NOTHING STAYS THE SAME

by Suzetta Perkins

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  The air was thick when Sylvia and Rachel entered the room. All eyes were cast in their direction and the only sounds were of the children playing in the distance. One pair of eyes remained fixed on Rachel as she quickly found a seat next to Mona. She allowed herself a hasty look in Marvin’s direction, then offered up a promising smile that faded almost as soon as it had come.

  Marvin smiled back, then turned his attention toward Sylvia, who stood up and began to speak.

  “I’d like to thank everyone for coming.” For a moment, she felt as if she was conducting an Ex-Files meeting. “We are assembled tonight on behalf of our sister and brother, Rachel and Marvin. They have been through a lot, and I believe each and every one who’s assembled has in some way taken on the task of assisting our brother and sister in overcoming the obstacles they face.”

  Sylvia watched as Trina leaned over in Kenny’s space and whispered something to him. Kenny smiled. Ignoring it, Sylvia continued.

  “Today has been a fruitful day. As most of you know, Marvin and Rachel have suffered an additional setback in their lives, and the culprit is a woman who, like the devil, is seeking to destroy their marriage.”

  Mona shifted in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. A look of boredom was etched on her face.

  “Let me move on. Today, Mona, Claudette and I ventured to the bar that is at the core of this situation. Our plan—”

  “Your plan,” Mona corrected.

  “My plan was to find a way, through conversation, to get the bartender—the owner of the establishment—to open up about Peaches, the woman in question.”

  “You don’t have to be so mysterious,” Mona said, jumping to her feet. “Everyone knows that Rachel is in possession of a picture of this Peaches woman and Marvin naked and in a compromising position—a big source of contention.” Silence filled the room, and each person glanced around the room at the others.

  “Hold on now, Mona,” Marvin said angrily, jumping to his feet as well. “You don’t have to be disrespectful.”

  “Yes, Mona,” Claudette jumped in. “Try to exercise a little more sensitivity.”

  Seething, Rachel crossed one leg over the other and swung it back and forth, looking straight ahead but at no one in particular.

  “Okay, okay, but you all know me,” Mona pleaded. “Sylvia is taking her sweet time, as usual, to get to the point. Cut to the chase, sister,” Mona said to Sylvia.

  “Sit down, Mona,” Michael cut in, surprising everyone in the room. “We know you’re special, but let Sylvia finish.”

  “I don’t believe my own husband put me in my place in front of all of my friends. That’s alright. I’ll fix him later.” She sent a wicked wink in Michael’s direction. “Go on, Sylvia.”

  “Now that you all have been entertained and I’ve gotten the floor back, I’ll cut to the chase. Peaches rushed into the bar complaining to Earl, the bartender, about things not going well with her plans. She even talked about giving, quote”—Sylvia made air quotes with her fingers and wiggled them for illustration—“the picture, end quote, to you, Rachel, although she didn’t call any names. When she realized we were sitting within earshot and had overheard some of her conversation with Earl, she told us that she had met this fine man who was married but going to leave his wife for her. She said he was going to set her up in a brand-new house. In fact, she and our diva, Mona, almost went to blows because the bartender had his eye on Mona, which meant he was distracted, irritating the hell out of Peaches.”

  “I should have put my foot up her behind right then and there,” Mona interrupted. “Called me out of my name and put her hand on me.” Mona shook her head. “Rachel, I must love you, girl, to take that kind of abuse. If Sylvia and Claudette weren’t there holding me back and reminding me every five seconds what the mission was, I swear that ghetto sister would’ve been eating the floor.”

  Everyone laughed. Sylvia relaxed and held her sides, trying to contain her laughter. “Mona was a hot mess,” Sylvia said. “And if she had gone to duke city, we probably wouldn’t have heard the next part of the conversation Peaches had with Earl.”

  “What happened, baby?” Kenny asked.

  “After Peaches talked about how her man was going to set her up, Earl told her that she might have to wait awhile on that. Told her that her ‘boyfriend,’ and I assume she was referring to Marvin, and the ‘goon’ from the other night...” Sylvia got tickled and couldn’t stop laughing. Her eyes glassed over and tears ran down her face.

  “You know that goon was you, Kenny,” Mona said, getting joy out of watching Kenny twist his face. Mona joined Sylvia in laughter.

  “I should’ve taken care of her when I had a chance. And I would have if Harold hadn’t held me back,” Kenny said.

  “Kenny Richmond,” Sylvia said and began to laugh. “You big gooooooooooon.”

  The whole room exploded in laughter. Even Trina, who was for the most part reserved, let go of a great big howl.

  “Ooooh,” Sylvia said, regaining her composure, “anyway, Earl told Peaches that you and Marvin were trying to get information on her. Peaches hit the ceiling. I wouldn’t put it past her to be packing.”

  Trina stood up. “Thanks for letting me participate in your get-together. I already feel like family. As you know, I’m Kenny’s cousin.”

  Sylvia lifted her eyebrows, but only Kenny saw her—a private joke between them.

  “And after talking with Marvin and Kenny earlier today, I believe we really do have a case of extortion and bribery. With all that Sylvia has said, there’s enough evidence to somewhat support my theory or at least to justify delving further to find a possible link to something larger. Only thing, it is just a theory unless we can come up with something concrete. If we can ever get the bartender to talk—at least tell us what he knows about Peaches or give us her full name, we may be able to look into her past and possibly stumble onto something that will support our cause. Nine times out of ten, women like this have preyed on other men. I see it all the time.”

  “I have a surprise,” Sylvia said, taking back the spotlight. “I didn’t tell the girls about this because I didn’t want them to give it away.”

  “What are you talking about, Sylvia?” Mona asked.

  Stooping down to the floor, Sylvia picked up her purse and fumbled around in it for a second. “Bingo.” All eyes bulged from their sockets as they gazed at the small silver box Sylvia held out, suspended in air by a small leather strap.

  “That’s my girl,” Kenny sang, getting up to kiss Sylvia. “Detective Richmond, is this what I think it is?”

  “Mr. Richmond, I do believe you’re hot. Yeah, I’ve got Peaches on tape. I didn’t want to say anything until I was able to listen to it myself. Oh yeah, Peaches’ voice is crystal clear.”

  Marvin stood up and clapped his hands. “Good work, Sylvia.” Everyone clapped and Kenny gave her a big hug.

  “I don’t want to burst your bubble, Sylvia,” Trina interrupted, “but the recording might not be admissible as evidence in a court of law since Peaches was unaware that you were recording her. But good work.”

  Everyone began to high-five each other. The smiles, laughter, and congratulations were contagious. Kenny and Michael surrounded Marvin and assured him they were one-hundred-percent behind him, while the girls huddled around Rachel. Abruptly the noise stopped like someone had turned down the volume on a good song.

  “It’s the doorbell,” Mona said, racing to see who had the audacity to interrupt their celebration. “Claudette, it’s Tyrone.”

  Claudette went to grinning.

  “Hey, everybody,” Tyrone said as he entered the room. “What did I miss?”

  “Everything,” they all said in unison.

  “I’ll get you something to drink, T,” Mona said. “We just heard what might be some good news for a change, and we’re celebrating.”

  “Make mine a beer,” Tyrone said. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “Hey, baby,” Claud
ette cut in. “Glad you’re here.”

  “Would have been here earlier if I had known, and you know I can’t stay away from you. Where’s Reagan?”

  “She’s playing with the children.”

  “Come here, girl,” Tyrone said to Claudette.

  Rachel watched as Tyrone took Claudette in his arms and kissed her right in front of everyone. They fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, so easy was their love.

  Rachel looked away and searched out her husband, who was talking to Kenny and Michael. She walked the short distance and stood behind the men. To a bystander, she looked as if she were eavesdropping on a very hot conversation. Rachel tapped Marvin on the shoulder, and surprise registered on his face.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen. I hope you won’t mind if I pull my husband away so I can speak to him.”

  “No, no,” Michael was the first to say.

  Rachel turned around and saw Mona nudging the ladies. Marvin took Rachel’s hand and together they walked into the library and closed the door.

  “Baby,” Marvin began.

  Rachel put up her finger. “Shhh, let me talk. This is hard enough.” She looked into Marvin’s eyes, full of love for her. She looked down, then back up. “We have some wonderful friends out there who believe in us. At first, I wanted to come to you and say something—I’m not sure what, but something to appease the girls so they wouldn’t be disappointed, especially after all the effort and trouble they’d gone to on our behalf. But tonight I’ve truly come to realize what a wonderful man I married.

  “I would be lying if I said that all this Peaches mess didn’t hurt. I’m still struggling with the hurt and humiliation. But I want to believe what the others believe...that you were a victim of circumstance.” Rachel stopped and wiped away the tears that rolled down Marvin’s face. “I love you, Marvin.” Rachel broke down and couldn’t continue.

  Marvin folded her in his arms. “I love you so much, Rachel Thomas. Life is not worth living without you.”

  Rachel pulled away. She wiped her face and looked into Marvin’s eyes. “This is the last time I’ll ask, but I must. I’ll accept whatever answer you give me.”

  Perplexed, Marvin kept quiet, preparing for Rachel’s question.

  “Did you sleep with Peaches?”

  Hurt dotted Marvin’s face. “No, Rachel. I barely remembered the woman’s name, let alone how I ended up with her. I was stoned out of my mind because of what I was going through with the company. Things happened that I can’t give an account for, except that when I woke up and realized I wasn’t next to you I knew that I was in some kind of trouble. I have taken a vow to never take another drink.”

  Rachel managed a smile. “Don’t say never. Remember, Harold and Denise are getting married, and we’re definitely going to have to toast those nuptials.”

  “Glad to have you back, Rachel.”

  “I love you, Marvin. Just one thing. I want to stay another night at Mona’s.”

  Hurt registered on Marvin’s face once again.

  “Just until tomorrow, baby. I want to enter the house alone—give myself an opportunity to come to grips with being home, but I’ll be there when you come home.”

  “Don’t open the door for no one.”

  “Not even Sylvia, Mona, or Claudette?”

  “You know what I mean. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

  Rachel brushed an imaginary something off Marvin’s shoulders. “I know you’re being protective of me, but I’ll be alright. Why don’t we rejoin the others?”

  “Do we have to?” Marvin asked in a serious tone. “I want to hold on to this moment forever.”

  With a gleam in her eye, Rachel smiled at Marvin. “We have forever.” Marvin smiled. “But let’s go because I’m sure everyone is wondering what we’re doing, especially that crazy Mona.”

  “I heard that,” came Mona’s voice from the other side of the door.

  “See?” Rachel said. She reached out and touched Marvin’s face, sculpting it as she allowed her hands to run the length of it. Then she held the back of his head in the palms of her hands and drew his face to her, moistening his lips with hers.

  Encircling her body with his arms, Marvin tasted her lips but let Rachel lead the way as she fanned the flames of passion that had lay dormant. Suddenly, she pulled away, fully aware that they had no privacy. But she was almost grateful for the reprieve because she was on the verge of relinquishing her soul to this man of hers.

  They emerged from the room, Rachel’s arm looped through Marvin’s, startling the busybodies that had camped outside the door. Mona, Sylvia, and Claudette were a funny sight.

  “Going home tonight?” Mona asked, following Rachel and Marvin back to the family room.

  “Nope. You’ve got me for one more night.” Rachel laughed, as did Sylvia and Claudette.

  “So is all this just a pretense?” Mona badgered, laying her hands where Marvin and Rachel’s arms were joined together. “You need to go on home with your husband. Tell her, Marvin.”

  “She’s staying another night with you and Michael.” Marvin squeezed Rachel’s arm. She smiled.

  Hand-claps and loud whistles met Rachel and Marvin when they returned to the room where the others were.

  “Do you have anything to say?” Tyrone inquired.

  “They look pretty happy to me,” Trina offered.

  “You could say Marvin and Rachel are back on track,” Kenny said, not wanting to be left out.

  “I’m in love with this woman,” Marvin finally said. “She’s the love of my life.” Rachel smiled and settled into the crook of Marvin’s arm.

  Trina stood in the middle of the room. “Look everyone, this Friday I’m going to have a little get-together for Kenny and Sylvia.” Kenny and Sylvia traded glances. “You are all invited. How does seven o’clock sound?”

  “We’ll be there!” Mona said on behalf of she and Michael. She waved her hand in the air. “Party over here.” There was laughter.

  “Count us in,” Claudette said on behalf of her and Tyrone.

  “Marvin and I will be there, as well,” Rachel said.

  “We’re honored,” Sylvia said, grabbing Kenny’s hand. They both walked up to Trina and gave her a light hug. “Thank you.”

  “Good,” Trina said, satisfied with the responses.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  Marvin picked up Rachel’s picture from his desk and smiled. She made him happy. Their weekend had started out rocky, but all had ended well. God was smiling on him, and he felt deep within his bones that in the end things were going to be alright. The obstacles were great, but there was no mountain too high for God to conquer. He put the picture back on his desk.

  He would make going to church a priority. He’d been a faithful parishioner before all of his success; how did he expect God to be there for him, when he had run out on God? At that moment he remembered his grandmother’s words...a family that prays together stays together. She was a smart woman.

  He pushed the button on the intercom. “Yvonne, dial Mr. Harold Thomas’ number for me.”

  “Right away, Mr. Thomas.”

  Marvin brought his fingers to his mouth and kissed them, placing them against the picture of Rachel. He couldn’t stop looking at her. He sat back in his seat just as the intercom buzzed.

  “Mr. Thomas is on line one.”

  “Thanks, Yvonne.” Marvin waited a second before speaking. “Harold, good news.”

  “You’ve got a good ring in your voice. What’s up?”

  “Looks like I won’t be needing the private detective. Rachel’s friend Sylvia surprised us with a recording of Peaches and the bartender in conversation. Peaches talks loosely about getting money from a man she claims to be her boyfriend who just happens to be married, although things were taking longer than expected. Sylvia also captured the bartender telling Peaches about Kenny and me coming to the bar asking questions about her. Peaches was livid. Kenny’s cousin Trina said we may be unable to u
se the recording in court, but it certainly will serve as ammunition if and when we’re able to get something concrete on Peaches. My main concern is her relentless attempt to get money from me.”

  “We could set her up,” Harold began. “I can bank the fifty Gs.”

  “How would we go about doing it? I don’t want anyone hurt, especially my family.”

  “How did it go with Rachel last night?”

  “She’s coming home today. We talked some last night, but it was the efforts of her friends that got Rachel to thinking. We’ve got a lot to work through, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that our marriage is not compromised like this ever again.”

  “A tall order, man, but if anyone can manage it, you’re the one. What do you say to setting a trap for Peaches?”

  “Let me think on it. Oh by the way, Kenny’s cousin is having a get-together this Friday. She lives in our neighborhood. Come join us and bring Denise. We’ll have a babysitter for the kids, so if you want to bring Danica, that will be fine.”

  “I’ll check with Denise and get back to you. Give the Peaches thing some thought, Marv. I’m afraid if you hold that lunatic at bay for too long, she’s going to strike again. Just food for thought.”

  “Right. Okay, Harold. I’ll let you know something in a day or so. Hope to see you on Friday.”

  “I’m out.”

  Butterflies flitted through Marvin’s stomach as he hung up the phone. He looked at his watch for the third time in less than a half hour. It was three o’clock; Rachel was coming home this afternoon. Easing up in his chair, Marvin picked up the receiver again and dialed home. After several rings, he replaced the receiver in its cradle and sighed. Memories of last evening flooded his mind. She’s coming home.

  The phone rang and Marvin snatched up the receiver without giving it a second thought. He smiled. “Hey, baby.”

  “You got my fifty thousand dollars? And what’s this I hear about you harassing Earl? If you wanted information about me, you should’ve asked yourself. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  “Peaches! Bitch, you crossed the line with the picture, and I warned you about staying away from my family. I’m not giving you one red cent, and if you come anywhere near my house or family again, you will have hell to pay.”