Henry.
The disaster unfolded… again.
“I haven’t been with anyone else since the last time with you.” Damn, and more damn,” Anna shouted like a madwoman, pacing around the room. Thankfully, Jeremy went to kindergarten today, or this would have gotten worse.
“Can you listen and be quiet for two minutes?” I said, already irritated.
“No! I can’t!” She went straight to the bedroom and grabbed Jeremy’s backpack.
“What are you doing?” I was already exasperated; the woman doesn’t listen to me, she’s so stubborn.
“All of this was a mistake. We moved too fast. Damn, how stupid I was.”
“Anna, enough already. Calm down, sit, and listen-” Right at that moment, she threw a shirt in my face, and well, I reached my limit of stupidity.
She’s coming towards me, which makes the matter easier. I feel like a kid again doing this, but she’s acting like a child, so we’re even. I put her over my shoulder, and she started hitting. Honestly, I’m suffering, but I don’t let her see it. I put her in the bathroom and lock the door. I lock it and look for the camera she grabbed a few minutes ago to explain everything to her and shut her pretty mouth once and for all.
Half an hour ago.
“Did you say not to let Dave take it down?” Anna asked as soon as she entered the room.
I took Jeremy to kindergarten, and it was quite weird… All the mothers over thirty or less were looking at me, more or less drooling.
Jeremy held my hand the whole time, and when he entered his classroom, he greeted me with a hug. It was a new experience for me, and honestly, it was more than gratifying. As we grow up, everyone misses something, and not only did I miss Anna, but I also missed the boy who just a few minutes ago was in my arms, and that boy is my son. Damn, yes, he is my son.
“Baby, take it easy. Nothing will happen to him and if the asshole takes him away I’ll look for him and it won’t be just a conversation we’ll have,” I said, chastely kissing his lips.
“I just… I don’t want Jeremy to suffer anymore. He’s just a little boy Henry,” she says hugging me and resting her head on my chest.
“I know, Ann. We’ll do our best to make sure he doesn’t, okay? It’s just that sometimes… It can’t be helped,” I stroke her hair and kiss the top of her head.
“Are you hungry?” He asks, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“I answered with an idea in my mind.
“Well, come on. I made some pancakes that I’m sure you’re going to love…. -She began to pull away from me and I grabbed her waist to pull her closer to me again.
“But I’ve already thought of something. I’ve been wanting to eat it since I woke up,” I bent down a little to kiss her neck and moved my hand to get inside her shirt and touch her skin. I could feel him bristle instantly.
“Who tells you it’s on the menu?” His gasp told me that what I wanted was very much on the menu.
“Believe me, it is”
I kissed her and we moved slowly to the couch. Her lips are therapy for me. Her body is my deepest desire, every time I wake up until I close my eyes at night, anxious to return to the same ordeal of not being able to possess what I most desire until I have that little moment in the day when I can possess it as I really long for.
I fell on the couch and she on top of me. We kissed passionately and honestly, I was completely erect at this point. I started kissing her neck and removing her shirt as she pulled away from me just a little.
“What’s that?” She asked with heavy breath, pointing to the small closet next to the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
“Not like this, she can’t find out…”
She stands up and takes the device in her hands.
“That… That is… ” I start stammering like an idiot.
“A professional camera” she finishes.
“Yes… “She starts to turn it on, and I wonder why the hell I decided to charge the damn battery last night “Wait, Anna.”
From the growing anger in her face, I can tell she’s looking at the photos.
“Listen to me before you start acting crazy” I say, approaching her, but as expected, she moves abruptly towards the kitchen. I follow her.
“Crazy? Crazy… You’re a damn lying piece of shit! ” She says, still looking at the photos and turning her back to me.
Damn it, I messed up.
Now.
“Henry, open the door! “She screams hysterically, and I search for my laptop as well. When I find what I was looking for on it, I go straight to open the door, and when I do, Anna is no longer pounding the door but standing beside it, kneeling and crying.
“Why do you lie to me?” she says between sobs, not looking at me.
“Love, listen to me, please. I… I do this for a living. This is my job. I’m a photographer.”
I didn’t want her to know because I knew she wouldn’t like it. Taking pictures of models in underwear or only covered with a simple cloth that didn’t leave much to the imagination… It was obvious she wouldn’t like it.
“Porn? It was full of pictures of half-naked women!”
“I’ve always enjoyed taking photos. It’s something I’m passionate about since… you came into my life. The first time you stayed over at my apartment during college, I took pictures of you with an old camera I had stored, and not because I’m a stalker… Well, sometimes I am, but that’s not the point. I took pictures of you because you inspire me, and being able to capture images of this was magical. So every time you were asleep, I stole a bit of your beauty just for myself, to remember it when you weren’t around or whatever. One of those photos ended up in a photography contest in England. Remember Sarah? The girl you got jealous of that day at your house?”
“I wasn’t jealous,” she starts wiping her eyes and involuntarily pouts.
“Your shocked face said otherwise.”
“What’s the point?” She gets irritated quickly.
“The point is that this woman is very important in my life. She’s one of the best things that ever happened to me, and… she’s 69 years old,” Anna laughs without much humor.
“Now you’re into older women, huh?”
“Well… I’m with you, Ann. It’s obvious that I’m into older ones now.”
“Die!” She hits my shoulder, and I pretend to be hurt. Then I kiss her forehead, and she pushes me away immediately.
“You’re beautiful.”
“Keep explaining.”
“Well… She’s the woman who takes care of my house in England. She needed a job, and I gave it to her, but she still didn’t have the same money as before and needed urgent work. So, she proposed the idea of photography, and I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to photograph anyone other than you. You came along with my passion… She dared to submit one of your photos to a contest, and I won. I worked for a long time with a perfume company, and every damn photo of a woman you see on that camera, they’re actually yours. I pictured you instead of them. And look at this.” I showed her the computer screen. It’s the brand of a perfume alongside a model. “Does this brand look familiar to you?”
“Yes.”
“I took the photo of the model.”
“This is… wow.” She looks at me, confused, as if there’s a darker explanation beyond what I’m telling her. But no, there isn’t.
“I know. Sarah wanted me to do this to get back to you. To have a job that could support you and such. I never thought I’d do it, but then Alison came, and things changed.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Would you have liked it if I told you that I take almost naked photos of women?”
“Well… Maybe…” I give her a questioning look. “Okay, no.”
“I’ve never been with any of them. I only wanted you, darling.” I set aside the things in my hands and embrace her. She doesn’t push me away.
“I like it when you call me that.”
“Darling?” She nods. “I’ll say it more often.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers and kisses my neck. Goosebumps form on my skin.
“I would’ve gone crazy too if I found out the same as you.”
And it’s the truth. If it had been her, I would’ve searched for every man I photographed to cut off the only thing that makes them men.
“Will you keep depriving me of food now?” I nibble her ear and put my hand between her legs. She immediately straddles my body on the bathroom floor and kisses me.
“Take whatever you want, sir…”