- Few Hours Later -
The wee hours of the day progressed, it was getting darker and darker. The Howards and Elsa and Massimo eventually went shopping, in order to buy a birthday present for the love child. They examined the store as the parents of the orphan didn't want to buy and give their daughter something big and excessively exquisite. All they hankered was to give her something simple and amorously in the same time. Something which might be a humble, miniature, nonetheless memorable. Something bewitching her heart at first thing even if it's not the best thing they might give her as a present. The Howards bought set of studs silver sapphire and silver with sapphire gem necklace, whereas the other married couple bought for her something different. A handful of gramophone disks with vintage songs which Elsa bets Odette is going to like.
After the middle-aged adults finished with shopping, they got back in their reserved hotel rooms.
Once Jude and Timothy were in their booked hotel room, the blonde stripped off almost garment of hers, in order to dress up herself in something more casual, reckless whilst Timothy sat on the leather ottoman, watching his wife by the way she was taking off her garments and kicking off her stilettos. She can tell, he was indeed obsessed with supervising her.
"Aren't ya actually sick and tired of me?" The former sister of the church questioned by chewing her bottom lip once she was researching her suitcase for some of her stored garments such as an amber cotton cardigan with a mere white tank top and pair of denim dark jeans, layering her still drop-dead gorgeous legs for a middle-aged lady. She was wandering yet in the room by wearing nothing than her lacy lingerie.
"Of course, I'm not, rare bird! Why you'd think of such ridiculous thing especially crossing your train of thoughts?" The former man of the cloth heaved a mellow inhale by ushering Jude to come and sit on his lap as she rummaged in her suitcase by finding practical clothes at last. A beaming, optimistic smile distorted across his lips by admiring his wife's ethereal beauty. His chocolate brown eyes followed each graceful motion of her muscles, body language and manners.
"It has been almost 2 decades even more since we're together and I'm somewhat certain you'd get tired of me by this time." The blonde declared pessimistically by lightly sniffling, almost incapable of halting her storm of emotions that shook her mind like an earthquake by putting on her practical, ordinary white tank top, hugging her slender torso, outlining her round, full breasts. "It's matter of time. I'm not special at all though Odette is a special girl and she deserves the world, honey!" She furthered by wiping her shed crystal tears.
"Shu, shu, shu, my rara avis! Don't talk like that!" He pat his lap by maneuvering her to sit on his lap as she seated on his hips obediantly, docilely by burying her head in the crook of his neck for a split second. The former nun threw her arms by bracing his neck as her cat hazelish-brown eyes were fixed on his chocolate brown. Hazel meets chocolate. He had his hands on her waist, rubbing her spine by opting to comfort her. "Do you remember our vow on our wedding ceremony? I mean we're just married."
"I do!" She humbly nodded her head, affirming his words as he lifted up one of his mammoth, veiny hands to wipe her tears which gushed down her creamy, pale cheeks.
"I'll never get tired of you, no matter how wrinkled is your face. How hoar is your hair! Whatever you wear even the trashiest clothes or your hair is messier than a bush." The younger man radiantly, charmingly smiled to her by trying to persuade her as her sniffles ebbed in the limbo, rubbing her spine yet as his fingers kneaded gently her tank top's fabric as she wasn't ready with her dressing up process yet.
"I'm never going to be sick and tired of you even when we've our tough times with scandals, yellings and cussings, of course!" Judy mumbled softly in his ear.
- Flashback -
- March 1949 -
It was just a day after Jude and Timothy resigned from the church and left Briarcliff for better and they organized a wedding ceremony which was not only private, but also they just celebrated it by themselves.
The bells tolled for opening a new chapter in their life and part of their grandiose love story's book. It was namely their marriage and uniting 2 souls not only spiritually and physically, but also according to the law.
Their wedding took its place somewhere in Vermont's countryside as the priest's monotonous, irksome recites of sacred songs drove them to insanity though their vast patience over even the most irritating moments and things, attempting to toy with their impulses and unlocking their immature, self-centered side. After the both former members of the clergy were enquired by the elder priest are they taking one another as a husband and wife, they readily responded with "Yes!" as they kissed one another's lips sensually, nevertheless lightly.
As they seated on the dining table outside under the scintillating, saturating sunrays of the bright, spring sun which bathed everything below in light as its sunlight shielded their flesh of its mild spring breeze which contagiously spread in Vermont's countryside. The large dining table was adorned with a simple wedding cake, overally layered in cream and cinnamon as their figures were on top of the cake, besides plates of salads, dishes and glasses of champagne sat motionlessly on the table. Even more the professional photographer who was hired to photograph Jude and Timothy together during their wedding ceremony's celebration, took a couple of polaroid photographs of the recently wed couple as their content, glimmering smiles shone on their fresh, youthful faces. Their eyes were directly aimed to the camera as they glinted their sheer felicity of being a wed couple at last. Years of having a secret love affair which couldn't even be dubbed as a secret since the love child's parents won the notorious reputation, menacing their careers as they've already broken their took vows for years or by the time they joined the church.
A jubilant, harmonious music played during their wedding ceremony as they were relishing the first moments of being a married couple.
"What good is a song if the words just don't belong? And a dream must be a dream for two! No good alone, to each his own! For me there's you!" Eddy Howard's song To each his own played outside as the couple sipped their glasses of fresh, lukewarm champagne, burning the corners of their mouth and resurrecting their frail skeletons.
"I can't believe the years passed and we're finally married after having a secret love affair." The bride chuckled by grabbing her silver fork, pronging some lettuce of the green salad by opening her mouth, munching it.
"It wasn't exactly secret since these intruders came to the conclusion Odette is our daughter by judging her appearance and we tried to protect her." After Jude munched some green salad, afterwards Timothy planted a kiss on her cheek as she melted in the cheek kiss.
"We were so fearful then as young parents. We did mistakes, of course! We didn't even know what we're doing."
"If you think like that, it's just because little did we know about parenthood and looking after a child."
"I think our mistakes educated us and we're supposed to flee the church earlier, in fact, we've a daughter and she mustn't be raised in such place like Briarcliff." The young woman added by sipping champagne as she greedily, gamely licked her lips.
"If a flame is to grow there must be a glow! To open each door there's a key! I need you, I know, I can't let you go! Your touch means too much to me!"
"That's what I'm talking about, honey! I hope it's never too late to get Odette out of 's hellhole." The younger man heaved a sigh from the top of his lungs.
"Darling, let's change the topic instead discussing something painful since today it's our day." The former holy woman suggested by idly pronging a couple of lettuces before putting them into her mouth.
The eventual truth was Jude wasn't just exasperated when it comes up to and how many children even babies were into her and Timothy's hands by conveying them after the mentally-ill patients gave birth to them, further, the ounce of its guilty conscience didn't ebb in her heart and concience at all. It has been years since she was living with the guilty conscience of imprisoning these bastard children in an orphanage no matter how old they were, besides it was gnawing and slowly despairing her. The former man of the cloth was victimized in this case of his remorses for sending babies to with Jude and the other nuns' help which weren't even their. Their hearts ached once they thought of Odette even 's residence.
"Of course! I'm so sorry for not changing it earlier," The former holy man apologized as he was curtly cut off in his mid-sentence by biting his bottom plumpish lip.
"Don't be sorry, Tim! It's alright. Have you ever thought of jumping with parachute from a high hill or something like that?" She questioned by opting to not focus on the heartrending topic about the children especially the orphanage and their love child.
"No! But why don't we try it since it's dynamic and risky? You're into these experiments."
"It's going to be an awesome experience. Just a splendid one!" She took a deep breath by savoring her slice of their wedding cake in her plate by masticating it.
"Two lips must insist on two more to be kissed or they'll never know what love can do to each his own, I've found my own! One and only you!"
"Judy, I have to confess a vow to you!" He readily earned her inquiring look she wore on her young-looking, porcelain face.
"Go head!"
"I'll never get tired of you, no matter how wrinkled is your face. How hoar is your hair! Whatever you wear even the trashiest clothes or your hair is messier than a bush." All of a sudden, he took her petite, creamy hand into his larger, secure one as its thumb kneaded the back of her hand as their eyes met, locking up her honey brown orbs in incredibly intesifying gaze. A soothing, doting smile honed up in the corner of his lips as he watched her glance down at his hand as she left the fork in her plate.
"Do you truly mean it?" The former promiscuous jazz nightclub singer posed the question by mumbling as her lips trembled like guitar strings.
"I really mean it, my rare bird! You're my rare bird, of course! I speak my mind as well since you're the sole person even woman who hears the truth, itself." She couldn't help but chew her bottom lip by transfixing her hazel eyes into his as if daggers gouged his pools in a mere stare.
"I know which I genuinely appreciate since I'm the only one who hears all this after years in living a total lie."
"I promise you will never live in a total lie sicne we're wed."
"If a flame is to grow there must be a glow to open each door there's a key! I need you, I know, I can't let you go! Your touch means too much to me!"
- End of Flashback -
"I ideally recall it." The blonde replied plainly as she silenced the younger man in an ardent, brief kiss.
"No matter how many kids are we going to have. Whether if they're 3, as a result of being a pregnant with twins, I will never dump and leave you. I'd regret even if I broke this vow which I took it on our wedding." Timothy faintly patted her waist's curve.
"Odette's going to be happy whether if we've just a girl or a boy or two of a kind identical babies. But I think I should take a pregnancy test these days, because I'm not completely sure."
"Do not downheart yourself, Jude! I'm certain a wee life is growing inside you now even if it has been 24 hours since we made sex." The former priest opted optimistically persuade his wife about the unborn child that was growing inside her was actually another dream come true. In the meantime, she got from his lap by zinging to her opened suitcase, gathering the denim jeans and her cardigan by dressing up herself within seconds.
"I don't want to upset Odette and I hesitated for years after Odette disappeared in our lives whether if having another baby is a good idea." She huffed by pouting her lips dramatically by tying her golden halo ringlet of old Hollywood in a casual medium ponytail, taking a quick look into the compact mirror she used usually when she was applying some lipstick on her perfectly shaped lips.
"Rara avis, you should relax! Odette won't be as upset for losing the unborn child as the day when she was no longer part of our lives." Suddenly he snuck behind her by snaking his arms around her waist as she craned her neck by feeling his soft lips lightly brushing her neck. His chocolate brown eyes lowered to her hazelish-brown ones.
"Let's not talk about the miscarriage which might be possible whether sooner or later. Don't ya mind to go on a walk in the middle of the night? Under the moonlight?" Jude turned to him in swift motion as she exhaled abruptly.
"Why not, sweetie?" The former Monsignor cheerfully accepted as their moods changed drastically after she gave him a better idea for spending their evening. He removed his arms which braced her waist as he offered his colossal, smooth hand as she took it in no time as they left their reserved hotel room by leaving the hotel façade in a matter of handful of minutes by taking an elevator for the first floor.
To be continued...