Chocolate Kisses 2: Pearl Ch. 04

Chocolate Kisses 2: Pearl
Copyright @ calibeachgirl
All rights reserved, 2011

Chapter 4 – Early December 4th, 1941

It was one week after Thanksgiving that Bethany strolled leisurely into the kitchen and dreamingly ran her fingers along the counter, a sleepy smile on her still somnolent face. She stopped for a moment and fed a macadamia nut to their parrot, Jolly Roger, brought home after the dog died.

Eliza brought over two cups of coffee, sat down and poured milk into hers. "Bethany Rose... do you have any idea what time it is?"

Bethany gave her sister a silly little grin and looked at the ridiculous cat clock hanging on the wall, its tail and eyes marking each second as it passed by. Roger moved back and forth with it, his head bobbing in time with the tail.

It was almost nine-thirty.

"Kwock! cracker. Roger... cracker." As smart as the bird was, the girls could never teach it anything else. He spent most of his time whistling.

Bethany smiled and took another sip of the steaming, hot coffee. Nine-thirty! Wow! And, she realized, he had been good for three more times this morning... She herself had gone there at least five times; probably more, just that last time, alone.

My God, she thought, he's become... she couldn't find the right word but finally settled on demon... that's it, a demon in the bed. Her smile grew wider.

"Kwock!" said Roger. He whistled three more times.

"Are you going to want breakfast, or what? I can make some French toast, if you like." Eliza realized she was anxiously tapping her fingers on the table and stopped, laying her hand flat.

Bethany looked exactly like she had that first Christmas morning when she and Jim both came down the stairs together. It was one of those moments that you knew was coming but were still shocked when it happened.

"Huh? Oh, yeah... sure... whatever you like." She stared out the kitchen windows as Eliza broke a couple of eggs into the bowl, started to beat them and then tossed in some bread.

As the sound of the frying bread filled the kitchen, Bethany looked back to her bedroom, reliving the events of the previous evening and, now, the morning...

Last night, they immediately went to the bathroom, dropping their clothing to the stone floor. She turned the shower on, and as they stood waiting for the temperature to be bearable, she felt his hands passing over her skin and the thought of it brought her nipples erect and tight. He hadn't even touched her there and she was so ready for him.

The mirror began to fog and they pulled the glass door open together and walked in, almost falling to the wet tiled floor as their groping continued.

She moaned as his fingers roamed over her body, stopping occasionally at the spots he knew she was most aroused at. He bent slightly and licked one chocolate nipple and then the other. Her hands hung heavily around his neck as she became weak in the knees and shifted her weight against him.

He sank to his knees and she obliged him, opening her thighs to his mouth as his tongue ticked her hair and then slid deeply into her. The warm water mixed with her own warm wetness and she leaned against the green tiled wall, her legs braced against his knees as he prayed to her altar.

She could feel the heat rising from her crotch, up to her breasts as his hands cupped her breasts, his fingers touching and gently squeezing her nipples and then it rushed to her head as her blood pressure rose. Her arousal immediately bounced back down and she shook, almost as if she was shivering against an unseen cold, again and again and again, all the while his tongue working heavily against her clit.

"Now, Jimmy," she whispered, "now... let's do it now." She turned the water off.

He picked her up and held her in his arms. She knew then... well, she always knew back in the recesses of her heart, that her weight gain had never been a factor in their relationship. Just the same, she realized, she needed to lose that other five pounds.

Slowly walking into the bedroom with her, he went toward the bed. It was going to get wet, he thought, and didn't care one whit. Down she went onto the sheet... down he went on her.

Within seconds, he was between her bent legs bringing her back to that heat that never really left her. His hands held her up against his face as he moved back and forth like a hungry dog worrying on a bone.

She was startled back to awareness; her breakfast plate and silverware were set before her with somewhat of a clatter.

"Orange juice?" Eliza noticed Bethany's mind was somewhere, probably back in bed with Jim. She nudged her. "Hey, sister! Orange juice?"

"No... uh, thanks." As Bethany absent-mindedly began to eat, one small forkful after another, visions of that one particular thing he did for her still dancing in her head.

Bethany put her head down on the table and asked, "What day is it?"

"Damn, girl... what did he do to you?" As if I don't know, Eliza decided. That change in diet really worked wonders for them, she thought. John, himself, had been much more...

Bethany hesitated before answering her sister, then whispered, "Everything... he did everything... oh, God, I'm so sore."

Eliza stared at her sister. "Well, it seems whatever problem he had has gone away." She started laughing, sipping her own coffee.

"Oh, my head..." moaned Bethany, "my mouth... you know, he spanked me and told me I was a naughty, uh, very bad girl."

"What are you going to do now?"

Bethany raised her head and laughed. "Why, go back to bed, of course. What else?"

And, with that, she rose from the table and left her sister standing there, mouth open and muttering something under her breath about wild women and crazy men.

She entered the room and then closed and locked the door. There were only three rooms in the house that had locks on them: the two master bedrooms and his office... and this one, she put to good use.

No sooner had she heard the 'click' than she had dropped her sarong onto the rug and slipped back beneath the covers. Within seconds, her hand had sought him out and began to bring him back to life.

Bethany was fascinated how it worked. Once second, it was so gentle and flexible and then the next, hard as an Italian salami and so much longer and wider than before.

Mother Nature sure was a woman! She laughed quietly, not wanting to spoil the mood. If he thought she was laughing at him, who knew what would have happened.

Down Bethany Rose went, opened her lips and slid him onto her tongue. She tasted his skin, warm and then hot and then felt some from him, just starting. She hesitated, looking at him but he had a great big smile and she continued. He never forced her, grabbing the back of her head and fucking her face. She had heard about that from some of the women she had met in town... how their husbands or boyfriends became inconsiderate and unloving, just using them.

He never did that to her and she loved him even more for it... doing everything he wanted because of it.

She pushed down and felt him enter her throat and began to work the skin with her left hand, faster, faster, faster and he came in such a rush. Bethany felt the liquid heat pour down her throat and was beginning to wonder if she had breath enough to finish when he stopped.

Thank God, she thought. She was about to choke, either from not enough air or from the amount he had flooded her with.

"What...."

"What, what... baby?" he asked.

"Whatever that stuff is that you're taking... God, don't ever stop, please. You should get them to bottle this stuff, they could be rich."

"Somehow, I don't think that's what important to them, Bethany. They are following a different drummer."

It wasn't until late morning that Eliza saw her sister again and then Jim a few minutes later.

"Do you think," he asked, looking at the two of them, "I could have a sandwich?

"What?" he asked.

Bethany moved toward the breadbox but Eliza waved her away. She sat down while Eliza made two sandwiches and then poured out glasses of milk.

"I see you've finally gotten up. Drink this, Jim, to, uh, keep your strength up, Jim... just in case..."

"Supper is at six. Do you two think you'll be on time? How hard can it be?"

Bethany burst out laughing.

Jim looked away, turning several shades of crimson. "I think I'll just eat this outside. Thank you, uh, it's very good. Uh, what time is it, anyway?"

He hurriedly left the kitchen to the sound of his wife's laughter. He smiled... things were back to normal... at least, he thought, in the bedroom.

A worried frown came over his face. Thank God, he thought, things were good once again, actually, they were great, but the conversations he and John had had with their counterparts at Pearl had him worried... very worried.

Everyone knew the Japanese were coming, they just refused to accept it... it was just a question of when and where.

He knew it was going to be at Pearl. He had to get his people out of there before it happened.

Joseph Grew, the ambassador to Japan, had said as much back in January. It was the only place that made sense.

Using the Conservation Corps work as a cover was an incredible piece of luck. While he made perfunctory visits to the work sites, it was John that kept the project running and while John knew what he was doing, he still was not privy to all the information being discussed by his brother-in-law.

They were coming. He could smell it in the air and so could many others. He wondered how many people would die before it was all over.

Tomorrow, he would have to spend almost the entire day at Pearl. Maybe he would take Bethany Rose with him... it might make more sense to tell her then...

Jim turned around and walked purposely back to the house. "Bethany Rose! I've got to..."

"James! Don't shout... I'm right here."

"I'm going to Pearl tomorrow and I would like to take you with me. What do you say? It would be fun, c'mon, baby; we can make it an overnighter and see a movie and do some shopping... a new dress?"

She knew she had to lose five more pounds to be where she was when she was married but he still never mentioned her weight to her.

And, she ashamedly admitted to herself, had thought he was having an affair or at least visiting prostitutes when he went into the city.

"Oh, Jimmy, I would love to go with you." She threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply. "Can I thank you now or later?"

"As good as that sounds, I have some work I have to do right now but I'll see you later. Six for dinner... tell Eliza that I might be a little late and to start without me if that's the case."

He put his arm around her and they walked back to the veranda; she waved as she watched him drive away.

Dinner was a quiet affair for many different reasons. Bethany was still working through her mind everything he had said about staying at Pearl. Things had become as normal as they could be and now this... how to deal with it without scaring the girls was becoming harder each day as she saw how nervous he had become.

There was an urgency in the bedroom that hadn't been there before. At first, she had just thought it was because of the herbals he was taking each evening but then, thinking about it more, realized that his worrying about the Japanese had overshadowed everything else. He was making love... having sex as if each day were their last.

If war came, life would be horrifying, especially if they came here. While her first duty was to her two daughters, her overwhelming duty was to her husband. If things were indeed as bad as he painted, he needed a clear head to think with. If that meant going to Pearl with him, then so be it. Eliza could watch all the girls and Jr. and John could take care of the home with Spencer's help.

No, if it came to that, Spencer would return to regular duty. He was going to return soon, anyway. Jim mentioned Spencer being almost done with his time with them and being transferred to the USS Arizona.

"Dessert? I've fruit and some homemade ice cream."

Bethany Rose looked at Jim, grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the table. "NO!"

She was embarrassed, not meaning to be so loud. "God, I'm sorry." She let go of his hand and ran outside onto the veranda.

Jim threw his napkin down on the table and hurried out after her. "Bethany, where did you go?" He couldn't find her and could only think she went to the bench.

He went back inside and got a lantern, put his Zippo into his pocket and made the uphill walk toward the bench. "Bethany? Are you up here?" He listened and finally heard her crying.

She was at the bench but instead of sitting there, she was kneeling on the ground and praying on the bench with her head down on her hands. He knelt down beside her and turned down the lamp until it was just lit.

Maybe she had the right idea, he felt. Pray for all you're worth. But, he sadly knew, God was somewhere else right now and thousands of people were dying every day with no God to protect them. The devil was coming and this time he spoke Japanese.

Friday morning, after kissing her daughters goodbye, Bethany Rose joined the two naval officers who had returned to drive them to Pearl Harbor.

Jim had tarpped over his old Chevrolet and when she gave him a questioning look, he gave her a sad smile. Somehow, she knew it would be a long time, if ever, before he drove it again.

Although it was a beautiful, sunny, blue and green Saturday morning, she sat quietly in the back of the long dark blue Buick with her hand in his and closing her eyes, ignored the passing scenery and the beautiful Pacific to her right.

Whatever their life had been, it was over now.

Eventually, after what seemed forever to her, they arrived. Identifications checked, they proceeded to a non-descript small green building somewhat removed from the rest. Hidden beneath the tremendous spreading branches of five ancient banyan trees, it was almost invisible from the air.

Bethany was almost overwhelmed the next few hours as she was introduced to the twelve others working with her husband, for her husband. She didn't know what to expect. While they were all polite, she wondered which ones were because of her husband, which ones didn't care and which ones actually wanted to be friendly.

She and Eliza had learned a strange lesson in human behavior when they met John... their John, formerly of the Klan... their John, who could have been killed protecting Eliza... their John, who adopted three colored children because he loved their mother.

By two o'clock, she was tired, hungry and wishing she had brought something to eat. Should have brought some of those chocolate kisses, she thought. She had lost her husband hours ago to some information that had all the people there anxious. No wonder, she realized, when he did come home to her, he was so tired and restless at the same time. She wanted to go home where the world made sense.

A tap on her shoulder turned her around. "Mrs. Ewart, would you like something to eat?" It was Agnes, her husband's clerk, secretary... something like that. Oh, God, what if SHE would have been the one he was having an affair with? She certainly was pretty in a 'girl-next-door kind of way... her thoughts depressed her.

Why was she thinking these thought? She knew... she just KNEW he wasn't doing anything and yet these thoughts still rattled around her mind.

"Please." Thank God, she thought. How could they go so long without food?

The lieutenant opened the refrigerator, took out four sandwiches and a couple of cokes and they went outside to a picnic table shaded by another huge banyan.

"Well?" the woman asked.

"Well, what?" Bethany replied, a little harshly, she quickly realized. She took another bite of her tuna sandwich, wondering if she should apologize but the young woman, a girl, actually, didn't seem to notice.

Agnes pointed to the nearby building. "All this... he didn't really tell you, did he?"

Bethany sipped her Coke and set the bottle down. "No... I really had no idea."

"You know, he couldn't have. He's wanted you to know for a long time and now, he needs you to know..." Agnes' voice wavered and then disappeared.

"He asked me to speak with you. He thought that you... I'm sorry, I can't do this. You're going to have to speak with him about it. All I'll say is that... ah, forget I ever said anything."

Bethany didn't know why she said the next thing but once it was out, there was to no taking it back. It had to be fatigue or worry or desperation or maybe all three.

"I thought he was having an affair, you know... that he didn't care... that he had someone here... someone like you."

Agnes blushed bright cherry red. How did Bethany know of her desire to take him to bed? Was it that obvious? Did she really have a 'father' fixation as one friend said? ...or was she just entranced by his manner and intelligence?

Sadly, she knew there was never a chance and should date others but after meeting him, the others were just boys pretending to be men.

Bethany put her hands to her face and lowered her head. "I'm sorry; I don't know why I'm telling you this... I shouldn't have..."

"Mrs. Ewart, he loves you. That's why he broke... that's why WE ALL broke the rules, that night and today.

"You are all he talks about when we're... well, I can't tell you... well, when we're taking a break, anyhow."

"Please, call me Bethany. After this, I don't see how you could do anything else."

"Bethany Rose... that's a beautiful name. Yes, I know your full name... like I said, you're the world to him... and he's been sleeping in his office when he's here.

"There is NO OTHER WOMAN." Agnes cried inside, knowing that her yearning, her want, her need for him would never be fulfilled, not as long as Bethany Rose was there for him.

"The other day, he insisted we come with him. I don't know if he originally intended to tell you or not, but he told us he wanted to give us a break away from here.

"You have a very nice family..."

Bethany could feel the woman's hesitation. "You're surprised he married a colored woman, aren't you?"

Several long, excruciating moments passed taking a million wild thoughts with them. Why now, Agnes asked herself, why meet the woman of his affection who she would never supplant in his heart.

"Frankly, yes. It just..." She was at a loss for words that wouldn't ruin her career.

"Isn't done?" Bethany said. She took another sip of her cola.

"Well..." the woman squirmed a little on the picnic bench. "Well, yes, you know...

"I'm sorry, I must sound so stupid."

"He never said anything? ...about me being colored?"

"No, he just said you were one of the two most beautiful and kindest women he's ever loved... we were surprised that evening... I'm sorry.

"I don't think it ever occurred to him to mention it."

Bethany knew immediately who the other woman was in her husband's heart; she felt nothing but a gentle sadness for Catherine. She, herself, was the one that hung the photo of his first family on the wall, a constant reminder of what was and what is.

She looked at the younger woman who was so red-faced in embarrassment and nervousness.

"Are you OK, now? With it, I mean?"

"After that night, whatever notions I had about..."

"Colored people?"

"Uh, yes, I guess, colored people... well, they mostly went away.

"You and your sister are really the only ones I've ever actually spoken to. God, I'm so embarrassed."

Silence hung in the humid air.

"Damn, I wish I could just crawl away.

"Bethany Rose, could we start over?"

Bethany looked at the nervous, young woman. If change was going to take place, somehow, it had to start like this; anything else was doomed to failure and only bring grief to everyone.

Even so, she wasn't out to change the world, just her little corner of it.