Scene 11: 2009 - New York/Chicago

Every six months, Marisol flew to New York to visit her son bearing presents and abundance of love. Early summer she came for his birthday and every Christmas she joined Luisa's family for the celebration. The presents didn't hurt, but Nate loved his "aunt's" visits more for her presence. She seemed devoted to his every word. She shared little of her life, telling him his "mother" had all the luck and she was just a mousy old maid.

"But you're not," he said on Christmas of his twenty-seventh year. "You're just as beautiful as Mom and maybe more."

"I like to look my best for you my darling," she answered.

"I want to visit you," he said.

"That would be lovely, but I'm afraid you can't."

"But Mom and Dad are footing the bill for a trip anywhere I want this spring when I finish medical school."

"You should go to somewhere nice like the Caribbean or California or Hawaii."

"I know, but I want to see where you live. I want to spend time with you."

"That's sweet, Nate, but I live with my employers. I don't think it would work."

"You could ask them."

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"Are they nice? I mean are they nice to you?"

She paused. She should tell him they're ogres or something to dissuade him. As soon as Phil saw Nate, he'd know. But then she'd make her son worry or get angry. She decided to be honest. "They're ... wonderful people. I love working for them. But that's just it. I like you seeing me all decked out and not running around in uniform dusting and vacuuming and doing the pots and pans."

"I bet you'd still be beautiful."

"It's not like I dress in a French maid's uniform!"

They laughed.

"I bet you'd look really hot in that!" said the handsome young man.

"Nate! I'm your ... aunt!" She almost blew it, which freaked her out. She internalized it, but the knot it created met another knot, not emotional though.

"You're still a woman. Aunt Marisol? Are you okay? Mom! Mom!"

Luisa rushed up to her adopted son's room. He stayed in his old room for the semi-annual visits, otherwise living in an apartment near Columbia. She knew something bad happened. Luisa never disturbed those moments when his real mother could be close to him.

"It's nothing," moaned Marisol, looking anything but nothing. She bent over and pressed her thighs to her torso in a fetal position.

"I'll get you aspirin."

"Anything stronger?"

"I have some ... just a second." She ran to fetch the Percocet. Two might have been a lot, but she knew her sister needed to get numb. Her eyes glistened when she got on her knees before her little sister and handed her the pills and the water. She whispered to her, "I'll call Phil."

"You can't!" grunted Marisol as loudly as possible.

"You're not flying to Chicago!"

"But my insurance..."

"I'll check with Phil. Maybe the coverage..."

"You can't!"

Luisa sighed. "Alright. But I'm flying with you."

"Thanks."

"Chicago? I thought you lived in Kansas City," said Nate.

"Shit," murmured Marisol.

"What's going on? Why are you worried for Aunt Marisol? And why did she lie about where she lives?"

"My sister has cancer. It's been dormant for awhile but..."

"Oh. God."

"Nate's coming along," Luisa demanded.

"He can't!"

"Why can't I?"

"He needs to be with his mom!"

"What?" yelled Nate.

"You have to keep him away from Phil."

"I promise. It may be like a traffic cop on a freeway, but I promise."

"Mom?"

"I'll explain, son. The trip might even be long enough. Just know you'll always be my son. Biology has nothing to do with it."

"But..." he shook his head. "I have a feeling I'm going to hate this trip even if I get to be with ... uhm..."

"I'm still your Aunt Marisol. You love your mom, right?"

"Of course. But I'm feeling like I'm the middle of a lie."

"Just open up your heart, Nate," said Luisa, "and put on your romance hat."

"I hate romance novels."

"Of course you do. But unfortunately, like you said, you're in the middle of it," sighed his non- biological mother.

Christmas night, Hannah needed some good loving. Seeing his children and Missy's beautiful infant son reminded her of her inadequacy a couple years before. Her vitality had returned albeit with a touch more cynicism, but occasionally a cloud surrounded her. Phil or sometimes Marisol quickly cleared it away. This one had been particularly dark. The slow lovemaking and his profession of desire for her did the job. He fondled every soft surface, enjoying her body's vast riches and telling her how much.

In the end, she wanted his cum filling her every orifice. The finale, with him vigorously pounding into her anus as she demanded, and her groaning and howling with pleasure capped it off perfectly. As he pumped his cum deep inside, the phone rang and went to message.

"Phil, it's Luisa. Marisol's at Chicago County General. She had a relapse and..."

"Luisa?" Phil exclaimed into the phone.

"They're checking her now. She's in pain."

"No! When?"

"When she arrived in New York, she said she felt a little sore. I could tell she was scared, but she put on a brave face. And this morning she ... It got bad. I told her she should stay in New York, but she insisted..."

"She came home alone?"

"No. I'm here. I'm staying at her apartment."

"I'm going to her."

"They told me it would be awhile..."

"I'm going to her."

"I know. I'll see you there later."

"Thanks."

"We love her, Phil."

"Yes."

He hung up.

It took everything they could to convince him, but finally Luisa and Marisol sent Phil home to sleep and get back to work. They wanted him to rest. But they also wanted Nate to be with his mother.

"I'll be back by 5:30 tomorrow," said Phil.

"What is she to you?" asked Hannah in bed with him, amazed at his pain and obsession over their maid.

"Have you forgotten what she did for you?" he asked restraining his anger.

"Yes. She's quite a woman, but..."

"I know. She's just a maid."

"I just said she's quite a woman, but you treat her like ... I don't know. I don't know if you obsessed over my near death."

"I ... I knew you'd recover. And I was there when I could be."

"I know. Never mind. I'm sorry."

"Me too," he whispered, turning away from her and raining tears. Having been up for over a day, sleep knocked him out.