“How about a bowl of ice cream—two scoops?”
“Two scoops of French vanilla coming up.”
“May I ask a favor?”
“Ask away.”
“Please keep the outfit on. I’m struggling, but it don’t hurt to look.”
“You know the Lord said, ‘Thou shall not tempt.’”
“So what have you been doing for the past half hour? That’s why I’m eating ice cream.”
“Kiss this and this and this and this and this and this and thattttttt,” Sylvia sang.
“What?”
“Jill Scott.”
“Oh. Now come here, baby, so I can kiss them sweet, sweet lips of yours.”
“Eat your ice cream.”
Guilty
Rachel lay awake, the soft down of the comforter not offering much in the way of comfort at one in the morning. Her eyes stared at the ceiling, oblivious to the dancers who gyrated on the flat-screen television that hung on the wall in front of her.
Visions of Marvin and Denise together were frozen in Rachel’s mind, and Marvin’s harsh words vibrated in her ears.How could he tell her he loved her in one breath and say that he was going to be there for Denise in the other?
Rachel fumed and would not allow sleep to take over. Yes, Marvin had called her cell phone more than a dozen times, but he couldn’t leave Denise alone for a moment to come out on the porch to see about her well-being. Well, the hell with the both of them.
Rachel turned off the television and darkness engulfed the room. Her eyelids became heavy and sleep found its way.
She was dreaming. There was a shadow…a woman who was of medium height and build. She was walking down a long, dark corridor, groping the walls like a blind person not sure of her way. A mist rose and clouded Rachel’s vision, the woman temporarily disappearing from view. Then she reappeared, running, stumbling, crying, calling out for someone to help.
Rachel jerked awake. Her body was covered in sweat. She wiped her face with her arms, shivering, and then saw the face of the woman in the dark hall staring at her. It was Denise, calling out for Rachel to help her.
Kicking off the covers, Rachel ran to the bathroom and drenched her face in water. She dried off with a towel and slowly went back into her bedroom. She walked around the bed wringing her hands.This must have been how Sylvia felt when she had dreams of Adonis walking out of her life, she thought.
The telephone lay in sight, and before she could talk herself out of it, she dialed the first three digits of Marvin’s phone number and hung up. She dialed again but chickened out once more.
Rachel moved to the side of the bed and sat down. She’d been rude to Denise, but she wasn’t putting anything past her no matter how “sick” she was. She picked up the phone again and dialed.
“Hey, Sylvia.”
“Rachel, do you know what time it is? You and I both have to go to work in the morning.”
“Sylvia, I dreamed about Denise, and she was calling out to me…asking me to help her.”
“It must be guilt. Now I’ve got to get some rest.”
“So he’s there.”
“He, who?”
“Kenny, that’s who. You made me say his name. I know that’s why you’re trying to rush me off of this phone.”
“You crazy, girl. It’s two in the morning and normal people who have jobs to go to are trying to get their beauty rest so they can deal with the crazy folks at the workplace.”
“What a lame excuse, Sylvia.”
“Rachel, Kenny is not here. Why don’t you disturb Marvin?”
“It’s a long story.”
“So, what happened?”
Rachael gave Sylvia the lowdown on what transpired at Marvin’s house and how she’d left Marvin with an ultimatum.
“I guess your dream means you regret how you treated your man’s ex-wife,” Sylvia said.
“What should I do?”
“It sounds simple to me. You need to get some rest, then make amends with Marvin. I can’t believe you played right into Denise’s hands. You need some backbone, girl. Marvin says he loves you. Why don’t you believe him? It should be enough for now. I’m only saying this, sweetie, because he is truly a good man.”
“You’re right. I just don’t know how I’m going to do it…since I acted so ugly. Even Denise had the nerve to give me a piece of advice.”
“And it was…”
“Something about losing Marvin if I keep a stranglehold on him.”
“Heed her warning. Now get some sleep. Make sure making amends with Marvin is one of your top priorities today.”
“Thanks, Sylvia. I love you.”
“I love you too, Rachel. Good night.”
Rachel hung up and closed her eyes—some of her fire now distinguished. She needed Marvin…all of him, without any distractions. Somehow she would find a way to get rid of the thorn in her side.
Relationships were difficult, in fact they were a whole lot of work. Marriage was a full-time job, 24/7, 365 days a year. Who was she fooling? Sylvia thought as she lay in the darkness of her room.
Kenny was a fresh relief, but Sylvia’s thoughts wandered. What if she let this man into her life full time? Would she regret it?
Tonight had erased many of her doubts and fears. She found a man who cared about what she wanted and what she thought. Here was a man who was willing to hold his own lust and desire for her in check…barely. Sylvia laughed out loud as she recalled Kenny trying to hide the great big bulge in his pants.
It scared Sylvia, though, because the Kenny she really knew would have had all the goods, would have asked questions later and would probably be on his way to his next conquest. She shuddered at the thought.
Sylvia had wanted him to stay, but he thought it too tempting. She knew he wanted her. Yes, he wanted her bad. However, her empty bed made her smile. Sylvia was in love, and she was willing to make this relationship work.
Ashley Jordan-Lewis
The air was brisk but gentle. An overcast sky blocked the sun, but it was perfect for a morning run. Ashley slowed down to a trot as she rounded the bend headed toward home. She patted her stomach, assuring the baby growing inside of her that her jog was done for the day.
As Ashley neared her house, William stood in the driveway with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were glued on Ashley as she walked in his direction with no hint of his real thoughts shining through.
“I just lost a baby a few weeks ago,” William reminded Ashley as she passed to the side of him.
Ashley glared at William, disbelief written on her face. How dare he throw up the dead bastard embryo in her face. So that was what this was all about—his coming back home. William wanted the son or daughter his mistress failed to give him.
Ashley continued toward the house.
“You’re going to walk past without a word?”
“I didn’t think your statement required a response, William. You made yourself clear. But so that you know, it is safe for me to continue jogging for at least another month.”
“It doesn’t matter who says it’s okay—I say it isn’t. Today we have a matter we need to handle.”
Ashley stopped in her tracks, squinting her eyes against the sun, and swiveled her body around so she could get a good look at William.
“What matter?”
“Get ready. We’re going to the courthouse to apply for a marriage license.”
Ashley froze.
“William, I’m not going to marry you.”
“Our child will have a mother and a father.”
“It will, but not at the same residence. It’s time for you to leave.”
“Ashley, you let me come home, and I have no plans of leaving. Those people in that support group have got your mind twisted. Didn’t think I knew you went to your little meeting yesterday, did you? If you didn’t want me to know, you shouldn’t have written it in your calendar.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “William, I’m not going to remarry you. If I need to
move out of the house, I will.”
“Don’t make a grave mistake by walking out of here.”
“And just what does that mean? Certainly you’re not going to try and harm me in any way. You’ll put your child in danger.”
Fire rising in his eyes, he raised his hand and pointed his finger as if he were going to reprimand her, but Ashley had already disappeared into the house.
“You will be Mrs. William Lewis a second time,” William said to the wind.
Isn’t This What a Support Group is For?
“BellSouth. Rachel Washington speaking.”
“Hey, sweetie. This is Sylvia.”
“You’re feeling bad because you treated me kinda shabby last night.”
“Correction—early this morning. I was in a deep sleep with no crazy dreams interrupting me until you called.”
“Say what you want, but I’m sure your boy toy was lying next to you.”
“Wished he were, but happy he wasn’t.”
“What kind of sense does that make?”
“It’s a long story, Rachel. Besides, I called to see how you’re doing. Have you spoken with Marvin?”
“Not yet. Actually, I’m too ashamed. He called me at least a half-dozen times, and I wouldn’t answer his call.”
“You’re going to lose a good man. I know how this Denise thing looks, but you have to trust your instincts. Denise had the man; you’ve got him now. You’ve got to keep that barracuda in the water.”
“Now look who’s being insensitive?”
“I’m sorry that Denise has cancer, and…”
“What, Sylvia? Tell me…”
“A thought just came to me. We should all rally around Denise like we did with Claudette. Rachel, Denise is scared. That’s what this is all about. While I may be a tad bit cynical in my thinking, if we rally around her, she’ll find the support she’s looking for and need. It will take some of the pressure off of Marvin.”
“You are so smart, Sylvia. I’ll get my Marvin back and Denise will have the support of the group.”
“Don’t go skinning and grinning, yet. We have to be sincere about this. I’m going to call the rest of the group…ohh…”
“What?”
Sylvia caught a glimpse of Ashley standing in the doorway to her office and waved for her to come in.
“It’s Ashley, Rachel.”
“Is she all right?”
“Ashley, Rachel wants to know if you’re okay?”
Ashley took a seat in the chair next to Sylvia’s desk. Her face was pale, and she looked visibly shaken. Sylvia put the phone on speaker.
“She’s not all right, Rachel. What’s wrong, Ash? Is it William?”
“What did he do to you?” Rachel piped in.
“He made me go down to the courthouse today. We applied for a marriage license.”
“What?” Sylvia and Rachel exclaimed in unison.
“Is this what you want?” Sylvia continued. “You said at the meeting you weren’t going to marry him. Why don’t you just kick him out of the house?”
“William is adamant about us getting remarried. It will have to happen over my dead body. I’m not going to marry him. I feel so stupid because I let him back in my house. I thought William really wanted me. When I saw him at the door that day, I couldn’t resist letting him come in. Sure I said all those things at that first meeting about it being just me and my baby, but William came back, and I wanted my husband. But now, I don’t know who this person is William has become. He is so possessive, but I’m telling you, it’s all about having this baby. He doesn’t care about me.”
“You know you can come and stay with me, Ash.”
“Thanks, Sylvia. I’m not sure what to do. I could go and stay with my parents, but they hate William with every fiber of their being, and I don’t want to hear them talk about it day and night.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Rachel asked.
“Yes, go get your man,” Ashley said with a smile.
There was a brief moment of laughter.
“I better get back to work,” Rachel said. “I’ll give you the update at six on the continuing saga of the life and times of Marvin and Rachel…a little something from the drawers of the Ex-Files.”
The ladies laughed again, and Rachel hung up.
“What am I going to do, Sylvia?” Ashley asked.
“Do you believe in prayer?” Sylvia replied.
“Well, yes. I guess I’ve never really prayed for anything special. I’ve always had what I wanted.”
Sylvia looked at Ashley with hard eyes.
“What did I say, Sylvia?”
“Nothing,” Sylvia replied, realizing she was doing the other woman a disservice by not telling her what she really felt. So what if Ashley had it good all her little life? When things weren’t going Ashley’s way, who did she come running to?
“You gave me a look.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just know that you’re not going to marry William if you don’t want to. You have a place to stay, and we’ve got to go to the Lord in prayer for the rest. Give me your hand, Ashley. Close your eyes, and let’s pray.”
Rachel swiveled around in her seat. She hadn’t given BellSouth a good hour of productive work this morning. Chatter coming from other cubicles hadn’t calmed her nerves.
She looked at the time posted on the bottom of her computer screen. It was eleven o’clock. Rachel put the end of her pen in her mouth and gnawed on it. She finally got up enough courage to lift the phone from its cradle. She dialed.
“Good morning, Thomas Technical Technology Solutions.”
“Yes. May I speak with Mr. Marvin Thomas, please?”
“I’m sorry. Mr. Thomas is in a meeting right now. Would you like to leave a message?”
“No, I’ll call again later. Thank you.”
Rachel set the phone in the cradle. She continued to turn her chair from side to side.Was Marvin in a meeting? She called his direct number, but apparently he had it forwarded to his secretary’s line. She had to trust him. For the next three hours, she placed four calls to Marvin, but the meeting he was in was lasting a lot longer than she thought a meeting should.
Life Ain’t Fair
Steam engulfed the bathroom, clouding the mirrors completely. Denise cleared a space on the mirror—a small circle large enough to see her face. She stared at the image that stared back, its face swollen, its hair patchy.
Denise moved in closer for further examination, picking at a blackhead like it was a new discovery. She wiped the mirror again, exposing breasts that seemed to have lost some of their perkiness.
Taking her left breast in her hand, Denise examined it gently, afraid to discover what she already knew she would find. She pulled her hand back as she hit a tender spot. With the other hand, Denise glided over her right breast to make sure there was nothing different since she had examined them last night.
The image in the mirror went from soft to defiant. It also looked strong and sure. It was ready to do battle against all of her enemies, even the one called cancer.
The phone interrupted Denise’s thoughts. She slipped into a terry-cloth robe and quickly answered the phone.
“Good morning, Denise. How are you feeling today?”
“Marvin,” Denise said in a low, sexy voice. “I feel pretty good, especially knowing that you’ll be by my side when I go for treatment today.”
“I said I would. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
The hospital walls were as drab as Denise felt. Though she dreaded the thought of another chemo treatment that would leave her feeling like dung, today, she rejoiced inside because Marvin was there to give her all the support she needed. She hadn’t even told her family that she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer.
Even Harold, her lover and Marvin’s cousin, passed through her thoughts. Would his family take Danica if…if she didn’t make it? Marvin was the one who wanted a baby, but she was the foolish wife who’d had unprotected sex
with her lover and produced a baby neither wanted. It never occurred to Denise that she might have to pay the price for her sins. “The Big C” was a death sentence that she never saw coming.
Although Denise was glad Marvin was at her side, he hardly said a word. He was pleasant on the ride over, but it was quite obvious something was on his mind. Denise was sure that her burden had now become his burden and he was overwhelmed with just the thought of it. If Rachel were the reason for Marvin’s silence, though, the next few hours would erase her from his thoughts.
The nurses greeted Denise like they were old friends. Marvin stood back until Denise introduced him, though a little awkward. He produced a slight smile, but it quickly faded once one of the nurses ushered Denise toward the room where her chemo would take place.
Marvin sat down in the waiting room with two other pale-faced men who had probably shouldered their burden much longer than he. He tried to read their faces, but their expressions never changed.
A slight vibration caused Marvin to grab at his side. He pulled his cell phone from its holder and glanced at the number. This was the fourth call from Rachel, with just as many coming to the office.Now she wanted to talk, even though he had left more than twenty messages the night before, hoping to explain what had gone down with him. Well, Miss Rachel would have to sit on the back burner today, he thought, and he put the cell back in its holder and rested his head in his hands.
“Mr. Thomas.” The voice seemed to boom, jerking Marvin from his wandering thoughts. He looked around to make sure that he was the Mr. Thomas that was being summoned.
“Mr. Thomas,” the nurse said again, looking directly at Marvin.
Marvin stood up and went to the counter.
“Mrs. Thomas is having second thoughts about her chemo treatment and the doctor is on his way to discuss it.”
Marvin cringed slightly at the reference to “Mrs. Thomas.”
“What do you mean, ‘second thoughts’? We’re here to try and save her life.”
“Calm down, sir. Follow me and you can discuss this with your wife and the doctor when you get to the room.”
Ex-Terminator Life After Marriage Page 21