The Gemini

59 - They Do

September 16, 1991

A quarter past 1am in a hotel suite, Jody laid in bed. All of the movies were over and the snacks gone. This bridal slumber party turned into a literal snorefest. One body beside her, two sleeping bodies on the neighboring bed, and two more conked on a cushy sofa.

The last one standing, Jody's too wired to sleep. Despite the long day it's been, there isn't a tired muscle within her simply because they're all too tense. Her body buzzed, feeling chaotic with anxious excitement because in fifteen hours, she'll be Mrs. Nelson.

Finally.

Two years and eleven months in the making. And what a time it's been. Ups, downs, rounds, and near flatlines. And through it all, their love prevailed and carried them to a new happy. A lasting joy. Especially now that the last gate of Roger's recurrent hell came to an official close.

It came as no surprise to either of them that Linda was behind Owen's death. Murder. An act of revenge. Vehicular manslaughter. Outside of his home, he was hit and killed. His wife Samantha was a witness to it all. Linda didn't flee for long before being caught.

Trial came quickly after. News through the grapevine said she plead not guilty due to temporary insanity and therefore got off without criminal charges. That didn't grant her freedom though. Instead of being sentenced any jailtime, she was put where they felt she needed to be the most: in psychiatric care.

Jody thought it was bogus, but the way Roger saw it, at least Linda is off the streets and out of their hair.

Finally.

Now they can breathe easily.

The ever persistent media worked overtime to keep them suffocated in the memory though. Those leeches did what they do best and milked the story to death. Eight out of ten questions that came Jody's way on a daily were about the subject. It just about drove her nuts. On the flipside, Roger gave it no care and took matters into his own hands.

So what does one do to divert attention and take back their spotlight? Do they sit down with Oprah and clear the air? Write an open letter to the public? Outdo that scandal with their own envelope pushing greatness?

The answer is number three, of course.

You hijack your friend Arsenio Hall's place and put on a bomb-ass show. While you do that, your fiancée chills on the sidelines dancing with Arsenio and his guest, Miss Patti Labelle. And if that isn't enough, you swing by the VMAs the following night and show your 'bare' ass on live television while performing Gett Off at the center of a simulated orgy.

That most definitely did the trick....and on more levels that one.

Such performance by the sexiest little banana that Jody's ever seen, almost obliterated her resolve and caused a crack in their celibacy pact. It was halfway purposeful on his part though. Of course it was all done in the name of art, but why else? Because, like with almost everything else in their relationship for the sake of fun, this pact turned into a competition. A battle in which they took turns tempting one another.

Jody had started it. Day two into the Sahara, she thought it would be fun to make Roger drool any way she could. So she used her body as her weapon.

She donned a little red dress, one that she knew he favorited on her. All day Jody paraded around with an extra cute in her step. When she sat pretty on the edge of his desk, the way the material rode up her thighs almost got her the victory. But the sucker kept strong.

Roger waited until the following night to retaliate.

By the time he got home, Jody was already in bed though not asleep. He hopped in the shower and when he got out, he took his sweet time getting dressed. Going to and from the closet, he wore a towel wrapped low on his hips before he ditched it altogether and continued about in the nude.