A/N It's been a while, but I've decided to pick this story back up. Hope you will enjoy it. Feedback is always welcome!
It had been a busy day for Manny. First the funeral and then Jenny with her heavy handed ways. The only bright spot was the fact that Corrina had taken him back. Things were going to be just fine.
The dinner with her family had gone better than he would have thought possible. They were skeptical at first, but he knew that they could tell that he sincerely cared about Corrina. Percy had already informed them that he was going to come over and play with Manny so that he could get used to being around black people.
Manny had to laugh at that. He knew that he would enjoy being Percy's uncle. Molly already felt like she was a part of their family. There was no adjustment for her, no awkwardness. It was like the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together nicely.
He looked out back and saw Molly playing with the hula hoops she got for her birthday. She was singing to herself as the hula hoop rotated around her waist. She had gotten so much better at it since her birthday much had happened since that day. His father was gone...which was still painful and hard to accept. His mother was now all alone and he knew that as an only child, he had to check on her more than he had been. It would be better all the way around if she would sell the house and just move in with them, but he doubted if she would go along with that idea.
He closed his eyes. Soon, it would all be better. The loneliness, the cold bed at night...soon he would be whole again. He smiled to himself. He realized the night that he kissed her on the sofa that he was already in love with her. At first he was somewhat embarrassed at his arousal when he kissed her. Then again, his feelings had been dead so long that he was glad just to be able to feel again. Now he didn't care if she knew he wanted her. He just hoped that she wanted him just as badly.
Manny went into the bedroom and took off his suit and put on a pair of bermuda shorts and a printed shirt. He lay back on the bed a moment and stared at the ceiling. He would have to confront Jenny and he knew that it would not be pretty. Still, he felt that he deserved to be happy and Corrina made him happy. He wondered what Sid would say. Would he still want to be his friend? He and Sid had never talked about such things as interracial relationships. He knew that his friend would be shocked. He wondered if Sid would still be his friend or just back away from the controversy.
Even if Corrina had never entered the picture, he knew that he would never be happy with Jenny. First of all, Molly didn't like her and he didn't want to have a woman in his home that made his daughter uncomfortable. Those boys of hers would be a handful and he knew that there would be continuous clashes with Molly. No, Jenny was not what he wanted, and he knew what it wanted...Corrina!
He had asked Corrina take his mother home so that he could talk privately to Molly and he got himself together and came out of the bedroom and found Molly playing with Lois. Now that Corrina had returned, she was no longer moping around. He looked up and saw that the sun was setting. Pretty soon it would be dark.
"Molly, I need to talk to you" he said sitting down beside her on the picnic bench outside.
"I'm glad Corrina is back" Molly replied putting Lois down.
"That's what I want to talk to you about." Manny said. "Corrina is back Molly. But she's not going to be our maid anymore."
Molly looked puzzled for a moment and then broke out in a huge grin. "Are you going to marry Corrina?"
Manny laughed. "How did you know that?"
"I asked Grandpa to make you marry Corrina and now he's in heaven so he must have told God." she reasoned.
"Well yes, I'm going to marry Corrina, but you can't tell anybody just yet" Manny whispered. "It's not official until I get a ring."
Molly squealed in glee. "Alright daddy. I'm good at keeping secrets!"
She jumped up from the picnic table and quickly picked up the hula hoop. He watched her a few minutes and then went back into the house. Corrina should be returning soon.
"Molly, you need to come on in the house now." he said
"Just a few more minutes, please!" she begged.
Manny laughed. "Alright. Just a few more minutes. "
She picked up Lois and went back into the yard with Manny watching from the doorway. "We're a family again Lois" she said to the turtle. "But we've got to keep it a secret!"
Manny walked back in the kitchen glad to see Molly so happy. He wasn't so sure how Sid and the others would react and then there was Jenny. He sighed and lit a cigarette. She would present a problem for sure.
He remembered the response they received in the restaurant. Jeneva was right. It was not going to be easy for them. Hell, the last year hadn't been easy for him either. It had almost been a year and a half since his wife had died and Corrina came into their lives. He smashed the butt in the ashtray. There was also a chance that he could lose his job, though he doubted it. They were more concerned about making a buck than race relations.
Manny looked up as Corrina walked into the front door. When he saw her, he had no regrets. It just felt right. He walked into the living room to greet her.
"Where's Molly?" she asked smiling walking over to him.
"Out back." Manny sat down on the sofa obviously exhausted.
"Why don't you relax." Corrina replied. "I'll fix you a glass of lemonade."
Manny grabbed her arm and pulled her down with him on the sofa kissing her.
"I know how you can help me to relax" he teased. Now that their relationship was official, he had no problem expressing his feelings towards her.
"Really?" Corrina whispered. "You'd better tell me rather than show me since Molly is standing in the doorway watching.
Manny peeked around her and saw Molly grinning.
"Time for bed, Molly" Manny said.
"Daddy when are you and Corrina getting married?" she asked walking over to them with Lois in her hands.
"We have to talk about that" Manny replied. "Right now though, you have to get ready for bed."
"I'll get that lemonade together while you take care of Molly" Corrina said getting up and heading for the kitchen.
Manny led Molly into the bedroom and helped her undress. He knew that he would have to read her a story which he did. Later, he walked out of her room leaving Molly satisfied because he read to her and found Corrina sitting on the sofa. She smiled at him and then stood up.
"Manny I'm going to go. I can catch the bus and bring your car back tomorrow." she stated reaching for her purse. He quickly grabbed her arm pulling her to him.
"You can stay in the spare room" Manny whispered hopefully. "Then we can have breakfast together in the morning."
Before she could reply, he pulled her to him kissing her. He knew that he should behave himself, but he couldn't seem to maintain control. Now that she had agreed to marry him, a part of him did not want her to leave.
"Manny…." Corrina moaned trying not to respond to his urgent kisses. "I can't stay in the spare room…you and I both know that if I do, I'll end up in your bed for sure."
Manny looked at her. "What's wrong with that? We are both consenting adults. However if you want to wait, I'll honor your wishes."
He looked at her and then let her go. He didn't want to push. Maybe she didn't want him as badly as he wanted her. He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled and watched as she walked across the room.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so pushy." He said as he walked over to her. "I'm just glad to have you back. I've missed you. I realize that women's needs and desires are not as strong as men's are. Forgive me."
"Where did you get that from?" Corrina replied laughing. "I beg to differ. Women get horny too. Ours is just not as obvious as yours can get." His eyes followed hers to his obvious erection.
Manny looked at her, his eyes roamed over her seductively. He wasn't embarrassed that he wanted her, and he made no attempt to hide his arousal.
"Are you horny now Corrina?" His voice was low and husky walking over to her. "I'm dying to find out."
She returned his smile. "Maybe"
He walked over to the record player putting on Louis Armstrong. He then walked back over to her, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Dance with me" he said. "Dance with me like you did before."
He pulled her close and started moving to the music, the sounds of Louis enhancing his desire for her all the more. She was soft and warm. He knew she could feel his erection pressing against her and he didn't care. He just hoped that Molly was asleep. He kissed her neck, his mouth traveling to her earlobe. He heard her breath catch.
"Are you feeling like I'm feeling?" he whispered in her ear.
"Yeah, I am" she replied. "However for Molly's sake, I think we should wait until we're married."
His mouth sought hers in a searing kiss. Manny knew that she was right, but didn't know if he could wait. After all, it had been almost a year and a half and he hadn't felt this alive in a long time. He ran his hand over her hips and felt her shudder in his arms.
"I see I'm going to have to take a cold shower tonight" he said chuckling.
The song ended and he sat down on the sofa pulling her in his lap and closed his eyes.
He opened his eyes and looked at her hungrily. "You're quite a temptation, Mrs. Washington. You had better marry me quick before I lose it completely."
"You're pretty tempting yourself" Corinna replied pulling away from him. "We need to have a plan. We have to get a license. Lucky for us, we can get married here in California. I want my minister to marry us, but most likely since you are not a Christian, he will require counseling."
"This God thing is all new to me Corrina. Are you saying that I have to join church in order to marry you? Maybe we should just go to the Justice of the Peace." Manny said lighting a cigarette.
"It is something we have to think about, Manny" she replied sighing. "But that's the least of our problems. I am sure both of us will have to deal with family members and friends who won't approve. Then there's Molly. We have to decide where we'll live. All of that. This is a pretty big step we're taking."
"Don't you want to live here?" he questioned. "Do you want another house?"
"Manny this is a white neighborhood. They won't like it and may ask us to leave. " Corrina took his hand in hers. "Molly will be affected. She may be teased. We need to find a less hostile environment if possible."
Manny stood up. "Well then, we'll just move in a more diverse neighborhood. There are several of those to chose from...mostly oriental and white, but some colored people live there too. We'll have to just start looking."
He put out the cigarette and pulled her in his arms. "It will work, Corrina. We'll make it work."
She kissed him. "Whatever you say Manny."