“To be continued,” she uttered, reading his thoughts as she reluctantly peeled her body away from his.
She adjusted her clothing and exited the bathroom, returning to her duties on the aircraft.
; “Where is he?” her colleague asked.
“He?” she questioned, just as he subtly returned from the bathroom.
“Don’t act coy with me, missy.”
“Coy? I’m quite sure I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah. I believe you. That banging and knocking I heard on the bathroom door was just turbulence, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s it. It was turbulence, plain and simple.”
As he returned to his seat, her colleague followed him.
“Hello, Owen. Your heifer of a wife here didn’t tell me you’d be flying with us today. I had to find out from another member of the flight crew.”
“I’m sure it was nothing personal. I think maybe Karen wanted to ensure that I got enough rest before we start our holiday; three fabulous weeks in Europe and no work to speak of. I think she has plans for me.”
“Sounds to me like those plans already got well under way.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Why, of course, you don’t,” Wendy responded sarcastically. “That banging against the bathroom door was just a figment of my imagination.”
“Yeah, that’s it,” he chimed in. “It was a figment of your imagination or maybe it was just good, old-fashioned—”
“Turbulence!” both he and Wendy chimed in unison.
“Yeah, I know, that’s what your wife tried to sell me on. I’ll tell you the same thing I told her, I’m not buying it.”
Owen couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Karen’s partner in travel was everything she’d said she was. And he was convinced the two would have lots to talk about once Karen returned to work, after their vacation. In the meantime, Owen shut his eyes for a moment, anxious to replay the events of the day. He suddenly felt so lucky. No matter how many role-plays he and his wife engaged in—how many stolen moments in bars, pretending they were convenient strangers—when all was said and done, they each returned home to the same bed and the same home they had built . . . together.
Collecting trash from the passengers, Karen stole a quick glance at her husband, Owen, and winked.
He grinned back at her, replaying in his mind yet another stolen moment the two of them had created for themselves. It was what kept their love alive and their desire for each other ever strong. He still wanted her (and she him) just as much as when they had met more than ten years earlier. From headboard-battering sex within the confines of their one-bedroom apartment to stolen moments as members of the Mile High Club, they had no desire to be the perfect couple, but they were perfect . . . for each other. So, whenever work got to be too much and either of them forgot what it was all about, they brought the spice that they hoped would allow them to sizzle for years to come.
“I love you,” she mouthed silently as she extracted a small piece of garbage from his hand.
“I love you, too,” he mouthed back.
Twins
Jusme
“I think you’ve lost your mind! I’m not wearing that—that damn nun’s uniform!”
“It’s called a suit, and if you’re going to bible study, you have to at least look like a respectable woman.”
“Uh, respectable woman? What are you saying? That my fine ass ain’t respectable? Hell, I demand respect every time I step out! But just because I don’t dress like a pastor’s wife—”
“Hold up, Iesha. I’m no nun either. I just know how to dress to get a man worth having. I’m not one of those women who needs her breasts hanging halfway out of her blouse or her pants so tight she can’t breathe—unlike some of us.”
Close couldn’t even describe the relationship between Iesha and me. Even though we were twins, we were complete opposites. I was the slightly taller, awkward one while she was so beautiful and confident. Her smooth, caramel complexion always brought her the male attention she desired, but somehow it didn’t work for me. Sometimes, I found myself a little jealous of my sister because of her appeal to men.