by Dynah Zale
“Last week Payce took me to see a drive-in movie in Atlantic City,” Tressie told them.
“I didn’t even know they still had drive-in movies,” Danyelle replied.
“Neither did I, but that’s not what I wanted to tell you. We were watching the movie and I happened to look over into the next car, and I could have sworn I saw Elise making out with some guy in the backseat.”
“Uh!” Danyelle cried. “I need a blunt.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Olivia replied.
“I’m telling you, it was her.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know it was her?”
“What did you want me to do, get out the car, walk over, and knock on the window? It was her. I would know Elise anywhere.”
“Tressie, you know Elise would never cheat on Miles. She loves her husband. I’m not saying you didn’t see what you saw, but I’m saying maybe you were mistaken.”
“I know what I saw.”
“Are you sure you weren’t high? Maybe Payce slipped a little something into your soft drink when you weren’t looking,” Danyelle laughed.
Olivia’s cell phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered. “Yes, Elise, we’re all here at the church waiting on you.” She looked at Tressie. “Oh okay. Is everything all right? Okay, we’ll see you next week.”
Olivia hung up the phone. “That was Elise. She said that something else came up and she won’t be able to make it here tonight. She told us just to say a prayer, and we’ll pick up next week.”
“Something must be really important for her to miss Bible Study. We all know how she feels about being here every Tuesday night,” Tressie added.
Chapter 11
Miles walked into the kitchen with a pile of bills from the mailbox. “Elise!” he bellowed. Miles’s voice echoed against the still silence in the house before he quickly remembered it was Tuesday night. Elise said she was going to the gym tonight. He thumbed through a few bills: electric bill, credit card bill, credit card bill, another credit card bill. “I have got to remind myself to sit down with Elise and get rid of some of these credit cards,” he said out loud. A Victoria’s Secret catalog had also arrived for Elise. Aware that his wife liked to browse the catalog and shop online simultaneously, he thought he would do her a favor and place it in the den next to the computer. As he walked into the den he browsed through the pages. The lovely Tyra Banks modeled a few items that he wouldn’t mind seeing his wife in. Before he laid the catalog down he looked around for a pen. He wanted to mark a few of the things he liked, just in case Elise decided to surprise him one night. He pulled open a drawer to search for a pen and was surprised to see a bill lying inside the drawer.
After Elise and Miles were married, Miles took on the responsibility of paying all the bills, including Elise’s. Anything that needed to be paid, she usually gave straight to him, so it was unusual for him to find a bill Elise had not mentioned.
He examined it closely. It was a hospital bill that detailed the injuries Elise had incurred from the accident she had at the park a few months ago. He reviewed the bill and noticed the admittance date was November second and the discharge date was also November second. She told me she stayed overnight at the hospital for observation. If she didn’t stay at the hospital, where did she stay? He turned the bill over. It was addressed to a Mr. Sheridan Reed.
He took the bill and ran out of the house. Who is Sheridan Reed? He jumped in his car and drove to the address on the envelope. He was unsure of what he was going to do once he arrived, but he couldn’t wait until Elise got home to question her. He needed answers now. Perhaps Sheridan Reed could explain why his wife lied and hid the truth about where she spent the night of November second.
He thought about how Elise’s behavior toward him had changed over the past few weeks. When he touched her, she would pull away. When he made suggestions of things they could do to arouse him, she acted as if she didn’t want to be bothered. He gave her intense foreplay to stimulate her sexually, but after several minutes she would get up and leave him to lie alone in the bed.
Elise’s disinterest left him physically and mentally wounded. He thought that the stress of his impotency was wearing her down.
He pulled up in front of the address and parked his car on the next block. As he walked back toward Sheridan’s house he noticed Elise’s car parked out front. His heart pounded against his chest. Elise had lied to him, again. She was supposed to be at the health club.
He stared at Elise’s car for a moment. He was being irrational. Elise would never intentionally lie to him. There had to be a logical reason why she wasn’t at the club. She could have stopped here to drop off a friend, or maybe she worked with Mr. Reed.
He turned around to get back in his car, but something stopped him. He wanted to put his trust back in his wife, but something was telling him to stay. He walked up to the door and listened for a moment. He tried to hear voices, but he couldn’t hear anything. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but again he stopped himself. He wasn’t ready to face what was on the other side of that door. He stood outside the residence for ten more minutes before he lost his nerve. He couldn’t do it. He was too scared about what he might have to face. He decided to wait in his car until she came out, and then he would find out who Sheridan Reed was.
Inside the apartment Elise sat on Sheridan’s couch. Since her arrival he had been busy preparing something special for her in the bathroom.
She heard the water running in the tub and him moving things around.
“Just wait one more minute!” he yelled from the bathroom.
It was not unusual for Sheridan to plan something special for their rendezvous together. She always looked forward to a candlelit dinner, a dozen roses, or something pretty and pink from Frederick’s of Hollywood. The week before he suggested they go see a drive-in movie together. She was hesitant at first because she feared someone might see them together. Sheridan tried to reassure her that no one would see them, but to ease her mind he took her to a drive-in movie theater in Atlantic City, sixty miles away. It was such a romantic night. He bought popcorn and soft drinks and they even made out in the backseat like high school kids. Elise loved his spontaneous side.
She loved spending time with Sheridan, but the guilt of lying to her husband was beginning to weigh heavily on her conscience. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to keep it up.
She wasn’t just lying to her husband. This affair had also affected different areas of her life and had led her to do things she wouldn’t normally do, like cancel Bible Study. The one constant thing in her life was her Bible Study group, but when Sheridan asked her to skip Bible Study and come straight to his house, she agreed.
“Elise, come here,” Sheridan shouted, breaking her from her thoughts.
She walked into the bathroom and was surprised by the number of lit candles that were positioned around the bathtub.
“I would appreciate the pleasure of your company,” Sheridan said to her. He was sitting in his oversized bathtub that was big enough for two.
Elise quickly undressed and slipped in with him. She squeezed between his legs and lay back on his chest. The warm bath water was filled with bubbles and rose petals. Various colored candles illuminated the room, while Luther Vandross sang in the background.
Sheridan slowly washed her body. They kissed and the magical moment brought them closer together.
Elise moved her leg to get a little bit more comfortable, and she hit it against something hard. She moved her hands underneath the water to search for the foreign object that was in the water with them.
“Be careful, searching around underneath there. You never know what you’ll find,” Sheridan commented.
She finally found what she was looking for and revealed a bottle covered in suds.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Sheridan shrugged his shoulders in response.
“I love you, too,” she whispered in his ear.
After their romantic bath together, they moved to the bedroom. Still dripping wet with water, Sheridan kissed her neck. He continued to please her, but after a while she stopped him.
“I need you,” she told him.
He obeyed and they made love for over an hour.
Afterwards, they lay tangled in his bed sheets. He slowly rubbed her arm.
“That was amazing,” Elise said.
“Yeah, I enjoyed it myself,” he replied.
Sheridan could sense that there was something on her mind, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He hoped she wasn’t thinking about her husband. He wanted their time together to only be about them. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I have something I need to tell you,” she confessed. “I hope you don’t think I do this kind of thing on the regular.”
Sheridan knew from the first time he saw her that she was far too sophisticated to have random affairs with anyone. He also knew that she loved her husband.
“My husband and I have been having problems in our marriage. He’s been experiencing temporary episodes of impotency.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Has he gone to see a doctor?” Sheridan asked.
“Yes, the doctor told us that a man his age usually experiences impotency for psychological reasons as opposed to physical. There could be a number of reasons why this is happening to him. We didn’t start having these problems until we planned to start a family. He’s been seeing a therapist, but so far there has been no change.”
Sheridan knew there was a reason why every time they were together she would devour him sexually. Her husband hadn’t been able to satisfy her for months. Sheridan felt sorry for her husband, but happy for himself. He knew it must have been upsetting for her husband to have such a beautiful woman at home and not be able to make love to her.
“How are you handling this situation?” he asked.
“I’m not the one with the problem,” she replied.
“I realize that, but having your husband shut down on you like that has to have some psychological effect on you.”
“When he first began having problems, I felt like it was my fault. I thought maybe he had lost interest in me. If I touched him he would get hard, but just before we were ready to make love, he would go limp. Of course he apologized and insisted that it wasn’t my fault, but I didn’t believe him. I thought I wasn’t being sexy enough, or adventurous enough. For months I wasn’t sure if he still loved me. I even thought he might have turned gay. I just didn’t know. It was hard for me to get through that time until he went to go see a doctor, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t me.”
“I’m glad you told me,” Sheridan said, and hugged her a little tighter.
As Miles walked down the stairs that led from Sheridan’s front door he heard a door open. He quickly hid beneath the stairs and immediately recognized Elise’s voice.
“I love you,” Elise said.
“I love you, too,” Sheridan responded.
Miles could hear them kiss. They walked down the stairs together. Sheridan held Elise as if he didn’t want to see her go. Miles watched as a stranger lovingly embraced his wife.
“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Sheridan said to her.
“I’ll see you in two weeks,” she replied as she gazed into his eyes.
Miles watched the love scene unfold before his eyes. He could see the look of love in his wife’s eyes. It tore his heart apart to witness the truth. He didn’t want to believe that Elise could betray him. He knew that the love they had for one another was real. How could she throw away what they had?
He took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the stairs. “Elise,” he called out.
Elise turned around, shocked to see Miles standing before her. She was terrified, speechless, and her heart beat rapidly. She was scared of what Miles would do. She knew he wasn’t a violent man, but she didn’t know what he was capable of when finding his wife in the arms of another man. Apologetic tears formed in her eyes.
Miles stared at her. He hadn’t planned on confronting her, but a minute ago it seemed like the right thing to do. Now that he stood in front of them he didn’t know what to say. “I knew there was something going on, but I thought it was my imagination.” Miles spoke in a solemn tone. “I’m not mad. I couldn’t expect you to wait for me forever.”
“Miles, this is not what you think,” Elise told him. Natural instinct told her to deny everything.
“Elise, don’t lie to me any longer.” The pitch of his voice rose and got deeper. It made him mad to hear her lie to him again. “Elise, I heard you say you loved this man. Is it true? Do you love him?”
She didn’t want to hurt him by confessing her feelings for Sheridan.
“Elise, do you love this man?” Miles yelled.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Those words hit his heart like a ton of bricks. He grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. He knew he had to calm himself down before he lashed out at her. Hurting her would make him feel even worse.
“Elise, I don’t blame you,” he said. “This isn’t your fault. I understand why you went looking for satisfaction elsewhere. I can’t blame you when I’m the one who failed. It was my responsibility to take care of you.”
Elise held her head down in shame. Tears rolled down her face. Sheridan watched in disbelief.
“You didn’t fail me,” Elise responded. She stepped toward him. “Miles, can we go home and talk about this in private?”
“No, I can’t do that. I can’t leave here with you thinking that once we get home everything will be okay when I know you’re in love with another man. Us going home together is not going to change what has happened here tonight.”
A teardrop escaped Miles’ eyes and rolled down his cheek.
“Elise, you have to believe that I tried. I wanted so badly to give you the baby you wanted, but for some reason God said I was not the one. Perhaps I’m not the one destined to give you a baby. Maybe it was meant for Sheridan to . . .” He looked in Sheridan’s direction. “. . . make your dream a reality.”
“Miles,” Elise whimpered.
“I’m not going to stand in the way of your happiness. That’s why I’m walking away.”
“Miles, don’t say that. Think about what you’re saying before you make irrational decisions.”
“I know what I’m saying. I’m saying good-bye.”
Elise could not believe what she was hearing. Miles was stepping aside so she could fulfill her dream of having a baby with another man.
“Miles, don’t do this. We can fix this,” she begged and reached out for him, but he pulled away.
“I love you, Elise. I would give you anything. Even your freedom.”
Miles’s eyes held a look of determination. Elise knew there was nothing more she could say to change his mind.
Miles held out his hand to Sheridan. Sheridan looked at Miles’s shaking hand. He couldn’t believe that Miles was giving his wife away to another man. He was skeptical of Miles’s true intentions. Scared that at any moment Miles would pull a gun out and kill them all, Sheridan reluctantly shook his hand.
“Make sure she’s happy,” Miles said to Sheridan, and he turned to leave.
APRIL 2004
Tressie was surprised to see a limousine pull up in front of her house. The chauffeur got out and walked to the front door.
“Hello, I’m here to pick up a Ms. Montrese Cox,” the chauffer informed Tressie’s father.
“Tressie!” Mr. Cox yelled out.
She hurried from her bedroom and into the living room.
“Mr. Boyd has arranged for me to drive you to your date tonight,” the driver ann
ounced.
She knew tonight was going to be special when Payce asked her to wear something sophisticated and classy. She spent her entire savings on a black strapless dress by Nicole Miller. She wore a pair of diamond stud earrings her parents had given her for her sixteenth birthday, and she borrowed a single diamond pendant necklace from her mother.
Her parents waved good-bye as the limo pulled away from the curb. On the ride there she wondered what Payce had planned for the night. Payce’s choice of mystery impressed her. She knew he went to a lot of trouble to arrange tonight, and that meant a lot to her.
The limo pulled into Penn’s Landing. The chauffeur ran around to her side and opened her door.
Payce was waiting curbside for her. “You look beautiful,” he declared.
“You look rather nice yourself,” she replied.
Payce wore a pair of black dress slacks with a white dress shirt. His gold cufflinks were engraved with his initials.
Payce held out his arm and escorted her to the Spirit of Philadelphia, a dinner boat known for its delicious cuisine and breathtaking view of the Philly skyline from the Delaware River.
They walked onto the boat and Payce gave his name to the hostess. She escorted them to their seats. “The ship will be sailing in a moment. Once we’re on the water a waiter will be over to take your order,” she informed them.
“Payce,” Tressie whispered once the hostess walked away. “Are you selling drugs again?”
“Why would you ask me that?” he asked with a confused look on his face.
“You have been spending a lot of money lately. You don’t make that much money parking cars at the Westin. Every time I see you, you have on a new pair of sneakers. You traded in that old Chevy for a new Lexus, and now we’re having dinner at one of the most expensive and exclusive restaurants in Philadelphia. What’s up?”
Payce realized that his lifestyle had improved dramatically since he had started working at The Dollhouse. He knew Tressie was eventually going to wonder where he was getting the money, and he had an answer already prepared for her. “I’m not selling drugs. Before I got locked up I put some money away. I didn’t want to come home from jail broke. Since I started working I thought it wouldn’t hurt to spend and enjoy a little of my savings.”