
Robbie hung up the phone, sat back, and sighed. He leaned over and dialed Maxwell Worthing’s office.
“Hey, Max.”
“Make it quick, Robbie. I’m out of here in a few minutes. I have a date tonight and don’t want to be late.”
“Fine. I’ll make it quick.” Robbie related the Rubinski phone call.
“Document everything, Robbie. I’m sorry this happened. I can call on my friends in Chicago and put them on the case, but I’m not sure how successful I will be at getting a hold of any of them at this time on a Friday.”
“Whatever you can do, I’d appreciate it. If something does happen, a copy of my will is in my left-hand file.”
“Don’t be maudlin, Roberto, we’ll get you through this.”
“If there’s a contract out on my life, who’s to stop someone from seeking to kill me? I’m not worried so much about dying, but I have a wife and newborn son to worry about. If something happens to me, you need to make sure Stephanie understands the truth about DeLuca’s.”
“I thought you were going to tell her about that?”
“I was, but there’s been a problem getting through to my wife on this issue. I will try again.”
“Good luck, Robbie.”
Salsa and Speedbumps Page 23
