NOTHING STAYS THE SAME

by Suzetta Perkins

  “Like I told Marvin, you don’t scare me. You’ll have to kill me before I’ll go away. Just make sure your friend has my fifty thousand dollars.”

  Kenny looked up and down the corridor. He grabbed Peaches’ arm and shoved her toward the exit, her heels digging into the carpet. “You don’t scare me either, and you can kiss that fifty thousand dollars good-bye. You aren’t worth the two dollars it cost to print the money. Now get out of here before I break your arm.”

  With her free hand, Peaches dug her nails into Kenny’s hand that encircled her arm. Unfazed, Kenny held on and shoved her out the door. Peaches stopped, turned around, and faced Kenny from the other side of the glass, glared at him, then flipped him the bird. He smirked and managed a half smile as he watched her walk away. Serious consideration had to be given to the Peaches situation because she was a ticking time bomb that needed to be defused.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Rachel’s swatch book that contained the samples of fabric she had chosen for the new drapes throughout her house was nestled among Serena’s toys. She picked up the book and flipped through the pages, remembering the day she and Roland were making measurements and finalizing her choices. It was one of the last days that Rachel remembered having a smile on her face—her mood had been great and family life as she had come to know it was at its best.

  She continued to finger through the pages of the book, and let go a smile. Somewhere in the middle of the night, hope had reached out to her, and for the first time since Marvin’s ordeal, she believed that she, Marvin, and Serena were going to make it as a family.

  Rachel got up and picked up the ringing phone that sat on the coffee table. “Hello.”

  “Hey, babe,” Marvin said. Rachel perked up. There was a smile in Marvin’s voice.

  “Hey, babe,” Rachel answered. “How’s your day going?”

  “Better than I could have imagined. The board has agreed to the plan that our accounting department has developed along with my and Kenny’s blessing.”

  “That’s great, Marvin.” Rachel hesitated. “But what about your stock?”

  “Baby, the board agreed to retain Cecil Coleman’s firm to try to secure the stock. I just got off the phone with Cecil, and he’s elated. We’re going to win this, Rachel. It is going to be a fight to the finish, but I’m in for the long haul. You didn’t marry a quitter. I owe you and Serena the life you so deserve.”

  Rachel held the phone away from her face while tears of joy ran down it. Hope was on the way.

  “Rachel, are you there?” Marvin’s voice floated through the receiver.

  “Yeah, baby, I’m here.” She sniffed. “I’m so happy for you...for us...for the company. I love you, Marvin.”

  “I love you, too, Rachel. Don’t go and make drapery orders yet.”

  Rachel’s mouth fell open. How did he know that she had been looking at the swatches? “No, baby, I’m not even thinking about drapes or remodeling.” She stifled a giggle.

  “It will be awhile, but we’re going to make it. How about I take my two favorite ladies out tonight?”

  “Can we afford it, Marvin?” Rachel teased.

  “Naw. I’ll borrow the money from Kenny. I’m kidding. I think I can squeak out a meal at our favorite family restaurant—TGI Friday’s.”

  “What time are you coming home? I want to be ready. I’m sitting around here in a beat-up T-shirt, baggy pants, and a pair of old flip-flops.”

  “Put on something pretty for me, and be waiting at the door at five. Kiss, kiss. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Kiss, kiss.” Rachel hung up the phone and sat down and finished thumbing through the swatch book.

  Rachel pulled her head out of the book at the sound of the doorbell. She cocked her head at the sound of whimpering as Serena walked in the room straight from her early afternoon nap. Kiss, kiss. “How’s Mommy’s baby?” Rachel asked Serena. Before Serena could answer, the doorbell sounded again. Who could this be, Rachel wondered.

  “Mommy,” Serena whined.

  “Mommy will be right back, Serena. Play with your doll baby while Mommy see who’s at the door. Then we’re going to go upstairs and get ready because Daddy is going to take us out to dinner.”

  “Okay,” Serena continued to whine.

  Rachel looked back at Serena and, happy that she was alright, went to the door. She couldn’t make out who was behind the door through the frosted glass, but it appeared to be a restless person because they rang the doorbell again.

  “I’m coming,” Rachel spouted off.

  Reaching the door, Rachel opened it and gazed at the medium-height woman with a short Afro, wearing a skin-tight leopard outfit, sunglasses that covered her face, and large hoop earrings. The woman stared with her nose in the air, then made a vertical assessment of Rachel, taking stops along the way. She scrunched her nose when she made it to Rachel’s feet, adorned in simple flip-flops. But Rachel made an assessment of her own and did not hide the fact that whoever was gracing her steps was wasting her time.

  “Yes?” Rachel finally asked with a severe frown on her face.

  “Uhh...are you Mrs. Thomas or the hired help?”

  Rachel’s eye began to twitch. “And who wants to know?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I have a delivery for Mrs. Marvin Thomas.”

  Rachel’s eyes went directly to the manila envelope the woman held in her hand. The woman took a long last look at Rachel and handed her the envelope. “You’ll understand the message,” the woman said, and turned and walked away.

  “Huhhh,” Rachel sighed. She watched as the woman walked down the street. Where did she come from? Where was her car?

  Closing the door, Rachel went inside, holding onto the envelope. Her mind lingered as she thought about the mysterious woman who had just graced her doorstep. What was so important that she had to make a special delivery, the contents of which were sealed in a manila envelope? Rachel wondered. She checked her watch; she had an hour before Marvin would be home. Curiosity got the best of her, and she went into the kitchen to get the letter opener.

  Rachel sliced opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. The paper was folded in half, and when she opened it a look of horror crossed Rachel’s face. Her hands began to shake.

  “Oh, my God. What is this? What is this?” she screamed. The paper dropped to the floor, and a flood of tears broke loose from Rachel’s eyes. “Marvin Thomas, you’ve got some explaining to do. I don’t believe this. Lord, why me?”

  Like a scene out of a shoot ’em up, Rachel’s body slumped to the floor. She sobbed uncontrollably and beat the floor with her fists. “This is the last time I will be humiliated by you, Marvin. The last time.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  It was getting dark earlier. In another month, Daylight Saving Time would be over. Jumping in his Lexus, Marvin was happy that he decided to leave the office early. He was even happier that Rachel received his news in good spirit. They were going to make it; he could feel it in his bones.

  All the good news from the day made him speed up. Eating a meal out with his girls was the way to end a fabulous day. He glanced at the clock in the car. He promised to pick Rachel up at five and he had ten minutes to get home on time.

  Everything seemed alive as he drove through his lovely neighborhood—almost as if he was looking at it from a different perspective. What a difference a day made. He pulled in the driveway and almost honked the horn, but he decided against it. Instead of parking in the garage, he parked in front of it and ran in to get the girls.

  “Hey, baby,” Marvin yelled upon entering the foyer. “Are you ready? I can’t wait.”

  Marvin stopped when he realized he hadn’t received a response. He moved into the hallway and ran down the steps and into his office. Not a soul was there. Taking the stairs two at a time, he climbed back up and quickly ran up the stairs to the bedrooms.

  “Rachel, Serena? Where are you? You’re not playing hide and seek on me, are you?” Puzzled
, Marvin walked into each of the four bedrooms and then the recreation room, opening and slamming doors. “If you didn’t want to go out, you should have said so, Rachel.”

  Irritated, Marvin ran down the stairs and into the family room. The television was off, and there was no movement. Then he spotted her sitting in the dark on the couch.

  “Rachel.” No response. Marvin moved in front of her. Rachel’s arms crossed her bosom, and he noted that she had been crying. “Rachel, what’s wrong? Where’s Serena?”

  There was no movement from Rachel. She continued to sit and stare ahead.

  “Okay, Rachel. Enough of this. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on. I’m leaving you, Marvin.”

  “What in the hell are you talking about, woman? You, me, and Serena are supposed to be going out to dinner to celebrate. What could have happened in the last hour?”

  “A lot has happened, Marvin. Seems I don’t know you at all. You’re certainly not the man I believed you were. Maybe I understand now why your ex, Denise, got with your cousin, Harold.”

  Marvin moved the coffee table and lunged at Rachel, pulling her up from the couch. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you’re going to start talking now. I’ve apologized for the things that have happened in the last few weeks, but I’m sick and tired of your antics. I don’t deserve this. You may mock me, but I meant what I said. Now I’m beginning to wonder if I said them to the wrong woman.”

  Slap. Marvin pushed Rachel back down on the couch and brushed his bruised face with his hand. “Don’t you ever raise a hand to me again.”

  “You won’t have to worry about it, because Serena and I are gone.”

  “Oh, hell no you aren’t. You can get out, but Serena stays here.”

  “That’s all you ever wanted anyway was a baby. Mad that Denise didn’t give you one, but now that I’ve given you the one thing that you wanted, I’m dismissed.”

  “You dismissed yourself, Rachel. Don’t you dare undermine my love for you. I was the one staple in your life. Your girls even said that you couldn’t keep a man.”

  “Well, Mr. Marvin Thomas, you’re just one of the statistics. I don’t want a cheat or a liar.” Tears rolled down Rachel’s cheeks. She picked up the manila envelope that sat on the coffee table and threw it at Marvin.

  “What’s this?” Marvin asked with a puzzled look on his face.

  “Why don’t you look in it and see?”

  Marvin opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. He unfolded it and gasped. “Where in the hell did you get this from?”

  “Straight from the whore’s hand. The bitch had the nerve to come to our door and hand it to me, special delivery. Ain’t that nothing?”

  Fire was in Marvin’s eyes. “Rachel, I’m telling you, this is a set-up.”

  “Are you going to say that you weren’t there? Tell me you don’t remember anything...that you got drunk and...I can’t stand you, Marvin. I hate you.”

  “Rachel, I was there but don’t know how I got there. Baby, you’ve got to believe me. I love only you, and I haven’t looked at another woman or even wanted to be with another woman.”

  “Well, how do you explain this, Marvin? Huh? You must think I’m the biggest fool that walked the planet. Tell me, how did you just happen to be in some woman’s room with all of your damn clothes off, doing who knows what to her?”

  “Baby, I know what this looks like, but I promise you there is another answer. She’s trying to extort fifty thousand dollars from me. If I was having an affair with someone, do you think they’d go to this extreme?”

  Rachel’s eyes widened. “You’re holding the answer. Figure it out!”

  “Jesus!” Marvin shook his head.

  “No need of calling on Jesus. He had nothing to do with this.”

  “I’m tired of fighting with you. You can choose to believe me or not. She came to the office today in retaliation for Kenny and Harold roughing her up.”

  “You’ve got them involved in your mess? Jesus, Marvin. What’s gotten into you? No wonder the company is doing belly flops. You are out of control. So you got Kenny and Harold to do your dirty work. Shameful.”

  “I didn’t do anything to that woman. Dinner’s off. I’m going to my office.”

  “Walk out like you always do; I’m walking out for good.”

  “Get to steppin’ if that’s what you want to do. But leave my daughter here.”

  Marvin turned and looked at Rachel. He loved her, but he wasn’t going to put up with any more of her abuse, no matter how guilty he looked. Enough was enough. She would be the one to make amends. He walked out of the room and went up the stairs to find Serena.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Rachel watched Marvin retreat up the stairs. She wished she’d kept Serena downstairs with her. She must have fallen asleep if Marvin hadn’t seen her when he first came in the house. There would be no way she could get Serena out of the house now. The master had gone to claim his prize—his daughter. She couldn’t compete.

  Uncertainty about what she was going to do set in. There was no way that she could stay in the house...at least not for the moment. Rachel went to the phone. She needed Sylvia, but their last visit together filled her with regret. If she couldn’t call Sylvia, she had to call someone.

  With steady fingers, she punched preset button five.

  “Hey, stranger, what’s going on?”

  “Hey, Mona.”

  “It must be serious if you’re calling me instead of Sylvia.”

  “You’ve heard about our spat, I assume.”

  “Sylvia might have been a little tough on you, Rachel, but that’s what tough love is all about. You both need to stop this mess and make up. I can’t be there for you like Sylvia.”

  “Stop kidding around, Mona, because I need you. Can I come over?”

  “Sure, Rachel. You bringing Serena?”

  “No, she’s with her daddy. I need to talk to someone bad...like, right now.”

  “Come on over. Michael is on call tonight. Won’t be home until late.”

  “Thanks, Mona. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Girl, you know I’ve got your back.” And the line went dead.

  Mona immediately dialed a number.

  “Hello?”

  “Sylvia?”

  “Hey, Mona. What’s up?”

  “Get your ass over here right away. Your girl Rachel is in a bad way. I don’t know if I can handle it by myself.”

  “That’s probably not a good idea, Mona. She hasn’t spoken to me since the day we had that fight at her house.”

  “Well, I think you’ve got to be the bigger person and swallow your pride. I’m gonna need some help with the sister because she didn’t sound too good.”

  “Got an idea. Why don’t you call Claudette, too? That way Rachel won’t be so angry at just seeing me, and you won’t get blamed for going behind her back.”

  “Shoot, I will anyway. But that’s a good idea, Sylvia. Kind of like the Ex-Files reborn.”

  “Yeah, but not for the reason Ex-Files was started. At least I hope not. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I know Kenny is going to kill me, but I’m not sure what Rachel is coming to your house to share. So that you’re armed, Marvin might have slept with another woman.”

  “Shut up, Sylvia! Marvin, our Marvin Thomas? Nooooooo. Girl, you’re lying.”

  “Rachel told me herself. Now, his business partner, who just happens to be my husband, thinks it’s a set-up. Even went out and did some investigative work.”

  “How did Kenny find out?”

  “Marvin told him about it. Oh, I forgot. The woman is trying to extort fifty thousand dollars from Marvin to keep this a secret.”

  “Girl, how long have you been sitting on this piece of dynamite and not shared it with the rest of the girls? This is better than the soaps. Damn, Sylvia, I can’t believe you didn’t let that burden you were bearing all by yourself out of the bag.�
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  “Kenny would have killed me, and he’s still going to kill me because I know you can’t keep a secret.”

  “Shouldn’t have told me. I ain’t made no promises to nobody.”

  “All I want to say, Mona, is let Rachel tell you first. I have a feeling she will.”

  “Okay, okay. I will. Look, let’s give Rachel about a half-hour to get to my house. Why don’t you come in about an hour?”

  “Sounds good. Don’t forget to call Claudette. And have some snacks waiting for us, especially something strong to drink.”

  Mona laughed. “Girl, I know what you mean. I’m going to get a shot of Tequila now.”

  Mona and Sylvia laughed.

  “See you in an hour,” Sylvia said.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Marvin looked in on Serena. As if on cue, Serena began to stir. She looked like an angel, lying in her bed so peacefully. Truth be told, she looked a lot like Rachel.

  Serena’s room was all dolled up in pink and purple. A mural that consisted of cute little fairies that floated across a beautiful landscape adorned the wall, and black princesses with magic wands, a take on the Disney Princess theme, bordered the room. One of Rachel’s artist friends had been commissioned to do the work.

  Serena’s bed looked like a place for a sleeping beauty, surrounded by plush toys and her very own miniature kitchen. A fluffy, deeppiled, white throw rug with a school of fairies in a variety of colors woven into the fabric sat in the middle of the floor, while her pink and purple pillow and bedspread matched the gowns of the black beauties on the border.

  “Mommy. Where’s Mommy,” Serena said, sitting up and wiping her eyes.

  “Mommy’s gone out for awhile,” Marvin said, not sure whether Rachel had left the house or not. Marvin picked Serena up and held her in his arms. He kissed her cheek, and Serena laid her head on his shoulder. “Awful late for a nap. You’re going to be up all night.”

  “Hungry, Daddy.”

  “Okay. Daddy will take you to get some chicken nuggets, your favorite.” Marvin held Serena away from his shoulder and looked at his little girl. From that angle, she looked like a younger version of her mother. Marvin smiled.