by Briana Cole
“What do you want?” I asked when she made no move to speak.
“I just want you to come back inside,” she said. “Accept the proposal. Leo is serious.”
“Did he send you out here to come get me? Seriously? His wife to come beg another woman to marry her husband? What kind of shit is that?”
Tina blew out a frustrated breath. “He was afraid that I may have been the reason you declined his offer.”
“You think?”
“That’s why I wanted you to hear it from me. You both have my blessing. I don’t want to stand in your way.”
I was so confused. I felt the beginnings of a headache throbbing at my temples. Shit was baffling me.
“So wait. Are you two divorcing or something? And why the hell are you so cool with this?”
“Divorcing? Who? Me and Leo?” Tina let out a snarky chuckle. “Girl, no. ’Til death do us part. I will always be Mrs. Owusu. But I am willing to share with you.”
“Share? Your husband? Haven’t you been doing that for the past few months?”
Now Tina’s smile was genuinely humorous. “Touché. But now I’m offering you a chance to make it official. Because at the end of the day, what do you have to show for it? Some jewelry and some furniture in that raggedy-ass room in your parents’ house?”
A fresh swell of anger had me tightening my fist; the urge to punch this smartass bitch in the jaw was overwhelming. Tina clearly sensed my intentions and held up her hands in mock surrender. “No offense,” she said, though her tone was clearly one of an offensive nature. “I just mean that being the woman on the side only gets you so many benefits. You want to be the temp all your life, or you trying to actually get hired permanently?”
I was fed up. The bullshit she was spewing was absurd, not to mention unbelievable. How did they really expect to pull this off? And why? Where was Leo, and why had he sent his wife to handle this ridiculous sales pitch?
“Y’all idiots are crazy and deserve each other,” I mumbled. “Leave me the fuck alone.” I was already turning and marching up the sidewalk.
“No, you’re the idiot if you don’t take him up on this offer,” she called to my back. “I suggest you think about it and we’ll be in touch with the details.”
I kept walking. Since when did logic make me an idiot? And what the hell was there to think about? The certainty in her voice had me quickening my steps, even as her words continued to reverberate.