*Rock on! Thank you all again and again for your fantastic reviews so just keep em comin cuz you all inspire me :D Hang onto to your seats cuz it's about to get bumpy here soon.
**In this chapter Nick calls his mother "bonita (beautiful) mamacita" and while some may think it means sexy hot momma it depends on who you are addressing. From a son to a mother it translates in Guatemala as an affectionate endearment...little matriarch with big heart.
"That's it sweetie you're doing great!" Nick was teaching his daughter how to roller skate in Central Park. He kept looking around for her hoping that she would show. Nick donned roller blades but Zara opted for the ones with 4 wheels. She squealed when they started to descend down a small incline.
"Daaaaaady catch me I'm going too fast." Nick was not far behind and raced to her coming up beside her.
"Zara use your foot stop like I showed you."
"I can't!" Nick moved in front of her physically stopping her. She crashed into his arms.
"I don't want to skate anymore my feet are hurting." Nick patted her head.
"Ok we'll go return the skates. What do you want to do next?"
"Feed the ducks and get ice cream."
"Ok will go feed the ducks and get ice cream." Nick didn't see Olivia coming from afar until she was in his line of sight.
"Fancy meeting you two here, beautiful day to be in the park." Olivia smiled at Nick first then Zara.
"Zara honey you remember Olivia?"
"Yes, hi Olivia."
"Hi Zara I see you're learning to skate." Olivia came level with her eyes. "You know I always wanted to learn how to skate but I never did."
"How come?"
"My mom was a teacher so she was always busy grading her students papers on the weekends so I guess she really didn't have the time."
"Then why didn't your daddy teach you?" This was the first glimpse into her past that Nick has heard about her mother. He looked at Olivia and she looked up at him and he remembered stemming from their conversation in the Medical Examiner's office that day that she has never spoken about her parents to him just that it was a long story and right away he knew that Olivia may not be comfortable answering Zara's question.
"Hey we're going to go feed the ducks and get ice cream you're welcome to join us if you don't have anything to do."
"I'd love to thanks." After Nick enticed the ducks that were on land into the water so none of them would nip at Zara with feed in her hand, she ventured close to the edge tossing food to them watching them in a frenzy, laughing hard.
"How you feeling today?" he asked her.
"It's been a calm morning so that's a good sign."
"Yeah it is. I'm glad you came Liv."
"Me too I needed to get out and walk besides it good for us." she said rubbing her belly. "So Maria is here in the city?" Nick picked up on the worry in her voice.
"Yeah but don't worry she's in a hotel near the airport…she's not spying on us."
"Don't be a smart ass."
"I'm not just relax ok." He reached for her hand but she pulled away. "Maria said she would alternate weekends with me to give me a break on all the travel and hotel expense."
"That's really generous of her." Olivia said with a hint of sarcasm. Nick gave her a sideways glance.
"I'm going to ask the captain to put me back on the weekend rotation."
"What about Zara?"
"My mom will watch her. Liv I can't just give up my job because I'm going through a divorce. Zara's in bed by 8 so if I need to work the late shift I will and then be home when she wakes up in the morning." Olivia watched his daughter continue to giggle at the ducks at her beck and call.
"Nick you don't have to explain it to me I know what's it like not to be in the thick of things and it kills me sometimes."
"But it's all worth it." She watched him looking at her stomach and a smile appeared across her lips.
"I can see if my mom will watch her tonight if you want to catch a movie."
"I don't know Nick it's awfully risky why don't we just rent something or order a movie?"
"Sure we can do that." After enjoying ice cream with Olivia they said their good byes. Back at their house when Nick asked her what she wanted for dinner, Zara asked if her mommy could have dinner again with them. Nick picked her up sitting her on his lap.
"Piquita I know you want me and mommy to get back together but it's not going to happen. It's sad we grew apart and don't love one another like we used to but we both love you and will never stop loving you ok?"
"But mommy's sick and you always said to take care of sick people."
"And we do that…I take care of you when you're sick and so does mommy but with mommy it's different she has your nonno and nonna to take care of her and she has you." Nick gently poked her in the stomach tickling her. Zara squirmed in his arms telling him to stop.
"Not until you give me some sugar." Nick held his grip on her turning her upside down then right side up when she laughed so hard she said she couldn't breathe.
She planted a kiss on his cheek.
"The protective arms release you." His phone rang.
"Hey we were just getting ready to head out and get dinner. Zara? Yeah she's here just a minute. Piquita your mommy wants to talk to you."
"Hi mommy!"
"How was your day what did you do?"
"Daddy taught me how to roller skate but my feet got hurt and then we feed the ducks and daddy bought me ice cream."
"That sounds like a fun day, so what are you having for dinner?"
"I don't know are you going to come too mommy?"
"Well that's up to your daddy."
"Daddy can mommy come to dinner with us?" Nick was stuck for an answer. He didn't like when his daughter put in him in the middle like this. He took a deep breath reaching for the phone and covering the receiver with his hand.
"Zara go get washed up so we can go as soon as I hang up ok?"
"Ok." He waited until she went into the bathroom.
"Maria I'm trying not to be the bad guy here but the weekends are mine with her and I told you I don't want to mislead her.
"It's just dinner Nick but if you rather not it's fine."
"This is the last time Maria." When Zara came from the bathroom Nick summoned her to the couch.
"Zara when I tell you something I expect you to do as I say and not put me into a position where I have to say yes so I don't look like the bad guy. I told you before that this is my weekend with you, just you and me. Piquita when grown-ups can no longer live together they separate and then moms and dads try to get back together but sometimes it doesn't always work out and people get divorced. I know this is not easy on you living in two places but honey mommy and me decided it was best that we live apart instead of together arguing all the time." She was quiet as she sat and stared at the floor then the tears came. Nick pulled her into a hug. She stopped crying after several moments of what seemed like hyperventilating to Nick. "Sweetheart, you know something?"
"What?" Zara said with her diaphragm beginning to calm down and her bottom lip still quivering a bit.
"You're a lucky kid, you get two of everything, a birthday with mommy and one with me and two Christmases' and other holidays too." He knew it was no consolation and all he could now was reassure her he would always love her.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxox oxo
"Do you mind if I tuck her in?" Maria asked.
"No." Nick sat on the couch flipping through channels.
"Thanks. She went right out you wore her out. I wish I had her energy."
"It'll come back slowly but surely. When is your last treatment?"
"The end of September if I'm lucky and all the cancer is gone otherwise we start another round."
"It'll be a good report." Maria stood leaning on her cane looking at him. He fidgeted knowing his mother would be knocking at the door any moment now and he didn't want her seeing his mother because he didn't want to have to lie to her.
"You know Nick it's been a nice few weeks between us with no arguing and Zara really enjoys this."
"Yeah it's been nice but Maria."
"Shhh don't say anything. I look back and I think wow we didn't make it to 7 years. I really thought we would have."
"Me too but we can't sit here and talk about what might have been." Maria inched closer to where he stood.
"Nick despite everything that has gone wrong with us a part of me will always love you and it makes me wonder why we didn't try harder to save our marriage. I should have been more understanding with your job." His nerves were out in full force, he swallowed hard sighing, looking at her. She stepped closer to him as he remained silent.
"Good night Nick." They stood looking at one another and then Maria slowly leaned over pressing her lips to his. At first it was as if he was a mannequin then his lips parted to meet hers. It only took a few seconds to bring him back to reality and he pulled away.
"I'm sorry I don't know why I did that."
"It's ok…I kissed you." His phone went off and he reached into the side cargo pocket retrieving it. Looking at the name he put his phone back into the pocket of his shorts.
"Who was that?"
"It's work. I'm going to have to call them back I'll see you tomorrow at the train."
"You never brushed off work when we were together, what's going on?"
"Maria we just kissed and I'm not thinking clearly at the moment. Look I had a talk with Zara earlier and the three of us hanging out it's not going to happen anymore. You have her through the week and the weekends are mine, I just want us to get through this divorce." She gave him a hard cold stare something he was used to from her.
"It suddenly got very cold in here as it always had." She abruptly turned and slammed the door on her way out." He went after her.
"Maria I'll take you to your hotel."
"Don't bother I'm calling a cab!" He looked at his watch it was almost 8:30. He called Olivia back.
"Zara to wound up to go to sleep?"
"No actually she went right to sleep. I was caught up in the middle of something when you called so I'm just gonna jump in the shower and then I'll be over ok?"
"No. You can take one here…with me." He nervously laughed at her flirtatious proposal.
"I like the sound of that."
"See you soon." Olivia said hanging up. Maria's eyes grew wide when she spied Nick's mother coming up the sidewalk.
"Why are you here?"
"Do I need to have a reason to see my son and granddaughter?"
"She's asleep." Maria said coldly.
"Nick is not and may I ask why you're here?" Just then her taxi pulled up and she got in without answering her soon to be ex mother in law. Mrs. Amaro rolled her eyes as she looked away continuing up the walkway. Nick had just finished in the bathroom by running a wet wash cloth under his arms and adding another layer of deodorant and brushing his teeth. He splashed some cologne between his hands and patted his face then switched off the light.
"Uhh mio what did you ever see in that woman to want to marry her?"
"What, you saw Maria?"
"Si and now you'll have to hose the sidewalk down."
"Ma what did you tell her?"
"Nicky you know me better than that. I told her it was none of her beeswax why I come to see my son and granddaughter so in a huff she got in her cab and drove off. It would have been better if she had just flown away on her broom."
"Sorry ma I know." Nick thanked and kissed his mother as he checked his pocket for his keys. They weren't there. He grabbed them from the kitchen table. He never told his mother why he needed her to stay the night and she never inquired why. She reared both her children to have respect for their own and other's privacy but Mrs. Amaro wasn't a dumb woman either.
"Nicky when do I get to meet this mystery lady?" He came to her, placed his hand on her cheek, tilting his head down to look at his mother squarely.
"Buenas noches mi bonita mamacita."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
"That was a great movie." Olivia lay in the crook of his arm with her hands on top of his one hand that rested on her stomach. He put the remote on the table with his other hand and stretched his arm to switch off the lamp. They laid there in complete darkness. Nick removed his hand from underneath hers and gently rolled onto his side. Olivia rolled over too.
"I love you." she smiled warmly at him.
"I love you too Nick." They started kissing slowly and softly until he shifted himself between her legs. He hoisted himself over her, kissing her face, her neck and her chest. She winced slightly in pain as his mouth tugged a little too hard on her erect nipple. He shed his clothes first then helped her remove hers. She reached to fondle him but he moved her hand away. Usually there's light foreplay before engaging but tonight he dove right in. His strokes were quick but easy. Olivia wasn't sure what the urgency was with him tonight.