Secrets, Secrets, and… More to Come!!!

This is a continued part to the story "Secrets" (Submitted previously for Contest #331).

I continued to listen to Kalissa, in Spanish, telling her mother more about this mysterious Kevin, the apparent father of Baby No. 2. He was the husband of a former patient of hers at St. John’s Health Center, a woman named Sharla, who’d died from ovarian cancer back in March—four months ago. Sometime in the weeks that followed, Kalissa kept him company as he processed the grief, since he and Sharla had a daughter of their own—a nine-year-old girl, Roberta.

As she spoke, I started remembering all the times when Justin had told me Kalissa had been working very late and was barely home at all to tend to Ryleigh. I never noticed how much of a distance there’d been between them. Justin was an accountant, but he always made time to be there for Ryleigh and take care of the home. We never knew what Kalissa was up to or where she’d been. And now, this explained everything.

Kevin… A poor guy who’d lost his wife, and Kalissa had a hell of a nerve to prey on his grief by striking up an affair with him and ending up pregnant with his child. His baby. Not Justin’s.

There was a moment of silence, as if Kalissa was listening to her mother’s advice before she tearfully replied, “No sé qué se supone que debo hacer ahora, Mamá. La boda se acerca pronto y no puedo decírselo a Justin antes de esa fecha. Simplemente le romperá el corazón.”

(I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now, Mom. The wedding is coming up soon, and I can’t tell Justin before then. It’ll just break his heart).

I shook my head in disgust. She’s sure as hell damn right about THAT!

“No creo que Mary-Jane lo sepa todavía. Ella ni siquiera sospecha nada, y probablemente sea mejor así por ahora.”

(I don't think Mary-Jane knows yet. She doesn’t even suspect anything, and it’s probably better off that way for now.)

My face turned warm and red. Did this bitch seriously think I’d keep this dirty little secret for her? Hell, no!

I listened for a few more seconds as she told her mother about going to the spa pool as a great way to lower her blood pressure during the pregnancy before returning to my room. I’ve heard just about enough for one morning, and I felt a sudden sickness in my stomach. This can’t possibly be happening! Not right now.

She was wrong to assume I “didn’t” suspect anything. The moment she opened up her big mouth, thinking that no one else was around to listen in on her private conversation… She’d just put a huge target on her back. I understood Spanish very well, more than she even realized. Kalissa Rodriguez-Howard was a disgusting excuse for a mother, wife, and human being.

I didn’t feel like going to the spa anymore. Donna, Margo, and the others might hate me for this, but I hoped they’d understand. I wasn’t in the mood to hang out with anyone for now. You know what would make me feel better? Blogging. I just needed to let it all out.

For the next hour-and-a-half, I kept myself busy by writing on WordPress while hoping that my emotional words resonated with someone out there, at least one person. I needed an online community, and blogging was what I did best. No one, not even Donna, would ever understand. She’s too caught up in the joys of wedding planning, so she’d never notice anything I was going through.

I kept my phone on silent to avoid calls and messages, even as I blogged. I wanted no distractions, and it’s better that way.

Until a knock on the door changed things…

“It’s me, Donna!” she called out.

I sighed, realizing I had no choice but to answer her. “Hey, what’s up?” I gave her a small smile as she walked in.

“M.J., what’s going on?” She gave me a concerned look. “We were supposed to go to the spa over an hour ago! Margo and the others have decided to go on their own without us, but I wanted us both to do our facials together.” She held my hand. “Is everything okay? We’ve left you about a dozen calls and messages with no response.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said softly. “My phone’s on silent. I wasn’t sure if I felt like going to the spa anymore. I… I’m feeling a little under the weather.”

“Do you have a fever or something?”

I shook my head. “Nothing serious like that… Just a slight pain in the stomach, I guess. I’d rather be alone for a while, if you don’t mind.”

“Hey.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “M.J., you know you can tell me anything that’s on your mind and I won’t judge you. Right?”

I nodded. “I totally understand. Whatever my woes, I wouldn’t wanna burden you with them while you and Ethan are supposed to enjoy your special week together.”

She gave me a hug. “M.J., I’d never consider you to be a burden! You know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know.” I smiled as a tear slowly ran down my eye.

She smiled, though there’s a small hint of sadness or disappointment in her eyes. “You’re welcome to be alone if you want, but if you ever get hungry later and just wanna grab a bite somewhere, feel free to hit me up. I’ll still be here for you, whatever you need, M.J.. We’ll both spend quality time together.”

“I’ll let you know, Donna.” We gave each other another hug before she left.

___

At Harding’s Beach, I bought a hot dog and an ice cream from the food trucks in the parking lot for a nice snack while reading my book on the chair. I wasn’t much of a swimmer—well, at least not a great one, anyway—so I completely avoided the water. By the time I arrived at the beach, it was a little after 3:00 in the afternoon, temperatures in the late 80s complementing the warm water and slight breeze.

Donna wasn’t here with me, but that’s okay, because she was hanging out with Margo and the others at a nearby mall downtown. I’d have joined them, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in a socializing mood after discovering Kalissa’s betrayal.

And speaking of…

Here she was, casually strolling around the shore in a black maternity swimsuit, acting as if she didn’t give a damn that others were staring or whispering. She didn’t even see me yet, but I definitely saw her. I saw her all right.

Crap. My ice cream started melting, just when I was this close to finishing it. Leaving my book on the chair, I got up to throw the ice cream cone out in the bin and on my way back, I caught a glimpse of Kalissa staring at me, running up to me.

“Hey, Mary-Jane.” She called out to me, waving.

Trying to ignore her, I sat back on the chair, picked up my book and continued reading. I had nothing to say to her.

She came up to me and tapped me gently on the shoulder. “I haven’t seen you all day, Mary-Jane.” She gave me a friendly smile. “I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”

“In case you’re blind or haven’t noticed, I’m reading my book.” My tone icy, I showed her the book, emphasizing that she should leave me alone.

“What’s wrong?” She looked concerned. “Are you feeling okay?”

Reluctantly, I took off my sunglasses and placed them in the middle of my swimsuit, then faced her. “I’m fine. I’m a little busy with my reading, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to it now.”

“Well, you’re obviously upset about something.” She shrugged casually. “You were in such a great mood yesterday.”

“Yeah. Well, that was then and this is now,” I snapped. “Twenty-four hours ago, I didn’t have to worry about how you have the hell of a nerve to do what you just did to my family, Kalissa.”

Baffled, she asked, “I don’t understand… What did I do?”

Just then, I heard excited, laughing male voices—Ethan, Calvin, and the rest of the groomsmen all ran into the water together, jumping in at the same time. I sighed, realizing that it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Calvin here. After all, wherever the hell Ethan was, he’s bound to be there too. I tried not to get too distracted by how hot he looked shirtless and in his swimming trunks.

But at least they didn’t notice me yet; the beach tended to be moderately crowded during the day. So, it’s amazing how Kalissa could notice me from such a far distance, even with this many people around.

I shook my head. “I don’t wanna talk about it right now. I’d like to get back to my book, if that’s not an issue for you.”

When the crowded area by my side subsided, Kalissa placed her beach mat on the sand next to my chair and sat on it, facing me. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s on your mind right now, M.J.,” she said softly.

I scoffed. “M.J…. You don’t get to call me that anymore. How could you?”

She raised her eyebrows. “How could I what?”

“Please, don’t even pretend you don’t know,” I snapped, then lowered my voice. “Are you seriously pregnant with another man’s baby? You’ve been having an affair behind Justin’s back?!”

Kalissa was speechless for a moment, as if trying to process the fact that I’d just caught her in the biggest lie of her life, then took a deep breath. “H-how did you…”

“You’re welcome. I understand Spanish very well. Much better than you realize. Donna and I took two years of it back in high school, followed by another two years of Italian.”

Her face looked as if it’s been drained of color. “Wait, so in my room earlier today… You happened to overhear my personal phone conversation with my mother?”

She’s acting as if I deliberately eavesdropped on her phone conversation, while she didn’t make herself too subtle by mentioning my name, saying that it was “better” that I didn’t know or suspect anything. Like I said before, she’d put an instant target on her back. I would let Justin know, no matter what. He’s my brother, for crying out loud! She didn’t deserve to keep something like this a secret from him, her own husband and father of her only child.

“Yeah, I did.” I nodded. “You weren’t exactly subtle, you know.”

She moved her mat a little closer to my chair. “Maybe we should talk about this more privately somewhere else. Follow me.”

Reluctantly, I got my book and followed her across the beach to a more private area, farther away from Ethan and the groomsmen and the rest of the general crowd—close to the front of the lighthouse. A moderate enough proximity to not disturb other tourists planning to visit the house, take pictures and the usual.

“So, how much did you hear?” she asked, gently placing her beach mat on the ground.

“Everything up to the point where you said you’re going to the spa pool as a way to relieve your blood pressure during the pregnancy.”

“Yeah, it’s been a little high lately, since I first found out I was pregnant.” She sighed. “But I need you to understand, Hermana—I feel bad every day for what I’ve done to Justin.”

I placed my book on top of her mat and rolled my eyes. “Yeah, you should feel bad! My brother, the man of the family who’s been working very hard to provide for his home, and you’re trying to justify it by having an emotional affair with a dead woman’s husband… A dead woman who just so happened to be a former patient of yours. What, you couldn’t keep it in your pants long enough to do your damn job without breaking your professional code of ethics or whatever by screwing the very man who’d just lost his wife to cancer? What was it, an ‘emotional affair’, as you guys like to call it?” I put air quotes. “Did you ever really love this other guy at all?”

She sighed. “No, I never really had any feelings for Kevin like that.”

I raised my voice. “I asked if you loved him! More than my brother.”

“M.J…” She started.

“Don’t fucking call me M.J.!” I shouted. “You don’t get to call me that anymore! You’re a traitor to me and my family.” A tear fell down my face as I whispered, “Just Mary-Jane for now. No more M.J., not from you. You are the worst sister-in-law in the world!”

A few tears ran down her face. “Mary-Jane, I-I want you to know… I never really loved Kevin, at least not like that. I hate to admit it, but yeah. Things did get out-of-control between us, and it’s all because of me. I was the one who blurred professional lines by getting too close with the loved one of a patient instead of just doing my job. I was supposed to keep things strictly professional between Kevin and me, but…”

She took a deep breath before saying the next part aloud. “I was the one who took things too far. Kevin is totally innocent in all of this, that I can assure you. I took advantage of him during his most vulnerable moment of having lost his wife, the mother of his child. He didn’t even ask for this. Please believe me, Sis. We both agreed it was wrong and he shouldn’t have made that impulsive decision while grieving Sharla. You believe me, don’t you?”

I picked up my book and turned my back to her. I didn’t know what I was supposed to believe. She had many opportunities to make the right choice, but in the end, she chose to betray Justin.

Worst of all, Ryleigh too. My little niece was under the impression that Mommy would give her a little brother or sister. But that wasn’t the case, though.

Kalissa’s actions were unforgivable. That’s all I knew for sure.