With This Ring

by Allison Hobbs

  Vangie dressed quickly and by the time she made it to the front door, she could hear Zenith sobbing. It was a heartbreakingly mournful sound.

  Vangie sat in her car crying as hard as Zenith had. But she had to put her child first. Yuri was going through the most difficult time of his young life, and now was not the time for her to indulge her own selfish desires.

  It would be different if she’d raised him to accept and understand same-gender sex and love. But to her discredit, she hadn’t. All his life he’d heard homophobic slurs from all the adults in his life.

  It was time to begin the dialogue and teach him that people had a right to love whomever they chose. But it would be irresponsible of her to force him into suddenly accepting his mother’s relationship with another woman, when she wasn’t even sure if she’d lost her desire for men.

  Additionally, if Shawn and Jojina caught wind of her relationship with Zenith, they’d use it against her in court and who knows how the judge would feel about it. Right now, she still had a fighting chance to get Yuri back, but after Shawn got finished dragging her sexuality through the mud, Vangie could easily lose Yuri for good.

  She wiped the tears from her eyes and before starting the engine, she gave Zenith’s apartment building one last look. I’m sorry, Zenith. A part of me really loved you. But I love my son more.

  VANGIE

  She was late for work when her phone vibrated in her purse. She retrieved it but didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello?”

  “Vangie! It’s Mike Bening from the Public Defender’s Office. I wanted to share some information with you.”

  “Sure, what’s up?” Vangie’s heart thumped. The public defender guy sounded excited, like he had good news.

  “I have a friend at the District Attorney’s Office in Delaware County, and I found out that Jojina McElroy has a bench warrant for selling prescription drugs from her home. Apparently, she receives SSI benefits and claims to be disabled with chronic pain, depression, and a host of different phobias. She gets lots of prescription meds for her various conditions, and she’s been selling her pills illegally for quite a while. She got busted last week, made bail, but didn’t show up for her court date, and it’s not likely she’ll make an appearance when your case comes up at the end of the month. And even if she does, which I doubt, it’s not likely that the judge will show favor toward a drug dealer. Her residence is obviously not a fit home for a minor child. So, it looks like you’ll be getting your boy back real soon.”

  “Am I dreaming? Are you serious?” Vangie knew that Jojina was doing something illegal. All those weaves and bags and all that cosmetic surgery had to cost more than a welfare check and Social Security benefits could pay for.

  “You can probably get temporary custody, right away. After that, you shouldn’t have any problem regaining full custody. I can fax the paperwork on Ms. McElroy to your Family Law attorney tonight if you’d like.”

  “Yes, please. Oh, my God. This is a miracle. Thank you so much.”

  “My pleasure. You’re a nice person and I’m glad I could help.”

  Vangie sat still for a moment and absorbed the public defender’s words. With tears falling from her eyes, she shouted out loud, “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord.”

  After talking to Felder Ross and making arrangements to file for temporary custody of Yuri, Vangie called her mother.

  “I don’t talk to the devil’s daughter,” Barbara barked into the phone.

  “I wanted you to know that I’m getting Yuri back.”

  “You are! When?”

  “I’m on my way to pick him up, right now.” Vangie told her mother what she’d found out about Jojina’s drug dealing and the warrant for her arrest. “I wanted to know if you’d like to go to dinner with Yuri and me tomorrow night. I’m sure he misses you and I think if we put up a united front, he’ll feel safe and loved.”

  “Yuri knows I love him with all my heart, but that doesn’t mean that I intend to share a meal with someone who’s breaking one of the Lord’s most sacred vows.”

  “I broke it off with Zenith, Mom.”

  “Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus, for putting my wayward child back on the path of righteousness!”

  Her mother was such a hypocrite, but she had to make peace with her on Yuri’s behalf.

  “I have coupons for Olive Garden. And Yuri loves their Cheese Ravioli,” Barbara said.

  “He sure does,” Vangie recalled fondly.

  Vangie was grateful to have her mother back in her life and maybe in time, she and Shawn could put aside their differences and co-parent their son. All Vangie could do was pray.

  Losing Zenith was a high price, but it wasn’t their time. Fighting tears that threatened to start flowing again, Vangie turned her car around and steered it toward Thornbury.

  NIVEA

  In hushed whispers, people talked about Nivea and her gray-haired groom-to-be. Though they were undeniably ill-matched, no one could say anything unflattering about the beautifully decorated wedding venue. Or the bride’s lovely gown that was revealed when her father escorted her down the aisle.

  Inside the main ballroom of the Rittenhouse Hotel, cameras flashed, capturing Nivea’s beauty from various angles. It was the day she’d been dreaming of for most of her life, yet so many aspects of it were wrong. Standing at the altar, her bridesmaids, Harlow and Vangie, gave each other the cold shoulder, but sent warm smiles in Nivea’s direction. The man she would soon marry was older than her father and would require medication to consummate the marriage—not that Nivea was in a great rush to do that.

  Clutching her father’s arm, she stepped slowly. Carefully. Her mind was focused on her daughter’s bright future. Eleven-month-old Mackenzie was on the waiting list of an elite, French-speaking preschool. The idea of her baby being refined and cultured brought a slight curve to Nivea’s downturned mouth.

  Nivea had handed in her resignation at work several months ago. Women of her stature didn’t toil at jobs. From now on, she’d devote her free time to charity and being the best mother she could be.

  The new home Bertram had bought for their family was a luxurious piece of real estate, replete with private quarters for Odette.

  She was being kind by allowing Bertram to keep his housekeeper, but the woman had to meet Nivea’s standards if she wanted to keep her position.

  Closer to the altar, she could see Bertram’s eager face. Over the past few months, he’d claimed to have grown to love her, but she believed it was her harsh words and demanding nature that had turned him on.

  I’m truly my mother’s daughter; I don’t need love in order to be happy. Money and power are all I need.

  With all the wedding preparations of recent months, her mind had been constantly occupied, keeping the heartache at bay. But now, as she stepped closer to the altar, she could feel the fissure as it seemed to jaggedly rip through the center of her heart.

  Finally, she reached the altar and her knees felt week. Tears slid down her cheeks while Bertram’s voice droned on, seemingly from a distant place, as he recited his vows.

  When it was Nivea’s turn to speak, her mind went blank and she couldn’t remember a single word she had planned to say, and so she quickly came up with a new speech.

  “This is the special day I’ve waited for my whole life. Unfortunately, I can’t go through with this. I’m sorry, Bertram. I can’t.”

  The audience gasped.

  “You can’t back out now,” her father whispered, cutting an eye at his wife who was sitting in the front row and looking extremely perturbed.

  “Yes, I can back out. I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do. I thought I was like Mother, but I’m not. I don’t want a man who can’t think for himself. I don’t want to be married without love and passion.”

  “Nivea?” Bertram said, waiting to be told what he should do.

  “Go home, Bertram. The wedding is cancelled.” She flung her bridal bouquet to the floor and dashe
d down the aisle and out of the ballroom. Sobbing, she repeatedly jabbed the button of the elevator, in a hurry to get to her hotel suite, where Mackenzie and Odette were waiting.

  “Why aren’t you at your wedding?” Odette asked, her eyes wide with surprise. “I called it off,” she said, taking Mackenzie from Odette’s arms.

  “So, you’re a runaway bride, are you?” Odette said with laughter and Nivea laughed, too. “I didn’t think you were the kind of woman who would marry a man for his money. Not my Miss Nivea. She’s too nice of a girl.”

  Nivea sighed. “I’m not nice.”

  “Yes, you are and you will be blessed. Your cell phone has been ringing and ringing. Probably some out-of-town guests needing directions. I don’t know, but I finally shut the thing off so the baby could enjoy her nap.”

  There was a sharp knock on the door.

  “I don’t want to talk to my parents or Bertram,” Nivea told Odette.

  Odette looked through the eyehole. “It’s your bridesmaids—the pregnant girl and the other one.”

  Realizing she needed privacy with her friends, Nivea turned to Odette before opening the door for Harlow and Vangie. “Can you do me a favor, Odette?”

  “Of course.”

  “I need some time alone with my friends. Would you take Kenzie to your room, please?”

  “Not a problem. Come on, Kenzie, my girl. Let’s go to my room and play with your toys.” Odette reached out her arms and Mackenzie happily leapt into them. The nanny and Mackenzie exited through the door that adjoined the two suites.

  Nivea opened the door, admitting Harlow and Vangie whose faces were creased with concern.

  “Are you okay, Niv?” Harlow asked.

  “I’m fine. I know I made the right decision. Did Bertram leave?”

  “He left the building like you told him to,” Vangie responded.

  “My head is killing me. I’m so stressed about money. I don’t have a job. Hardly any money in the bank, but at least I have my condo.”

  Harlow patted Nivea on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you for doing the right thing. You would have been miserable being married to that fat, old man. You don’t need to sell your soul for money. You’re highly qualified; you can always find another job.”

  “Actually, I could have dealt with being married to Bertram. He’s easy to get along with. And he does everything he’s told.”

  “So, we notice,” Vangie piped in. “So, what made you change your mind?”

  “For the first time in my life, I found someone to love. Someone who also loved me. I want another chance at that kind of happiness. Marrying for money would have hardened my heart and robbed me of any chance of happiness. That love I lost came and went in a flash. It was so fleeting, we never even called it love. But now that I know how love feels, I won’t be satisfied until I find it again.”

  “I don’t know, Niv. If you’re looking for lost love, maybe you should have taken the money and kept it moving,” Vangie said.

  Harlow shook her head. “Don’t listen to her. I married for love and I couldn’t be happier. With twin boys due any day now, I couldn’t ask for more.”

  “As rich as you are, it’s no surprise that your days are filled with joy,” Vangie said, rolling her eyes.

  “Money doesn’t bring happiness, Vangie.”

  “I can’t believe you two are still going at it. Don’t you think it’s about time you made up?” Nivea asked. “And by the way, Vangie, whatever happened to that guy, Alphonso, whom you wanted to marry so desperately?”

  “Ask Harlow; he’s her husband’s partner. He vanished from my life. I haven’t seen or heard from him in months, and frankly, I don’t care.”

  “I don’t get into Drake’s business affairs. All I know is they ended their partnership. I heard Alphonso left the country. That’s all I know.”

  “Well, good riddance to Alphonso with his chunky, little stubby dick,” Vangie said with a sneer.

  Harlow shared a look with Vangie and they both giggled.

  “His stubby dick?” Nivea asked, perplexed.

  Vangie and Harlow laughed harder. “It’s a long story,” Vangie said, elbowing Harlow, exactly like old times.

  Catching up, the three friends laughed and talked for over an hour, until Drake came upstairs to collect his wife. “You all right, Nivea?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, I hate to break this up, but my very pregnant wife is supposed to be on bed rest and I have to get her home.”

  Harlow and Vangie embraced each other and Harlow whispered, “I forgive you, Vangie.”

  “Thank you, Harlow. Please know I’m truly sorry.” Vangie squeezed Harlow’s arm.

  “I know and we’re going to rebuild our friendship, okay, girl?”

  Vangie nodded. After Harlow and Drake left, she said to Nivea, “I can stay with you if you don’t want to be alone.”

  “No, I’m okay.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.” Nivea said. “I’m glad you and Harlow finally made up.”

  “Me, too. I’ve been angry with her and missing her at the same time. Now I can let those feelings go.”

  “Were you in love with Alphonso, Vangie?”

  “No. I was looking for security. He wasn’t a very nice person, and he’s not missed at all.”

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  “No. I was. But we broke up.”

  “Who?”

  “A girl named Zenith.”

  “A girl?”

  “A woman. An amazing woman.”

  “You’re gay?”

  “Yes. I am.”

  “What happened between you and Zenith? Wait, don’t tell me. I bet you were worrying about what folks thought about you.”

  “You’re so right.”

  “Vangie, if you know like I know, you’d better hold on to love in whatever form it comes in.”

  “I hurt her and I’m ashamed to go crawling back.”

  “If she loved you, she’ll understand.”

  “Where’s all this wisdom coming from, Nivea?”

  Nivea shrugged as she walked Vangie to the door. “Like I said, I’ve loved and lost.”

  Vangie left, and Nivea had the rest of the evening to clear her head and try to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. She took off her wedding gown, then sat at the dressing table. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she began wiping her makeup off. As she went through the mundane task, it occurred to her that she’d have to return the wedding gifts. Maybe her mother would assist her with that. Denise Westcott was in charge of the gifts and though Nivea dreaded talking to her, she had to face the music and deal with her mother’s disappointment.

  She turned on her cell phone and noticed there were seven calls from an area code she didn’t recognize. And there was a message. She entered the numbers to retrieve her voicemail and listened:

  Hey, Nivea, it’s Malcolm. I’m in town for a few weeks, drumming up some business for my company. Things are working out much better than I could have imagined. I was hoping we could get together…if you’re not too busy. Listen, I really miss you, Niv, and um, if you give us another chance, I promise, I won’t give up so easily this time. Looking back, I realize I should have put more effort into keeping us together. For that, I’m sorry. Anyway, when you get this message, I hope you’ll give me a call. And by the way, I’m still hoping you’ll be brave enough to do a tandem jump with me.

  A smile spread across her face. Damn, right, I’m brave enough to do it. I’m brave enough for a lot of things. Like a move to the West Coast if you still want me to. I’m willing to face financial uncertainty as long as I’m with you. And yes, my love, I’m more than ready to free fall from the sky with you.

  Imagining a promising future with Malcolm, Nivea swiped a finger across the screen and returned his call.

  WANT TO REMEMBER HOW VANGIE, HARLOW AND NIVEA GOT TO THIS DAY?

  BE SURE TO PICK UP

  PUT A
<
br />   RING

  ON IT

  BY ALLISON HOBBS

  AVAILABLE FROM STREBOR BOOKS

  CHAPTER 1

  Call it a woman’s intuition. Call it a sixth sense, but instead of driving home after work, Nivea felt an urge to swing by her fiancé’s old apartment.

  When she rolled up in front of the building where Eric used to live, she gave the place a smug look. Eric’s former apartment building was a dump. She had no idea why he’d been so resistant to the idea of moving into her upscale townhouse.

  But that was water over the bridge. She had introduced Eric to a better lifestyle and she was proud of that fact.

  Nivea did a double take when she noticed the Highlander parked at the curb. Her heart rate began to accelerate when she recognized Eric’s license plate. What’s he doing here? He’s supposed to be working overtime.

  With the motor running, she jumped out of her Mazda and removed a couple of lawn chairs that were holding someone’s nicely shoveled parking spot. Brows joined together in bafflement, she parallel parked, cut the engine, and then got out.

  Nivea peered up at the second floor apartment that Eric had left six months ago when he’d moved in with her. She could see the twinkling colored lights that adorned a Christmas tree. She frowned at the Christmas tree. It was the first day of December, too soon to put up a tree in Nivea’s opinion.

  Eric had sublet the place to one of his unmarried friends. Which one? She couldn’t remember. Feeling a rush of uncomfortable heat, she unbuttoned her wool coat, allowing the frigid evening air to cool her.

  There had to be a good explanation for Eric being here. Something really innocent. He didn’t have to work overtime after all, and decided to stop by and visit his buddy, she told herself.

  Even though moving into Nivea’s townhouse was a step up for Eric, it had been hard convincing him to give up his crappy bachelor’s pad. She was so elated when she’d gotten him to agree to move in, that she hadn’t bothered to question him about the details of his rental transaction.