Amoeba (The Experiments) (34 page)

“You have feelings for him?”

“Jake. No. Not like that.” Cal stood up. “You have to . . .”

“Sit down.” He waited for Cal to return to her seat.
Jake tried to be calm, eerily calm, but what didn’t show was the fact that it took every ounce of strength not to lose it. “Explain these feelings. And be honest with me. I want nothing less now.”

“They aren’t what you think
, Jake. They aren’t. I swear. I knew . . . I knew I felt something for Billy.” Cal slowed in her speech when she saw the twitch of Jake’s facial muscles. “But Jake, it was nothing more than maybe an infatuation. Nothing I would think to do anything about.”

“You thought wrong.” He saw Cal’s head drop. “Cal, look at me.” He sat down at the table. “Now I want to know. I want to know everything that happened tonight.”

“Jake . . .”

“Everything
, you hear me? From the second you walked out the door to after it was over with. Everything. I want no surprises.”

“Why?” Cal asked with desperation.

“Why? Because I need to know what was going through your mind. Your heart. I need to know what kind of intimate acts my wife performed with another man. I deserve to know this.”

“But why now?”

“You think tomorrow, or the next day, or how about two weeks when it isn’t as strong on my mind, you think I want to find out details then? No, I want to know now, and I want to get it over with. Talk to me.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

Jake took a drink of his beer. “How about I start? Did you even discuss what you wanted to talk to him about?”

“Yes.”

“Explain to me how a conversation about his father got you to that point.”

“He . . . he was upset.” Cal sniffed. “He felt bad and it was raining and we went inside.” She waited for the ‘go on’ nod from Jake. “I was drenched and I borrowed clothes from him while mine dried. We talked, and we had some drinks. I was getting ready to leave
, Jake. I swear I was. And he kissed me on the cheek. Just a simple kiss on the cheek. And I found myself in this moment, and the next thing I know I’m kissing him and how, I don’t know, I . . . . I ended up being with him.”

Jake had to take a second before allowing himself to show any emotion. “It doesn’t wash. He kissed you
, and it just seemed like a good idea to go to bed?”

“No.”

“How did you kiss him, Cal?”

“What?”

“How did you kiss him? Did you kiss him like you kiss me? Was it more intense, more sexual, what?” He saw the lost look on Cal’s face. She didn’t know how to answer him. “Did it go from the kiss straight to bed? Was there foreplay?”

“Yes.”

“So you had time to think about stopping it?” Jake continued.

“Yes.”

“You couldn’t?”

“I was . . . I was caught up. I couldn’t
,” she answered nervously.

“So he kissed you. You kissed him. Was he touching you?”

“Yes.”

“Where
?”

Cal hesitated with a swallow. “All over.”

“And did you touch him . . . all over?”

Cal’s mouth closed tightly and she shook her head. “Not all over. I touched him, but not . . .”

“So you kissed. You touched. Was there a lot of kissing, Cal?”

Cal only nodded.

“A lot of kissing. So it was more intimate than raw.” Jake finished his beer, stood up, and walked to the fridge to retrieve another. “Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“How intimately did he kiss you, Cal?” Jake asked.

“Jake
, please . . .”

“How?”

“Very.”

“Where?”

Cal sobbed.

“Where?”

A light pause, a whimper, and Cal’s eyes closed tightly. “All over.”

If Jake squeezed his beer bottle any tighter
, it would have crushed within his hands.

“Jake, I don’t understand why it’s important to know what happened. It happened. I don’t understand.”

Jake’s voice raised for the first time as he leaned close to her. “Because I need to know what my wife had to get from somebody else that I couldn’t give her! And I also need to know if my wife, MY WIFE, enjoyed it.”

Cal stopped shaking, her eyes widened.

“Did you, Cal?” Jake waited for an answer. “Did he get you to a point that only I should get you to?”

“Jake . . .”

“Answer my question, Cal.”

Cal’s words quivered, her heart raced. “Jake, listen
, I just . . .”

“Answer it!” Jake yelled
, then repeated his question in choppy slower words. “Did he make you cum?”

Cal gasped, closed her eyes
, and trembled. Hearing him say that filled her with contempt for herself for what she had done. She couldn’t answer. She started to cry.

“Cal.” Jake only heard crying. “Cal.” Still no answer. “Then I’m going to take this response as a yes.” He received a sob from Cal
, and Jake turned his back to her and walked a few feet from the table. He stared at the wall bringing his beer to his mouth. Taking a drink of the coldness of it and letting his breathing and racing heart calm. For the longest time he couldn’t turn around. Cal’s sniffles from her tears were the only sounds in that room. When he felt he could face her again, Jake, with partially closed eyes, moved back toward her. “What did I do wrong?” Jake asked of her with passion to his voice. “Where did I go wrong? Can you tell me? Please? There’s no instruction booklet on how to be a good husband. I was doing the best I could. I thought I was doing good. If I wasn’t, I would have thought something inside of you would have sent a signal. I thought you would have told me what I was doing wrong.” He stepped closer to her. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. Come to me. Tell me how to make it right.” His words picked up strength. “I would have made it right. I would do anything for you because I love you that much. It’s my job, Cal, to make you happy, no one else’s. So tell me where I went wrong?”

“You didn’t.” Cal could barely speak she cried so badly. “You didn’t
, Jake. You love me more than anyone. You treat me better than anyone. You’re a great husband.”

“Then why . . .” With surprising outrage, Jake’s arm flung forward sailing his beer bottle into the wall. The crash, flying glass
, and beer caused Cal to shriek and jump. “Then why did you sleep with Billy?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Jake’s face not only felt hot to him, but it grew red, strained, angry. “I’m supposed to accept that? I’m supposed to just take ‘I don’t know’ for an answer? Well, ‘I don’t know’ isn’t good enough, Cal! It will never be good enough!” On his final words, Jake, in his rage, grabbed hold of the table flipping it across the room.

Cal
, still sitting in the chair, shook and cowered as the table ricocheted off the dresser into the wall, rolling with a vengeance toward the night stand, blasting everything with a mighty crash.

Jake stormed to the dresser, grabbed the fallen but unbroken bottle of Jake Daniels, snatched it up into his hand
, and barged out of the room.

Cal’s hands, shaking, reached with hurt and desperation to her legs bringing them up against her chest as she sat in that chair. She buried her head to her knees and did what she had been doing for the last hour. What she couldn’t help but do. Cal cried.

^^
^^

The rain had finally stopped
, and Jake contemplated leaving the porch, getting away from the bungalow. He watched everyone return to their own places slowly, looking his way as they did. Even Rickie said nothing. He just raised his hand in a sad wave.

Jake sat o
n the step, holding the bottle in his hands. There was so much hurt and hatred in his heart that he didn’t think it was possible for him to feel like any worse. And while he was staring at the bottle, picking off the label, Jake heard the slow shuffle of feet. He lifted on his eyes to see Billy approach him. Jake took a drink. The liquid swished hard from his mouth as he stared coldly at Billy. “Know . . . right now. You are the last person on the face of the fuckin earth that I want to see standing before me.”

Billy closed his pain
-filled eyes. “I know.”

“And do you know how much I want to just kill you right now?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I have something to say.”

“You have nothing to say.” Jake closed his eyes and lifted the bottle to his mouth again.

“Yeah, I do. You . . . you welcomed me into your home, your life.” Billy’s head dropped and he spoke his words through a tear-filled sadness. “I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to betray you like this, Jake. Never. I’m sorry.” Billy’s eyes glossed over. “I am so sorry. If I could give my life, my soul, to take this all back, I swear to Almighty God I would. I would.” Billy’s words dropped to a near whisper. “Just know how sorry I am, Jake. Please just know how sorry I am.”

Jake didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. Through the drink he took straight from the bottle, he watched Billy turn and walk away.

^^
^^

Cal tossed the rag she
had used to wipe off the walls into the sink. She rinsed her hands off that had some dried blood from where she had cut herself and went into the other room. She had put the room back together, fixed the night stand, the lamp, the table. She pushed the dresser back to the wall and moved to the door again which she kept open just a crack so she could continuously look out at Jake. He sat in the dark unity circle on a log, just sitting there, and Cal knew it was time. It had been hours, and she needed to go talk to him. With her head pounding from an emotional headache, Cal grabbed the folded clothes she had set out, and walked from the bungalow.

Jake’s fingers had no control
, and the empty bottle of Jack slipped from his hand into the dirt by his boots. He lowered his face to his hands.

“Jake.” Cal walked up behind him speaking soft
ly.

Jake raised his head.
His eyes were so heavy and blurry. He had drank too much, and when he lifted his eyes things spun.

“Jake
, I cleaned up. I’m . . . I’m going to go stay with Rickie, okay? I think that the last thing you need is to be around me.” She received silence from him. “I want to say something that I didn’t get to say inside. I can’t apologize enough, Jake. If you want me to say I’m sorry everyday for the rest of my life, I will. Because I am. I love . . .” Cal paused as a lump crept up into her throat and her eyes began to burn. “I love you so much. I love you.”

“Love.” The word rasped from his lips
, and Jake stood up swaying as he did. He turned around and faced Cal. “Love really . . . really doesn’t matter now does it?” He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes. “You can’t stay with Rickie. It’s against the rules of this fuckin’ game. I never . . . I never gave my heart to anyone.” Jake’s head dropped. “I gave my heart to you, Cal, and you broke it.” He leaned down to her with a clenched fist. “You broke it.”

Cal closed her eyes. She was defenseless. She had nothing she could say.

“We’ll play by the rules of the game while we’re here. But after it’s done, and we step away from this island, I’m stepping away from you. I can’t live my life with someone I can’t trust, can’t look at. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to touch you again without feeling some sort of . . .” Jake cringed emotionally. “Some sort of disgust for you.” He looked away when he heard her cry. “I never thought I’d hear myself say these words, but fuck the other half of the money, you can have it all, I just want a divorce.” Jake stepped over the log he had sat on, and slowly stumbled in a walk. “I want you out of my life.” In a stagger, without looking back, and leaving Cal with those hard words, the last words he would speak to her in a while, Jake walked to the bungalow.

Comprehension of what is going on around you is vital. Do not for one second forget that. If you do, you
will be just a pawn for the experiment, and that is exactly what they want.

--Excerpts from ‘Surviving the Stasis’

Written by Jake and Cal Graison

A massive bountiful breakfast buffet was set up on the long table on the meeting level in the control room for the two monitors, Caldwell workers, and anyone else who wanted to indulge, all courtesy of Aldo.

“Mr. Connilucci
, sir.” A maintenance man approached him. “I have the cable television now all hooked up to your guest room.”

“Thanks
, Chester.” Aldo smiled. “Grab some food.”

“Thank you
, sir. I will.”

Douglass
, who was picking at a croissant, shook his head with a snicker. “Making yourself at home?”

“Trying
to. There’s only so many movies I can watch when everyone else is sleeping on that island.”

“And weren’t you one of the invertors that chuckled at Haynes’ suggestion that he guarantees that by mid experiment we will not leave the center
?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Aldo lifted a sausage link. “I pretty much should be immune from that anyhow. Christ, you know how much I was around the
for the previous experiments. And this time, my daughter is old enough to sort of take care of herself.”

“True. And from what I
’ve heard, you pretty much have your reasons for being here.”

“And Daniela. Don’t forget him. He’s been here daily.” Aldo pointed
with his half eaten sausage. “Billy is his horse, and this pretty much affects him, too. Boy, I heard he broke a sweat when he found out Jake knew.” Aldo whistled. “He thought he was out. However, Billy’s still alive. Lonely, quiet, but alive.”

“How about Cal and Jake
?”

Aldo looked at Douglass. “Lonely, quiet.”

“It’s kind of sad that the experiment went to these extremes. They never did that before.”

“They never had a married couple to mess with before. Besides, can’t put all the blame on them.” Aldo dipped his sausage in ketchup. “
You can’t put all the blame on them. Billy and Cal had to start it. They had to. I watched the tape.” Aldo grinned.

“So
, how long did it take for Jake to find out?”

“Not long. Immediately
,” Aldo explained. “Surprised the shit out of Haynes. Fuckin asshole wanted to send pictures to Jake of Cal and Billy, but it backed fired. Now I wish he would send them.”

Douglass looked at him
oddly. “Why?”

“Because if Jake gets them now, he’ll know the experiment took them. He’ll know the experiment had something to do with
what happened between Cal and Billy, and Jake would hug and kiss Billy before he let the experiment get one up on him.”

“They already did. The ‘no one can get me’ man
was gotten.”

Aldo raised his eyebrows in a
semblance of agreement. “But let’s not forget, he doesn’t know this. I wish he’d find out and stop this.”

“Is he being mean to Cal? Downright . . . nasty?” Douglass asked with a dramatic face to match.

“Nope. Not at all. Quiet. He hasn’t spoken to her in six days.” Aldo shook his head. “I feel like a father watching his daughter’s problems from a distance, having the answers but unable to do anything about it.”

“And you
should
want to do something about it. You have the biggest investment in this. Okay.” Douglass let out a breath. “Update me. Caldwell’s telling me not much has happened while I was away. What’s the Aldo scoop?”

“You know the routine
,” Aldo explained. “It’s pushing one month, so things are starting to move now. Besides the Jake, Cal, and Billy thing, they started on Lou two days ago.”

“What are they doing to him
?”

“Come by tonight and you’ll see.” Aldo shrugged. “Not phasing him . . . yet. They have something up their sleeve for that Larry person,
but what it is I don’t know. They said they have to wait. And they got something in the works on Paul, as well. Again, it remains to be seen. I keep getting that stock answer of ‘soon’.” Aldo reached for some more sausage. “As for Judge, things are slowly increasing. Rickie hasn’t told Judge yet that his granddaughter has died, and he gave him two bogus medical updates.”

“Last but not least
, you have to break it to me . . . my guy.”

“Reed?” Aldo started to laugh. “Well
, he got the sight back in his left eye. His hair still hasn’t grown, um . . . the ear is looking good. Since losing that part of his tongue . . .” Aldo shook his head. “It’s actually funny to hear him. Rickie understands him. What else . . . um . . .”

“What else?” Douglass’ eyes widened. “Oh my God.”

“Not that bad. A pig got his . . . little . . .” Aldo had to laugh. “Piggy . But it didn’t affect his walking. Jake sewed it up for him. The burn healed, and that’s it. No, wait.” Aldo saw Douglass cringe. “Rickie stole his nipple cream.”

Douglass covered his eyes. “I’m done. I’m done.”

“Nah.” Aldo patted him on the back. “Want to know something? It’s pitiful, but I think this guy’s gonna make it. Anyone who can have that many accidents is tough. He may beg to be shot like a dog, but other than that, you have to admit, it’s been funny.”

Douglass bobbed his head as he returned to eating his croissant. “I’ve paid more for less entertaining things.”

“That’s the spirit.” Aldo gave him a pat to his back. “Let’s go watch the players.”