by BWWM Club
Unfortunately her thinking about Carl and the failure of his school had resulted in Simone watching the basketball half-heartedly and then barely listening to Nick as he chattered away about his day and about the game. While it wasn't fair on her youngest to be ignored, Simone couldn't stop worrying.
She hoped Carl would see sense.
"Mom, you don't do anything all day!" Nick teased. "You just sit at home with your feet up getting pedicures."
"Nick, I've never had a pedicure in my life. You know from the amount of times you've crept under the duvet in the mornings that I have ticklish feet. No one's allowed near them." Simone raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I've been lazy at home?"
"Julian Penrie-Jones says that's what you do because you're so rich. You don't have to go to work because Dad made all that money before I was born."
Simone rolled her eyes. She had a feeling she knew where Julian had got that from. His mother, Hortense, was a middle-class woman with a high-paying job. She had a husband who had a similar pay check and they worked all the time, Julian ending up with his grandmother or with a babysitter before and after school. She was jealous that Simone didn't go out to work and believed she was a slob who flaunted her wealth.
The opposite was true. Simone preferred to go out and work, be it paid or unpaid. She liked to be kept busy and sitting around reading magazines with her feet up didn't constitute as work. Hortense was the one who wanted to stay at home and have the pedicures.
Simone sympathized with Julian, who barely got to see his parents.
She turned into the parking lot and slid into a spot directly outside the pizza outlet. She turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt.
"If you must know, I have been very busy. And I wasn't shopping, before you say anything."
"I know." Nick unstrapped himself and opened his door. "You and shopping don't go together."
Simone laughed.
"I'm glad you remember that part."
"You're worse than us when it comes to shopping. Unless it's specific, you refuse to go out for retail therapy."
That was true enough. Simone didn't like going out to the shops unless it was for a certain reason, such as buying clothes because the kids had grown out of them or things for school. Going around with friends buying something that took their interest and to socialize didn't work with her. She would have the coffee and cake and have a chat but she often left meeting her friends empty-handed. Most of the time it was books, her love in life other than Toby and the children. Whatever she couldn't get on her e-reader, she got in hard copy.
Her friends called her mad for spending her wealth on books and not on clothes or perfume but Simone didn't care.
Locking up the car, Simone stepped onto the sidewalk, Nick hopping up behind her and following her to the door.
"Can I have hot sauce on my pizza?" He asked.
"Hmm." Simone raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't know. Remember what happened last time? That pizza would have wasted if Carl hadn't eaten it."
"I can eat it, Mom!" Nick protested, hanging off her arm. "I swear!"
"That's what you said last time." Hand on the door handle, Simone sighed. "Okay, we'll ask if they can do it on half the pizza and then you don't end up wasting a pizza."
"And ice cream?"
Simone couldn't stop the smile. Nick was still the baby and often got away with a lot of things.
"Seeing as you won."
Nick whooped and followed his mother inside. A pretty Asian woman in her twenties wearing a hijab stood behind the counter. She was smiling and friendly as Simone gave her usual order, both women chatting as the order was placed and they waited for it. Simone was in there often enough that the people there knew them by name.
Nick sat on the chair, wearing his basketball kit and swinging his legs in the air as Simone leaned on the counter and talked to Ayeesha. Ayeesha was a student nurse who worked in the pizza place for some extra money and Simone often asked about her degree and her placement at the local hospital. Most people would say something in passing to the cashiers but Simone always took the time to talk. It caused her children much embarrassment but she did it without guilt.
"Hey, Simone."
Simone stiffened. She recognized that voice and had hoped not to hear it again. She turned and saw the tall dark-haired man standing behind her, giving her a smirk. His arm was looped around a woman in her early twenties, her dirty-blonde hair streaked with purple and pink stripes. She was shorter than Simone and slim but with big breasts barely kept in by the camisole she wore, her shapely legs encased in black leather trousers, finished off with boots with a very high heel.
Simone straightened up.
"Mike." She nodded at the girl. "Candace."
She had hoped not to see Mike again. After Toby had urged her to go, she had grudgingly gone to Mike's barbecue at the weekend. The food was delicious and Mike did actually have a nice load of friends. Not all of his friends disapproved of Toby's marriage to Simone and accepted her better than his family. The only issue was Mike and his recent girlfriend were nasty, especially towards Carl, who had been talking to a classmate. Simone had told Toby she was never going back there and if she saw Mike again he could drop dead.
Unfortunately he didn't seem to be going anywhere right now.
"How's Toby?" Mike seemed to know he was making his sister-in-law uncomfortable and was enjoying it. "He looked a bit agitated when he left me earlier."
"He's fine."
Simone wanted to turn away and pointedly let them know the conversation was over but her manners told her not to be so rude. What she really wanted to do was punch the smug look off his face. But not with Nick there. She wouldn't subject him to that sort of violence.
"It's strange. Every time we have a meal together he gets agitated." Mike shrugged. "Can't be anything I've said."
"Maybe you should have someone filter you out and see what happens." Simone quipped.
Behind her she heard a small sound that sounded strangely like a giggle. Ayeesha was still at the cash register and was overhearing the conversation. While Simone didn't want anyone to see Mike's disgusting attitude towards her and Nick, at least she had witnesses if something happened. Mike had tried to pull that before but people had been around and proved him to be a liar.
"At least Mike's not afraid to say what everyone else thinks about you two." Candace sneered, her jaw moving around the chunk of gum in her mouth.
Simone sighed. Candace was just like Mike but she was not as subtle. In the nine months they had been together, both of them had fooled around and they had a volatile relationship. But Candace gave as good as she got and Mike had his work cut out. They were still together because Candace didn't know better. She was just as horrible as her much older boyfriend.
So she knew exactly what Candace was going to launch into. Racist taunts to antagonize her. Simone's patience wore thin each time that happened and it was close to snapping. Candace knew it and made the most of it.
"Look, Candace, I'm not interested in listening to your disgusting comments."
"You call the truth disgusting?"
"I call your truth both disgusting and delusional." Simone took a step back so she wouldn't be tempted to swing and half-turned towards Ayeesha. "I'm simply here to get pizzas for a family night in. I don't want a fight and you can't force me into a fight by goading me."
"We haven't said anything yet." Mike said smoothly.
Simone knew it would only take a moment. They wouldn't be stupid enough to try a physical altercation in front of Ayeesha - Mike wouldn't but Candace could go either way - but Simone knew the verbal would be worse.
It was astonishing that in the twenty-first century racism was still going strong in the United States. Charleston was having a hard time catching up with everyone else.
"Uncle Mike?" Nick had stood up. He was looking at Mike calmly enough but his hands were clenched at his sides. "Why are you so mean to Mom?"
"B
ecause your mother shouldn't be married to a rich white man." Candace said nastily, cutting a glare at the boy.
"At least that's one less man you can get your claws into."
Simone bit back a smile at the smooth retort. Candace bared her teeth at Nick and slowly advanced on him.
"Would you like some claws in you, little half-caste runt?" She asked, flexing her fingers.
Simone knew if she didn't stop her now there was going to be a fight. Stepping between her son and her brother-in-law's girlfriend, she shoved Candace in the chest and forced her back against Mike.
"Get your girl out of here right now, Mike." She snapped, "Or I'm calling the police right now."
Candace snarled and tried to go after her but Mike held her close. Simone knew that he could see she would do it. Saying things to her was one thing but going after her children was crossing the line. Bastard that he was, Mike knew what Simone's thoughts were when it came to going after her children. She certainly meant it and never said she would call the police as an idle threat. He tugged Candace towards the door.
"Let's go, honey. We'll order something else. We'll leave the gold-digger to it."
Simone was shaking as they left, the door banging behind them. Then she sagged into a chair and pulled Nick in for a hug. It was a while before she stopped shaking.
*****
"I can't believe it." Emil said.
Toby slumped in his office chair and rubbed his hands over his face.
"I can't believe it, either, but it was there in her phone."
"I'm not doubting what was there, Toby." Emil leaned his hip on the edge of the desk, folding his arms as his frown deepened. "But Simone doing the dirty on you? She's not the person who would cheat."
Toby knew that as well. Simone was the most loyal person he had ever met. So when he had seen Simone's cell phone, which she had left on the kitchen island, he hadn't thought anything about picking it up and checking the text message when her phone buzzed. They always did it. Simone would check his messages and answer his phone if it was near her and vice versa. They had been married long enough to trust each other with their callers and contacts. Simone never hid anything from him.
So when he had seen a text message from a number he didn't recognize, the caller saying it was Brett and he had everything in the works and he hoped she liked it because it was going to be the best ever. Toby didn't know who Brett was, what they were talking about, and what was going to be the best ever.
Then everything that Mike had said earlier swirled around his head about black women cheating. Toby didn't believe it before and had dismissed it immediately in the past. But things today seemed to be taking hold and refusing to let go.
He rubbed his hands over his face.
"Simone always tells me who's texting her and who she's in contact with. We answer each other's phones and text messages."
"Why do you answer each other's texts?"
"Why bother passing the phone to the other person when you can type it as it gets dictated? Much less energy and we've done it for years. But she's never said anything about a guy called Brett."
"Perhaps it's a new contact."
"She would've said something, Emil."
Emil rubbed his eyes.
"Listen, Toby, what do you think? Do you believe Simone would never cheat or do you believe she has been sleeping around?"
"I don't know." Toby felt a headache coming on. He was going to end up with a migraine if he wasn't careful. "I'm not sure what to believe right now." He gnawed at his bottom lip. "I'm worried that my family's opinion on black people, black women in particular, is rubbing off on me. Maybe I've been keeping Mike in my life too long. he's slowly poisoning me against my own wife."
"Sounds about right." Emil said grimly. "He can't resist dropping a hint or two whenever you see him. You should've cut contact with him years ago."
"Don't tell me I'm stupid because I already know that. I'm a glutton for self-punishment." Toby sat forward, twirling his wedding ring round his finger. "But it was put in my mind that Simone is not cheating me."
"Then ask her. She's always honest with you."
"I can't."
Suspecting it was one thing but discussing infidelity with his wife sounded terrifying to Toby. He couldn't confront her about it. Somehow bringing it up was difficult.
"Okay." Emil sighed. "How about I talk to Simone? She might confess to me what's going on."
"No, don't." Toby was grateful for the offer but he still turned it down. "Simone's smart enough to know that I've looked at her phone if you start talking to her and 'drop hints'." He made quotation marks with his fingers.
"You don't think I can get the truth out of her?"
"You're not exactly subtle, are you?"
When it came to keeping secrets Emil was the worst. Asking him to 'drop a hint' was the equivalent of bulldozing it into the conversation.
"Fine, I'll shut up for now." Emil glanced at his watch and stood up. "I'd better get going. I've got a date tonight and I need to change."
"A date?" Toby raised his eyebrows. "Who's going to be without a wife this evening?"
"She's actually single." Emil smirked. "It's the barmaid at the club, Emma."
Toby knew Emma. She was a sweet woman who had recently come out of a bad relationship. Dating Emil might not be the best idea in the world but Toby wasn't going to act like a father-figure to the woman. It was obvious to everyone she liked Emil so it probably would have gone over her head anyway.
Toby smirked.
"Now I know where you were today. I lost you for an hour. You do know you're supposed to have the date before the sex?"
Emil winked.
"I like to be interesting." He picked up his jacket and slung it over his arm. Then he clapped his hand on Toby's shoulder. "Call me if you need someone to talk to. You know I'll always pick up the phone."
"I know." Toby could always rely on Emil to be his right-hand man, the person who had an open ear for him regardless of the situation. "Thanks, Emil."
"And remember this: Simone's a good girl. She adores you and that's not going to change."
Toby could remember that. But remembering it and feeling it were different. He could remember Simone was a loving wife but feeling as though she was would be harder than Toby thought.
Emil had never experienced a broken heart and Toby was sure he was heading for one.
A door slammed in the distance and he heard voices. Emil's and Simone's. He also heard Nick's whooping and shouting as he banged through the house. Evidently his basketball game had been a winner and Nick was on a high. Then Toby heard the front door open and shut again. The smell of pizza wafted into his office and Toby's stomach growled.
Normally family night was his favorite night. Pizza and his family watching the TV or spending time together. It was what he had missed as a child with his parents and what he wanted to have with his kids.
Now he suddenly wasn't hungry. His pizza would end up going cold. But Toby knew if he didn't act normal then Simone would suspect that something was wrong. It wasn't something he wanted to bring up in front of the children.
The door opened and Craig stuck his head round.
"You coming, Dad? Mom and Nick are back."
Toby sighed and stood, forcing himself to move.
"I'm coming."
*****
Carl didn't join the family. Craig had to come and knock on his door to tell him the pizza had arrived. But Carl didn't want to venture out and eat with them. Nick would be asking questions about his bandages without filtering his thoughts and his parents would be acting as if nothing had happened but Carl couldn't handle the concerned looks. Craig wouldn't ask right then but he would come into his room later and demands answers.
It was far less hassle to stay in his room.
Craig seemed to sense that Carl wanted to be alone because he brought his brother's pizza with him and left it outside the door when Carl didn't answer. When the smell of cheese
and pepperoni became too much, he had opened the door and nearly stepped on the box, his regular chocolate milkshake beside it. Carl had taken them inside and devoured both. He hadn't realized that he was hungry.
Now he sat on his bed, his laptop on his lap as he scrolled through videos and games he had downloaded. The volume was turned right down so it didn't make the pain in his head any worse but the light from the screen was making Carl's eyes hurt. But he needed something to do otherwise he would go mad.
No way was he going to face his parents. He knew what was going to happen: Toby was going to be in the background looking unhappy and Simone was going to be demanding that he went to the police station right that moment and file a charge against Jason. Carl didn't want to do that; not only were there no witnesses so it was his word against Jason's, he didn't trust the cops to be racially unbiased. With the things he had seen over the years and the news reports, Carl had a feeling his parents' wealth wasn't going to do him any favors.
Carl was startled out of his thoughts when his cell phone, which was on the bedside cabinet, starting ringing. He groaned, hoping it wasn't Charlotte. She had tried calling several times but Carl didn't pick up. He didn't need to have her crying down the phone and saying they needed to pay Jason back. That wasn't going to end well. Carl knew Jason's friends and they were a nasty lot; up against them he would have no chance.
Charlotte had gone onto Facebook and tried chatting to him through there but Carl then clicked off the page and got rid of it. She would eventually understand that he wanted time to himself. He would talk to her in the morning but not now.
His cell phone rang again. Carl glanced at it but saw the number wasn't Charlotte's. It didn't even have an ID. He swallowed. In the back of his mind he thought it was Jason ringing to taunt him. It would be something he would do. Carl didn't want to answer but he found himself reaching for his phone and picking it up, swiping his finger across the screen and putting it on loudspeaker.
"Yeah?"
"Do you always answer the phone like that?"
The soft female voice with a slight laughing lilt to it had Carl relaxing immediately.