“Don't look so worried,” she said. “I hope you're in the mood for breakfast, because I made enough for everyone. I thought Jacoby and his girlfriend wanted something to eat too. Unfortunately, they didn't.”
“All I want is some orange juice and something light, like a bagel. No cream cheese, because my stomach is upset.”
Cynthia stopped what she was doing to pour me a glass of orange juice. She got me a bagel from the fridge and brought everything over to the table.
“Tell me something.” I looked at Cynthia and thanked her. “How often does Adrianne spend the night? She's not over here during the week, is she?”
Cynthia hesitated to speak. I figured that she didn't want to get Jacoby in trouble, but with her not saying anything, I suspected that Adrianne had been spending plenty of nights here.
“I really don't want to interfere, Mrs. Thomp . . . Kayla, but the truth is, she has been over here quite often. Jacoby has skipped school a few days, too, and I have seen them in some”âshe cleared her throatâ“questionable positions.”
I figured there was more to it, and I didn't know why I had a feeling that Adrianne was pregnant. Jacoby's behavior alerted me that something was really wrong. “Thank you for telling me that. I'll be sure to add a little something extra on your check. Is there anything else I should know?”
Cynthia pulled back a chair and sat down. She clenched her hands together and rubbed them. “No, not really, other than Cedric is getting better. He's been speaking to several people, including a few women who called to check on him. He's been walking around a lot at night, but during the day he uses his cane. I don't think your friend, Evelyn, has reached out to him again. But I haven't looked at his phone in nearly two days.”
I placed my hand on top of Cynthia's. “Again, thanks for the update. You have my number, so be sure to call me if you think there is something urgent I need to know.”
Cynthia nodded. She told me she had washed my clothes for me and went to the washroom to get them.
I finished my bagel and orange juice then made my way back upstairs with my clothes thrown over my shoulder. When I entered the bedroom, Cedric was now on his laptop, appearing to be occupied.
“Thanks for your assistance last night,” I said. “I apologize for throwing up on you. By the way I feel there will be no more drinking for me.”
“I doubt that, but if that's how you want to cope with your pain, do whatever you wish.”
I ignored Cedric's comment and went into the bathroom to change clothes. I used his wave brush to brush my hair then slipped into my heels, which I saw thrown in the corner. Unfortunately for me, one of the heels was broken.
I held the shoe in my hand and went back into the bedroom. “What happened to my heel?” I asked.
Cedric looked up and shrugged. “That probably happened when you were turning in circles, trying to pretend that you were a bird flying. You stumbled, and I do believe that was when you broke your shoe.”
“I think you're exaggerating about some things. Why would I be turning in circles, trying to fly around like a bird?”
“Because you were celebrating. Celebrating this.”
Cedric removed a piece of paper from the nightstand and reached out to give it to me. It was the last page of the dissolution of marriage agreement. My signature was poorly scribbled on the line.
“I didn't sign this,” I said, handing the paper back to him.
“Yes, you did.”
“It doesn't look like my signature.”
“But it is. I saw you do it and you used this pen right here.” Cedric lifted the pen and showed it to me. “Now, my question to you is if you were serious about it. Are we going to move forward with this divorce?”
“You're asking me as if I have a choice. You're the one who presented me with those papers, so I assume that you still want this to go as planned. Or have things changed?”
Cedric licked his lips then scratched his head. He rubbed the scruffy hair on his chin then shifted his eyes back to me again. “A lot has changed. I don't want the divorce, but I totally understand if you do. So, yes, I'll let you decide what to do. However you want this to pan out, I'll roll with it.”
Honestly, I was stunned. It was funny what being so close to death could do to a person. Cedric had a big change of heart.
“Why would you let me decide, especially since you confessed to not loving me anymore? You couldn't stay married to a woman you didn't love; and what about your baby on the way? You know darn well how I feel about that, and we would have a very difficult time, trying to get that to work.”
“Yes, we would, but I have a feeling that we would manage. We've been through a lot, Kayla, and I think it may be safe to say that our bad days are finally behind us. As for me not loving you anymore, you know I said that shit to upset you. The truth is, I do still love you. Very much. And I have a feeling that you still love me too.”
See, I knew this would happen. Cedric was a master manipulator. He was saying anything right now to get me back on his team. Unfortunately, I felt it working.
I bit my nail and swallowed the lump in my throat. “I've been tricked before, Cedric. And I doubt that a bullet to your chest is going to change anything. You still have a baby to deal with, other women at your beck and call, and Lord knows what else. I don't want to keep going down this road. For you toâ”
“I'm a changed man. I don't even believe that Evelyn's baby is mine, and there are no more women. The majority of them all scattered when they thought I was dead. The only person who has been here for me is you. While you haven't been at my beck and call, I know you've been here almost every day to check on me. That means a lot, Kayla, and I'm telling you right now that I want my family back.”
This time, I nibbled on my bottom lip. I took another deep breath and narrowed my eyes to look at Cedric. “All we're going to do is argue. You're going to continue disrespecting me andâ”
“I only argue and disrespect those who disrespect me. I went there with you because you did the same with me. Like I said, all of that is now in the past. Allow us a new beginning, and if there are some things that you need to get off your chest, do it now. Curse me the fuck out, if it makes you feel good. Slap me, hit me, beat the hell out of me if it helps. Let's get it all over with. Whatever you dish out, I'll take it like a man who wronged his wife. I'm not going to say much more, but once again, the ball is in your court. Take at least another week to think about this, and then let me know. I'm not going anywhere, and as you already know, I'll be right here, waiting.”
I stood speechless. I couldn't even look at Cedric much longer, because I didn't want him to sense what I was thinking. A huge part of me wanted to reconcile, but then there was something inside telling me to run like hell. Then, of course, there was this little thing with Evelyn. How I wished I could go tell her that Cedric and I would be together forever. That we survived this setback, and that our marriage was going strong. I wanted to send a message to all of his mistresses, letting them know that they could not tear apart what God had put together. This was my husband, and no matter what, I would be keeping my status. And that included the money. I wouldn't have to start over, and I could kiss that lousy 20 percent good-bye. All of those thoughts swarmed in my head. I was in no position to answer Cedric right now, so I left out of the room without giving him an answer. I told Cynthia good-bye and reminded her to tell Jacoby to call me later. I needed to get him straight again, but not as bad as I needed advice from my BFF. I called Trina to see if we could meet somewhere.
Chapter 8
Trina
I received a call from Evelyn telling me about Kayla showing up at her loft drunk, and then I got a call from Kayla asking if I would meet her for lunch. The one person who I hadn't gotten a phone call from was Keith. I was a little disappointed, too. By now, I thought that he would realize his mistakes and contact me to apologize. I felt as if I had been in the wrong too, and I intended to tell him that, if he called. But the no call meant that he didn't want to reconcile our differences. And if he didn't want to, neither did I.
Kayla wanted to meet at Bar Louie in the Central West End. I arrived a few minutes early, but shortly thereafter, I saw her coming down the street. She looked as if she'd lost a lot of weight. The wide-legged gray pants she wore were hanging on her. Her off-the-shoulder red sweater was pretty, and I loved her short haircut. With her weight disappearing, now she really looked like a runway model. As for me, I sported the usual because I preferred to be comfortable: had on a neon and black sweat suit with Nike tennis shoes. My layered hair was always on point, and my face was makeup free. I didn't get off into all the glam, but both of my best friends did.
Kayla walked into the restaurant and saw me sitting at a table. It had been awhile since we'd seen and or talked to each other. I had to admit that it was like a breath of fresh air to see my friend. I missed her, and by the wide smile on her face, I could tell she missed me too.
She walked up to me and we tightly embraced. Tears welled in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. I didn't like to get all emotional, but there were times when I couldn't hold back. We sat across from each other, and I was the first one to speak up.
“First things first,” I said. “I don't want any apologies from you, and I will not offer an apology either. What's done is done. Let's focus on the positive, and whatever you do, please don't bring up Evelyn.”
Kayla held out her hand and shook mine. “Deal, but you know I gotta talk about Evelyn.”
We laughed and hurried to order our drinks and food.
“I'm glad you called me,” I said. “I'd been thinking about calling you too, but I wanted to give you some space. If you don't mind me asking, how's Cedric doing? I had been talking to Jacoby for a while, but it seems as if he's been busy. I haven't been able to catch up with him lately.”
“Yeah, he's been all right. Busy having sex in Cedric's house since I'm not there. Busy skipping school and spending way too much time with Adrianne.”
“Sounds like the typical teenager, but the sex thing is a bit much.”
“Yes, it is. As for Cedric, he's doing much better. I haven't officially moved back into the house, but I do stop by to check my boys. I hired a nanny to take care of things for me while I'm away.”
“I hope she's not young, sexy, and available. If she was, you know that Cedric would have her in that bedroom and on her back in a minute.”
I laughed, but Kayla found no humor in my comment. She stressed that Cynthia was an older Italian woman who wasn't Cedric's type.
“Forgive me for saying that,” I said, correcting myself. “I was out of line.”
She threw her hand back at me. “Don't worry about it. With his reputation, we all know that anything is possible. But, he has admitted to being a changed man. That's what I want to speak to you about, because I'm so confused. Do you believe people can change? Especially men who have the kind of reputation you mentioned? I don't know what I should do about my marriage. Sometimes I feel as though I want it to work, other days not so much. It's time for me to make a decision.”
For the next hour or so, Kayla spilled her guts to me. She laid everything on the line about her feelings for Cedric, about her reasons for wanting to leave, as well as her reasons for wanting to stay. She even told me about how she wanted to slap Evelyn in the face with the news of her and Cedric possibly staying together, but then I decided to hit her with more news.
“She had an abortion. Got rid of the baby the second she thought Cedric was dead. That was why I told you to mention that to her. While I'm sad that she went that route, I figured that it would make things easier for you and Cedric. I really can't say if the two of y'all should work things out or not. That's a tough call, because you know how I feel about him. I'd be wrong to weigh in, but if I must say, I do believe that people can change.”
Kayla's eyes looked as if they were about to break from the sockets. “She had an abortion? For real?”
“Yes. She told me that she couldn't afford to raise a child without his support.”
Kayla shook her head. “What else did I expect from a woman like Evelyn? If she thought Cedric wasn't going to give her a hard time with that child, she was sadly mistaken. He wasn't even sure if the baby was his. If I didn't see the pregnancy test for myself, I wouldn't have believed her. I don't believe in abortions for any reason at all, but I can't say that I'm not happy about her no longer being pregnant with his child.”
“So, does that change things? Does it make your decision to reconcile with him much easier?”
Kayla sighed. “I don't know. Cedric has hurt me so much. I think it would be almost impossible for us to put all of this behind us and carry on as if none of this ever happened. It would take years of counseling for us to get through this. I don't know if I have the time or energy and I don't believe he does either.”
“Nothing is impossible. I mean, look at us. Our friendship has endured a lot too, but here we are, sitting here conversing and enjoying each other's company. Never say never, Kayla. You just don't know what the outcome will be.”
Kayla agreed with me. The waitress came with more drinks and food, and that was when I started to tell her about my setback with Keith. I wondered if Kayla wouldn't weigh in on my issues with him, since I failed to go there with Cedric.
“I don't want to go there with you, Trina, but what are best friends for, if we can't be honest with each other and speak our mind? So, here it goes. Keith is a very nice man. I'd hate for you to lose him, and maybe, just maybe, you were confused about the condoms. Did you look at the expiration date? They could have been in there for a while. Maybe he forgot about them.”
“If he had forgotten about them, he should have said so. And then to kick me out like that and not call me, you know that was foul.”
“It was, but some men don't like to argue. He doesn't come off as the arguing type, and look at all of the wonderful things about him. Personally, I think you should call him. It was a petty disagreement that should have never gone this far.”
“Evelyn said that I should kick him to the curb. She thinks that he's been lying to me, and to be honest, I'm not so sure about him and his ex. He had some deep feeling for her. I don't think he's quite over her yet.”
“Well, Evelyn said that Cedric has the biggest penis ever and she lied. She said that he was in love with her, and she lied about that too. I wouldn't take any advice from Evelyn. As for Keith's ex, what would make you think he's not over her?”
I bit into a honey-glazed chicken wing and shrugged. “I'm not sure. I just know that he really cared a lot about her.”
“So, in other words, you're fishing. Trying to find anything that you can to justify why you're acting this way toward him. All I can say, Trina, is that if you love him, and I know you do, don't let him get away. In my heart, I seriously feel as if he is the one for you. There is something about him that is intriguing to me. Don't blow it by listening to Evelyn. Her advice isn't worth two cents.”
I kept trying to talk myself out of calling Keith or going to see him, but Kayla insisted that I do something fast. I took her advice, and after we ended our long conversation over dinner, she went her way and I went mine. We made plans to get together again, over the weekend.
Since Keith's house was only fifteen minutes away, I drove to it. I started to call and let him know that I was coming over, but I decided against it. Instead, I made my way to the front door and rang the doorbell. Several lights were on inside, and I heard a bunch of laughter. I then saw Keith step out from the living room with a happy-go-lucky smile on his face. When he saw me, his face fell flat. He opened the door, and that was when I could hear several people talking and music playing.
“I guess I came at a bad time,” I said. “Maybe I should've called.”
“It would have been nice, but since you're here, feel free to come in.”
Since he'd said it like that, I started not to. But just to be nosy, I stepped inside and followed him into the living room. To my surprise, Bryson was there, two other friends of Keith, Jerry and Lance, and Evelyn. She sat close to Bryson with a drink in her hand. It looked as if they were playing cards, and according to Lance, they had a good game going.
“Why don't you join us?” Lance said to me. “Your man needs all the help he can get.”
“Tell me about it,” Evelyn said, laughing. “And hello, my dear friend. Had I known you were coming over, we could have ridden together.”
Seriously? I couldn't believe this trick. Now, I had spoken to Evelyn several times this week and earlier today. Not once did she mention that she was coming over here, or that she and Bryson had hooked up. It was apparent that they had; otherwise, she wouldn't have been damn near sitting on his lap. It also pissed me off that Keith hadn't said anything to me about her coming over here either. I knew they didn't expect me to just grab a seat and pretend that everything was cool. I wasn't sure who was going to catch hell first. Then again, yes, I was.
“Evelyn, can I speak to you for a minute in the kitchen?”
She uncrossed her legs and rubbed her finger along the side of Bryson's face. “I'll be right back,” she said. “Don't let them win, please. If you do, I'm going to cancel those plans we talked about earlier.”
The men laughed and all eyes were on Evelyn as she paraded away in her mini-dress, which barely covered her ass. All eyes except for Keith's, who looked in another directionâonly because I was there. I stormed into the kitchen with Evelyn in tow. As soon as we entered, I swung around and let her have it.
“Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?” I asked.
As expected, she played clueless. “Wha . . . what do you mean? I'm playing cards. That's what I'm doing.”
“Playing cards inside of my man's house without telling me that you were coming over here? How many times have you been here without me knowing it?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes and caught an attitude with me. “Several times, but does it matter? I don't have to tell you everywhere I go. Like, where do they do that at? Stop being so freaking jealous and calm the hell down.”
“Jealous? Uh, no. And hell yes, it matters, because I don't appreciate you being here while I'm not. This is real tacky on your part, Evelyn, and it makes no sense for you to keep running over here, even if it is to meet up with Bryson. He has a place and so do you.”
“Yeah, we do, but Keith has the best place of all. You know that for yourself. That's why you're always over here. But I guess you're going to knock his brother for wanting to be over here too. How ridiculous is that?”
“Not ridiculous at all, especially when I smell a motive.”
“Yeah, well, I smell something too, but it's not coming from me. It's a bunch of bullshit, coming from you. As a reminder, you were the one who called it quits with Keith. I happen to be trying to make a connection with Bryson, and he is the one who decided to come over here. I'm sorry if my little visit has rubbed you the wrong way, but for the last time, get a grip, please.”
I wanted to punch Evelyn in her mouth, so she'd never be able to speak again. We continued to go at it, and as we got louder, Keith came into the kitchen.
“What's going on in here?” he asked with a twisted face.
Evelyn threw her hands up in the air. “Honestly, I do not know. Your ex-girlfriend is acting like she going through menopause. Otherwise, I can't explain this bizarre behavior of hers.”
“You know damn well what my problem is, so don't stand there and play innocent. Like I said, I don't appreciate you being over here, and the fact that you don't even have any panties on concerns me.”
Evelyn's mouth grew wide. “Whether I have on panties or not, that shouldn't concern you at all. You act like you want a piece of my pussy for yourself, but unfortunately, I have it reserved for Bryson. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to the card game. That's unless Keith prefers that I leave, and he hasn't said anything of that nature to me yet.”
Evelyn looked at Keith and so did I. But before I gave him a chance to respond, I had to reply to Evelyn's comment. “Tramp, I wouldn't dare tamper with a pussy as used up as yours. Bryson can have it. I'm sure it won't be long before he throws it back into the water and searches for something more refreshing.” I turned to Keith. “With that being said, we need some privacy tonight. Do you mind asking everyone to leave?”
Unfortunately, Keith wasn't having it. He moved his head from side to side. “If you want privacy, we can go upstairs. I'm not asking my guests to leave, and I would like for you to take your tone down a notch and stop all this cussing.”
A smirk washed across Evelyn's face. She turned around and marched her prissy ass out of the kitchen. My feelings were bruised, and my anger was now directed toward Keith.
“I am shocked. I seriously thought you cared about me. Obviously not.”