4 comments/ 19642 views/ 3 favorites My Second Chance By: ArMtnMan The sun sets slowly as we sit cuddled together in the back of the boat. Your head gently rests on my shoulder, our fingers entwined as we watch the sunset. When I met you I wondered if I would ever feel love again. The divorce was painful, but the worst part was not seeing my daughter every day. I had given up on ever caring for a woman again when I met you. Seeing you as I walked into Starbucks after dropping my daughter off at school I noticed you immediately. Your long black hair, I have always been drawn to women with a little more to offer. Because I am a tall man who carries a few extra pound I had never felt comfortable with a slender woman. You looked at me, smiled softly and your green eyes seemed to sparkle. My heart skipped a beat and all I could do was smile and whisper, "hi." I wanted to say more, but I have always been so shy. I heard them call your name as you picked you grande Mocha Latte and thought to myself that Michelle suited you well as a name. My heart fell as you walked out the door and I still lacked the courage to speak to you. After that day I stopped there every morning at the same time hoping to see you. But it never happened. My assistant questioned my sudden addiction to coffee not knowing that each day as I left I threw away the coffee, all I had become addicted to was hoping to see you again. Promising that when I did I would at least introduce myself. But months went by with no luck. Three months later, my daughter and I were at the Piggly-Wiggly and I saw you. My heart lept, my knees shook, and my daughter asked if I was having a seizure. I shook my head now and fought for control. As a consultant I had traveled all over the United States, spoken to thousands of people and had never been nervous, but suddenly my legs would not work. My stomach went crazy and my only hope was then when I took my first step towards you that I would not experience the world's most untimely breaking of the wind. Just as my head began to clear I heard a soft voice ask my daughter. "Is your dad OK?" As my daughter began to mumble something about not knowing if I was having a stroke, a seizure or the sudden onset of a senior moment at the ripe old age of 42, I managed to say I was fine. Our eyes met and I turned 37 shades of red. Suddenly my voice returned closely followed by my sense of humor as I declared the onset of my own private summer. The tension broke as you began to laugh. My daughter elbowed my sharply to the ribs and glared at me. That night we had dinner together for the first time at a little restaurant called "Pappa's." I found out you lived in a small settlement several miles outside of town which is why I had not seen you for such a long time. That night I memorized your every feature. The natural curl to your hair, the flecks of hazel in your eyes that made them almost change color depending upon the light, the light freckle on your nose, and the gentle creases that formed on the sides of your mouth when I made you laugh. Because of the way my marriage ended I wanted to go slow. But seldom did a day go by that we didn't talk. I began to look forward to your calls. You became the first voice I heard in the morning and the last I heard at night. You became my best friend. It had been 4 months since my senior moment in the Piggly Wiggly a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the first week of June and here we were sitting in my boat watching the sunset. Anchored in a quiet cove the world seemed to stop around us. In the distance we heard a Bob White gently call out and as I looked into your eyes and smiled I realized I had fallen in love with you. As I reached over to brush the hair from your forehead you leaned forward and we kissed for the first time. Your lips felt like satin and I could have sworn I heard fireworks as I took your face I my hands and our kiss intensified. As the sun slowly hid behind the mountains our kissing increased in passion. After several years of my version of intimacy being limited changing hands and turning it around to feel like someone else was doing it I wondered if I would know what to do. Just as I debated my next move you stood up and straddled my lap facing me and suddenly my doubts were gone. I still remember the taste of the salt on your skin as I kissed your neck. The sound of the moan that left your lips as I gently reached up cupping your breast for the first time. Normally shy I could not resist unbuttoning your shirt and kissing the soft valley between your breasts. The feeling of your fingers in my hair as you pulled my mouth against your breast. Your hips ground against my erection as I took your nipple into my mouth. My hands gripped your hips as I groaned trusting back against you. I never wanted anyone as badly as I wanted you at that moment. We stopped long enough to take the boat back to the marina. Our fingers were entwined as we walked up the hill to my truck. I held your door open but was surprised to see you slide onto the center of the seat to sit close to me. As we drove through the mountains back to my place I could barely focus on driving as I remembered the taste of the salt on your skin and the sounds of your throaty moans as I sucked on your nipples. I was pulled back to reality by your hand on my thigh. As I looked over into your eyes I felt my heart race as you said, "Take me to your bed." I smiled and turned down the road to my house. As we walked into the house you turned and leaned up to kiss me. As I leaned forward to kiss you jumped up wrapping your legs around my waist. The 20 steps from the door to the side of my bed passed in a moment. That night I remembered what it was like to make love to a woman, to feel her surround me, pulling me deeper inside of her. Fingernails scrapping my back as her orgasm rose inside of her. Looking deep into her eyes as I came deep inside of her and hearing her whisper, "I Love You" as she fell asleep curled in my arms. That was 10 years ago and today she is my wife, my best friend and my lover. Every time we sit on the lake watching the sunset I remember falling in love with her and the first night we made love. My Second Chance The memories of that night still haunted her. Sprawled out on the kitchen floor, Jenna curled up into a ball, her arms wrapped tightly around her head to protect her battered face. Her left eye was swollen shut and her right blurry. She recognized the warm, iron-flavored liquid. She had tasted her own blood often enough. Her tongue found the split upper lip and explored the fleshy cavity where her tooth had been. She tried not to cry. Her tears would only fuel Doug's anger. "I bust my ass to put a roof over your ungrateful head. All I ask is to have a decent meal waiting when I get home. And what do I get? This slop!" He poured the kettle of hot beef stew over Jenna's head. She screamed in pain as she frantically brushed the scalding food from her face. Doug threw the kettle against the wall. "How do you like it?" Clawing at the tile, Jenna struggled to crawl away. She prayed Doug was finished. The force of his kick to her side flipped Jenna onto her back. She gasped for air. "I never should have married your sorry ass." Doug reached down and grabbed a handful of her sopping hair. He pulled Jenna to her feet and threw her against the counter. "Now make me something decent to eat or as God is my witness I'll..." He stopped when he heard the little voice. "Don't hurt Mommy." Jenna turned to see her daughter. Three-year-old Bella stood in the doorway crying, holding her bear. "Honey, go back to your room," Jenna choked out. "Mommy will be there in a minute." Bella didn't move. "You heard your mother, go back to your damn room, you whiney little brat." Bella took two steps forward, arms outstretched, tears streaming down her face. "Mommy, come now!" "And you couldn't even give me a damn son." He looked over at Bella. "I'll give you something to cry about." Jenna's fingers coiled around the handle of the bread knife. *** The scream, then the punch woke Chris up. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body as she struggled to free herself. "Jenna, it's me! Chris. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you anymore." Chris knew he would have to explain another black eye when he went to work. He jokingly told the other paramedics his new wife was a wildcat in the sack. That story was a lot easier to spin than the truth. "Tell your bride to go a little easier on you. I can't send my men out looking like they've gone twelve rounds with Mike Tyson," his supervisor had told him. Everyone laughed. Everyone but Chris. "I'm so sorry," Jenna said, when she was fully awake and saw her husband's face. "Does it hurt?" "Naw, I blocked most of your punches." "Maybe we should sleep in separate beds, at least until I stop having these nightmares." "Dr. Connors told me you're making great progress. Besides, we're newlyweds." Jenna smiled at that. She kissed him. "I love you. You know that, don't you?" Before he could answer, they spied the small figure in the doorway. "Sweetheart, did Mommy wake you up?" Jenna asked. With an oversized bear in her left hand, Bella nodded. "Here, climb in bed with us." Jenna lifted the covers. Bella ran and jumped up on the bed. She kissed Jenna then Chris. With Bear held tightly in her small hand, she slid under the covers between them. Chris left the lights on until both of his girls had fallen back asleep. *** One year earlier, Chris had been on duty at the firehouse when dispatch received the 911 call. A domestic with injuries. "I hate these calls," Kenny said, weaving the ambulance in and out of traffic. "Some guy gets a bug up his ass and takes it out on his wife. We patch her up, she won't press charges, and boom, we're back a couple of weeks later." They realized as soon as they walked into the kitchen that this was no ordinary domestic dispute. Blood was everywhere. A woman sat at the kitchen table clutching a little girl. They were both covered in blood. The woman was a mess. She looked like someone had taken a bat to her face. Chris put on latex gloves to check them over while Kenny called dispatch. "Miss, you're going to be fine." She said nothing. The little girl turned to face him. "Honey, what's your name?" Chris asked, as he cleaned the blood from her arms with alcohol swabs. "Bella, and this is Bear." She held out a blood-spattered teddy bear. "Daddy got mad at Mommy." She pointed to the body at the far end of the kitchen. "Did your daddy hit your mommy?" She only nodded. Bella had no open wounds. The blood on her must have come from her mother. "Sweetheart, why don't you and Bear sit with this nice man while I help your mommy." Chris handed her over to Kenny. "What's your mommy's name?" "Jenna," Bella said in a tiny voice. "Jenna, my name is Chris." She didn't respond. The woman appeared to be in shock. Her upper body and clothes were covered not only in blood but what appeared to be cooked food. Chris systematically checked her for wounds. Besides the injuries to her face, she had multiple cuts and bruises on her body. After cleaning up what he could see, Chris surmised that the man lying on the floor was the source of most of the blood. "Dispatch, transporting two females to Mercy Medical Emergency Room," Chris said over the radio. With Jenna strapped to a stretcher and Bella and Bear in tow, Chris and Kenny loaded them into the ambulance and took off, sirens blaring. While Kenny drove, Chris monitored Jenna's vitals. Bella silently looked on. How could anyone do this to another person, especially his wife? Chris wondered. Jenna moaned and flinched at his every touch. "Don't worry, no one will ever hurt you again. I promise. Chris felt her sorrow deep within his heart. Chris and Bella never left Jenna's side that night or the following two nights. Since Jenna had no family close by, Chris told her that Bella could stay with his mother. Jenna was never charged. The District Attorney ruled it self-defense. "I can't go back to that house," Jenna told Chris when she was discharged. She never did. Chris took the couch and let Bella and Jenna have his bedroom. She called it her sanctuary. After two months of therapy they all held hands as they walked in the park after dinner. After another month, they kissed for the first time. After three more, Bella and Bear sometimes slept on the couch for an hour or two. Chris proposed nine months later. *** Stroking his hair, Jenna watched Chris sleep. He had pulled her from a dark place and given her a second chance at happiness. Jenna rubbed her belly bump and glanced over at the picture of the ultrasound on the night table. In four months she would give Chris a gift that Doug had never deserved, a son.