The novel ‘A Woman between Two Men’, with an Albanian-American Theme, is authored by Carrie Hooper and Skifter Këllici
Chapter XII
Shuffling her feet, Mary entered Kreshnik’s house. Through the half-open living room door, she saw James sleeping on the sofa and wondered if Kreshnik was sleeping, too. She stood in front of his bedroom door and felt as if someone had hit her in the head with a hammer. Soon she would marry Charlie so why did she want to see the man who once and for all … That cursed phrase again. She did not pursue the thought. She was meeting him at his house, in his bedroom. When she pressed down on the door handle to open it, she let it go as if it were red hot and turned to leave. But in her haste, she almost fell. She leaned against the wall and was about to leave when she heard the door open. Kreshnik stood before her, his head still bandaged.
The two remained frozen in place for a moment. Mary was frightened and Kreshnik felt faint. He did not have the courage to face her. He thought Mary had come upstairs but had changed her mind and was about to go away. If he had not heard footsteps and had not opened the door, he would never have known she had come. There she stood, face to face with him, unsure as to whether or not she had done the right thing to come to his house. He felt conflicted, too. At the entrance to his house and in the hospital bed, it had been Mary who had kissed him. She had made all the decisions. If she had wanted to, she could have left right then and there, and he would not have been in a position to stop her.
But when Mary saw how weak and pale he was and how thin his face had become, she took a shaky step forward, but then she felt weak and almost fainted. Oddly enough, the short distance between her and Kreshnik increased to the point that Mary thought she would never reach him.
But then Kreshnik came to her, reached his arms out to her, lifted her up, and did what Charlie had not done. He carried her to the bed and undressed her. When she was with Charlie, she had to undress herself. Kreshnik laid Mary under the same white covers which had preserved the aroma of their bodies which now embraced once more.
They did not speak. There was no need for words. Their faces, lips, and eyes said everything. Kreshnik could read Mary’s dilemmas: to see him or not to see him. Should she end her relationship with him to be Charlie’s forever?
Mary could sense the deep, searing pain she had caused Kreshnik, a pain that only worsened with time just as Prometheus’ pain increased when, during the day, the eagle cut his liver which grew during the night.
Later, Mary, her eyes aflame, pleaded with Kreshnik to do everything in his power to quit the drug business. She told him that whenever possible, she watched TV, listened to the radio, and read the newspaper to stay informed. She also told him she had breathed a sigh of relief that he was not among those arrested. Kreshnik rubbed Mary’s head and promised her he would soon get out of the drug trade. He couldn’t stand Max Cooper who had turned him into a criminal. Therefore, he decided to turn himself into the police.
Mary and Kreshnik stayed in bed a little while longer, faced each other, and gazed into each other’s eyes. They had flown through the paradise of love and were now returning to earth where they had to face their harsh reality.
“So, you came to see me about the incident last night?” Kreshnik asked.
“Yes, I did. But I’ll ask you again, why did you leave the hospital?”
Kreshnik was silent.
“Did you hear what Charlie said last night?”
“Yes, and he was right.”
“But he insulted you!”
“Yes, but he was right. That’s why I left the hospital. His words hurt me deeply, and they still do. I also left so I wouldn’t have to see you.”
He withdrew into himself like the guilty person he was. Mary felt more guilty than Kreshnik.
“Mary, I don’t have the right to deprive Charlie of his happiness. I’m nothing like him! I am a slave to drugs. I trafficked them until a few days ago. As I told you, I had drugs on me the night the police broke up a drug trafficking ring.”
“I saw that on TV,” said Mary, on the verge of sobs. “And I prayed, as I have many times before, that the police hadn’t caught you.”
The time came for Mary and Kreshnik to say good-bye. This time, Mary did not leave him as he slept nor did she write him a note about the death of their love. This time, she reminded him that she had committed a crime against Charlie and herself which was much more serious than her previous one. For if, the previous time, she had gone to Kreshnik’s room by chance when she had taken him home, this time she had come on purpose. That was unforgivable!
Burying the torment and sorrow of separation, Mary threw her arms around Kreshnik’s neck and kept them there for a few moments. Kreshnik, too, hid his sorrow. Finally, Mary turned and disappeared like a cloud that disappears without a trace in the night sky.
She could not hold back the tears as she drove to the hospital. They fell from her swollen eyes which fogged up like glass after a rainstorm. She felt she needed to cry in order to free herself from the weight of her crime. She felt she had gotten her revenge with Charlie who had poured out his bitterness toward Kreshnik right in front of her.
Mary wanted to call Charlie and ask him to leave work. She, too, wanted to call in sick. She wanted the two of them to stay at his apartment. She needed to be with him and sleep with him because her soul felt empty.
But after she dialed the first few digits of his phone number, she hung up. How could she do such a thing just a few hours after she had been in the arms of someone whom Charlie hated and after she had given herself to him with ardent desire? Was there any greater hypocrisy?!
Mary decided to go to Wilma’s. She would have more than an hour to talk to her about her problems.
When Wilma heard Mary’s flat voice and saw her thoughtless glances, she did not want to believe her anxious words. She seemed delirious.
“If Kreshnik hadn’t quarreled with James, his adoptive father, and if he hadn’t fallen and hit his head, I wouldn’t have seen him anymore. I hadn’t seen him for weeks. If I hadn’t seen him, the things I told you about wouldn’t have happened,” wailed Mary.
“That’s not true, Mary,” said Wilma, sharply. “If you truly didn’t want to see him, you would not have had any reason to go to his house in the ambulance when James called you. Someone else would have gone there and would have treated him. Thus, you would never have seen him again. Isn’t that right?”
Mary nodded, as if caught in the act for she, too, had considered these possibilities.
“In that case, you would not have stayed with him, bent over him, and kissed him, right?”
Again, Mary nodded.
“But you went. And who forced you to go to the hospital the next morning to see him when the doctor, as you yourself told me, said he was fit as a fiddle and would not be there the next day? Come on, admit it. You acted foolishly. And who made you go to his house? Not only did you go there. You made love with him again.”
Mary gasped and lowered her head like a sinner.
“Mary, those things happened because you loved Nik. You still do and always will. You can’t deny that.”
“No,” Mary managed to say. “You’re exactly right.”
“You have two men in your life. The time has come to choose one of them. You’ve only been away from Kreshnik for a few hours and tonight after work, you will go to bed with Charlie. You will think of Nik while you’re with Charlie. You can’t go on like that.”
Wilma wanted to say more, but no sound emerged from her half-open mouth.
A few minutes earlier, while reliving her meeting with Kreshnik, Mary had said to herself, “Is there any greater hypocrisy?!” Wilma probably wanted to add, “Is there any greater humiliation?!”
Mary shivered as she imagined Wilma’s cold voice.
“I’ve ended my relationship with Kreshnik,” she said, overwhelmed.
“Have Mary and Kreshnik really ended their relationship?” Wilma asked herself.
Night had fallen. Kreshnik paced the living room, thrown for a loop by the sudden turn of events. Had Mary been in his room until a few minutes ago or hadn’t she? Had Kreshnik vaguely remembered a dream? This time, Mary had disappeared without a trace. She had not left a note or lock of hair like the previous time. She had flown away like a bird that leaves its mother’s nest for good.
Kreshnik did not hear James come in. He looked solemn with his white, disheveled hair.
“I saw her leave,” he said with a flat, somber voice. “She left and probably won’t come back. Her lover won’t leave her. I saw his devotion to her when he came to the hospital last night. When they left, Mary walked behind him as if she were his slave. I may have been imagining it, but the fact she treated your wound seemed to bother him.”
“That’s true, but don’t forget he and Mary will soon be married,” said Kreshnik.
“Well said. `They will soon be married.` But you could be Mary’s husband. She loves you so much that she came here of her own volition, and you spent hours together in your bed.”
After a brief pause, he confessed, “I hurt and offended the woman who truly loves you. You would be hard pressed to find another like her. Last night, through the half open door, I saw how she stayed with you. She stayed with me, too, when I was in the hospital. But with you, the circumstances were different. She wasn’t afraid to kiss you. I guarded her. After all, another nurse could have come in and caught you unawares. Thank God you stayed across from each other like wise birds when Mary’s fiancee marched in for who knows what he might have cooked up?”
James’ withered face glowed faintly, and his eyes took on a dreamy look.
“And when she dared to come here today,” he continued, “That meant no earthly power could keep you apart.”
“Everything comes and goes, James,” sighed Kreshnik and closed his eyes in pain. “She’s not coming back. I know I am hindering her relationship with Charlie. He blew up at me last night. But if he discovered the truth, perhaps he would have the right to kill me on the spot.”
“That runt only knows about science, not about guns. He’d be so scared to use a gun he’d poop his pants.”
“When it comes to a woman, a man can kill without a gun.”
Just as he finished speaking, Kreshnik’s cell phone rang. He answered it without looking to see who was calling him. He grew somber when he heard Dolores’ voice.
“Hey, Nik,” she said in a mocking tone. “You and your darling were probably on your honeymoon. But Max requested you come to his office tonight at nine. He has something important to tell you.”
Kreshnik fainted.
“Hey, Nik, did you hear me?” Dolores’ voice sounded sharp in his ear.
“Yes,” said Kreshnik, mechanically, as if he had just awakened from a scary dream. “Tell the boss I’ll be there.”
Dolores hung up.
Kreshnik groaned and collapsed into a chair near the table. James could only imagine what he was thinking. He was cursing himself and Max Cooper. (Continues)
Click here for Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6, Part-7, Part-8, Part-9, Part-10, Part-11, Part-12, Part-13, Part-14, Part-15, Part-16, Part-17, Part-18, Part-19, Part-20, Part-21, Part-22, Part-23, Part-24, Part-25, Part-26, Part-27, Part-28, Part-29, Part-30, Part-31, Part-32, Part-33, Part-34, Part-35,
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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]
