Separating Riches (14 page)

“You’re not helping, George,” I said desperately.

“Let me finish,” George demanded. “I’ve known Blackie all her life and she has never done anything like this before. I remember that pink-haired girl Chris found her with. She’s from Blackie’s college days. She was wild, uninhibited, and didn’t care who she fucked.”

“And what the hell does that have to do with anything?” Meg asked.

George replied, “Because, Blackie broke it off with her when she tried to extort money from her. Maybe this is some kind of payback?”

“Oh, my, God. I had forgotten about that,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. Tori was a handful, even for me, but I enjoyed her lovemaking. It was, as George said, uninhibited. Tori had several girlfriends, and sometimes I’d get together with a few of them and make out, which was fun, but I preferred Tori to myself. No place was off limits for sex. Which added credence to how I ended up on that pool table.
Oh, shit! No, I wouldn’t be there willingly, no way.

“And how did she do that?” Meg asked.

“She somehow got pictures of me at an um, uh, at a frat party,” I said. I couldn’t believe that I was embarrassed. Before I met Chris, I would have bragged about hosting an orgy party, but now I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud in front of Norma.

“And what happened to the alleged pictures?” Meg asked condescendingly.

I had just begun to win Meg’s respect, and now she hated me again. Even when she proved me innocent, she would still hate me. In a strange way, I respect her for that.

“She threatened to send them to my father, and I laughed at her,” I explained. “Then she threatened to put them on the Internet, and I said to make sure she spelled my name right. Pictures like that, back then, would have made me infamous.”

Meg shook her head. “And now?”

“And now?”
Is that a trick question?
“And now that would never happen because I love Chris and want her to respect me.”

“Again, what happened to those pictures?” Meg repeated.

“I paid off the person who took them,” I replied.

“That’s not exactly the whole story, Blackie. Your father also paid him off with one of your sports cars,” George said.

“Huh?” I asked disbelieving. “That’s the first that I’ve ever heard of it.”

“Really? He never told you that he wanted assurances that those photos wouldn’t surface later, and if the young man could prove all copies had been destroyed, he would set him up in a different college and gave him the choice of one of your cars? He had to sign a legal document stating he would never do anything like that again. As far as we know, he never did.”

“Wow, my father did all that?” I couldn’t believe it. My father ran hot and cold with his good deeds. It was always hard to tell if it was actually a nice gesture or a business deal. “Now I know what happened to my favorite Lamborghini, a gift from my father for my eighteenth birthday. Damn it, I loved that car.”

“Excuse me, can we get back to the fucking problem at hand?” Meg barked.

“Meg, dear.” Norma walked up behind me and leaned into the monitor.

Meg stopped frowning and her face became placid.

“I was at their wedding last week and witnessed their desire to be together,” Norma stated. “Their love is real.”

“They got married and didn’t invite us? Yeah, I’m not surprised by that,” Meg said heatedly.

This was not going well. She was looking for any excuse to hate me. “We didn’t invite you because it was a spur of the moment decision. I’m sure you’ve heard about the Supreme Court ruling by now?”

“Yeah, I heard about it,” Meg confessed. “Okay, I’ll give you that one, but that’s not the problem.”

Norma leaned in again. “The problem is that you refuse to believe Melinda. George has told you that he thinks someone slipped a drug into her drink. Why is that so unbelievable in this day and age?”

You tell her, Norma!

“It’s unbelievable because it’s too convenient, Norma,” Meg responded.

“Meg, right now Chris is at home with her parents,” Norma continued, “thinking the worst of Melinda. Her heart is broken, she’s devastated, and you are the only one who can help her.”

I couldn’t stop them. Norma’s words brought tears bursting from my eyes, and I buried my head in my hands. It was beyond guilt, it was anger, because I was the one who had caused her pain. If only I could see her, touch her, love her, I could mend her broken heart.

“And what if I find that George is wrong?” Meg asked.

I jerked my head up, rubbing the tears away with the back of my hand. “Then I will join the first AA program I can find and spend the rest of my life begging Chris to forgive me,” I proclaimed.

“It’s too late for Alcoholics Anonymous, Blackie,” Meg admonished. “Norma’s right, you broke her heart and I can never forgive you for that.”

I leaned in closed to the camera on the monitor. “Meg, come out here and prove that I’m guilty of adultery. Please. I want you to. I’ll send my private jet to pick you up, and I’ll also pay for anything else you need. But when you find that I’m innocent, and you will, I want you to be the one to tell Chris.”

“All right, Blackie, I accept your challenge, but on one condition,” Meg responded.

“And what is that?” I asked, already knowing what she was going to say. If she couldn’t prove my innocence, she would demand that I divorce Chris. It was a huge risk considering that I couldn’t remember what happened. But my heart assured me that I was innocent.

“If I find you guilty, you will never see Chrissie again,” Meg proclaimed.

“No!” Norma exclaimed. “That’s not fair, Meg. Think of what you’re saying. Even if Melinda was fornicating with that woman or a thousand women, it should be Chris to decide whether to forgive her or not. You are making that decision for Chris, and that isn’t right.”

“That’s all right, Norma,” I said, patting her hand. “If Meg can’t find me innocent, I don’t deserve to be with Chris.” My heart burst into flames as I said those words.
How can I live without her?

Meg nodded. “I’ll catch the first flight out and be there in a few hours. But you should know, I’m going to call Chrissie before I leave and advise her of what we’re doing. And I’m going to tell her I think it’s futile. I think you’re guilty as sin, Blackie.”

Condescending bitch!
“As I said, Meg, you will be the one to tell Chris that I’m not guilty based on your unbiased facts. And I’m sure you’ll understand when I say that I hope you fucking choke on your words when you tell her!”

I clicked off the connection and looked at Norma and George. “What? Too much?”

Facing My Parents — Chris Blackstone-Livingston
and
Felicia Livingston

“Did you get any sleep last night, honey?” my mother asked as soon as I walked into the breakfast nook.

“No, not much,” I replied, slumping into the chair. In fact, I didn’t sleep a wink. I tried but I always ended up in tears, so I spent most of the night pacing. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s already left for work, but he said to tell you that he loves you, and he’s only a phone call away, if you need him.”

“That’s sweet, thanks,” I said, imagining him saying that. I knew he meant it, but I also knew that he would be uncomfortable talking about girl troubles with me.

The butler set a plate stacked with chocolate chip pancakes in front of me with a dish of sweet butter and a creamer cup filled with cinnamon honey syrup. As I smeared the melting butter on the steaming pancakes, he came back with a glass of chocolate milk. My comfort breakfast.

“Are you ready to tell me why you’re here?” Mom asked. “Not that I care, mind you. I love having you around.”

“I know, Mom, and thanks for this,” I said, pointing my fork at the pancakes.

“Did you and Melinda have a fight?” she asked, not letting it go.

“Sort of, I caught her with another woman,” I replied, with tears glinting off of my eyelashes. I thought I had cried it all out last night, as puffy as my eyes were.

“Oh, no. Are you sure? I mean, could it have been something else?”

“Mom, her face was buried between two fat tits. Yes, I’m sure.”

My mother blushed, which I guess is why I said it so bluntly. I wanted her to drop the subject, as naïve as that thinking was.

“So, are you going to tell me about it, or keep it bottled up inside until you hate her?”

“That last option sounds pretty good,” I jested sardonically.

“Really? Well, you’ll need a good divorce lawyer then.”

“Divorce?”
God, no!
“I just married her. I’m not ready to give up on her yet. I love her, I’m just not sure I can trust her anymore.”

“Okay. I understand that you’re angry with her, and deservedly so. And now you understand that you’re willing to fight for her, so what’s your plan?”

I pushed my plate away, too distraught to eat now. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. Damn it, Mother, I just walked in on her and the other woman yesterday. How can I possibly know what to do about that other than cry?”

“Crying is good, for a while, honey. But that only goes so far until you harden your heart, move in here permanently and grow fat on those pancakes.” She inhaled slowly and let it out quickly. “I made a lot of mistakes when you were young. I blame myself for your drinking. It was my duty as your mother to protect you, and I didn’t do it then, but I’m going to from now on. Whatever you decide to do about Melinda, I will support you one hundred percent. I just ask that you are absolutely sure, before you make the second biggest decision of your life.”

“What was my first big decision?” I asked.

“Getting married. Do you remember what Norma said to you on your wedding day? She said that marriage is about love, trust, and understanding. Those were the same vows your father and I exchanged on our wedding day. Did you get caught up in the Supreme Court ruling celebration? Is that why you married Melinda?”

“No. Ever since we proposed to each other I’ve been thinking of our wedding day. I never had a doubt that she was who I wanted, warts and all, both hers and mine.”

“So now I guess it’s time to remove the warts?” Mom asked.

“Maybe not. I spoke with Meg last night. She was flying down to San Francisco to investigate what happen. She said that Melinda thinks someone roofied her, and challenged Meg to find out why and prove her innocent.”

“Does Meg think she’s innocent?”

I shook my head. “Meg would be the last person to believe Melinda’s innocence. She’s always thought that Melinda was a malicious bitch who was just toying with me. She took the challenge to prove that theory.”

“And are you happy or mad about that?”

“I’m happy about it, because regardless of what Meg thinks of Melinda, I know she’ll be professional and get to the bottom of it, presenting the facts whether they’re good or bad.”

“I also believe that. Meg was completely professional when we hired her to look after you, and I don’t believe she will ever stopped looking out for you. At least I hope she doesn’t. But we trusted her and she gave it to us straight. Even though it broke our hearts sometimes, especially when you woke up in that back alley. I cried for a week.”

“Oh, Mom,” I whimpered. “I’m so sorry to have put you through that.” Too many emotions were swirling in my heart. I felt as if I were drowning in a sea of them.

“I know you are, honey. And I’m sorry that I let you get in that shape in the first place. But we found each other again, and I know you and Melinda will, too. Give her a chance to prove her innocence, Chris. Don’t stop trusting her yet, not until Meg tells you what she found.”

“All right, Mom. I’ll make my decision after I hear back from Meg,” I promised.

“Well, if Melinda is innocent, then you won’t have a decision to make, will you?” Mom asked.

I laughed. “No, I guess I won’t, and I won’t be sorry about that either.”

“Well, then, eat your breakfast,” Mom ordered. “You’re going to need your strength for the joyful reunion.”

“From your lips to God’s ears, Mom.”

I had ran home to my mommy because my life was over. But after talking with Meg, who advised me to run as far away from Melinda as possible, even as she told me that Melinda insisted she was innocent of any wrong doing, I had a feeling, like a tiny bud pushing its way up through the ashes of a burnt forest bed, that Melinda was blameless. My mother was right. If I loved and trusted Melinda, I shouldn’t judge her yet, no matter how much it hurt seeing her with that slut.

I Threw a Pity Party and No One Came — Melinda Blackstone-Livingston

Until I met Chris, I knew that my life was missing something, I just didn’t know what. Then, by chance, I stopped for breakfast at a greasy spoon and met the woman of my dreams, and I threw egg white snot at her. It was like when I was a kid and would bully the girl I secretly had a crush on. It didn’t work back then either. Just as then, this beautiful maiden dressed as a waitress wouldn’t give me the time of day, especially after I got her fired. I tried to repent my evil ways, but she wouldn’t let me in. The more she pushed me away, the harder I tried to be her friend. She was poor, with barely a roof over her head, and I was the uppity billionairess who talked in the third person. For the first time in my life, it didn’t matter to me whether she was rich or poor. Finally, she opened the door just a crack and asked if I could give up my money and live with her in squalor. I knew it was true love when I accepted the challenge.