David and Sam

Upstairs, the drier rumbled. Jeans thumped and rolled over shirts. Socks went off to the mysterious place socks go when they enter a drier as a pair, unaware that only one would really return. Febreeze was in the air, and wandered down the vacuumed, narrow staircase to meet a wall of heavenlier aroma; the smell of onions caramelizing in a deep pan. Aside from the little droplets of oil jumping across the lip of the stove, the kitchen was otherwise clean. Sure, there were onion skins and red pepper seeds floating around a used cutting board, but the counters were wiped, the dishwasher was running, and the linoleum floor was void of any crumbs or other radicals that would discomfort bare feet.

Sam, the lady of the house, was immersed in her newest book. Much to her husband’s chagrin, she had already bent the spine. If it were his book, he would be much more careful with it. He only ever voiced these little opinions because he loved the way she teased him. She understood this, and anticipated his reaction just as much as the next sentence. The steamy love affair between the Comte Velieu and the chambermaid, Lovinne, was just getting good. All those looks across the room, all those moments of held breath and discretion, were about to give way to an insatiable, wanton rendez-vous in the stables.

David entered the kitchen. He was a tall man, a bit thick, someone who was healthy without all of the obsession. Just a few nights ago they had tackled a whole plate of nachos while their teenage daughter, Lavender, was out with her friends. David’s hair was dark, but salted, and his eyes were as green as the spring onion Sam had yet to put up. He had peculiar habits that she liked. He never closed any doors. The first time she had heard about him was when she was dating one of his room mates. They complained that he left the fridge opened – “All night, dude!” – and that he never shut the cabinets, and he always forgot to close the door when he “got it on”. Sam liked to think it was because David, unconsciously, never denied himself anything. That he always left room for possibility and option, and no metaphoric door would ever be closed to him.

And, very soon after they met, Sam became one of those possibilities. Ever since that moment, they had been inseparable. He called her his “dream girl”.

“Well,” he opened the fridge, but the juice, milk, and Sprite held little interest for him, “everything is clean, and we won’t even be here to appreciate it.”

He bumped her with his hip in an extravagant attempt to reach the cupboard. He searched for the ideal cup, and only then did he abandon the cupboard for the sink. Sam reached up without looking, and shut the cupboard as he switched on the faucet.

“It’s so we can come back to a nice home,” Sam said as she turned a page.

David opened the freezer and started rummaging for ice. He dropped the cubes into the cup, and wiped up any little droplets with the socks on his feet. “Where’s Lavender?”

“She’s out jogging with Nemo.”

David looked Sam up and down. She was wearing her college hoodie over a pair of track shorts. More than likely, everything else was in the drier. David loved it when Sam did her laundry, especially when Lavender was out. “You don’t say.” He dropped a cube of ice down the back of her sweater, and Sam reeled.

“David, not when I’m cooking, come on, dude!” Sam giggled and broke away from the counter. She dropped her book to claw inside the hoodie for the icy assault. David swept in, and grabbed her fallen book off the counter.

“Cooking? Or swoooooning?”

“You’re a dick, and I want that back.”

David cracked the book open, and flicked away a red pepper seed pressed to the paper. “Lovinne – really, her name is Lovin’? – pressed her body to his. She had waited so long for this, just as long as he had; their passion had been so instantaneous. He had only touched her hand, only long enough to tell her she had filled his cup enough with sweet wine, but that had been enough. The rest of the dinner was a blur. Lovin’ had forgotten herself several times, and Velieu – I’ll call him David – had drifted off in conversations, only to find himself watching her. Wanting Lovin’. Now, they were together, sheltered from the storm, and warm. David peeled away Lovin’s wet clothes, and she tugged his heavy jacket from his shoulders. He found her – Hey, this isn’t so bad, after all!”

“Give that back,” she struggled with him as he retreated into the living room. “I’ll kick your ass,” she tackled him, and they collapsed on the couch together. David burst into laughter and held the book out at arm’s length. Sam lay on his chest, still laughing as he pressed on through the prose.

“He found her almost naked in front of him…I thought he already took off her clothes.”

“Hmm,” Sam turned, her long, rusty blonde hair fell over his chin and neck. “Just keep reading.”

David nestled into the couch some more. He blew some of Sam’s stray locks out of his mouth, and they chuckled before he continued. This time, his voice was hushed and soft behind her ear.

“A damp chemise covered her. He loosened the strings that kept her body from him. The count felt as though he had come to the end of a long journey. He was parched with want of her, and began to suckle the water from her skin. His hand crept beneath her neckline,” David unzipped the front of Sam’s hoodie, and found one of her breasts. The tender skin swelled as he squeezed, and his fingers cuddled around the nipple he could not see. “He found breasts that could not compare to my Sam’s…”

“Shut up,” Sam giggled, “it does not say that.”

“Lovin’ said: I’ve waited too long for you, David. Take me. Take me.”

Sam’s head turned and she kissed him. David dropped the book off the couch and cupped her hips. He pressed a hand to her chest and eased her back with a gentle push. Sam sat on his lap with a questioning look. He touched her stomach, he looked at her shy breasts hidden behind the zipper-toothed curtain of her hoodie, and watched her messy hair coil around her slender shoulders. He heaved a happy sigh.

“What?” Sam asked.

“I want to have a baby with you…”

Sam’s eyes widened. “What?”

The door opened, and Lavender came in with Nemo, an energetic, golden retriever who had, until recently, never chewed on furniture or shoes or anything else someone could deem valuable. Lavender was wearing her school shirt and a pair of work-out capris with a blue stripe down the side of each leg. Her sneakers were old; she had started complaining about her feet aching, so that would mean a new pair of shoes in no time. Nemo barked and rushed into the living room to greet Sam and David just as Lavender left the foyer. She dropped her iPod as Sam zipped up her hoodie and sprang off David’s lap.

Lavender made a face, and took a sudden interest in a painting hanging on the wall nearby. “The onions are burning.”

David peeked his head over the couch. “Good timing, honey! As always.”

“You guys are gross,” Lavender retrieved her iPod before the dog could start mouthing on it. “I’ll be in my room. Let me know when the pizza gets here,” she stomped upstairs just as a resounding “Damn!” came from the kitchen. David rubbed his face, and crept into the kitchen. Nemo was gulping down water from his dish as Sam killed the burner on the gas stove, and removed the onions.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Sam whispered to herself as she ran the charred onions under the faucet. There was a loud hiss as water met oil, and coils of fat steam bloomed for the ceiling, and fogged the window over the sink. David leaned against the fridge and watched.

“We don’t have to order pizza, you know. We could ruin her life forever by ordering Kung Pow Wok if you want.”

Sam tittered, but she was stressed, and not just because Lavender interrupted them. The conversation had dislodged her from their sensual moment on the couch. “Were we ever shits like that when we were Vinnie’s age?”

“You kidding? I was probably worse than you were.” He gingerly began gathering the take-out menus from one of the drawers, but shot the occasional glance over his shoulder. Sam was strong in most situations, but circumstances like this required a delicate touch. “Hey, we don’t have to… you know… talk about this now.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“I just thought… a baby would be good.”

Sam ran the garbage disposal, and David’s nerves were rattled. He had already put himself in a vulnerable place with the whole baby subject, but the loud noise and Sam’s attitude shift was doing little to encourage the conversation he wanted to have with her. Sam shut off the disposal, and ran a hand through her messy hair.

“I don’t want you to be upset,” she said in a tense voice that begged for conversational insurance. Luckily, David had several policies in place for just such an occasion.

“I’m the man of steel.” He turned off the faucet, guided the pan out of her other hand, and gently turned her to face him. “Try me.”

“David…”

“Really, it’s okay.” He nudged her chin up, and flinched when he saw tears in her eyes. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s just onions and a conversation. Come on, talk to me.”

“I don’t think… now’s a good time.”

“We can talk about it later.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah! Yeah, absolutely.”

“Did I ruin our trip?”

“What? That’s impossible, we haven’t even left yet!”

“Shut up,” she tapped the back of her hand against his stomach, “you know what I mean.”

“You. Vinnie. Nemo. You make the trip great. Look, I wouldn’t want you to give me an answer you don’t mean, anyway.”

“Yeah?”

“Sure! Just do me one favor.”

Sam nodded, but she was wary.

“Think about it. Just bring it up again when you’re ready to talk about it.”

Sam smiled. “I can do that.”

“Little boy with that smile… and with my amazing good looks. Not so bad, right?” David held her as she bowed her head to his shoulder and chuckled. He stroked his fingers through her hair and let his eyes stare into the distance beyond the wall. Maybe she was right. Maybe now really was not the time to bring a new baby into the house. The addition had to be right for both of them, he knew that, but he wanted more than anything for Sam to reach that point soon. A number of things could have been holding Sam back, but he did not want to go into them. Not now. He pat her on the back, and kissed her forehead. “Let’s order some food, get some rest. We got a big trip ahead of us tomorrow.”