Fateful Encounters - Chapters 32-35

 

32

“Would you stop laughing? Nothing about this is remotely funny.”  Michael finally managed to pull his pants on and almost injured himself pulling the zipper closed. He cast yet another angry and almost accusatory look at Lisa who had thrown herself back on his bed after she pulled her clothes on in a hurry.

“Yes it is.” Lisa could barely speak, her voice sounding choked from yet another hysterical outburst. “I mean, come on Mike, this is hilarious.  First we are screwing on your stairs like two teens without a home, then Nursey, …,” she intercepted Michael’s warning gaze, “I mean, your wife, catches us, and now you almost castrate yourself with that damn zipper again ‘cause you’re so bent out of shape.” Lisa was racked by another fit. “Hey, maybe you should try Velcro – ‘cause zippers are just not your thing.”

Michael rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood to see the humorous side to any of this. He sank down next to her on the bed, raking his hand through the curls that had become lose during their passionate encounter.

“Oh, my  God! This was totally horrifying.  Lisa, did you see her face?”

Lisa grabbed a pillow and hid in it, attempting to muffle a new wave of chuckles. 

“How can you be so cruel, Lise?  She looked shocked- and so angry.  How in the world will I face her when I get downstairs?  I swear, I don’t think I will ever manage to go downstairs again.” Dramatically, he covered his face with both hands.

Lisa tossed the pillow she had used as a muffler toward his head with gusto.  “Are you nuts?  This is your house.  And we were in your suite- with the door shut.   No one asked her to come in.  And I sure didn’t hear any knocking.  I don’t buy her surprised act.  Are you telling me she came up toward your bedroom suite and did not hear us? Gimme a break! I mean, we weren’t exactly engaged in silent prayer.”

Michael continued keep his head buried in his hands and sank forward.

“You are not helping.  You think she heard us while we were…making love…eh, having sex? On no! I will just die!”

“Seriously, can you get a grip?  Since when has it ever bothered you that people hear us?  And what was it, Michael, having sex or making love?”

When he finally raised his head again, he found her eyes on him.  He detected an insecure expression, a softness that belied her tough words and demeanor.  Why was she so damn confusing all the time?  And why did it matter to her what words he used? At least he was communicating.  Her lack of such communication got them to this point, after all. If she had just given him a straight answer before none of this would have happened.  They would not have had words and he would not have been tempted by her to go all wild and crazy right there in plain view.  Well, semi -plain view, anyway.  He had to admit, Lisa was right about the door having been closed. 

Not that he regretted having made love for one second.  Some macho part of him was thrilled to have proven to her that she was still not immune to him that he was indeed able to evoke continued passionate responses from her.   On the other hand, the plan had been to soften her up into telling him what was so damn secret about her health.  It would have worked, too, had not Debbie chosen the most inopportune moment to come looking for him.  He cringed remembering seeing her standing there like some wounded deer.  An angry wounded deer.  Or maybe more like a wounded dragon. 

“It bothers me to think how hurt she must have been.  I don’t care if random strangers hear us- I mean, I do, but...well…”

“You think that’s kinky? You do it ‘cause it turns you on more?” She winked at him in a scandalous way, giggling again.

Michael blushed furiously and reached over to cover her mouth with his hand. “Lisa Marie! Will you shush?  I do not think that’s sexy- it, uhm…. Never mind that, anyway.  Stop changing the subject. I am talking about Debbie- how horrible to find someone you love with someone else like that.  She must be so hurt.  I really don’t want to hurt her feelings.  Not after she has been so wonderful.”

Lisa paused for a second, obviously fighting the temptation to provide her own thoughts about how wonderful Debbie was.  In a startling surprise move, she held his hand to her mouth for just a second and kissed his palm, sending little shivers through him.  He moved her hand to her cheek and cupped her face before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.  For a second, he completely lost track of his thoughts, just feeling her soft skin, staring into her eyes, touching the silky texture of her hair.  For the life of him, he could not explain the misplaced tenderness racing through him.

No, he could not allow himself to be side tracked by feelings for Lisa right now.  First thing was first, he had to worry about Debbie and what she might do in her anger.  While part of him certainly felt bad for the shock she must have experienced observing him and Lisa all entangled on the stairs to his bedroom, another part worried about having hurt the baby.  Surely, such excitement and high emotions were not good for her.  Also, Debbie had been irrational lately, what if she now decided to divorce him and file for custody?  He was pretty sure finding your husband in ecstatic afterglow with his ex-wife was a pretty good reason to file for divorce.  Shoot, how in the world had he messed up like this?  He had to go and make this right with Debbie before being able to once again focus on Lisa and their current problems. 

Despite these thoughts, he let himself fall back and sank into the space next to Lisa.  She reached out and held his hand, her small fingers sliding inbetween his warm digits. He was not sure why, but for some reason a sense of comfort fell over him.  Of course, Lisa had always been able to provide the comfort he needed- when she was not the reason for his discomfort…

“Come on, baby.  It’s not that bad.  I know you feel badly, you just way too sensitive with that bleeding heart of yours.  But seriously, she knows you are not into her like that.  I mean, I know she has this thing for you, but really, maybe it’s good she saw first-hand that she will never have you like that.  Unless you changed your mind.”

His face showed horror and disbelief. “About having sex with Debbie?  Heck no! Still, Lisa, her face- and us, just sitting there…  It was so embarrassing.”

Lisa had to admit the past half hour did not rate in the top ten moments of her life.  Despite her hysterical outburst, she also had been shocked and horrified when she first noticed Debbie standing there like a furious statue, newly turned to salt.  For one second she wondered if maybe she just mistook one of Michael’s mannequins for the little Missus, but sadly, that it was none other than the flesh and blood current Mrs. Jackson staring at their naked asses on the stairs.  Michael, whose back had been toward Debbie, immediately –and uncharacteristically- had screamed at her to leave the room, while he reached over and pulled his shirt over Lisa in a move that both astonished and surprised her. 

Knowing Michael, and his hang ups about being naked as she did, she would have betted all her money his reaction would be to cover himself before ever worrying about her, but he once again had proven her wrong.  A million whispered words of love could not have made her feel more loved and cared for than that little protective gesture.  Of course, with the delight came puzzlement.  Questions wondering if she had been wrong about him only using her buzzed through her already weary mind like a swarm of awakened bees.   Had she not entered this house with every intention of setting clear boundaries and ending things once and for all?  How had he managed to once again get under her skin like that? 

“Do you regret it…I mean…us…?” She kept her head lowered and cautiously observed him from behind a veil of her long hair.

Michael cocked his head sideways and looked at her as if she had asked him if the earth was flat. “No!” Bending forward toward her, he attempted to read her eyes and to establish full eye-contact.  Being hindered by the curtain of long hair, he reached out and brushed her hair from her face, before his fingers tenderly touched her under her chin, raising her face, forcing her eyes to collide with his. “Why? Do you?”

For a moment she forgot the question as she was pulled, no sucked, into the mesmerizing, bottomless depths of his dark orbs.  Then, she slowly and deliberately shook her head.

“I wish I could be.  I wish I could become immune to you sometimes.  You have no idea what you do to me, Michael. Making love to you is like dying and being born all rolled into one.  It’s such a struggle to love you, and I never know if I will live or die as a result. Sometimes I am so afraid what will happen when you touch me, and then, a millisecond later, I dread what would happen if you don’t. But I’m so scared to show you any of that most of the time.  It’s easier to just hide it all away.” Her voice had dwindled to a small whisper.  How come she felt like she was walking out on a very shaky limb here? His face before her became fuzzy and unfocused as tears rose again, but she continued to hold his gaze, noting his eyes also reflected his emotions in a glossy sheen. 

His hand moved from her face to her nape and he pulled her close, never breaking eye contact.  Before their lips met, he whispered, “Don’t hide, Princess.  Don’t be afraid...”

And suddenly and amazingly, she noticed her fear had evaporated like insignificant vapor.  Something had shifted and she had caught a glimpse of a small vulnerability in him that mirrored hers;  a chink in that solid protective armor surrounding him.  She knew he was mortally afraid of being hurt and often would build ridiculous defenses to keep that from happening.  In the process, he also locked himself away, his isolation leaving him safe from harm, but lonely.  As often as she had accused him of doing this to keep her at arm’s length, it was almost comical to see she was doing the exact same thing.

Their lips met in a soft and lingering kiss.  The urgency from before had vanished and all that remained was a sweet longing.  This kiss was so different as it expressed not only their physical connection but also something different, something they had carefully avoided all this time. 

When the kiss ended, Michael kept his eyes closed, not wanting to leave the warm world he had just entered.  Could he not just stay here and take advantage of the current peace between them?  Surely, he could sit right here for just a little while longer, feeling at the verge of something that possibly could be a new beginning. 

“Lise- will you tell me now? Will you tell me what’s wrong with you?  I swear- and you know that I don’t like to swear- I promise from the bottom of my heart, I will not be mad about whatever you tell me.  Just please don’t lie.”

“Michael, I never meant to lie about any of this.  It’s just; I was so angry, and so…,” she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, jumping into the deep, cold water without having any measure of its depth. “…so hurt, ok? I was hurt.  When you thought I had sex with Danny like I was some skanky slut, it really did a number on me.  I mean, we just spent the night together, and I was so open to you.  For you to just jump to the conclusion that I was cheating on you with Danny…” She could not finish and was simply shaking her head to express her confusion. “Michael, I have never, ever given you any reason to doubt that I was faithful to you, have I?”

Well, great, he felt like shit now.  No, Lisa was correct; he never had to worry about her straying from their marriage with someone else.  During their marriage at least, she had always made it more than clear how she felt about him.  He was the one with the problems expressing his love in words at times.  The truth was that the magnitude of his feelings for her had stunned him at times and left him utterly speechless.  Long ago, he had resolved to stay away from loving someone with such abandon again.  Loving like that was just a crazy endeavor of abandoning all self-protection.   Still, he had handed her his heart.  It seemed that he did not have to say how much he loved her all the time.  What was the point?  He was much better at expressing his devotion with gifts or gestures than continually communicating what should have been clear.  He loved her, which was why he had wanted a family with her in the first place.  If not, he would have taken Debbie up on her offer earlier, since she had never been shy about offering up her womb for rent. 

Oh no! Debbie! Debbie was waiting downstairs, mad as hell.  He almost had forgotten that he had to face his very upset friend.  But first he had to clear things up with Lisa.  In the last minutes, somehow his priorities had shifted again.

“But, Lisa! You could have just told me that no, you were not sleeping with him?  I mean, how hard was that? I mean, you guys always hang out.  I know you have the kids, but come on: I have never seen two exes spend so much time together. Well, I mean, we do- but you know we do more than talk.” He had blushed slightly which almost made her smile.  Was this the same man who thirty minutes earlier had ordered her to take off her pants?

“Michael, Danny and I are friends.  That is all.  And not friends with benefits, like we are, either.  Just co-parents and friends.  That is all.”

“If that’s all, why was he there that morning? Why did he take you to the hospital?”

She looked down again, squirming slightly.

“I was not well.  I had been ill with some weird shit.  I mean, I was sick, dizzy, tired as hell.  I thought I had the flue first, but it just would not go away.  I had been up most of the night and then had another dizzy spell that morning you hung out outside my house.  I already had a doctor’s appointment scheduled, so we called the hospital to see if I could come in earlier.  Danny had come over since Mom called him to stay with the kids.  Riley had been on top of the stair when I just about passed out- and she was freaking out.”

“Oh no,” he reached for her hand, and her eyes darted up in surprise.  “Was she ok?  That must have been so scary for her.”

His concern for her daughter warmed her heart and she gave his hand a squeeze.  “Yeah, she was fine, just pretty shook up.”

“I hate it when Mother is sick.  So, I know she must have been so scared. Poor baby!”

“So, yeah.  And then, Riley pleaded with Danny to go with us to the hospital so she would know I’d be ok.  Guess she thought my mother was not good enough a care-taker.”

“Smart kid.”

Lisa smiled and jabbed him with her elbow.

“Be nice.”

“Stop it, I am nice.”

“So, see?  All your carrying on and having fits was for nothing.”

“What is the big secret then?  What am I not allowed to know?”

“It’s not that you’re not allowed to know something.  I just got pissed when you came in there and tried to throw your weight around in that annoying passive aggressive way of yours.”

“I do not have a passive aggressive way! I was very worried and I think you could have respected that and let me know what the heck was going on.  I mean, it was inconsiderate to let me worry like that.”

“Inconsiderate?  Whatever! I was the one in the hospital.  Your feelings were really not on my mind at that moment.”

“Ok, fine.  So, what’s wrong?  I mean, what’s the big mystery? You still have not told me what’s going on?”

“The truth is, I don’t know for sure yet, Michael.  They are running some more tests.  Something was off with my blood work, something about my blood clotting too much.  They took more blood and I should hear more soon.”

“Is it serious?  Can it make you this sick?  And what about…you know…are you…you know….”

“I don’t know how serious it is yet.  And before I answer the eternal pregnancy question, let me ask you something first: If I was pregnant would you really, for one second believe that the baby was not yours?”

Michael considered her question.  He gazed up to the ceiling, reading some invisible cue cards.  When he looked back into her eyes, he was serious and serene.

“You just told me that you and Danny are friends.  So, if you were pregnant, the baby’s mine.”

She closed her eyes in relief and exhaled deeply, just now realizing she had been holding her breath. “Well then…”

The phone rang and startled both of them.  Michael who  at time was a master of ignoring calls, jumped to get the receiver.  He held his hand over the bottom end and whispered to her, “Sorry, house phone; gotta take it.”

Lisa rolled her eyes and sat up, raking her hands through her hair, collecting it behind her into a pony tail and pulling a rubber band over it, attempting to act as if the interruption really did not bother her.  Inside she trembled, wondering if Michael learning the truth would keep him close or cause him to pull away for good this time.

He sat up as well and turned his back to her, keeping his inputs very short, ending with a curt statement that he would be right down.   Turning back to Lisa, he touched her shoulder.

“Staff is calling.  Debbie has been throwing things in her rooms, yelling, and cursing.  She is demanding I come downstairs to face her.  I guess, I better get this taken care of, so we can finish this talk in peace.  I am so sorry, please don’t think I’m running or pushing you to the sidelines.”   Lisa had to smile.  Those were words she had used so many times before when he just ended an argument by taking a phone call and rushing off. 

“You want me to come with you? I know you don’t like to be put on the spot like that.”

“No, she’s gonna be mad as it is.  I don’t want to make it worse by her going off at you.  Why don’t you stay here, and I’ll be right back, ok?” He reached out and framed her face with both hands, approaching her lips for a lingering kiss which she accepted.

“Ok, but hurry back.  We need to get all this out in the open.”

“I won’t be long.  There isn’t much to say.  I just wanna make sure she won’t do anything stupid, okay?  You know, her being pregnant and all, I have to be careful.”

“Yes, you do, Michael.  Pregnant ladies do the craziest things at times, I have been told.”

He took a deep breath and left the room, wondering about how exactly he was to interpret her last statement.

 

33

The wait was killing her.  She had decided she might as well kill time by taking a quick shower.  As she soaped herself down and shampooed her hair, she found her body to be very sensitive to even the lightest touch, and she also noticed soreness in her breast and other areas.  Marked by Michael, yet again! When she turned to check herself out in the mirror, she found that her recent stair escapade had left several scrapes and bruises on her back.  Funny, how she had not noticed anything during being fucked senseless.  Adrenaline was an amazing thing.  Cursing, she admonished herself for giving in once again.  Maybe if she stopped thinking about it, it would be like it never happened.  If only she could stop the thoughts and flashbacks from infiltrating her mind, though.  She stared at herself in the mirror, wondering who the pale and tired creature was staring right back at her.  Probably the chick that had one hell of a screwy day…

This day was definitely not what she had expected it to be.  She had planned for a quick visit, putting Michael in his place, clearing things up once and for all, and making sure he understood he was no longer part of her life.  Instead, she had succumbed once again to this ridiculous sexual pull.  In the process, she had been forced to discover that the asphalt cover over not only her sexual longing for Michael, but also over all kinds of other feelings had been blasted open by some kind of hidden land mine.  How many times could you have your defenses shattered and still continue to lie to yourself about the extent of your addiction?

Maybe she should just haul ass and run.  Really, there was no reason she had to hang around.  He probably would not even notice her absence.  No, running would not solve things at all.  He still wanted answers and she had been so close to filling him in.  How would he react?  Would he be upset?  Or relieved?  And how would his reaction affect her?  A heavy sigh left her chest.  As if he had not already been unhinged enough by Debbie’s little act of popping into the room like some malfunctioning jack-in-the-box.  So no, she definitely wanted to stay to continue their talk.  Also, she wanted to make sure he was ok.  Lisa knew Michael hated direct confrontations.  Was she trying to protect him again?  Possibly, but some odd part really needed to see how his little talk with Debbie went.  Surely, Debbie would lay the guilt on heavily, trying to get Michael to feel badly for her.  She was such a conniving, evil bitch. 

During her marriage to Michael, Lisa had made the mistake of underestimating Debbie and her obsession with Michael.  She had thought it was funny that the homely nurse had called fifty million times a day, demanding to talk to Michael.  Annoying, but funny. Lisa knew that Debbie had been treating Michael at Klein’s office for years now.  She also had a pretty good sense that Debbie, like millions of other women, was infatuated with Michael and thought herself to be in love with him.  Michael was sweet and kind with people he worked with, so it was easy to see how Debbie might have mistaken his kindness for something else. 

“She is just a friend Lisa.  Really- I mean sometimes she looks at me with that creepy stare, but I think she maybe just needs glasses.  She says she is impressed with the size of my knowledge and wants to pick my brain.  I love how she is so inquisitive and wants to learn.  She is so sweet.”

Lisa remembered having rolled her eyes and wondered if he really was that naïve.  Debbie, having treated Michael’s private area for vitiligo, was probably less impressed with the size of Michael’s knowledge and more enthralled with the size of his penis.  And the bitch had only seen him flaccid- or so Lisa hoped.  And she didn’t want to pick his brain, but steal his sperm, having figured out a way to tie this man to her.  Well, she researched well and was very proactive, Lisa had to give her that.   When Michael and Lisa were struggling to work out their marriage, Debbie had infiltrated his trust and undermined their relationships with her fake understanding and finally the grand gesture of a child.  Who in the world offers up her uterus to a married man?  Lisa wondered if she was the naïve one now.  Maybe she was too hard on Debbie.  Had Michael not agreed to the plan, Debbie would have stayed busy collecting pictures for her shrine and would not parade around the world as Michael Jackson’s soul mate. 

Lisa was startled from her useless ruminations by the sound of someone entering downstairs.  Was Michael back, finally?  She hurried out of the room, steadying herself as a dizzy spell almost made her drop to her knees.  Black spots zoomed all around her, and felt as if she was on a ship in the middle of the ocean.  What the hell?  Lisa took a couple of deep breaths and closed her eyes for a second, holding on the railing of the stairs for dear life. 

“Michael, are you up there?  Prince just woke up from his nap and he wants his Daddy.  I can’t seem to calm him down.” Michael’s nanny had entered the downstairs area, carrying a sobbing little baby boy in her arms. She noticed Lisa at the top of the stairs. “Oh, Miss Presley, good to see you.  Are you ok?  You are really pale.” 

Great, another woman in Michael’s life telling her she looked like shit.

Lisa took in another gulp of air and opened her eyes, straightening her back.  She could not afford to be a sissy; Michael’s sweet baby needed some attention.  She forced a smile and carefully made her way down those damn stairs that seemed to be the bane of her existence today.  She offered to hold the little cutie pie for a little bit while the nanny went off to find him a snack.  Lisa had shared that Michael was not to be interrupted right now and she was fairly certain she could manage Prince, whom she had been around on numerous occasions during her and Michael’s trips all over the world.  Prince smiled when he saw her and reached his little arms toward her, making her heart melt.

He was such a sweet, calm boy, always smiling, and hardly ever fussy.  Right now, his cheeks looked a bit flushed and it was clear he had just been crying.  Lisa felt his forehead which felt cool.  Good, so no fever, he probably was just teething.  Lisa located some toys in Michael’s living area that were appropriate for the toddler and sat down on the floor with him, building Duplo towers.  Prince was distracted from his fussiness easily enough and Lisa discovered he now spoke several words pretty clearly.   Prince squealed in delight when she let him push over the tower they had just built, and she could not help but laugh with him.  Her hand reached out and she caressed his silky soft hair, causing him to look up at her with his dark, serious eyes.  What a beautiful child.  The child that should have been hers and Michael’s.  The pain raced through her and she shook her head, willing herself to stop from going down that particular road of thoughts for the millionth time.  Maybe it all had worked out for the best after all.  Without Debbie’s ploy, there would be no adorable little toddler sitting here, and for the life of her, Lisa would never be sorry that the little boy existed. 

The nanny came back and informed Lisa that she had not been able to avoid hearing loud voices downstairs.  Since Michael hardly ever yelled, Lisa suspected the loud voice to be his wife’s.  What in the world took so long, and why was he putting up with her histrionics?  She did not live here, so what was the big deal?  Why did he not just kick her ass out for making such a fuss?  Maybe Michael needed some back-up after all.  Holding back her urge to race downstairs, Lisa decided to give them a little while longer and offered to feed Prince his snack. 

34

 

“Debbie, you really need to watch the tone of your voice and you need to stop yelling.  It is not good for you or the baby.  You know, she hears you now and she also feels that you are highly anxious.”

Michael was not sure Debbie’s anxiety level exceeded his, but he did a hell of a better job staying calm.  She had been wailing and crying for over 30 minutes now, going on and on about how she was tired of being disrespected and made a fool.  How in the world was he making a fool of her?  And talk about disrespecting someone?  Had she not decided to just bust into his private suite uninvited? 

He heard of the concept of de-escalating conflict by keeping calm and being mindful of an even, low tone of voice, and he had attempted to apply this strategy to this current mess.  Too bad Debbie had obviously not read the same book and therefore did not know she was supposed to respond by getting calmer.  Maybe he should lend her the book?  Or send it to her.  That might be less dangerous, given her recent outbursts. 

“I would not be highly anxious as you call it, had you not decided to bang that little whore in my house.”

“My house.” 

He instantly regretted having re-stated the obvious, as Debbie responded by sinking into the couch, once again sobbing wildly.  He felt so helpless and wondered if he should step up and comfort her, but her current level of emotional exhibitionism frightened him.  He decided to keep a safe distance.

“That is just it, Michael.  Everything is yours, isn’t it?  But, I am your wife, for heaven’s sake.  I am supposed to share all these things with you.  I should not need a private invite to come to see my husband to share the ultrasound pictures of our baby.  OUR’S, Michael.  Mine and yours.  I am the one giving you children.  She never loved you enough to do that.  She lied to you and used you.  Yet you treat me like shit.”

More sobbing.  He found himself biting his lip and hit a sore spot.  Ouch! Did Lisa bite him earlier? 

“So, Debbie, how about you calm down and show me the pictures? I mean, I told you how sorry I am that you walked in on us.  Let’s just move on.  I’m here with you now.  I am not treating you like shit now, am I?  I wanna hear what you have to say.  But please, try to say it without yelling.”

She looked at him.  Tears streamed down her face and her cheeks were red and splotchy.  She was so pitiful.  He knew she loved him, and it must have been horrible to see someone you loved in such a compromising position with another person.  If he thought about Lisa getting it on with Danny, he saw pure red and felt like smashing things, so he could relate to that.  Still… she should not have come in without knocking.  For him, it all came down to that display of bad manners.

“You are sorry I walked in on you, Michael?  How about being sorry for continuing to fuck your ex-wife?”

“Language, Debbie- the baby!” This time, he could not avoid raising his voice.

“Fuck, language!  I didn’t hear you minding language when she screamed out all those dirty words while you were giving it to her earlier. And I think I might have heard some curse words from you, too. Why Michael?  Why can you not stay away from her? Is she that good? ”

Heat rose from deep inside as he felt himself blushing furiously again. She heard them?  Oh, no! Well, of course she had to have heard them.  But some part of him had still clung to the hopes that she had been too shocked to remember details.  Obviously, trauma induced deafness had not set in. How long has she been there?  As far as Lisa being that good…that was really none of Debbie’s business.

“Debbie, look, Lisa and I...are…we are…it’s complicated…” At a loss for a more accurate definition of what Lisa and he were, he stared at his shoes.

“Complicated? You are divorced.  What the hell is so complicated about that?  How about I divorce you for what’s going on here? I mean, don’t you think I am tired of being used by you?  I am pretty sure adultery is a great reason for divorce, Michael.  And who would blame me?  I bet I get the kids and at least half of everything you own.  Then what will you have left?  You think that spoiled bitch will want you after I am through with you?  She only wants you now ‘cause she can’t have you.”

She just had to put his worst fears into words on all kinds of levels, didn’t she?  Bull’s eye!  Was that what she was after?  Was she just another person trying to steal from him?  Well, she better watch out what she played at here.  Anger rose and his eyes narrowed.  His voice became cold and clear like frozen nitrogen.

“Are you threatening me, Debbie?  We have an airtight contract.  If you think I will put up with you taking the kids from me, you better watch out.  I’m not playing about this, and you better remember why we got married.   You know it was not because I am in love with you, so stop it. I never lied to you about that.”

Flinching, Debbie rose and stepped close to him.  She stared down at the ground for a minute before she answered, her tone calmer now.

“Michael, please, I don’t want to fight you.  You know I did all this for you.  I don’t want to have to take the kids.  They are your children.  I just want a little bit of respect for this sacrifice I am making for you.  I have done everything you asked.  I even went on public record stating that I support that fake friendship between you and her.  What has she done for you?  She spreads her legs?  Well, whoopee for her!  What a hardship.  What she has not done, and what she will never do is have your child, remember that.  Remember how angry you were at her.  How hurt you were when you found the birth control.”

He closed his eyes, not wanting to remember any of the things Debbie invoked.  He swallowed the bitterness that always accompanied those memories.

“Look, all that is in the past, ok? I do respect and love you for what you are doing.  But you need to stop acting like the jealous wife.  I am sorry, Lisa and I were careless. But you need to start knocking when you enter any rooms in my house, can we agree on that?”

“Fine. Can we also agree you stay away from her?”

When had he ever consented to stay away from Lisa?  Was Debbie high on prenatal vitamins? This was not a negotiation. He was laying out the rules, and she had no bargaining power here. Staying away from Lisa was not going to happen.  Especially not now, when she might carry his baby.  He considered lying to Debbie to just shut her up and get her out of the house so he could finish his conversation with Lisa and get a clearer idea of what was going on with them.

“Yeah, Michael, why don’t you answer your lovely wife here?  Will you agree to stay away from me?”

Shit! Not again! Did anyone knock in this house? His house?

Sighing and raising his eyes in silent prayer, he turned and faced Lisa who had entered the room, carrying Prince in her arms.

35

“What the hell are you doing with my son?” Debbie’s face took on the color of Michael’s shirt as she stomped toward Lisa-Marie.  Michael grabbed her arm and stopped the advance, fearing both children would be hurt by Debbie’s irrational anger.

Lisa took a step back, obviously also careful about being mowed down by Debbie the tank.  She protectively turned to shield Prince. Her face was calm and her tone even and fearless when she addressed Debbie.

“Michael’s son, you mean.  Just like it’s Michael’s house.  For someone who doesn’t live here you seem to be around an awful lot.  Come on, Deb, we don’t need to keep up the pretense here.  And stop acting like a crazy woman infront of the baby.  Or should I say, infront of both babies.  One of them does not have a choice but to listen to your rants.”

“You dirty bitch!” Debbie was all but foaming from the mouth.

“Lisa- you are not helping!” Michael stepped in-between the two lunatics while Debbie tried to wrestle her arm away from his grip.  “Please! Can we all just calm down?  Where is the nanny?  Prince really should not be in here.” 

“She went to throw away his diaper.  I fed him his snack a while ago, and he was fussy and asking for you.  I thought you two had spent enough time down here by yourself.”

“We were just about done.  Please go back upstairs, Lisa.  I will be right there with you…” He might as well have saved his breath, as Debbie was still focused on Lisa standing there with his son.  Too bad his success in almost calming Debbie had gone up into thin air.  Lisa’s appearance on the scene had been like waving a red cape infront of an angry bull. 

“You stay away from my husband and my child.  And stop lecturing me.  Where are your children right now, Lisa Marie?  Who did you pawn them off on so you could screw my husband?”

“Both of you shut up and sit down.” His tone was sharp despite keeping from yelling. “Debbie – sit there.” He led her over to the chair the furthest away from the door.  “Lisa- give me the baby.  And sit over here.”  He pointed to the chair closest to the doorway, making sure she had clear escape route should things get out of hand more.  Michael finally had reached the limits of his patience with these two.    Both women stared at him for a second, but followed his order anyway.  About time! He noticed Lisa had a small smile on her lips while Debbie was still fuming. 

“Ok, thank you.  Now: I am going to find the nanny.  Lisa, why don’t you come with me?” He knew he had just told her to sit down, but on second thought leaving them in the same room was akin to throwing a match into a lake of gasoline and not expecting there to be an explosion.

Lisa shrugged her shoulders, handed Prince to Michael, and was about to rise, when Debbie’s acerbic tone interrupted her.

“Well, maybe Lisa Marie can manage to not jump your bones for two seconds so we can finish our discussion?”

Lisa sank back into the chair. “Why don’t I just stay here, Mike?  I promise to behave.  Debbie and I need to get some stuff straight.  And I understand and respect that she is insecure about leaving us alone.” Her sweet tone did not match her sarcasm at all.

Michael had started to walk toward the door, slightly distracted by Prince who was pulling his hair, squealing when Michael bounced him into the air.  Stopping in his track, he held on to his smile, trying to keep his tone light to not upset his son.  She wanted to stay in the room with Debbie?  Well, she was all grown up, so fine, let her have her way.  His priority right now was to get Prince out of the line of fire.  “Ok, fine, whatever. Please stay civil, you two! Lisa, please don’t upset Debbie. She has to watch her blood pressure.”

“I am right here, Michael.  You don’t need to talk about me as if I am not in the room.” Debbie still looked angry, but had calmed down considerably.  “And Lisa is right; we indeed have to get some stuff straight.”

Ok, then.  Maybe he could dare to run up to bring his boy to safety.  He cast one more pleading look toward Lisa. “Lise- please help me out here. No drama, ok?”

Lisa responded by laughing and winking at him.  “Mike, seriously, I won’t hurt her.  I will be as nice and gentle as a lamb.”

Relieved, Michael seriously considered going over to kiss her cheek before leaving the room, but then resisted the temptation, aiming to keep his house from being destroyed.  Rushing upstairs, he found the nanny, but then was delayed as Prince started to cry again as soon as he handed him off.  Sighing, he sat down with him, reading him a book then humming his favorite song to him.  Finally, Prince seemed to settle in, and Michael felt it was ok to leave him.  Now, that one situation had been dealt with, maybe he could diffuse the bomb downstairs, get rid of Debbie, and finish his talk with Lisa.  He just hoped everyone else was on board with this agenda.

Approaching the salon downstairs, he picked up on raised voices again.  Dammit! Women! Could they not stay in the same room for five minutes without pissing each other off?  He started to seriously question the wisdom of having listened to Lisa and believed her words about being nice to Debbie.  Could she not at least remember that the baby did not need all this commotion?  She was a mother after all, how difficult was it to not fight for just a little while for the sake of the unborn child. 

Taking a deep breath, he entered the room.  Lisa and Debbie had both risen and were standing face to face like two fighting roosters- or hens.   Both looked angry and flustered.  Wonderful.  Where was security when you needed them?  Or the nearest hostage negotiation team.  He should have listened to Jimmy  Carter more: surely establishing peace between Egypt and Israel was nothing compared to keeping those two from ripping each other’s hair out. 

“If you were not such a desperate loser, you would know that Michael has absolutely no interest in you as a woman.  The sooner you get this in your thick head, the better you will be able to cope with seeing us together.”

“If you weren’t such a slut, I would not have to worry about walking in on my husband being seduced by the likes of you.  I thought you two had broken up for good this time.  Find someone else to fuck! Talk about desperate loser!”

“Give it up, Deb.  Stop deluding yourself into thinking that I have to seduce Michael.  He did not exactly slip on the stairs naked and fall into my vagina.”

“Lisa!” He tried to get between them, but Lisa reached out and pushed him to the side.  Debbie also was on board with ignoring him.

“No, Lisa, he is just a man, taking what is so freely offered.  I mean, you keep following him around like a bitch in heat.  You even use your children to stay close to him. How disgusting and desperate can you get?”

“Listen, bitch:  Keep my kids out of this! You know nothing about my children and Michael.  The only thing you know about children period, is that you think they get inserted with turkey basters and then sold to the object of your sick obsession. You make me sick!”

Michael had to put an end to this. “Lisa, stop it! You are really making things worse here.  I insist you leave now, so Debbie can calm down.” He had reached the limits of his tolerance for all this drama and it needed to end.  He anticipated Lisa to be the more reasonable of the two, so maybe her leaving would defuse the situation for now.  He really had hoped to get things settled with her, but nothing was getting done until these two were in different counties. 

Lisa turned toward him in one quick spin.  Oh, good, she finally had noticed he was in the room.

“Are you fucking kidding me?  You insist I leave?  You know what? Fuck you.  And fuck her- and I really mean this literally. You two deserve each other! Consider me fucking gone- for good.” Her face was flushed and she looked like she had difficulties breathing.  The blue of her eyes reminded him of daggers made of ice-cycles.  One tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away angrily. His gaze skipped over to Debbie who sported a triumphant smile like a priceless trophy.  What was happening here?  How did this all get out of hand so quickly?  His head was spinning. 

Michael reached out to take hold of Lisa’s shoulders in an effort to explain his reasons for needing her to leave.  He had meant for her to leave the room, and she obviously thought he wanted her to leave Neverland. He just required a little bit of time to get Debbie out of here so he could finally pick up where they had left off.  Lisa was not listening to reason, obviously thinking he wanted to get rid of her. She violently shrugged off his hands and yelled at him to get out of her way. Pushing past him, she raised her middle finger to him, rushing toward the front door without looking back.  This was all so wrong.  He needed her to stay- she could not leave thinking he didn’t want her here.  Plus, he was honestly worried about her driving in her current state.

Think, Mike, stall her!

“Lisa, wait. Your stuff is still upstairs.” He started after her.  Lisa stopped and cursed, swaying slightly.  What was wrong with her balance today? He was pretty sure she had not been drinking.  When she turned towards him to change direction he noticed her skin tone had changed from flushed to ash grey.  Again, she pushed past him, and he noticed small beads of sweat on her forehead.  She took the first couple of stairs quickly, then stopped suddenly, gripping the railing. 

“Michael…?”

Later he could not recall the exact chain of events.  For the life of him, he did not remember if she started falling at the same time she called out to him or before.  Did he dash toward her before he noticed her swaying one more time, or when he heard her shaky voice?  All he knew was that his heart stopped when she sank to the ground in what seemed like slow motion before she started to roll down the stairs.

(to be  continued)

©2012 Erika B Michaels. All Rights Reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Any names, places, and other identifying features are used in a fictional manner, for entertainment purposes only, and are in no way representative of actual events. This work may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted, or stored without expressed written permission by Erika B Michaels. All photos and images, mentioned songs or song titles are copyright their creators. ABSOLUTELY no disrespect is intended to any persons portrayed in this work.