The Wrong Husband 2

by B. M. Hardin

  Yet, I didn’t say anything since I was trying to get on Eddie’s good side and didn’t want to argue.

  I continued to sniff him as he sniffed the air.

  “You made chicken and dumplings didn’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “Are the boys ready to go?”

  “Not quite. You want a plate?”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “Stop being a jackass. Come on. It’s your favorite,” I said heading to the kitchen. I knew that the peer pressure from his stomach was going to make him follow me. I looked behind me and smiled as he entered the kitchen and took a seat as I fixed his plate.

  Once he started to dig in, I started to talk.

  “So how are you?”

  “I’m fine Sassi. We talk every day. You know that already.”

  Ugh! I swear I wanted to haul off and smack him.

  “I’m just making conversation Eddie. You don’t have to be so mean and nasty with me dang. Why are you acting like that?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you hate me or something.”

  Eddie didn’t respond.

  “It’s not fair.”

  He sat the fork down and looked at me.

  “Fair? Please don’t go there. Life ain’t fair. And love damn sure ain’t fair. Adultery ain’t fair. Betrayal ain’t fair. Adultery ain’t fair. Should I keep going?”

  “Should I curse you the hell out?”

  Eddie snickered at my comment.

  “How come you act like you hate me but not Polo? He was wrong too.”

  “And I know that Sassi.”

  “But you aren’t acting like it. You two are hanging out and being friendly while I’m here trying to figure out how to convince you to come back to me. I’m trying to figure out how to show you that I made a terrible mistake. But yet you are letting Polo off the hook as though he wasn’t involved.”

  “How do you figure that we are hanging out?”

  “Because you are. Are you telling me that you’re not? Have you seen him again lately? Other than that day that you said that you talked to him about me?”

  “No.”

  “Then why do you smell just like him again Eddie?”

  Eddie picked up his fork and took a bite of his food.

  He swallowed and continued eating.

  “So, you were around him?”

  “Didn’t I tell you that I don’t want to discuss Polo with you? Ever? I did what I told you I would do. I told him to leave you alone. There’s nothing else to talk about concerning Polo with you. Period. You screwed my best friend Sassi. What don’t you get?”

  “And I said that I was sorry.”

  “Sorry isn’t good enough.”

  “But it’s a start.”

  “There’s a start. But there’s also a finish. You chose our finish. I didn’t.”

  “Well, I’m choosing to start again then.”

  “Sorry, I’ve dropped out of the race.”

  “Then get your ass back in it.”

  “No. I don’t want to.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Yes. I do.”

  No he didn’t. I was sure of it. Eddie still loved me even if he didn’t want to and even if he was trying to deny it.

  “So let me ask you something. Polo has always done what he’s wanted to do so why would he listen to you now about not bothering me?”

  “Like I told you, he doesn’t want any more problems on top of the ones that he already has. And neither do you,” Eddie said.

  “What does that mean Eddie?”

  “Nothing.”

  “It means something. What did you mean by that Eddie?”

  “Let’s just say that you only know the side of Polo that you need to know.”

  You mean there was a whole other side to his craziness? Was that even possible? If Polo could be any worse than he already was, I definitely didn’t want to know what his other side was like.

  “So what he has some other side?”

  “Don’t we all?”

  “I don’t.”

  “Yes you do. Your other side is a slut.”

  Okay, now if I smacked the crap out of him I would be wrong right?

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “If calling me names makes you feel better, call me names Eddie. Get it all out. And then forgive me and let’s move on from this.”

  “I do forgive you.”

  “No you don’t. You’re just saying that because it sounds good, but we both know that you don’t really forgive me. So, stop lying Eddie.”

  Eddie stood up, without finishing his food and walked out of the kitchen. I could tell that he was frustrated and maybe even on the defense. But why was the question.

  “Why don’t you want to forgive me?”

  “I said I do.”

  “But you’re lying. Why won’t you truly forgive me Eddie?

  “Would you forgive me if I was the one that had cheated on you?”

  “It isn’t like you haven’t before.”

  “That was before we were married and it meant nothing.”

  “Still. You slept with my best friend too. So that makes us even Eddie.”

  “No. It doesn’t. Not at all.”

  Eddie looked at me but it was as though he couldn’t give me eye contact. As though looking me in the eyes made him nervous or uncomfortable.

  “What is it that you aren’t telling me Eddie?”

  He screamed for the boys and they hurried down the stairs.

  “Nothing.”

  “Yes there is. What is it?”

  “I said nothing.”

  Either it was me or Eddie was definitely different.

  Despite messing up his date, his talk, his tone, his face expressions, everything about him was just different.

  Maybe he was enjoying being unattached a little too much which meant that I needed to work a little faster with getting him back.

  “What are you hiding Eddie? Why can you truly forgive Polo but not me? What is it between you two huh? What does he know about you that I don’t know?”

  “What? Sassi. Please. I don’t know what is going on with you lately but maybe I should keep the boys with me and my folks until you figure it out.”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “I just want you back Eddie.”

  “No Sassi. Just no.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want to be with you Sassi, okay? I don’t know how I could be with you, or how I could touch you, without thinking about him touching you too.”

  “I’m sorry Eddie. I really am.”

  Eddie opened the front door and the boys went outside.

  He looked back at me.

  “I’ll keep the boys until Saturday. Clear your head. Pull yourself together. And go to the doctor, please,” Eddie said, nodding down at my white pants.

  I glanced down.

  Ugh! Not again! There was blood on the front and the back of my pants. I hadn't even felt it seeping through.

  Eddie and the boys walked off and I headed to clean myself up so that I could go to the hospital. Apparently, I couldn’t put it off any longer.

  An hour or so later, I was walking into the hospital.

  It was crowded as usual and I was glad that I put on two pads, plus a tampon just in case it took a while for them to get to me. I would be extremely embarrassed if I had an accident in public.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  She looked at me but she didn’t say anything so I sat down.

  She coughed but she didn’t cover her mouth.

  Nasty ass heffa’!

  I looked at her with disgust but she grinned.

  “Girl, don’t worry. What I got, you can’t get. At least not by a cough anyway.”

  The sound of my name over the intercom caused me to smack my lips because I had to get right back up and head back to the registration desk. The nurse asked me a f
ew more questions and as she typed, I stared off into the distance.

  Wait…is that Polo?

  The man was walking back out the door and I couldn’t see his face but I knew that it was him. From his walk, to the way that he was dressed and from the hair that was peeking out from underneath the fitted cap that he was wearing.

  Um huh. He was going to stay away from me my ass!

  Eddie should have known that Polo was just telling him what he’d wanted to hear. Even I knew how obsessive Polo could be and that he would always find a way to do whatever he wanted to do.

  I headed back to take a seat and instead of taking my seat next to the woman, I sat in a now empty seat about three seats away from her. Even though I tried not to look at her, I found it hard not to stare at her.

  She was gorgeous; she had strong, but charmingly cute features. She was very attractive and she was overdressed. I wasn’t sure which brand or label she was wearing but she simply looked like money so I knew that she was wearing something expensive and something that I probably couldn’t even pronounce.

  But as she coughed again, I was reminded that looks can be deceiving.

  “Is Sassy your real name?” she spoke loud enough for me to hear her.

  “Yes. It’s Sassi…with an “I”.”

  “Oh, well Sassi with an “I”, I’m Carmen with a “K”. Nah, I’m lying. It’s with a C. Sassi sounds like a name one of my girls should have used back in the day.”

  “Your girls?”

  “Yes. I was a pimp,” she laughed.

  Okay, was this some kind of joke?

  “Well, actually more like a madam. And I was a darn good one too. I knew how to make that money and I had girls that didn’t mind making it with me. Good times. Those were the days I tell you,” she said it as though what she was saying was normal.

  “You had um, prostitutes?” I said almost in a whisper being that there were other people around.

  “Lots of them. Expensive ones too. Only they weren’t called prostitutes. But in reality, that’s exactly what they were. I used to work for this hotel; well, everyone at this hotel used to work for me. If you had the right assets, I could get you paid. Anyway, not anymore. That ship has sailed.”

  She started to cough and it took a while for her to get herself together.

  Though I was disturbed, I couldn’t help but be curious.

  “You stopped because you’re sick?”

  “No. Other reasons. Funny. When I was doing what I wanted nothing ever happened. And by that I mean screwing every Tom, Dick or Harry, that I wanted to. But as soon as I tried to live the normal life; you know all of that settling down, one man and one woman type of thing, again, I ended up paying for my past mistakes; more or less anyway.”

  Just from what she was saying, I automatically knew her diagnosis.

  “My knight in shining armor, turned out to be nothing more than a devil in a suit. He gave me the one thing that I can’t pay to get rid of. HIV. Lots of folks thought I had it a long time ago, but I didn’t. There was a rumor, once, that’d I’d gotten it from a man that raped me years ago, but that was wrong. I’d gotten it from a man that I’d trusted. One that I’d actually found a way to give my heart to despite all I’d been through. I guess it was just my fate. Everyone has to pay for their sins in some way. I guess this is the way that I have to pay for mine.”

  She sounded sad, but she didn’t look sad. She was actually somewhat grinning or maybe her beauty just made it hard for me to see her without being in awe.

  I was surprised that she was sharing her life story with me. I was a complete stranger but I guess she figured that she didn’t have anything else to lose. Or maybe she just wanted to get some things off of her chest. Either way, my nosey self was all ears, listening and I had no plans on stopping her.

  “What about you?”

  “Oh no, I’m just having some stomach problems. That’s all.”

  “Are you married?” she asked.

  “I was. Unfortunately, I’m recently divorced.”

  She looked at me for a while.

  “And it was your fault wasn’t it? You had an affair didn’t you?” she asked.

  “How did you know?”

  “I just do. It’s written all over your face. Chile, there is nothing out here in these streets except for what I have and people like me.”

  “Meaning?”

  “It’s not worth stepping out on your marriage, especially if you find a man that actually isn’t trying to step out on you first. These married men that I come into contact with lately are ridiculous. They could care less about their wives, but you running around here stepping out on one that was faithful. Am I right?” I nodded as she chastised me in a tone as though she’d known me forever. And for some reason, from her, I received the message differently than I ever had before.

  I heard her loud and clear.

  I was wrong. I never should have cheated on Eddie, especially not with his best friend or a man like Polo.

  That could be me in her shoes.

  “I tell you, these men are a mess. I have one married guy that calls and bothers me more than the law should allow. I ask him all the time, like dude, where in the hell is your wife? Straight foolishness.”

  “And he knows about your status?”

  She laughed in a crazy way.

  “He thinks that he can have his cake and eat it too. But he’s eating more than cake when he’s in between my legs. He’s eating that positive HIV status too. But it serves him right. He knew before he pursued me that he already had a wife. I didn’t know until afterwards. Honestly. And though she’s innocent, I blame her too. Because he comes to get from me, what his wife just won’t do. One messed up marriage if you ask me. And that was even before I came into the mix.”

  She waited for my response but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say.

  “All I’m saying is, sex, a piece of meat, comes a dime a dozen. You can get some wood from a man when you can’t even get him to buy you a sandwich. Ask him for a burger, and there’s a fifty percent chance that you will get an excuse. But ask him for some dick. Chile he will be there before you can even hang up the phone.”

  I hadn't dated in a while, but I was sure that she knew what she was talking about.

  “Good men are hard to find, Sassi with an “I”. If you are lucky enough to find one, you hold on to them with everything that you got. Do you still love him?”

  I nodded.

  “Are you sorry?”

  I nodded again.

  “Would you do it again?”

  I shook my head no.

  “Then fix it. If there’s still room to fix it, take it from me, fix it. Any man that doesn’t cheat is worth fighting for. If he’s faithful and loyal, you can get through anything else. Didn’t your mother ever teach you anything? Mine sure as hell didn’t. But life did.”

  The nurse called Carmen and she got up. She didn’t say anything else, and she didn’t even bother to glance back at me. She simply followed the nurse and disappeared.

  Though she deserved some kind of prison sentence or something for what she was handing out, I couldn’t help but think that maybe she was some kind of guardian angel of mine or something. She’d just made me see things clearer than I ever had before. She’d said exactly what I needed to hear and now, more than ever, it was important for me to get things back on track with Eddie.

  I just had to figure out how.

  “Where are you?” I answered Mama’s call.

  “At the hospital.”

  “What? What’s wrong? What happened? I’m on my way.”

  “Mama no. I’m fine. I’m just having a really bad, heavy period and I’m here to get it checked out.”

  “Oh,” Mama exhaled.

  Dang. She’d acted like I was a breath away from death or something. Mama said something to someone in the background and then she said something to me.

  “Well, let me know when you leave.”

  �
�Where you at Mama?”

  “I’m at home why?”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  Mama didn’t say anything at first.

  “Why?”

  “I just asked Mama.”

  “Well, you worry about what you got going on there. I’ll call and check on you later,” she said and hung up.

  She was just so rude!

  After hanging up with Mama, I put my phone on silent and just sat there in my thoughts. I thought about Eddie and I thought about the kids. I even thought about Polo.

  Finally after another thirty minutes or so, it was finally time for me to see what was going on with my good stuff.

  “Well Mrs….”

  “It’s Ms. For now anyway. I haven’t updated my insurance cards.”

  “Excuse me. Well, what you are experiencing is a miscarriage. The hcg levels are still very present in your lab results. You were pregnant. The bleeding is a result of you losing the baby. We’re going to take a look just to make sure everything is going through the proper process. By chance do you know about how far along you were?”

  I was pregnant? A miscarriage?

  Well…there is a God! That was nothing but luck right there. I felt terrible for being so happy about the news but that baby wouldn’t have been anything but trouble. If I’d had the baby, all hell would have surely broken loose if it was Polo’s and not Eddie’s. There would have been no way in hell that Eddie would have ever forgiven me for having a baby by his best friend.

  “No. Not exactly.”

  “That’s fine. We will just take a quick look. And then you will be on your way. It’s a process and you will have to see it all the way through to the end. We can give you something for discomfort. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  I’m not.

  I spent the next two hours getting checked out and counting my blessings. I wouldn’t have had a clue as to who the father would have been but I no longer had to worry about it.

  It was all good. And it was my little secret. And I wasn’t telling anyone. Not even big mouthed Micki.

  Walking out of the hospital, I headed for my car but immediately I spotted his car.