Becoming Mrs. Right

by Sherri L. Lewis

  So Cassandra had really stepped in and become Brianna’s “godmommy” and probably soon-to-be stepmommy and had pushed Shauntae out in the cold.

  Shauntae reminded herself that it didn’t matter. Now she had Gary and this new baby.

  Shauntae’s cell phone rang again. This time she answered it. “Hey, baby. I’m feeling better. I’m about to come out in a few minutes.”

  “Which bathroom are you in? I’ve been to every bathroom in the lobby.”

  “The one at the bottom of the balcony stairs.”

  “I sent someone in there looking for you. You didn’t hear someone ask for Shauntae Jackson?”

  “No,” Shauntae said as innocently as she could. It didn’t matter that she was lying in God’s house. She didn’t care nothing about Him no way.

  This was her last Sunday coming to church. She’d have to figure out a way to convince Gary she couldn’t come here ever again. No way she was gonna chance running into Devon, Cassandra, and Brianna.

  Ten

  After the whole church fiasco on Sunday, the last thing Shauntae felt like doing was meeting Gary’s ex-wife and his daughters. But he had invited them to come over Friday evening, so she didn’t have a choice.

  Shauntae changed clothes at least four times before they got there. Sherice and Candy had argued for an hour trying to decide which outfit she should wear. And Shauntae wasn’t sure how to fix her hair. Or what jewelry to wear. Or whether to go natural or bold with her makeup. She had even gone downstairs to check out the picture of the ex-wife a few times to study her look.

  She finally decided on a pair of jeans and a long, black sweater. She wasn’t sure if Gary had told them about the baby yet, so she wanted to wear something that could hide her belly. Luckily, this pregnancy was like her first one. Sherice always said she carried Brianna in her back because nobody could tell she was pregnant until she was about six months.

  She put on some gold-colored earrings and a thin, gold chain. She figured dressing casual would show that she was confident that she was Gary’s woman. If she dressed up too much, she’d look like she was trying too hard. She decided to go barefoot to show she was relaxed and comfortable in her house. Especially since Sherice had treated her to a French pedicure for the occasion.

  She wished she felt as good as she looked. She almost jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang. She stayed in her room as long as she could.

  “Shauntae, they’re here. Where are you?”

  Shauntae had hoped he’d go ahead and open the door and exchange greetings with his family without her. “Coming, honey.”

  He opened the door as she was coming down the steps.

  “Daddy!” Both of his daughters screamed and jumped all over Gary.

  He hugged them. “Look how much you guys have grown. Look at my beautiful girls.”

  Shauntae stood off to the side and watched him hugging and kissing his daughters. He was so happy to see them it was like he wanted to cry. It made Shauntae feel some kinda way—like she felt when she watched some ol’ Hallmark movies when nothing else was on cable.

  “Ahem.” Gary’s ex-wife cleared her throat.

  Gary looked up. “Oh, sorry.” Gary put an arm around Shauntae’s waist. The girls moved to the side. “Shauntae, this is my ex-wife, Darla, and my daughters, Daphne and Morgan. Girls, this is Daddy’s new . . . friend I told you about, Miss Shauntae.”

  Each of the girls stuck out their hand for Shauntae to shake. The younger girl, Morgan, said, “You’re very pretty.”

  “Thank you, dear. You’re pretty too. Both of you are really beautiful. I’m very glad to meet you.” Shauntae had spent the whole evening before and the whole day studying Angela Bassett and practicing everything she thought she might have to say.

  “Darla, this is Shauntae.” Gary’s voice got tight when he said his ex’s name. If Shauntae had any fears about Gary still having feelings for Darla, they all went out the window.

  “Shauntae.” Darla looked her up and down with some kind of snooty look on her face. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” Shauntae put out her hand for Darla to shake.

  They stood there looking at each other for a few minutes. Darla was taller than Shauntae had thought and a little bit prettier in the face, but not as pretty as her. And she was thin with no curves at all, built like a stick.

  “Should we move into the family room?” Gary seemed nervous. He placed his hand on the small of Shauntae’s back and guided her in front of him.

  “Daddy, can we play the piano?” the older girl asked. She looked exactly like Gary. She was gon’ be real pretty when she grew up.

  “Yes, dear. Not too loud because the grown-ups will be talking.”

  “Yes, Daddy.” Both girls walked into the living room. Shauntae was surprised. They didn’t run or yell or make a whole bunch of noise.

  The three of them sat down in the family room—Shauntae and Gary together on the couch and Darla on the chair across from them. Darla looked at the picture of her and the girls on the wall. “I’ve been looking all over for that picture. I didn’t realize it was still here.” She talked through her nose and her mouth was stuck in a snooty frown. “I guess the girls should have some pictures of me here. Seems like the rest have disappeared.”

  “There are plenty of pictures of you and the girls in their rooms.” Gary’s body was stiff. Shauntae put her hand on his knee to calm him down. How was she supposed to keep her temper under control when he was wound up all tight?

  “So, Shauntae, tell me about yourself,” Darla said. “Since we’ll be sharing the care of my daughters, we should make an effort to get to know each other.”

  It was Shauntae’s turn to go stiff. “What would you like to know?”

  “The normal stuff. Where are you from? What do you do? Where did you go to school?”

  “I’m from Orange County. Born and raised there.”

  “Okay . . .” Darla nodded and waited for her to keep going.

  What difference did it make where she went to school? Shauntae’s girls had been so worried about what she was going to wear that none of them had even thought about stuff like schools and jobs. Shauntae should have known Darla would ask a whole bunch of questions since she was a lawyer. “Uh, I went to Orange County High School.” Shauntae didn’t even know if an Orange County High School existed.

  “High school?” Darla asked.

  “Yes. High school.”

  “I see.” Darla looked at Gary and lifted up her eyebrow. Shauntae looked at Darla and then at Gary. By the look on his face, she knew she had said something wrong.

  Darla fired her next question. “And what do you do?”

  “Do?” Shauntae asked.

  “Yes. Your career? Like I’m a lawyer and you’re a . . .” Darla gestured like she was talking to a kindergartner and she was trying to help them get an answer right.

  For real? Was this heifer trying to clown her?

  Shauntae lifted her chin and forced herself to say, “I was an executive assistant.”

  “Oh . . . a secretary.” Darla’s frown got snootier. “I see.”

  “For now, Shauntae is a homemaker,” Gary butted in. “She’s settling in to prepare to take care of our child.”

  Shauntae could almost love Gary for taking up for her. But was he taking up for her or trying to keep her from embarrassing him again?

  Darla’s face didn’t change except for a slight rise in her left eyebrow and a tiny quiver of her top lip. This chick was cold, but the news of the baby had got to her.

  “Your child?” She turned from Gary back to Shauntae. “You’re pregnant?” She pressed her lips together in a thin line. “Of course. That’s why it was important to meet the girls so soon.” She turned back to Gary. “And that’s why you’re getting married so quickly, to keep your holier-than-thou status in your church and community, huh?”

  Gary’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything.

  Darla sat there for a second
not talking, staring at the wall. It looked like she was in a courtroom, thinking about how to put away a defendant for life. “Gary, I must say this is unexpected. Perhaps it would have been wise for you to have told me about this over the phone so I would have had time to process the information. You know how I feel about being caught off-guard.”

  Gary half smiled. “I do.”

  Darla smirked. “Yes, of course you do. Perhaps we should meet privately at another time to discuss how this will affect the girls.”

  “As we’ve said, Shauntae and I are getting married soon. Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Shauntae.”

  Darla’s smirk turned into a nasty frown. “You sure about that?”

  “I’m sure, because I’m certain you wouldn’t want to say anything that would further strain our relationship,” Gary said. “Since we’re about to share custody of the girls, it would behoove us all to get along. Don’t you think?”

  “I see your point, but I would like the opportunity to speak freely about my opinion on this whole . . . situation. I don’t think it would be beneficial for me to do so with all parties present. Don’t you think?” Darla looked at Shauntae with that nasty smirk on her face. “Well, apparently not.”

  Shauntae looked back and forth between Gary and Darla. They were both using big words and confusing sentences, but she was pretty sure Darla had just dissed her. She was even more sure that her usual way of handling things would only make it worse. Shauntae knew Darla had already decided that she wasn’t good enough to be around her daughters. She didn’t even know what she had done wrong. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

  “Yes, you do that, Shauntae.” Darla said her name all slow and ick.

  Shauntae knew if she stayed in that room for more than five minutes, Darla was gon’ get slapped. She hurried and went upstairs.

  Before she got all the way up, she heard Darla say in one of those whispers that’s louder than talking, “Is she living here? Please tell me that you don’t expect to have partial custody of the girls while you’re living with your pregnant girlfriend. You can’t possibly expect me to be okay with that. What has happened to you? I know the divorce affected you but this . . . this is totally out of character. ”

  Shauntae grabbed her cell phone off her bed and went and hid in the back of Gary’s closet. She didn’t know why her hands were shaking, but she could barely work the phone.

  Sherice answered on the first ring. “Girl, ain’t you supposed to be meeting the ex-witch and the brats? They didn’t come?”

  “They downstairs.”

  “Well, where you at?”

  “Up in Gary’s closet.” Shauntae kept her voice low, even though there was no chance of anyone hearing her.

  “Uh-oh. What you do?”

  “Why it’s gotta be me who did something?”

  “Who else could it be?”

  Shauntae almost hung up the phone. “Look, I called you ’cause I need help. I don’t need you raggin’ on me right now. I got enough of that from Miss Darla.”

  “Darla? Are you serious? She black? And her name is Darla?” Sherice busted out laughing.

  It made Shauntae feel a little bit better. “I don’t even know how to deal with this . . .”

  “Chill, girl. Tell me what happened.”

  Shauntae explained everything up until the part where Darla and Gary started using big words. Then she could only say what she thought they had said.

  Sherice let out a string of cuss words. “Girl, you’s a better one than me. I woulda clocked that heffa right in her nose. Is she even pretty?’

  “She a’ight in the face. But ain’t got n’an one curve. Built like a tall, skinny boy. And she high yellow. Look like a number two pencil.”

  Sherice cackled again.

  Shauntae felt a little more better. “What I’m s’posed to do, Sherice?”

  “Ain’t nothing you can do. This is between her and Gary. Anything she say to hurt you is really to get at him. Ain’t nothing you need to say for yourself. It is what it is and you is who you is. Don’t let her make you feel ’shamed, a’ight?”

  “A’ight.” Shauntae nodded like Sherice could see her. “Thanks, girl.”

  “Go on back downstairs. You got this, girl. Don’t worry about that yella heffa. She think she all that, but she lost Gary, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Bam. That’s that. Call me later, okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks, Sherice. You my girl for life.”

  “You know it.”

  Shauntae sat in the closet for a few more minutes, trying to get herself back right. Hopefully, Darla and the girls wouldn’t be staying much longer. She wished she could give Gary some good sex later that night to make him feel all right about her. And for real, she needed some to make herself feel better.

  She walked back downstairs in time to hear Gary saying, “That’s completely unnecessary and I’m offended that you asked. Do you think I would bring anyone into my children’s lives who would harm them in any way? Shauntae is a good, Christian woman.”

  Shauntae’s heart flipped. Her man was taking up for her. Even though it was a lie, it felt good for him to be saying something good about her. She sat back down next to Gary on the couch.

  “Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to do what I’m asking,” Darla said. “We’ve done it for anyone who’s ever been a babysitter for the girls. Why should this be any different?”

  “Because it’s offensive. It’s offensive to me and even more to her. Do you always have to be so difficult about everything?”

  Darla looked like she was glad to be getting Gary upset. “You know if this were me in a new relationship, wanting to bring another man into the girls’ lives, you would want to do the same thing. Now wouldn’t you?”

  “No, because I would trust your judgment.” Gary’s voice was so cold it was hard for Shauntae to believe he had ever loved Darla, let alone had two kids with her.

  Darla raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. “Maybe we should go back to court.”

  “No.” Gary let out a tense breath. “No more court.” He turned to Shauntae. “Baby, I’m sorry to have to ask this, but Darla is insisting on doing a background check on you since you’re going to help raise our girls.” Gary turned and gave Darla a nasty look. “She doesn’t think I’m a good enough judge of character to know what’s best for my children.”

  Shauntae froze.

  Gary nudged her. “Honey?”

  Shauntae had to work to make her mouth move. “Background check?”

  Darla said, “Children are the most precious thing in the world and it’s a mother’s natural instinct to do everything she can to protect them. When you give birth, I’m sure you’ll understand.”

  “You want to do a background check? On me?” Shauntae could barely get the words out.

  Gary put an arm around her and pulled her to his side. “Honey, like I said, I’m very sorry. I know it’s offensive to ask you to do this, but . . . you know the . . . issues we’ve had over the custody of the girls. Us getting married introduces a new person into the whole situation. Let’s do this to get it behind us so we can go ahead and be a family.”

  “What’s the problem, Shauntae? It’s just a formality. I’m sure you have nothing to hide.” Darla was almost snarling at her. “Right?”

  “Right.” Shauntae’s voice sounded weak. “What do I need to do?”

  Darla reached into her purse and pulled out a notepad and a pen and held them out to her. “I need your full name and your social security number.”

  Shauntae did everything she could to keep her hand steady as she wrote out the information. She handed Darla the pen and pad back.

  Darla looked down at the paper and up at Shauntae. “Quartisha?”

  Shauntae gritted her teeth. “It’s my first name.” She gave Darla “the look.” Darla might have been all high and mighty, but she was still a sista and would know that look meant that if she
said anything else—one word more—she was about to get cut. For real.

  Darla stood up and put her pad back in her purse. “Well, then. We’ll get this done first thing Monday morning.” She gave Shauntae a sista-girl look of her own. She could probably roll her neck like only a black girl could.

  Darla turned to Gary. “If everything checks out, you can have the girls next weekend. If not, I guess I’ll see you in court.”

  Eleven

  Shauntae sank back onto the couch as Gary walked Darla to the door. She could barely say anything when Gary sent the girls to say good-bye to her. The little one gave her a hug, but the older girl shook her hand. She might look like her daddy, but she had an attitude like her mother.

  Gary stayed in the foyer a long time saying good-bye to his girls. When Shauntae heard the front door close and heard his footsteps coming toward her, she tried to get herself back together.

  Gary sat down next to her and stared her straight in the eyes. “Honey, I’m sorry about that. I’ve seen Darla at her worst but I never even imagined she’d behave that badly. As soon as this background check comes back okay, I’m going to demand that she give you a formal apology, face to face. She needs to know she can’t treat you that way.”

  All Shauntae could do was nod. She knew that apology would never happen and that her game was up. She would enjoy her last two nights in Gary’s beautiful house and then Sunday night, while Gary was asleep, she’d disappear.

  “You okay, honey?” Gary asked.

  Shauntae forced herself to nod.

  Gary looked at her like he was trying to figure out what she was thinking. “I know Darla is rude and that your first meeting with her wasn’t pleasant. I’m sorry. I promise I will have a serious talk with her. She is going to respect you as my new wife and as the mother of my child.” Gary tilted Shauntae’s chin up. “I promise, honey. Okay?”

  Shauntae could only nod. She didn’t deserve him being this nice to her. What would he do when he found out the truth? He would probably be so mad that he would look at her and talk to her the same way he talked to Darla. She couldn’t handle that.