We Are Here and Now

The following day CiCi walked into the board room at the gallery to a room full of board members staring her down.

"Hello, everyone." CiCi sat at the head of the long meeting table and locked around the room expectantly.

"Miss Barsi, first I want to commend you for your actions yesterday. That was a dangerous situation that you put yourself in, but it ultimately saved another person's life. If only there were more people in the world like you," the president of the cultural trust started. "We called this meeting, however, not because of what happened yesterday, but for other reasons." He paused to allow for another member to speak.

CiCi smoothed her black pencil skirt down to her knees as she adjusted in her seat.

"CiCi, we want to take a new approach when displaying art at the gallery," Baron spoke up.

"What...what do you mean?" CiCi asked as she shifted in her seat.

"The downtown area is being reinvented. New, hip restaurants and bars are appearing. New places to shop and live are surfacing. It is appealing to the younger generation. Your generation... our generation really. We, at the trust, want Wood Street Gallery to evolve with the changing atmosphere," Baron explained. CiCi studied him and noted he looked slightly uncomfortable in saying this to her.

"We're an art gallery, not a dying restaurant." CiCi was dreading the direction the conversation was heading.

"We want to see more artists and more contemporary art. Maybe more media art, something visually eccentric. Not the paintings you've been having displayed," the president interrupted Baron.
"I don't... understand," but she really did understand.

"CiCi, we want to have all our galleries stand out. Right now this one blends in with so many. Let's be different," the president continued.

CiCi thought this over and shook her head with a chuckle. "I was hired to replace Sherri a year ago after she retired. To continue the job she started because she felt that I would continue in her legacy and now you want me to redesign the entire gallery to shape a modern art form that I am not a part of?"

"Sherri was forced to retire because of her traditional approach to art. We hired you because you are so young and you are familiar with the trust."

"Well maybe I wasn't the best choice. That would have been helpful to know when you offered me the position. Then you let me work in said position for coming up on a year."

"Excuse me?" The president asked incredulously. CiCi knew what she had to do.

"I quit. If this is the direction you want this place to go, I can't be a part of it. I am more of a traditionalist. My choices for displays are evidently not appealing to the masses. Get someone else who can do that. I obviously am not cut out for the job." She stood to leave.

"Miss Barsi, we didn't call this meeting to fire you."

"No, but you want me to change something about me that I can't. I'm sorry. Thank you for the opportunity, but I can see I no longer fit into the cultural trust's ideals. I will collect my belongings and be gone within the hour."

"CiCi!" Baron called out as she spun and dashed out of the room. She expected tears and disappointment, instead she felt shock. She ignored the calls and marched into her office, grabbed her personal effects and moved to leave.

"Where are you going?" Nick asked her as she tried to escape to the front entrance.

"I quit. I'm sure they will place you in charge for the time being, but I can't guarantee that. Good luck, and call me," CiCi gave Nick a brief hug and turned to leave before he could get a word in edgewise. She waltzed to the parking garage where her car was, climbed into her vehicle and sighed. She had no idea what she was going to do.

*****

"How do you do it, Ci? This place looks amazing!" Julia gushed over all the decorations as she hugged her longtime friend in the foyer of her home.

"I have plenty of time when Sid is traveling!" CiCi lied. The truth of the matter was that she hadn't told anyone yet that she quit her job nearly two months ago, and as the holidays approached she didn't seem to find it an appropriate topic to bring up yet. But she was exhausted with driving around all day on days when she knew Sid would be home. "I'm excited for our friendsgiving celebration this weekend! Sid is excited he gets to see you all tomorrow too."

"Did you hear that Caroline is seeing someone?" Julia asked as the girls settled in the kitchen. Julia's luggage long forgotten in the hallway.

"Is she bringing this guy? She didn't say she was!" CiCi panicked because she didn't arrange to have any additional guests, not that it wasn't doable to adapt.

"She said no, that Thanksgiving with friends when they have only been seeing each other for a few weeks was too soon." CiCi sighed inwardly.

"I honestly haven't talked to her since she moved into the apartment downtown. She and Sid worked something out so she does a direct deposit for her rent."

"Ah, well, all things considering you have been crazy busy!"

"True." She instinctively reached for the charm around her neck and flexed it back and forth on the sturdy chain.

"Whoa! Is that what you got instead of a ring?" Julia leaned close and stilled CiCi's fidgety hands.

"Oh..uh, yeah. The ring is huge, so Sid got me this." CiCi had forgotten that she had the Stanley Cup charm around her neck. She let Julia study it carefully and smiled as she caught a sight of the sparkly charm. But looking at it reminded her of the lie she has been telling and it immediately felt like a dead weight around her neck.

"So what can I do to help around here?" Julia asked, not noticing CiCi tuck the charm down her sweater, out of sight.

"Well, the food is pretty much ready. We just have to make sure the turkey is stuffed and roasting by 7 am if we want to eat at a decent hour tomorrow." Cici looked around the kitchen where pies sat out on cooling racks, china stacked on the counter near the dining room, and dishes drying on the drying rack.

"And where is Sid now?" Julia asked as she settled in a chair.

"He should be arriving home soon for his afternoon nap." Cici glanced at the clock on the microwave.

"Eek! I'm excited for the game tonight!" Julia squealed, making CiCi feel equally as giddy.

"Me too. It should be a good time."

"Maria texted me earlier though."

"Yeah, she isn't making it to the game. Derrick won't be home early enough to take over baby duties. She said she gave the ticket to Caroline."

"Uh, a thanksgiving dinner with friends may be out of the question, but a pens game may not. Maybe she will bring the new guy?"

"Like I said, aside from texting about tonight and tomorrow, I don't know what's going on with Care. She could?" CiCi shrugged. But the lies she kept telling were eating at her, and she knew she needed to confide in someone. "Jules, I have to tell you something."

Just then the door from the garage swung open and Sidney came walking into the kitchen. "Hello, ladies! What a pleasant surprise Jules. I didn't think I would see you until after the game." Sid walked over to Julia and gave her a brief hug before turning to cici for a quick kiss.

"I was able to avoid the office today. No patients and finished my records yesterday. And Ci said she had the afternoon off." Julia watched the couple embrace then averted her eyes to her water glass in front of her.

"Yeah, not much going on at the gallery this weekend." 'Lies,' she thought.

"Cool, drive was okay?" Sid didn't seem to notice.

"Yep! Thanks for asking." Julia smiled at Sid.

"Your spaghetti is in the warming tray in the oven. I forgot to get the cheese out of the fridge," CiCi explained to Sid.

"It's fine baby, thank you." He squeezed her shoulder as he went to retrieve his meal.

"You have spaghetti then take a nap?" Julia asked.

"Every home game." Sid placed the plate on the island and sidled up next to Julia, wanting be included in the conversation.

"Wow. Ci, what did you want to tell me?" Julia asked trying to return to the previous conversation.

"Oh, it's nothing." Cici shrugged it off and turned toward the sink. She needed to look busy so Sid wouldn't notice her red face.

"You looked so worried right before you said you had to tell me something."

"What's wrong babe?" Sis asked as he got up and retrieved some water for himself.

"Nothing is wrong. Just some juicy gossip from the office. Girly stuff, you wouldn't want to hear about it." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders at him, the heat of her skin dissipating.

Sid just shrugged and turned back to his pre-game meal while the girls snuck out of the kitchen and towards CiCi's studio.

"Alright, spill it," Julia exclaimed as she collapsed onto the chaise. CiCi paced a bit while wringing her hands in front of her.

"I quit my job two months ago." Like a band-aid.

"What? Why?" Julia sat up straight and watched CiCi pace.

"They weren't happy with what I was doing. So instead of changing to please the board, I quit. And Sidney doesn't know."

"How does he not know?"

"I still get up and ready as if I am going to work."

"That has to be exhausting."

"I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to just drive around to different places and hang out all day." She collapsed next to her friend and dropped her face into her hands.

"Obviously on travel days you don't go anywhere, right?" Julia asked softly.

"Yeah. I don't know how to tell Sid though. I don't want him to be disappointed in me."

"Do you honestly think he will be though? He's told you from the start that you don't have to work."

"I know what I want to do though."

"What's that?"

"I want to open my own paint and sip studio, but do even more than just paint pictures. I want to get into making pottery, and jewelry and all sorts of different creations. I want to show people how to make blankets out of old t-shirts and toys out of baby blankets."

"You've really thought this through."

"Well, I have had time."

"Have you considered where you would put a place like this?"

"Not yet, but I will find the perfect place."

"You'll be using your business degree. And using the art degree too."

"Exactly." She chewed on her lip and waited to hear what Julia had to say. Finally, after some delay, Julia smiled wanly and turned to face CiCi.

"I love it, Ci. Now you have to tell Sid so he can help fund this."

"No. I don't want his money to do this. I'll go to the bank and get a loan." And she was determined to stick to that idea.

*****

As the game ended, CiCi was a ball of nervous energy. Caroline had brought Baron to the hockey game, and Sid had invited the group to the locker room afterwards to give the girls, and now Baron, a quick tour. She knew it was just a matter of time that her secret would come out. She just needed to find a minute to tell Baron to keep it a secret a bit longer.

But she wasn't expecting a distraction in the family room when they entered with her credentials. A few of the wives were in the room with their kids and they called for CiCi to come talk with them for a few minutes. When she managed to pull away she noticed Sid deep in conversation with Baron and Caroline. As she made her way over to them she heard Baron say, "She was such an important asset. We were sad to see her go."

A flash of confusion crossed Sid's face, but he recovered quickly and acted as though he knew what was going on. When CiCi sidled up to them, he draped his arm across her shoulder and gave her a sad smile, "Yeah, the art community lost a good one with Ci. Let me go finish getting cleaned up and we can go to dinner. Everyone is okay with The Commoner?"

"Sid.." she grabbed his forearm as he moved to go back to the locker.

"Later, Cesira," Sid said as he walked away from her. She felt deflated as she watched him. Tears welled up in her eyes and she hung her head after he glanced back at her and shook his head in a disappointed manner.

"What just happened?" Caroline asked.

"Sidney didn't know I quit."

"Oh, Ci...I...I'm so sorry! I didn't know! Sid mentioned how he read about an event that happened at the gallery last weekend and was surprised you never mentioned it to him." Baron looked sincerely apologetic at CiCi.

"I was going to tell you not to say anything but I never found the right time tonight. This is my fault, not yours." She brushed a stray tear from her cheek and smiled sadly at the trio in front of her.

"Maybe we should just go. Let you and Sid have a chance to talk," Caroline reasoned. CiCi knew her appetite was gone, so it wasn't all that bad of an idea.

"I can go stay with Caroline tonight, Ci. I can get cleaned up when we get there tomorrow," Julia said, "Ride home with Sid."

CiCi nodded and gave her girlfriends brief hugs goodbye, then watched as they turned to leave. She sighed out of frustration and sat in the chair closest to her. She didn't have anything to say to any of the other WAGs, instead she chose to watch for Sidney.

When he finally came out, CiCi was the only person left in the family room waiting. He stopped, looked around, and asked, "Where did everyone go?"

"They left."

"Are they waiting for us at the restaurant?" Sid asked as he stopped in front of CiCi.

"No. They went back to Care's place. Told me that we needed to talk." She shrugged and bit her lip to keep from crying again.

Sid didn't respond, rather he walked past CiCi and glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was following him. Feeling defeated, she got up and moved to go towards the parking garage.

"Where's your car?" Sid asked looking over his shoulder at her.

"Jules drove down."

"Oh."

CiCi was trying to keep up with Sid, who was walking ahead of her, but she was wearing heels and his strides were longer than hers. It wasn't until they were out of the arena and within ten yards of the Tesla did CiCi speak up.

"Please slow down!" She groaned.

Sid stopped and whirled around to face his wife. "Having trouble keeping up? That makes two of us!"

"Baby.." CiCi murmured softly.

"No, don't baby me. I am so unbelievably pissed at you right now! Get in the car."

CiCi couldn't recall a time when Sid spoke to her with such anger. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up without saying a word.

"I don't know if I'm more angry that you quit your job and failed to tell me or that I had to make it seem like I knew what the FUCK was going on when I was talking with that guy." CiCi flinched when Sid cussed and pressed against the leather seat.

"I'm sorry," she said feebly. She felt like a child being reprimanded by a parent. She watched as the city lights escaped behind them and the glow of the headlights were all that was guiding them home. It was several minutes on the highway before Sid spoke again. The anger still radiating from his body.

"I don't give a flying fuck that you quit your job. You do what you want, but I will NOT be made a fool like that!"

"I know." And that was the end of the discussion. They remained quiet for the remainder of the drive to their house. When they entered the house, Sidney immediately grabbed Dexter's leash and took the puppy outside. CiCi watched their retreating forms and then hurried to their room to change and wash her face. Her stomach growled from hunger, but she felt more tired than hungry and decided sleep was more important. It was evident that Sidney didn't want to hash things out in a normal manner. And she didn't know how to talk to him right now.

*****

Sidney got Dexter settled in his crate and decided now that he had time to stew he could talk to CiCi rationally. When he noticed no lights were on aside from the kitchen, he figured she had gone upstairs to change. When he entered their room, he found that she was curled up on her side sleeping soundly. He sighed, resigned to the fact that the conversation would have to wait until the morning before their guests arrive for dinner and went to change out of his suit.

He couldn't fathom what brought on the urgent need to quit her job or why she couldn't just tell him she did from the beginning. He did know that it hurt him that she couldn't confide in him the way she should. He felt defeated, and climbed into bed next to his wife. He turned towards her sleeping figure, started to move close to her then decided against it. He turned onto his right side and faced away from CiCi, willing sleep to come.

*****

Sidney woke when he heard Dexter barking. It wasn't his occasional howl, but a vicious snarling bark. It was a bark that caused a chill to course through Sidney.

"Ci," Sid said as he tried to shake CiCi awake. "Ci, do you hear Dexter? Did we not set the alarm?"

"Hhhhuh," CiCi said as she remained asleep. Sid climbed out of bed and quickly grabbed the television remote. He turned on his security camera and looked to see if he could see an intruder. He noted that Dexter had calmed down and was no longer barking, and Sid noted that the cameras didn't show anyone, but to be sure he locked the bedroom door. He climbed back into bed, but his heart was racing and he knew sleep would not come easy the rest of the night.

He wondered if he imagined everything, or dreamt it because CiCi didn't budge even when he tried to jostle her awake. He laid back and turned his head to study his wife. She was on her back, her head turned toward him, her lips parted while she breathed. He curled up to face her and grazed his chafed hand across her stomach. "Baby?" He whispered.

"Hmm?" She moaned.

"I can't sleep. Either I had a bad dream or someone is breaking into the house. Or Dex is dream barking."

"Issokay...just a dream." She wiggled closer to him and his shirt that she claimed as her own hiked up revealing more of her stomach and he felt a pull in his groin when he caught a glimpse of the bottom of her breast. He groaned because now he was awake for other reasons. But could he successfully wake CiCi up to help him out? It was worth a try.

Sidney leaned down and brushed CiCi's hair out of her face then began by brushing his lips across hers. She didn't immediately stir when he started to kiss her, but he persisted by running kisses along her jaw and down her neck. He ground his hips against hers, hoping she could feel how he was aroused and needing her desperately to wake up. When he bit down on her nipple through her shirt he finally felt her moan and her fingers tangle into his hair. He immediately let her guide his face to hers and crashed his lips against hers. He felt her legs spread to accommodate him and her fingers never left his wavy hair.
"I thought...you were...mad at me..." CiCi said through kisses.

"I'm fucking furious, but I'm hard and need you desperately right now." He pressed his forehead to hers and sighed when he felt her fingers run up under the hem of his t-shirt. He knew just from the way she continued to touch him that the fight was paused for this intimate moment. CiCi finally opened her eyes and studied Sidney's face. He propped himself up on his hands and finally got to see CiCi.

"Later. We can talk later. I want you, and I think you want me right now too," Sid said. This caused CiCi's lips to curl in a slight smirk. Sid's smile reflected CiCi as he placed his weight on her in order to grip her waist. Her arms encircled his neck and their lips connected together in urgency.

"Shirt...shirt.."CiCi moaned against Sid's mouth. He grinned against her lips and dragged his hands up her sides until he reached the hem of her shirt. He made it a point to brush his thumbs across her nipples as he helped her remove her t-shirt. Without another word Sid then knelt up and quickly pulled CiCi's shorts and panties off in one fluid motion. He then rid himself of his own shorts and knelt back in between her spread legs. "Whoa, did you hear that?" CiCi whispered just before Sidney got into position. Instead he sat back on his haunches and listened to the stillness of the house. He felt his heart jump again and his anxieties from earlier returned.

"Dex is going nuts!" Sid whispered back. He climbed out of bed and tiptoed back over to the television set. CiCi sat up and watched her naked husband turn on the channel that showed them the various cameras around the premises.

"There's someone in the house..." Sid noticed movement near the dog's crate.

"I'm calling the cops!" CiCi reached for her phone on her bedside table.

"No! Wait. It looks like Julia."

"What?"

"It's a woman, that's for sure."

"She said she was staying at Care's tonight."

"Well come over here and look for yourself. I didn't get a good look at what she was wearing after the game."

CiCi climbed out of bed and shivered as the cold air hit her bare skin. She walked over and stood next to Sidney and squinted to get a better look of the person in the house. "Oh yeah, that's definitely Jules. She changed her clothes though. She must have changed her mind about staying at the apartment."

"And wants to give me a heart attack."

"She is a doctor, she'll help you out."

"How does she know the code to get in the house?" Sid asked as he crossed his arms over his bare chest.

"I don't know!" CiCi threw her hands up feeling slightly defensive.

"You had have told her!" Sid stated firmly, his voice rising in volume.

"I didn't tell her anything. The only thing I can think of is Care told her the code. She did live here with us for a couple months. She had the security codes."

Sid turned and walked back over to the bed, picked up his shorts and threw them on before sitting on the edge of the bed. CiCi followed suit, grabbing the forgotten shirt and throwing it on to cover up most of her body. She sat down next to Sid and waited.

"What happened?" Sid asked softly after a very awkward silence. CiCi knew then that he was ready to talk about earlier and why she lied to him.

"They wanted me to change artistically. I couldn't do it. I'm more traditional and they wanted modern, media art. Contemporary pieces that go with the change in the downtown area. That's not me, so I resigned."

"Why couldn't you tell me?"

"Because I was embarrassed. As soon as I did it I panicked, and considered changing my mind. But the first day I was off, you were in Columbus for a preseason game, I felt so liberated. I actually woke up and didn't care that I didn't have a job. Then I thought about how much of a waste college had been if I am not using my degrees. So then I decided not telling anyone was the best idea until I know what I want to do."
Sid remained silent as he stewed over what CiCi just said. "I've told you for nearly three years now that you don't have to work."

"I never wanted to be viewed as a gold digger." Sid rolled his eyes at that.

"You're my wife, CiCi. The only people who would say that would be the trolls online who think they know what goes on in my personal life. The people that matter know differently."

"I know...but..." she immediately thought about how she insisted they get a pre-nup, but Sid was completely against it.

"No, stop. Do not be embarrassed for quitting your job. Or for being asked to change. You are an artist and you know what you are good at." She got the sense that his anger was melting away somewhat.
"You always know what to say to make me feel better about myself." CiCi hesitated at first, but Sid didn't seem to pull away when she rested her head on his shoulder. He even rested his head on hers.

"I'm still mad at you. You should have just told me from the beginning. Then tonight wouldn't have happened." He didn't sound mad though.

"I didn't know Baron was going to the game. Hell, I didn't even know Care and Baron were serious."

"I didn't even know they were dating."

"He lives in the same building. They ran into each other. Apparently the rest is history."

"Gotcha."

"Are you really still mad at me?"

"Nah, but I was hoping for some hot angry sex."

"Shut up!" She laughed as he reached around her and pulled her down on top of him as he fell back against the bed. Their lips met and this time they finished what they had started.

*****

"Everything smells delicious!" Maria gushed as she and Derrick entered the kitchen with to greet CiCi and Sid. Julia hadn't appeared from upstairs yet, nor had Caroline arrived.

"I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I know!" CiCi laughed and hugged her friend. The girls separated when they heard Sid making cooing sounds. He had a soft hockey stick and puck toy in his hand as he made silly faces at Ben.

"Uncie Sid will show you all the moves!" Sid gushed as he took Ben from Derrick and hugged the nearly five month old baby to him. The little boy giggled and touched Sid's face which prompted Sid to make his cheeks expand and make raspberries at the boy.

"Sid, man, you're a natural. I'm pretty certain my kid likes you more than me," Derrick said with a chuckle.

"I'm happy to see you two are okay today," Maria said almost reverently.

"I take you to spoke with Care." CiCi smirked slightly. She would never get over how involved her friends were in her life. Of course the girls all knew about the impending argument between CiCi and Sid.

"Yeah, she and Julia were leaving her place around 12:30." Maria adjusted to sit in one of the barstools at the island.

"Wait, what?" Sid asked inserting himself into the conversation.

"Julia is at Care's?" CiCi asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Why?" Maria asked when she noted the panicked look on the Crosbys' faces.

"Fuck," Sid murmured as he looked at CiCi alarmed.

"Baby, dude," Derrick admonished jokingly for the language.

"I'll be right back." CiCi followed Sid as he passed the baby off to Maria and ran towards the stairs. He rushed to the guest room where Julia typically stays when she is visiting and knocked loudly. After several minutes with no response, Sid burst through the doors to find an empty bed.

"I'm calling the cops now?" CiCi asked phone poised in hand.

"No. No, you were adamant that that was Julia last night. Maybe she came here for something then left again?" Sid tried to reason. The pair walked out of the guest room and back towards the stairs. "Call her!"

"Okay, okay!" CiCi fumbled through her contacts with a shaky hand. Found Jule's number and hit call. "It's creepy as fuck knowing we had sex while some stranger rampaged through our house, by the way....hey! Question for you."

"Happy Thanksgiving! We are about to leave." Julia said on the other line.

"That's fine, back to why I called though." CiCi tried to hurry the conversation along with Sidney's insistence.

"Okay. Shoot."

"Did you come here last night for something then leave again?"

"No, why?"

"Oh..oh, okay." CiCi shook her head at Sid and he dropped his head and mumbled incoherent words that she was certain weren't baby friendly.

"I gotta go, see you girls soon!" CiCi abruptly ended the conversation, but she could hear Julia say 'bye' and 'that was strange' before she disconnected the phone. "Sidney..." she started as she watched her husband's retreating form walk with purpose to their bedroom.

"I'm calling the cops!" Sid declared as he continued to walk away. CiCi decided she needed to go fill her friends in on what was going on, and rather than follow Sid returned to the kitchen.

"Hey," she said sounding exhausted now.

"That was weird," Maria noted as she pulled a chair out next to her inviting CiCi to sit.

"I know. So last night, Dexter was going nuts and it woke Sid up. Then it woke me up. So Sid turned on the security feed on our television and we saw who we thought was Julia wandering through the mud room where Dexter's crate stays. We didn't think anything of it, went back to sleep and then you said she was with Care. Sid is a mess."

"Is he reporting this?" Derrick asked. He placed Ben in his car seat and gave the little boy the forgotten gift from Sidney to play with.

"He's on the phone right now with the cops. This should make for an interesting afternoon at the Crosby house." CiCi accepted the side-hug Maria offered her and remained leaning against her friend. After a few minutes, Sidney came back into the kitchen looking much calmer than before.

"Did you call the cops?" Derrick asked.

"Yeah. They are on their way over now." He sighed and rested his forehead on CiCi's shoulder.

"I don't feel safe staying here babe."

"Let's see what the cops have to say, and if we have to we can go get a hotel. Or crash at Mario's guest house." CiCi nodded and chewed on her lip as she felt his lips kiss her shoulder. The idea of staying in the house without adequate security scared her. Especially knowing that the stranger managed to get in without tripping any alarm.

Notes

So apparently I update every five months now. Real life is hectic! I'm also trying to get to and end point with this story. Definitely dragging it out now. Sid and Ci's story is almost over.