Maria, My Other Wife

Then I realized that standing there naked had gotten me very cold so I walked to the other side of the bed and crawled under the covers and spooned with my wife who was breathing heavily. She had the most heavenly smile on her face that I had seen in years. She took my hand and softly said, "My love, how would you feel about Maria moving in with us for a while? That way she could be here for you on a regular basis."

I kissed her cheek and said, "For me or for you, my love?"

She took a deep breath then said, "God, mother was wrong about so many things I'm just finding out. I've wasted so many years with her crap running through my head and now I want to explore and enjoy what I can, while I still can and do it with you and Maria. Can you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Maria leaned over and kissed her then said, "Papi, listen, this is all new to me but I've found that what the three of us did here tonight opened feelings that I never knew I had. I too want to explore more with you two, and with Linda. How do you feel about having two wives to love you that also want to love each other occasionally?"

I smiled and said, "As long as it will make my two favorite women in the world happy, I'm good with it." I'm glad I didn't say what I thought which was, why the hell didn't this deal come up thirty years ago? Then I continued, "The deal is, if at any time, any of us wants to stop, we all have to agree to end our arrangement amicably. My main concern is what are we going to tell our children?"

Linda said, "Screw them. If they don't like it, then they can just stay away. We don't bother them about their smoking pot or doing whatever. Besides, they don't have to know that we're having sex, do they? We can just say that Maria is going to move in here to help me and give her some extra income. She can rent out her house if she wants or whatever. So there!"

Maria smiled and said, "You know, now that the kids are almost all gone, Em has been spending most of her time at her girlfriend's apartment anyway, I've been thinking of selling my home. This might be a perfect time. Papi, si or no?" I kissed the two of them and we all drifted off into a wonderful sleep.

The next seven months was heaven for me, and for them, it seemed. Then one day while I was working on putting in new brake lines for my old Plymouth when I had this shooting pain in my left arm. At first, I thought it was a muscle cramp, then it hit my chest and I went down to the floor. I felt like the car hoist had come down on me it hurt so badly. Shit, was I having a heart attack? I could barely control my hands. I fumbled with getting my cell phone out of my pocket. For some unknown reason, I hadn't put it on the counter like I normally do when working under a vehicle that afternoon. I first tried to call Linda but when I fell, my glasses had landed out of my reach and I wasn't able to move to get them. In desperation, I remembered to press and hold the 9. I was so glad when the 911 operator answered and asked what the emergency was and I managed to get out, "I think I'm having a heart attack."

He said, "Where are you located? Is the locate function of your phone on?"

I said, "End of Baker Road, in my shop. Please hurry."

He said, "Sir, help is on the way. I will stay on the line with you until someone gets there to help you. Can you tell me what your symptoms are?"

Everything went fuzzy after that. Linda didn't know anything was wrong until she heard the approaching sirens and the paramedics and fire engine pulled into our yard and the men rushed into our shop. She ran out and saw them working on me, putting oxygen on me, and setting up the defibrillator. It took three of them to stop her from getting to me. A few minutes later, Linda told me that Maria had arrived home and the two of them were crying hysterically because they had to use the paddles on me three times before they could get my heart started.

Six hours in surgery, 3 stints, a new valve, and 32 hours in recovery later, I opened my eyes to find Linda and Maria on either side of me, their eyes red, each holding a hand and a ton of flowers in the room. Seeing my eyes open, Linda pressed the nurse call and asked me if I wanted anything. My throat was so dry I couldn't talk. I was hooked up to IVs, monitors, and oxygen. I tried to get them to understand that I wanted water so Maria went out to see if I could get some. She came back and said, "The nurse told me that she needs the doctor's permission before she can give you anything to eat of drink. I'm sorry baby."

Just then this young doctor and two nurses come in. He said, "Well, well Mr. Combs, you're a lucky man. Lucky, that I had started at this hospital the day before you came in. I'm one of the top cardiologists in the tri-state area. You had a doozy of a heart attack. By looking at your records, you haven't been to a heart doctor for nearly 10 years. Would you mind telling me why?"

I mouthed, "Can't talk! Need water!"

Then the nurse behind him said, "Oh, that's right doctor, he had asked for some water earlier and I forgot to ask you. Would that be alright to give him some?"

He swore under his breath and said rather tersely, "Get him some ice chips, stat!" She left and quickly brought back a glass and a pitcher full of ice chips and Linda helped me get some in my mouth.

Finally able to talk, I said, "Doc, I've been feeling fit as a fiddle. The last time I saw my heart doctor, he told me not to bother coming back unless I was having any pain or trouble. This was the first time I've had anything at all, honest. Otherwise, I would have gone in at the first sign."

Shaking his head and looking at my chart, he said, "Sir, I really find that hard to believe. You mean to tell me that you haven't been experiencing any chest pains or palpitations whatsoever? Normally a person will get warning signs before something like this happens. You are going to take it very easy for the next few months. Complete bed rest for the first month, then it will be some easy walking and sitting in your recliner. No more working on cars and tractors. Understand?"

He looked at the ladies and talking to Linda he said, "You're his wife and you are going to have to make sure he follows the diet I'm going to send home with him. You are going to have to watch him and make sure he behaves himself. OK? She nodded.

Then he turned to Maria and said, "And you too young lady. You two are going to have to pitch in and help your mom and dad during this time. Can you do that?"

Maria cocked her head and said rather succinctly, "I'm not his daughter, I'm his other wife. Damn, right I will take care of him. We all live together!" The doctor stood there with his jaw hung open and the nurse behind him smirking like all get out. Then she asked, "Ok, doc, how long is he going to be in the hospital and how long before he can have sex again?" I thought the doctor was going to fall down as he grabbed the railing on my bed to steady himself.

Stammering somewhat, the doctor said, "W,well he'll probably be in here for three or four more days, depending on how he is doing, and as far as sex, I would say, it could be as little as six weeks or as much as six months. It all depends on how fast he heals. I mean he is almost 72 and you are still having sex?"

She smiled and said, "Several times a day, why?"

The doctor patted my hand and said to me, "Maybe I'll keep you in here a while longer to rest up. I don't want these two messing up all the great work I did on your heart." Boy did Maria give him a dirty look. The doctor smiled at her then turned and walked out of the room. After a while, the ice chips did their job and we were able to converse normally. After the ladies left, I wondered how this was going to affect our relationship. Dinner was terrible, a dried out piece of chicken, a watered-down cup of broth with two unsalted crackers, a small salad with fat-free dressing, and sugar-free Jell-O for dessert. I think the doc was punishing me for having the two ladies as wives."

Right after breakfast, which consisted of aa bowl of Cheerios with non-fat milk, a piece of toast with fake butter and black coffee, my lovely wife walked in. She had snuck in a sausage egg McMuffin with hash brown patty and a diet Sprite for me. God I love her so. She and I chatted and she said that Maria was going to take her lunch break up here to be with me. She asked if I wanted anything from Subway and handed me one of their menus, telling me it was her idea. I looked at her and asked, "You know, the doctor says I should be on a salt and fat free diet and you two are going against his orders, don't you?"

She said, "Dick, you are 165 lbs. and don't need to lose any weight. Our regular doctor says you don't have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. He feels your heart attack was just one of those things that can happen to people. It was probably a defect in your heart that you've had for years that nobody ever caught. If you want, we will follow his instructions to the letter but we'd better not hear you bitching about it, got it buster?"

I took her hand and kissed it then said, "Turkey on whole wheat, lettuce with onion with light mayo. Oh, and a diet Sprite please." She shook her head and smiled at me as she blew me a kiss and walked out the door.

Just before noon, two of the paramedics that had resuscitated me walked into my room and introduced themselves to me. They wanted to know how I was doing. Jake, the older of the two, I'd say maybe 50, was very interested in my old 41 Plymouth as his father had one when he was young. I thanked them for saving me. Jake said, "I'm glad we were able to get your heart going again. It was touch and go for a moment there. I wish the guys that worked on my wife for years ago had been more persistent. They gave up after the second try. I guess that's why I push a little harder than most guys do."

Just then Maria walked in with my lunch. She had changed from her work outfit and had on a thin spaghetti strap top with a short pleated skirt and 4" heels. I know she had done it to please me but Jake's head nearly broke as it snapped in her direction. As Maria walked up to me with my lunch on the other side of the bed from the guys, Jake and Maria couldn't keep their eyes off of each other.

Jake asked, "Mr. Combs, I take it this is your daughter?"

Maria corrected him and said, "No, I'm just a very good friend that he and Linda have been helping me out for a while now. They have been so good to me; I don't know what I would have done without them."

Then Terry, the younger of the two said, "Jake, don't you think we should be getting back to the station?" as he seemed to be getting bored.

Jake looked at him, then Maria, then back at Terry and said, "Just go back to the wagon and call me if something comes up. I still have some questions for Mr. Combs about his Plymouth. I shouldn't be too long."

He left in a huff and Jake asked me a few more questions while I tried to answer in between bites of my sandwich. When Maria said she should be heading back to work, Jake said he should be going to. I could tell that he was smitten with Maria and part of me was jealous but I realized that she needed someone permanent in her life and hoped that Jake could be the one.

I was right and he left with her and Jake had asked her out for a date. She hadn't refused but said she would think about it then when she returned that afternoon after work, she asked me, "Papi, how would you feel if I went out on a date Friday night?"

I smiled and said, "With Jake?" She nodded. I smiled and said, "My sweet angel, we can't hold you down. You need to spread your wings and fly. Go see what this world has to offer. Go on a date with him and see what happens. I would suggest you take it slow though but I know hot-blooded you can be. I don't want you to get hurt. I will always cherish the time we had together."

I pulled her to me and kissed her on the cheek. She turned and kissed me deeply, our tongues tangled together for several minutes before we slowly broke apart. Then she whispered to me, "I will always love you, Papi. There will never be another man like you. I'm just afraid that if I stay, our lovemaking might harm or even kill you and I could never live with that." Tears were streaming down her face and I took my sheet and wiped them away. We heard a soft cough and realized that a nurse had been standing on the other side of the bed watching us and probably heard our entire conversation.

Linda just then walked in and the nurse said, "Hello Mrs. Combs. Your husband and his friend were just saying goodbye."

My wife caught her drift immediately and said to her, "Oh darling, she's not just his friend, she's his second wife. The three of us live together and share one bed." The nurse turned red-faced and quickly left the room. She promptly returned and handed me a cup with a pill she had brought in the first time but hadn't given me then dashed away. Linda looked at Maria and asked, "What's going on?"

I said, "Linda has a date with a very nice guy. His name is Jake. He's a widower and one of the paramedics that saved me. I told her it was time to move on with her life if she felt it was time. From the short conversation I had with him today, I think he's a very nice guy. As soon as I get out, we need to have him over for dinner." I turned to Maria and said, "OK?" she nodded with a big smile.

Maria didn't come home Friday night or Saturday night. When she came home on Sunday, she looked like she was walking on a cloud. Linda said it first. "Someone's in love, aren't you?"

Maria smiled and said, "I never would have believed that I could fall in love so fast but Jake is everything I could ask for in a man. He's polite, sweet, caring, loving, and damn near as good in bed as you are Papi. Well, maybe a little better because he's younger. He was a little surprised when I told him that the three of us were lovers but he said that he didn't care as long as it made me happy. He said if I needed a lady friend it would be alright as long as I did it with him and not behind his back. I don't think that I will though. I want to devote myself to him for the rest of my life. I will always cherish our time together. You two are so special to me." She came over to me and leaned down to me in my recliner and gave me a big kiss, then her and Linda went up and she began packing. Jake had a nice house not far from us and she was moving in with him.

Two months later, Maria flew into our driveway with Jake. She had to show off her engagement ring and asked Linda to be her matron of honor. Jake asked me to be one of his groomsmen. We gladly accepted. Since the wedding in our big backyard, they have become good friends and Jake even bought an old 41 Dodge Coupe so the four of us go on cruises and to car shows. Linda and I have become more in tune sexually and are more in love than ever.