Ex-Terminator Life After Marriage (16 page)

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shley paced the floor with her arms folded over her breasts. She was clad in a pair of white shorts and a pink, green, and white tank top. A pair of jeweled-white sandals adorned her feet. She stopped and stared. William sat toying with the TV remote.

“Ash, I don’t know why you want to hang around those people, especially that loud-mouth woman who was at the clinic with you.”

“This is a fund-raiser, William, and the group is expecting me to bring this cake.”

“The group?” William asked, looking away from the television.

“My support group…for ex-wives.”

“Well, you don’t need them anymore. I’m back.”

“We’re divorced, William. It’s what you wanted. Remember?”

“I wanted a lot of things, but right now, I want my wife…ex-wife, or whatever you want to call yourself, to stay with me today. We haven’t shared a Saturday afternoon together in a long time.”

Ashley stared at William. She wasn’t sure what planet he had come from, but he wasn’t making sense to her. This couldn’t be coming from the man who hadn’t shared his days, nights or weekends with her in months on end. Not the man who’d paraded his mistress in front of her, waving her around like she was the old red, white, and blue vowing his allegiance to her like he didn’t have a wife but shouting there would be liberty soon in a DeKalb County courtroom.

“I need to go, William. You can’t hold me hostage in my own home.”

“Ashley, let’s get remarried.”

There was fear in Ashley’s eyes. Two weeks ago, she would have screamed her own victory…looking into the face of the dethroned mistress, but now…today…she no longer felt the same way about William. She wasn’t sure why she slept with him. There was something bizarre about him, and her gut was telling her to get far away from William. Ashley didn’t care that she carried
their
baby inside of her. She was prepared to do it alone. But what was she going to do with William making demands. Well, not quite a demand, but an offer of marriage that didn’t have the slightest glow.

“You didn’t want the marriage several months ago.”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“You can’t turn life on and off like a light switch at your own whim, William.”

“Let’s stop talking and do it, Ashley. Our baby needs its father…”

“Is this about the baby or…or…”

“Don’t try to twist what I said, Ashley. I want my family to be together, and that includes you, me, and our son or daughter.”

Ashley looked into William’s eyes. He didn’t blink or smile, but matched her stare. He blinked and turned his head slightly, Ashley’s stare getting the best of him. Ashley walked over to the kitchen table and picked up the cake she had made for the barbecue.

“Don’t make a mistake and walk out of that door, Ashley.”

“You may have gotten your degree from Georgetown, William, and you may have been in the top percentile of your class. But somewhere on the road from there to here, you lost some brain matter because you are not functioning with a full deck.”

“Ashley, I’m going to let you get away with your snide remark for now. Right now, you are a victim of nature—a combination of morning sickness and the heat. I’ll forgive you for that, but in the future, you need to refrain from questioning my sanity. I could have had any woman I wanted, but I picked you for my wife. I was clear about that, and now you are carrying my child. Get used to it. I’m going to be around.”

William walked out of the room and left Ashley standing in the kitchen with the cake in her hand. Ashley sighed and put the cake back on the counter. She’d make it up to Claudette, but right now she had other urgent concerns.

S
mokey Norvel began to sing at eight a.m. Marvin sat up straight in the bed. He stretched, yawned, and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was past time for him to get up.

Marvin thought about the fund-raiser for Claudette. He smiled, and he felt good about himself. He and Ex-Files raised more than $500 to help get Claudette back on her feet, and she was grateful. When people in the community realized what they were doing, they came from everywhere—the city councilman, several pastors and a recording star stopped by and gave very liberal donations to the cause. It was a very satisfying day.

Skipping church this Sunday made Marvin feel a slight twinge of guilt. Keeping the Lord’s day holy was his motto, but today he was host to the Ex-Files, and he wanted everything to be just right. He jumped from the bed and showered, shaved and splashed on his favorite cologne. Next, he walked into his two-tier closet, which was large enough to hold a full bed. There were sections for his slacks, jeans, sweaters, suits, jackets and shirts, and a special section for his shoes.

He thumbed through the row of slacks and pulled out a pair of white jeans and a red Ralph Lauren polo shirt with black and white stripes running along the collar and hurriedly put them on. He slipped on a pair of brown, leather sandals and closed the door to the closet.

The meeting was to be held at the clubhouse on the southeast end of the subdivision. Mona was delighted that Marvin had asked her to cater the event.

Marvin walked to the window. A wide smile crossed his face. He left the window and crossed the threshold into the foyer, opened the door, and stood in the doorway and watched as Rachel made her way up the stairs.

She is ravishing,
he thought. Rachel’s hair was done up in curls and bounced when she walked. A red sundress with white piping, running along the V-neckline and around the armholes, was draped over her petite body. A large, white carnation appliqué stood hostage at the bottom of the dress.

“Hey baby,” Rachel said as she reached him.

“Hey yourself, beautiful,” Marvin responded. He leaned down and planted a simple kiss on her lips.

“Oooh, la, la,” Rachel cooed.

“We can cancel the meeting, if you like.” Marvin kissed Rachel again. He pulled her inside and closed the door.

They held each other and enjoyed the taste of each other’s lips. A tiny tear dripped from Rachel’s eyes onto Marvin’s muscled arms. He opened his eyes and looked into hers and pulled up her chin with his hand.

“What’s wrong, buttercup? Why is my Rachel crying?”

“I’m so happy, Marvin. For the first time in my life, I understand what it really means and how it really feels to love someone. The way you give of yourself so freely and so unselfishly just gives me such a warm feeling. It makes me want to do things to help other people. You empower me, man.”

Marvin released Rachel and looked at her with a smile on his face. Rachel balled up her fist and lightly tapped him on the chest. Marvin continued to smile.

“I guess we better go on over to the clubhouse. Mona will be here in a few minutes. She was too through when I asked her to cater my meeting.”

“That’s what I’m talking about, Marvin. You’re always thinking of others. My man, my hero.” Rachel planted another kiss on Marvin’s lips. “What is Mona preparing?”

“I told her to surprise me. I trust her judgment. She really is a good cook.”

“That I will agree.”

“One more kiss, Ms. Washington, then we’d better go.” Marvin pulled Rachel close. “I love you, Rachel Washington.”

“I love you too, Marvin Thomas.”

The tires on Mona’s red Jaguar scraped the curb when she pulled in front of the clubhouse. Rachel and Marvin watched with amusement. After fixing her face, Mona jumped from her car and pointed to Marvin.

“Help me get this stuff out of my trunk,” she said.

Marvin and Rachel assisted Mona, carrying boxes full of delicious smelling food.

“I’m going to hurt myself today,” Rachel said, waving her nose in the air and sucking in the aroma that was about to consume her.

Walking into the clubhouse made Rachel feel like she had gone away for the weekend at somebody’s nice villa on the coast. The high-ceilinged room sported multiple skylights and tall windows that ran around the circumference of the room. The walls were covered with a brown textured wallpaper. A large marble fireplace sat in the middle of one wall, with a brass poker leaning against it. A mustard-gold leather couch sat opposite the fireplace flanked by matching loveseats. A brass-inlaid mahogany coffee table sat on polished hardwood floors, which glistened in the sunshine.

A large wooden credenza with three sets of doors sat against a far wall beneath a sixty-inch plasma television. Eight high-backed leather chairs sat in a semi-circle facing the credenza. Placed strategically throughout the room were surround-sound speakers that accompanied the home-theater system. The walls were hung with framed pictures of exotic beaches from around the world, casting their spell and enticing you to spend your money on their sandy shores.

A large kitchen sat off to the side of the main room. The trio rushed into the kitchen, set the boxes down on the countertops and left Mona to her devices. After all, she was getting paid for this gig.

“In what part of the room will we have our meeting?” Rachel inquired.

“We’ll start out in front of the fireplace. The couch and chairs should fit all of us comfortably. The meeting can’t last too long because the football game will be on soon,” Marvin said.

“You’re gonna watch it all by yourself. These cacklin’ hens aren’t interested in any football.”

“We’ll see. At least the plasma is at the far end, and I can move over and sit in one of those chairs where no one would miss me.”

“I’d miss you,” Rachel cooed.

“Ms. Washington, I’d love to have your company at the fifty-yard line.” Marvin and Rachel kissed.

“Okay, there will be none of that,” Mona said, shaking her finger as she came out of the kitchen. “You lovebirds will have to contain yourself for awhile. You’ll forget all about it after you feast on my mouthwatering crab cakes…”

“What?” Rachel said. “Girl, let me taste one now.”

“Not until it’s time, girlfriend. Guess what else we’re having?”

“Tell me, tell me so I don’t have to guess.”

“Steamed crab legs, seafood gumbo, jambalaya.”

“Marvin, that cost a lot of money,” Rachel said with a frown on her face.

“Your man knows how to throw a party, and he pays well,” Mona said.

Marvin smiled at Mona’s antics, but she was telling the truth. “I wanted it to be special, and this is how Mona interpreted it. You’re going to eat, so what do you have to complain about?”

“I hope people don’t get the idea this is the way they’re going to be eating all the time. Just a few refreshments.”

“Sylvia had ribs,” Marvin countered. “In fact, she had a pretty good spread.”

“Don’t you remember what I had at my house?” Rachel asked.

“No, that was the meeting I was not invited to.” He raised an eyebrow.

Rachel began to laugh. “I’ll make it up to you, baby.”

“I had a bottle of wine in my car to get the party started…well, our party…”

“All right, kids,” Mona quipped. “I said you two need to stop cooing up in here. It’s sickening.”

“Don’t be jealous,” Rachel said to Mona.

“I’m not, but it’s sickening just the same.”

Muffled voices made the trio turn and look at the door.

“Hey everybody,” Claudette said. “I brought a new member.”

“What’s up, man,” Marvin said to Tyrone, giving him the brother’s handshake.

“It’s a good day, brother. Can’t thank you enough for what you did for Claudette.”

“I was glad to be of help.”

“It sho smells good up in here,” Claudette said. “Smells like Mona’s hands.” The ladies laughed.

“Yeah, girl. My name is written on this meal.”

“I think Claudette and I are going to make it,” Tyrone whispered to Marvin as they went back into the main room.

“That’s great, man. All’s well that ends well.”

“We sat down and talked about us…our family…intelligently for the first time. It won’t be overnight and we know there will be a lot of rough hills to climb. But we have searched our souls and want to make it work.”

“Hey, everybody,” Sylvia said, followed by an attractive and well-dressed middle-aged woman. “This is Margo Myles, my pastor’s sister. She’s going to share with us today. Ms. Myles, this is Marvin Thomas and Tyrone Beasley.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Myles,” the men said in chorus.

“Please call me Margo.” They nodded.

“Somebody has this place smelling good. Where are the ladies?” Sylvia asked, hands on her hips, when she realized that no one was in the room but the men, herself, and Margo.

“In the kitchen where you all like to congregate,” Marvin said, laughing.

“Not me,” Sylvia shot back walking toward the room Marvin pointed out. “I’ll introduce you to the ladies, Margo.”

As soon as Sylvia and Margo disappeared through the doorway, the door to the clubhouse opened.

“So how is motherhood, Ashley?” Marvin asked, walking over to greet her.

“As well as could be expected.”

“Why don’t you sit down and rest yourself,” Marvin said.

“I’m all right. Where is everyone?”

“Follow the noise. They’re in the kitchen. Tell them to come out; it’s about time to get started.”

“All right.”

“She doesn’t seem okay,” Tyrone said to Marvin after Ashley was out of sight.

“Yeah, something is troubling that one.”

They filed out one by one wearing shifty grins on their faces—Sylvia, Rachel, Claudette, Mona, Ashley and Margo—as if they shared some secret they vowed to keep away from Marvin and Tyrone. They plopped down on the couch one by one, in the same order they’d filed out of the kitchen. Margo sat on the love seat but quickly exchanged places with Claudette so that she could sit with Tyrone. The ladies chatted loudly until Marvin loudly cleared his throat.

When he had their attention, he announced, “We will start the meeting.”

Claudette jumped from her seat. She had on a plain orange top covered by a long burnt-orange duster with Kente cloth swatches forming geometric designs on the front panels and matching wide-leg pants. Claudette’s braids were drawn together and neatly tied in an orange, yellow and brown Kente head wrap. Gold earrings dangled from her ears.

A broad smile hung on Claudette’s face. “I can’t tell you,” she began, “how much you mean to me. Each and every one of you gave of yourselves to make sure that I had a head start in rebuilding my business. I want to especially thank you, Marvin, for leading the pack, helping to get Kwame released from jail with your generous monetary contribution and orchestrating the fund-raiser that was more than a success. I love you”—Claudette began to sob—“for being there for me and my family. I don’t know what I would have done if you all hadn’t been in my life.

“This group has shown me the way back to my husband, Tyrone. It wasn’t all his fault that we were no longer together. I have some growing up to do. Our short time together, believe it or not, has shown me what family really means. Tyrone is here today in support of our family. We have a lot of work to do to get us back on track, and we are ready to make that step…thanks to you.” Tyrone smiled.

“I am getting insurance money…” Everyone clapped loudly and whistled. Claudette continued, “I will rebuild in the same spot. In the meantime, I will open up shop at home as soon as Tyrone installs the wash sink for washing hair and my beauty chair. And…I have a surprise. Free hairdos and haircuts for you all.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

“Thank you for the applause. I want Ashley to know that I do white hair, too. I can give you a nice shampoo, set and curl.” Everyone laughed.

“I’ll take what I can get,” Ashley responded.

Everyone stood up and clapped for Claudette.

“Bravo,” Sylvia shouted.

“Bravo,” the others joined in.

“Group hug,” Rachel chimed.

The group formed a huge ball and laced themselves with one another. Marvin’s fingers touched Rachel’s and they locked them together. Heavy breathing and a series of gasps came from the tight-knit group that clung on for dear life further sealing their bond. After a few more hugs and squeezes, the group sat down while Ashley remained on her feet.

“First, I would like to apologize to Claudette for being obviously absent from the barbecue fund-raiser. I had every intention of being there—even had the cake I promised I’d bake neatly in its box waiting for me to escort it to the car. I apologize more…” Ashley stopped and tried to suck in the tension that rattled her body, then continued, “I apologize…because I let you down, Claudette. I went against everything my head told me not to do, and that was let William back into my life.”

“It’s all right, Ashley,” Claudette said, waving her hand for emphasis.

Ashley smiled and hung her head. “I thought sleeping with my ex would make me feel better about him leaving me in the first place. Somehow I thought it might hurt the mistress he left to come back home to me. But William has somehow changed. Maybe he had already changed and I had failed to notice. His behavior is erratic and unpredictable.”

Marvin got up and moved close to Ashley, while the others sat on the edge of their seats. Marvin touched Ashley’s shoulder.

“Has he hurt you, Ashley? I don’t mean to pry, but brother Tyrone and I noticed how nervous and jittery you were when you arrived earlier.”

“He best not put his hand on her,” Claudette sounded out.

Ashley didn’t reply. She blew air from her mouth and looked toward the ceiling, then back at the group.

“Well?” Marvin pushed.

“No, he hasn’t put his hands on me, if that’s what you mean. He’s become possessive and makes me feel trapped in my own home. William doesn’t…he doesn’t want me to be a part of this group. Threatened me if I went to the fund-raiser.”

Sylvia stood with Claudette right behind her.

“Ashley, why didn’t you call me or tell someone? We are here for you and care what happens to you.” Sylvia put her arms around Ashley, and Claudette rubbed her arm.