Moments of Clarity (21 page)

She slid her hand all the way down to the bottom and withdrew it. She came up with a short blonde wig cut in the style of a bob. She stared at it and then said to Sexton without smiling, “Ha, ha, ha Sexton, very funny! Your timing for this joke is way off, Buddy! I am not in the mood to be trifled with.” She tossed it to him and it fell on his stomach. “Get rid of this thing before you're the person in trouble with me and not Tiara.”

Sexton lay immobile, his eyes focused on the wig. Then without saying a word he got up and threw it in the wastepaper basket. As Sexton walked back to bed he had a rather peculiar expression on his face.

Interpreting his expression she blurted out, “I said I'll take care of Tiara. Now come on to bed and go to sleep.”

The atmosphere in the room was filled with tension and finally Sexton spoke. “I have an early morning meeting so you'll have time alone to talk to her. Just make sure that you do,” Sexton instructed tersely. Then he turned his back to her and fell asleep.

When she awoke the next morning, true to his word, Sexton's side of the bed was empty.

She walked into the bathroom and took a shower. She had a tension headache so she made the water temperature the hottest that she could stand. Then she turned the knob and blasted herself with cold water in order to close her pores and finish waking up.

Once she had toweled off, she shrugged into a day dress and ventured into the living room to once and for all settle things with Tiara.

Tiara was seated on the couch in Sasha's bathrobe. One of her feet was propped up on the coffee table. Sliding her bleary eyes away from Sasha's, she mumbled, “Good morning.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I have a headache, but it's what I deserve. I'm surprised that I didn't throw up. You know that I can't mix my liquor.”

“If you know that, then why did you?” Sasha asked sharply as she began filling the coffee pot with water.

Tiara shrugged and said defensively, “I don't know. I didn't intend to get schnockered. It just happened.”

“Getting drunk doesn't just happen. There's supposed to be a little voice in your head that turns on at some point in time and warns you to not have another drink.”

“So I got drunk,” she said defensively. Her lips were thrust out and she rubbed her red eyes. She looked like someone Sasha had never seen before. “What's the big deal?”

“The big deal is that your antics are infringing on my life and my relationship with my man.”

“I said I was sorry.” Tiara rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to grow the hell up!”

“You're making mountains out of molehills.”

“You think that what you did wasn't a big deal? Sexton was furious.”

“He doesn't want us to be friends, and he's just using last night as an excuse.”

“Until lately, Sexton has never had a problem with us being friends. Remember, that's how we met.”

“Things have changed.”

“For who?” she asked bluntly.

“Never mind. I'd just like to give you a piece of advice. Calvin and Sexton are very close.” Tiara drawled her next words. “I think you should know that Sexton's not all you crack him up to be. He may have a secret or two that you might be interested in knowing about.”

Sasha slammed her coffee mug down on the counter. “That's enough, Tiara! Anything I want to know about him I will learn from him and not you.”

“Oh, so you can talk about my business, but no one can say anything about yours?” Tiara sneered.

“The difference is that I'm not asking anything from you, Tiara. I don't call you in the middle of the night and drag you out of bed. When you and Peter were together I never made negative remarks about him or interfered in your short-lived make-believe fantasy life.”

Tiara stood, incensed. “You said things about Peter that made me feel that I couldn't take him back.”

“Tiara,” Sasha shouted, “does a house have to fall down on you for you to deal with reality? Peter made it impossible for you to take him back. He did that to you and no one else. Peter,” she stressed his name, “started the divorce proceedings and Peter didn't even try to fight for you. Stop burying your head in the sand!”

“You're a lousy friend!” Tiara declared venomously.

“You're a lousy friend,” Sasha retorted just as venomously. Then she held Tiara's eyes with hers and said with authority, “I am going to expel you from my life. Please leave.”

After Tiara left, Sasha sat on the couch, seething. How dare she try to compare Peter with Sexton? She didn't bother to wipe the tears of anger from her cheeks because she was too emotionally drained to make the effort.

* * *

Instead of immediately leaving the building, Sexton got off on the fifth floor and rapped sharply on Calvin's door.

It was still early in the morning, and when Calvin opened the door Sexton could tell he had still been asleep, but he didn't care. Instead he closely studied Calvin's face and asked, “Calvin, do you know where the key to my place is?”

“Sure, I keep it on my extra set of keys in my apartment.” He reached behind the door and pulled a set of keys off a hook and showed it to him. “They're right here.” Then he looked at him curiously. “Why do you ask?”

Sexton sidestepped his question. “Have you let anyone into my apartment?”

Obviously taken aback by the question, Calvin said, “Of course not. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Sexton answered. “I was just trying to figure something out.”

“What's going on?” He motioned for Sexton to enter his apartment, but Sexton declined with a negative shake of his head.

“Nothing,” he denied. “By the way, your sister's upstairs with Sasha,” he said curtly before he walked off.

Chapter 16

“What do you think?” Sasha was holding up a cobalt blue bubble dress made of silk.

“I like that one,” Sexton replied.

He reached for an emerald green sleeveless sheath with a slit in the front and handed it to her.

Sasha went into the dressing room at BeBe's and tried on the blue dress. Staring at herself from every angle she could, she then ventured out into the store to stand in front of the full-length triple mirrors.

Sexton came to stand behind her and she looked at their reflection. Even though he towered over her, as they stood close, the mirror gave the illusion that they were one person.

Sexton stared at their image and when he spoke his words sounded full of happiness. “Go and try on the green one.”

When she sauntered out of the dressing room in the other dress, Sexton smiled. “We'll take both of them.”

Once they left the store Sasha said as she slid her arm in the crook of his, “Thank you for the dresses, Sexton.” He was carrying them and she smiled her appreciation.

“You can't go on vacation without a new wardrobe, can you?”

“People do it all the time. I know that I have in the past.”

“That was then and this is now. My woman can't be wearing old clothes,” he said teasingly.

She started laughing. “I don't know those people. Anything I have on is new to them.”

He smiled at her joke and grabbed her hand. As they strolled down Fifth Avenue she said, “Let's go into the Guess store. I can't fit into any of my old jeans.”

“Good,” Sexton answered, giving her behind a small squeeze. “That's a sign of healthiness.”

Sasha tried on over a dozen pairs of jeans before she ended up choosing three pairs in varying lengths.

At the counter she pulled out her credit card and Sexton stopped her. “I'm paying for these.”

Sasha protested, “I got this, Sexton.”

“Don't take my fun away from me. I enjoy dressing my woman. The players' wives are supposed to be present at several events. Also, while the team is practicing there's a whole itinerary lined up to keep the ladies occupied. There's so much to do in Vegas you could feasibly vacation a month there and not do it all.”

“The dresses are enough, Sexton,” she replied firmly. “I've been planning to refurbish my wardrobe for some time. I just hadn't gotten around to it,” she said, handing her card to the saleswoman.

“All right, Sasha.” He put his credit card away.

“Anyhow, I'm not your wife. Are you sure that it's okay for me to go to these things?” she looked at him questioningly.

“I've already made arrangements so that your name is on the VIP lists.”

Hours later, Sasha and Sexton were exhausted when they entered his apartment. She sank gratefully into Sexton's sumptuous leather couch and looked over at him sheepishly. “You've been such a good boy all afternoon by not complaining as I dragged you from store to store, dinner's on me. How about me ordering a pizza and wings for dinner?”

“Sounds like a winner to me,” Sexton agreed before he closed his eyes to relax until the food arrived.

* * *

Sasha was locking her desk when her phone rang. She looked at the clock on the wall, hesitated for a minute, then grudgingly picked up the receiver. “This is Sasha Diamond.”

“You must be in love because we never hear from you unless we call you first.”

Sasha grinned when she heard Desiree's voice. “I am most definitely in love, and I was going to call you tonight.”

“Liar,” Dominique piped in.

“No, seriously, I was. I'm going to Vegas in the morning with Sexton.”

“You're not planning on getting married in Sin City, are you?” Dominique sounded aghast at the thought of a Diamond girl getting married without a big church wedding.

“No, I'm not planning on getting married. That's kind of like putting the cart before the horse. I heard that you have to be asked first.”

“I asked Benjamin. He was too much of a chicken and I was tired of waiting for him to ask me,” Dominique replied matter of factly.

“That may have worked for you, but that's not my way. I kind of like the old fashioned ways when it comes to matters of the heart.”

“My Lord, Sasha. All our lives you've been pretending to be a trendsetter and you're really just an old-fashioned girl. I must admit I like the softer side of you which Sexton's brought out.”

“Then why are you going to Vegas?” Desiree interjected as she rejoined the conversation.

“Sexton's been asked to play on the All Star team and I'm going with him. After the game, we're going to hang out and see some shows.”

“That sounds like fun, Sasha. I told you to play with him, but going to Vegas puts new meaning to the words playing with your man.”

“I know,” Sasha said with a wealth of feeling. “I can really use a break.”

“I told you not to become a nurse. You're overworked and underpaid.”

“It's not my job, Dominique,” Sasha denied. “It's Tiara.”

“Problems with her again?” Desiree asked, and now there was a note of suspicion in her voice.

“I thought you got rid of that drama queen?” Dominique said abruptly.

“I thought that I did.” Sasha explained with resignation that she had been drawn back into a relationship with Tiara out of pity.

“I wouldn't be bothered with that much nonsense from a girlfriend.”

“Dominique's right, Sasha. You can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends.”

“Her divorce became final and she called me all down in the mouth so I went to see her. Then she goes to a bar and gets drunk and Sexton and I had to go and get her. He was really mad because she keeps interrupting our lives. Almost every time she calls and ruins the most intimate moments.”

“I smell a dead cat on the line,” Dominique added emphatically.

“What?” Sasha responded.

“You know what that means. Mom uses that expression when something doesn't quite smell right. For example, if your woman is too familiar with your man, or you catch her flirting with him when she doesn't know that she's being observed,” she explained.

Desiree put in her two cents, “Or if she just happens to be in the neighborhood where he works and she's free for lunch.”

Sasha gave a small laugh. “Well, that's not the case with Tiara. She doesn't even like Sexton anymore.”

“Why?” The Diamond sisters spoke in unison and it would have been kind of funny if the conversation weren't so serious.

“I don't know,” Sasha responded slowly.

“That's a clue right there that something's not quite right. If he hasn't given her a reason to dislike him that probably means she's jealous,” Desiree said gently.

“Girl, you better wake up and smell the coffee.” Dominique made a snorting sound through her nose.

Desiree said brusquely, “I think that this girl is just playing on your sympathy with an ulterior motive.”

“So do I!”

“It doesn't matter because I know for a fact that Sexton doesn't respect Tiara, and that's real important to him. Anyhow, I severed the relationship with her for good. So if that's what's going on, problem solved.”

“That's for the best,” Desiree said.

“Make it stick this time,” Dominique ordered.

* * *

“Are you ready to go?” Sexton asked as he stood in the doorway in her loft. He had on a pair of plaid shorts and a green oxford shirt. On his feet were a pair of green jelly Sketchers, and he looked good as he stood and tapped his foot impatiently.

Sasha came to him and stretched up to plant a big, teasing, sloppy kiss on his mouth. When she pulled back his lips were stained a bright red. “You look good enough to eat. I wish I had the time.”

“So do I, but you don't.” Sexton glanced down at his watch and his expression became a little anxious. “Our plane leaves in just under three hours, and even though we're traveling VIP, there are still quite a few checkpoints that we have to make.”

“I'm ready, Daddy!” She smiled at him. “You remind me of him. Whenever we had to travel together as a family, I was on pins and needles because he kept checking on us every five minutes to see if we were ready.”

“Planes wait for no one,” Sexton replied in a brusque voice.

“All I need to do is go back and check to make sure I didn't leave anything.” Just as Sasha turned to give the bedroom one last going over, the telephone rang.

“Don't answer that!” he ordered. But when the caller I.D. identified St. Mary's Hospital she threw him an apologetic look and said, “I have to. It's work, so it probably won't take but a minute. They must need to ask me where a file is or something.”

“Yes, this is Sasha. Oh, my God!” she exclaimed.

Sexton strode down the hallway to where Sasha stood with the telephone receiver in her hand.

He watched her and at her look of horror, Sexton dropped the small overnight case he was holding.

“Is she going to die? When? How bad is it? Did you call her brother? No, of course I understand. Thank you. I'll be there as soon as I can.” Sasha slowly placed the phone on its base.

“What is it? What's wrong?”

“It's Tiara,” Sasha said, staring at Sexton. “She tried to commit suicide.”

“That's terrible. That chick has lost her damn mind.” Sexton shook his head in disbelief.

“She's at the hospital. They don't know whether she's going to make it.” Sasha spoke her words slowly as she tried to process the information. She sat down on the edge of the bed and stared off into space. “I have to go to her. She's asked for me.”

Sexton's mouth was set and his eyes were hard. “We have a plane to catch.”

“I'll catch a later plane. Take my luggage and I'll meet you in Vegas as soon as possible.”

“No.” Sexton's expression was uncompromising. “We've been planning this trip for weeks. It's too late to change our plans.”

Sasha was quiet as she tried to come up with a solution to her dilemma. “Then I'll meet you at the airport. I'll drive to the hospital, look in on her, and be at the airport as soon as I can.”

“Sasha, it's a twenty-five minute drive to the hospital, not including the time it takes to park. Then it's a forty-five minute ride to get to the airport from there.”

Sasha's eyes were filled with tears. “I can't leave without going to see her. She may die and I would never forgive myself.”

“You can't fix her! Especially in half an hour, which is about all the time you would have to spend with her,” Sexton shouted. When tears slid down Sasha's cheeks his expression softened. “Sasha, it's a cry for attention. If you keep feeding into this, in the end you'll only make things worse.”

“They say that she might not make it. She needs me. I'm a nurse, Sexton. I can't leave with a clear conscience knowing what I know.”

“I told you not to answer the damn phone,” he said with a tinge of bitterness.

With his words, Sasha gave him a look filled with trepidation.

He saw that and softened his tone but stated, “Tiara has all the nurses that she needs at the hospital. What she really needs is a damn shrink!”

Sasha nodded her head in agreement with Sexton's statement but she held his eyes with hers, willing him to understand. For a while neither one of them said anything. Sasha could hear the clock ticking in the background.

“Does Calvin know?” he finally asked with a look of gravity on his face.

“They said he couldn't be reached.”

“That's probably because he's already in Vegas helping to set up the emergency sports clinic in case there are any injuries sustained in the game.”

“I'm so sorry, Sexton.”

“You're choosing her over me.” His words were filled with disappointment.

“You know that's not true.” Sasha walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist.

Sexton's body was rigid and he stepped out of the circle of her arms. His brow was furrowed and his teeth were clenched. “If you are not at the airport when the plane leaves, don't come at all.”

“I'll be there,” she promised with confidence. “Take my luggage with you,” she said, snatching her car keys off the nightstand. “I love you, Sexton,” she said as she bolted out the door.

* * *

Sasha stood in the darkened room in the psychiatric wing of the hospital and looked down at Tiara. Her wrist was bandaged and the hospital gown she wore had small drops of dried blood that had soaked through the tape. She sadly shook her head, appalled that things had progressed to such a state.

Reaching down, she kissed Tiara's cheek and grabbed her purse. Softly closing the door, she felt relieved when she spied Anita walking towards her with a chart in her hand.

“Do you know her?” she asked, surprised.

“Yes, she's a good friend of mine. I just can't believe that she tried to commit suicide.”

“She didn't,” Anita responded in a derogatory manner. “She slit her wrists across. If she was serious she would have slit the vein. It was a rather pathetic attempt at suicide if you ask me.” Anita eyed Sasha searchingly. “You're a nurse. You should have known that.”

“Obviously I wasn't given all the details,” Sasha replied.

Anita handed her the chart, “Here, read this. The cuts aren't even deep.”

Sasha quickly scanned the information on the chart and intense anger began to build in the very core of her being. Mutely she handed the chart back to Anita. “Someone called me and said that they didn't know whether or not she would make it.”

“That was false information. She's in no danger of dying from this injury.” She continued with sarcasm, “The only reason the nurses sedated her is because she was so demanding that they needed to calm her down.” Then Anita eyed Sasha speculatively. “Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?”