by Lauren Wood
I liked the need that I saw in her eyes. It was exactly what I wanted to happen. I was going to lean on it for what was to come.
“Have you been studying up on your Spanish?”
She said that she had tried to, but she only knew a few words.
“Please don’t be mad at me Craig. I really have tried.”
I told her that I wasn’t mad. I knew that after a little bit of time here, she would be speaking it clearly. It was just going to take time. It was going to take far more time than she thought she was going to have. Jeanine was here for two weeks, but I wanted her for more. I couldn’t go to her, so she was going to have to stay here with me. It was the only option that I could think of at the moment.
I knew she was going to be mad at me for a while, but she would get over it. I had talked her into so many things, but this time, I knew it would be better to apologize later, than to ask for permission. I didn’t want to ask for permission. I wanted what was mine and I would let the chips fall where they will later.
My first instinct, sometimes my only instinct, was to put my hands on her. Now that I could actually touch her, it was all that I wanted to do. I had stayed up many long nights, thinking about this moment and what was going to happen next. Now I knew that she was here, I was never going to give her up again.
“So, what is it that you want to do before we go back to your place?”
I smiled at her and ask her if she really couldn't wait.
“I can’t wait Craig. I have waited this long. But I just want to know what it is. You have me curious and you're being very ambiguous about it.”
“I thought you like surprises.”
“Being here with you, here, in your country. I think I've had enough surprises for the day.”
I smiled at her again because I couldn't help it. She always gave me the biggest grin on my face, no matter what I was doing. A note from Jeanine had always made my day a little bit better. That feeling that she gave me was only compounded now because she was sitting right in front of me. I couldn't believe that she was right across from me at the table.
“It is just like a little ceremony here, telling the world that we are together. It's cute, it's professing our love to each other. What could be wrong with that?”
I worded it that way for a reason. I wasn't going to lie to her, not really but I wasn't going to come out with it either. I know that I was being dishonest in a way, but at the same time I knew that she wanted this. We have talked about it several times before. And it took me months to get her here, so I wasn't going to give her a chance to leave again. I don't want to wait anymore, and I knew that this was the way it was supposed to happen. The fact that she hadn’t studied Spanish was perfect.
We left the bar and walked down the street a little bit. We stopped in a building that I knew well, and I looked over at her for her reaction.
“It looks like a church, one of those old ones that I saw in the pictures.”
I just nodded my head, not agreeing or disagreeing. It became clear that it was a church when she got inside, and then I was getting the look of what the hell was going on.
“I told you, it is just a way for us to profess our love to each other. This is what you wanted, right?”
“I don't mind professing my love for you Craig. I love you, always have since we started talking, probably a little too early. But I don't understand what we're doing in a church.”
“Like I said before, it's just a little ceremony. We will be in and out of here in about twenty minutes. It is just something that we have to do in my culture.”
“Okay Craig, if it is important to you, it's important to me.”
She always did say the perfect things. It was like she could read my mind or something. Her submissive side was coming out and that was exactly what I wanted to see. It would go smoothly that way.
“It is important to me Jeanine, just like you are. And I want the whole world to know it.”
I could tell that she wasn’t sure about this, but I was just going to play the game a little while longer. Once this was over, it would be different. She would be mine and I wouldn’t have to worry about her running off.
3
Jeanine
To say that I was confused would be an understatement. He was messing with my head at this point. I was around him for five minutes and he was putting his hand under my skirt. The way he touched me, kissed me and now he wanted to go to a church. It’s all just felt so surreal.
Sometimes I really didn't know what was going on in Craig’s head, and this was certainly one of those times. I felt like he had something up his sleeve, but I wasn't supposed to know about it.
Even though I couldn't understand what he was saying to an older man that it came in from the back, it didn't take much to figure out that this was in fact a church, and most likely the man he was talking to was a pastor. Or preacher. I'm not really sure what they call them here.
So, the question still stood, what in the world were we doing here? This was not at all how I had imagined our first night to be together. It was getting dark outside and instead of calling out his name in pleasure, I was standing in the church, feeling very awkward. With the thoughts running through my head, I was sure that I was going to burst into flames at any minute.
The two men talked for several moments and I could feel their eyes on me. I tried not to make much eye contact because I was still horny from the bar. I had a bit of a buzz and the last place I wanted to be was in a church. Whatever sort of ceremony this was going to be, I hoped that Craig was right in the fact that it was going to be quick. We had other things to do. And I wanted to get to doing them.
Craig took my hand and we moved up to the front of what look like a pulpit. There were crosses everywhere, pictures of Jesus with the crown of thorns, this was definitely a church. What in the world were we doing here?
The older man that Craig had been talking to a moment before was smiling at me, so naturally I had to return the gesture. Even though I was confused at what was happening, I still felt okay with it. I trusted Craig, or I wouldn’t have come all this way to see him. It was just going to take some getting used to, being with him. We had thought about it for so long. It was just going to take some time for me to get used to the fact that he was right here in front of me. His demanding ways certainly hadn’t changed though.
Craig grabbed my hand and held it as the older man talked. Now he wasn’t talking to Craig or myself. Instead he was speaking in a tone that suggested a sermon. Again, I really wished that I had studied better. It certainly would have been easier than how it was all going now. I had no idea what was going on and it was driving me crazy. All I could think about was us naked together.
This went on for several minutes and I had no idea what the man was saying. Craig hadn't even introduced me, something that I was going to ask him about later, but at the moment it felt like I was supposed to pay attention. It felt like this was important, and Craig said it was important to him, so I was just trying to go with it. I just wanted to make him happy if I was honest with myself, a quality that wasn’t necessarily good in this situation.
“Now just nod your head Jeanine. And say yes.”
I wasn't sure why I was doing it, besides the fact that he asked, and I was never able to tell him no. I really don't know what this was about but he asked and I couldn’t think of another reason not to.
When we first started talking about life, it had become clear that we were very different, our cultures were very different. But I had fallen for him anyways and I’d learned to hold my tongue unless it was necessary. Before I would argue about anything, but Craig was great, and I didn’t want to argue with him. I just wanted us to get along and I wanted that smooth sailing relationship that everyone was looking for. I was sure that I could have it with Craig.
When I did what he asked, he smiled and agreed as well. He said a few more words in Spanish and I really was kicking myself for not knowing what the hell anybod
y was saying. It's going to be a long two weeks if I couldn’t understand anyone around me. I don't know why I thought that more people would be able to speak English. I guess it was because Craig knew how, but he was a doctor after all and he’d studied in America. That probably helped it along a lot.
The older man smiled at us again and shook Craig’s hand. Then he, smacked the back of him and it looked like a congratulatory gesture. If I couldn't speak the language, I was going to have to play charades a bit.
“Do you feel any different?”
I thought that was a strange thing to ask and I didn't know what it meant.
“Why would I feel any different?”
Craig had the biggest grin on his face then he just shrugged like he was party to a secret that I wasn’t.
“I don't know. I just thought that you might.”
“I don't think so. Did that ceremony make you feel any better?”
“It sure did.”
“I think it would be different if I knew what was going on. What was that guy saying?”
“Like I said Jeanine, it is just part of my culture. I go to church here and that is my preacher. He thought it wise that we stop over before we went home. He of course knows about you. I can't leave you out of my spiritual guidance. So out of respect for my church, I wanted to bring you here so that you could meet him. Pastor Ruiz means a lot to me, like you do.”
It sounded so sweet, and there was no way that I could be mad about it. Why in the world would I be mad that he wanted to bring me to meet his preacher? It was even higher on the list then meeting someone's parents. This was the person that Craig put his spiritual wellbeing in his hands, so I knew that he must trust him. It told me that I should trust him as well, and trust that we were doing the right thing. Whatever it was that we were doing here. If it gave him peace for the pastor to give us his blessing, how could that be wrong?
“So now we go back to your place?”
“You really are relentless, aren’t you?”
“I can be at times I suppose. It has just been rather steamy on the phone with you the last couple of weeks and I don't want to wait anymore. I have done your ceremony for your culture, but it’s time for us to take care of some other promises that were made as well. I don't want to go another minute without being in your arms.”
“How can I argue with that?”
I told him that I didn't really know how, but I was really hoping that he would figure it out. My body had been buzzing for the last two days and I couldn't deal with it anymore. Craig had made some promises over the phone, and I intended to hold him to it.
4
Craig
We were married. I don't think Jeanine knew that we were married yet, but we were. I figured that she would get it soon enough and then I would put the ring on her finger. That’s what I was looking forward to. I planned on telling her, just as soon as she had been here a little longer. I just needed a few nights with her and then I could tell her everything.
I actually felt better now that it was out of the way. I wasn't lying when I told her that my culture, more specifically my religion, demanded that. While I had her do naughty things while we talked on the phone, there was a limit to what I could do. It wasn't like I did everything by the book, far from it, but I wanted this to be right. I wanted to go into this on the right foot and I knew that this was the way. Jeanine just wouldn’t understand, because her religion was far more relaxed.
“So how long is it going to be until we're at your house?”
She was looking around for a car, but I told her that we were going to walk.
“It isn't that far at all. This town is rather small you will find. If you aren't a farmer here, or have livestock, pretty much everyone lives in the town area. It is just better this way.”
She agreed, and I could feel Jeanine pull me a little bit closer. It felt like she was nervous about something, and I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. I wrapped my arm around her and she seemed to settle down a little bit. I tried to see it through her eyes and since I knew what she was coming from, I knew how much of a shock this all was to her. Jeanine had a lot of adjusting to do.
“You know Craig, I still can't believe that I'm actually here. You know? I have thought about this for so long and now here you are.”
“I have been waiting just as long Jeanine. I knew that this day would come, but for a while it felt like it never was going to. It just took so long, far longer than I thought. I am so glad you are here. Now I feel like I'm finally complete.”
She smiled at the words that were spoken to her and I meant every one of them. When I first heard Jeanine’s voice, something had just came over me. I can't really explain it, just that I knew that I wanted to be around this woman. I hadn’t known what she looked like or much of anything about her but since then I had found out that she was everything that I wanted and more. Since I was religious, it was hard for me not to think that God had brought her to me. Even if it was a winding road to get her here, I knew that it was worth it. Anything and everything that happened to get her here was always going to be worth it in my mind, even if it meant I had to be a little dishonest. I knew that it was going to be worth it in the end.
We stopped in front of my house and I looked over at Jeanine to catch her reaction. I wanted to know what she thought about the place that was going to be her new home. If the look on her face was any indication, it looked like Jeanine was happy.
“Is this your place?”
I told her that it was, and she smiled a little bit bigger.
“I have never seen a place like this before. It's so beautiful. You must be rich huh?”
“I certainly do alright. Doctors don’t make as much here, as they do in America, but we still make more than pretty much anyone else. Politicians are the best paid though.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much the same everywhere I guess. I don’t why, but I just thought you would live somewhere a little smaller. This place is huge.”
“I didn’t want to tell you about my money for a while in the beginning because I didn’t want that to be a reason for you to see me. Then, I wanted it to be a surprise more than anything else. I’m glad that you like it.”
She said that she did, and I could see that she was telling the truth. The honesty of her was something that drew me in. I don’t know how Jeanine had gotten through life with such a good spirit attached to her, but she had. She was a delight and I knew that I had picked the right one. I wouldn’t have brought her to the church and had my pastor marry us, if I wouldn’t have thought that. I had just known and seeing her sitting at the bar, ignoring all of the looks from the men around her, I knew that I was going to have to snap her up rather fast. The sharks were already swirling around her, like they smelled blood in the water.
The idea made me smile, wondering to myself if I was the same. Was I a shark, as well?
“Are you ready to go in?”
I had asked her once already, but she was taking it all in and I have to say that I could see what she was thinking. I may not make as much here, as I would in America, but the money certainly stretched further. I would never be able to afford a home like this anywhere else. I had five rooms, several stories and a few household staff. That would have been unheard of where she comes from, but here it was far cheaper.
“Yeah, I am just admiring the place. It really is beautiful.”
“Well think of it as your home as well Jeanine. I want you to be comfortable here, as long as you decide to stay.”
“You know I only got two weeks off right. I wish it was more, but it isn't. I haven't taken this much time off in God only knows how long. I still keep thinking that when I go back, they will have given all of my accounts to someone else. I know that’s silly, it's only two weeks, but you know how the business world is in America.”
“Well if that is the case Jeanine, I guess we're going to have to make the best most of our time while you're here. Two weeks doesn’t see
m like enough time.”
“That sounds like a very good idea to me Craig. I am so nervous that I am shaking, and I know that it isn't the air. If feels so hot and balmy out tonight, maybe, we can stay out here for a little bit longer?”
She was eyeing the porch swing and I knew that it was just a stall tactic. It was something that she had down several times in the past, when I asked her to do something that she didn't want to do. I didn't know what it was this time that she didn't want to do, because I knew for certain that she wanted to have sex. We had been talking about it for a very long time, and I was more than ready to consummate the marriage that we just found ourselves in.
“You want to sit out here?”
“Yeah, I know that’s silly huh?”
I told her that she wasn't being silly, even though I thought she had lost her mind. A few minutes ago, she didn't even want to have a ceremony because she was so ready and willing to get into bed with me, but now everything had changed. I wasn't sure what it was and when I moved over towards her, I realized that she was trembling inside. She was shaking so hard that I could actually feel it on the outside and I pulled her to me.
“What is the matter Jeanine?”
She pulled away from me and told me that she didn't really know.
“It is just too much for me Craig. You know, you and me, being here, just all the anticipation finally coming down to this one moment, it's just too much. It just hit me all of a sudden and I'm afraid of what happens next.”
“Jeanine, we both know that you're not a virgin. So, what do you have to worry about? “
She didn't answer me. She was so bothered by the question that I didn’t ask anymore. It was like so many times on the phone when she had pushed back. I was just going to have to give Jeanine a little bit of time, and I knew that she was going to come around.
