Lies and Alibis

by Warren, Tiffany L.

  I feel like someone who hit the lottery. Since I’ve been on the drug, Rod and I have been together only two times. I didn’t think I’d get pregnant this quickly, but the sooner that I can get rid of that disgusting Peach and her illegitimate spawn, the better.

  My cell phone rings, and I feel anger rise in my stomach. It’s Rod. I raise one hand to the doctor. “I have to take this. It’s my husband. Can you excuse me for a moment?”

  Dr. Hansen steps out of the room, and Sydney loses all of her professional attitude. She goes straight hood with the hands on the hips, neck rolling and head bobbing.

  “He should be here,” Sydney hisses. “Tell him to get his doggish behind down here.”

  “Yeah,” Camille cosigns. “What could be more important than his wife being rushed to the hospital?”

  “Hello,” I say, as I motion to Sydney and Camille to be quiet. “Where are you?”

  “I got tied up, Dionne. How are you feeling? What did the doctor say?”

  My anger shifts to fury. “Tied up doing what?”

  Or tied up with whom, I should ask. I can only guess what the answer would be.

  I hear Rod sigh through the phone. Why is he sighing? He’s real confused right now. I get to ask questions. I got that right when he and I both said, ‘I do’. He better recognize. For real, for real.

  “I had to handle a situation with an artist that’s going to cost me millions if it’s not corrected.”

  “Your artists are more important to you than me being in the hospital? What part of the game is this?”

  “Dionne, I knew your sisters would come and when I talked to you, you didn’t sound like you were dying. Now what did the doctor say?”

  “He said that I’m pregnant,” I say through clenched teeth.

  “You’re pregnant?”

  “She’s pregnant? I thought you said she couldn’t have babies!” I hear this voice in the background and immediately know that it’s Peach.

  Rod is with his mistress while I’m in a hospital bed? I feel ready to commit all kinds of first degree felonies. If only I could rise up out of this bed.

  “Who in the hell is that, Rod? Who you been telling our business to?” Of course the questions are pointless because he won’t be able to do anything but lie.

  Rod clears his throat. “Dionne, don’t act like you don’t know who it is. It’s Peach. I know that you know everything about us and about my daughter. We need to talk.”

  “I totally agree, so when do you plan on getting here?”

  “I think we should probably have this conversation when you get home from the hospital.”

  “I am your wife, Rod, although you seem to have forgotten. You’re going to lay up with your mistress while I’m in the hospital?”

  “Legally, yes you are my wife, but Peach has been holding it down for me for years.”

  “So what are you saying, Rod? What’s going to happen when I get home?”

  There is a long, pregnant pause. “We’re going to talk…about the terms of our divorce.”

  I press ‘end’ on the call and drop the phone to the floor.

  “What’s wrong?” Camille asks. “What did he say?”

  “What is it, Dee?”

  “Rod is leaving me. He’s leaving me for that tramp, Peach.”

  “Who is Peach?” Camille asks. “Is it that girl from the blog?”

  I nod. “Yeah. The stripper. She’s one of his artists and he has a baby with her.”

  Camille sits in the chair next to my bed as if the information is too much for her to digest. I felt the same way when I heard it.

  “So you’re getting a divorce?” Camille asks.

  I shake my head. That word sounds like profanity right about now. And the thought of Peach in my home is enough to make me go into convulsions.

  “I don’t know yet. Maybe not, but that’s what he’s talking about now.”

  Sydney says, “Why is there a question in your mind? If he wants a divorce, then let him go. You’ve got the baby, and doesn’t your prenuptial agreement have an infidelity clause?”

  “It does, but it’s not just about the money. I am Rod Knight’s wife! Do you know how powerful that is in Atlanta? I don’t have to wait for tables at restaurants, appointments at hair salons, or anything. I get free designer clothing brought to my door before it’s in stores. As Rod’s wife, I am an A-list celebrity.”

  Sydney shakes her head. “Who cares about that stupid celebrity lifestyle? Plus, you’re about to be a mother. You need to change your priorities anyway.”

  “It’s not fair! I’ve worked too hard for this! Rod didn’t get his status alone.”

  Camille rolls her eyes. “You haven’t really worked that hard, Dionne. Unless going to the plastic surgeon and getting your hair done counts as work.”

  “You’re just jealous of my life. You always have been. Why don’t you take yourself on up to the church to count someone else’s money?”

  Sydney says, “You two need to stop fighting and apologize. Dionne, you clearly aren’t mad at Camille, and Cami I have no idea what your issue is.”

  “She’s right, I’m not mad at you, Dionne. I’m just stressed,” Camille says. “Bryan and I are having major issues. I don’t think I like him anymore.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sydney asks. “Are you mad because Bryan went ballistic over that Bingo money? You should’ve known he’d be mad about that.”

  Camille shakes her head. “No, well yes. He’s trying to hold me back.”

  “What the heck does that mean?” Sydney asks with much attitude in her voice.

  “God has got plans to enlarge my territory and he keeps getting in the way. I’m going into real estate investment.”

  Sydney and I gaze at Camille with shocked expressions. “What do you know about real estate?” I ask.

  “I don’t have to know anything. My friend has the property listings, the lender and the appraiser. All I have to do is fill out the loan application and sign on the dotted line. I won enough in New Orleans for the down payments.”

  Sydney’s mouth forms a little ‘o’ and she looks at me. I give Sydney a shrug. I’m in the hospital bed, with one foot in the grave and a husband that’s trying to divorce me. I’m not telling her that her new blessing sounds like a real estate scam.

  “Are you sure it’s not a house flipping scheme?” Sydney asks in a quiet voice.

  Camille frowns. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Well, you said that your friend has an appraiser, lender and she’s the seller. Those three entities usually work independently of one another, unless it’s an illegal house flipping scheme. They’ll get a house, do some cosmetic repairs, get the house appraised for higher than it’s worth and sell it to an unsuspecting mark. Probably you. They make off with the difference and you’re stuck with a junk property,” Sydney explains.

  “My friend wouldn’t do that to me.” Camille stands to her feet in a huff. “And you two sound just like Bryan. Y’all are enemies at the gate.”

  I cover my mouth and shake my head. I knew it was going to go down like this. That’s why I said nothing.

  “We’re not your enemies, Cami,” Sydney says. “We love you. Just let me take a look at the deal before you sign on any dotted lines.”

  “Too late. I am already the proud owner of three properties that we are about to resell.”

  Sydney and I let out identical groans. Camille is so desperate for a financial breakthrough that she’s willing to do anything.

  “Well, Bryan said that he wanted to sit down and talk about borrowing some money from me. That was a few weeks ago. Do we still need to do that?” Sydney asks.

  “No. I paid off all of my bills with my Bingo money, and I used the rest as down payments for my loans. I’m good.”

  “But what about Bryan?” I ask, finally deciding to get in on the conversation. “Is he okay with your new venture?”

  Camille puts both hands on her hips and then gra
bs her purse. “I know you are not asking me anything about what my husband thinks, when Rod is about to be your ex-husband.”

  Why did I say anything to this heffa? I should just let this whole thing blow up in her face and wait for her to come begging. Camille can be so self-righteous sometimes.

  “I hope you feel better, and that the baby is okay so that you still have an income when Rod runs off with that stripper!” Camille says as she storms out of the room.

  I wish I could jump out of this bed and smack her.

  “She didn’t mean that,” Sydney says as the hospital door slams.

  “Well, she’s right. Rod is about to leave me for a big booty stripper.”

  Sydney sits on the edge of my bed and wraps me in her arms as my tears flow. “You’ll be better off without him. God will send you someone better.”

  I let out a deep sigh and gently touch my belly. I’m glad that Sydney is thinking of God in all of this. Someone needs to be prayerful, and it’s not going to be me. Right now, all I’m thinking of is revenge.

  “Sydney, you smell like Burberry London for men. Who have you been hugged up with?” I ask. “I’d know that scent anywhere.”

  Sydney’s cheeks turn a rosy shade of red. “I haven’t been hugged up with anyone.”

  “Liar. Do you finally have a boyfriend? Is that why you skipped out on your birthday trip? Please say yes, because I could use some good news.”

  “The baby is good news,” Sydney says.

  I narrow my eyes at Sydney and she looks away. She is absolutely lying.

  Sydney you better fess up about this new guy before I call Grandma Baker, Grandmere Batiste and Mama, and tell them you’ve got Chlamydia.”

  “What? I don’t have any diseases! I haven’t even slept with him yet.”

  “Yet? Oh, you have been holding out. Who is it?”

  “No one really. Just Lucas. I was feeling sad, he invited me over, and somehow I ended up at his place.

  “So, are you thinking of getting back with him?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  Sydney keeping this from me means one of two things. Either it’s so unimportant that she just blew it off, or that she is seriously considering hooking back up with him. I remember how everyone loved Lucas, and how we all thought they would get married and have lots of little brainiac kids. But I also remember that he cheated on her and broke her heart.

  At this very moment, while I’m up here in this bed, with a gut full of my cheating husband’s seed, Lucas gets no holla from me. As far as I’m concerned, cheaters are slimy dogs not worth anyone’s time or attention.

  But, luckily for me, their money is still green and it still spends. Maybe I’ll be the ex-wife of Rod Knight sooner than I’d like, but I’m sure as hell going out with a bang.

  ~18~

  Sydney

  I can always tell when Nurse Connie has gossip to share. Her eyes are wide and sparkling and her upper lip trembles as if the juicy news can’t wait to spill out. Usually it’s about someone’s clandestine tryst or a budding new romance.

  “What’s going on Connie?” I ask as I look over my list of surgeries for the day.

  “I should be asking you that question. Or maybe I should be asking Lucas.”

  My lips form a tight line. I knew someone would start speculating soon, but I hoped that it wasn’t Connie.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.

  Nurse Connie gives me a knowing grin. “Unh-uh, don’t do that Dr. Baker. I heard, from a very reliable source, that Dr. Jeffries was consoling you after you lost your last patient.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. Doctors console one another all the time. It comes with the job.”

  “Well, from what I heard this was a little bit more intense than two colleagues sharing war stories. This was more intimate. Like how lovers comfort one another.”

  “Oh good grief! Are you sure you actually heard all that? If you did, your source ought to be slapped for extreme embellishment.”

  Ming Nah approaches the Nurses’ station with a frown on her face. Her frown is directed at me. Apparently, she’s heard from Connie’s source too. Good grief.

  “Dr. Baker,” Ming Nah says as a greeting.

  “Hello.”

  I grab my charts and walk away, not wanting to engage in conversation with Lucas’s ex-girlfriend. Not when my heart is softening toward him.

  “Dr. Baker, can I ask you a question?” Ming Nah asks just when I’m almost in the clear.

  I turn on one heel. “Sure.”

  “Why aren’t you dating anyone? I-I mean, I don’t understand why you’re not dating anyone. You should be. I think.”

  I lift a wary eyebrow and say, “I’m waiting for the right man to come along.”

  “Or maybe you’re waiting on someone you were never meant to be with. Some people are destined to be together, and some aren’t.”

  Okay, can this chick just come out and tell me how she really feels? She’s about to make me channel all of Dionne’s ghetto rage in a minute, because I’m detecting a tone.

  “Well, I know all about things that were never meant to be,” I say. “But some people have a problem with not knowing when to let go. You’ve got to know when to fold ‘em.”

  If Ming Nah wants to trade passive aggressive barbs all day, I can roll with it. Truth is, she needs to move on to another sun-kissed doctor, because Lucas has already closed the door on anything happening with them.

  “You could give up, or you could fight,” Ming Nah says. “Me, I’m a fighter. I’ll fight to the death for what belongs to me.”

  Okay, this girl sounds cuckoo-banana.

  “To the death, huh?” I ask. “Well, what if you’re the casualty? Then, I guess all your fighting would be in vain.”

  I turn and walk away quickly, not wanting to continue this insane conversation. And why should I if I haven’t even decided what to do about Lucas?

  Every part of my intellect is telling me to forget about how great it felt to be held and comforted by Lucas. My memories remind me of his cheater tendencies, but they also let me recollect how good he made me feel once upon a time. And not just physically. Lucas always made me feel safe. Until I caught him cheating, I never once doubted that I’d spend the rest of my life with him.

  Now, almost ten years later, no one has been able to replace Lucas or erase the feelings I have for him in my heart. But even though the good recollections are there, Lucas hasn’t done enough to overcome all of the ugliness of my heartbreak. His apology was a start.

  Right before I step into my patient’s room, I see Lucas rushing down the hall in my direction. I wish my heart didn’t swell at the sight of him. I wish my lips didn’t want to part into a smile.

  “Sydney, how is Dionne? I’ve been calling and texting you since you left the hospital.”

  “I’m sorry for not getting back to you. I’ve been running since I left her. She’ll be okay. Fertility medication causing a little bit of trouble. But she’ll be fine.”

  I leave out the facts that she’s pregnant and maybe divorcing her husband, things I would’ve mentioned had Lucas and I been in a relationship. Currently, he’s just a friendly co-worker asking about the well-being of my family member.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Lucas says. He touches my arm in a caring gesture, but it sends sparks right through my entire body. I snatch my arm away.

  “Thank you.”

  “And how are you Syd? Are you okay? You seemed pretty ragged right before your sister called you.”

  “I-I’m fine. I apologize for breaking down like that in front of you. That was unprofessional.”

  Lucas takes a half step that puts him in my personal space zone. My eyes dart from side to side looking desperately for an escape, but it is futile, because Lucas is so close that his thighs graze mine.

  “Unprofessional? Sydney, we are more than colleagues whether we want to admit it or not. Our history takes us beyond the prof
essional. If nothing else, I am your friend. I always will be.”

  “You’re my friend.” I repeat his words, because his nearness has me at a loss for any of my own thoughts.

  Lucas stares down into my face as if he’s trying to read my soul. “I want to be more than friends, Sydney. I won’t give up until I believe that you don’t still want me.”

  “You can’t make me be with you.” I am not even convinced by this declaration, so I know that Lucas isn’t either.

  He brings his lips close to mine. His warm breath intoxicates me like a shot of cognac. “And you can’t keep pretending that we’re over.” He kisses me deeply; his intensity scares me. “We’re not over.”

  When his lips connect to mine it's as if we're frozen in time. My limbs turn to gelatin, as the shockwaves course throughout my body. All I can think about is this moment, and how I wish it could go on forever. It's like every second we're connected; the past becomes more and more blurry. Lucas's indiscretions seem less grave, and I can almost picture us together again.

  “Why do you keep kissing me without being invited?”

  “Because you keep kissing me back.”

  “Maybe you should wait for an invitation.”

  A satisfied smile spreads across Lucas's face. “Is there one forthcoming? What can I do to earn it?”

  “You can't earn it. If it happens it'll be a gift.”

  “It would be the best gift I've ever received. I love you Sydney. I have never stopped loving you.”

  “You keep saying that...”

  “And I'm going to continue saying it until you finally believe me.”

  “I've got to go and check on my patient. Can we talk later?”

  I untangle myself from Lucas, but he doesn't move from his spot.

  “Don't you have some work to do Dr. Jeffries?” Nurse Connie asks as she switches down the hall with a wicked grin on her face.

  Lucas chuckles as he jogs in the opposite direction, toward the nurse station. Every few steps, he skips. He reminds me of a little boy on the way to the ice cream truck to get his favorite Popsicle.

  Does the very thought of us getting together again give Lucas that much joy? I'm afraid to let myself feel the same way. What if he hurts me again? I never want to revisit that dark and depressing period of my life.