Chapter Eleven

Gerald watched his wife enjoy the closeness of her family. He remembered his won holidays at home; His mother drank while his father made passes at all the other attractive female guest. He remembered being able to sneak in bottles of liquor and cigarettes because nobody cared. He remembered the overstuffed turkey for show, cooked by the maid, and the Christmas presents his presents never stayed around to watch them open.

The Chiu’s seemed different. Genuine warmth beat beneath all the usual chaos. Even William Sr. seemed to fit in again, even though it must have taken years for Evelyn’s sister to finally forgive him. Kim’s family may have been broken, but they had weathered the storm and now seemed even stronger.

Gerald struggled to play the part of the newly married husband and not get into the ruse. The tiny glow of belonging grew to a strong flare, but he snuffed it out with a decisive blow. This was not his family and he was only tolerated because he’d married Kim. He needed to remember that. A dull ache pressed against his chest but he ignores it. Sure, they seemed to accept him, but only because they believed the marriage was real. Like all things acceptance would end, too.

He might as well get used to the idea early.

William Sr. thumped him on the back and called over his brother. “Bobby, did you hear what Gerald’s doing down by the waterfront?”

Tito Bob shook his head.

“He’s one of the few firms up for a bid to completely renovate all the buildings, we’re talking big time here.” William puffed up with pride. “Now I got a doctor and an architect to brag about. Not too shabby, huh?”

Tito Bob agreed and they threw a bunch of questions at Gerald regarding his career. Inside, something shifted. He gave his answer but the strong wall around his emotions rumbled in warning. William spoke like he was no son-in-law, but a real son, comparing him to William Jr. Evelyn made note of his favorite foods and pointed them out, smiling with pleasure when he almost blushed under her attention. Tito Yul invited him to his house to check out his new flat-screen television and watch Giants, seeming genuinely please to gain another male in the family.

Needing a break to get his head clear, he excused himself and walked down the hallway to find an empty bathroom. On his way, he glimpsed a bunch of giggling women packed in the small spare room. Kim held a baby in her arms – her cousin’s, he presumed – and rocked the infant back and forth with a natural feminine grace. The women spoke in hushed whispers and he caught the tail end of “great ” when he paused in the doorway.

The mass stopped and stared at him in silence.

Gerald shifted on his other foot, suddenly uncom-fortable with the blatant looks of all Kim’s cousins. “Hi. Um, just looking for an empty bathroom.”

They nodded but kept taking inventory. Finally, Kim spoke up. “Use the one in the back bedroom, sweetheart. And shut the door, will you?”

“Sure.” He closed the door on the tail end of another giggle, then the whole group broke into hysterics. Gerald shook his head and headed toward the back.

He was stopped mid-flight by the three year old.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” He said back. Her cute chinita eyes were serious, and he swallowed hard, wondering if he had to make conversation with her or if it would be acceptable to just step around and move on. “Uh, I’m just looking for the bathroom.”

“I have to go potty, too.” She announced.

“Oh. Okay, why don’t you get your mommy?”

“She’s not here. Have to go bad. Come on.’

She reached out a tiny hand and he panicked. There was no way in hell he was going to take a toddler to the potty. He didn’t know what to do. What if there was a problem? He backed off a few steps and shook his head. “Uh, no, Raine, why don’t you get Tita Kiimmy to take you?”

Her face screwed up a bit. “Gotta go now. Bad.”

“Wait here.”

He turned and knocked on the door where the women were. Again, silence fell past the wooden barrier. “Who is it?’

“Gerald. Uh, Kim, your niece needs you to take her potty.”

A pause. “I’m busy now, honey. Just go in with her, okay? It’ll only take a minute.” He heard a low mutter, then, a cackle. Gerald retreated, afraid to admit he couldn’t handle it in front of a bunch of women who judge his every move. He turned back to the little girl.

“Uh, can you wait one more minute?’ Maybe Grandma will take you?’

Raine shook her brown cute bangs and jumped up and down.

“Gotta go now, please, please.”

“One minute.” He raced down the hallway and into the kitchen where Evelyn was immersed in turkey stuffing.

“Evelyn?’

“Yes, Gerald?’

“Uh, Raine needs to go to the bathroom and wants you to take her.”

She mopped her brow with her elbow and resumed busting. “Can’t right now, why don’t you go with her? It will only take a minute.”

Gerald wondered what would happen if he burst into tears. The horror of the situation hit him full force, and he realized he had no choice or Raine would pee her pants and tell on him and then he’d be in real trouble.

He raced back and found her hopping on one foot. “Okay, let’s go. Hold it, hold it, hold it.” He chanted the same line over and over as he slammed the door and picked up the lid. She lifted her dress and waited, so he assumed she needed help with her underwear. He closed his eyes and pulled them down, then lifted her onto the toilet. He heard a sigh of relief and a slow steady trickle that told him so far everything worked okay. His confidence came back. He could handle a kid. Nothing to be afraid of.

“I want ice cream.”

Oh, .

Gerald recited the same words. Kim had used that worked so well. “You can have ice cream after dinner.”

“No, now.”

He took a gulping breath and tried again. “You can definitely have ice cream. But just wait a bit longer, okay?’

Her lower lip trembled. “I want ice cream now. I’ve waited and waited, and I promise I’ll eat all of my dinner if you get me some now. Please?”

His mouth dropped open on her heartfelt pleas. What was he supposed to do? Gerald reminded himself he was a successful businessman. How bad could a little girl be?’

He kept his voice firm. “First eat your dinner, and then you can have ice cream. You have to listen to your mom and your Tita.”

The lower lip wobbled even more. Tears filled china brown eyes. “But Mommy and Tita Kim and Lola never listen to me. I promise, promise, promise to eat everything on my plate, but I want some now. You can sneak it from the freezer and I’ll eat it right here and I’ll never tell. And you will be my best friend forever and ever! Please!”

He squirmed in pure terror and stuck to his guns. “I can’t.”

Raine started to cry.

At first he thought he could do it. A couple of tears, he’d calm her down, walk her back to her mother, and still be the adult in this whole thing. But she opened and wailed while tears dripped down her smooth, rosy cheeks. Her lips shook and she looked so miserable Gerald couldn’t take it anymore, after begging her to please stop and she continuing, he did the only thing left.

“Okay, I’ll get you the ice cream.”

She sniffed prettily. Droplets clung to her long dark lashes and stuck to her cheeks. “I’ll wait here.”

He left her on the potty and walked back out in the hallway. He figured he’d meet a parent or grandparent or aunt along the way to stop him, but he just walked into the kitchen filled with chaos, opened the freezer, and found a Popsicle. Still he paused, awaiting discovery.

Nothing.

So, he unwrapped the Popsicle, grabbed a napkin and walked back to the bathroom.

Raine was still on the toilet.

He held the ice cream and she reached her chubby hand out and broke into one of the sweetest smiles he has ever seen in his life. His heart did a quick meltdown, and she stared into his eyes and promised him world. “Thank you. You will be my very best new friend!”

Pride streamed through him as she enjoyed her ice cream. Kids were always hungry anyway, so he was positive she’d eat her dinner but decided he better tell her this whole thing was to be kept under wraps.

“Uh, Raine?”

“What?”

“Don’t forget the ice cream is a secret, remem-ber? Just between you and me.”

She nodded seriously. “Lyra and me have lots of secrets together. But we can’t tell anybody.”

He nodded and satisfaction. “Exactly. Secrets aren’t told to anybody.”

Someone knocked on the door. “Ge, are you there?’

“Go away, Kim, we’re fine. Be out in a minute.”

“Tita Kimmy, guess what?’ Raine screamed. “I got ice cream!”

Gerald closed his eyes. Leave it to a female to break your heart.

The door swung open. Gerald imagined the scene before her eyes. Raine on the potty, eating an ice-cream pop, while he crouched on the small wicker stool in front of her, holding a wad of toilet paper in hand.

“Ah, .”

“. , , .” Raine repeated happily. “See my ice cream, Tita Kim? I got it from him! My new best friend.”

Gerald waited for the explosion. The laughter. Anything but the dead silence from the bathroom doorway. When he finally got brave enough to look up, Kim stared at him with sheer amazement, shock, and another emotion he didn’t understand. Almost tenderness.

She cleared and got to work. “You really did it this time, squirt. Have one last bite and give the pop to me.”

“Okay.”

Gerald wondered why she didn’t argue with Kim, then figured he should be grateful. His wife deftly wrapped the leftover ice cream in a wad of tissues and buried it in the bathroom garbage. She nudged Gerald aside, picked Raine off the toilet, and took the wad of paper from him to clean her up. Kim pulled up Raine’s underwear, straightened her dress, washed both of their hands, and did a quick wipe of to remove any evidence.

Then Kim walked out of the bathroom with a very happy three-year-old and a confused adult. She squatted and spoke directly to Raine’s ear. The little girl nodded, then took off to join the guest.

“What did you say to her?’ he asked.

She smiled with an experienced smugness. “Told her if she breathed a word about any ice cream, she’d never get any more from us. Trust me, the kid speaks our language.”

“You’re not mad?’

She turned to face him. “Are you kidding? You have no idea how many things I’ve snuck that little angel, She cried didn’t she?”

His mouth gaped open. “Yeah, how did you know?’

“Happens to me all the time. You didn’t have a chance. Oh, one more thing.”

“What?’

“I am incredibly right now and will show you exactly how much when we get home.”

Astonishment cut through him. “You’re playing with me.”

She gives him open-mouthed, Carl-your’s-toes, drop-dead, tongue-to-tongue kiss. Then pulled away with a sly smile. “No. But I’ll be certain to play with you later.”

Then she sashayed out of the bedroom, leaving him with a hard-on and a confused look on his face.

WOMEN!