Green Stone Ring Read online

  As the line got shorter, another helper came to relieve Gini.

  Ric came to her side. “Ms. Quinley has requested for you to go in the back for the special needs children.”

  He took her hand and felt the ring on her finger. She hadn’t worn it for a while. When he lifted her hand to look at it, she quickly took it away and gave him a look he hadn’t seen before. Ric got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  In the other room, there were five children in wheelchairs. Ms. Quinley motioned for Gini to come to her.

  Ric stood back with his hands clasped in front of him. She must have heard something from Franco, he thought. Is he coming home? Ric was in love with Gini. He cherished every moment they were together. Franco would mess up everything if he came home. He rubbed his chin. As much as he tried to push the thought out of his mind, he was well aware Franco was her husband, and he shouldn’t be stealing his best friend’s wife.

  Gini knelt next to the first child. He had cerebral palsy. His body constantly moved, and saliva ran from his mouth when he tried to smile.

  “What do you want from Santa?” she asked.

  The boy mumbled something. Gini softly brushed her hand from his cheek to his ear. “You are so precious. You have been very good this year.” The boy tried to smile again.

  “Ho, ho, ho.” The man in the red suit entered the room. All the children’s faces lit up.

  Gini picked up each gift and gave it to Santa to give to the patiently waiting recipients. The last little girl was in a pretty red dress. She had spina bifida.

  “We’re twins,” she said to Gini with a cute, squeaky voice. “You’re so beautiful.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re the beautiful one.”

  “I like your hat.”

  Gini looked at Elaina. She nodded her head with approval. Gini took the hat off and placed it on top of the golden ringlets of the sweet child. “Now, it’s yours.”

  The girl giggled with excitement. With Gini’s help, she got out of the chair. Walking with braces on her legs, she leaned forward and hugged Gini.

  Gini rubbed her shoulders. “Always remember how beautiful you are.”

  A camera flash went off. Ms. Quinley walked over and hugged the two. Another flash.

  Ric looked over at Betty wiping her eyes and smiled.

  After the touching moment, Santa and Mrs. Claus took pictures with the families.

  Ric walked up to Gini.

  “Aren’t they just the greatest kids?” she asked.

  “Yes, they are. Listen, Gins, I’ve got to get going. Another party, you know.”

  “Okay.” She continued looking at the photo shoots.

  “I’ll be late.”

  “Ric…” She looked at him and paused. “Maybe you shouldn’t stay at my place tonight.”

  He took in a deep breath. “Okay, sweets.” He pulled her close and squeezed her—her body stiffened.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll talk,” he said.

  She pulled back and forced a slight smile.

  “Ms. Anderson,” Randall bellowed out. “Come get in the picture. We need Santa’s helper.”

  Ric slowly let go of her hand as she walked away from him.

  Monday morning when Gini woke up, her body felt strange. Her legs and arms seemed to weigh a ton. A familiar feeling lately. She finally made her way to the bathroom and drank some water. That seemed to help in the past.

  Her PET spoke.

  “Text, Ric Santini.”

  She asked it to read.

  “Gins, yesterday was great. You’re right, those kids’ smiles were amazing. I have some time this afternoon. I’d love to see you.”

  Why did she feel so bad? She hadn’t partied. Okay, it was a busy weekend, but she shouldn’t be so tired.

  She commanded it to answer, “Ah, ish.” She had a hard time speaking. “Not today, sorry.”

  She threw her head back on the pillow, exhausted.

  Ric immediately read her message. “a~, s^*.”

  What? he thought.

  “Not today, sorry.”

  He shook his head. Something had happened. He looked up. No, please, it cannot be over.

  Gini finally got herself to the kitchen and ate. Slowly she started to feel better, at least not so tired.

  Tuesday Gini and Catherine were working on reports and getting ready to follow the voting intent of the House. Ric was busy all day. This was the last week of parties before Christmas.

  On Wednesday, he called her. “Sweets, I need to know if I have done something to upset you.”

  “No, Ric. I…” She let out a breath.

  “I don’t have anything going on tonight. Let me come over. I won’t spend the night. I just want to see you.”

  “Ric.” There was silence.

  “I know, sweets, I know. We’ll talk.”

  She agreed. He parked in front and let Howard show him up. When she showed him in, both of their phones lit up. Gini’s call was from Cindy, and his, a text from James. They both said almost in unison, “I have to take this.” She went into the dining room, and Ric to the living room.

  The two sisters had talked frequently. Mama was having a bad day. The doctors thought that she was just fatigued and gave her an IV where she lived.

  “Dwayne and I think they should check Mama into the hospital and find out for sure she’s okay,” Cindy said with concern. “What do you think, Gini?”

  “I think the staff at the senior community will take good care of her. I’ll call there tomorrow and talk to her nurse and then call her doctor. Don’t worry, Cindy, she’s in good hands.”

  “I know. You know me, I worry about everything and…”

  “And what?”

  “As I told you, Neil is having problems with his knee. Oh, I guess I’m just tired.”

  “Get some rest.”

  “I will. Love you, baby sister.”

  Gini sat on a dining room chair with one of her knees up to her chin. Had she said the right thing? Should they trust the staff at her mom’s place?

  She could see Ric pacing in the living room. The two rooms were divided by the wide fireplace and short wall. He was running his fingers through his hair over and over.

  “We have a contract and have had it for months. They can’t take that room away from us. I know… Okay, I’ll take care of it… No, you have other things to take care of tomorrow. I’ll go and straighten this out.”

  Gini went into the kitchen and got a drink of water. With her head down, she walked out, then stopped abruptly, almost running into him walking toward her. She set the water on the counter and leaned into his body. She knew she shouldn’t, but she was so tired. So tired of the worry and indecision of what to do. He held her close to him; his arms wrapped tight around her. His right hand went under her sweater and rubbed the small of her back. His other hand cupped the back of her head. The backrub felt good. His right hand slowly journeyed down between the gap of her blue jeans waistband and her soft skin, the long piano-player-like fingers reaching to her buttocks. As the fingers went further, one slipped between the cheeks separated by the string of the thong. She gasped. She reached back and grabbed his forearms to stop him from going any further. It was wrong. She was married.

  He took both of his hands to her waist. She continued to hold his arms. He reached up to unfasten her bra. At first, she pushed with resistance, and then, let her hands drop to her sides. The bra was released. She lay her head back. He leaned over and started kissing her. Their lips opened, touched and then merged into sexual kisses.

  He pulled his hands up, bringing her sweater with them. She raised her arms above her head. The sweater and bra were removed. He caressed her breasts, and they continued the squeezing of their lips, one kiss with his head to the right, the next from the left.

  He went to his knees. Her head followed his, now below hers. He unbuttoned the button on her jeans and lowered the zipper. With one hand motion, the jeans and thong went down. He laid her on the fl
oor. Her hands were cupped around her breasts, pushing up and squeezing and then releasing, pushing up again and down, over and over.

  He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, chin, neck, chest, continuing all the way down her body, her belly button, her abs, in search of her pleasure spot. She couldn’t stop him. Her body was so willing for his touch.

  She felt a tingling surge rise through her like a slow-moving bolt of lightning. She went to a wonderful place. A place where her whole body was smiling. A place where there was no right or wrong, no worry or fret. A place she wanted to stay forever.

  Her body elevated up and dropped down; she was not in control; she just let it all happen.

  He carefully caressed her ribs to her abs. She opened her eyes. He was on his knees to the side of her—fully dressed. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, pulling him to her.

  Ric once again found himself at her place every day. She hadn’t taken off the ring since the children’s Christmas party. The green stone loomed large on her finger, reminding both there was someone else in their relationship. Each time Gini looked at the ring, she was reminded of Franco, but the more time passed, the less guilt she felt. He had been a person important to both of them. But it didn’t stop their flesh touching or their bodies being joined as one. Their feelings were too strong; neither could deny the love felt for the other.

  Over the holiday weekend, they spent time at both of their houses. On Sunday, they went to the football party in Ric’s neighborhood. The whole afternoon they clung to each other, cheering on their team.

  Christmas morning, they awoke in his bed. The snow was gently falling outside the window. Gini didn’t want to get up. She snuggled her naked body up next to his. They would celebrate the holiday later.

  They exchanged their gifts; she gave him a stud and cufflink set to replace the ones she had lost, and he gave her a small ruby pin. After the gifts, they fixed a roasted duck with honey and orange marmalade sauce, stuffed with cranberries and apples. They also made wild rice, and green salad with olive oil and vinaigrette. The fireplace blasted out heat; candlelight glowed and soft music played. A nice quiet day they both deserved.

  Merry Christmas!

  Gini’s PET burst out after announcing a text from Catherine:

  Call me.

  On Tuesday morning, Gini put her phone on the breakfast bar on speaker. “Did you have a good holiday?”

  “Absolutely! How about you?”

  “Yes, it was quiet and nice. Ric and I stayed in bed until almost noon, then made a nice meal together.”

  “Ric! Honey, you and Ric are together?”

  There was silence for a few seconds. Gini took in a breath. “We are.” Silence again.

  “I saw all the pictures of you on the Globe website. Gini, you’re becoming a rock star.”

  “Hahaha. I’ll have to say the parties have been fun. Mr. Santini is quite the party animal.”

  “Ohh, you sound happy. I’m glad you’re having fun."

  Later that day Ric called to tell her about the party at the Westcotts’ on Saturday. It was an annual affair to watch the Patriots’ last regular season game, celebrate the year coming to an end, and this year Victor’s re-election. Just a few close friends.

  Saturday, she woke up feeling bad again. She tried as hard as she could to hide it from Ric, but he could see she was pale.

  “Are you okay, Gins?”

  She hugged him, and they walked to the kitchen. “Just hungry.”

  They took the morning slow and left for the Westcotts’ about two-thirty. As always, she enjoyed the warmth of the heated seats and the beautiful drive to the seaside town. There was a dusting of snow on everything, making the entire area look like a picture postcard.

  Gini was excited about going to the Westcotts’ home perched up on the cliffs overlooking the sea, but she was also a bit nervous, going as what would be perceived as Ric’s “girlfriend.” She knew he was close to Victor and Maria. What would they think about him being in a relationship with a married woman?

  When they arrived, the cars were parked about halfway down the long driveway that led to the house.

  “I’ll take you down and drop you off,” he said, not looking at her. He was concerned; she seemed to be under the weather but refused to confess that fact to him.

  “Ric! I can walk!” She looked at him and smiled. “I want to walk in this beautiful snow. I have on my super-duper weather boots.” She pointed to her feet.

  Maybe she was feeling okay.

  He parked, and they walked down holding hands. Every once in a while, she put her head back to collect snowflakes on her tongue. That was the Virginia Anderson he remembered in high school and college. When they got closer to the house, she started skipping.

  Just as they were stepping up to the door, Maria swung it open. “There you are.” She walked out and hugged him. “Get in this house.”

  The three of them stepped inside.

  “Maria, you know Virginia Anderson?”

  “Yes, of course, Ms. Anderson. Please, let me take your coats.”

  Gini went in and looked around. “What a great place. I love Rockport. You are so lucky to have a place here.”

  “Let me show you around,” Maria said after hanging up their coats. “Honey, the guys are in the family room watching football.”

  Ric kissed Gini on the cheek. “You go with Maria. I’ll see you after the tour.” She could feel herself blushing.

  Maria showed her around, ending up in the eating area. “We added on to the deck last summer.” There was a large fire pit with furniture scattered around. “We love sitting out there. DC is so intense sometimes.” She looked at Gini. “As you know. Coming here, we can completely decompress.”

  There was a large piece of land beyond the deck.

  “Is that all your land?”

  “We were lucky back during the downturn in New England and picked up this nice parcel of land.”

  The two went to where the partygoers were watching a game. To the right, was a large rock fireplace with a glowing fire. On the left, a big-screen TV hung out from the wall with seating in front. And straight across was a wall of windows looking out to the seacoast, today obscured by low clouds. Ric walked to Gini, and Victor to Maria.

  Gini immediately offered her hand to shake Victor’s. “Congratulations on your re-election. It really was no contest.”

  “Thank you. I never take anything for granted. I appreciate all my supporters. I’m very interested in your and Ms. White’s cause. Please, get in touch with my staff so we can talk.”

  Gini smiled, feeling good about his interest. Ric put his arm around her and squeezed.

  “Come on,” someone called from farther in the room. “The game’s starting.”

  The Patriots took charge quickly, with a score of 28 to 0 at the end of the first quarter.

  Gini’s phone vibrated. She and Ric were standing behind one of the couches. She held it up so he could see it was a text from Cindy.

  She walked over to the windows and started typing. He watched her body language.

  “Ric, she’s such a nice lady,” Maria said coming to his side. “You two look good together. I’m so happy you have found someone. Are you going to ask her to marry you?”

  He hugged her. “Maria, if I could, I would. There’s nothing I’d love more than to have her as my wife.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “She’s married.”

  “Maria,” Victor called from the kitchen. “Come, I need your help, please.”

  “Married?” she mouthed to Ric and then went to Victor.

  Ric walked to Gini. She had put the phone back in her pocket and was leaning on the wall, looking out the window.

  “Good news, I hope.”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “Mama is in the residents’ kitchen serving the sweet breads she baked this morning. She was just dehydrated. Once they replenished her fluids, she has been fine.”

  “Tha
t’s great.”

  “This is like heaven here.” She was still looking out the window. “I would never leave these windows if I lived here.”

  The game was no problem. The Patriots won the division and would have a week off before the first playoff game. Gini was quiet the rest of the day, staying close to Ric. About nine o’clock they headed back to her place. The snow had stopped, and the sky cleared. The stars shone brightly above them. She wanted to walk slowly up the driveway and take in all the beauty of nature. In only a few minutes, on the drive back, she fell asleep. He reached over and took her hand and twirled the ring with his fingers. God, he loved her more than ever.

  Wednesday morning, Ric was fixing breakfast. Gini walked toward the breakfast bar.

  “Oh!” She grabbed onto the bar edge and put her other hand to her face.

  “Gins!” He quickly grabbed her. She was pale. Her eyes looked dull and then rolled back as her body slid down his. He grabbed up her legs and took her to the couch.

  “Gini, what’s wrong?”

  She opened her eyes and looked at him. “I just felt a little faint.” She started to sit up but was too weak. “I think I’m just hungry.”

  “Don’t move; I’ll bring you something.”

  She slowly pulled herself up to a sitting position. He went into the kitchen, grabbed a banana and the glass of juice he had poured earlier.

  “Here, drink this.”

  She drank the OJ and took small bites of the banana. She smiled at him, her eyes brighter.

  “I’m okay, Ric. I’ve just been working a lot of hours and, well, I’ll have to admit, not eating right.”

  “You scared the hell out of me. I want you to go to the doctor.”

  “I’m fine, really.”

  “No, you have to promise me you will go to the doctor.”

  “Okay, Mr. Worrywart. It’s about time for my annual well-woman exam. I’ll call Dr. Linda Nelson and make an appointment.”

  He pulled her close to him. “I don’t know what I would do without you. Please take care of yourself.”

  “You’re sweet. I’m fine; I promise you.”

  After a few minutes, she went to the kitchen bar and ate her breakfast. Ric contacted her throughout the day to make sure she was okay.