Slick

by Brenda Hampton

  Then, of course, there was my ongoing relationship with Sylvia. Seeing and being with her was like a breath of fresh air. At work, she was my support system when things weren’t going as well as I wanted them to, she had become a second mother for Britney, and making love to Sylvia was the best. We had sex more than Dana and I did because there was something about the way Sylvia made me feel that I couldn’t let go of for nothing in the world.

  It had gotten to the point where I knew both Dana and Sylvia knew about each other. Dana, being my wife, I couldn’t find it in my heart to flat out tell her the truth. Whenever I’d come in late nights, I’d make up any excuse that I could. Some of the shit didn’t even sound right, but all she would do was glare at me and not say a word. And if she did try to elaborate on where I’d been, I would get defensive and insist I didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

  Sylvia, on the other hand, coped with my situation. She was well aware that I was intimate with Dana, and Sylvia had seen us out and about together. The only thing she’d asked me was to make up my mind soon because she had no intentions of sharing me with Dana for the rest of her life. I understood how she felt and was doing the best I could to make this situation as comfortable as possible for everybody. I knew both of them wanted answers soon, but every time I thought my mind was made up, something would put me right back where I started.

  Our company’s annual dinner dance and salute to excellence awards ceremony was what finally opened my eyes. I was voted Best Businessman of the Year, and when Crissy called my name to accept the award, I felt as if it wasn’t truly deserved.

  With Dana and Sylvia sitting at the same table as I was, I glanced at both of them and took a hard swallow. I lowered my head and tightly closed my eyes. Not being able to say anything but thank you, I quickly stepped away from the podium and walked off to the restroom. For the first time in my life, I looked in the mirror and didn’t like who I saw.

  Just yesterday, Sylvia and I stayed at the office late to finish up some things. Always wanting each other so badly, we ended up in the ladies’ room fucking each other’s brains out. Today, however, there I was sitting at a table with my beautiful wife next to me, holding my hands and knowing that I didn’t come home until midnight. The hurt from watching Dana and me put on this charade like everything was so perfect in our marriage was written all over Sylvia’s face. There was no doubt I had to end this and end this soon.

  When I got back to my seat, Sylvia was voted Hardest Working Woman, and she was at the podium accepting her award. Crissy and I both nominated her because it was truly deserved. When the crowd stopped clapping, she stepped to the microphone. She lowered it to her mouth then she immediately looked up at me as tears trickled down her face.

  “Over five years ago,” she said tearfully, “I suffered a tremendous loss. My husband was killed in a car accident, and shortly after that, I lost my job of fourteen years due to the company I had worked for downsizing.” She paused to take a deep breath. “After that, I truly wanted to crawl under a rock and die but someone wouldn’t let me. He opened many doors for me, and he became the best friend I always wanted to have. Whenever I needed anything, he was always there for me. He never judged me, he never criticized me, nor did he ever make me do anything I didn’t want to do. All I ever needed was a friend to listen to me, to guide me in the right direction, and to put me in my place when I got out of line.” Sylvia paused again and looked down at the floor.

  When she looked back up, she wiped her tears and stared at me again. “It’s been so easy being there for you, Mr. Jonathan Tyrese Taylor, because you have always been there for me. Truly from my heart, thank you for your nomination and I’ll do my best at continuing to make you happy.”

  Everybody stood up and clapped, surprisingly even Dana. When Sylvia came back to the table, I gave her a tight hug and didn’t want to let go. She pulled away and reached down for her glittery purse that was on the chair. She said good night to everyone and quietly walked out of the room.

  After the ceremony was over, Dana and I rode in silence back to our house. She knew where my mind was and really didn’t say much to me.

  At home, we took off our clothes in the bedroom, and as I got ready for bed, she came into the closet and took my hand. She escorted me out of the closet and asked me to have a seat on the bed. After I did, she reached for my hands and held them in hers. She touched my wedding ring with her finger and rolled it around.

  “I know you don’t love me anymore and—”

  “Baby, yes, I do. I just—”

  She pressed her fingers against my lips. “Listen, please. I have no one to blame for this mess but myself. If I could do this all over again, I would definitely do things differently. But we both know it’s too late for that. You have love for another woman, and as much as it hurts me, I can’t make your heart feel any differently. Tonight, I realized that Sylvia’s and my friendship was over years ago. The word friend is something that we called ourselves when, in reality, we had never been there for one another. You were the friend she’d grown to love and you were the one whose shoulder she could cry on, not me. How could I blame her for falling in love with a man as wonderful as you are?”

  I swallowed the lump that was locked in my throat. “So, what are you saying?”

  Dana’s lips quivered as she continued to talk. “I’m saying that I’m throwing in the towel. We need to end this so we can both get on with our lives. You deserve so much better, and if being with Sylvia is going to make you happy, then go be happy.”

  I grabbed Dana around the waist and placed my head against her chest. She rubbed my head as I started to show my emotions. “I’m sorry, baby,” I said. “Only the Lord knows how much I wanted this marriage to work. I never stopped loving you, even until this day, but there is still so much anger and hurt inside of me that I don’t know what to do with it.”

  “That’s why you have to let it go. I’m not mad at you. Again, all I want is for you to finally be happy.”

  Knowing that our marriage was finally over, Dana and I made love to each other for one last time. And even though I was excited about having sex with her, the feeling was quite different this time. I was relieved all the lies were over, and everything was out in the open. More than anything, I was eager to tell Sylvia I would soon be a free man. I wasn’t trying to rush off and marry her or anything, and my intentions were to still take our relationship one day at a time. But, when I got to the office on Monday and shared the news with her, she had some plans of her own.

  “So, it’s over,” she said with a shrug. “And you’re a free man. A free man who wants to screw and date anybody he chooses to?”

  “Sylvia, all I’m saying is, give me time. I do not want to jump out of one marriage and right into another one.”

  “How much time? Just how long do you want me to wait for you, Jonathan?”

  “I don’t know. All I know is that I love you, and I want to be with you. However, us getting married so soon is out of the question. Hell, Dana hasn’t even moved out yet.”

  “When is she supposed to move out?”

  “She’s moving out this weekend. We’re going to have a quiet and speedy divorce, but I . . . I don’t know, baby. I don’t know what else you want me to do.”

  “Well, I don’t want you to sit around and think that all you’re going to do is have sex with me when you want to. I want the full package and I deserve it. Sex is something I can get from any man. If you love me like you say you do, then you’d better think hard about this.”

  Sylvia had pissed me off. My voice went up a notch and I pointed my finger at her. “I have thought about it, more than you know. I’m not going to spend too much more time on this and I got all of this work to do around here. As of right now, marriage is out! I’m not going to be pressured by you or anyone else, Sylvia, and I mean that shit!”

  Furious, she got up, walked out, and slammed the door.

  What in the hell did she want from me? I was gettin
g a divorce and Sylvia still wasn’t satisfied. I thought she would be ecstatic, but I was so wrong. How she could even think I wanted to jump right back into another marriage just puzzled the hell out of me.

  The rest of the workweek was quiet. Sylvia hadn’t said much to me, and since I was so busy running back and forth to court, I really didn’t have much time to say anything to her either.

  On Friday, the news hit fast. Mr. Duncan had finally lost his battle with prostate cancer and the entire place was in mourning. Already pretty much planned out, Crissy, Mr. Bradford, and I stayed in a meeting all day and worked out the final details pertaining to the business. Not wanting to take over her father’s 60 percent of the company, Crissy agreed months ago to transfer 40 percent to me, 40 percent to Mr. Bradford, and keep 20 percent for herself. She said her time in the office would be minimal, since she was part owner of five elegant restaurants in St. Louis; she had three beauty shops, and a slew of commercial property to manage, now that Mr. Duncan was no longer around. She was his only child and he pretty much had her set for the rest of her life.

  After our meeting, I looked around for Sylvia but she was gone. It was already six o’clock in the evening, and by the way she’d been acting, I didn’t expect her to hang around and wait for me. Then again, maybe I did. I’d wanted to take her to dinner tonight but I didn’t have time to tell her.

  On the drive home, I thought about Sylvia and called her at home to see if she wanted some company. She didn’t answer, so I drove by her place to see if she was there. Her car was parked in the driveway, so I went to the door and knocked. It took awhile for her to answer, and when she did, she cracked the door and looked out at me.

  “You should have called,” she said.

  “I did, but you didn’t answer. Open the door.”

  “I have company right now.”

  “What?” I said in disbelief. “What do you mean by you have company?”

  “It’s like I said. I have company so you need to come back later.”

  I got pissed and my scrunched face displayed it. “Come back? I don’t think so. You need to open the damn door.”

  She closed the door and slid off the chain. When she moved aside to let me in, I was furious with her. Every time she didn’t get her way with me, she always ran off to another brotha for comfort. I placed my hands in my pockets and looked at her with much anger.

  “Is this how you want it to be?” I said, raising my voice. “Must you go fuck somebody every time things don’t go your way?”

  She pursed her lips, then folded her arms and glared at me. Getting no response from her, I went into her bedroom, but no one was there. I looked into her other rooms and they were empty as well. After I went into the kitchen to make sure the coast was clear, I walked back into the living room where she continued to stand with her arms folded.

  “Why must you play so many games?” I asked.

  “Why must you think I’m so trifling like that?”

  “I never said you were trifling. I believed when you said you had company.”

  “Then believe me when I tell you I’m in need of a husband, not a fuck buddy. Anything less than a husband will not suffice.”

  I opened Sylvia’s door and slammed it behind me. At this point, I’d gotten sick and tired of hearing it. She wasn’t going to get a marriage out of me until I was ready. And right now, it was the last damn thing on my mind.

  When I got home, Dana had packed up the rest of her things. Tomorrow was the big day. She seemed so hurt by moving out, and not having her around the house was going to be difficult for me.

  After I helped carry most of her things close by the front door, for the movers to put on a truck tomorrow morning, we spent a nice quiet evening together. We talked about our plans for the future, and when she asked about my plans with Sylvia, I didn’t quite know what to say.

  “So, if you love her so much then why aren’t you going to marry her?”

  “It’s funny because she’s been asking me the same question. Not only that, but it’s so strange how men and women think so differently. In my eyes, just because you love someone doesn’t mean you have to marry them. There are so many other things we take in consideration that women don’t.”

  “Well, it’s not like I want you to marry her because I would be devastated if you did. My thought, however, is that you are going through too much right now. I’m not really sure if you love her as much as you think you do. And if it is love, it’s a love that will never last.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because, baby, you fell in love with me. The first time we made love, we were eight months into our relationship. By then, you’d gotten to know me well. You loved my style, my personality, my ambition, and my mind. With Sylvia, I can’t say that you ever really focused on getting to know her that way. You expressed your feelings for her by having sex with her. Quite often, I’m sure, but when you think of her, do you only think about having sex, or do you think about other, simple things, like taking walks in the park, or going on vacations together, maybe even having a child together? I know those are only a few things you thought about with me. If you’re ending this to be happy, just make sure you are.”

  I listened to Dana, and we stayed up the entire night talking and drinking wine together. A lot of what she’d said made sense because I really hadn’t thought much about doing anything other than having sex with Sylvia. Very few times did I think about dinners, vacations, or simply just going to the movies, but it was definitely nothing to brag about. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do those things with her, but since our sex life was so spectacular, it was hard for me to focus on anything else.

  The movers took the last of Dana’s things to the truck. She was moving into a condominium not too far from me, and she promised to stop by and check on me some times. I kissed her forehead, as she held me around the waist and shed some tears.

  “Look at it this way,” I said with my arms around her. “How many couples are able to end their marriage and still have respect for each other?”

  She nodded. “Not too many, but it still hurts so much.”

  “I know it does, baby.” I wiped her tears. “But you’re an amazingly strong woman. You’ll be able to put this behind you in no time.”

  “I hope so,” she said still holding me tight. She finally let go and blew me a kiss as she walked out the door.

  After the movers left, Dana got in her car and followed. I went back into the house, and feeling a bit down, I called Britney so she could come spend the weekend with me. Lately, she’d been playing me off a lot, but she was at an age where nothing seemed to matter but boys, mo’ boys, and mo’ boys.

  Beverly brought Britney over around six o’clock that evening, and since she knew Dana had moved out, Beverly finally came into the house to speak. She stood in the foyer and gazed into the immaculate great room.

  “When did you all fix up the place like this? I didn’t think Dana had good taste.”

  Britney carried her bags into her bedroom. “The last time you came into this house was over seven years ago. It has been updated since then. Would you like to see the rest?” I asked.

  “No, that’s okay. By the looks of things, somebody’s got some money. I was wondering when I’m going to get a raise on my child support. Britney is expensive and I can’t afford her.”

  “Shut up, Mama,” Britney said, walking by. “You don’t do nothing for me anyway. Stop standing there and pretending that I’m breaking your bank account, when in reality, Daddy is the one who pays for everything.”

  “Britney,” I shouted at her. “Don’t talk to your mama like that.”

  “But she gets on my nerves.”

  “I’m sure you get on hers too. Watch your mouth, all right?”

  She nodded and rolled her eyes.

  “See, that’s your child,” Beverly said to me. “That mouth is going to get her hurt. You’ve created a monster and I can’t do nothing with her.”

&nb
sp; “You’re the only monster around here,” Britney snapped.

  “Look. Why don’t both of y’all chill out? I can’t believe y’all disrespecting each other like this. First of all, Beverly, don’t be calling her a monster. She’s been through a lot and you and I should have—”

  Beverly cut me off and started yelling. “I don’t even want to hear it! You’re always taking up for her, no matter what she does. You and I should have put our foot in her ass a long time ago, and if we had, none of this smart-talking bullshit would be going on.”

  “Well, we didn’t. So now, we just got to deal with it.”

  “You mean you got to deal with it. She’s been begging to stay with you or Sylvia for the summer and I don’t care what she does.”

  “Just give up like you always do. I asked you a long time ago to let her stay with me, but you weren’t trying to hear it.”

  “Well, I’m hearing it now. Do whatever.” Beverly looked at Britney. “Since you’re calling the shots, say the word and I’ll have your things to you by tomorrow.”

  “Please do,” Britney said, storming off. “I don’t want to live with you no damn way.”

  Beverly opened the door and stepped on the porch. I followed her and closed the door. “Maybe it’s for the best,” I said, trying to calm things down.

  “Maybe so,” Beverly said, pulling some tissue from her purse and dabbing her watery eyes. “I am so sick and tired of Britney. Nothing I do is good enough for her, Jonathan. I’m tired of her disrespect, and if you think she’s going to treat you any differently, you are wrong. She doesn’t give a damn about anybody but herself.”

  “I know I got some work to do, but I can’t give up on my baby girl. I’ll come by next week and get the rest of her things, okay? ”

  Beverly nodded and walked off to her car. I went back into the house and looked for Britney. She was in her bedroom and was on the phone with one of her friends.

  “Get off the phone. We need to talk,” I said.

  She talked for another minute or two then told her friend she would call her back. “Daddy, I was in the middle of something.”