NOTHING STAYS THE SAME

by Suzetta Perkins

“Look, do you want us to get rid of her?” Harold asked. Kenny looked at Harold and then at Marvin, surprised.

  “Do you mean, ‘exterminate’?” Kenny asked.

  “Well, not kill her or mutilate her body,” Harold said.

  “Yes,” Marvin said without emotion. “I need to come up with a plan because I don’t believe she’ll go away even if I paid her the fifty thousand dollars. Yeah, we need to put our heads together and come up with something.”

  “Three heads?” Kenny asked.

  “Don’t be a chicken butt,” Marvin said, laughing at Kenny. “We’re not going to kill her, just give her some of her own medicine.”

  “Oh,” Kenny said, not sure what he was agreeing to.

  “Let’s call Cecil,” Marvin said. “I’m ready to get this war started so we can move on to other things. We must keep the bit about this woman, Peaches, between us—absolutely no wives. I’ve had calls from the press because of my attempted suicide, and I’m sure there will be many more calls with this takeover, but I’ll handle it. If you guys will assist me with the behind-the-scenes work, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Let’s call Cecil,” Harold reminded him. “I’m ready to help you move forward.”

  Marvin placed the call and waited for Cecil to come on the line. “Hey, Cecil, this is Marvin Thomas.”

  “Marvin, my man, how are you doing? I read the papers and...”

  “Cecil, I’ve got you on speaker. My partner, Kenny Richmond, and my cousin, Harold Thomas, are here with me.”

  “Did you say Kenny Richmond?”

  “Yeah, Cecil, this is Kenny, your wife’s cousin.”

  “So you’re the Richmond in Thomas and Richmond. I thought your name sounded familiar.”

  “Look, Cecil,” Marvin interrupted, “the reason for this phone call is to tell you that I’m not selling my shares. I rescind my offer. I’m prepared to fight if I have to.”

  “What?” Cecil screamed into the phone. “That’s suicide, Thomas. No pun intended, but you’re messing with some pretty powerful guys, and they’re not going to take this lightly.”

  “You’re the big corporate attorney who’s got accolades on the wall for your business savvy. Now, if you’re not up to the job, we can get someone else with a fancy law degree. Just know that we’re ready to fight. Are you on the team or not?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Sylvia jumped when she heard the door slam that led to the garage. Alarmed, she stopped what she was doing to see what the commotion was all about.

  “Hey, baby,” she said as Kenny brushed past her with briefcase in hand.

  “Hey,” was the reply.

  “Unh, unh. What’s up with you, Kenny? We aren’t going to have no mess in this house.”

  “Nothing, baby. Just a long, hard day.”

  Sylvia followed Kenny into the kitchen. “Kenny, the way your eyes are darting around, you look like you’re burning up with fever. Boy, you ain’t acting right.”

  “Where’s my son?” Kenny asked as he turned away from Sylvia’s glaring eyes.

  “He’s asleep. Now stop the charade and tell me what’s going on.”

  Kenny opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and took a few gulps, closing his eyes as he did. He could feel her presence and her anger as she waited for an answer. For a moment he thought it quite comical the way she was playing it up.

  “How was your trip to see Ashley?” Kenny asked.

  “Don’t change the subject, Kenny. What’s up with you? What happened at work today? You did go to work today.”

  “Sylvia, what’s with the twenty questions?”

  “It wasn’t twenty but I can make it twenty, smart mouth.” Sylvia snatched the bottle of water from Kenny’s hand and slammed it down on the granite counter while spilling some of the contents on the floor. “I’ll give you ten seconds to move those lips and tell me what’s going on or I’m going to call the insane asylum and tell them to pick your butt up. You’re not going to have me walking around like Rachel’s doing now.”

  Kenny sighed. “Come here, girl, and let me hold you.”

  “Not until you tell me something.”

  “I met with Marvin and his cousin Harold today.”

  “Yeah, and...?”

  “I’ve got some good news, I think.”

  “What do you mean, you think?”

  “Sylvia, baby, just let me get it out, would you?” Kenny paused and looked at Sylvia. She was so beautiful, healthy hips and all. “Sexy” was the word that came to mind, especially the way she looked with her hands on her hips like she was mad at somebody. “Marvin had a change of heart and wants to fight to keep the company. He wants to rescind his offer to sell his shares.”

  “Well, isn’t that a good thing, baby? Isn’t that a move in the right direction?”

  “You would think so. But I have a feeling it’s going to cost us more than we’ve got. I got the feeling from Marvin’s lawyer, who just happens to be married to my cousin, Trina, that we’re not big enough to play hardball with these people. I met a couple of the guys Friday night at the dinner Mona catered. They smelled like mean old money, and my gut feeling is that they’re not going down without a fight.”

  “So if this was the news, why were you acting so weird?”

  “You’re still asking questions, Sylvia? Wasn’t that enough?”

  “Look, I’m just like two bookends. I know everything there is to know about you—how you think, what triggers this emotion or that emotion...”

  “Since you think you know me, what does this mean?” Kenny looked Sylvia up and down, his eyes full of lust and desire.

  “Kenny Richmond, it just means you’ve got an itch that you want to scratch and you want some of this. You can have anything you want, baby, once you tell me what’s up.”

  Kenny stood in front of Sylvia, pulled her hands off her hips, and held them behind her. He aligned his body with hers, the granite countertop supporting his back as he leaned further into her. Kenny blew his breath in her face and teased her with his tongue, then kissed her passionately as he stroked her back. He moved his hands from Sylvia’s back down to the mounds of her buttocks, squeezing them and pushing himself into her. Then abruptly she pushed him away.

  “Nice try, baby,” Sylvia said. “You got me going, but as I said, not before you tell me what’s going on.”

  “Lord, have mercy, girl. I can’t believe you’re going to make me stop with my...”

  “Uhh, I’m waiting.”

  “Get a chair, girl. You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Sylvia said. “And don’t you leave out a single detail.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Thoughts ran deep as Ashley recounted her visit with Claudette, Sylvia, and Mona a few days ago. Although puzzled by their sudden appearance, she was happy that they had come. Often she thought about them and how they had been supportive after her divorce from William and had given her the courage to stand up to him.

  Last evening, she received another strange call. Her father wanted to come see her. Ashley could count the months on one hand—five months to be exact—since either her father or mother had come to see her. Yes, they were grateful that William was no longer in her life, but they were upset at the scandal it had caused. The headline popped in her head: ASHLEY JORDAN-LEWIS, DAUGHTER OF FAMED ATTORNEY ROBERT JORDAN, ARRESTED FOR THE MURDER OF HER HUSBAND, WILLIAM LEWIS.

  Her parents weren’t sorry about William’s demise. They hadn’t liked him in the first place because he was black, regardless of his middle-class upbringing and being in the top ten of his class at Georgetown. She loved William, but his love had turned sour, and their marriage had ended in divorce.

  She washed her face, tuning out the part of the story that had landed her behind bars. She told herself that she looked forward to seeing her father, although he probably was there to see a client.

  “Lewis,”
the guard called, clicking her nightstick up against the bars. “You have a visitor.”

  Ashley gathered herself as she was and followed the guard to the reception area where she’d recently been with the girls. As she walked through the doors, she saw her father. He seemed as if he had aged—his hair was a little whiter and his jaws sagged. He wore a navy blue suit, probably from his favorite designer, Versace.

  His smile was endearing. “Hi, sweetie, how are you?”

  “As well as can be expected in this hellhole,” Ashley replied.

  Her father looked away. Ashley thought she saw sadness in his eyes. “Sit down, Dad. I’m fine.”

  Conversation was somewhat strained. As if the moment of guilt had passed, Mr. Jordan began to ramble about how her mother was doing and the rest of the family, although Ashley wasn’t the slightest bit interested. They hadn’t bothered to come see her, and out of sight, out of mind.

  “Well, are you handling any big cases?” Ashley asked when it appeared her father was more relaxed.

  “Yeah, I’m working on several cases, but I’ve got this case that is going to be a humdinger. I’m representing this big firm who is in a takeover bid with this minority, black-owned electronics company that doesn’t stand a chance in hell. The owner sold his shares, and then, as if he had some kind of epiphany after he tried to kill himself, turned around and said he’s not going to sell.”

  Ashley sat straight up in her seat, a visual of a headline that she’d read over the weekend crowding her brain. He just couldn’t be talking about Marvin. She set the thought aside as she listened to her father going on about his case.

  “The guy is loony tunes, if you ask me.”

  “What’s the name of the company?” Ashley asked.

  Her father looked at her with interest. “It’s Thomas and Richmond Tecktronics. Why do you ask?”

  “Boredom,” she said, her heart palpitating twenty beats a minute. “I like to keep up on current events.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Several days had passed since Sylvia and the girls had gone to see Ashley. She was feeling a little guilty that she hadn’t encouraged Rachel to come along. It would have been great if Rachel could have been with them.

  Now new fears enveloped Sylvia; as it seemed that at every turn a new crisis was erupting. Ever since Kenny had opened Pandora’s box and had sworn her to secrecy, she had a burning desire to see Rachel. She didn’t know what she was going to say, but she knew what she wasn’t going to say—what she couldn’t talk about—because she knew the risk she would be taking letting others know that Kenny had breached Marvin’s confidence.

  While the housekeeper watched Kenny Jr., Sylvia went to the kitchen and grabbed the phone, dialing before she lost her nerve. She paced the floor, working up enough courage to say the right thing when Rachel answered. “One, two, three,” Sylvia counted. And then there was Rachel’s voice.

  “Hey, Sylvia,” Rachel said in a low voice.

  “Hey, girl. I’ve missed you. How’ve you been doing?”

  “Oh, alright. You know Marvin’s gone back to work. Didn’t take any time off to recuperate. Has Kenny said anything to you about how Marvin’s been acting?”

  “What do you mean?” Sylvia said too fast. “Kenny hasn’t said anything to me.”

  “Are you alright, Sylvia? You seem uptight.”

  “I don’t mean to be. Would you like to have some company? I won’t bring Kenny Jr.”

  “If you promise not to come over and act like I’m a germ you don’t want to catch. Marvin is trying to work through his ordeal. I believe he’s changed his mind about the company. It’s going to be hard for a while, but we’re going to make it. I might have to go back to work, though.”

  “You’re going to be fine. I prayed for you last night. Oh, Mona, Claudette and I went to see Ashley the other day. She looks good and said to tell you hello.”

  “Next time, I’ll go with you. Well, come on over, friend. I could use one. And I’ve missed you, too.”

  “I’ll be over in a second,” Sylvia said, her eyes growing moist.

  “Okay, I’ll be here when you get here.”

  After securing Kenny Jr. with the next-door neighbor, Sylvia headed to Rachel’s. Sylvia parked her Lexus in the driveway and slowly got out. She could have walked if she wanted to, but she had a strong feeling that she might need to leave in haste. Sylvia had no idea for what reason, but she thought driving would provide the fastest getaway.

  Upon closing the car door, Sylvia walked toward the back of the house, snapping her head left and right like a thief in the night making sure of her surroundings. It was almost as if she expected to be jumped any minute by a would-be carjacker or a rapist, but this was not that kind of neighborhood. Sylvia was afraid of what she would find inside with Rachel’s nerves so raw and on edge, especially with all that she had been through with Marvin.

  She looked up when she heard the door open as she prepared to ring the bell.

  “What took you so long?” Rachel asked. “It’s not like you live on the other side of town. Come on in.”

  Sylvia hugged Rachel, who seemingly held on for dear life. It was Sylvia who pulled away first. “Let’s go inside.”

  It felt like she was in a mausoleum—stuffy, boxed in, and unable to move. Sylvia moved further into the house and noticed that papers were everywhere, and Serena’s toys were strewn about on the floor of the family room, although she wasn’t to be seen. Rachel lay on the couch, her legs hanging over the arm, while Sylvia took a seat in the nearest chair. “Where is Isabel?” Sylvia asked.

  “I had to let her go.”

  Sylvia’s eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry, Rachel.”

  “No need to be. Nothing stays the same, girl. You think you’re on top of the world and are going to stay there forever. Then things happen, things you never expect, things that aren’t shared and life suddenly goes down the drain. I feel like the Dow Jones, spiraling down, down, down out of control. I would have never thought this could happen to us, Sylvia. I can’t believe that my wonderful, beautiful, unafraid, God-fearing husband just tried to commit suicide. How could that be?”

  Sylvia got up, held Rachel’s legs up, and sat down on the couch next to her. Sylvia put her arms around Rachel, then pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “Baby, it’s going to be alright. Just think back on all the things you went through with your ex, Reuben, and Marvin’s ex, Denise, and you still weathered the storm. You’re a tough little cookie. You didn’t take any of that crap lying down. I think you would have kicked Denise’s butt that night at the Ex-Files meeting if she hadn’t pulled that wig off her head, declaring that she had the big C.”

  “That was then, Sylvia. This is now. Marvin had me acting a fool on the streets of Atlanta because I couldn’t use my credit cards and I didn’t know why. The man I trusted with all my dreams and my future let me down. I just can’t believe it!” Rachel wailed.

  “Sweetie, that’s why you can’t give everything away. You’ve got to keep some things for yourself—like putting money away for a rainy day. You hope that you never have to use it, but if a rainy day should come, and sometimes it comes in torrents, you have something to fall back on. I believe with all my heart that Marvin didn’t intend for this to happen, and that it just happened. I know he loves you and Serena with all of his heart because that’s the kind of man he is...” Sylvia stopped, conflicted by the information she was sworn to keep secret. It would hurt Rachel to her heart if she ever found out about Marvin’s infidelity, even though he claimed to have no recollection of it.

  “What’s wrong, Sylvia?” Rachel asked, suddenly sitting up straight. “Why did you pause?”

  “Oh, I guess I’m just overwhelmed. It suddenly dawned on me that if this is touching you, we could be next—cause and effect.”

  “Huh?”

  Sylvia spoke as if she was auditioning for a part in a movie about the economy gone bad. “Me, Kenny, Kenny Jr. are tied into the future you
just described. My husband being partners with your husband means that Kenny is also in jeopardy of losing his job, maybe losing our home, and so many other things.”

  “Sylvia, I understand.” Rachel hesitated. “Ahh,” she sighed.

  Sylvia rubbed Rachel’s back. “You alright?”

  “No, Sylvia, I’m not alright.” Rachel held her face in her hands and began to cry. “Sylvia, there’s more.”

  “What is it, Rachel? Things are looking up, aren’t they, especially since Marvin wants to fight for the company?”

  Through wet tears, Rachel sang. “Serena found one of Marvin’s suits hidden underneath the cushions in the couch in his office downstairs. Sylvia, it reeked of perfume, and when I confronted him about it, he tells me some story about going to this bar and getting drunk when he doesn’t even drink. Then he had the nerve to tell me he woke up and he was in his car. No further explanation. I want to believe him, but would you believe a story like that?”

  “You have to trust Marvin,” Sylvia said, knowing good and well that Marvin had had sex with some cheap whore he’d met at the bar, and that he’d woken up in her apartment and not in his car like he’d told Rachel. Keeping a blank face was difficult, and she felt that Rachel had a right to know the truth. But then there was her husband whom she loved and trusted, and to betray his confidence would be the worst kind of evil. Sylvia would do her best to listen and be a good friend.

  “I want to believe him so bad, Sylvia, but my heart tells me he’s lying. First, the credit cards and now this. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

  “Let’s not rush to judgment. I’ll be there to hold your hand through it all. Why don’t you and Marvin consider coming to my church one Sunday and talking to Pastor Goodwin?”

  “Sylvia, I don’t want anyone else in my business. It’s bad enough that all my close friends know what’s going on in my household, but I don’t need some preacher asking me all kinds of questions so he can use it as text for his next sermon.”

  “Now, that’s not fair. Pastor Goodwin is a good man. He’s a practice what he preaches’ man, with ethical and moral values. Anything you tell him will be kept in strict confidence. Remember Margo Myles, who came and spoke to our group? She is Pastor Goodwin’s sister.”