ASCENSION (4 page)

“S
top frowning
.
I like it better when you smile.”

He
relaxed his jaw
and
grinned
, “Sit back and stop messing with me before I get into an accident
Mrs.
Diaz!”

Shanda blurt out, “You better not
be
cause
I don’t plan on spending
a v
acation in
the h
ospital!”

Selange laughed, “Franky’s an excellent driver he’s
only
teasing.”

“Well don’t tease about accidents, shit it might happen.” She replied then delved into a raunchy tale about a former lover’s
lack of
endowment
and Franky
smirked.

“Yeah…so I asked him
where the fuck is it, I don’t feel it…did
it
get
swallowed up or something
…seriously
where
did it go?
” Shanda continued.

“T
hat
’s
cruel
!
” Selange
shrieked as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away, “Oh…you’re crazy…I’m serious!”

“Maybe next time the fool
will think hard before
he b
rag
s
about how he can rock
a girl’s world
.
To do that you need more than a pencil.
Shit
,
it’s
false advertising!”

Selange howled and leaned forward clutching her stomach
laughing
. Franky glimpsed the soft round apex o
f her breasts as she bellowed, “Stop Shanda…
gosh
I’m going to pee on myself
!
”

“No, for real
.
I had high
expectations
and
for what?
A big ass stud with
a
one inch pipe, please,
I consider
w
hat I
said
a public
s
ervice
announcement. He’ll thank me later
and maybe get a penile implant or something
. You don’t understand
Selange, I was hot and ready. The dude was fine.
I
couldn’t believe it
and I’m t
raumatized!”

Selange
fell against the seat giggling
at her
friends
obvious
exaggeration. She finally
composed herself. “
Please do not repeat any of this around
Sal,
I do not want to explain sex just yet.”

“
How
’s
my
lil
’ man anyway?”

“Talkative, inquisitive and testing authority.”

“
He’s doing great then. You start worrying when he isn’t doing any of that.”

Shanda
’s
right, her son’s social and cognitive development was
n’t anything
to complain about
. Sal
’s
smart and
lovable,
it’s her husband she worried about.

“
How’s the hubby
?’

Selange wondered if
her friend w
as
clairvoyant or
did she observe the subtle change in
her facial expression
?
Her voice dropped to a whisper, “He’s good.”

“Yeah, so why
the
miserable
face
when you say it. What’s going on
and don’t bullshit me
?”

“I’m not miserable
, lonely maybe but I don’t love him any less
. He travels a lot
and
sometimes
it
gets
hard.” She shrugged, “I
want him home more
…what more can I say?”

Shanda’s practical advice was,
“Girl,
next time
he travels
go with him
. Problem solved
!
”

Shanda made
sense
,
however, she had no idea of her husband’s associates. She’d
met a small number of them.
Men with eyes of stone
and
refined
mannerisms
.
L
egitimate busi
nessmen by all appearances however, the legitimacy of their business
practices
were
questionable
.
Alfonzo didn’t
tell her this
but she wasn’t stupid, afterall his fat
her was
billionaire
Luzo Palazzo
with
alleged ties to organized crime. She’d read the articles
,
listened to the international news coverage
during
Luzo’s
elaborate
funeral
. Based
upon everything she heard Alfonzo not only inherited his father’s
company
but his associates as well.
She did not speak of
her husband’s
affairs
to anyone not even her best
friend
.
Alfonzo assured her his
business
es were
legitimate
and she believed him
. She
trusted him wholeheartedly but it’s his father’s affiliates she did not trust.
Apparently, Alfonzo shared
this
sentiment,
why else would he enclose the property with a concrete wall and upgrade the
ir
security
last year
? She asked about it and he was truthful, “I want to keep my family safe and having the property open isn’t such a good idea
in light of
who
my father was
.”

He compromised when she insisted they camouflage the unsightly walls
in
an earthy
clay tone and
add
shrubbery
. He acquiesced and let her oversee
the landscaping.
T
he
en
d result was breathtaking. Their property now boasted
a tranquil garden with
a small pond
and
a variety of
green
ery which distracted from
the cement enclosure.

S
elange nodded, “I guess you’re right.”

Franky overhear
d the entire conversation.
His boss’ wife
deserved better.
He
envisioned
taking
h
er
in his arms
then
kissing
away the loneliness.
Dammit, don’t go there
!

He chastised himself for the
perilous thoughts.
This was a job dammit, an important one and he didn’t want to get fired
from
it
,
or worse
get himself
killed
.
It
became
hard control
ling
his errant thoughts when it came to Mrs. Diaz. Hell, he saw her every day, drove her around
and
got to know her
and the boy.
As a result, he’d formed an emotional attachment.
How could he not laugh or talk with his employer’s family when he was around them sixteen hours a day?

His training had
n
’t prepared him
for this. Nothing could have primed him for the conflict raging between duty
and
matters of the heart. He was
selected
for this detail
due to a
sterling résumé.
A
pparen
tly
,
his references considered him a man of professionalism, someone task oriented with leadership abilities and
integrity.
Presently, he wanted to say to hell with professionalism and
integrity
but then he’d jeopardize the entire operation. Despite his
inner—
conflict he
had
to stay on course and stick with the plan. He turned on music for
his passengers then
concentrated on the road with his face set in grim determination.

Thirty
minutes
later
the sleek black car
drove through
the
security
checkpoint and the
gates
opened. It rolled across the curving entryway
le
a
d
ing
to
a
beautiful
Bauhaus
i
nspired
raised ranch
in the distance
. The utiliz
ation of
functional aesthetic
design
accurate
ly
reflected
its
inhabitants.
The home
lay nestled on acres of land
surrounded by lush foliage and
in the backdrop
a private beach. The picturesque home and its surroundings were images from one of those architectural magazines Shanda had lying on her coffee table
in her apartment
.

She’d known about the renovations for some time but seeing the finished product up close was breathtaking. “What are those?” Shanda asked pointing to a mirror type reflection of blue shimmering atop
the sloped
roof.

“
S
olar
panels
.”

“They
’re
pretty. Is it as economical as people say?”

“Definitely and cleaner for the environment.”

“I hear that!”

Th
e front door opened before the car came to a full stop
and
Alfonzo emerged
with
Sal
atop his
shoulders.
Shanda nudged her friend,
“You got yourself
a
pair of hot ass men
,
girl.”

Selange smiled at the sight of her
family
,
“I
know
.”

Franky
exited the car and held open the door. The women slid out and Selange thanked him then walked toward the house.
He nodded.

“
M
ommy
!
Mommy
!”
Sal exclaimed
as he clung to his father’s neck like a slippery monkey.

Alfonzo
slid the boy down to his side then
step
ped onto the
cobblestones, “Yes
, mommy’s home.”

“Hey
there
,” S
handa
cooed
bending down to Salvatore’s height and
planting a kiss on
his
plump cheek
.

Shanda stood up, “Hey big papa.”

Alfonzo smirked and gave her a customary peck on each cheek,
“
H
o
la
Shanda, how are you chica?
”

Shanda
sucked her teeth, “
Much better if
you had a brother
.”

He shook his head, “
Can’t help you there
bonita
.
”

Shanda
picked up
Sal and carried him inside as Franky unloaded her luggage from the trunk. Alfonzo
gripped his wife’s waist and they strolled in after the pair. There was a subtle tension between them ever-since she accused him of choosing business over his family. Her statement struck at his heart and in response he rearranged his schedule, canceled his travel plans for the week and devoted his attention to his family. Maybe, he was being unfair by not sharing the entirety of the responsibility forced upon him. Yes, she knew
minor details about his father’s business but
he
omitted the more ominous ones.