Katherine's Kingdom Ch. 03

Mrs. Villapiano looked like she'd explode any second. Angelo sensed this and nipped things in the bud before his wife turned things into a three-ring circus. "Stifle it, Maria," he said. "I'd like to hear Michael's plan for the future of his new family."

"I'm going to do the responsible thing, of course, sir. I had hoped to ask for your permission to remain in the spare bedroom and also to keep my job at Villapiano's. I need to work hard and save money so we can one day become responsible members of society. You and yours, being pillars of the community, I was hoping might guide the way," Mike said, standing straight and tall.

Appealing to Angelo's sense of religious duty and civic responsibility seemed to do the trick. His chest was even proudly sticking out a little bit. "It always warms my heart to see a repentant soul recognize the error of their ways. I'm proud of you, son, for taking this bull by the horns. I dare say, you even remind me of myself as a young lad. You'd be surprised at what things were considered taboo back in the 20s, but as they say, 'times, they are a-changing.'"

"Angelo, are you going senile?" his wife said, as if to stop him from revealing anything sordid from their supposedly holier-than-thou past.

"What I'm trying to say, Michael, is that it's Christian to forgive, so I will give you a second chance. You and the new Mrs. Montgomery may stay on here. You are also welcome to continue in my employ at Villapiano's. You're a hard worker, and I'd hate to lose you. There might even be a raise forthcoming if you're willing to tackle a bigger workload."

"Whatever you need, you've got it, sir! Thank you very much. You won't regret this!" Mike was not the kind to kick a gift horse in the mouth. Vigorously, he shook his landlord's hand.

"That's fine, son. See that I don't. Come along now, Maria, and let's leave the young people to their business." Mrs. Villapiano was practically kicking and screaming as Angelo drug her away from the scene.

"That's just great," Jessica said, leaning on the fender to her truck, which was parked just ahead of Laura's Beetle. "I'm not only out a boyfriend, but also a place to live. Where am I supposed to go now, pray tell?"

Even though Mike was married now, sense of obligation to his ex-girlfriend was still strong. He couldn't just ditch her to an unknown fate in a foreign time period. "Let me talk to Mr. Villapiano and see if you might be able to move into the basement with Antonia. You've already had your life turned upside-down enough the way it is."

"I'm not living under the same roof as this...this homewrecker," Jessica said, indignantly.

"What are you going to do? You don't know anybody around here. If you stay at Villapiano's for the time being, it'll give you more time to find some solid footing. The world out there can be a cruel place."

"Tell me about it. You're reminding me about that very well right now!"

Mike nodded. "All right, I deserve that. I acted like a selfish, insensitive asshat. I'm human, though. I make mistakes. Granted, this one probably takes the cake, but now I'm in a situation I couldn't get out of even if I tried. Can you look past your anger at me enough to see reason?"

The only thing Jessica could see at the moment was the path in front of her as she turned and stormed away through the grass. It left the browbeat newlyweds alone on the curb.

"She'll be fine," Mike said, watching his ex-girlfriend distance herself down the block.

"I hope so," Laura said. "Will we?"

"Are you sure I can't unwrap my birthday present now?" Mike asked from the passenger seat of the Beetle.

Laura's plump lips curled up as she shook her light brown spiral waves. She swatted her husband's hand away as he tried sticking a paw up her skirt. He had to bend lower to try, since the hemline was at a respectable level halfway between her knees and ankles. "Keep your hands off the merchandise, soldier. Besides, it's fun for a girl to play hard to get sometimes."

Laura had promised some alluring new lingerie for Mike to peel off her at some point that night. They had driven into Richmond for dinner at the Silver Dollar, a fancy steakhouse, and were now back at the Galaxy in the rear row's passion pit to hopefully end his eighteenth birthday in style.

"I can think of something to do that would be a little more fun." He leaned over and nibbled on her earlobe, taking care not to catch his lip on the sterling silver hoop that hung there.

"The first feature tonight is supposed to be far out, honey. Its lead actress has a new television program coming out this autumn," Laura said, green eyes rolling skyward as she thought for a moment. "Katherine Kennedy, yes, that's her name, and the show will be called American Dreams."

This peaked Mike's interest, to say the least. Anything about the woman who would become America's Sweetheart always did. "What's the movie called, darling?" he asked, though he almost assuredly knew the answer.

"The sign on the marquee coming in said Golden Road," she said. "It's supposed to be about a pioneer family's trek to join the California Gold Rush. I've always been fascinated by the Old West period of history."

"I've noticed. You know, you've been endearing yourself to Mr. Villapiano when you sit down to watch Gunsmoke with him every Saturday night."

"When you strip away the religious nonsense, he's actually quite a nice man. Dare I say, he's almost become like a father figure to me, since I never knew my real one."

"I'm sorry," Mike said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Have you ever thought about finding out who your family is? I mean, even if they weren't alive anymore, maybe there'd be public records someplace."

"I wouldn't know the first place to begin looking. Besides, you and the baby are all the family I need." She took his hand, and together, they caressed her stomach.

Despite being in the honeymoon period of his relationship with Laura, the intrigue of viewing a first-run Katherine Kennedy flick was reawakening his crush after many weeks on the backburner. Golden Road was more of an action-adventure than romance, but the actress captivated audiences anyway as plucky eldest daughter Cassandra of the McBride clan. Once more, like with Jessica on the night of their graduation, Mike used Katherine's image to stimulate action between he and his wife. Somehow, in his mind's eye, he projected her through the silver screen to the Beetle's driver's seat while he used his powers of persuasion to seduce. Laura effectively kept him at bay for awhile, but Mike was undeterred. He was almost to the point of ripping off her clothes and taking what he wanted when she at last capitulated.

"I love my present," he said, seconds before pulling aside the black lacy baby doll nightie Laura had worn and entering her with brute, but passionate force. Mike remained mindful of his bride's abusive past, thus had to temper his hormones with an extra bit of tender loving care.

"Happy birthday, honey," she said, grunting and gasping.

Flashbacks from that last night in 2020 returned. He could see Black Friday playing on the flatscreen up on the wall and Katherine Kennedy in his visual crosshairs again as Jessica rode him. The session had been an out of this body, out of this world experience. Then, as now, Mike fantasized that the actress couldn't get enough of his ministrations, couldn't get enough of his stamina, couldn't get enough of him period. He envisioned wrapping her long platinum blonde locks around his knuckles, staring deeply into Katherine's soul with fuck me eyes, then watching the ecstasy manifest on her face as he erupted inside her like a volcano. Hearing her cry out on the apex of her own orgasm made their rendezvous that much more satisfying.

"Wow, from where did that come? I didn't know any man had it in him to last that long!"

Mike shook his head to clear the cobwebs, finding Laura below him marinating in their commingled sweat. Next, his head snapped to the light of the movie screen, where credits from Golden Road were rolling. "Is the movie done? Well, you know what they say. Time flies when you're having fun." He chuckled to cover up his celebrity fantasy.

"We're just acting like normal newlyweds," Laura said. He rolled his weight in the opposite direction, and they both started getting dressed. "Dare I say, we've been going at it like rabbits since our wedding day."

"Speaking of which, I consider it a minor miracle, but things are finally starting to settle down at Casa Villapiano again. I never thought for a second that Jessica would take things as well as she has. Her move into the basement wasn't exactly seamless, but once she came to terms with our marriage and your pregnancy, we're almost to the point of being civil towards each other again."

"I'm glad. I really like Jessica," his wife said.

"Our relationship was at a tipping point anyway. When you came along, Laura, it was an eye-opener. You provided the motivation for me to move away from something that was unhealthy," he said, patting her midsection. "Well, I guess I have to give proper credit to our little prince here, too."

"Yes, but what about if our little prince turns out to be a princess. Then what will you do, daddy?" Laura's smile gave her an undeniable glow.

Helpless, he returned the expression as they tried envisioning the future. "I will love her just as much, but maybe not the boys she'll want to date as a teenager. Then I'll make sure to keep a double-barrel shotgun handy right by the front door."

"I can see it now. We'll have a nice house with big yard for the kids to play, and a porch out front where we can sit, drink lemonade, and watch them till we're old and gray."

"It sounds like the ideal life," Mike said.

The newlyweds watched the second half of the Galaxy's double feature, a Natalie Wood vehicle called Gypsy, in companionable silence. With her spiral waves nestled against his chest, the groom was finally feeling at peace with the alien world that was 1962. It was almost beginning to feel like home now, like he'd always been part of the past.

Laura was sawing logs when all was said and done, so Mike gently moved her into the passenger seat without disturbing her slumber. Then he tried negotiating the ancient mechanics of her manual floor-mounted shifter and found it an exercise in patience. Gears grinded and groaned and the clutch was difficult to press with limited floorboard space, but Mike managed not to rear-end anybody as he followed the trail of blinking red lights out of the drive-in's lot.

"Sweetheart, we're home," he said, touching her shoulder as they rolled to a stop along the curb at 905 Elmwood behind Jessica's wood-paneled Dodge truck.

Laura stirred. "Was I...asleep?" she asked, disorientated.

"It's okay. You can go upstairs and straight into bed. I have a double shift at Villapiano's tomorrow." The extra responsibility at the pizza place (and the extra cash that came with it) that Angelo had heaped upon his shoulders was restaurant manager. Mike's hours increased two-fold as a result, but his drive and determination made him a natural fit for the job. A compliant staff which had been on the payroll for years basically never gave him any grief. Overall, if he remained in place long enough, Mike could see a day when he'd buy out Mr. Villapiano and completely run day-to-day operations himself. A glowing neon sign that said MONTGOMERY'S lit up in his mind as he escorted his still drowsy wife up the walk to the front door.

The house was dark and still as the newlyweds entered. A grandfather clock quietly tick-tocked with their tiptoes across the living room carpet to the foot of the second floor stairwell, where Jessica was sitting in the shadows.

"How were the movies tonight?" she asked as her silhouette came into focus.

Mike and Laura jumped back with the shock. "What are you doing up in the wee hours of the morning, Jess? You're scheduled to open with me at the pizza place in a few hours. Why don't you try and get some sleep before then?"

The whites of her eyes rose as she stood. Now theirs were adjusting to the darkness. His ex-girlfriend's expression was straight and serious. "Sleep can wait. We have much business to discuss that can't," she said, delivering a tone that made Mike take notice.

He yawned. "Let's go to the kitchen and sit. I need to get off my feet at least." Mike flipped on the kitchen lights and everyone sat around the odd table with the ribbed chrome strip. "All right, Jess, what's so important that it couldn't wait until breakfast?"

"I have every reason to believe your wife was lying when she said she was pregnant," she said.

Laura was instantly aroused from her semi-slumber. "Well, there's certainly no beating around the bush with you. Why don't you tell us how you really feel about me?" Mike's wife said, green eyes ablaze. "You never liked me from the start!"

"Come on, Jess. Don't you think it's about time you quit spewing out hateful venom like this? I thought we'd already moved past your bout, albeit it well-deserved, of jealousy," Mike said. "Put it behind you and just go back to bed. Besides, you might wake up the Villapianos."

Unfortunately, this time she was undeterred. "This isn't about jealousy. This is about how she lied to you, lied to me, lied to everybody, and probably all just to put a roof over her miserable head."

Mike's chair scooted on the linoleum as he stood. "All right, I've heard plenty from you. I'm not going to sit here and listen to you insult my wife. Therefore, unless you've got a smoking gun in your pocket, we're going to bed. Come along, sweetheart." He took Laura by the hand and pulled her to a vertical base.

Instead of doing as asked, Jessica's eyes brightened. "Oh yes, I've got a smoking gun, along with several unused bullets. Follow me." Crooking a finger, she got to her feet as well and lead them back towards the stairwell. Mike kept thinking she'd give up this sherade, but each step forward grew more determined than the last. Once through the living room, Jessica opened a utility door to the rear yard. She pulled a cord, and a single bulb now illuminated their little island in a sea of blackness.

Humid air made his clothes feel clammy. It also brought out the mosquitoes and moths, who now flitted around the light source. Crickets somewhere in the far-flung hedges sang loud and proud. "What are we doing out here?" he asked impatiently, slapping away at some of the blood-sucking fiends.

"You wanted proof? Here's your proof." Jessica lifted the metal lid of the Villapianos' trash can. Putrid smell penetrated their nostrils.

"I don't get it. What's so interesting about this?"

"This is, right here." She grabbed a stick from the ground and pointed to something white tucked in the side behind a garbage bag, like somebody had tried to hide it. A dark stain splotched one end from what he could see.

"You brought me out here to see a used maxi pad?" Mike's hand went to his forehead. "Oh boy, Jess, you've really pulled some stunts in your day, but this really takes the cake."

"Does it now? Why don't you take a look at this, then?" She hastily waved a small white piece of paper in front of his nose.

"Who cares? This is just a receipt from Gamble's on the south side of town. I still don't get it."

"Read the purchase," Jessica said, persisting.

"Kotex pads...congratulations on the connection. Now, can we get back to bed, Nancy Drew?"

"You still don't understand, do you? This was in a pocket of Laura's capris!"

"That's because I went to the store and got them for Antonia. You know how embarrassed Mrs. Villapiano gets about a female's reproductive organs," Laura said, laughing away the mistake.

Something about her response struck Mike as odd. Why would his wife switch emotions so quickly? "There, you see? The problem is solved," he said anyway.

"Well, that's what I thought at first, too, until I found the box in her section of the linen closet upstairs, torn open with only a single pad removed. What do you make of that?" Jessica asked. She crossed arms over her chest, as if the case were closed.

"What do I make of that? How dare you invade my privacy and mess with my things!" All of a sudden, Laura was on the other end of the spectrum again. She lashed for Jessica's throat, arms outstretched.

The trash can lid clattered to the cement in the ensuing scuffle. Mike was busy trying to pull his wife and ex-girlfriend apart, then two neighborhood dogs began barking. Lights in a second floor window illuminated. It slid open, and a bushy-headed Angelo Villapiano's profile appeared. "Kids, what's with all the racket down there?" he said, voice thick with sleep-deprived irritation.

Mike opened his mouth to respond, but Jessica was a whirling red dervish as she broke free of his grasp. "Why don't you just admit that you coerced my boyfriend into marrying you by faking a pregnancy?"

"I won't admit to something that's not true!" Laura said.

Now Jessica was screaming at the top of her lungs. "You're nothing but a liar and a con artist!"

Lights in the ground floor windows blinked on, bathing almost the entire back yard with ambient glow. Sure enough, Mr. and Mrs. Villapiano followed immediately after out the back door in pajamas and bathrobes. The ruckus had even woken Antonia, who trailed in their wake.

"What's the meaning of all this insanity? Do you know what time it is?" the family patriarch said, stuffing hands into the pockets at his waist.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm just trying to settle a quarrel between my wife and Jessica," Mike said, hoping to quickly diffuse the situation.

"You three are bound to wake up the dead with all this bickering!" Maria said. Right now, the woman's hair looked like a powdered wig with how it held up in rollers.

"She's not pregnant!" Jessica pointed at Laura.

"That's blasphemous. You should be ashamed of yourself! That's it. I've had it up to here with you and your evil ways!" The family matriarch held a hand at forehead height. Then she pointed out towards the street. "I want you out of my house this instant!"

"I can prove it!" Mike's ex-girlfriend looked at the youngest Villapiano. "Antonia, did you have Laura here run to the store for you recently to pick up a Kotex feminine product?"

She squinted her brown eyes, as if not understanding the question, then shook her head slowly. "Are you talking pads? No, she did not, at least none that I recall."

Jessica's arms flew out emphatically. "See, what did I tell you?"

Maria clutched at her heart. "Lord Jesus, forgive my daughter of her impure thoughts!"

Mike stared at Laura, who looked like she'd just gotten caught with her hands in the cookie jar. "Is she telling the truth? Were you fibbing to me this entire time?"

"I...I don't know what to say except that I'm sorry." She shook like a leaf. "I was going to tell you eventually, but in the meantime I tried to cover it up with all our...well, you know. I wanted like crazy to get pregnant, but it has yet to happen. I have faith that it will very soon, though."

He shook her off violently when Laura put a hand on his shoulder. "That isn't the point. You lied to me," he said, almost growling under his breath. "How am I supposed to trust you ever again?"

"I swear, it's the first and only time. I can change. Please forgive me!"

"This goes way beyond that. You sat there and told me with a straight face that you were in a family way, then deliberately used it to trick me. I don't think I can look past that level of deceit."

"I don't know what else to do, I swear. You know about what happened to me in Dallas. Well, when I first arrived here in Winterset and met you, I felt caught between a rock and a hard place with my past versus my future. My irrational side reasoned that the only way I couldn't lose you, the only good thing in my life, was to get married. Pretending to be pregnant seemed the quickest way to go about things. The ends justified the means at the time."