The novel ‘A Woman between Two Men’, with an Albanian-American Theme, is authored by Carrie Hooper and Skifter Këllici
That morning, after she had taken a warm shower and dried herself off, Mary washed her underwear. Suddenly, she saw a woman’s naked body in the mirror above her dresser and let out a cry of terror. That had happened once before. She soon realized she was the woman in the mirror. She surveyed her body, her broad shoulders, her neck as smooth as marble, her round breasts, her flat stomach, and her full thighs.
Mary closed her eyes and groaned. For one night, she had belonged to Kreshnik. He was like a prostitute who had paid for the privilege but had turned his back once he had received his money. But Mary, too, had turned her back on him. An insurmountable chasm had opened between them. Mary had wanted to see Charlie as soon as possible, but he had upset her when he had told her his seminar would last two more days.
Mary decided to read a book in order to clear her mind of these tumultuous thoughts, but then her cell phone rang. It was Charlie again.
“Darling, I have a surprise for you,” he said. “I’m flying home in an hour. I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Really? But you told me you would be gone two more days.”
“You’re right, Dear. Some discussions arose at our symposium, and I didn’t want to leave without hearing them. I stayed one more day, but now I’ve changed my mind. I’m flying instead of driving so I can get home as soon as possible. Pick me up at the airport around 3:00. Don’t lose track of time.”
“I’m getting ready now.”
“After you pick me up, we’ll go straight to my apartment. It’s your turn to come to my place. Today is Saturday. I don’t expect you’ll have any emergencies at the hospital. I’ll see you soon.”
“Have a safe trip, Charlie.”
Mary hung up the phone and let her thoughts wander. A few minutes ago, she had wanted Charlie to come home as soon as possible. Now she wished he wouldn’t. How would she face him? The question continued to gnaw at her.
Mary and Charlie were driving home from the airport. Charlie was behind the wheel, and he was overjoyed. As he drove, he leaned his face toward Mary and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“Are you still mad at me because I stayed at the symposium an extra day?”
“No. I know you wanted to stay another day.”
“Then kiss me hard. Or shall we wait till we get home?”
Mary nodded without looking at him.
“We’ll be home soon!” Charlie cried, and began to whistle.
“When we get home, we’ll go right to bed,” said Mary to herself. “Just like last night, but it won’t be like it was with Kreshnik.”
Aroused, Charlie grabbed Mary, kissed her, and took off everything except her underwear. Then he started kissing every part of her body.
“Why don’t you undress me today like you do sometimes?” he asked.
Mary obliged and started to undress him, but not fast enough to suit him. So he quickly undressed himself. His shirt, undershirt, and pants fell to the floor.
Then Mary’s bra fell to the floor, but her blue underwear got caught in one of her high-heeled shoes. In his haste, Charlie could not retrieve it so he took off her shoe and laid her on the bed.
Charlie and Mary kissed, but suddenly, Mary recalled her night with Kreshnik and jerked away from Charlie.
“What’s the matter, Sweetheart?” he asked, surprised. “You scolded me for removing myself from you before I had satisfied you. Now you’re the one who’s backing away from me without satisfying me.”
Mary partially covered her naked body with a sheet, rolled onto her other side, and put her hand to her mouth to keep from crying.
“I’m sorry, Charlie. Really I am,” she muttered.
“No, Darling. I’m sorry. Are you perhaps in the same predicament you were in after that awful scene with that Kreshnik fellow?”
He was quiet for a moment. Then he rubbed her back and shoulders.
“Did he, by chance, confront you again?” Charlie asked.
“What made you think of him after so many months?” Mary asked, without looking at him. She bit her lip to keep from shouting.
“What do you expect with drunks and druggies? I hope to God that Ralph’s unit catches him during one of its operations.”
“Don’t worry, Charlie. Everything’s all right. I just felt weak.”
“I knew you weren’t well when I saw you at the airport. Please calm down.”
After Charlie finished speaking, he covered Mary with the sheet and put on his glasses. Then, he said hesitantly, “Mary, I have something else very important to tell you.”
Mary had her back to him. She winked after he spoke, tried to look as relaxed as possible, and turned toward him.
“What?” she asked.
Charlie lowered his head.
“What is it? Tell me!”
“Don’t be angry with me for what I’m about to tell you. About our wedding, would it be possible …”
He paused, not knowing how to continue this difficult discussion.
“What about our wedding?”
“As you know, during the months since our engagement, I haven’t been around as much as I should have been. I’ve left you alone these past few days, for instance, when I was in San Francisco. I have now entered an important phase of my scientific research. I will have to work a lot more. So, as far as our wedding is concerned, would it be possible …”
“You think we should call off our wedding and end our relationship. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
Mary’s flaming eyes penetrated Charlie.
Suddenly, Charlie moved his head, and his silver-framed glasses almost slipped off his arched nose.
“Darling, what are you saying?” he almost gasped. “Do you think I would leave you? Absolutely not!”
He embraced Mary.
“Then why did you say, `About our wedding, is it possible …`” asked Mary, who wondered if Charlie suspected she and Kreshnik had spent the night together.
“I mean, can we postpone it for a few months? I will be up to my eyeballs in work and more symposiums in America and abroad. We won’t see each other or make love that often. In short, we will have to make sacrifices.”
“Absolutely. I started making sacrifices when we got engaged,” said Mary, feigning a smile while stifling a sob.
“I knew you’d say that,” said Charlie, and kissed her forehead.
Mary went to Wilma’s the next morning and told her what had happened after Charlie’s return from San Francisco.
“Ten years ago, when I married Ralph, he was a policeman and worked the third shift,” said Wilma. “I worked the second shift at the main polyclinic, just as I do now. I had mornings off, but he slept. He had afternoons off, but I worked. We never saw each other.”
Mary listened attentively.
“We haven’t seen each other much, especially these past few weeks,” Wilma continued, her expression somber. “Ralph is investigating gangs of drug traffickers. He’s super busy.”
“I bet you pine for one another,” Mary teased, “and rush into each other’s arms.”
“I saw him three nights ago.”
“And you jumped into bed and made love!” Mary continued, still teasing Wilma.
They both laughed.
“So don’t let it bother you that Charlie wanted to postpone your wedding,” said Wilma. “The next few months will be difficult. You won’t see him much. But suppose he was a director or an actor who made films in remote African or Asian countries?”
“He would take me with him,” said Mary.
“But what if he was a geologist? Do you think he would take you over hills and mountains?”
Mary didn’t know what to say.
“Charlie will only be away in the months before your wedding. By the way, when are you getting married?”
“The first Sunday in October.”
“That’s wonderful. You told me you’re spending your honeymoon in Honolulu.”
Mary closed her eyes to indicate, “Yes.”
She appeared cool and collected. Wilma surmised that her unexpected night with Kreshnik had become nothing more than a dream. She would have asked Mary about it in more detail, but at that moment, Ralph came in. Mary and Wilma did not see him because they sat with their backs to the living room door.
“Hi, everyone,” said Ralph.
“Ralph!” Wilma exclaimed, then stood to embrace him. “You were supposed to be home around noon.”
“I didn’t sleep at all last night. I’m going to rest for a few hours. Then it’s back to work.”
“How long will your investigations continue?” asked Wilma, concerned.
“I don’t know, Wilma. These are stressful times. Last night, we raided different parts of San Diego and focused on the streets leading to other cities in California. We arrested three drug dealers who will help us. There were some fights.”
“I saw that on TV. Did you, Mary?”
“Yes.”
She, too, became concerned as she listened to Ralph’s account of the previous night’s events.
“Now we are investigating two places where drugs are produced,” Ralph continued.
Then, turning to Wilma and rubbing his hands, he said, “When we finish our operations, you and I, along with Mary and Charlie, will make up for lost time. They’re younger than we are, right, Mary?”
“Yesterday afternoon, she and Charlie saw each other for the first time in quite awhile. He came home earlier than expected from San Francisco,” said Wilma, staring at Mary. “They melted in each other’s arms!”
“Now Wilma, I didn’t say that,” said Mary, surprised.
“I’m sure that’s exactly what you did. Sometimes you need to get away. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.” (Continues)
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About the Authors
Carrie Hooper was born and raised in Elmira, New York. She has been blind since birth. She received a B.A. in vocal performance from Mansfield University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania. She went on to receive an M.A. in German and an M.A. in vocal performance from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After completing her studies, she spent a year at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden as a Fulbright scholar. Carrie currently lives in Elmira, New York. She taught German, Italian, and Romanian at Elmira College. She has a passion for foreign languages and in addition to the languages mentioned above, she is also proficient in Swedish, Spanish, and Albanian. Music also plays an important role in Carrie’s life. She teaches voice and piano lessons, gives vocal concerts, plays the piano and organ at a church, and sings in a community chorus. Carrie not only loves music and languages, but also enjoys poetry. She has published three books: “Piktura në fjalë” (“Word Paintings”), a bilingual collection of poetry (Albanian-English), “My Life in My Words”, and “Away from Home.” She has also translated texts from Albanian and Romanian to English.
Skifter Këllici was born in Tirana, Albania and received a diploma in history and literature from the University of Tirana. He worked as a journalist, scholar, and sportscaster on radio and television. He is the author of several novels and nonfiction books, including the children’s books, “Memories of the Old Neighborhood” and “In the Footsteps” as well as the historical novels, “Assassination in Paris”, “The Murderer with the White Hands”, and “September Disaster.” He wrote the screenplay for “In the Footsteps” which won a special prize at the International Children’s Film Festival in Giffoni, Italy in 1979. He has lived in Boston, Massachusetts since 1999.
[The book ‘Disastrous September is being reproduced in episodes with the consent of the author]
