Imitation of Wife

by La Jill Hunt

  “Bethany, stop,” Violet pleaded.

  Tank opened the door and slipped outside, and Tricia went back into the kitchen.

  “Was that Titus? You should’ve let me talk to him to thank him for my gift,” her mother said.

  “No, Ma, it wasn’t him. It was someone else,” Tricia said. “Now back to these party plans. How many guests do you think will be there?”

  “I don’t really know.” Her mother shrugged.

  “Well, how many do you wanna invite?” Tricia asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Mama, you’ve gotta give me something to work with.” Tricia sighed.

  “Work with for what?” Felicia asked as she walked into the kitchen. After hugging their mother, she handed her a small handbag. “Hey, Mama, Aunt Bertha left her purse last night. She told me to drop it off here, and she’ll come pick it up after church.”

  “Thank you, baby. And thank you again for everything you did yesterday. I just can’t stop smiling. That wasn’t just a party. It was something else.” Her mother smiled and shook her head.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mama.” Felicia poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at the table. “I thought you were leaving today, Tricia.”

  “I am. Our flight leaves in a couple of hours,” Tricia said, closing the notebook and putting it into the Chanel bag on the table in front of her.

  “Tricia, your sister can probably give you the information you were asking me about.”

  Tricia shook her head. “No, Mama. I’ll figure it out. We have a date. That’s all I need for now.”

  “What information? Date for what?” Felicia asked.

  Tricia stood. “I need to be getting to the airport.”

  “Tricia, sit down,” her mother said. “You don’t need to be getting nowhere. Come on and let’s get this thing planned.”

  “What thing? What y’all doing?” Felicia asked again.

  “Tricia’s getting the ball rolling on my retirement party in July.”

  “Oh, okay. You did mention Tricia volunteering to be in charge of that.”

  Tricia could hear the sarcasm in Felicia’s voice, and she knew her comment wasn’t sincere. “I’m thinking a reception at one of the hotels would be nice, Mama. And we can reserve a block of rooms for out-of-town guests.”

  “I don’t really have a lot of out-of-town people, Tricia. But a hotel party would be nice. That would probably cost a lot of money, though,” her mother said.

  “What about a nice brunch? They’re a little less expensive, and that would be really different,” Felicia suggested.

  “I’m not worried about how expensive it is. My husband and I have plenty of money, and we can afford to pay for whatever we need to.”

  “Sorry,” Felicia said. “Well, you and your husband go right ahead.”

  “Cereal! Cereal!”

  Violet came in, carrying Bethany on her hip. “I’m making you cereal right now.”

  “Violet, let Deon know I appreciate all of his help last night and thank him for bringing the gifts over to the house for me,” Felicia said.

  “You know he only did all that to get in my good graces,” Violet said. “If I say thank you, he’s gonna expect me to show him my gratitude, and that ain’t happening.”

  “Who knows, that gratitude might be just the thing y’all need to work on y’all issues.” Felicia laughed.

  “Gratitude and a good meal work wonders for reconciliation.” Her mother gave Violet a suggestive look. “I saw y’all dancing last night all lovey-dovey.”

  “You peeped that too, Mama?” Felicia gave their mother a high five, and they giggled.

  “Y’all need to stop it.” Violet shook her head.

  “You better listen to me, baby sis. If you want, I can give you some great recipes for the kitchen and the bedroom.” Felicia elbowed Violet, then took Bethany from her and whispered loudly, “I’m gonna get your mama and daddy back right.”

  Tricia shook her head and murmured, “I’d be careful taking advice from someone with that track record.”

  “What did you say?” Felicia’s head whipped around, and she glared at Tricia.

  “Tricia, stop. That’s wrong,” Violet said.

  “Why is it wrong? Her track record for marriage isn’t the best. She’s zero for two: two marriages, two divorces. That’s damaging. If you really wanted some sound advice, I would think you would ask someone in a solid marriage for over a decade. I’m just saying.”

  Felicia looked at Violet, then back to Tricia. “Are you calling me damaged because I had the strength and sense enough to leave situations that are toxic, rather than staying in them? Because that ain’t the case. I’m educated, successful, accomplished, financially stable, beautiful, and I’m very capable of keeping a man.”

  “And yet you don’t have one, correct?” Tricia responded.

  “Tricia,” her mother said.

  “By choice, honey, not by force,” Felicia snapped. “And I support Violet whether she stays married or chooses to walk away.”

  “And I appreciate that, sis.” Violet gave her a nod of approval.

  “All I’m saying is it don’t even take all of that,” Tricia said.

  “All of what?” Violet frowned.

  “You don’t have to cook, clean, work fifty hours a week, or even do tricks in the bedroom. I do none of that, and I have managed to keep a man, a good man,” Tricia said matter-of-factly. “Face it, the reason you don’t have a man and yours has one foot out the door is because you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “And you do?” Violet yelled.

  “Obviously.” Tricia nodded. She’d been waiting years for this conversation to happen, and the time had finally arrived, and she was ready. “When I had Tank, y’all talked about me and swore that I was gonna end up a welfare mother. But I didn’t. When I got married, y’all swore it wasn’t gonna last, but it did. You walk around here with your degrees and job titles, thinking you’re better than I am, but guess what? You ain’t. The jealousy the two of you have for me is sickening.”

  “Jealous? Did she say jealous?” Felicia asked Violet.

  “You girls need to stop. This is going too far now,” her mother warned.

  “She can’t be talking about us. Jealous of what?” Violet squinted at Tricia as she waited for her to answer.

  “Of me, of my husband, my son, my life.” Tricia looked her younger, much smaller sister up and down. “The two of you were the pretty ones, and I was the fat one who everyone thought would end up alone. But look at me.”

  Felicia stood up, placing Bethany into their mother’s arms. Tricia thought she was going to approach her, but instead, she stepped closer to Violet. “So, because you somehow lucked up and got knocked up by a man who stepped up and did the right thing by you, that makes you superior?”

  “In some ways it does,” Tricia said smugly.

  “You really are pitiful.” Felicia turned and smiled at Violet. “Did you know she was this pathetic?”

  “It’s sad, huh?” Violet shook her head.

  “What’s pathetic about me? How am I pitiful?” Tricia demanded.

  Felicia looked her in the eye and said, “I almost feel sorry for her.”

  “Me too.” Violet nodded.

  “Let it go,” their mother pleaded.

  “You don’t even realize,” Felicia continued as she took slow, deliberate steps toward Tricia.

  “Realize what?” Tricia’s voice stammered. She was curious as to what her sister was talking about.

  “Your husband, the one you’re bragging and boasting about, ain’t in love with you.” Felicia continued walking until she was standing directly in front of Tricia. “And what’s even sadder is that he’s never been in love with you. And that’s sadder than all of my failed relationships combined.”

  “Felicia, that’s enough!” her mother screamed, startling Bethany, who began to cry.

  Tricia stared at Felicia, looking for some sign of evi
l that would have prompted her to say such a thing, but the only thing she saw was pity. Her sister wasn’t angry or disgusted when she stated what she said. She meant each and every word, and that was what infuriated Tricia.

  “You bitch.” Tricia’s voice was stoic, as was her face. She grabbed her purse and rushed out of the house, damn near bumping into Tank, who was about to walk in.

  “Here.” He shoved her phone into her hand. “He wants to talk to you.”

  “We’re leaving,” Tricia told Tank. “Get in the car.”

  “I need to say goodbye to everyone.”

  “Get in the car.”

  “Hello, hello?” A voice came through the phone. “Tricia, you there?”

  Tricia put the phone to her ear. “Hello.”

  “Thanks for letting me talk to him. I’m hoping I got through to him,” Everett said.

  “He’s not in love with me? He’s never been in love with me? How?” Tricia mumbled.

  “Huh? Tricia, are you okay?” Everett asked.

  “Why would she even say that to me?” Tricia whispered, still trying to process what Felicia said.

  “Tricia.” Her mother stepped onto the front porch and called out to her.

  “I have to go,” Tricia said, ending the call. She looked over to her mother. “I’ll call you when we get home.”

  “Tricia, baby, wait. Talk to me for a minute. Felicia was just having a moment, that’s all.”

  “It’s fine. We have to go,” Tricia yelled at Tank, who was leaning against the rental car. “Come hug your grandmother and say bye.”

  Tank sauntered over and hugged her mother. “Goodbye, Grandmother. I’ll be sure to send you my graduation invitation.”

  “And make sure you send me some pictures, too.”

  “I will. Dad is taking me to take my cap and gown pictures this week.”

  Tricia unlocked the doors and got behind the wheel of the car. When Tank climbed in, she started the engine.

  “You’re driving?” He sounded surprised. “I can’t believe you made me talk to that guy. I told you I’m not going to that school. It’s my choice, not yours. Dad is gonna be pissed when he finds out.”

  Tricia glanced over at him and said, “Fasten your seat belt.”

  She backed out of her mother’s driveway and drove to the airport without saying another word.

  Chapter 17

  Sylvia

  “I have a surprise for you,” Kenny said. “Come outside.”

  “Kenny, we have a meeting at Councilman Rogers’s office in thirty minutes. I don’t have time for surprises, and neither do you,” Sylvia told her business partner. Here they were about to have one of the biggest meetings they’d had since starting their company three years ago, and he was playing games. She loved Kenny, and he was the ideal person to work with, the yang to her yin, but he could be a little too laidback at times.

  “I know we have a meeting, Syl. I was the one who scheduled it, remember?” Kenny told her. “Grab your purse and come on. We can ride together.”

  “I have an appointment this afternoon. I need to—”

  “Syl, just come on and bring your ass,” Kenny groaned. “Damn, can’t even surprise you.”

  “I’m coming.” Sylvia grabbed her purse and laptop bag and headed downstairs. “Aunt Connie, I’m gone. I’ll be back after I pick up Peyton.”

  “I’ll be here,” Aunt Connie yelled from another part of the house. “The pot roast and potatoes will be ready when you get home. And I’m making homemade rolls.”

  Jesus, I told her no heavy meals during the week, Sylvia thought as she walked out the front door. She loved her cooking and the convenience of meals being prepared daily. But if her aunt didn’t start making some healthier meals, she was gonna have to actually utilize the gym membership she paid for every month.

  “What do you think?” Kenny yelled as soon as she stepped out the door.

  Sylvia stopped in her tracks and held her breath as she stared not at him, but the vehicle he was standing beside. There, parked in her driveway, was her dream vehicle: a candy-apple red Range Rover Sport. It was as if God were shining directly on it and she heard angels singing in the background.

  “Oh my God,” Sylvia said as she approached Kenny. “Where did you get this?”

  “You know my boy Gene, the wholesale buyer? He called and told me to come pick it up.” Kenny beamed.

  Sylvia ran her fingers along the beautiful exterior. “You lucky bastard.”

  “It ain’t for me. It’s for you,” Kenny said.

  “What?” Sylvia looked at him as if he were crazy. “Me?”

  “Yeah. Everyone knows how long you’ve talked about this damn truck. He immediately told me to bring it so you can check it out. Now, let’s go. Here.” He tossed her the key fob and jumped in the passenger seat.

  Sylvia was too stunned to move at first. She stood, mouth gaped, eyes glued to the fob she was holding, and wondering if someone was playing some kind of prank. Her eyes blinked, and she decided that if he was, she was going to take full advantage of it while she could until whoever was punking her jumped out and said, “Gotcha.” As she got behind the wheel and submerged herself in the luxury that now encompassed her, she inhaled and grinned. The Range Rover was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside.

  “I take it you like it?” Kenny laughed.

  “Like is an understatement. Oh, wait.” Her body turned, and she reached for her purse that was in the back seat, rummaging inside until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the Gucci sunglasses, which she splurged and bought over a year ago and rarely wore, and placed them on her face. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Really, Syl?” Kenny shook his head at her.

  “Look, I may never get the chance to drive anything like this again. I at least need to look good driving it. Let me have my moment.”

  Sylvia took the longest, most scenic route ever to the office building where their meeting was being held. What normally should have been a fifteen-minute drive took over twenty, and though she was usually anal about punctuality, Sylvia wasn’t bothered that they had no time to spare when she pulled into the parking lot. She was on cloud nine as she floated into the conference room where Councilman Derrick Rogers was waiting for them. The anxiety and nervousness that Sylvia had felt all week preparing for their consultation had somehow disappeared, and by the time she finished with her presentation, they had signed a contract: one of the biggest since starting their company.

  “We did it.” Kenny clapped as they walked out of the building and into the parking lot.

  “That was incredible. All of our work and preparation paid off. I can’t believe this.” Sylvia gave him a high five. “That video you created was perfect.”

  “Nah, your delivery was what did it. Man, Syl, I ain’t seen you this confident in a long time. You blew them away,” Kenny told her. “I admit, I was a little worried with everything you got going on right now, but you handled it.”

  “You were doubting me?” Sylvia gasped and placed her hand on her chest.

  “No, I would never doubt you. I just hoped your head would be in the game when it was time. And it was.”

  They arrived at the Range Rover, and Sylvia touched the hood. “It was the truck. It brought me good luck.”

  “Well, that’s a sign that you definitely need to buy it,” he said.

  “Syl, wait!”

  Sylvia turned around to see Hampton Davis, Lynne’s ex-husband, waving as he approached them. Any other time, she would’ve just waved back and kept it moving, but considering that he had been the one to set up the meeting with the city councilman, who also happened to be his cousin, she waited to speak with him. She at least owed him that much.

  “Hey, Hamp.”

  “I heard the meeting went well and congratulations are in order.” Hampton smiled.

  “Indeed they did,” Kenny told him.

  “That’s great. I told Derrick he would be impressed w
ith your work, and he was. He’s already making a call to the tourism office about hiring you to work on a project in their department,” Hampton informed them.

  “Are you serious?” Sylvia looked over at Kenny, who seemed just as pleased to hear this information as she was.

  “Very serious. I just wanted to say congrats and tell you this is just the beginning for you guys,” Hamp told her.

  “Well, Hamp, we appreciate you looking out and putting the word in for us,” Sylvia said.

  “It was no big deal. I mean, despite what went down with me and my situation, I still consider you a friend, Syl. And that’s what friends do. They look out for one another.” Hamp smiled.

  “You’re right about that,” Kenny told him.

  “Undoubtedly, it was what you all presented in there that impressed them and sealed the deal, but who knows, maybe one day you can return the favor.”

  “You know we will.” Kenny shook Hampton’s hand.

  “I’ll catch y’all later, and congratulations again,” Hampton said, then walked back to the building.

  “Why would you tell him that?” Sylvia asked Kenny as she unlocked the doors and they climbed inside.

  “What?” Kenny asked innocently.

  “I’m not promising to return nothing. My loyalty is to my best friend, not him,” Sylvia reminded him. “The same best friend whose life he almost ruined.”

  “The same best friend who told you to reach out to him about this opportunity. I mean, he’s legit. And because of him looking out, now you can really buy this thing.”

  “I wish I could. Garry would have a damn cow. You know how many times I’ve said I wanted this truck. It’s not really practical, and I know he’s gonna say no now that Peyton is going off to school and Jordan is with us. I mean, I wish I could, but not this time. One day though.”

  “I hear you, Syl, but at least see what Gene is talking about. You saying all this without even knowing how much it costs. Which, by the way, I do, and I’m telling you right now, it’s one helluva deal,” Kenny said as he typed an address into the truck’s GPS system. “But it’s up to you. Now take me back over there to get my car.”