by K L Finalley
"Hey, girl," Olive said as she bounced towards her. She carved out space for herself in the midst of bustling office men and women and hugged Mallory.
Again, she was surprised by her emotional greetings and moaned as Olive released her, "Hey. Thanks for meeting me. I just get the feeling there's something up with Alex."
"Girl, there's always something up with Alex, but I'm glad you called." The two started to cross the intersection. Halfway to the other side, Olive said, "It's so cool to have girlfriends." Mallory threw her head back and laughed. Standing in the shadow of the glass building that housed UpBeat magazine, there was no need to block the sun. The glass skyscraper blocked all hope for light. Having never come to the building, the two were apprehensive that they would find Alex. As they stood off to the side of the building reading the directory of occupants and reviewing the posted map, Olive spotted Alex. She tugged against the scalloped sleeve for Mallory's white shirt.
"What?"
"Look over there."
"Is that Alex standing on the corner? Where's she going?"
"No, who's she waiting for?" Olive turned and walked to Alex who was standing curbside. "Hey, girl."
Shock covered Alex's face, "What're you doing here?"
"We came to surprise you for lunch."
"We?"
The busy lunch traffic had slowed Mallory. She didn't have Olive's skills of blazing a path for herself. Once she caught up, she said, "Surprise! We came to take you to lunch." Alex didn't say a word. She stood on the corner in a blue dress. It was high-waisted with a matching fabric belt and upturned collar. Alex looked like a housewife from a fifties television show. Mallory took her by the arm and started to walk away from the curb.
Resisting Alex said, "Wait. I can't go. I already have a lunch date."
"Oh, is it a business lunch?"
Alex was not nimble enough to dissuade Mallory. While she wanted to ease out of this conversation without upsetting them and without revealing the identity of her lunch date, she was not able to appropriately answer the question. Instead of saying yes, she said, "No, it's a friend."
"Well, that's great. It'd be great to meet your new work friends," Mallory saw the fear in her eyes. Looking for the person as well, "Is she getting her car? Is she picking you up? Where are we headed?"
Alex mumbled, "No."
Olive said, "Alex, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
"No. I went to the ...." She stopped speaking. Her eyes flashed from them standing on the street to the Cadillac sedan that pulled up to the sidewalk.
"Oh, a Cadillac. I like her already," Olive said as she reached for the door.
"Olive, you have to slide over when you open the door. Make room for me," Mallory added.
"Guys, you can't just invite yourself to lunch."
"Sure, we can. Just introduce us," Mallory said with her hand on Alex's shoulder.
Uncertain what had happened and how she could maneuver out of it now, Alex opened the passenger's door. She leaned her head inside and said, "Do you mind if a couple of my friends join us for lunch?" Mallory had her eyes fixated on Alex. Intently, she stared until she heard a man's voice say, "No problem, baby." Then, Mallory's blank stare became a smirk. Alex opened the door and sat down in the front seat.
Mallory was still standing outside of the car when she heard Olive say, "Well, well, well. Look who it is." Before her sentence was complete, Mallory was seated inside the car's cabin.
Alex said, "Mallory, this is Cooper. Cooper, I think you remember Olive."
Excited, he said, "Olive? How the hell are ya? Girl, I wanna get out and give you the biggest hug. I haven't seen you since..."
He was thinking of the year, or maybe the month, but Olive remembered the occasion. "Since we came home from the mall and caught you in bed with Ashley."
Without shame, he said, "Oh shit! I can't believe you went there. Damn, you're still messy." Regaining his composure, he looked quickly in Mallory's direction, "Mallory, is it? Mallory, don't listen to Olive. She's known me since I was a boy. She could probably tell you plenty of things she shouldn't. I'm Cooper."
His large hand was outstretched. He had extended it from the front seat back to her. She leaned forward and shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said. "Olive and I were planning to surprise Alex and take her lunch. We're sorry if we interrupted."
"Hell no. What kinda man would I be if I didn't want the company of three lovely ladies?" Driving now, he glanced over at Alex who sat in the far corner of the passenger's seat. She had her head in her hand and was staring out the window. He looked as if he wanted her to look at him. Aware of his glances, she would not make eye contact. He glanced at her, then the road, then her until he pulled the car in front of a well-recognized Italian restaurant, the place you would take a date for dinner, not a lunch date with an old friend. As the valet opened the doors, Mallory stood up and waited on Olive to emerge.
"So, this is what she was hiding." Mallory said.
"And, there's a damn good reason to hide Cooper."
"What is it? Obviously, they used to date."
"Yeah, he dated her and everyone else he could. Just wait, you'll figure him out."
As they headed into Martinelli's, there was the quiet hum of soft conversations. Mallory remembered when Jacqueline had brought her here. She remembered the corner table, the laughs, the food, and how wonderful she felt sitting in a wonderful restaurant having a romantic dinner with the person she loved. Marveling in that memory, she flashed forward to Alex being taken here by a former boyfriend while Elet was out of town. "I really feel like Olive and I are interrupting something. I mean, Martinelli's."
"Nothing but the best for my baby doll."
Mallory lifted her eyebrows. She nudged Alex who had been silent all of this time, "You really should've told us that we were intruding on such an obviously special occasion."
"I had no idea we were coming here." Alex said. The maître d’hôtel pulled out the chairs of the women and handed each of them napkins and menus. The party listened as wines and specials were recollected by the waiter. Each ordered something to drink. Mallory asked for a few moments before making a lunch selection. When the waiter left, Alex provided her excuse, "I heard from Cooper only recently. He said he wanted to get together and have lunch and catch up while he was back in town."
"I'm sorry, Cooper. You're going to have to forgive me for asking so many questions, but I didn't know you don't live here?" Mallory asked.
"Oh, no. I grew up in Brandon with Alex and Olive, but I got the hell outta there as soon as I could." He laughed with such force that Mallory watched his burly frame rise and fall.
"Where do you live now?"
"Atl..."Alex started to say.
"I'm in between places right now," Cooper finished.
"Oh, are you thinking of returning to Brandon?" Mallory questioned. Her eyes had started to slim. She wanted to unpack what she felt was certain to be a lie. Cooper stopped speaking when the waiter returned. The waiter distributed the drinks and took their lunch orders. As the waiter was leaving, Mallory returned to the inquisition. This time, she had a white wine spritzer to her lips and had crossed her legs. "So, you're relocating?"
"I would for the right reason," Cooper grinned.
"Wait a minute, I thought you were married," Olive asked.
"Separated," he said sharply.
"Any kids?" Mallory asked.
"Two boys, Dez and Marcus," he said and took a deep swallow of his rum and coke.
"You'd leave them behind?" Mallory asked. "I have a daughter and I couldn't imagine moving so far away that I couldn't be a part of my child's day to day life."
"I have relationships with all my kids regardless of where I was living."
"Oh, so there's kids from a previous marriage? How many do you have in total?"
"Five."
"Five!" Alex exclaimed.
"Five?" Mallory asked. "So, two with this wife and three with the previous one."
"What's it like?" Alex had folded her arms.
"I've been a busy man. I've made a few relationship mistakes, but I love all my kids. I'm there for all of them. I pay my support. I see them when I can." He explained.
"So, where are the other kids?" Mallory asked as her foot dangled like a worm on a hook.
"Y'all remember Jeanine, don't you?" he asked as he swept his finger between Alex and Olive.
Before he could finish, Olive said, "That baby was yours? I knew it! Told ya, Alex!"
"You swore that you hadn't messed with her. You swore." Alex sounded confused and hurt.
"Listen, baby doll, I was a young man. I had hormones I couldn't explain. I was on the football team. All the girls wanted me. You know that. Tell her Olive."
Leaning towards Mallory, Olive said, "Jeanine was this nasty skank freak in high school. She got pregnant and said it was Cooper's. His dumb ass denied it, but the baby comes out and looks just like him. He was dating Alex when it happened. Supposedly, he wasn't messing around with anyone else. So, when Jeanine tried to tell Alex about all the girls he was messing with, Alex approached Cooper. He denied it. That girl left school." Turning to Cooper, "What happened to her?"
"She gave the boy to her parents and ran off."
"Where's she at now?" Alex asked.
He took a big swig of his drink and said, "Overdosed a few years ago."
"Oh my God. Where's the baby?" Alex asked.
"Jalen's a young man now. He lives with her parents in Brandon."
"But, you're his father. Why didn't you get custody of him when she left?" Mallory pressed.
"Shit. He didn't know me like that. He probably didn't want to leave them. It doesn't matter. He's good. They used to send me pictures and report cards and stuff. I guess that's what the money paid for." That sentence hung in the air as the waiter distributed the food. Alex stared at the salad that was placed in front of her. She was holding her full glass of water. Across from her, Olive began eating immediately. Salad fork in one hand and a breadstick, in the other hand, she hadn't lost her appetite.
Before the waiter left, Mallory ordered another white wine spritzer. Then, she said, "So, then you got married?"
"Yeah, my first wife was Nicole. She was gorgeous. She's the kinda woman who looks good up close and from a distance. She looks good in the morning and at night. She had that good hair, that good body, and that soft voice. But, she only looked good for a few years. I swear, my daughter ruined her. It was like NeNe sucked out all of her beauty. Nicole got angry. She got mean. She wanted to know where I was going and what I was doing. If I had to work late, she and the baby would show up and wait. If I went out of town, this bitch would leave the baby with her mama and check up on me. I'd come in from a conference and she'd be outside my hotel door. That shit was doomed." They watched as he used a breadstick to absorb the roux on his plate.
"Did you only have one daughter with her? NeNe, right?" Mallory inquired.
"Yeah. My NeNe is my only daughter. My baby girl. Her mother, Nicole, a monster." Then, he snarled his face and growled to Olive.
"That's two. And, two with your current wife. There's a kid unaccounted for," Mallory said.
"Devon. I didn't marry his mom. Technically, I was still married to Nicole."
"So, you had an affair?" Alex said.
"It is what he does," Olive said.
"Nah, used to do," he clarified.
"Wait, none of the kids are over eighteen. You're gonna have to pay child support on all of these kids. What do you do for a living?" Mallory asked.
"He's owns a couple of dental practices in Atlanta," Alex added.
"Oh, a dentist. Well, that's a good profession. People always need a dentist. What's the name of the practice? My dad has family up in Atlanta. Maybe, I can send some of them your way." Mallory's wheels were rolling, "Wait, are you selling the practice to relocate here? How does that work?"
"No, I'm not selling anything. I'll probably ask to just relocate to an office down here."
"Oh, so you don't own the practice? You work for a large practice," Mallory said.
"Right. Right. No Cavities Dental."
"I've seen them on TV. Didn't one of them get closed down for pill problems?" Olive asked.
"Yeah, I knew that guy, too. He was framed. Damn shame."
Alex interrupted, "Lemme get this right. You don't own the dental practice. You have got five kids from four women. You don't see most of them. And, soon you aren't gonna see any of them. What are you doing back here?"
"Baby doll, that's what I've been trying to tell you. I had to come here for business, but I knew when I got on that plane that I wasn't just coming here for business. I was coming home. And, when I was sitting there getting my tape up and I saw your article, the light flashed on. It's time to stop chasing all the wrong women and be with the woman of my dreams." He picked up her hand from the table and kissed it.
Alex frowned. Olive giggled. Mallory looked confused. "You do know that she's wearing an engagement ring, right?"
"That ain't nothing. That's just the mistake I'm here to prevent."
Olive laughed audibly. "You are still so full of shit. So, she dated you in high school and you cheated on her. She gave up her scholarship to follow your dumbass to the only college that would accept you. And, you cheated on her repeatedly there. Then, after two years, you just disappeared. No note. No card. You were just gone. We found out that you were kicked out of school for an indiscretion in the library. But, you don't even call to say goodbye. Your parents ship you off to Daytona to live with your grandparents. My dumbass used to drive her dumbass up there to see you and we found out you were engaged to some other girl. Then, you finally graduated and just disappeared to Atlanta. Now, you sit here with these same tired ass lines and your four hundred women and five hundred kids and tell her that she's once again the one baby doll of all baby dolls. That's funny as fuck."
"Olive, I never expected you to understand what we have. You've always been just hanging on her coattails."
"Enough, dammit! Don't you talk to her that way." Alex said as she leaned forward with her finger in his face.
"I'm sorry, baby doll. I was out of line. I'm sorry. But, your friends have put me through the ringer. I've been more than gentlemanly, but how can we expect them to understand the kinda love we have? The kinda love you feel no matter what people think. They just can't understand that."
Mallory laughed, "You have no idea how well I understand that." Alex swatted her with her napkin as Mallory and Olive cackled in unison.
"Baby doll, how are you gonna let them laugh at me? Tell them how much you love me. Tell them how you're gonna dump that punk ass white boy and we're gonna make all our dreams come true." Cooper had reached out for her.
"Andre," she had not called him by his first name in years. "Andre, you were the first man I ever loved. The one that I really thought I wanted. You were exciting. You were popular. The girls did want you. The boys wanted to hang with you. And, I was so happy when I thought that I was your everything. I tried to be your everything, but the truth is..." She paused. She had come to a revelation, "But, the truth is, you never wanted me. You never loved me. I was just one more thing. One more notch. One more girl. The one who took you back and forgave you. The one who was always there for you until you found someone else. Someone better, but, never again." She stood up from the table.
With her right index finger and right thumb holding her engagement ring, she continued, "When you texted me and said you were in town, I wanted to see you. I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend." She smiled and corrected herself, "My fiancé. I wanted to see the two of you together, but he's out of town. He's gone to get the arch for our wedding, so, no, I'm not gonna dump him. I'm gonna marry him next month. And, I'll be sure to send your invitation to your parent's house." Then, she turned and walked away.
"You'll
be back. You always come back," he said as she walked away.
Olive stood, smiled at him, and said, "It was great to see you, Cooper. Good luck."
Mallory stood from the table and reached for her purse. She removed her wallet and left fifty dollars on the table. "Dr. Andre Cooper. Cooper. Well, it's been a pleasure. If you come to the wedding, make sure you find me. I would love to introduce you to my girlfriend." And out she walked.
Outside, Alex was leaning against the glass of the restaurant. Olive and Mallory were celebrating as if they had won an Olympic medal. Eventually, they noticed Alex being supported by the side of a restaurant. Olive said, "Alex, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just feel a little sick."
"Well, I'm sure that was pretty emotional."
"No, not from him. There really wasn't anything. I wanted to tell you guys that he had reached out to me, but I didn't think you'd believe me that I just wanted to see him, not sleep with him. I just wanted to see him. You know, I always wanted that fool to want me. I never figured out why he didn't. I spent years collecting other men's opinions. Plenty of other men have wanted me. Why didn't he ever?"
"Some people just aren't right for us," Mallory said as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't sweat it," Olive said as she perched beside her.
"He's really a loser, huh?"
Olive laughed, "Hell yeah, he is."
"Thanks for being there. Thanks. I'm really glad you forced lunch on me." She laughed.
"That's what we do," Mallory smiled.
As reality returned to her, Olive said, "Wait, he drove us here. How are we getting back to your work?"
Chapter 17
Jacqueline and Elet had spoken only briefly during the last leg of the drive. She was reclined in the passenger's seat, but she was not asleep. Her eyes stared blankly outside the passenger's side window. She had thought of trying to speak to Elet. She wanted to face him and say the things that had bubbled up in her mind these last few months; but after all that had happened today, she was not sure how or where to begin. Lying there, she thought of what a mess she had made. She thought of the things that were said, the accusations, but more importantly, she thought about the realizations. She had no idea how to undo the damage, but she knew she had no choice.