The Question (36 page)

“You think that bothers me? You are my wife, the woman that I love. I’ll take no chances with your well being.”

She lowered her hands and looked him square in the face. “I’m not your wife, Rashid, and according to the courts, I never was.” Her voice was quiet.

He cupped her chin and used it to pull her closer. “I don’t care what that judge said. You’re my wife. The mother of my children. We’re a family and I won’t let you go. I’d kill anyone who tried to take you away from me.” The look in his eye was deadly.

She tried to draw back but couldn’t. He wouldn’t let go. His assertion scared the crap out of her. “Let go, Rashid.” She pressed against his chest, straining backwards.

“No, not until you understand how I feel. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. The children are just an extension of that love. I won’t let you go.” He swallowed so hard she saw his Adam’s apple bob. “I can’t let you go. Losing you would kill me.”

What she saw in his face caused her to stop pushing against him and wrap her arms around his neck. He dragged her closer and clutched her tightly against his body. Gail hid her face against him, still unnerved by his intensity. Rashid walked that fine line between ultra-possessive and killer-crazy. Thank God, his protective instinct was as strong as the possessive gene he inherited from his culture, if not stronger.

In a lightning fast move, he flipped her over his knee. Whack!

“That’s for not telling me you’re pregnant.” Whack!

“Ouch, Rashid. Stop. That stings.” She jumped and tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

“That’s for not taking better care of yourself, even though you know you’re carrying my child.” Whack!

“Hey!”

Whack!

 “Ouch! This isn’t funny.”

Whack! “That’s for worrying me.”

Gail wriggled and squirmed, trying to get off his lap. She could feel his hand hovering over her behind. “If you keep spanking me, you’re going to have to kiss my butt and make it all better,” she warned breathlessly.

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! “Don’t ever keep something like this from me again. If it’s important, I want to know as soon as you do.”

He helped her off his lap and she stood rubbing her wounded posterior. “I promise. The next time I find myself unexpectedly pregnant, I’ll tell you immediately,” she muttered sarcastically.

His eyes narrowed in warning and he reached for her, his intent clear. Gail jumped back, hands held out in front of her to hold him off. “Okay, okay, okay. Important stuff. Tell you immediately. Got it.”

Rashid rose to his feet, looming dark and dangerous, and unbuckled his belt. “Go to our room.”

“Why?” She took a cautious step back, eyes on the belt in his hand.

He tossed it onto the couch and reached for his tie. “So I can kiss it and make it better.” His tie joined the belt. “Did you not say I would need to do so?”

She gave him a sexy grin as comprehension dawned. Gail backed towards the door, unbuttoning her shirt, her eyes on the expanse of chest slowly revealed as Rashid rapidly unbuttoned his. When her hands reached for the front catch on her bra, he stopped what he was doing to watch. She played with the catch before releasing it, and then spun around. “Race you! First one in the room gets to be on top.” The she ran out the door, laughing like a lunatic as she raced up the stairs.

Rashid swore and chased after her.

* * * *

“I can’t believe that bitch won.”

“Neither can I.” Gail twirled the phone cord around her fingers.

“What did Rashid say? I bet he’s pissed.”

She rolled her eyes. “Rashid doesn’t waste time getting angry. He was prepared. As soon as he judge gave his verdict, he had Greg serve Crystal with new divorce papers, right there in the courtroom.”

“Have you told Mom yet?”

Gail pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it in disbelief. “Rachel, have you lost your mind? Tell mom that the marriage was annulled and Rashid and I are currently living in sin? No, ma’am. You know how she is. This time the divorce will stick and it won’t take long. Then he and I will have a quiet ceremony somewhere with a Justice of the Peace. Rashid’s not even calling it a wedding. He says we’ll just be renewing our vows.  As far as he’s concerned, we’re still married.”

“I can understand you not telling her about this, but does she know you’re pregnant again?”

“No, and don’t you tell her.” Gail flopped back on the bed and glanced behind her once more to make sure the bedroom door wasn’t open.

“Did you finally tell Rashid?”

“Yeah, he knows.” She rubbed her hip lightly.

“Did he react like you expected?”

“No. Not only did he know the baby was his, he was pissed that I thought he’d think otherwise.”

“Told you, but I will admit that under the circumstances, it was a reasonable assumption on your part. I mean, come on. The man had a vasectomy. Most husbands would be screaming “adulterer” and headed for the nearest divorce attorney.”

“I know. That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Alright, we’ve talked about everybody but you. How do you feel about all of this?”

Gail reached for the remote and lowered the volume on the television. The News at Lunch was just coming on. This was the moment she’d been waiting for, the reason why she called Rachel to begin with.

“I’m mad. No, I’m beyond mad. I’m pissed. Thanks to Crystal and some judge, my marriage and the last six to seven months of my life mean nothing. All that we went through adjusting to each other, and poof, with one swipe of the pen, it was all undone. Now we’re right back where we started, only this time, I know that the babies are mine.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see it that way. You’re making it sound like the last year of your life was a waste, and it wasn’t. You have a man who loves you, two beautiful babies and another one on the way. I agree with Rashid. This is just a minor setback. He’ll get the divorce. You two will remarry and things will continue as before with none the wiser. How long before the divorce is final?”

“I don’t know. If Crystal doesn’t contest it, it could be as little as six to eight weeks. But if she decides to fight…” her voice trailed off as a picture of Rashid flashed on news. She reached for the remote and turned up the volume.

“You got your divorce and that’s the end of it, right? Think again. Local, wealthy businessman, Rashid Al Jabbar discovered that earlier this week when the Florida State Supreme Court ruled that his divorce was illegal and overturned it. What makes this case so interesting is that Mr. Jabbar had already remarried.”

“Angela, why would one Florida court grant him a divorce then another one overturn it?”

“John, that’s part of the problem. Mr. Jabbar flew to Guam to obtain his settlement, something many Americans do. Usually, because Guam is a US Territory, the divorce is upheld, which is why Mr. Jabbar was able to obtain a marriage license in Florida to remarry.”

“What was different about this case?”

“According to Florida law, a spouse has to be absent for twelve months before a divorce can be obtained on grounds of abandonment. Justice Thomas Mason accused Mr. Jabbar of leaving the country to circumvent state law and ruled against him.”

“Gail?”

“Shhh.”

“Didn’t you say he obtained his marriage license in Florida?”

“Yes, and that’s what makes this case so unusual. The Supreme Court rarely goes against the lower court’s ruling. Before Mr. Jabbar could be issued a wedding license, the court had to first recognize his divorce. And get this, the new wife—or would that be former wife—is listed as the mother of Mr. Jabbar’s two children, which just makes this case all the more intriguing.”

“Gail, if you don’t start talking right now, I’m going to hang up. What’s going on?”

“Oh God, Rachel. It’s on the news.”

“What’s on the news?”

“The appeal, our marriage. They even mentioned the babies. How on earth did they find out about all of this?”

“You know those news hounds. They go through public records looking for this kind of stuff. It must be a slow week. What did they say?”

“They were discussing how the divorce was overturned as being illegal even though Rashid had obtained it in Guam and since remarried.”

“That’s not so bad. This isn’t even the main newscast. I’ll bet this story is just a filler. Watch and see. Something more interesting will happen and this will all blow over.”

What it did was blow up, like a big mushroom cloud. The Associated Press picked up the story, which attracted the attention of the national news networks. Someone got the bright idea to interview Rashid and Crystal, to see what their reactions were to the appeal results. Rashid referred the media to his lawyers, who issued an official statement on his behalf.

Crystal, on the other hand, agreed to the interview, which only made the situation worse. Gail couldn’t accuse her of lying to make the story more sensational, but Crystal lacked any kind of discretion. She blurted out the whole sorry tale; their friendship, the surrogacy agreement, her jealousy that led to her retreat to a private medical clinic, and the subsequent marriage between Gail and Rashid.

The media went crazy. This story was juicier than expected. Everyone wanted to know more. The news media, tabloids, talk shows and radio programs - everyone was calling, trying to get them to appear on their show. The phone rang off the hook until Rashid changed it to an unlisted number.

Nothing was private. In their quest for knowledge, reporters dug into everything. Crystal and Gail’s friendship was speculated upon. The death of Gail’s husband and child was brought out for review. Then the media somehow found out about Gail’s current pregnancy. That was the final straw.

She became a prisoner in her own home. Anytime she went outside the gates of their community, the paparazzi were all over her. Her blood pressure soared under the strain of it all and the doctor put her on bed rest.

Rashid was livid.

Their continued silence only increased speculation. Who was at fault? Opinions divided. Some blamed Crystal for creating the situation then running away when she could no longer deal with it. Others blamed Gail. To some, Gail was a heroine who’d made the best of a bad situation. To others, she was the scheming hussy who saw her opportunity and stole her best friend’s rich, attractive husband. The only person not considered by public opinion to be at fault was Rashid. Who could blame him for doing whatever it took to provide his children with a mother?

In the midst of all of this media frenzy, Gail’s mother swooped in like an avenging angel. She came into their home issuing commands like a drill sergeant. “Gail, pack your bags. I’m taking you home.”

“My wife is not going anywhere. This is her home.”

Her mother turned on Rashid. “And you! You’ve got this big fancy home and all this money. Do something about this. Put a stop to it. I know you can. What I don’t understand is why you haven’t. While you’re ending this mess, my daughter and grandbabies will be with me.”

That vein started pulsing above his eye again. Gail began to pray. This was not going to be good. She held her breath as Rashid opened his mouth to respond. “With all due respect, madam, I refuse to let you come into our home and take my wife and children from me.”

“Rashid, Mom…” Gail began hesitantly.

“Rashid, son. Let’s go into the den and have a talk. Martha, you go and pack some supplies for the twins, enough to last a few weeks. Gail, do as your mother instructed.”

She looked at her dad, shocked at his interference. “But Daddy, I…”

“Gail.” That’s all he said. That’s all that was necessary. She looked helplessly at Rashid before turning to go do as told. While she didn’t want to leave Rashid, part of her would be happy to get away from the media circus surrounding their home.

She wasn’t told what her father said to Rashid, but whatever it was, it was effective. In the middle of that same night, around three a.m., she and the twins rode off in her parent’s car, headed for Alabama. Rashid’s last words echoed in her mind. “I’ll put a stop to this and bring you home as soon as possible. Take care of yourself and my children.”

Back in Alabama, Gail’s mother imposed a media blackout. She wasn’t allowed to watch television or read the newspaper. Her mother even forbade her to go on the internet. All calls screened and no one allowed to discuss what was going on in the outside world with her.

Slowly, Gail began to relax. Her blood pressure came down. Her appetite returned and she was once more sleeping peacefully at night. Her mother took over the care of the twins and allowed Gail to do nothing more strenuous than move from one room to another. Her job, she was told, was to relax and take care of herself and her unborn child. Surrounded by the love and support of her family, Gail blossomed.

* * * *

Gail lay relaxing on the sun porch at the back of the house, enjoying the late afternoon air. Her mother was in the kitchen cooking and entertaining the twins. She awakened to the slow glide of her wedding band being removed from her finger.