Authors: Carl Weber
Married Men (20 page)
“You bein’ straight with me, Wil?” Kyle’s eyes were wide.
“Kyle, I swear on both my children that my wife told me Lisa was dating Karen’s brother Mike.” I wasn’t lying this time. Diane did tell me that. I just left out the part where Lisa swore it wasn’t true.
Kyle stared at the picture of his family on his desk. I was expecting him to cry, but not a tear fell.
“Well, she’s a grown woman. She can do whatever she wants as long as she doesn’t bring a man into that house with my kids.” To say I was bowled over by his response is an understatement.
“You serious?” I couldn’t believe it. This was definitely not what I was trying to do.
“Yeah, I’m serious.” He nodded his head as if everything was okay. “I’ve been with Lisa almost eight years, Wil. She’s been a great mother and wife, and she doesn’t deserve this. Shit, this whole thing’s my fault anyway. If she’s found somebody who can make her happy, then I’m happy for her. I owe her that much.”
Well, you could have knocked my big ass over with a feather. I couldn’t believe it. I mean this was his wife we were talking about and he was cool as a cucumber. He musta given this whole thing a lot of thought before I even showed up, ’cause I actually believed he meant every word. But I had to be sure.
“Kyle, you’re talking about breaking up your family, man.”
“No, Wil, my family’s already broken up. That happened the day I walked out on them. It’s about time you and I realize that.”
Buzzzzz ... Buzzzzzzz.
Kyle leaned over his desk and hit the intercom button. “Yes.”
“Kyle, Mr. Webster’s here from Weaves-Are-Us.”
Sharon’s voice echoed from the speaker.
Sharon’s voice echoed from the speaker.
“Give me a minute then send him in, Sharon.” Kyle glanced at me. “Wil, I’ve gotta meet with this guy over lunch. Why don’t I give you a call tonight.”
“Okay, man, but think about what we talked about. You don’t wanna lose your family.” I didn’t wanna leave. I felt the need to somehow fix what I might have fucked up. As I got out of my chair to walk out, I looked back at Kyle, who was staring at one of his wedding pictures. God, I hoped he had already been thinking they were through before I walked in the door. I didn’t think I could live with the fact that I was the final blow that ended his marriage for good.
15
Kyle
Wil walked out of the office looking confused, but convinced that I was okay with the idea of Lisa divorcing me. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. I was devastated, and the minute he walked out the door, I started to sob. It hadn’t been easy holding back those tears in front of Wil, but the little bit of pride I had left made me do it. I didn’t really wanna lose my marriage or my family. The whole idea had me hurting inside, hurting so bad my stomach ached.
“Dammit!” I slammed my hand down on my desk in anger. “How could she do this to me when I was just about to come home?”
As I started to calm down, reason took over for anger and I realized I wasn’t angry with Lisa for starting to date. I was mad at myself for screwing up and not going home a long time ago. Stupid thing is, I’d made an appointment with Dr. Stanley for that afternoon and had planned on taking Lisa and the kids to dinner Friday for her birthday. I was going to ask her if I could come home then, but that was dead now. Besides, she was probably going out with Mike on Friday night.
I picked up the phone and dialed Dr. Stanley’s office.
“Dr. Stanley’s office,” the receptionist said.
“Hi, my name’s Kyle Richmond. I have a three o’clock appointment with Dr. Stanley.”
“Yes, Mr. Richmond, I have it right here.”
“I’d like to cancel that appointment.”
“Okay, Mr. Richmond. Would you like to reschedule now?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, well I’ll let Dr. Stanley know you’re not coming in.” She hung up.
Knock, knock.
Shit, I completely forgot Webster was waiting to see me. “Just a minute!” I sat up at my desk trying to get myself together. I wiped the tears from my face. “Come in.”
Richard Webster walked into my office, smiling like he always did. I’d lied to Wil about going to lunch with him. I needed a convenient excuse to get him out of the office before my emotions got the best of me.
“What’s up, Brother Kyle?” Webster was a short, heavyset light-skinned man with a balding head. He looked and acted more like a preacher than a salesman.
“How you doing, Webster?”
“Woke up this morning, checked to see if I had ten fingers and ten toes, realized I had a little air in my lungs, had to thank God for a good start to the day.” Webster chuckled, and so did I. I always liked his analogies.
“I take it you’ve come for your check?” I was back to business right away. My mind was still heavily clouded with grief.
“Yes sir, praise God, but I’ve also got some new products that I’d love to show you.” He smiled like a Cheshire cat.
“Nope, not today, Webster. I had a death in the family. But you can leave some brochures with Sharon up front.” I reached in my desk and handed him his check.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the check. “I’m sorry to hear about your loss. I’ll keep them in my prayers. Was it someone you were close to?”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t a someone, Webster, it was my marriage. I’m getting divorced.”
Webster bit down on his lip. “Oh Lord, I’m sorry to hear that, Brother Kyle. Were you married long?”
“Seven years.”
“Any children?”
“Three beautiful girls.” I took the picture of my family off my desk and handed it to him.
“Yeah. they are beautiful.” Webster smiled. handing me the pictures back. “Sure you wanna give them up?”
“Not my call anymore, Webster. I had a chance but I blew it.” My eyes were being to tear again.
“Brother Kyle, I don’t know if you knew this, but I’m a minister. And as a minister, there is one thing I know for certain. If you have a problem, the best thing to do is pray on it. God always seems to give me a sign when I pray. It’s not always what I wanna hear, but he always gives me a sign.”
“You know what, Webster? I might just do that. It’s been a long time since I prayed.”
“Well, Brother Kyle, there’s no better time than the present. Why don’t we pray together now?” I don’t know why but I agreed. I’d been to a shrink, went to Africa to find myself, and none of that had worked. Maybe a little prayer would give the answers I’d been looking for.
Webster stretched his hands across my desk and I grasped his hands. We prayed together for a good ten, fifteen minutes, and in truth I honestly felt good about it until Sharon interrupted us.
Buzzzzz.... Buzzzzzzz.
I reached down and pressed the intercom button. “Yeah?”
“Kyle, you have a call from your attorney, Greg Thomas, on line one.”
I didn’t know why Greg was calling, but I couldn’t help but look at Webster with a frown. “I guess God decided to send me that sign a lot sooner than either of us thought, huh?”
It was almost 2 A.M. when I stumbled up to my Highland Avenue apartment. It turned out that my lawyer wasn’t calling me about divorce, but about the lawsuit I was filing against the police department. After I talked to him, the memories of what happened combined with news that Lisa was divorcing me had me so full of anger I had to leave my office before I said the wrong thing to my employees or a customer. So I headed to my apartment to take a nap and hopefully forget what was slowly turning into the worst day of my life. When I woke up, the pain of Lisa divorcing me was still there so I went to the Roadhouse Bar and spent the rest of the evening drinking one drink after another. I did order some food in between drinks to keep myself from getting too high, but I was still drunk enough that Val, one of the bartenders, took away my keys and drove me home.
“Hey, Val. I can’t get in without my keys,” I slurred, staring at the cleavage her low-cut blouse revealed. Val had one of those bodies that could get a brother in trouble, a whole bunch of trouble. She had large round hips, a thin waist, and a pair of perfect titties, all highlighted by a beautiful cocoa brown face that woulda made Whitney Houston jealous.
“Here,” she said, handing me the keys. I don’t know how, but I fumbled with the lock and opened the door.
“Where’s your bathroom?” she asked, following me in. “I gotta pee.”
“Down the hall, second door on your right,” I pointed, then plopped down on the sofa watching her hips sway as she disappeared down the hall. Next thing I remember she was shaking me.
“Get up, Kyle,” she scolded me.
“I’m up. I was just resting my eyes.” I rubbed my eyes till she came into focus.
“Well, you been resting your eyes for twenty minutes.”
“Sorry about that.” I tried to get up, but my knees reminded me I was drunk.
“You better sit your drunk ass down,” Val laughed, grabbing me before I fell.
I smiled as our eyes met, thinking thoughts I shouldn’t have thought. Val and I had been friends for about three years and had always flirted and talked shit back and forth about what we’d do to each other if we were single. It was just talk back then but now things had changed. She’d broken up with her longtime beau, and Lisa and I were on the verge of divorce.
“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” I smirked, raising my eyebrows.
Val pushed me back onto the couch sucking her teeth. “Don’t get slapped. You know it ain’t that kinda party.”
“Sorry, I thought with T out of the picture and me getting divorced—”
Val cut me off right there. “Look, Kyle, I like you but I don’t wanna give you the wrong idea. I’m not a ho.”
“Have I treated you like one?”
“No.”
“Aw’ight then.”
“Look, we need to make a decision. Either you’re gonna give me money for a cab or I’m spending the night. Which means you buying me breakfast and driving me home in the morning.”
“Why I gotta pay for your cab?” It’s not that I wouldn’t have paid for the cab in the first place, but she made it seem like she was tellin’ me, not askin’ me.
“You gotta pay ’cause if it wasn’t for your drunk ass, I wouldn’t have missed my ride, that’s why.” She had a hint of attitude.
“You don’t have to get nasty. I was just asking.”
“So, what’s up? You gonna give me the money for a cab or drive me home in the morning’?” She folded her arms, waiting for an answer.
“It’s up to you,” I threw the ball back in her court. Just in case we did end up in bed and at that point I was pretty sure we would, I didn’t want her blaming it on not being able to get home.
“I don’t feel like riding all the way to Brooklyn in no cab. I’m tired.” Yep, it was just a matter of time before we got busy tonight.
“Aw’ight, so spend the night. But I’m not gonna lie. I snore.”
“Please, that don’t matter to me. You sleeping on the couch, anyway.”
“I am?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
“Now I know you didn’t think you was sleeping with me.” She placed her hand on her hip and tilted her head. “And I damn sure know you ain’t think I was sleeping on no couch.”
“Oh, it’s like that, huh?”
“You got that right.” She sucked her teeth. “Just ’cause me and Terrance broke up don’t mean you getting some ass.” She waved her hands in the air for effect. “Now where do you keep your towels and facecloths? I smell just like that smoky bar.”
“Linen closet, first door before the bathroom. You’ll find a toothbrush in there too.” Val walked down the hall, and a few minutes later I heard the shower running. I sniffed my clothes. I smelled like smoke too.
The alcohol in me told me I should walk down there and jump in the shower with her; after all, that’s what she really wanted. Why else would she come to my place at two in the morning and spend the night if she didn’t really wanna get busy? But the common sense side of me, that side we all have when we’re drunk but never want to admit to said,
Don’t be a fool. This is the kind of woman you could start a new family with. Maybe even have another kid with. Don’t fuck up.
I listened to the common sense side but I have to admit the alcohol side had made some good points too. It wasn’t an easy thing to keep myself on that sofa knowing a beautiful woman was down the hall with no clothes on, dripping wet.
Don’t be a fool. This is the kind of woman you could start a new family with. Maybe even have another kid with. Don’t fuck up.
I listened to the common sense side but I have to admit the alcohol side had made some good points too. It wasn’t an easy thing to keep myself on that sofa knowing a beautiful woman was down the hall with no clothes on, dripping wet.
While Val was in the shower, I picked up the phone and dialed the house. I knew it was late but I wanted to clear the air between Lisa and me before I did something stupid. If she wanted a divorce, I wanted to hear her say it. I had no reason to distrust what Wil had told me earlier in the day, but like he said, this was my family we were talking about, and I had to be sure. Plus if something did happen between Val and me, I wanted to have a clear conscience and no regrets.
Other books
Your Face Tomorrow. Fever And Spear by Javier Marías
Chosen by James, Ella
Prowlers: Wild Things by Christopher Golden
Town of Masks by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
Wicked Nights by Diana Bocco
The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett
Mindsight by Chris Curran
Cold Sacrifice by Leigh Russell
Terrors by Richard A. Lupoff
