Chapter 18- Robustness #2
Fifteen minutes later, they came down the stairs, dressed and ready to roll.
Yunior passed Micah a second set of keys, the codes for the home in Aruba, and told his little brother to have a great time.
Hugs and kisses went to the couple from family and friends as they made their way to the door.
Micah would drive the new vehicle to the Airstrip and retrieve it when they returned in four days.
It was all they had time for on the honeymoon.
At the door, Eduardo waited to see his son off. “Mijo, do you need anything? Are you well?”
“I am, Papa,” Micah said, leaning into Eduardo lowering his voice, “but you are going to need to get some more papayas because this man has gone through them, only to discover that perhaps, I seriously might enjoy being a messy eater.”
Micah burst into laughter along with Eduardo.
Onlookers gawked at the father and son sharing a moment of levity as they bumped fists.
It was out of character for Eduardo to show affection in the presence of others, but he embraced his son, hugging him tightly before letting him go.
He stood in the doorway watching them drive off to the airfield.
They would arrive in Aruba an hour after takeoff.
Eduardo smiled, thinking it would be a very interesting hour since Micah had wanted the plane and not the helicopter. He looked at his eldest son, who also shook his head. They both laughed, thinking they knew Micah all too well.
So did his bride.
****
IT TOOK LESS THAN SEVEN minutes to get the plane in the air, shortening the time from takeoff to landing.
Micah asked Juliana to ask the pilots to take it slow on the flight since there was no rush.
As soon as they cleared the airspace and reached a cruising altitude, Micah stood, extending his hand to his bride.
“Now? Here?”
“Mile High Club,” he said with a wink.
“We don't want to wait until we have a b...bed?”
“We have a bed, and I have waited damned near forever for this moment,” he said.
“Living beside you, working beside you, inhaling the sweet scent of your skin but not being able to touch you.
..I'm over it. I'm touching you, Alita. I'm holding you close.
I'm inhaling the essence of you and listening to the sound of your breathing as I connect us as man and wife. Are you not ready to make the sweet love with me?”
“Well, when you put it like that, I sure am,” she said, bounding to her feet and taking his hand.
He led her to the bedroom on the plane; a queen-size bed jammed into a tight space that offered comfort when overnight travel was needed. She'd never slept in the bed and wasn't sure that today would be the place or the time, but she wanted to be with Micah.
The first kiss was tentative. He sat at the foot of the bed, slowly undressing his bride.
Gentle kisses went to her belly and the tops of her breasts while she stood in front of him in lacy black undies.
He fingered the lace. Calloused hands slid down her arms, stopping when he felt a bump under the skin.
“Qué es esto?” he asked, running his finger over the bump.
Alita blushed. “The Lady of the Lands set me an appointment with Father Julio to discuss scheduling, travel, us attending Uni, hormonal imbalances, regulation, or girl stuff.
As our spiritual leader, he okayed me to see a doctor to get something for hormonal regulation, especially since your work, our work, and countries depend on your research.
Father Julio didn't want us to be distracted from the important work we have ahead.”
Micah blinked several times. “Still doesn't tell me what it is?”
She sighed. “The Lady of the Lands had Doctor Jonas pay me a visit after I spoke with Father Julio and the wedding date was set. The device helps with hormonal regulation and for health purposes is okay with our faith.”
“So, birth control?”
“Hormonal regulation,” she corrected. “We are practicing Catholics. Birth control is not sanctioned by the Church. I mean we will do natural methods as well, but this will regulate my hormones.”
“Does he have something to regulate mine because my wife, I have a hearty appetite,” he said, “and I like me some freaky.”
“What freaky shit, Micah? You get the willies cleaning out your belly button. So, husband, you might have to ease me into the nasty stuff?”
“I'm going to ease you into a lot of things, starting with this bed,” he said, gently pulling her onto the mattress.
Micah took his time, exploring her body, bringing her to the party, and igniting her passion.
She cried as he broke through the hymen, clinging to him, wanting the pain to stop, but he held firm, moving gently, until the discomfort lessened.
Leisurely pleasuring her body until she caught up with him, he planted fervent kisses along her jawline, capturing her mouth, over and over increasing her desire as they traveled the journey together.
He whispered words of encouragement and praise to her as he brought them to a lusty finish and held her close.
“Okay, and wow,” she said breathlessly, leaning her head against his chest.
“Sorry, time constraints made it a little rushed, but it will be better the next time,” he said, kissing her with a deep passion. He pulled her into his arms, holding her like he’d always desired. A kiss, light, feathery, landed on her forehead.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“That thing with the papaya you were doing, was that to learn how to do what you did to me? I mean, was that your first time, you know, sorry,” she said, feeling embarrassed.
He exhaled. “Either I was very good at my first attempt or really terrible, either way, keep it to yourself.”
He laughed as the tap came to the door.
“I love that you wanted to learn how to make our time together good for me. You put your mouth on me,” Alita said. “It was very enjoyable.”
“Considering the first time I got you there, you were still wearing your panties, so, yeah, you can shut up,” he told her, laughing.
“Micah, we're going to be okay,” she told him, trying to pull herself up off the bed. Her back and thighs could feel the beginning of a soreness that more than likely wouldn’t soon leave. “Let's prepare to land.”
The landing went smoothly, and a car awaited them on the tarmac to take them to the little three-bedroom home Yunior had built in Aruba in Oranjestad.
The property was within walking distance of the beach and his brother enjoyed taking his children to play at the water’s edge.
Yunior also had a Jeep in the garage they could use while they were there.
At the doorway, Micah carried Alita over the threshold and checked his watch.
On the floor near the door was a basket with a blanket.
He grabbed it encouraging his bride to hurry.
She didn't know what the hurry was or why, but she followed him down the path to the beach where he spread out the blanket on fine, white, powdery sand.
Snacks, wine, and cheeses came from the basket and a small music player.
He said nothing as she took a seat. Her eyes looked out over the clear blue waters and noticed the sun beginning its descent to end the day.
Tears formed as she recalled telling him this is what she wanted to do one day: sit on a beach in Aruba, with a glass of wine, her favorite cheese and her mother’s cocadas, and watch the sunset.
He mulled over his father’s words, who once described him as a conundrum wrapped in a dark cloth of complexities.
In the past four years, he'd learned he wasn't broken but simply wired differently and deserving to be loved not only for who he was, but how he was.
Micah Delgado, now a married man at 18 heading to Uni in the next two weeks, he had an amazing flat, contracts to work on, and a life to live that required him to think outside of the box.
“Alita, I told my father a few months prior, I am not a man with a traditional mind, and those young women are not prepared to live a life with me as their man, husband, and father to their children. I see you as my partner, my equal, and now my love,” he said.
“I am eager to begin our new journey in life together.”
“Our journey in life together started four years ago at the kitchen table at your grandmother's home,” she said. “Now, we begin a fresh chapter. I am excited too, because now, I get to tell you every day how much I love you.”
“And I get to kiss you often and say how beautiful you are to me,” he said. “I love you, Alita, and we will have a good life.”
“Yes, we will, and just to let you know, I have on me my guns and my knives,” she said. “Before I was protecting my boss. Now, I'm protecting my man.”
His eyebrow arched at the new label, “Your man?”
“My man, Micah Delgado,” she said, leaning in for a kiss. “My man.”
“Your man is happy as hell, and if I had the emotional wheelhouse to say something clever here, I would.”
“Simply say what is on your mind and in your heart.”
“Shit, I feel lucky as hell. I feel like I won the lottery and I get to be happy with the woman I chose. I chose. I love that,” he said, offering a smile.
An unusual moment happened next. His cell phone rang.
Micah looked down at the phone, uncertain of who was calling, knowing it was his wedding day.
He took the call, saying little but offering a grunt.
Alita watched his face as he listened to the rapid Spanish in the line. He showed no emotion as he listened.
“Good enough,” he said ending the call.
“Everything okay?”
“That was cousin Ignacio, Tio Pablo de la Marta’s grandson,” Micah said. “He was recently matched with one of the Role Bolsonaro’s nieces in Brazil. You met them at Tio Carlos’ wedding. The match came after the ceremony. They are attending Uni in Bogotá as well.”
Alita was interested to know, “Meaning what exactly?”
“They wanted to know if we were interested in having dinner with them next week and maybe playing games over at their place,” Micah said.
“Like, getting together with friends...to play cards, and have dinner?”
“Yeah, since he’s my cousin, he is relatively safe to hang out with, even though Tio Pablo is insane,” Micah said, looking at her. “I am not drinking any Guaro, just to let you know.”
“There is so much to unpack, as your father says. Technically, Igancio’s kids are going to be cousins with his already cousin Carlos’ kids. It’s almost incestuous.” She burst into laughter. “Our first get-together as husband and wife. Interesting.”
“To say the least,” he said, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.
“Tio Pablo’s parents are second or third cousins, which could perhaps explain the man being undiagnosed and insane.
Papa broke the marriage rules within the same country's norm for the cartel. Abuela accepted Diadra because she brought fresh blood to the family. Perhaps it is why my father readily agreed to us as well. Either way, we have another couple to spend time with when we are free.”
Alita saw a bigger picture and an opening to add an element to their life at a pace that would not overwhelm Micah, but give him something to look forward to.
Casually she threw it out there and waited for him to think it over.
“Maybe, during our first academic break, we can ask them to come with us to the Falklands to take pictures of penguins. You could ask your Abuela to use the yacht to sail from Ushuaia?”
“If she’s speaking to me,” he mumbled.
“You didn’t marry that girl and tie her family line to Martín Rossi,” Alita said. “That act alone will get you points with her, but we have time.”
“Perhaps,” he said. “As my wife, per cartel rules, you must also wear my ink. It must be scheduled as soon as we return to begin the process.”
“I don’t see any ink on the Lady of the Lands,” Alita said.
“You also rarely see her legs uncovered,” Micah replied.
“Really,” she said, looking over at him. “Do I have a say in how much I have to wear?”
“Not really, but it should not be visible to the eye. No man, other than your husband should see the ink. Any other man who knows the location of my viper on your flesh will meet an instant death, as well as you,” he said. “We shall figure it out. Right now, I’m simply content. I feel...good.”
She paused for a moment, her knees bent, well-toned arms encircling her legs. Softly, she inquired, “I haven’t seen Diadra’s ink. Does she wear the Bocaraca on her skin?”
“She does,” he replied.
Alita looked out over the blue water. In her mind, she went over the minor details no one ever discussed, but noticed.
At Las Tierras, during family time, she thought of the Fer de Lance and his wife.
When the lady of the Lands sat near him, his hand always rested on her leg.
Then she thought of Yunior. When Diadra was close by, his hand would automatically come to the small of her back.
Zeta, Yunior’s assistant, and right hand, bore the eyelash viper, befittingly, on her right hand, in plain sight.
The tattoo on her hand let others in the cartel know whom she worked for and that the young woman was off-limits.
Recently, Yunior matched Zeta with the son of the farrier at Perona de la Mar. She would marry within the next year.
All in all, it wasn’t such a bad way of life.
She was protected. Alita felt protected and cared for as well.
Then she realized that the ink of The Bushmaster, the placement would be determined by her husband.
His hand slid from her shoulder, slowly down her back to rest on her butt cheek. She blushed.
“Your ink is going on my butt, isn’t it?”
“It is my favorite part of your body,” he added, giving her bottom a light tap.
Micah looked at his bride. He leaned in for a kiss, surprised at how natural it felt.
She smelled so pretty and looked lovely, glowing, radiant from her first time making love with him, even if he had to say so himself.
He had a lifetime to learn to love her properly, and he had every intention of doing just that.
“This is going to be good. Very, very good.”
The sun set on the horizon as he sat holding his wife and thinking of all the wonderful things they would do in the coming years.
A smile stayed on his face over the next four days, and they played in the kitchen making their first meals with Micah washing dishes and figuring out how to make his own bed.
It wasn’t much, but the start of a beautiful life and the closing of a chapter.
Micah Delgado was at peace.
Well, at least for now.
-The End
THANK YOU FOR YOUR trust in closing out this series. When we first met Micah, he was nearly 9 years old, and in the past ten years, you have read along as he has grown into the man you read about today.