Unfaithful Ties (28 page)

“I’ve missed you
” He said.

“Where do I know you from?” Vanessa asked.

“I see you want to role play” He said.

“I really don’t remember you. I had an accident. I have amnesia now”

The man stopped moving. “I’m Deon. You and I have been having an affair since the day that we met here.”

“I’m sorry I don’t remember you
”  Vanessa said pushing the man off of her lap.

When she got up she rushed to the bathroom. Her two friends trailed her.

“What’s wrong?” Lena asked.

“That man that was dancing on me. He says that his name is Deon and that he and I have been having an affair. I wouldn’t do that, would I?”

Stacy looked over at Lena, then back to Vanessa. “Vanessa he’s telling the truth. I’ve never met the guy before but you were having an affair with someone. You’d told Lena that you were going to end it just before the accident.”

Vanessa cried. “Why would I do something like that? How long had it been going on?”

“I don’t know, a few years give or take.” Lena answered.

“Can you guys just take me back home. I want to go be with my husband. Jason can never find out about this. You ladies have to promise me that this is going to stay between us.”

“I promise” Stacy told her.

“So do I” Lena said.

****

In the car Vanessa continued sobbing.

Lena turned to the backseat “Look Vanessa I have a confession and I’m only telling you ladies this because I want you to realize that you are not the only married woman that has done something like this. I’ve been having an affair with a woman for about two months now.”

Vanessa and Stacy both gasped.

Stacy’s feet slipped off the gas pedal. “You’ve been having an affair with a woman?”

“Don’t judge me.”

“Well I hope that you don’t think that just because we’re friends that you’re going to get my cookies.” Stacy said moving her feet back to the gas pedal.

“Don’t flatter yourself Stacy. I’m not attracted to you”

“How in the hell did that happen?” Vanessa asked.

“I don’t know but I can’t get enough of it. She knows exactly what I want in the bedroom”

Stacy and Vanessa gasped again.

“Cut it out. It’s no big deal. I’m going to end things with Chris soon enough.”

Stacy looked over to Lena and glowered at her with disbelief. She was disappointed in her friend.

“What?” Lena spat. “I said I’m going to end it soon.”

The rest of the drive home was quiet.

****

Back at Jason’s and Vanessa’s house the guys were sitting around the poker table playing a game of Blind Man’s Bluff. Hip Hop music blasted from the sound system. Empty beer bottles covered the table. Cigar smoke clouded the room. The guys were somewhat tipsy.

“It’s been over ten years Malik, dude,
get over Stacy. She ain’ thinking about you” Jason tried to convince his friend.

“But I love her man. I’m still in love with that woman
” Malik slurred.

“Yeah and she’s not in love with you” Kenneth explained.

“She loves me she’s just trying to play hard to get but I know that she wants me just as much as I want her.”

“And you know that how?” Jason wanted to know.

“I can tell by the way that she looks at me”

“I hope you’re not talking about
that look she gave you at the breakfast table this morning” Jason laughed.

“Dude, if you were the last man on earth you still wouldn’t have a shot at getting Stacy back” Kenneth chuckled.

“Preach” Jason cosigned.

“You guys got jokes” Malik giggled. He sipped from his bottle. “What’s up with you and Lena? Seems like the arguing has gotten worse.” He said to Kenneth.

Kenneth shook his head. He didn’t know where to begin. “She thinks that I’m having an affair with my partner Storm”

Jason raised his brow “Are you?”

“Hell nah. Lately Lena has been this crazy ass woman that I don’t even recognize. And the sad part about it is she doesn’t even realize it. Last night I caught her trying to sneak and go through my phone. So I started moving around in the bed. If only you guys could have seen her reaction when she thought she’d been caught. She hit her head so damn hard trying to get my phone from underneath a chair I damn near killed myself trying not to laugh. It was hilarious”

“Damn” Malik chuckled.

“The last thing any man wants in his house is a woman that doesn’t trust him. Trust me I know” Kenneth warned his friends.

“I’m glad that I don’t have that problem” Jason assured them. “I trust my wife and my wife trusts me”

“Well I’m single. I have the option of doing what I want when I want to do it. Not that long ago I did what every man dreams of doing before he dies.”

“Which is what?” Kenneth asked.

“I had sex with two women at the same damn time dawg”

“Brother you lying” Kenneth said as he and Malik slapped their hands together.

“If I’m lying I’m flying. And you see I ain’ gone no damn where” Malik smiled.

“How was it?” Jason asked. “And how’d you pull that off”

“Don’t you worry about it Mr. Happily Married Man” Malik told Jason.

“Well tell me” Kenneth joked. “Hell I
ain’t a happily married man”

“Man it was better than I could have ever imagined. Until shit got a little to kinky”

“What you mean?” Kenneth asked. “School me”

“One of the women tried to lick me in the ass”

“Hell nah” Jason said with a disgusted expression etched on his face. “Talk about killing the vibe?”

“I told that bitch, no one is going to lick my asshole and I left.”

“Damn” Kenneth said getting up to get another beer. “Well at least you got it off of your bucket list.”

“Exactly” Malik smiled.

Vanessa  barged into the room. Her eyes were puffy. It was obvious that she’d been crying.

“Jason” She said. “I need you right now”

“Sure Sweetness” Jason said getting to his feet. “What’s wrong?”

“I just need you to hold me.”

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow” Jason said and he and Vanessa headed out of the basement.

****

“Malik don’t you get underneath these covers with me. You better sleep on top of the sheets just like you did last night” Stacy demanded.

“I’m cold” Malik whined.

“Judging from the smell of your breath you’ve had more than enough of liquor to keep you warm tonight”

“Stacy why are you so mean to me?”

“You brought this on yourself when you cheated on me with Jennifer”

“I just want to be friends again.”

“You and me. Friends?” Stacy laughed. “Good night Malik” She rolled over to her side “You need to go and shower, you smell like a drunken, homeless, man”

Malik crawled to the top of the bed. His head was spinning. He tried to make it to the bathroom but he
couldn’t hold it in.  He hurled all over the bed.

“Malik Shaw” Stacy shouted
, “I’m going to kill you.” She rushed to the shower and turned on the water.

Malik didn’t move because he couldn’t. And if he’d tried to move he probably would have fallen to the floor.

By the time Stacy got out of the shower Malik had already fallen asleep on the floor. Stacy balled up the comforter and carried it outside, where she tossed it in the garbage basket. She grabbed some new sheets, a comforter, and a can of air freshener and headed back to the bedroom.

“Jackass” She mumbled as she stepped over him.

****

Lena didn’t feel like being bothered with Kenneth. As usual she started an argument with him. “Have you talked to your little girlfriend today?”

“Lena we’re on vacation, can we at least act like it?”

She answered the question for him. “Yeah you’ve talked to her. What married man talks to a woman that he works with even when he’s not working, if there isn’t anything going on between the two of them?”

“This is getting old so just think what you want to think I’m not going to try and convince you otherwise anymore.”

“You like this don’t you? You like the fact that your relationship with that bitch gets under my skin. Tell the truth, you know that she has a thing for you don’t you? And you like it too, don’t you?”

“Yeah I like it. I like the fact that my wife doesn’t trust me. That she nags me with this bullshit every single day. I’m going to bed” Kenneth mumbled and climbed into bed.

Lena climbed in behind him and continued bitching about Storm all night long.

****

The atmosphere was different in
Jason and Vanessa’s room.

“I don’t ever want to lose you” Vanessa whispered to Jason as she snuggled closer to him.

“And you don’t ever have to worry about losing me.” Jason said rubbing his hand up and down her bare arm.

“Make love to me Jason” Vanessa demanded.

Jason pulled Vanessa on top of him and started softly squeezing her breast and kissing her. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately but I like it.”              

Vanessa made love to Jason that night like she’d never made love to him before and he enjoyed every second of it. He enjoyed it so much that his friends could hear him moaning and groaning for hours.

****

The following afternoon, “I am stuffed” Lena said to her girlfriends as the three of them flopped down on the sofa in Vanessa’s office. They’d just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner.

“You’re not the only one” Vanessa said.

“So am I” Stacy told them. “I don’t even have anymore room left for pie” 

“Especially not pie that looks like the pies in the kitchen” Lena joked.

“Don’t you be talking about my husbands pies
” Lena laughed. “He tried”

“Well I’m going to need for him to try a little harder next time” Lena continued while cackling.

The three women laughed together.

“I’ve enjoyed this time together and I’m going to miss you ladies.” Stacy

“I know” Lena whined. “I wish Brandi could have came”

“Let’s
skype Brandi and tell her Happy Thanksgiving since she couldn’t make it.” Stacy suggested.  She walked over to the desk, logged into her skype account,  dialed Brandi and waited.

Chapter 20

Brandi...San Antonio Texas

Brandi was in her bedroom room sitting in a swivel chair in front of her computer. A black screen was staring back at her. She felt so alone, broken.
  She hadn’t eaten in days. Funny how the heart works, if it’s broken you don’t feel like doing much of anything. 

Death has to be better than this, she thought as she looked at the loaded pistil through her peripheral.
  Easily she’d convinced herself that death was her only option and that everyone would be better off if she’d just disappear.

The computer screen turned from black to baby-boy light blue. Someone was
skyping her. 

“Hey B, we miss you and we wish you were here” Stacy, and Lena waived into the webcam. “We’re having a ball”

Tears poured from Brandi’s doleful eyes. “Tell me he’s not worth it.” She begged them. “Tell me not to do it”

“Tell you not to do what?” Stacy quizzed.

“Brandi, you look like something is bothering you. Are you okay?” Lena blurted.

That’s when Brandi closed her eyes and pulled the gun to her head. Her three friends screamed frantically. “Brandi No-
oo-oooo!”

“Kenneth” Lena shouted and jetted out of the run to get the guys.

 “Brandi I don’t know what you are going through. But think about your children. They need you. Please!” Stacy begged. “Please just think about what this would do to your kids”

Brandi slowly opened her eyes. Tears flooded her view. “I just feel like they’ll be better off without me. Look at me, what kind of mother am I?”

“Brandi you are a fantastic mother” Stacy encouraged.

Vanessa was stunned and she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t remember how bad
Trae’d treated Brandi over the years.

“You’re just saying that. There isn’t anything fantastic about me
” Brandi sobbed.

Lena and all the guys rushed into the room.

“B I love you. Everyone here loves you. We want you to put the gun down” Stacy begged.

“Brandi” Jason said. “Listen to Stacy. Put the gun down. Think about your kids. Whatever you and
Trae are going through it’s not worth it. Do you really want your kids to grow up without a mother?”

“No
...yes” she stuttered. “ I don’t know. I’m so messed up right now.”

“Brandi do you remember the day in the hospital right after the doctor handed you the twins?” Lena asked.

“Yes” Brandi sobbed.

“Do you remember what you said?”

“Yes”

“You said that you’d always protect them.
That they’d always come first. That no matter what you’d always be the one person that they could count on.”

“I was young then… I had no clue how cruel life can be… how miserable my life would turn out”

“I know that it seems like everything is messed up right now. And you feel like your world is falling apart” Malik chimed in. “But I know you Brandi...I know that your kids are your world. Put the gun down for them.”

Brandi hollered a hard cry and
slowly  eased the gun away from her head.

“That’s it.”
Kenneth  coached. “Put the gun down”

Everyone in the room watched as Brandi let the gun fall to the floor “I have to go” She sniffed, pulling herself out of the chair.

Lena wiped her tears away. “Wait a minute B. we just want to make sure....”

Brandi didn’t want to hear another word. She switched off the monitor with a temper and turned off her cellular because she knew that they’d be trying to call her
.

She just wanted to lay in her bed and cry.