An Unexpected Engagement

Chapter 112

“Steve, I think I'm going to die.

I drag myself from the bathroom for the umpteenth time and throw myself onto the unmade bed, the rays of sunlight streaming through the glass doors feel like lasers on my retina and I squint my eyelids, groaning.

I woke up with the worst hangover in the world and the worst stomachache ever.

Seriously, what was in that meat? I'm sure it wasn't beef, it must be a snake or whatever animal they eat around here.

“Don't worry, nobody dies of a hangover, but they do die from attacking innocent people on the street, for example.

"Oh no, I don't remember...

Everything that happened yesterday is a little confused in my mind, but Steve told me all the embarrassment I caused, attacking cyclists in Copacabana.

They wanted to file a complaint against me, they wanted to arrest me!

“Luckily Peggy made it up that you were a freak out of the asylum and you didn't know what you were doing,” Steve had said to my utter horror.

I was saved from sleeping with in jail by Steve's annoying secretary. But did she have to make up that I was insane?

“My goodness, what if Steve couldn't convince them? I was going to be arrested, what was I going to tell Penelope? She would grow up without a mother, her petty crimes would increase, and she would blame me for being a psychologically challenged juvenile delinquent. While you would remarry some busty hottie who would make Penelope call her mom and who gives a better blowjob than I do...

I had cried, until I had to run to the bathroom again.

“Do you hate me, Steve? I ask now, worried.

“Yeah, hate is too strong a word…” He touches my forehead. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

— No, I don't want to spend my days taking serum in a hospital in Brazil! What if I get dengue there?

— That won't happen, but I'm sure it will get better as the day goes on, you just need to rest.

"I ruined our trip!" We were going to go for a walk today, go to the beach, visit Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain... And now everything is ruined...

My whining is interrupted by a knock on the door and when Steve opens it, a smiling, healthy Peggy appears in our field of vision.

"So, ready?"

— Let's not go out, Natasha is not well.

“Oh, poor thing…” Peggy gives me a pitying look. “But we've already hired the guide, and he's expecting us.

“I'm sorry, you can go, of course.

“Steve, you can go too,” I find myself saying.

“I won't leave you alone.

— I'm fine, I just need water and rest like you said. And what would you do here by my side? I'm feeling very guilty about all of this. You must go for a walk. With Peggy—I pronounce the last part with some difficulty, but what can I do? Steve must be really mad at me for the shit I made yesterday and for ruining our trip. And he's probably just sparing me his wrath because I'm sick. Which deep down, I know is not good at all. It's not nice to contain our emotions. I need Steve to be distracted and forget he's angry, who knows? Because I can already imagine him holding a grudge for years of this little misdeed of mine, it will grow so much that he might even get cancer! Or worse, he might hate me in the very near future! He'll spend more and more hours at work and start drinking to forget about our problems and when I see him Steve will be coming home drunk and pushing me down the stairs and telling me to say I tripped.

No, I have to be a good wife now and at least try to make up for the damage I've caused. So what if Steve will be in Peggy's company? Obviously I'm not jealous of Steve's hot secretary.

Jealousy is for insecure women.

I can have a certain rancidity of Peggy and her cute smile and her little princess way. And from her Playboy cover body of the month, but I trust Steve. And Steve would never cheat on me. Even because if he betrays me I'll kill him with refinement of cruelty.

“Yes, you can go with Peggy,” I insist. "And the two of you can talk about work until you say enough without getting bored."

"Then all right, let's go." Peggy smiles excitedly. She could be less excited I think.

"Are you sure, Natasha?"

“I demand that you go, Steve.

"Okay, if you need anything call me, okay?"

And there they go.