One Voice

"Medical insurance? But I don't have any medical insurance. When I was fired from my job, they told me that my COBRA insurance payments would cost me $3,000.00 per month. I couldn't afford that with no income, so I declined the COBRA insurance coverage."

"I know, Paul. I suspected something like that might happen. I have a company that I established many years ago. It is a consulting company through which I executed all billing for services rendered to Pierre when I worked for him. Do you remember signing that document for me at the airport?"

"I think so, why?"

"It was an employment agreement acknowledging you as a new consultant to my company, ergo including you in my company's health insurance benefits. It was just in case something like this happened to you. Don't forget, I know Pierre rather well. Although I had hoped he wouldn't have done this to you, it doesn't surprise me."

"I... I don't know what to say, Helena. You are a most amazing and selfless woman. In all honesty, I wish I had married you from the start instead of Chelsea. Unfortunately, I didn't know you back then." As she smiled at me, her eyes became wetted. "MY KIDS! Are they okay?"

"Yes, Paul, Your mother, father, and sister have been tag-teaming with me for their care. They are well taken care of, rest assured. I've been here every minute they'll allow but when I'm not here, I'm at your apartment taking care of Amber, Neil, and Rhonda. They miss you but understand you've been hurt and are in the hospital. Right now you're probably wondering how you got here. There's a lot you don't know and I'll try to answer your questions. But before I explain, I'd like you to watch this video taken on my cellphone the night you were attacked."

What I saw was a nighttime image illuminated by a nearby streetlight. I was walking toward my apartment with two bags of groceries when an unseen thug came up behind me and struck me hard in the back of my head with an aluminum baseball bat. I dropped to the ground like a rag doll. Two men closed in and stood over me, smirking at their success. The man with the bat raised it again as if he was going to finish me off with another head blow. Out of nowhere came a running blur. A man deflected the bat during the swing preventing it from striking my head a second time. He quickly assumed a defensive posture opposite the two men I now recognized from the July fourth celebration downtown. It was Gerald! What the fuck?

The man with the bat swung hard at Gerald who easily ducked underneath the anticipated swing. As the bat swing continued its arc, Gerald defensively struck the man hard in the throat with his knuckled fist. The man dropped the bat, went down instantly, and grabbed his throat, writhing on the ground in obvious distress. Gerald talked briefly to the other man but there was no audio. The second man suddenly raised his hands in submission. Gerald made a phone call and the police were there in under two minutes. As the police were approaching, Gerald leaned over the injured man for ten seconds and then stood up. The video clip was then ended.

"When did you and Gerald get here? Doesn't he still work for Pierre? Why did he defend me? What happened to the recording? Why was there no audio with it?"

"I'll try my best to fill you in, Paul. Shortly after I was hired by Pierre, Gerald and I entered into an open relationship for a while. He knew Pierre used me to entertain other men from time to time and he dipped his wick in more than one woman while we were dating. Although we stopped dating after about six months, we remained very good friends and have each other's backs. I entrusted him with my new prepaid cellphone number. Gerald called and informed me that Pierre demanded that he hire thugs to beat you to death for defaming him. Gerald's conscience couldn't allow that to happen and refused. He then left Pierre's employ and came here to the states to protect me and you. I texted him that I was coming to watch over you and he insisted on being here to protect me primarily and by proxy, you. He stands guard outside your hospital room door every time I visit. He's out there right now."

She continued, "I had intentionally previously disabled the audio from recording on my cellphone. We needed to give the police my recorded evidence of Gerald acting in self-defense and protecting you from further harm but at the same time, exclude his conversation. After striking down the man with the bat, Gerald told the other guy with the brass knuckles that his friend was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. He threatened Mr. Brass Knuckles with a similar fate unless he agreed to immediately confess to the police about their arrangement with Pierre to eliminate you and be willing to testify to it in open court. Gerald informed him that jail and prison were not an obstacle to him and that his cronies inside would finish the deed for him. It worked. He sang like a songbird. Once Gerald was assured of his cooperation, he disassembled the Bic ink pen he happened to have in his shirt pocket, knelt down, made an incision with his pocketknife, and inserted the tube of the pen into the cut, saving his life with the impromptu tracheotomy."

I was shocked beyond belief as I slowly absorbed everything she'd told me. "Why are you here, Helena? Why would you risk your security for nothing? What about your Cayman lover?"

Helena gave me a smile that would illuminate the sky. If she'd had a pair of wings strapped to her back I'd swear she was a genuine angel. I had never seen this side of her before.

"It's not for nothing, Paul. And if you ask me to leave after I respond, I'll never darken your door again. Henri Reynard is the man that I drew very close to in college. As a matter of fact, until recently, I would call him my best true friend. He's as handsome as the day is long and all the girls in school lusted after him, including me but there was just one problem. He's gay. What drew me to him was his openness, purity of character, and love. Until recently, I'd never seen anyone love as completely as he loved his boyfriend. When I asked if I could stay with him in George Town until this thing blew over with Pierre, he asked me how soon I could get there and promised me safety for as long as I needed it. He's a great friend."

She continued, "It was while I was staying with him and his husband, Franco that Henri set me straight about matters of the heart. Love, true love is something that has eluded me my entire life. My parents drug me through their bitter divorce when I was seven years old. They both used me as a pawn in their hateful invectives against each other. I was caught in the middle and felt responsible for their failure. That experience turned me against marriage and any belief that there was a 'happy ever after' in the cards for me. I closed my heart off from everyone but Henri and I didn't meet him until college. I had plenty of dates, don't get me wrong but all they were to me were booty calls. I used men as much as they used me. My life was bereft of happiness and love. Love to me was a parade of fulfilled physical lust."

"I'm so sorry you had such a horrible experience as a child, Helena. Your parents who were supposed to shield you from the pain of that situation were the very ones who used you as a weapon instead. It wasn't your fault."

"I know that now, Paul, but I didn't at the time. The love shared between Henri and Franco was so palpable that I could almost touch it. I desperately wanted that in my life but my heart was walled off. I didn't know how to love. He tried to explain love to me but it never clicked. I thought it was some kind of duty a couple had for each other. He explained that love is a gift, not an obligation. I asked him how it was that he knew that he loved Franco. His answer surprised me. He said that love is invisible. But for him, Franco makes the invisible, visible. When they look at each other, impossible volumes are exchanged in that one look. The concept still remained foreign to me until Franco offered a suggestion."

She resumed, "He rented the Blu-ray version of the movie/musical Moulin Rouge. Of course, being French I was very familiar with the history of the place but oddly had never seen the movie with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor who played the characters Satine and Christian in the movie. They have a very nice home theater system and the three of us watched the movie that night. Franco said that if after watching this movie, I didn't know what love was, then there was little hope for me."

"Paul, it was a life-changing experience. Yes, the premise of the movie was corny and over the top, but that movie oozed love from beginning to end. A quote from the movie I will never forget is 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return.' It was as if that movie was made solely to teach me what the experience of love is all about. I was a sobbing mess by the end and my heart was fully invested. When they sang 'Come What May', I'd never before heard a more perfect way to describe love than the words of that song. Those words for me made the invisible, visible. I'd sing it to you right now but I'd be a blubbering mess before getting halfway through it. Then Henri topped off my education with this profound statement. He said, 'Helena, you will never know love unless you surrender to it'. Paul, my heart melted into a puddle right then and there because of one all-consuming realization."

Tears streamed down her face as she cried a smile. Helena took my hand and looked me straight in the eye and said, "I love you, Paul. I LOVE you. I haven't said those words to anyone since I was seven years old. Until you, no other man in my life has been worthy of them. When I first met you, I thought you were a carbon copy of Pierre. I knew how depraved he was and gave him what he wanted. As I said, I was well paid for it. I mistakenly believed that your personality would match his and thought of you as I did him. I was wrong. You are pure of heart. You live by the saying, 'do unto others'. I'd never met anyone before that put others before their own needs. I've seen you with those three angelic children. I've seen how you've been nothing other than honorable with me at all times. Paul, you make the invisible, visible. I now see and feel the love coming from every pore of your skin."

Helena laid her head on my chest and cried tears of love on my chest. I was moved beyond words once more. No one, not even Chelsea had ever expressed such love for me before. Suddenly I felt a warmth in my soul that had been absent for far too long. The light of love was shining again. I took her hand in mine and without hesitation uttered, "Helena, you are more than I could ever hope for and much more than I deserve. When my divorce from Chelsea is granted, will you marry me?"

She squeezed me so hard I thought my eyes would pop. "Yes, YES! A thousand times, Yes!" She shouted.

"I want you to understand now, that I don't share. You'd have to be exclusive with me for the rest of your life," I explained before I kissed her.

"Honey, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm a one-man woman for the rest of my life. You'll never have reason to doubt me. I'll hardly let you out of my sight."

When I was able to return home, Helena stayed there with me to help out ONLY if I slept in my bed and allowed her to sleep on the couch. Gerald said his goodbyes and disappeared to places unknown. In addition to my thanks, I offered him some money for services rendered. He just said that I couldn't afford him and chuckled. At the next arbitration meeting, Chelsea honored her word and we signed the documents together hammering out the complete terms of our custody agreement. The attorney said he'd get the order confirmed by a judge ASAP which ended that day's meeting. Encouraged, he set another meeting in two more weeks to settle our differences on our divorce. We left together and I asked her out for coffee to offer her a proposal.

Once coffee and doughnuts were served, I began.

"So how are you since your experience in jail, Chelsea?"

"I'm not going to lie. It hasn't been easy. I'm working my ass off resisting my cravings but inexorably they get the better of me. Now and then I still visit my dealer and trade blow jobs for a few pills to get by. But at this rate, I may be servicing him for a long time."

"What if I offered you a way out Chelsea, a lifeline? Would you take it?"

"It depends on what it is and what it costs me," she rejoined.

"You and I are going to be divorced eventually anyway. Nothing is going to stop it. But if you fight me, all you can do is slow it down and prolong the process and the expense for us both. To that end, I have a proposal."

"I'm listening," she contributed.

"'No Looking Back' is a drug rehab and halfway house on the outskirts of town. I've checked it out and they're the real deal. They have a four-month rehab program that costs twenty-grand. The custody of the children has already been settled. We have no financial assets to split. If we did, I'd gladly give you half. I can send you to all of our former account managers who will confirm that it's all vanished. I believe Pierre was behind it all. A kind man generously donated a piece of jewelry that I converted into cash, much like you did Pierre's, to help me provide for the kids and get by until I get back on my feet with another job. If you'll agree to sign the divorce papers uncontested at our next arbitration, I'll sponsor you the entire twenty-grand so you can get clean and have a new and fresh start on life. If you stay in the program for the entire four months and receive a clean bill of health from them, then I'll chip in another ten grand in cash the day you get out. It's the best I can offer you under the circumstances. What do you say?"

"You're going to marry Helena, aren't you?"

"If she'll have me, yes."

"I thought so. So there's no hope for me? For us then?"

"I'm sorry, Chelsea, no." She looked pensive for quite a long time without speaking. I watched silently as her decision-making process took place before my eyes.

"Under one condition, Paul. I'll agree to your proposal and free you to marry her according to the terms you just laid out if you'll give me one thing more before we go our separate ways today."

"What is it?"

"A kiss," she stated. "Put your arms around me and give me one final passionate kiss as husband and wife. I need that from you for closure. To me, it will mean that we're parting on amicable terms. I will never ask for another one. But I want to feel the passion you once held for me, no holding back. If you can give me what I want, then I'll give you what you want."

I looked into her eyes and saw a longing for me that I had not seen in her eyes in years. I considered her request. I'm still married to her and cannot marry Helena until our divorce is granted and this will speed up the process significantly. I considered also whose dick she may have recently sucked to get her latest fix and the thought was unpleasant. For all I knew, her mouth could be diseased. I couldn't get that thought out of my head.

"I'll tell you what I'll do, Chelsea. To give you something to look forward to when your mind will be clear and free of any drugs, the day Helena and I pick you up at the rehab center to present you with your ten-thousand dollar head start, I'll take you in my arms right then and there and give you that passionate kiss, one that we'll both remember for a long time to come. I give you my word. Deal?"

She thought for a second, smiled, and said, "Deal." We shook on it. I was aware that when they took in rehab patients, part of the process was testing for STDs. I knew she would be completely clean and disease-free once released from the program. I would be sure to tell Helena of my promise and the reason for it. She would never feel threatened by Chelsea. She signed the divorce papers as we agreed and our divorce would be finalized in just under eight more months. It takes a minimum of a year to divorce in North Carolina, longer if one party fights it.

I took Helena and the kids out to eat to celebrate the signing of the divorce papers. Of course, we didn't inform the kids of the reason but Helena and I were excited. The next day, she and I went house hunting, not to buy but I wanted to rent a four-bedroom house so she would have her own bedroom and get off that wretched couch. We were moved in less than a week. That same week, Chelsea made arrangements to be admitted to the rehab center. I drove her to the facility and paid the fee upfront in cash.

It was Friday afternoon driving back after dropping Chelsea off. During the drive, I called Chelsea's parents to let them know that she was safely checked into the facility and asked if they would like to keep their three grandchildren for the weekend. I was still on good terms with them and they appreciated what I was doing to help Chelsea get better. They jumped at the chance. They said they'd be over to pick them up in forty-five minutes. I told them we'd pick them up Sunday afternoon.

Helena gave me a puzzled look in the empty house after the kids had been picked up for the weekend.

"Honey, the divorce papers have already been signed. As far as I'm concerned, Chelsea and I are already divorced. Waiting on the papers is a mere formality."

She gave me a knowing smile. "Well, it's about damn time!" And she threw herself on me as we wrestled off our clothes, leaving a trail of scattered articles from the front door to the bedroom. We made passionate love four times that first night before finally drifting off to sleep in each other's arms. I cannot imagine two bodies more perfectly suited for one another than ours. Of course, she had been with an identical body to mine many times before but she said there was no comparison. She told me that our intimacy was the most amazing feeling of her life. She never knew it could be like this. We whispered the words in the darkness, "To have and to hold from this day forward." We didn't bother to put on clothes the entire weekend until we picked up the children. We maintained separate sleeping quarters for the sake of the kids until we married but every night that they were elsewhere, we took advantage.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Four months later, I kept my word as Helena and I drove up to the 'No Looking Back' rehab and halfway house. Helena stood by the car holding a large envelope containing a hundred, one-hundred-dollar bills. I took Chelsea by the hand as she waddled to our car and pulled her directly into my arms. She looked every bit of seven months pregnant. She wore the biggest smile as I delivered one of the hottest, most passionate kisses I had ever given her. Helena used the envelope in good humor to fan us as if our scorching heat was too much. When we finally broke the prolonged kiss, Chelsea laughed out loud as Helena handed her the envelope.

"I owe you the biggest apology I can offer, Paul. They have good therapists and counselors here. I learned a lot about myself and I didn't like what I saw. You saved my life and I will be grateful to you for the remainder of my days. Helena, he's by far the best man I have ever known. Take good care of him and be true to him and he will love and honor you for the rest of his life. Learn from my mistake. You've heard the saying, 'the bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?' Paul's the bird in the hand. Don't ever let him go for any reason."

Helena graciously hugged Chelsea and thanked her for the advice. We drove Chelsea to her parents' house as she explained that she was going to use the money we provided to get established in an apartment. The rehab center had arranged for her to have a secretarial job waiting for her to start the next day. She also told us that the baby would continually remind her of her failure and betrayal. She'd decided to give it up for adoption.