Second Chances 35

This is a Romance but with elements of taboo and deceit.

Dr. Daniel Jones was driving home from a long shift at the ER. It had been hectic as usual; his last two hours had been in surgery, saving the life of a twelve-year-old who'd caught a stray bullet in his gut. That success helped balance the loss of a young woman to a likely fentanyl overdose.

He pulled into his garage, activated the door closer and entered the kitchen. He heard the baby crying. "Shonda!", he called as he moved quickly toward the bedrooms. His wife lay sprawled on the floor of the nursery, their three-month-old daughter crying in her crib. Checking for a pulse confirmed Shonda was dead. He called 911 and then moved quickly to tend to baby Kalisha.

The medical examiner blamed an aneurysm. Daniel blamed God, Fate, the Cosmos for taking his young wife for no reason whatsoever. He went through the motions of living, working his assigned shifts and then killing several shots of vodka or tequila before crawling in bed.

Daniel's dark-skinned grandfather (Mark Jones) had married a Puerto Rican girl (Camila); they'd owned and operated an auto repair shop in a small Midwestern city and put his father (Samuel) through college. Samuel had graduated with honors, worked in government and married a blue-eyed, light blonde, fun-loving office manager (Tiffany, fifteen years his junior.) Daniel and his sister Celia had warm brown hair, eyes and skin with handsome features. All the men in Daniel's family tended to be somewhat tall; Daniel stood 6'2.

Grandpa Jones and Mamita were long gone; Mama had smoked heavily and succumbed to lung cancer in her fifties. Daddy and Celia lived in Missouri, half a continent away. Shonda, a few shades darker than Daniel, had been adopted and raised by an older couple who were now in their seventies and rather frail.

With no one to help with the baby, Daniel needed a nanny. Isabella, a Costa Rican nurse at the hospital suggested her older sister Rosa, age 25. Daniel quickly filed the necessary paperwork and sponsored her for an H2B permanent work visa.

Rosa, like her sister, was short (5'2) and dark-eyed with shoulder length, dark brown, slightly wavy hair, pretty face and lips and a pleasing figure. She could've been sister to Medusa for all Daniel cared.

Rosa had been married; her husband died from a fever and they'd had no children. She had, in fact, suffered three miscarriages. She was delighted with the prospect of raising a baby almost from birth.

Daniel cut back on his heavy drinking, usually no more than two shots at night; his soul felt bleak but coming home to his baby daughter, neatly kept house and Rosa's gentle smile and greeting dulled his heartache more effectively than booze. One night, however, two months after Rosa arrived, he came home around 1 am after a brutal shift where three patients died and two more were facing permanent disabilities. Rosa heard him bang around in the kitchen, then move to his bedroom, across the hall from where she slept with the baby. She drifted back to sleep but woke again as she heard him moaning, "Shonda! Shonda, oh dear god Shonda!"

Rosa got up, pulled on her night robe and entered the hall. She went quietly to his door; when he continued she opened the door partway.

He was thrashing around and moaning, eyes closed; a glass and nearly empty bottle were on his nightstand. "

Señor

Daniel!

Señor

! Wake up!"

Her voice had no effect.

She moved to the bed and reached to touch his shoulder, hoping to shake him awake. His eyes flew open, his hands seized her and suddenly he was on top. He roughly pulled open her robe. She tried to yell and push him off but he covered her mouth with his. Aside from her robe, both were naked and soon his hard cock was plunging in and out of her pussy, which had quickly and unexpectedly become wet.

He emptied into her, then rolled off, saying "Shonda. Shonda dear," in a softer voice before drifting off to sleep, his arms wrapped around Rosa.

She lay there until she heard him softly snoring. She enjoyed the feel of his arms around her. She was tempted to fall asleep but decided it would be best to leave his bed and talk to him in the morning. She gently moved his hands away and returned to her own bed, her mind and heart in a whirl.

In the morning he went to the kitchen for coffee while she was giving the baby a bottle in the living room. She finished and put little Kalisha down in her crib, then went to the kitchen.

"

Señor

Daniel, we must talk."

"Yes, Rosa?"

"Do you know what you did last night?"

"Not really. I had a rough shift and fixed myself a drink when I got home."

"You drank most of a bottle,

Señor

, before going to bed. And then you moaned and cried for your wife."

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?"

"

Si, Señor.

I tried to wake you. Then, then you..."

His face turned ashen. "Did I...?"

"

Si, Señor. Violado

, you raped me."

"Oh God." He buried his head in his hands. "What do you want to do, Rosa? Should we call the police?"

"No,

Señor.

I do not wish you

encarcelar

, in jail. But I must leave, I can no longer work for you. I will miss the little one.

"Oh, Rosa! Of course. Tell me what I can do for you -- good reference? I'll pay your full year's salary. I can't believe I did such a horrible thing!"

"You were out of your mind with grief. I'm sorry I could not help you. Well, perhaps I did -- you went to sleep after."

"Oh heavens. I wish I could make it up to you. I wish you could stay."

"Truly,

Señor

? There is one way I could stay..."

"What? How?"

"You could marry me. But I would not ask that of you, you miss your Shonda, you do not want another."

Daniel took a deep breath. "I will marry you, Rosa."

"Truly, Daniel? You do not love me.

Nortamericanos

must have love to marry."

"Do you wish to be my wife, Rosa?"

"

Si

, Daniel."

"Even after what I did to you?"

"I...I would rather...I don't want that to be the only time."

"Then we shall marry." He reached for her hands, gave them a squeeze and held them while looking into her eyes.

She returned his gaze. "Do you mean it, Daniel? I would not trap you, have you resent me. Truly, you are willing to do this?"

"Si, Rosa. I will honor and cherish you as a wife, and strive to give you all you deserve, but I cannot promise to love you, my heart is cold and dead."

"I understand, Daniel. I miss my beloved, too. Perhaps we can help one another."

They stood before a Justice of the Peace a few days later, with their sisters in attendance. Rosa was thrilled to be mother to her darling Kalisha, and to have such a tall, handsome husband, a good and kind man. And a doctor! Her sister, Isabella, told her she was lucky.

Their wedding night Rosa told Daniel about her bad luck with having children. She hoped to have children of her own, but not right away. As a Roman Catholic, however, the only birth control she could use was the rhythm method.

"Fine, Rosa. You keep a calendar and tell me when to do what."

"It is our wedding night so we must take our chances. After, in a few days, I should have my period, the woman's curse."

That night he limited himself to a single drink before kissing her briefly, mauling her tits awhile, fingering her snatch to make sure she was wet and then entering her with a few quick thrusts. He pounded her hard and fast and filled her with his seed. He was not tender and she did not cum but she was happy all the same.

They did not have sex the next two nights, then she told him, "Sorry, now I have the bleeding." He left her alone but the next night found him, much to his surprise, hard and ready.

"Is it against your religion to have sex while on your period?"

"No, Daniel, but it is not done..." He snorted, got up, brought back a large, white towel.

"Get rid of your tampon," he ordered, and spread the towel on the bed while she did that. She lay back on the bed, her bottom on the towel, and he entered her quickly, her blood making her slick and wet. The motion of his hard tool sliding in and out felt surprisingly good, relieving her cramps, and she became aroused. She pulled his head down to suck on her grapefruit-sized tits; a wave of pleasure swept over her just before he unloaded. She sighed with contentment.

"That was very good, my husband."

"Nothing against your religion?"

"No,

Señor.

Catholicism isn't always, what's the word, not fun?"

"Killjoy." She laughed, and her laughter touched him for just a moment.

Her flux lasted six days; he made love to her a second night and held her tenderly the remainder. When she quit bleeding she told him he could choose Friday or Saturday each week. The first week he held out until Saturday, but the following week, with a warm, soft, gentle woman in his arms each night, he didn't make it past Thursday. As his climax neared, he asked if he should pull out.

"It would be a sin for me to tell you to do such a thing. But you are not of my religion..."

He pulled out at the last moment and sprayed her belly and chest. She laughed merrily; he went to the bathroom and came back with a warm, wet washcloth and a towel to clean her up. The aches in both of their hearts began to recede.

After that he struggled to wait five or even four days to enter her; she did not complain. When he tried to pull out she would try to prevent him, holding him back with her arms and legs and laughing whether he came inside of or on her. He introduced her to doggie style and cowgirl and she began to expect and look forward to having orgasms more often than not.

When Kalisha was eighteen months old, toddling and beginning to say

Mamá

and

Papá

, Rosa missed a period. She began to both worry and hope. When she missed her next period Daniel noticed and found himself taking every opportunity to hug, kiss and caress her. He realized his heartache only struck now and then, but now competed with fear, unreasonable fear for her life (childbirth had had nothing to do with Shonda's death) and quite reasonable worry about her chances for a successful pregnancy.

Unhappily she began bleeding during her tenth week and miscarried again. She was sad and withdrawn and he was afraid to make love to her, afraid to expose her to yet another failure.

After a few weeks she told him, "If I am not meant to have children, so be it. I need to feel your love, Daniel. Do not keep away from me, I cannot bear that."

He held her and kissed her longer than ever before, and they resumed making love. The next week she came to him with a question: "Daniel my love, would you consider renting the spare bedroom to my sister? Her roommate is getting married and Isabella had such poor luck in the past with roommates."

"Would you enjoy having her here?"

"Yes, Daniel, we have always been close."

"Then let's give it a try."

Having Isabella there seemed to lift Rosa out of her blues; the near twins, just 14 months apart in age and alike as two peas in a pod made a lively, happy home for Daniel, Kalisha and each other. Isabella dated now and then but had never formed a long-term relationship.

When Kalisha was three Rosa miscarried yet again. She was sad and shed frequent tears; Daniel spoke to Isabella alone as to whether they needed to get Rosa to counseling. Isabella told Daniel she would take care of her sister. "She has helped me so many times but I was there for her when Sebastián died."

In fact, Rosa's mood improved quickly. She was reluctant to make love in the evening, but often Daniel found himself hard in the middle of the night and she never objected to his taking her then. In the morning she would greet him with smiles and kisses.

Seven months later, Isabella became noticeably thick around her middle. She admitted she was pregnant. She said the father was married and there was no chance he would leave his wife.

Rosa and Daniel spoke privately; she begged him not to throw Isabella out. She wanted to look after the baby. It occurred to Daniel that might be just what Rosa needed.

Isabella gave birth to a big, healthy son; she named him Mateo (Matthew.) When the baby was six months old Rosa took Daniel aside one evening.

"Husband, I have a confession."

"Oh? Sounds serious."

"it is. You remember what Isabella told you about the father of her child?"

"This is about Isabella?"

"Isabella and all of us. What Isabella said was true: the father is married. What we did not tell you is, you are the father."

"Me? I never touched your sister!"

"We tricked you. She came to your bed during the night." As alike as the sisters were, Daniel realized he could easily have been fooled that way.

"You wanted a baby that badly..."

"

Si,

Daniel. I am sorry to have tricked you. It was Isabella's idea but I eagerly agreed to it."

"I assume that was when your sadness suddenly went away."

"

Si.

I was so excited for you and Isabella to make a baby."

"What about the commandment against adultery?"

"In the Book of Genesis, men have multiple wives and concubines. Jacob had twelve sons by four women, two of them sisters. Isabella has never been married so she broke no vows."

"In this country, any Christian country that I know of, I can't marry two women." Rosa fought not to smile -- Daniel was making merely practical observations, not damning her and Isabella for their trickery.

"True. But also in this country, no one will prosecute you for making love to two women,

si

?"

"

Si.

" He kissed her, then joked, "So I can have as many girlfriends as I want?"

"Only if you want to end your life quickly!"

He laughed. "I'll leave all my infidelities to your care, dear wife."

She smiled, kissed him, and then drew her finger across his throat. They laughed again and hugged.

When Isabella came home that evening he gave her a good, long kiss.

Epilogue

After Mateo, Isabella bore Daniel three daughters (Camila, Maria, and Sofia.) Rosa finally carried a baby to term, a son they named after Daniel's Grandpa, Mark. She encored with another son, Samuel, but then suffered a sixth miscarriage which bled profusely and required a hysterectomy. (Daniel was secretly relieved he no longer had to fear the consequences of getting her pregnant.) Finishing the basement gave them seven bedrooms for their family of three adults and seven children.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed about birth control, marriage and extramarital sex should be taken as belonging to the fictional character Rosa, alone, and are not intended to represent Roman Catholic teachings. The sisters did not consult with a priest and we'll never know what, if anything, Rosa said about such things during confession.