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Chapter 38: Mariana, Part 2

Author: M.E. Carter
last update Last Updated: 2022-10-20 14:05:46
"So how was China? Did you do a lot of sight-seeing?"

Tom and I sit opposite each other at Akashi, a local sushi restaurant. It's been a long time since I've had sushi and I don't really remember if I like it. But with my new life comes trying new things. So here I am, drinking sake and ordering a couple of different rolls just to see what I think.

"I didn't have as much time as I wanted. I was in charge of hiring and training all the new employees and getting it done as quickly as possible. Most days I worked twelve hours or more."

"Seven days a week?"

"Yep." He takes a sip of his sake and wipes his mouth with his napkin. "I wanted to get back home as soon as possible. Being away from my kids for nine weeks was rough. I didn't want to extend my stay."

"I'm sure. Did you get to talk to them at all while you were gone? What with the time difference?"

"We Skyped a few times, but the reception isn't that great. The screen would freeze up often. That part was irritating, but it turns out
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  • Goalie   Chapter 39: Santos

    Racing through the parking lot, I dodge as many puddles as I can. I swear it started raining a month ago and hasn't let up. Even worse, it's muggy. Really muggy. But that's what early June in Houston is like every year. At least the rain is keeping the bugs away for now."Shit," I yell as I accidentally land right in a puddle. I look up and see Mari's elderly neighbors staring at me and my filthy mouth. "Sorry. I landed in a puddle."The old man doesn't seem amused but the woman, I can tell she's trying not to grin.Reaching Mari's door, I bang as quickly as I can. It's only eight in the morning, but we've spent a lot of time together over the last couple of months. I know their routine pretty well again, and I'm sure the kids are up by now. When the door opens revealing Mari still in her jammies, coffee cup in hand, my suspicions are confirmed."Sorry!" I whiz past her and into the living room where the kids are already playing. "I left my schedule here and couldn't find the website t

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  • Goalie   Chapter 40: Mariana

    "What is it with you feeding my kids sugar?" I ask Marcus, as I flop down on the couch. "Don't you have any vegetables in your fridge?""I don't know what you're complaining about," he reasons as he drops himself down next to me. He won't admit it, but he's just as tired as I am after chasing the kids for the last forty-five minutes. "Once they were done running, they practically dropped into their beds. We won't hear from them for a while.""Yeah, but it's going to take us that long to clean up this mess." I look around trying to wrap my brain around the sheer volume of toys strewn all over the floor. I had no idea my kids had this many toys. Looks like it's time to clean out again."We'll just tell them the same thing I told my niece and nephew last weekend.""We're not telling the kids that any toys left out will come alive when they're sleeping and will watch them in bed.""Okay, I admit that one backfired on me." I chuckle and drop my head back on the couch. I'm so tired. "We'll t

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  • Goalie   Chapter 41: Santos, Part 1

    I look around the waiting room, shoving my wallet back in my pocket after paying the obligatory twenty-dollar co-pay. It's not a lot, but it adds up when you have a weekly therapy appointment.With my knee shaking up and down, I recognize I'm nervous. Really nervous.Mariana has never asked for us to go see Justin together, but she did this time and wouldn't tell me why. Just said there are things we need to discuss. It worries me that she wants to cut the amount of time I've been spending with the kids. I know I've been at her apartment a lot lately, but it didn't seem like she minded. I can't believe I read the situation wrong and I don't understand why she can't just tell me this outside of therapy.The door flies open and Justin stands there with his normal relaxed look on his face. "Hey guys. Come on in."Mari smiles and greets him like everything is normal. I just mumble a hello as I walk past him."How's school going, Santos?" he asks before we even sit down on the couch. So muc

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  • Goalie   Chapter 42: Santos, Part 2

    "I'm thinking that even if I hadn't, you know, done the things that I did…" No one needs more of an explanation. My sins have been aired more than enough that there's no reason to rehash them. "… our marriage was already doomed. I didn't take care of you emotionally at all.""Well, I think doomed is probably a little extreme," Justin counters. "A woman losing her feelings of self-worth when she becomes a mother isn't an uncommon problem. So you may have been headed for some rough patches, but I don't think it would have been the end of your relationship."I'm not really sure I believe him. "I'm sorry, Mari," I say to her. "I had no idea you felt so badly about yourself.""Honestly, Santos," she responds, "I don't think I had any idea about it either, so how could you? It sucks that we ended up divorced, but it also sort of forced me to face my own demons that I didn't really want to know were there. Is it weird that I can kind of see a silver lining to this whole thing?""It actually

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  • Goalie   Chapter 43: Mariana, Part 1

    "The house was built in 2001, which is really young for the neighborhood. Now, I know the lots are a little smaller, but that really cuts down on the cost and it means less yard maintenance for you." I look through the pantry and kitchen cabinets as my realtor, Alice, continues to drone on about the benefits of the home. I'm already sold on it, though. But she doesn't need to know that yet.The house is perfect. Four decent-sized bedrooms and two full bathrooms are upstairs, which means I can be close to the kids at night. It also has a game room that will come in handy as the kids get older and more independent. Downstairs boasts a small open-concept kitchen and den area with a small dining room just off the kitchen. Perfect for keeping an eye on the kids while I cook. There's also a half bathroom and a laundry room. And a small room that's supposed to be a formal living room, but I'd rather turn it into an office area.Despite how open and spacious it is inside, from the outside, it

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  • Goalie   Chapter 44: Mariana, Part 2

    "That's a nice idea, but I know how much we both have in savings, or at least how much we each started out with. It would deplete everything. With you not working for the next year…" I shake my head. There's no way it'll work."You don't remember how much we're making off the current house, do you?"I think back to the conversation we had about numbers right after we got divorced. Things were so emotionally heightened back then, I don't remember a lot of it. But I do remember that."You were serious? We have that much equity?""I'm the math major remember?" he teases. "We had saved for so long we made a huge down payment during a buyer's market. The market has swung and now it's a seller's market, so already the value has gone up. Not to mention, up until we separated, we were making double payments every month. We shaved off something like fifteen years' worth of interest that way.""But Santos, that's your money. I don't want to take your money. Especially with you being in school."

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  • Goalie   Chapter 45: Santos

    "As you can see, there are five groups. Each group has four stars in it. Let's count the stars. Ready?" I use my dry erase marker to count how many stars are on the board. "There's twenty. So five times four equals twenty."I look up at Kimberly who has a grimace on her face."I'm doing a terrible job at this, aren't I?"She turns off the camera we're using to tape our lessons while trying really hard to give me an encouraging look, but finally gives up. "Well, it's not good."I toss the dry erase marker down on the table of the small library work room and drop myself into the chair. "Why do I have to present a third-grade lesson?" "Do you want the real answer or a sarcastic answer?""Let's start with sarcastic.""Because Professor Johnston randomly chose third grade for your project."I make a "hrmph" and cross my arms. "And the real answer?""Because in order to be certified to teach middle school, you have to know both the kindergarten through seventh grade and eighth through high

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  • Goalie   Chapter 46: Mariana, Part 1

    I race to the door when I hear the knock. Santos and I have spent a lot of time together lately, but this is the first time we're going to leave the kids behind when we do it. I'm both excited and really, really nervous. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives, and I'm feeling good about it.I open the door and he turns around slowly. Wearing khaki shorts and a red shirt with leather flip flops, he looks just like I remember… breathtaking. My heart beats a little faster and the nerves fade away, leaving me feeling giddy about this new chapter."Mari," he breathes. "You look amazing."I look down at my knee length dress. It's black with red dots and hugs me in the right places. It's a jersey dress, but the strappy black heeled sandals dress it up just enough. I feel pretty."Thank you. I'm getting better at doing my hair and make-up.""It's different?" He looks at me quizzically.My heart sinks. "Oh. Yeah. I'm trying to learn how to do my make-up. I thought that's what you were t

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  • Goalie   Chapter 61: Santos, Part 2

    Her eyebrows crinkle in question. "Why are you thanking me?"Releasing her hand, I brush her hair out of her face and stroke her cheek. "I was so sure I had everything. I was cocky and arrogant and took it all for granted." I stop to clear my throat as the emotions sets in. "You jarred me out of my comfort zone and forced me to see myself for what I really was.""Santos…" she pleads."No," I interrupt. "Let me finish. I thought I was the strong one in our relationship, the backbone. But I wasn't. You were the strong one. You were always the strong one. And I took it for granted."I draw her closer to me and we press our foreheads together. "You forced me to see the reality of what I was doing and who I was. I didn't like what I saw, but I needed to see it. So thank you. Thank you for forcing me to be honest. With you. And with myself. I never want to go back to that place again. I never want to be that guy."Pulling away, I wipe the tears from Mari's cheeks while she wipes away mine.

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    Santos chuckles and puts his arm around me while I bury my face in his neck. "Babe. Don't be embarrassed. You were right to force the issue. It was great.""I'm gonna stop you right here for a minute," Justin interjects. I look up at him. "Mari, a long time ago you and I had a conversation about how frustrated you were because Santos refused to get adventurous at all and you were tired of being treated like a fragile object. Do you remember that?""Yeah. I remember you saying it was an argument you and your wife have sometimes."He smiles. "It's true. As men, we aren't always that great at being in tune with our partners' wants and needs. Sometimes you have to spell it out for us.""She definitely spelled it out for me," Santos interjects. "Is that true?" Justin asks me.I nod. "Good for you. You spent a lot of years passively doing what Santos wanted, so to hear that you took charge of what you wanted, of what you felt was right for your relationship, really shows your own personal

  • Goalie   Chapter 58: Mariana, Part 1

    "You guys look happy," Justin says as he closes the door behind us. He's been our therapist for a couple of years, so he can read our moods pretty well.Santos sniggers. "We are very, very happy."My face heats up as I take my normal seat on the couch. "Really?" Justin plops down on his overstuffed chair. He's not a normal, stuffy therapist. He's relaxed, which normally makes me relaxed. Not today, however. Today, the topic of sex is going to come up and that makes me nervous. "Sounds like something good happened."Santos takes my hand in his and looks at me, a loving smile on his face. "Yeah. Something good happened."And there it is. My face is flaming since we're having this conversation in front of Justin. He's our therapist and I shouldn't be embarrassed for him to know that we've rekindled our sex life. But somehow it feels more intimate than when we were married. Maybe because the act itself is what caused the demise of our marriage in the first place. So to get back to this pl

  • Goalie   Chapter 57: Santos

    I blink at her once.Twice.Three times.I'm not sure I heard her correctly."I… what?"She smiles at me. "Santos, I love you. But I want our sex life to be different this time. I want to be adventurous and playful and fun. Yes, there are times I want you to make love to me. But there are times I want you to fuck me, too. I want to count how many orgasms you can give me and see if I can ever make you come twice in a row."My eyes quirk up. I didn't even know that was possible.She shrugs playfully. "I've been reading up on a few things." She turns around and saunters over to the couch, turning to look over her shoulder. "So I'm just gonna come over here while you decide. The adventure either starts right here, right now. Or we wait. Until you're ready to give me what I want."My eyes drink her in as she bends over the couch, still in her heels and garters, ass facing me. Her perfect pink pussy is swollen and wet. She's ready. For me. It suddenly hits me that her naked ass is waiting f

  • Goalie   Chapter 56: Mariana, Part 2

    I take a bite of my own food as I contemplate my answer. "I'm not asking because I'm in an emotional, girly, please-let-him-give-me-the-right-answer kind of mood. Since we're having this weird conversation anyway, I'm just genuinely curious."He takes his time, swallowing, putting down his utensils, wiping his mouth with his napkin. Finally, he leans forward, elbows on the table. "The last time I had sex was the last night we were together. At the conference."My eyebrows shoot up. "Redesigning Your Marriage conference?"He nods. "But that's before we were even divorced.""I know.""That was almost two years ago.""I know that, too."That's not the answer I expected. I thought he would have at least had a fling or two after the divorced was finalized."That doesn't mean I've been a saint, Mari." I see guilt in his eyes. It makes me sad for him, to see him disappointed in himself. I say nothing, just take small bites of my food as I wait for him to continue."It was only one time. But…

  • Goalie   Chapter 55: Mariana, Part 1

    The conversation in the laundry room is never far from my thoughts. All day long, no matter what we're doing, I keep coming back to it.He's having wet dreams.He's having wet dreams about me. I try really hard to stifle the smile that keeps trying to come out. But he would know how giddy I am if I smile that big, because no one smiles while cleaning a kitchen. Especially when you have a three-year-old who likes to paint with peanut butter on the cabinets. Yeah, Theo is proving to be a more ornery child than we first thought.But not even peanut butter paintings can spoil this mood. Santos has always made it clear that his infidelities were not because of me. It had nothing to do with my body. It had nothing to do with my personality. It was all him and his own insecurities, combined with a bunch of other things he had to learn to manage. But in the back of my mind, I've never been able to shake the question - am I enough?Finding out he's not only having sex dreams, but wet dreams a

  • Goalie   Chapter 54: Santos, Part 2

    "Mari?" I race into the room and drop down beside her. "Mari, are you okay? Are you hurt?" I look over her frantically, trying to see if she's injured."I can't believe this is happening again," she whispers."What? What's happening again?" She refuses to make eye contact with me, which causes me to panic even more."After everything we went through," she cries. "After everything we've tried to rebuild, it's happening again. I'm so stupid!" she yells and throw my shirt at me.I'm so confused. "What are you talking about? What happened?""This happened!" She grabs the shirt back out of my hands and shows me the bottom of it. It's crusty and stiff. I feel my face heat up."Um, yeah." I rub the back of my neck, embarrassed that this conversation is about to take place. "That's not what it looks like."Her eyes narrow as she glares. "I was married to you for a long time, Santos. I know what your fucking semen looks like." She shoots up off the floor and begins pacing. "Did you go to anoth

  • Goalie   Chapter 53: Santos, Part 1

    I hear her before I see her. Okay, that's not right. I hear the kids get excited as she walks through the room. She always greats them with a smile and kiss, even if her eyes are barely open. I love that about her.Stirring the scoop of hot chocolate I just dumped into her coffee, I turn around. The sight at the island makes me smile.Mari and Lina are both sitting on stools, head resting on their arms, still not quite awake. My two girls are not morning people."Coffee?" I slide it her direction, and she immediately grabs it and takes a sip."Mmm. Thank you." She sips again and shifts on her seat. "I love a man that knows how to doctor my coffee in the morning."I lean over and give her a quick kiss before pulling out the fancy waffle maker we got for Christmas."Mickey Mouse waffles?" she asks with a smile."Lina has been talking about them for days. Right, Lina?""Hrmph." I chuckle. It's the only answer we're going to get from her for at least ten more minutes. "You know tonight's

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