Lester and I communicated for a few more weeks before he stopped replying to my emails. He reminded me in every reply that he could get reassigned any day. They would get a weekend off soon when he could call me from a secured line. I hoped he would come home, but it was too far to travel to have adequate time to catch up and have sex. We'd have to settle for talking on the phone and exchanging emails.
Rachel got morning sickness at seven weeks of pregnancy. We were in our last month of school. Since we took most of the same courses, I gave her the homework when she got too sick to attend classes. I researched ways to alleviate the nausea. Some days it worked, others, not so much. Rachel worked hard to complete her degree despite the pregnancy. Cassidy, Taylor and I were proud of Rachel for pushing through school. She could count on us to have her back.
When I wrote my exam for Economics, I had twelve hours to move out of my dorm since it was my last one. I hugged Rachel, Cassidy and Taylor before leaving. The three women had an exam a few days later. They took the elective course, Empowering Women, while I took the Computer Programming option.
A fifteen-year-old boy named Hector Hernandez helped me with the programming assignments. He was my partner in the computer labs. It wasn't that they were difficult, but the teacher's assistant often wrote poor codes for us to integrate into our programs. Most times, the code had a missing comma, but more often than not, his logic statements were faulty. Hector patiently explained why the code didn't work and walked me through how to repair it. Without his help, I would have failed the course. I wondered if I would see him again.
"Hey, Steph. Ric called me," Rachel said as she walked me to the car after our exam.
"What's the plan?" I asked.
"I'm returning to Florida. Ric and I will get married during his leave in a few months. He wants me to access his military benefits for our baby," Rachel replied.
"That's mighty honourable. Let me know when you have the baby. I'll fly out to visit you," I promised. From our brief encounter, I didn't think Ric would stick around after his child was born. I prayed I was wrong.
"Thanks, Steph. I don't know what I would have done without you," she said. A tear ran down her beautiful face. It still hasn't returned to its creamy tone. The underlying green caused by the pregnancy made her appear sickly.
"Hey. None of that, sweetie. Call me whenever you can. I love you, Rachel. Take care of my godchild," I whispered.
"I will, Steph." Rachel hugged me before stepping away from my car. As I drove away, Rachel waved before returning to the dorm.
In June, I attended my graduation ceremony. They had too many graduates to celebrate within one day, so they held the convocation on a Saturday. I was frustrated because my parents had refused to attend. Actually, it was only Mom who refused because Dad was away for a post office convention. At least, that was what Daddy told Mom. I knew the truth. Dad also knew I was married. I didn't keep any secrets from him. He didn't keep secrets from me either. Daddy and I had a special relationship.
Mom wanted me to go to college, find a respectable man to marry then drop out. She was disappointed and angry I had finished my undergraduate degree. However, nothing could beat the anger my mom displayed when she applied for a marriage license for Dickie and me when I finished writing exams. How could she apply for a license without my signature or approval? She couldn't accept that I had called off the wedding I never wanted. Imagine her surprise when she discovered I was already married. It was the reason for boycotting my graduation. I was sure Mom would have found another reason if I weren't married.
Why would she order wedding invitations and book the hall and church? I never gave her a minuscule speck of a hint about wanting to marry Dickie Orr. In fact, I outright told Mom that Dickie and I had broken up. She obviously decided to ignore what I wanted and continued on her despicable path of marrying me off to a lying, cheating Burg lawyer. Didn't I deserve better than the other women my age?
Mary Lou called when she received the invitation in the mail. She wondered why I mailed invitations to marry Richard Elliot Orr when I was already married. I was furious. "I thought it got cancelled," I yelled at Mom.
"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I mailed the invitations before applying for your marriage license," Mom argued.
"But you knew Dickie and I broke up before New Year's Day," I shouted, defending myself. "You had no right to pay deposits for the venue or church. You never got my permission to mail wedding invitations. And you definitely never should have applied for a marriage license for Dickie and me."
"Why me?" Mom asked.
"Are you seriously asking me that, Mom? Why you? Because you ignored everything I told you. How is it my fault you refused to acknowledge I dumped Dickie's cheating ass and continued with your stupid plans for a wedding I never wanted? Do you ever listen to a word I say?" My voice raised with every word. I was screaming at the top of my lungs by the time I asked my question. My eye twitched, indicating I was about to suffer the mother of all headaches from talking to Mom.
"I only want what's best for you," Mom snapped. "Honestly, people would think I'm leading you to your execution with the way you're behaving."
"Have fun retracting the invitations, Mom," I said, then hung up. I didn't have the patience to deal with her absurd attitude. As far as I was concerned, Mom soiled the sheets, now, she has to wash them.
Warm arms wrapped around me. "I felt a disturbance in the atmosphere and came home. We only have a few hours before I need to leave."
"I'm glad you're home," I cried, turning to bury my face in his chest. Talking to Mom exhausted me when we got along. It was emotionally draining when we fought.
"Whose ass do I need to kick?" Lester asked. His face looked a bit bruised from his latest mission. I touched the black around his left eye.
"It appears you've done enough fighting. What happened?" Lester shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. "Did someone say something about me?" Lester pulled his phone with a photograph of the invitation from his pocket. "Where did you get this?"
"From Ric. Your mother invited Rachel to the wedding. When were you going to tell me? Have you filed the divorce papers?" Lester quietly asked. He looked devastated.
"We aren't getting divorced, and I'm not marrying that asshole, Dickie Orr. You know what he did to me," I replied. I cupped Lester's face between my hands. "Sexy, I'm in love with you. We exchanged vows that I honour. You are my husband and lover. No other man could take me away from you."
"So you're not getting married?" Lester asked.
"No. I'm already married to the love of my life. We're soulmates, Lester. Once you've become a badass Ranger, we should take a vacation so I can prove it to you over and over," I replied.
Lester tugged my shirt over my head. I had to release my hold on his face for him to pull the shirt off my arms. "You look sexy wearing my clothes." He grabbed the neck of his shirt to pull it off. His muscles were more defined than ever. I loved the ridges and valleys of his pecs and abs. My fingers traced the sinewy flesh. Lester moaned before swiping me off my feet.
We landed on the bed in a tangle of limbs. Lester tore off my pants and barely removed his before plunging inside me. I moaned from the sensation. "I missed you," I groaned. Lester didn't talk. He spent his spare time making me scream his name. I rested my chin on his chest after Lester turned me into a jellyfish. "When do you leave?"
Lester checked his watch. "In twenty minutes. I have a chopper waiting at the airport. Can my wife drive me to catch my flight home?" Lester asked.
"Of course," I replied. "Don't stay away so long. I know we'd only have a few hours of days together, but I don't want to spend a minute without you that isn't necessary."
"I promise." Lester kissed me passionately before reluctantly climbing out of our bed. He pulled on his clothes without washing. The guys might smell the stench of sex on him when he arrived at their destination.
I quickly used the washroom to wash and empty my bladder. Lester waited outside the room for me to finish. His hands smelled of soap as he cupped my face. "I love you, my gorgeous wife."
"I love you," I reciprocated. Lester held my hand as we left my apartment. "How did you get the black eye?"
"The same way Ric got his. He sent me the wedding invitation photo and said you were scratching an itch in Atlantic City. I found him at the local bar and punched him. Ace gave me a lift on his chopper. He got permission from our commanding officer to borrow it," Lester replied.
"Did Rachel tell Ric that I married you?" I asked. I knew Rachel wouldn't share my secret. She respected my privacy as much as I respected hers.
"No. I never told them either. The guys don't know," Lester answered.
"I think you should tell them," I suggested. Lester shook his head because he didn't want them to harass him.
"It's a need to know scenario. They don't need to know," Lester insisted. "Steph, I'm not ashamed to be married to you. I'll visit you more often."
"Thank you. I can't wait to see you again," I whispered. Lester stroked my knuckles with his thumb. He released my hand so I could turn onto the road leading to the private airfield. "Go save America, then come home."
"I'll see you in a few months. Expect me to sneak into our apartment in the middle of the night," Lester warned. "Take care of my wife. She's my world."
"Watch my husband's back to keep him safe," I replied. Lester kissed me. He rested his head against mine as he inhaled my scent. "I love you."
"I love you," Lester replied before exiting the car. He waved over his shoulder, then climbed into the helicopter. I waited until the chopper lifted off, then gave another wave to my husband.
When dad bought a new car, he gifted me the old one for my graduation gift. My other vehicle had died on the trip back to Trenton after moving out of the dorms. I would use my new to me used car to commute from Trenton to Newark for my job. The rent near EE Martin was too expensive, and the drive to work daily wasn't too bad. My apartment was as far from the Burg as I could get it, but still easy to access the interstate. I could have lived in Lester's home, but it would had added too much time to my commute.
On my return trip home, I felt my husband wouldn't be coming home or communicating for a long time. I drove past a tattoo parlour, then turned around. The shop had parking in the front and back. Wanting to maintain anonymity, I parked behind the shop and entered through that entrance.
A heavily tattooed man welcomed me to his shop. "Do you have time to give me a tattoo?" I asked.
"I close in ten minutes, but I can lock the shop and fix you up," he replied.
"Thank you," I said. I sat in the sterile room as the owner locked the doors. He returned with books filled with tattoo ideas.
"What do you have in mind?" I giggled, then explained what I wanted him to do. His smile grew as I explained the significance of the tattoo. "Are you sure that's what you want, Stephanie?" he asked, reminding me of my childhood friend, Bartholomew Carrera.
"Barty? Oh my gosh. I didn't recognize you with the shaved head and tattoos. When did you return to Trenton? I thought you joined the Navy," I gushed.
Bart laughed. "I got back a few months ago. Figured the shop would let me display my talent," he replied. "So who's the lucky man?"
I grinned and told Barty about my husband, Lester Santos. We lamented about our mothers interfering in our lives. His mother wanted him to marry a nice woman from the Burg. Barty wasn't interested in marriage or children.