by Jamela
Ray didn’t bother to call all weekend. On Monday morning he called from the office. “Can you come down so we can talk? I have something to discuss with you. It won’t take long, I promise.” He said. So, I got myself prepared to see him. I had a lunch date with John later and I was hoping Ray wouldn’t put me in a bad mood. When I arrived at the office, there weren’t any clients waiting to be seen. In fact, Ray had already done the payroll and had the bank deposits ready to take to the bank. He didn’t seem to be in a bad mood, so I was hopeful this would go quickly. I’d hate to have to stop working with him simply because I love what I do. I help people get their lives back. Finding jobs is rewarding and I make a difference. I don’t want to give that up, but I’ll just have to see how things go.
“Good morning. What is it you want to discuss?” I asked standing near his desk.
“Don’t look so scared, Leslie. I won’t hurt you. Please, have a seat.” He said pointing to a chair. “I just wanted you to know, I thought about our last conversation. I understand where you are coming from, though I admit I don’t understand why. I have to respect your choices and your feelings. With that said, I decided it would be best to give you a few weeks off and then, if you want to, you can return to work.” He said and waited. “Please, let her accept that, it’s the only way I’ll get to be around her.”
“Oh, okay. I could use some time off. This pregnancy is difficult so that would be a big help. How long do you want me to take?”
“I’m thinking a month. During that time, if I need any help, I’ll use one of the temps to answer the phone. Besides, I wouldn’t want you to do anything to endanger the baby. I can see how much it means to you.” He said walking over to help me up. “So, you go on home and get some rest. I’ll be checking in on you from time to time.”
“Okay, I’m glad we could work this out. I guess you’ll be seeing John for your regular Saturday golf date?” I asked walking to the door.
“Yup. Don’t you worry about the office, everything will be okay.” He walked me to the car and opened the door for me. He stood there looking at me for a moment once I was inside. “Pregnancy agrees with you, Leslie. You are even more beautiful. But, you have a good day.” He said as he turned to go back into the office.
I attended to a few errands until it was time to meet John for lunch. Since my stomach was still a little upset, we just drove to the park and had a light snack. We talked about the events of the last couple of weeks and how fast things had happened. Then I thought about something, so I asked John “Honey, Ray said something interesting to me the other day. He said that you knew Cynthia had a “thing” for you. I know he knows her in passing. But how would he know what’s going on? I mean, did you tell him?”
“No, actually, I didn’t. You know I don’t discuss my personal problems with him. I mean, we are good friends but I draw the line at some things. Ray mentioned to me one day while we were playing golf, I had a secret admirer at work. That’s how I found out about how Cynthia felt. Shortly after he told me how he knew her, she really started trying to get my attention. I didn’t think much of it because I wasn’t interested in her. I figured she’d see that and move on. But up until a few weeks ago, she was doing everything she could to be around me. Funny, I never realized it, but thinking back, I can see it now. We even had lunch a few times. Someone else was there, but I guess she was getting to know me she thought.
“That’s odd. John, I don’t want you to get upset by what I’m about to tell you, okay? I know you and Ray are friends. But did you know he claims he’s in love with me?”
“Oh, he tells me all the time I don’t deserve you. He says you would be better off with him. But he’s laughing and joking when he says it. Why, do you think he really feels that way?”
“I KNOW he does. I know because he’s told me several times over the last few days. John, he told me he’s in love with me and he has been since we met him. I told him if it was going to cause a problem, I’d stop working with him. Apparently he’s been telling you all along, but not making it seem serious. I took it as a joke at first, too. I guess I should have paid more attention. What do you wanna do?”
“Well, let’s talk to Ray and straighten this out. I’d hate for us to be wrong. He’s a good friend, in fact, the only real one I have. So, lets go by and talk to him when I get home from work.” He said leading me back to the car.
John went back to work and his supervisor called him into a meeting. Cynthia was there and so was the regional manager. “Ms. Wells, we have a complaint against you for sexual harassment made by Mr. Jameson. This outlines behavior by you over a period of six months that is in direct conflict of this company’s policies. What is your response?” Asked Mr. Barrington, the regional manager.
Cynthia flipped through the papers in front of her. “I don’t really have a response, except, I find him attractive. I believe he’d be better off with me than his present wife. Besides, I was led to believe his wife was being unfaithful to him.” She said looking directly at John.
“What gave you that idea?” John asked her.
Cynthia looked around the room without answering. “Answer the question Ms. Wells.” Instructed the supervisor, Mr. Brown.
“His wife’s boss. He’s a friend of mine and he told me how she works so hard at the office doing things she doesn’t need to. And I know that Ray, her boss, is in love with her. She wouldn’t still be working there if she wasn’t cheating on her husband. I know he’s told her how he feels. So, she must be cheating. So, I decided I’d go after what I wanted. And I did.” She said smugly.
“Wait a minute. You and Ray, know each other so well, you discuss my wife and I? How long has this been going on?” Asked John in shock.
“Ray is an ex-boyfriend of mine. He was the one who told me I should go after you. He said it would only be a matter of time before we both had what we wanted and everyone would be happy. I still feel that way. You just can’t see it.” She said looking intently at John.
“Ms. Wells, your time with this company is now complete. You are no longer an employee. Please return your keys to the office, your parking pass and any company manuals or other property of the company’s to Liz at the front desk. John, I’m sorry this has happened to you. In the future, please, do not wait so long to report questionable behavior by other employees, male or female. This meeting is confidential and over.” Said Mr. Barrington rising.
As John stood, Cynthia walked past him and rubbed her hand across his chest. “You can still be mine. I’m sure of it. And Ray will have your wife, too. Wait and see.” She said as Mr. Brown jerked her hand away.
“Touch him one more time and we’ll see about pressing charges for assault!” Said Mr. Barrington.
John stood there in shock. “How could I be so blind? Ray was behind it all? Here I am thinking I had a friend, and all this time he’s been stabbing me in the back.” John went to his supervisor’s office and asked, “I have a lot to deal with. Could I take the rest of the day on personal leave? I really need to see my wife and talk to her.”
“Sure John. I’ve never seen anything like this. In fact, take a couple of days. You have the accrued time. I wish you the best. And John, stay away from Ray, please. I don’t wanna have to come see you in jail. Besides, you’re the best salesman we have and I’d like to keep you, okay.”
John drove home and as soon as he got into the house, he gave his wife the longest kiss he could. “Leslie, I love you with all my heart. My love for you grows stronger every day. I had a meeting today and discovered some interesting news. Sit down, while I fill you in on everything.”
I didn’t know what to expect, but I could tell it wasn’t good. I sat down and John told me about the meeting. He got angry as he told me everything and he was shaking and clenching his fist. I knew I had to do something to make sure he didn’t see Ray. “John, at least we know why all of this stuff was happening. Let’s go away for a little while. I think we owe it to ourselves. Don’t you?” I asked
hoping he would jump at the chance.
“Leslie, I have to see Ray. I need to talk to him. He has to understand he’d better stay
away from you! I mean it. If I find out he’s come near you, I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him and not think twice about it. All this time he’s been pretending to be my friend. I can’t believe I never saw it.” He said shaking his head.
“John, you have to stay away from Ray. Not because I’m trying to protect him. But I am trying to protect you. I don’t wanna have this baby alone. I want you in this child’s life, but not through prison bars. Think before you do anything. We’ll find a way to work all of this out. But we have to think clearly and be smart about it.” I said hugging him and kissing him.
“Now, come over here and sit with me for a minute. I don’t feel well.” I said as we walked to the sofa.
A few hours later I was in the emergency room. The doctor determined my pregnancy was more high risk than initially thought. I would be on bed rest until I delivered the baby. While we were at the hospital, Ray had called to speak with John about their golf date and the children had told him we were at the hospital. We looked up and he was standing outside the room. They would be keeping me for a few days to run some test.
Before I could say anything, as I reached for John, he had stormed out of the room and had Ray by the collar. Ray was the smaller of the two men, and John was getting the best of him. He was slamming his fist into his face, side and anywhere it could find a place to rest. Ray was trying to unsuccessfully defend himself. It took a few moments before the hospital staff realized what was happening. By the time security got there, Ray was a bloody mess. His shirt was torn and he was clutching his head. John only had bruised knuckles. One of the nurses took Ray down to emergency for treatment. John on the other hand was escorted out of the hospital once Ray said he did not want to press charges. I couldn’t believe what I’d seen. I’d never seen John so angry that he used physical violence. I get the feeling John would still be hitting Ray if those three guards hadn’t pulled him off. Finally I settled in and tried to get some sleep.
A few hours later, John called me. He apologized for his behavior and told me not to worry about anything. He said he had most of it out of his system. I let him know the doctor had returned and said I could go home in the morning. John said he would come pick me up. I hung up and tossed and turned for most of the night. The next morning, John walked into my room with wrapped knuckles. I ran and gave him the biggest hug and kiss he’d gotten in a few weeks. These last few weeks had been trying for me and us. I went from having a perfect marriage and job to a cheating husband and now I’m six weeks pregnant with my faithful husband back in my arms. All of this done at the hands of someone who felt they could make each of us happy by getting what they wanted. Boy, things sure can change drastically. John and I drove home and made plans to go out of town for a while. We needed some time away. This time I wouldn’t have to worry about getting pregnant and we wouldn’t be so trusting of our friends from now on.
The End
Funeral Weekend
“Hi, I’m getting off the exit. I make a right, right? Then go to the second traffic light and I’ll be at the gas station on the corner. Yeah, I’ll see you in a bit. I’ll be driving a blue Passat.” Stan hung up the phone. “I hope she’s the same as she is online”, he thinks to himself.
He traveled the distance and pulled into the gas station. Parked off to itself was a red Mercedes coupe. He knew it was Liz because the car looked the same as the one in the picture she emailed him a few months earlier. She was so proud of herself for finally getting the car she wanted. She had asked him all sorts of questions about a woman buying a car alone and what kinds of things she should ask the salesman. They had started talking online in a chat room almost three years ago. It was an ethnic room so he felt comfortable going there. During that time, he’d talked to her almost every day online. He’d even called her on the phone. He was careful to never do it from home, ‘cause he didn’t want Liz’s number showing up on the phone bill. She called him most of the time on his cell phone. But their main source of communication was the computer.
Stan pulled up beside the flashy car and looked over to see if he could see the driver. Sure enough, Liz was sitting behind the wheel. She looked at him and smiled then gave a small wave. They both simultaneously opened their doors and walked to the back of the vehicles. Stan couldn’t contain himself. He hugged and lifted her off the ground as he planted kisses all over her face. “I’m so glad we could get this weekend together.” He hurriedly said.
“So am I. I’m sorry about your Aunt’s death. But at least we’ll be together. When does Samantha expect you back?”
“I told her I’d call her to let her know how things are going. Naturally, I’ll have to put in an appearance at my family’s place. But most of the time can be spent with you. Now, here is the address to the place where I’m going, how far is this from you?” Stan asked handing her a slip of folded paper from his pocket.
“Oh, shoot! This is only a few of miles from where I live. You could go on a walk and be at my place in about 25 minutes. Let’s go back to my place and then we can decide how we want to do everything.” Liz suggested.
They both get into their cars and Stan followed Liz. She drove like a racer cutting through traffic and beating lights. They arrived at a modest brick home on a nice residential tree lined street. Liz wasn’t married, of course and she didn’t have any children that lived with her. Her son was eight years old, but he stayed with his grandmother. She had been given custody of him because Liz became pregnant with him at such a young age. So, Stan wasn’t surprised when he walked into the house and there was a boy’s room with a bunk bed for when a friend stayed over with him.
Liz led him to her bedroom and he put his things down. He lookeds around the room and noticed she hadn’t made any changes since she remodeled the room. Everything was just as it was in the pictures. And, of course, she had her computer set up with her web cam. It was away from the bed, so he never saw the bed when he talked to her on cam, which was every day.
As he sat on the loveseat across from the computer, he began to think about the time he had wasted being married to Samantha. They had one daughter who was five years old and she was the light of his life. But Samantha was nothing like Liz. Liz was about eight years younger and a strong black woman. She was working in her chosen profession and doing the things she wanted. They both shared a passion for pool and tequila. They liked the same kind of music and just get along so much better than he and Samantha.
Surprisingly, he hadn’t set out looking for someone in the chat rooms as most people did. He had just been bored one night and gone in to see what was going on. The group had made him feel welcomed and he felt like a part of the family after a few months. They had a yearly meet and greet which he had attended since joining the room.
Samantha was more into books than computers and she spent her time reading or writing. So, while he was on the computer, she was in her room doing something else. He had tried to get her interested in the computer, but she didn’t like the conversations, most likely because of her strict religious upbringing. Ironically, that was the thing that had attracted him to her. Now, Liz was showing him that being a little wilder and looser was a lot more fun.
She had sent him pictures of her in suggestive positions. They had cyber and phone sex at least once a week and he was sure this would be the first weekend he actually got to penetrate her. Just thinking about it made him warm in the groin. He could feel himself stiffening. But he didn’t want to rush it. There would be plenty of time for that later. He mentioned to Liz that he needed to let his wife know he’d made it safely.
He speed dialed the number on his cell phone, “Hi Sam, I’m here. No, I haven’t gone by the house yet. I didn’t expect the drive to take so much out of me, so I’m gonna take a short nap before I go over. Yeah. I left all the information on the desk, so you can go ahead and have the flowe
rs sent. No, put it on the Visa. I’ll call you later. Okay, bye.” He said hanging up the phone.
Liz looked at him in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell her you love her? I mean you don’t have to avoid saying it because you’re here with me, yanno.”
“That’s not it. I don’t say it much anymore ‘cause I don’t feel it. Anyway, I don’t wanna talk about Samantha. She is out of sight and I don’t want her on my mind. I want to concentrate on this time with you. So, where are we going for dinner, I’m starved.” He commented walking over and wrapping his arms around her small frame. That was another difference from Samantha. Liz was a short petite woman, and Samantha was a short thick woman. She had gained weight after the baby and lost some of it, but she was bigger than he liked. “I have to put Samantha out of my mind.”
He and Liz left the house and headed to a nearby restaurant. He decided after dinner it would be best to go by and see the family. So, he dropped Liz off and drove the short distance to his Uncle’s house. Surprisingly most of the family had already arrived. He thought he would get a day to spend with Liz, but with most of the family there, he doubted that would be the case. Funerals are usually like family reunions in black families, so everyone was there. He spied a cousin he hadn’t seen since his wedding years ago. They exchanged phone numbers and everything. Then he saw his favorite cousin. They talked about going out, so he called Liz and told her he would be longer than he expected. “I know. You and the boys are going out. I expected as much. I’ll leave the key under the door mat for you.” She said and hung up the phone.