“Does Malcolm know you’re letting him come over?”
“I told him all about it on the way over here, and he says he understands.”
“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about that. Hey, can you grab those salads out of the fridge?” Karen asked Regina. “That way we can start taking them out to the patio.”
“Sure.” Regina rose from the chair she was sitting in. “So enough about me. What about you and John?”
“Things couldn’t be better. If anything, our marriage is better now than it was before. It’s almost like our souls are closer. Like we understand each other a lot more. It’s so easy to become self-satisfied when everything is going your way, and that’s exactly what I was doing with John. I was happy with him so long as things were going the way I wanted them to, and not once did I ever consider how he might be feeling. For me, everything was great. We loved each other, trusted each other, had fun together, and for the most part, we were financially sound. But for John the picture was totally different. He was starting to feel down and out, and to make a long story short, it has a lot to do with his childhood. His father was a tyrant and was very violent. He pretty much ruined all of John’s self-esteem, and that’s why he has such an obsessive personality. That’s why he always buys the best of everything, regardless of how much it costs. It makes him feel good, even though he knows the feeling is only temporary. And whenever his horses came in at the track, it made him feel like he’d really won big, and like he’d really accomplished something.”
“Now, that’s deep.”
“Yeah, I know. All I can say is, thank God for Gamblers Anonymous, because without it, I don’t know if our relationship would have survived. I mean, it’s even helped me the couple of times I’ve gone with him. But also, I should be thanking you a thousand more times for asking him to come to the club that night. There’s no telling if we would have ever gotten things back on track if you hadn’t,” Karen said, heading toward the patio with two pans in her hand.
“I owe you too,” Regina said, following behind her. “I was feeling mighty low that Friday you came and picked me up to go shopping, and it was only after that did I start to see that I could make it without Larry if I had to. And Lord knows, I probably wouldn’t have met Malcolm, since he rarely visits his stores on Fridays. Not to mention the fact that we usually go shopping on Saturdays. And the other thing is that I guess I sort of know how John feels because now that I’m happy with Malcolm, I don’t feel the same need to shop as much as I used to.”
“Girl, what would we do without each other?” Karen asked with tears in her eyes.
“That’s just it,” Regina said, smiling. “We wouldn’t.”
CHAPTER 20
REGINA HEARD the doorbell ringing, and went down the stairs. Larry had phoned earlier to say that he’d be over to talk to her around seven o’clock. All day, she’d felt sort of uneasy about this mystery meeting and couldn’t wait for it to be over with.
He rang the doorbell again.
“Coming,” she yelled as she approached the front door and pulled it open.
He walked in, proceeded through to the family room, and fell back on the love seat like he still lived there. She followed behind him and leaned her butt against the arm of the sofa. Two months ago, when she’d let him in to talk, he’d dropped that pregnancy news flash on her. She couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say this time.
“So how’s everything been going?” he asked without taking one eye off her.
Regina wondered why he was staring at her the way he was. “Just fine,” she said in a confident manner. “And you?”
He took a deep breath. “Actually, I’m not doing too well.”
“Why is that? I’m giving you a divorce like you wanted, and you’ve got a baby on the way. So, I don’t know how anything could possibly be wrong,” she said sarcastically.
“I know you’re going to be pissed off, but I have to say this.”
“You have to say what?” Her curiosity was starting to get the best of her.
“I think we’re making a big mistake by getting a divorce.”
Regina cracked up laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m not kidding at all. We need to rethink this before it’s too late. This whole thing is all wrong.”
“Larry. Let’s cut the bull, okay. What is this all about?”
“I want you back. I don’t want a divorce. I don’t know how I could have been so stupid,” he said, pressing both his palms across the front of his face.
Was he crazy? Must’ve been, if he thought he could waltz his cheating ass in there and pick up where they’d left off before he’d started screwing around with Marilyn. “You told me that you were in love with Marilyn, that you were having a baby by her, and that you wanted a divorce. And if my memory serves me right, you told me that I was going to have to accept it, and that I was going to have to get over you. Remember?”
“I know what I said, but it was all a mistake. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I don’t love Marilyn, and we’re not having any baby.”
Damn. This fool was just full of surprises. “What do you mean you’re not having a baby?”
“Just what I said. We’re not having a baby.”
The conversation was becoming more and more interesting by the minute, and she wished Karen was here to witness every bit of it. That way they could both laugh at his ass together. “So, what happened?”
Larry paused. “She had an abortion.”
“She what?”
“She had an abortion a couple of weeks ago.”
Now it all added up. Marilyn had ended her pregnancy and was dumping his two-timing ass. Regina couldn’t believe any of what she was hearing. “So, what does having an abortion have to do with anything? If you love her the way you’ve been claiming, I don’t see what the problem is.”
“I’m not in love with her. And to tell you the truth, I don’t know if I ever was.”
“Then why in the hell did you keep saying you were? You kept throwing that shit in my face every single time I tried to talk to you.”
“I guess I thought that I really did love her. But now I’m starting to see that it was nothing more than infatuation. Things weren’t right between you and me, and I sort of lost it. If I had it to do all over again, I would never mess around on you. Not with Marilyn or anyone else. You’ve got to believe that, baby,” he said, easing over to the sofa.
“Shit. I do believe you. No asshole ever misses his water until his well runs dry. That’s been proven time and time again. You must think I’m just as loony as you are, though, because I know you don’t expect me to believe that you’re telling me the whole story. So, come on, Larry. Tell me what really happened between you and Marilyn? No. Don’t even waste your breath answering that question. I’ll do it for you. Marilyn saw you for the bastard that you really are, thought about it, went behind your back and had an abortion, and then dumped your sorry ass. And now, you think there’s still time to get back with me. Am I right?”
He kneeled down directly in front of her and grabbed both of her hands in his. This was ridiculous, but at the same time, it was funny as hell. She’d told him how he was going to get down on his knees and beg her to take him back, and here he was, plain as day. Shit, maybe she should’ve become a psychic instead of an HR manager.
“No,” he said. “It’s not even like that. I’m here because I love you. Can’t you see that?”
“Get your ass from in front of me,” she said, shoving him and walking away. “You make me sick. When you brought your ass over here the last time, I would have gladly taken you back. It would have taken me a long time to get over what you did to me, but still, I would have taken you back. But like they say. That was then, and this is now. And now, it’s too damn late for you. So, you might as well saddle up that horse you came in here on and ride your stupid ass on out of here, because ain’t shit going on with you and me ever again.”
Larry looke
d at her in a deranged way. Like he didn’t know whether he was coming or going. “Why are you doing this, Regina? I told you I was sorry, and that I would make it up to you.”
He was making her awfully tired, and her patience was drawing thinner by the second. “It’s over between us, Larry. It took me a while, but I finally took your advice: I got over your ass. Now, you’re the one who’s going to have to accept it and get on with your life.”
“Please, baby. Please don’t do this,” he said. Tears were rushing down his face.
Regina walked over to the front door, opened it, placed her left hand on her hip, and pursed her lips together. “Get out.”
Larry kneeled on the floor for a few more minutes and then finally stood up. He dragged both his feet over to where Regina was standing and reached both of his hands out to her like he expected her to hug him. “Regina, I’m begging you. Don’t do this.”
Maybe he hadn’t understood her when she’d told him to leave, but this time she was going to make sure that he did. She spoke slow and clear, but in a loud manner. “Get…the…hell…out!”
He left in silence, and she slammed the door as hard as she could behind him. She leaned her back against the door, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She felt proud. Proud of the fact that she’d gone on with her life, gotten over Larry, and fallen in love with a wonderful man named Malcolm.
Just as she opened her eyes, the phone rang. She walked over to it and smiled when she saw Malcolm’s number flash across the Caller ID screen. “Hello?” she said.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said.
“Hi, baby.”
“So, is your company gone yet?”
“Actually, he just left.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“So, tell me,” he said, sounding as if he was worried and unsure about something. “Is it just you and me now?”
Regina smiled and said, “Yes. It’s definitely just you and me.”
Acknowledgments
At this point, God has blessed me to write seven books. But Behind Closed Doors will always be my baby. It is the first book I ever wrote and the book that began my career as a novelist. It is the book my mom and husband believed in from the very beginning—even though I wasn’t so sure what the feedback from others would be.
But as it turned out, Behind Closed Doors quickly became a Blackboard and Essence best seller. Partly because of all the wonderfully dedicated readers who gave it a chance and partly because of Emma Rodgers, owner of Black Images Book Bazaar in Dallas, Texas. This amazing woman immediately called Behind Closed Doors her baby and encouraged every one of her customers to purchase it. And if that wasn’t enough, she phoned other independent bookstores and encouraged them to order and sell it. So, from the bottom of my heart, Emma, I thank you. Additionally, I am thankful to Frances Utsey at The Cultural Connection Bookstore in Milwaukee, who also hand-sold copy after copy.
I’d also like to thank every individual who supported me from the moment Behind Closed Doors was first released in January 1997: my wonderful husband, Will M. Roby Jr.; my mother, Arletha Stapleton, who is now deceased but is still very much with me; my brothers, Willie Jr. and Michael Stapleton; my dearest friends and supporters, Lori Whitaker Thurman, Kelli Tunson Bullard, Janell Green, Aileen Blacknell, Veronda Johnson, Dorothy Wright, Shurice Hunter, Christine Williams, Keith and Shari Grace of Grace Design, Paul Coates and Apryl Motley at Black Classic Press, Martha Moore, Mary Carthell, Vicky Pruitt, and Barb Polster. Thank you all for having such confidence in me from the start.
Many thanks to Carolyn Marino, Jennifer Civiletto, Michael Morrison, Lisa Gallagher, Debbie Stier and everyone else at HarperCollins for producing this new edition. It’s a dream come true.
And to my readers, thank you for your continued support. I am indebted.
About the Auhtor
Kimberla Lawson Roby is the author of the nationally bestselling novels Too Much of a Good Thing, A Taste of Reality, It’s a Thin Line, Casting the First Stone, Here and Now, and Behind Closed Doors. She lives in Illinois with her husband.
www.kimroby.com
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By Kimberla Lawson Roby
Too Much of a Good Thing
A Taste of Reality
It’s a Thin Line
Casting the First Stone
Here and Now
Behind Closed Doors
Coming Soon in Hardcover
The Best-Kept Secret
Copyright
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. Copyright © 1997, 2004 by Kimberla Lawson Roby. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © MARCH 2007 ISBN: 9780061873935
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