Secret Indiscretions (17 page)

“What the hell have I gotten myself into,” he said through clenched teeth. He didn't need a mirror to know that he looked like someone who'd been involved in a street brawl. Not only was his jaw swollen and bruised, he could now add bloody scratches to his face, neck, and shoulders to his list of injuries. He was pissed. “Oh, shit . . . Geneva!” he whispered to himself as he thought about what his wife's reaction to his appearance would be. He was already on shaky ground with her, and he knew this would put him in quicksand. “Damn!”

When he reached the ground floor and the doors opened, he panicked when he heard voices coming at a slow approach. Judging from the sound, they were far enough down the hall that he had time to avoid them. He knew it would look highly suspicious to see a six-foot, two-inch black man with ripped, bloodstained clothing flee an elevator as if someone was after him. Instead of running as he'd done upstairs, he casually walked off, being sure to immediately turn his back to the group of people as he exited.

Johnny breathed with relief when he reached his truck. He climbed inside and sat for a moment, shaking his head, which had begun to pound with a fury. He pulled his visor down and flipped open the lighted mirror to survey the damage. “Sonofabitch!” he hissed. It was worse than he'd thought. “That crazy bitch fucked up my face!” He hit his hand against the steering wheel. “I should've beat her ass when I had the chance.”

Johnny's face and neck looked as though a large cat had gone mad on him. The scratches were deep, long, and jagged. The pain of the open wounds was starting to sink in. During his elevator ride down he'd noticed when he pressed the close button that his right hand was also badly scratched, but it wasn't until just now, when he felt another burst of pain, that he realized his left hand had been mauled as well.

He leaned back against his seat and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself and stay focused. With slow and steady care, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He didn't want to call Bernard and hear, “I told you so,” but at this point he knew he had no one else he could turn to. He started his engine and as soon as his Bluetooth engaged he dialed his friend's number and prayed that Bernard wasn't at Candace's house, or vice versa.

“What up, playa,” Bernard said in a happy voice that had become his regular tone.

“Are you home?” Johnny asked as he steered his truck onto the highway.

“Yeah, I'm here. What's up?” Bernard asked, clearly sensing that something was wrong.

“You alone?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I swing by?”

Bernard paused for a moment. Johnny could remember there was a time that his friend wouldn't have paused or been hesitant about anything, even if it involved trouble. But his edge was gone, along with his balls, and Candace was holding them both hostage. Johnny wanted to tell him to man up, but he knew he couldn't. “Listen, Bernard, I'm not gonna lie. I'm dealin' with a lot of shit right now.”

“Vivana?”

“Yeah, man.”

Bernard was silent again.

Johnny breathed hard. “I'm fifteen minutes from your crib. Can I swing through?”

“Come on.”

The towering hostas and colorful flower beds that Candace had planted in Bernard's front yard made Johnny sneeze as he slowly made his way to the front door. He winced when he looked at his bloodied right hand as he rang Bernard's doorbell. The night air was muggy and the heat made him feel sick to his stomach. He could hear Bernard coming toward the door and he braced himself for his friend's reaction.

“What the fuck?” Bernard said when Johnny stepped into the foyer.

Johnny felt bad enough about his current state without his friend's comment, but he knew he would have had the same initial reaction if the situation were reversed. He walked into Bernard's living room and sat on the couch while Bernard took a seat in the chair across from him. They were both silent for a moment—Johnny from pure exhaustion and Bernard from temporary shock.

“Vivana did this to you?” Bernard said, shaking his head.

“Yeah, man.”

“Damn.” Bernard rose from his seat and walked into his kitchen. A few minutes later he returned with a bottle of Grey Goose in the crook of one arm, a half carton of orange juice in the other, and two glasses he'd expertly balanced between his fingers on his left hand. He poured Johnny a drink and passed it to him before fixing one for himself.

“Thanks,” Johnny said as he took a long swallow. “This has been one hell of a day.”

“I can see.”

Johnny looked at his hands and frowned. “I was laying in the bed, chillin', when all of a sudden Vivana pulled out a wedding magazine.”

“Get the fuck outa here.”

“I couldn't believe it either. She picked out a resort that she wants us to go to. And guess where it was?”

“Aruba?”

“No, Cancun. And get this . . . it's the very same resort that Geneva and I went to on our honeymoon.”

“Wait a minute, how did she know where you and Geneva went for your honeymoon?” Bernard let out a deep breath and took a sip of his drink. “What kind of crazy game is she playin'?”

“She was totally oblivious, so I don't think she knew. It's just one of those ironic things.”

“Ironic and stalkerish. If she'll follow your ass, she's damn sure capable of some other shit.”

“I think it was just a fluke. Vivana likes expensive, high-end things and that resort is five star with all the bells and whistles. Besides, I see how jealous she is, and she'd never want to go someplace where I took another woman. That doesn't even make sense.”

“If you say so.”

“Anyway, I tried to tell her that I couldn't go. One thing led to another and before I knew it she was goin' ape-shit on my ass. Man, I was fighting for my life.”

“I see what you look like, so I'm afraid to ask what state she's in.”

Johnny shook his head. “Even though I wanted to knock the shit out of her, I didn't. I was too busy shielding myself. That's why I'm scratched up like I was attacked by a rabid animal.”

“She really fucked you up.”

“Tell me something I don't know.”

“How'd you get out of there?”

Johnny lowered his head. “I pushed her and she fell to the floor. That's when I ran out of the room.”

“This craziness is on some reality TV type level.”

Johnny couldn't argue because what Bernard had said was true. He'd fully expected to hear his friend say, “I told you so,” but he didn't, and for that Johnny was grateful.

“What are you gonna do now?” Bernard asked.

Johnny shook his head. “I'm so spent, I don't even know.”

“From this point forward you can't have any more contact with that woman.” Bernard looked him in his eyes with a serious stare that Johnny had never seen. “This entire situation has gone way too far. If you don't end it now, it might end you.”

If he had heard Bernard make that statement when he woke up this morning, Johnny would've blown it off and told his friend that he was making a big deal out of nothing. But as he sat on Bernard's couch, bruised, bloodied, and humiliated, he had an entirely different view of things. “I hear you,” Johnny said. “I'm through with Vivana, and after tonight she probably won't want to have any contact with me, either. It's over and done, and I'm glad.”

“You may not ever see her again, but you're gonna have to face Geneva.”

Johnny leaned forward and let out a hard sigh. “I know.”

“You need to clean up as much of those cuts and scratches as you can before she sees you. Candace has a first aid kit in the bathroom with everything short of a needle in it.”

“Thanks. Hopefully I'll look a little better in the morning.”

Bernard poured them both another drink. “You're welcome to stay here tonight. But in my opinion, after you get cleaned up you need to go home, face the music, and do what you can to make this situation right.”

“Geneva's gonna freak the hell out when she sees me.”

“Of course she will. But trust me, you ain't gonna look that much different tomorrow so you might as well get it over with tonight.”

“This is so fucked up.”

“Yeah, it is. But you've gotta deal with it head-on and be straight up. Geneva's gonna lose it when she first sees you, and then she'll be mad as hell once you explain what happened.”

Johnny's eyes got big. “I'm not tellin' her what really happened.”

“Johnny, listen to me for once. Come clean with her, and don't try to bullshit your way out of this. The one thing a woman wants from her man is honesty. Even if it hurts, if you're honest with a woman she'll respect you. Don't bullshit Geneva. Tell her the truth and then take the yelling, disappointment, and silent treatment she's gonna give you because eventually, she'll forgive you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Bernard smiled. “There's a lot of things that I don't know, but one thing I do is that your wife loves you.”

Johnny had to admit that what Bernard had just said was true. Even through all the neglect, arguments, and mistreatment he'd put Geneva through, he knew she still loved him. She'd stuck by his side time and time again. He thought about how she'd left work early last week and rushed home to cook his favorite meal so they could have a romantic dinner. He thought about how she'd repeatedly begged him to spend time with her, only for him to disappoint her by never taking her anywhere or showing her any attention. Yet she'd hung in there, trying to make their marriage work. Not once did she raise her voice, let alone cause a public scene, or worse, become violent toward him.

“Johnny,” Bernard said, breaking him from his thoughts. “Don't lose a good woman behind a cheap thrill. It ain't worth it, man. I've traveled that road and let me tell you, it leads to nowhere.”

Johnny thought about all that Bernard had said, and he agreed with him on everything except telling Geneva the truth. He'd already been lying to her for years, and what she didn't know hadn't hurt her so far, so he planned to keep it that way. With his focus clear, Johnny knew what needed to be done. He finished his drink, then went to the bathroom to clean his wounds and formulate a story that Geneva would believe.

V
ivana lay on the hard hotel floor, stunned and angry about what had just happened. “I can't believe that sonofabitch put his hands on me,” she said angrily. She raised her naked body up from the floor and managed to prop herself atop the bed. She rubbed her side and grimaced in pain. It felt as though she'd broken her hip in the spot where she'd landed. “That muthafucka had the nerve to push me down and then walk out the door,” she seethed. “Nobody messes with me and gets away with it. Nobody!”

Slowly, Vivana rose from the bed and took measured baby steps over to the chair across the room where she'd set her handbag. She reached inside, pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen, and poured four caplets into the palm of her hand. She put them all in her mouth at once, closed her eyes, and swallowed little by little until each pill slid down her throat. “These things better start working soon,” she said. In addition to her hip feeling like she needed a replacement, her head was pounding like thunder. She walked over to where the wine was chilling in the ice bucket and turned the bottle up to her mouth for a long swallow.

Knock, knock, knock
.

The sound of a fist pounding against the door startled her, then a smile slowly came to her face. “That must be Johnny. He's coming back to apologize like he did last week.” She limped slowly toward the door. “Just a minute, I'm coming.”

Vivana ran her fingers through her hair, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and licked her dry lips to moisten them. “Baby, I know you didn't mean it. I forgive you,” she said as she opened the door.

“Oh, sorry ma'am,” the hotel security guard said, averting his eyes away from Vivana's nakedness. “I'll give you a few minutes to get decent.” He stepped to the side.

Vivana had been so excited that she hadn't realized she was still naked. She thought it was Johnny knocking on the door, in which case her appearance would've been perfect. But instead of feeling embarrassed that the scrawny, freckle-faced security guard had seen her in this state, Vivana became pissed. “You don't have to give me a few minutes for anything. I'm fine,” she said in a huff. “Now what do you want?”

The security guard shielded his eyes away from her and looked down the hall. “Ma'am, you might not be uncomfortable, but I am. Please close the door, get dressed, and open it when you're clothed, because there's a matter I need to discuss with you regarding reports of a disturbance coming from this room.”

Vivana stepped back, closed the door, and slowly walked over to where her linen sundress lay on the floor. She reached down and pulled it over her head, calculating how she was going to explain the screams, cries, and whatever kind of noise the other hotel guests undoubtedly heard that had prompted them to call security. She wanted so badly to tell everyone on the floor to kiss her ass and mind their own business. This was between her and Johnny, and she would handle things herself.

Even though she didn't want to, Vivana knew she needed to adjust her attitude. The reality of her current situation was potentially disastrous. She was a black woman, and the part of town she was in was whiter than snow, and add to that, she'd just been involved in a domestic disturbance. Vivana forced a smile to her face as she limped back across the room. She cleared her throat and opened the door. “What can I do for you?” she said to the security guard.

The man walked toward Vivana and stopped a few feet shy of her. “Several guests called the front desk about a disturbance coming from this room.”

Vivana smiled. “Oh, there must be a mistake. There's no disturbance here.”

The security guard looked directly into Vivana's wild-looking eyes. “There were reports of loud banging, yelling, screaming, and crying, and they indicated the sounds were coming from this room, ma'am. Some of our guests were walking to their rooms and they said they heard a woman screaming when they passed by this door.”

Vivana stared right back at him. “I don't know what they think they heard or where they think the sounds were coming from, but what I do know is that it wasn't me. I'm the only person in this room, and I haven't been screaming, yelling, crying, or banging anything.”

“When you opened the door you said, ‘I forgive you,' and ‘I know you didn't mean it,'” the security guard reminded her. “Who were you referring to?”

“No one.”

“Ma'am, if someone is trying to harm you . . .”

“I told you I wasn't talking about anyone. I was in the middle of taking a shower before my husband arrives. That's why I, um, opened the door the way I did,” she said, feigning an embarrassed blush. “I'm sorry you had to come up here for nothing.”

Vivana could tell there was no way in hell the man believed her, but she didn't care. The kindergarten cop had no proof, and she knew that he knew it, too. She wanted him to go away so she could regroup, think, and start putting plans into motion to get Johnny back.

“Okay, ma'am, if you say so. But if the hotel gets any more complaints about disturbances coming from this room, we'll have to take further action.”

Vivana closed the door gently instead of slamming it like she wanted to. “I don't have time for these people's bullshit,” she said. “I gotta get out of here.”

She went into the bathroom, turned on the light, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were puffy and red from crying. “Damn, no wonder he gave me the side-eye,” she said, but still didn't care. She reached for the bath cloth near the sink and ran cold water over it before applying it to her face. The damp coolness felt good against her skin. She looked at herself again. “Nothing that a comb and a little Visine can't fix,” she said. Then she thought about Johnny, and knew he hadn't fared as well.

Although Vivana had been pissed to high heaven and had tried to choke him, now that she was calm, she felt bad about what she'd done to Johnny. She remembered how mangled his face looked after she clawed him like a bear, and she knew his jaw must feel even worse because her fist had hit him again during their heated exchange. But he'd called her a crazy bitch, and she couldn't allow him to talk to her that way and get away with it. She wanted to teach him not to ever call her out of her name again. “I think I got my point across,” she said aloud.

Vivana tossed the cloth to the floor and walked back into the room. She stood at the window for a second and looked down at her car below, and again, she thought about Johnny. With each second that passed, more and more regret surged through her. “All I wanted to do was show him how much I love him,” she whispered. “That's why I want us to get away from everything, just the two of us. A romantic getaway is exactly what we need.”

Vivana shook her head as she thought about the look that had come over Johnny's face when she showed him the picture of the resort she wanted them to visit. While doing Internet research on him a few months ago, she'd come across his old wedding announcement. Although she was disappointed that the brief text wasn't accompanied by a photo, she saw that he and his new bride had planned to celebrate their honeymoon in Cancun. After the incident this morning she wanted to see how much she could really trust him, so she decided to test him. She pretended that she wanted to go to Cancun, and she hoped that he would be honest and tell her that he'd been, and that, in fact, it was where he'd spent his honeymoon. But instead he lied.

Vivana couldn't understand why he'd lie about something as simple as a vacation spot he'd visited, especially since it was a thing of the past. But then it came to her that Cancun probably brought back too many bad memories of his wife, so she gave him a pass and was prepared to let the small fib slide. But when he reminded her of their “obligations,” that was when Vivana started seeing red. Then he added insult to injury by calling her out of her name, and that's when she lost it.

“I'm so sorry about what I did,” Vivana whispered aloud, thinking about the beating she'd given Johnny. “I need to make it up to him.”

Vivana reached for her handbag and slipped on her shoes. She walked over to the ice bucket and turned the bottle of wine up to her lips again for another long drink. She took the plastic, hotel-issued laundry bag from the closet and placed the half-empty bottle inside. “I've got to put things back on track,” she said as she walked out the door.

Once she was in her car, Vivana pulled out her smartphone. She logged onto her BrickHouse account and smiled. “Technology, you gotta love it,” she said as her screen lit up, detailing a map with grid-lines and red dots. Earlier today after she'd caught Johnny at the apartment building with a strange woman—she now wished she'd remembered to get the woman's license plate number so she could run a trace to learn her identity—Vivana knew she had to find a more efficient way of keeping an eye on Johnny, so she made a visit to a local tech store and purchased a black cloud GPS tracker. The device allowed her to not only track Johnny's vehicle's movements in real time, it left breadcrumbs, indicated by tiny red dots, that pinpointed the locations where he'd been.

Vivana saw that he'd made a stop on the south side of town, which she knew was where his best friend, Bernard, lived. She figured Johnny needed someone to talk to because he was just as upset and regretful as she was about all that had happened between them today. As Vivana looked at his current location, it showed that he had just arrived at his home. Another smile came to her face. “It makes sense now,” she said with excitement. “Johnny probably stopped by Bernard's to ask him if he can stay with him for a while, and now he's going to tell Geneva that it's over and he wants a divorce. I bet he's getting ready to pack his clothes any minute now.”

Vivana was so happy she forgot about her sore hip and her throbbing headache. All she could think of was the happiness that she and Johnny were going to experience together once they were both free of the dead weight known as their spouses. She reached into the plastic bag and took another long swallow of wine. “Ahhh, now I feel just right.”

With newfound determination Vivana put the key in the ignition of her car, started the engine, and headed home to tell Samuel that she wanted a divorce.