Shortly after the former monsignor left the dining room, where's his family pressumed to have a dinner altogether, he went upstairs as he wanted to check on Jude and their children.
As soon as he towered the double winder staircase in ease, Timothy strolled through the profound hallway, taking a deep breath though his hopes for Jude's serenity weren't glinting at all. At least, he hoped she's fine for now unless she recovers from the sinister incident.
Once he stepped in front of the children's room door, all he can was the former nun's eloquent, lovely voice, reciting a fairy tale for the children. According to what her voice undertone, Jude seemed neither upset, nor infuriated. It was perfectly normal, in spite of leery, in fact, she concealed the shame, disgust and frustration she experienced earlier tonight. Concealed the whirlpool of negativity that whirled in her.
"Once the prince crossed the," The blonde read to Ellie, Tristan and Agnes as they encircled her, rejoicing her as her mood ameliorated suddenly. It melted Timothy's heart, when he heard his wife's smooth-tongued voice, he rapped lightly on the wooden door, awaiting for Jude's approval.
"Rare bird! It's me." He yelled out loud so that to make sure Jude has higher chances of recognizing the person behind the door. "May I come?" Timothy wasn't feeling comfortable whenever Jude was feeling down or she prefered to be isolated for a while until the melancholy vanishes in the limbo, no longer disheartening her.
"Yes, definitely! You shouldn't feel unwelcomed, darling." The former sister of the church exclaimed joyously, permitting her husband to enter in the children's room.
When his mammoth hand met the cold door hang, he opened the door by closing it behind him, a slight, radiant smile blossomed on his lips.
"Daddy!" Agnes squealed euphorically as she spread her arms as she was by Jude's left side, looking up at the tall masculine figure that approached.
"Dad!" The twins evoked beyond merrily.
"Aww, sweethearts!" Timothy crouched down to them as he took Agnes first in his secure, loving arms as his hands were on her upper back, mildly rubbing her back as Ellie and Tristan placed their tiny hands on top of Timothy's larger, creamy ones. "Are you having fun with your Mommy?" He furthered by speaking to the children, making Jude instinctively, raspily chuckle.
"Yes. It's fun when Mom reads fairy tales for us." Ellie confessed as Timothy threw his arms around the twins' backs, pulling them in a warm, tight hug.
"Glad to hear it!" Then he planted affectionate kisses on their foreheads, stroking lightly their heads as he glanced at them as he couldn't suppress a growing, charming smile, spread across his lips. "You and your mother should be happy as always. The smiles make you prettier as well." He assured them in wise way. In the meanwhile, he broke off the hug with Ellie and Tristan, rubbing their shoulders.
"Timothy, why you left the dining table?" Jude questioned him in leery manner, closing the book's covers by leaving it by her right side untouched.
"After I listened to Daniel and I burst with anger at him, besides I expressed my total frustration of him, I couldn't help but had the enormous wish to check on you as I wasn't hungry anymore and wanted to make sure you are alright."
"Oh! I thought so." She speculated that was the genuine reason why he left the dining room earlier, although she felt deeply touched by him for paying a visit after the dinner, besides it unlocked promptly his beneficent nature, fulfilled with benevolence and versatility. "It's so kind and sweet for checking on me after the dinner." The blonde optimistically kept on with her exclaimation, pursuing for her husband's damp, luscious lips.
In this moment, the twins were playing with their dolls as they were beyond distracted by the current activity they were doing with Jude a handful of minutes ago, whereas Agnes asked them politely:
"Ellie and Tris, do you mind if I play with you?"
"Of course, we don't mind, Agnes!" Ellie replied dauntlessly, smirking gamely.
"You can play with us anytime, Aggie." Tristan didn't mind Agnes to participate in the games where he played with his older twin sister.
Timothy captured Jude's amorous lips in a light, lovable kiss as his colossal hands cupped her smooth cheeks in the palms of his hands as her both arms were dangled around his shoulders as her fingers managed to comb his dark hair, shutting their eyes like blinds, shielding the room from the scintillating sun rays. Relishing the romantic moment of uniting spiritually, physically and mentally. What it was oblivious for the both adults, who were insanely in love with one another was actually their surroundings as they were being encircled by three infants whose joyous screams and shots overspread in the children's room, resurrecting it.
As their sealed lips were occupied with a lustful, intensifying kiss grew aggressive as their wet tongues began dancing against one another until the blonde plugged her tongue inside his mouth, deepening the kiss as she ran vigorously her fingers through his chestnut hair. In this moment, Jude reclined on Ellie's luxuriously polished footboard.
"Oh, Tim! You know always how to please me." She muffled a whisper, overlooking the twins and Agnes who were recently playing, although the specific embarrassment and a tad discomfort they experienced to kiss passionately in front of their children. When the couple captured one another's lips in passionate, brief kiss, it partly healed Jude's pierced wound that bled, in spite of it required more time to heal.
"I know though we aren't supposed to do this in front of the kids." He whispered velvety, biting her bottom lip as she released a muffled, inward moan, audible only for Timothy's ears, jingling angelic anthems.
"You are right!" In this moment, they broke off the kiss abruptly as they withdrew their faces, taking their time to admire one another's dazzling facial features. They exceedingly opened their eyes.
"Are you feeling better?" He cupped her cheeks yet, his thumbs kneading her well-defined cheekbones.
"I think so." The former holy woman nodded her head, evoking quietly. She couldn't oppress a growing alluring smile, blooming on her face.
***
The next morning
14th of March, 1970
As the impending morning approached quicker than the expected, Valerie determined herself to gather Sally, Frank and their children on picnic in the woods with Kaitlyn and Shona.
The maid hasn't seen her girlfriend Lana since the beginning of the month, although they usually had phone conversations twice a day. The crucial reason why they were rarely seeing one another was Lana's engagements as her career of journalist and reporter were playing major time in her daily schedule, whilst Johnny was regularly attending kindergarten and was supervised by their hired babysitter when the reporter's absence lasted for longer, as a result, returning back at home in the late hours of the night.
The redhead organised the picnic in the woods, thanks to Frank's idea of improving their platonic friendship not only with themselves, but also with Sally and gathering their children as well.
As Sally was sitting on the navy blue polka dot picnic blanket with Sally and Frank, discussing together logical topics, whereas Matt and Dorothea were teaching Shona how to climb trees as they were sufficiently well-equiped and Kaitlyn watched them with a childish, naive smile, honed up in the corner of her subtle lips. Valerie, Frank and Sally had seperate picnic baskets, containing food and drinks as some of them were unboxed and placed on the blanket.
Nevertheless, the weather in Boston was sunny as the winter's apogee was looming and the days were longer and warmer unlike the last month. The flowers and the trees commenced to flourish ever again, embellishing the forests and cities like decorations of a grand Christmas tree.
Although Valerie permitted Dorothea and Matt to teach her daughter how to climb trees, she was exceedingly concerned about her welfare, hoping she won't injure herself during the extreme activity.
"It's so magnificent out there." Sally inhaled in elated manner, incapable of resisting the nature's aesthetics, holding a glass of fresh, lukewarm water as she sipped it. Her hazelish-green eyes were darted to her daughter, whose big hazel eyes scrutinized the both adults and the pre-teen with them.
"I can't agree more, Sally!" Valerie added enthusiastically, tapping faintly, kindly the oracle's thigh, making the both women burst out chuckling. "But your daughter seems so interested in extreme activies such as climbing." The redhead furthered with her scoffing monologue, setting free a raspy chuckle as the both adults joined her.
"Kaitlyn is for sure, isn't she?"
"Probably she's a daredevil." The security guard commented gleefully. "And she's actually into this stuff."
"Just imagine her as Tarzan as these kiddos on the tree." The housekeeper pointed with a forefinger at Matt, Dorothea and Shona.
"Val! Stop making us laugh so hard." Sally yelled cheerfully as she verged to choke with the sipped water, couldn't help but guffawing with the former cop. "You guys are so wonderful." She emphasized the word wonderful as she addressed the Russian-American and the Irish.
"How to not thank you, Sally!" Valerie and Frank replied in unison, smug grins flashed across their faces.
"Shona, you should put follow our instructions." Matt cautioned sternly the young girl as she followed meekly the instructions of the both adults, utterly focused on the climbing expedition.
"Matt, she's doing great." Dorothea sat on the big, thick branch, waiting for Shona to face her demons- her fear which is the vice that the majority of the people struggle to confront unless they pluck up courage. "Just give her a bit time, Matt!"
"I couldn't agree more but improvement is necessary." Matt mounted the tree by sitting next to his sister, stating firmly.
All of a sudden, as the three adults were drowning themselves in abysmal, complex discussions, a man in his late 20s trekked in the forest, humming to himself a melodious tune, relishing the nature's serenity and chirping birds, levitating in the background. Ringing in the ears.
Initially, the maid and the other two adults ignored the hiking man not until he approached them as he recognized the housekeeper, in fact, it was nobody else than Carlos himself. Valerie's ex-boyfriend. Carlos trekked up to the in aloof manner, a grotesque frown crawled on his still youthful, olive tanned complexion.
"And you are supposed to," He drew instantly the 3 adults' attentions without hesitancy as they turned to him, earning Frank and Sally's quizzical looks, imprinted on their faces unlike Valerie's glare, casted on him. "Having a picnic together." The younger man uttered through a fake cackle.
"Who are you?" Sally inquired in nonplus way, arching an eyebrow. "Aren't you Val's ex?"
"That's right, gal. And that's why I came for Val."
In the interim, the maid couldn't contain a hostile growl, yet glaring at Carlos.
Carlos was actually tall man circa 6'2 as his body was mildly muscular with dark blonde hair, chocolate brown orbs glinting of the saturating sun rays. He was in his late 20s as well, besides his skin tone was olive tanned. At last but not least, the dark haired man usually wore casual garments in navy blue.
"What brings you here, Charly?" The older woman posed the question exasperated with indifference.
"I came for you and Shona." He glimpsed up at the tree, noting the pre-teen climbing the tree with Frank's both grown up children, scrutinizing it for a while by sensing befall over his biological daughter.
"You came for us? Why now, Carlos?"
When Valerie and Carlos were speaking to each other, Frank and Sally got from the picnic basket by hiking in the woods, nearby their luggage and their company, leaving the both former lovers to talk in peace without perturbing them at all and respected their privacy.
"I realize what an idiot I was a handful of months after our daughter's birth to abandon you," He paused, inhaling then exhaling sharply by crouching down to his ex-girlfriend. "I am so sorry for being the idiot I used to be when I was like no longer father to our precious daughter. But I don't know do you forgive me."
The Russian-American chuckled sardonically, scarcely believing the man's words and accepting his apology.
"Am I supposed to be moved by that pathetic tale of woe?" Consequently the redhead narrowed her eyebrows as her hazelish-green eyes were glaring at his face as she locked up his chocolate brown orbs, unable to be spellblinded by his manipulation and compulsive lies. "Of course, not, Carlos! Once you abandoned me like a stray dog with this little fragile angel, you will be abandoned by both of us like how you did. Do you want to repeat it again?"
"I swear, I don't want to." Trepidation highlighted his face as his face became pale. "I promise I don't want to peril you and Shona."
"The cruelest thing of all, Carlos, is false hope!" She took a cigarette from her cigarette pack, lighting it up by taking a casual puff off it, blowing dim at his face as he omitted a cough. "I don't want creaked hearts ever again, thanks to you."
"Val, you don't know what I am capable of making you to believe me."
"You think so?" The maid asked cunningly, a dry, roguish smirk formed on her lips. "I am not a fool, who tries to manipulate minions to believe me or at least, persuade them what's the right!" She retorted, hardly believing any word he has peeled until this moment.
"You are such a tough cookie, Val! What's wrong with you? You didn't seem that obdurate a long time ago when we were still together."
"Bullshit! I was always strong and I have dealt with bigger freaks than you." She took a drag off her cigarette, blowing an immense dim in his face, diffusing up to his tender nostrils as he coughed again. "Let's move on, instead of listening to your horseshit." The young woman hissed as her lisp hovered in the background.
He sighed plainly, dryly, without arguing with her anymore since she has drastically changed, in his opinion.
"So how's your life?"
"It's wonderful. I have a girlfriend. I have many new friends and Shona is attending regularly school." His chocolate eyes widened once he heard she wasn't definitely straight as his mouth was agape.
"Are you a lesbian?" He muttered in enquiring manner as she nodded her head, earning his snakish glare. "That's disgusting. I didn't know what you transformed in, Va-" As the dark-haired man was in the middle of his sentence, abiding incomplete, she stubbed out the cigarette in his knuckles as the housekeeper wasn't even in the middle of the smoking process, causing cigarette burn injure on his colossal hands as Carlos yelped in agonizing pain, caressing with fingers the burnt spot of his skin.
The redhead watched him with substantial contempt, crossing her arms as she threw the cigarette butt on the ground carelessly. Complacently grinning to her ex.
"No one shall says this ugly adjective, labelling us the homosexuals! It's abomination." Valerie whispered wickedly.
***
"Judy, may I come?" Julietta asked amiably as she stood before the couple's bedroom as the former nun spent the entire day in the bed, encircled by her children and Timothy paid a visit to the room per a half an hour or eventually.
"Yes, ma'am." The former nun responded exhausted as she caressed each child's head.
"Thank you, dear!" The elder lady stepped up in the spacious room, shutting the door behind her as she drew exceedingly Ellie, Tristan and Agnes's attention as well. "Oh hello there, little angels!"
"Granny!" They shouted blissfully in unison as she approached the former sister of the church, who was resting and spending her time with the children.
"Aren't you actually lovely just like your creators, are you?"
"Indeed, we are!" Ellie answered pluckily.
Since Jude was awake, she spent the majority of her time in the bed, as a result of the befall that happened between her and Daniel yesterday and she didn't want to see him for now. The sole times when the blonde wasn't in the bed was actually when she went to the restroom to clean herself, to breathe fresh air for 5 minutes only and somewhat eat in the kitchen, avoiding any contancts with her brother-in-law.
The both women spent some time together as Julietta wasn't that instrusive to her daughter-in-law, besides she paid attention to the twins and her youngest grandchild, smiling, talking and laughing along. Moreover, the former nurse conformed with her needs, although it was Jude and Timothy's final day in London until they leave tomorrow the afternoon as their flight back for Boston is for 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
To be continued...