Secret Liaisons

by Shelia M. Goss

  “Oh, no, it’s not like that. We work together.”

  “My eyes don’t deceive me,” Gilda said.

  Mona blushed. “This is a nice home you have here.”

  “Thanks. But I’m just the help. The mistress of the house is waiting for you both in the parlor.”

  “Gilda, you are more than the help and you know it.”

  “Tell that to your mama. Let me get the food on the table so I won’t have to hear your mother’s complaints.”

  “Gilda’s the cook slash housekeeper and when I was younger, also my nanny,” Terrance informed Mona while they walked.

  Mona couldn’t help but notice the expensive paintings on the wall and the expensive-looking chandeliers hanging above them as they walked down the grand hallway.

  “Are you ready?” Terrance asked while standing outside of a door. He placed his hand on the doorknob.

  Mona took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face.

  Terrance opened the door.

  Sara Beckham stood about five feet five inches. The brown-skinned older woman didn’t have a wrinkle on her face. Her sandy brown hair was free of any gray strands thanks to hair dye. She wore a navy blue designer dress with pearls adorning her neck and several diamond rings filled her fingers.

  She greeted Terrance with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

  “Mom, you remember Mona.” Terrance moved to the side.

  “Mona, yes. The young lady who works for you.” Sara looked Mona up and down.

  Mona extended her hand. Sara touched the tip of her fingers and shook it.

  A gray-haired man wearing a black suit stood behind Sara. He was almost the same height as Terrance.

  “This is Reverend William Hamilton,” Sara said.

  Mona noticed how Sara’s voice seemed to soften when she spoke his name. Mona and Terrance shook the Reverend’s hand.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Gilda walked to the doorway and said.

  “You two can wash your hands in there. Terrance show her where the bathroom is. Come on William. We’ll meet them in the dining room.”

  A few minutes later, they were all seated in at the table. Reverend Hamilton said grace over the food.

  They were served roast beef, mashed potatoes, green peas and rice pilaf with rolls.

  “Terrance, I wasn’t aware you were bringing a guest,” Sara said. “But thankfully Gilda always makes extra.”

  “Mom, you act like Mona being here is an intrusion.”

  “Your words, not mine,” Sara looked away.

  Reverend Hamilton said, “Now Sara, what did I preach about today?”

  “Terrance knows I don’t like surprises,” Sara responded.

  Mona rolled her eyes. Something told her even if Sara knew she was coming with Terrance, she wouldn’t approve.

  “Mona, so you’re working weekends now?” Sara asked with a scowl on her face.

  “I don’t have a typical nine to five job. There may be times where I’m with Terrance for days on end. It just depends on what he wants.”

  Mona smiled. Terrance gave her a funny look.

  “You’re a beautiful woman in a peculiar sort of way. You should be dating instead of spending so much time with my son.”

  “Your son is all the man I need right now.”

  “William, please excuse her. These young people today have no respect for their elders or men of the cloth.”

  Mona interrupted her. “Reverend Hamilton, I meant no disrespect.”

  “None taken,” Reverend Hamilton said. “Sara. Eat your food. It’s getting cold.”

  But it wasn’t as cold as the look Sara gave Mona.

  Terrance didn’t like how rude his mother was being to Mona. He would address it as soon as they were alone.

  Reverend Hamilton turned to him. “Terrance, I’ve known you since you were a little boy.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I respected your dad and have always had the utmost respect for your mom.”

  Terrance continued to eat his food but would look in the Reverend’s direction as he continued to talk.

  “Sara thought it would be best for me to be here when she shared some news with you.”

  Terrance stopped eating. He held his breath. He’d lost his dad. As much as his mom could get on his nerves, he didn’t want to lose her too.

  Sara spoke out, “William. Let’s finish dinner first.”

  “No. I think it’s time now.”

  Terrance looked at Mona and she looked away.

  “Mom, out with it. The suspense is killing me.”

  “Well, dear.” Sara looked at William and then across the table at Terrance. “Reverend, I mean William has asked me to marry him.”

  Terrance laughed. He knew it must have been a joke. His mom and the Reverend? He looked at each one of them, shook his head and laughed again.

  “Dear, I’m serious. William has asked me to marry him. I wanted you to be the first to know. Didn’t know we would have company, but oh well.”

  Terrance had no idea his mom was interested in remarrying after his father died. This news came as a shock. The Reverend wasn’t just his pastor; he was one of his father’s friends. To Terrance, this was a betrayal.

  Terrance pulled away from the table and left the room without saying a word.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Mona watched the scene play out. She looked at Sara and asked, “Aren’t you going to go check on him?”

  “Terrance is just throwing a tantrum. He’ll be alright.”

  “Terrance is a thirty-two year old man. He’s far from being a child.”

  Sara looked at Mona with fiery brown eyes. “I don’t need you to tell me anything about my son.”

  “Apparently you do. Can’t you see what you told him upset him? Instead of trying to be bitchy with me, you should be going to console your son.”

  “William, are you going to let this woman come into my house and disrespect me?” Sara shouted. She batted her eyes for dramatics.

  Mona stood. “I’m going to find Terrance.”

  Mona walked out while hearing Sara complain to William about what she deemed was her rude behavior.

  Mona looked from room to room until she found him. He was standing in a room staring at a big portrait hanging on the wall. The portrait looked like an older version of Terrance.

  Mona stood close and looped her fingers with his. “He’s handsome.”

  “That was my dad.”

  “You look just like him.”

  “That’s what I’ve heard all my life.”

  “Your mom, I’m sure she’s been lonely without your dad.”

  Terrance turned and faced Mona. “You just don’t understand. The Reverend was my dad’s friend. How could he try to get with his friend’s wife?”

  “Not sure of the dynamics of the relationship but Tee, your dad’s gone. Your mom is still a woman. If the Reverend makes her happy, then why not be happy for her?”

  “But...” Terrance voice trailed off.

  “Don’t you want her to be happy?” Mona asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Terrance responded.

  “Problem solved. Your mom doesn’t need your blessing but it would be nice if her son gave it to her.” Mona squeezed his hand.

  Terrance looked in Mona’s eyes. “You’re a wonderful woman. My mom was rude to you but yet you’re being a voice of reason in this mess.”

  “We can talk about that another time. Right now, you and your mom need to talk.”

  Mona looked and saw Sara walking into the room.

  “I’ll be in the dining room if you need me,” Mona said. She released Terrance’s head and walked away.

  Sara frowned at her when she walked by her.

  “Next time leave the hired help at home,�
�� Sara said as she walked nearer to Terrance.

  “Mona is her name and she’s more than the hired help.”

  “I don’t like her. She has no class.”

  “If you’re going to continue to insult my guest, then I can leave.” Terrance headed towards the door.

  Sara grabbed his arm. “Son, don’t. We need to discuss my engagement.”

  Terrance jerked his arm away. “If you were so concerned about my input, you would have talked to me before you accepted the good Reverend’s proposal.”

  “William’s a good guy. Don’t be like that.”

  “He’s taking dad’s left overs. Now that’s a stand up man for you.”

  “Terrance, I want you to be happy for me. You don’t know how lonely I’ve been since Freddie died. When he died, a part of me died with him. I thought I could never experience happiness again. William’s been there with me every step of the way. We didn’t set out to fall in love, it just happened.”

  Terrance could see the sincerity in his mom’s eyes. He didn’t want to argue with her. Like Mona said, his mother was grown. She really didn’t need his permission.

  “But don’t you think it’s kind of weird to be with your husband’s friend?”

  Sara laughed. “Yes. But your dad’s no longer here. I’m free to date who I please.”

  “Please spare me the details. If you want to marry him, I won’t stand in your way.”

  Sara hugged Terrance. “Thank you, baby. I knew you would come around.”

  “Don’t thank me. You should be thanking Mona. She helped me realize you deserved a second chance of happiness.”

  “I guess she’s not all bad.”

  “No, mom. She’s not bad at all.”

  Terrance hugged his mom again. “Love you.”

  “Love you too,” Sara said, as she squeezed Terrance tight.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Three hours later, Mona was sitting on her couch in her apartment. After they left Terrance’s mom’s place, she’d decided to go home instead of hang out with Terrance. She needed time alone to think about a lot of things. She’d explained to Terrance that she needed to do some things to get ready for the coming week.

  She wasn’t hungry but wanted some banana fudge ice cream. She threw on a jogging suit and drove to the corner store.

  She was in the process of getting back in her car when she heard someone call her name.

  “Mona, is that you?” a familiar male voice said.

  “Garrett?” Mona couldn’t believe that the man who broke her heart so many years ago was standing right in front of her.

  “I’m so glad I ran into you. There’s so much I need to tell you. Can I get your number so I can call you later?”

  “I think you said it all nine years ago.” Mona didn’t wait for him to respond. She jumped in her car and sped away.

  She saw Garrett running behind the car in her rearview mirror. How dare he think she would want to speak to him after he broke her heart? She thought back nine years prior. He didn’t have the courage to break up with her himself, instead he had his mom do it. Emotions from the past resurfaced.

  Hours later, Mona tossed and turned in her bed as she dreamed of Garrett and relived the break up over and over. She woke up the next morning feeling as if she hadn’t slept in days. She noticed she had several missed calls from Terrance.

  Mona glanced at her puffy eyes in the mirror. She slipped on a pair of sunglasses and headed to work.

  Terrance didn’t sleep well the night before. He kept dreaming about his father. He wished Mona had stayed and spent the night. His mom called him right before he got to the office but he decided he wouldn’t talk to her until after his meeting with the network executives. He blocked out his personal issues and concentrated fully on the job.

  He heard a buzz sound indicating someone was coming through the door. He yelled out, “Mona, is that you?”

  “Yes, boss, it’s me,” she responded.

  He perked up at the sound of her voice. He got up from his desk and went to greet her.

  She placed her purse and keys on her desk. She looked at him. “You’re here bright and early.”

  “Today is the day or have you forgotten?” Terrance asked.

  “Of course not.” Mona took a seat behind her desk.

  “Oh, I don’t get a kiss or at least a hug,” Terrance teased.

  Mona put a finger out in front of her and moved it from one side to the other. “Not in the office.”

  Terrance pouted. “Just one little peck. Please.”

  “I’m only doing this because you have that meeting.” Mona left from behind her desk and placed her arms around his waist.

  Terrance didn’t wait any longer and kissed Mona with an intensity rendering them both breathless. Terrance’s hand roamed over Mona’s body. He felt himself getting aroused so he stopped.

  “Now I can go to the meeting with confidence,” Terrance said with a huge smile on his face.

  “Give me a minute to catch my breath,” Mona responded, with a huge smile on her face as well.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? I could always use your support.”

  “I think me being there would be a distraction.”

  “I disagree.”

  Mona ignored his comment. “I heard your pitch. It’s perfect. You’ve done this type of thing before and I haven’t. Maybe once I get some experience, I’ll feel more at ease about doing it.”

  “You have to start somewhere.”

  “Terrance, I appreciate you having confidence in me, but this is too important to take any unnecessary chances. You got this. I’ll be here when you get back.” Mona kissed him lightly on the lips and then took a seat.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Terrance left the office early just in case he ran into bad traffic. He would rather be early than late. Charlotte’s assistant Felicia had already called to make sure he hadn’t forgotten about the meeting.

  Terrance couldn’t seem to get Mona off his mind as he weaved in and out of traffic. His lips still tingled from the kiss they’d shared earlier. He smiled thinking about how she made him feel. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the horn coming from behind him.

  “Oops,” Terrance said out loud. The light had turned green and he was still sitting there.

  Less than an hour later, Terrance was seated in the receptionist area waiting on Charlotte.

  He heard Charlotte before he saw her. She seemed to know everyone working in the office. He heard her voice greeting different people as she made her way around the corner.

  “Hi, Terrance. I’m sorry I’m a little late.” Charlotte extended her hand out revealing freshly manicured nails and a huge, sparkling engagement ring.

  “I’m just glad you’re here. I’m normally not this nervous.”

  “Let me do the negotiating. You just concentrate on the stories. I got the rest,” Charlotte assured him.

  Terrance sighed with relief. “I wish Mona would have come.”

  “I spoke with her while on the drive over. She’s confident that you will represent her story well.”

  Terrance smiled. “Has she told you anything else?”

  He knew how close Mona and Charlotte were so he was curious to know if Charlotte knew the extent of his and Mona’s relationship.

  Charlotte smiled. “I like you Terrance. You have great ideas. You love your community and it looks like you love my friend, but for now, we’ll table this discussion.”

  Before Terrance could respond, a woman dressed in a designer, two-piece, beige pants suit walked over to them.

  Charlotte stood first. Terrance followed suit.

  “They are ready for you now,” the woman said.

  “Great,” Charlotte responded.

  Terrance followed the
two women. They were led towards an office. The office was surrounded by glass. Terrance noticed there were ten people seated around a conference room table before he walked through the door.

  Charlotte slowed down and said to him right before going in. “Don’t be nervous. You got this.”

  Terrance hoped so.

  They entered the room and introductions were made. Charles Osgood, the man he’d met at the dinner party led the meeting. “Terrance, we were just discussing how excited we are to be working with you. We’ve allotted the next two hours so the floor is yours.”

  Although he’d pitched show ideas before, it didn’t erase the nervousness he felt. Terrance said a silent prayer. The prayer gave him the confidence he needed. He walked to the front of the room with all eyes on him as he pitched the two story ideas.

  Mona kept checking to make sure her phone was working. She wondered how things were going with Terrance. Did the network executives like his ideas? Did they specifically like hers? Those questions and more kept running through her head.

  She went through the normal Monday morning routine of checking emails and returning messages. She’d even forgotten about the phone call from her ex-fiancé Garrett.

  The door opened. Mona looked and saw a delivery guy holding a huge bouquet of flowers. “Is Mona Johnson here?” he asked.

  “I’m Mona.”

  “These are for you. Can I get you to sign this to confirm delivery?” The delivery guy handed her the colorful bouquet.

  Mona moved things around on her desk with one hand while holding the bouquet of flowers with the other. She placed it down on her desk.

  The delivery guy held out a form requiring Mona’s signature. Mona signed. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out some money from her purse and tipped him.

  Once the delivery guy was gone, she removed the card from the plastic stick to read it.

  She read out loud. “These flowers are beautiful but not as beautiful as you. Thank you for being a ray of sunshine.”

  She smiled when she saw Terrance’s name written at the bottom.

  She wanted to call him but wasn’t sure if he was still in the meeting. The door opened again. The delivery guy returned, but this time with a bouquet of red roses.