ELEMENTS Book Two

Chapter Eight: The "Treat"

The “treat” wasn’t what I expected at all: it ended up being chocolate-covered cherries concealed beneath a mountain of whipped cream. I had to steal the bowl to prevent her from having any (she isn’t supposed to be having any form of caffeine or sugars (other than the healthy ones) at any time in the next year). I had to be “disgusting” in order for her to refrain from indulging. Violet defines the word as “any form of salivating, or dispensing said or other fluid into any place that is not the kitchen or bathroom sink, the tub, the grass, or any pre-existing body of water.” In other words, I spit into the whipped cream so she wouldn’t touch it. The only time that belief is revoked is when the two of us make love, which happens more often now that Violet is more mindful about what I think of her body.

“I sure have a disgusting animal of a husband, don’t I, River?”

“Damn right, woman- I mean, Violet.” Instead of smacking me, as I think she will, Violet takes my head in her hands and kisses me passionately, never breaking away or making a wrong move. When I try to undo her bra, she criss-crosses her arms on her chest and squeaks “No!” Taken aback by this, I ask “Why not, beloved?”

“Because… they’re too small…”

“That’s rubbish, Violet...” Suddenly, out of nowhere, she slaps me across the face. I touch the spot that her hand made contact with, and find that it stings. I keep my head down, but grimace at the same time. I can’t help but grab her wrist and squeeze. Violet gasps, and starts to cry. “I-I have to... go to bed-”

“No; you’ll stay here and explain to me why the hell you slapped me. Then you may go to bed.” In an attempt to make it up to her, I hug her from behind and sway back and forth, like I did on the day of our wedding, during the dancing portion of the night.

She runs a hand down the length of my jaw, the affected area. “Maybe I should spend the day with Katie, Marie, and Ayla tomorrow, River; it’d be really good for me, to spend time with the girls.” She pauses and then continues. “I know what you’re going to say, baby; you’re going to say ‘No; you have to stay here tomorrow.’ I have to say no, River; I realize you love me, but sometimes you need to... to catch and release, you know? You caught your fish, but now she needs to have some space; so throw her back for a little while, okay?”

I kiss her lips and mutter “Okay...,” complete with an eye-roll. After recovering, I turn around and ask “Would you like me to tuck you in, Violet?” She nods and replies “Yes, please, River.” Smiling, I ask “Do you want me to tell you a story, beloved?”

Another nod followed by another “Yes, please."

Later, when both of us are in our nightwear and cozy as two bugs under a rug (is that how the Earth-dwellers say it?) Violet and I talk.  Violet and I have progressively started removing articles of clothing each night; now I am down to my boxers and she is wearing a silky tank-top and matching panties. I tell Violet a story; my story, though I do not allude to the fact that it is my chronicle at all. I let her interrupt me if she has any questions.

“Once upon a time, there was a prince.” She smiles back; Violet loves fairy twales, though this is far from one. “Was he a handsome prince?”

“Of course; he was young, too, only 10 years old, nearly an adult. This prince was to be King of the Water Realm. But that all changed one day...”

“What happened to him; did he die?”

“No, he ran away; he didn’t want to be King of the Water Realm. He wanted to live on his own, be his own ruler. After a little while, he ended up living with a man and his niece, whom he thought was the prettiest in the land.” It isn’t until I say this that she figures it out. “The story is about you! Why didn’t you tell me, baby?”

“I wanted to see if you’d figure it out, and you did, so...” I shrug, unable to say more.

“You’re a sneaky man.”

“I try to be, my beloved wife...”

“River, my love?”

“Yes, my beloved?”

“I checked today and...” she starts to cry and whimpers “It was a false alarm... I'm not heavy with any children for you... I’m so sorry...” In an endeavor to calm her, I kiss her cheeks and hold her to my chest.

“Then I suppose you wouldn’t want to go over to Ciro and Ayla’s house tomorrow, then?”

“Not right now, baby... I’m just too... too... um...”

I wrap my arms around her and whisper “Tired; depressed... either of those fit, my love?”

“Both fit, but the second one fits better...” As she sighs, Katie strolls in; she notices her friend crying and points a finger in my face – again. “What have you done to my friend, River? Why is she crying?”

“She just isn’t feeling well, Katie, so stop pretending to care; we can handle this on our own.”

“I’m just making sure you don’t drug her again.”

“You’ve made sure; now please leave. In case you haven't noticed, we are both tired at this hour.”

After Katie leaves, Violet begins stressing once again. “Write it down, my love; you’ll get rid of the stress easier.” Violet grabs a sheet of paper and writes: Grrr... I just wish she wouldn’t do that to us, River; she needs to mind her own business and leave us to ours. I respond by writing: I know, my beloved; it bothers me, too. But let’s just keep quiet for now.

This continues on for about an hour or so; by that time both of us have tired hands. We have each contributed to a paragraph, and just want to spend time with each other. Out of the blue, the door opens again; I get up to close it on Katie and lock it, but Violet stops me and whispers “It might be Ayla and Marie; I asked them to come over so that we could all talk about Katie.”

“I’m glad you want to do that, Violet; Katie needs to know that she shouldn’t do that. Just because she is a Royal does not mean that she can do whatever the hell she wants.”