Changing Faces

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  “Taylor, I’m sorry to bother you at home, but I just need to ask you a quick question.” Strangely enough, it was Skyler, and I couldn’t believe he was calling me personally and hadn’t asked his secretary to.

  “Okay,” I said.

  “You remember that malpractice case you tried with Jim and Morgan last year? The one where the woman’s daughter died because the emergency room physician misdiagnosed her?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, we’ve got a similar situation again. Except this time we’re dealing with a man’s wife who died because the hospital told her she wasn’t having a heart attack. But when they sent her home, she died an hour later from exactly that.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  “It is, and while I know you’re going to be out for a couple of weeks or so, I wanted to ask you now if we can conference you in on our initial meetings. And if you will, I want you to second-chair this with me.”

  This was definitely a first, and I was stunned to say the least. Skyler was, in a very roundabout way, acknowledging my expertise.

  “You know I love huge cases like this, but I guess I’m not sure why you’re asking me.”

  “I’m asking because right after the husband left here yesterday, Jim immediately thought about all the research you did last year and the way you closed at the other trial.”

  “I don’t doubt that Jim feels that way, but if this is mainly going to be your case, I guess I’m surprised that you would even want me involved with it. I mean, have you forgotten that you can’t stand the sight of me?”

  “That’s just not true. And ever since I heard about you needing to have surgery, I’ve wanted to come and talk to you. I know you won’t believe me but I’m sorry for always pestering you the way I have.”

  “Skyler, please. If you want me to help you with the case, then I will, but you don’t have to exaggerate.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Okay, look. You and I both know that people don’t change overnight, and this is definitely an overnight situation because just yesterday you were ragging on me for no reason.”

  “But after you left in the afternoon, I overheard your secretary telling mine that you have a tumor and you might not be able to have any children.”

  “And?” I was fuming because I wished people would mind their own business and that the clerical staff would stop gossiping so much.

  Skyler didn’t say anything.

  “And?” I repeated, and I wasn’t cordial about it.

  “My mother had uterine cancer and she died when I was ten years old.”

  Now I felt bad because of how nasty my attitude had been.

  “I’m really sorry to hear that,” I said. “I didn’t know.”

  “You didn’t know because I never talk about it. Still, when I hear about any woman going through the same thing, my heart goes out to her.”

  “Well, I appreciate that, but the doctor doesn’t know if I have cancer or not. He won’t find out until he goes in.”

  “That’s good to hear and I’ll keep hoping for the best.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And Taylor there’s something else I need to say.”

  “Wow. I’m almost afraid to hear it.”

  He laughed in a cheerful way and that shocked me even more.

  “I can imagine,” he said. “But what I want you to know is that things are going to be different when you come back. I promise I won’t criticize you or your work ever again.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because it’s not necessary. I only did it because you really are good at what you do and I didn’t want to accept that. I didn’t want to accept that you’ve won certain cases I’m not sure I would have been successful with.”

  “Well, I gotta tell you, I can’t believe what I’m hearing, but I do respect you for saying it. It takes a real man to give a woman that kind of credit. Especially when they’re in the same line of work.”

  “You have no idea,” he said, chuckling. “And when you’re well, I’d like to take you to lunch. You know, sort of as a peace offering.”

  “I can handle that.”

  “Well, I’d better let you go, but please get well soon.”

  “Thanks, Skyler. You have no idea how much that means.”

  “Take care.”

  I hung up and breathed deeply. I knew I’d heard Skyler correctly, but I still needed time to register everything. The man was actually being nice to me and he had apologized for all of our previous run-ins. Not to mention this was all because of what his mother had died from. Although now his news did have me wondering if I would end up just like her. I couldn’t help wondering if maybe Skyler was thinking the same thing and was simply trying to clear his conscience. But I guess I would see soon enough. I would learn what my fate was in a matter of hours and I would just have to deal with it.

  “I think that’s everything,” the admittance representative said when I’d signed the last document. They’d phoned me a couple of days before to preregister me, so most everything was pretty much in order.

  “So, where do we go from here?” I asked.

  “You’re going to head out this door,” she said, pointing. “Down the long corridor to your right, and then you’ll take a left when you see the surgical area. There will be signs that will direct you to the pre-op nursing station.”

  “Thanks,” I said, and my mother and I walked out. When we did, I saw Whitney and Charisse sitting near Cameron and my father. I think I was happier seeing them now than ever before. I was comforted in knowing that everyone who cared about me was there to support me.

  “So, you ready?” Whitney said.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, hugging her. “Thanks for coming.”

  “You know we would never let you go through this without us,” Charisse said, and I embraced her also. Then we followed the directions I had been given, and when we arrived I signed in and a nurse escorted me back to a room. I removed all of my clothing and slipped on one of those backless gowns again, but this time they gave me a robe and light blue ankle socks to cover my feet.

  When I was ready, the nurse informed me that they’d be coming in to check on me and that just before they took me to the OR, Dr. Green and the anesthesiologist would be in to speak with me. When she left everyone came into my room. I’d seen a sign that said there was a limit of two, but at least I could see them all together for a few minutes.

  “You know, Whit,” I said, “you’ve really lost a lot of weight, girl.”

  “We were just complimenting her on that before we came in here,” my mother said.

  “I’ve lost twenty-five pounds and I can actually feel it in all of my clothing.”

  “Well, you look good,” I said.

  “Thanks. I feel good, too.”

  “Didn’t I tell you it would make a difference?” Charisse chimed in, and Whitney and I looked at each other.

  “That you did, Charisse,” Whitney answered, and I knew Whitney was trying to be cordial because of my parents.

  “Next thing you know we won’t be able to see you,” Cameron teased her.

  “I doubt that,” she said, and we all laughed.

  “The hospital is pretty strict about having so many people in the room, so why don’t Whitney and I step out so you can visit with your parents,” Charisse said.

  “Yeah, we’ll come back just before they take you,” Whitney agreed.

  “I’ll come back, too,” Cameron said, kissing me on the forehead, and the three of them left.

  “You’re not scared, are you?” Daddy said.

  “Probably not as scared as you are,” I said, smiling because I could tell how restless he was. I could tell he was worried about his only child.

  “She’s going to be just fine,” my mother added. “God is running all of this so there’s no need to fret about it.”

  “That’s right,” I said, trying to convince my father—and me.

  “Is there anythi
ng we can get for you?” he asked.

  “No, Daddy, I’m fine. Why don’t you sit down and relax.”

  When he did, Mom joined him.

  “Don’t forget that I have copies of my will and power-of-attorney documents in my file cabinet at home and there are also copies at my firm.”

  “I’m glad you have things in order the way you do, but we won’t be needing any of that this weekend,” Mom said.

  “I’m sure you won’t, but just to be on the safe side.”

  We sat and chatted for a while and then Mom suggested that she and Daddy go out so that Cameron could come in.

  “Are you comfortable?” Cameron asked when we were alone.

  “Very.”

  “I’ll be glad when this is over.”

  “Me, too.”

  “But at least we got to see the Prince concert the other night.”

  “I know because after today it’ll be a while before I can go out in crowds like that again,” I said, remembering every lyric Prince had sung. The man definitely still had it and I was glad Cameron had gone out of his way to get good seats, regardless of what he’d had to pay for them.

  “Taylor, I’m really sorry for the way I acted that day you came to my office,” Cameron said without warning. “I had no right speaking to you that way and I should have shown you a lot more compassion.”

  All I could think was how apologetic everyone seemed to be today—specifically Cameron and Skyler. It was amazing the way people treated you when they thought you might die.

  “You’ve already apologized for that more than once,” I said, “and I forgive you. But I still think we have some issues to work out. I want to be married but you don’t, and that’s a major problem for us.”

  “And I’ve tried to explain why.”

  “I realize that, but I’m still not happy about it.”

  “Let’s just get you well first and then we can talk more about this later. What I want is for us to focus on the love we have for each other and not our differences.”

  I looked at him silently.

  We sat there not saying much else and soon the nurse appeared. Shortly after, Dr. Green and the anesthesiologist came in as planned and explained what would happen over the next few hours. When Cameron and I were alone again, my parents, Whitney and Charisse came back in and Mom prayed one final time.

  I closed my eyes and squeezed both her and Daddy’s hand like my life depended on it.

  Chapter 25

  WHITNEY

  AS SOON AS the OR staff person pushed Taylor’s bed down the hallway, Charisse and I decided to get something to eat. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt weren’t hungry, and believe it or not, Cameron had gone back to the office. He’d mentioned something about some meeting he couldn’t miss but his words had sounded sort of bogus. Although, maybe I was just being paranoid because of everything Taylor had shared with me. Still, I didn’t think it was right for him to leave until she was in recovery. It just seemed to me that he would want to know she was all right.

  “So, what are you going to have?” Charisse said as soon as we entered the cafeteria.

  “Not much, so maybe just a ham and cheese omelet.”

  “I am really shocked at you,” she said.

  “Well, you shouldn’t be, because I’m really serious about my weight this time.”

  “I know, but Whitney you know how many times you’ve said that before.”

  “Why do you always do this?” I said, walking past her and picking up a tray and silverware.

  “I’m only trying to keep you on top of things. I know it might seem harsh, but the more I remind you of all the times you’ve failed, the more you’ll want to prove me wrong.”

  No, what I wanted was to put out a contract on her. I wanted someone to silence Charisse once and for all. And for the life of me, I don’t know why I kept tolerating her. Although only a few weeks ago, she’d seemed to have changed. She’d appeared to be a much better person and I’d been happy about that. But now the true monster in her was back and I didn’t like it. I was afraid she was going to make me tell her something I might later regret.

  I told the cook what I wanted and Charisse ordered the same thing, only she added wheat toast and orange juice to hers. Then we paid for our meals and found a table near the window. The day was sort of gloomy and the forecast called for rain, but I was still hoping the sun would shine instead. Days like this sometimes depressed me, and right now I didn’t want to feel that way. I wanted to remain in good spirits for Taylor.

  “No matter how I try to understand this, I just don’t get it,” Charisse started, and I just looked at her.

  I could tell she wanted me to respond to whatever it was she was talking about, but I ignored her.

  “You know what I’m saying?” she continued. “I mean, can you believe Taylor waited all this time before going to the doctor?”

  I ate a forkful of my omelet and scanned the room. There were quite a few people coming in and I wished I could go sit with any one of them. What I wanted was to separate myself from Charisse because the woman was clearly on a mission.

  “Whitney, do you hear me?”

  “I hear you, but what do you want me to say?”

  “I don’t know, maybe that you feel the same as I do.”

  “But the truth is I don’t.”

  “Well, I don’t know how you couldn’t,” she said, drinking some juice.

  “Because unlike you, Charisse, I care about Taylor.”

  “I care about her, too, and that’s why I feel so strongly about this. I’m angry because she could have caught that tumor before it got so big.”

  “Yeah, but what’s done is done and now we have to move on.”

  “You just don’t get it,” she said, buttering her toast. “You really don’t.”

  “Oh, I get it all right. I understand perfectly.”

  “No, I don’t think you do.”

  “You know, it’s not even worth arguing about, so let’s just end this.”

  Charisse glanced away from me and I could tell she was hot. But I didn’t care. As a matter of fact, I was planning to leave her sitting here just as soon as I finished my meal.

  “So, what’s going on with your new man, Rico?” she said.

  “Everything’s fine.”

  “So, is he serious about you?”

  “From what I can tell,” I said, and I was glad I hadn’t introduced him to Charisse. I’d invited Taylor and Cameron over last weekend and the four of us had had dinner and then gone out to a jazz club. I’d purposely not told Charisse about it because I hadn’t wanted to be bothered with her.

  Still, I decided it was time for me to ask her a few questions. “And what about you and Marvin? I mean, is he still not going to church with you?”

  “No,” she said, and I could tell she was irritated. She never liked when the loaded gun aimed in her direction.

  “Well, that’s really strange. Especially since Marvin has always done whatever you instructed him to do.”

  “You make it sound like he can’t even think for himself,” she said.

  And I cracked up laughing.

  “Well, that’s how it always seemed. Because ever since I can remember, you’ve been bossing Marvin like some play toy. And interestingly enough, I’ve never heard him complain about it.”

  She stared at me and I wanted so desperately to tell her what Taylor had told me. That Marvin thought she was unstable and wanted to leave her. But I knew I couldn’t let on that I knew anything and I kept quiet.

  “He never complained because he’s content with our relationship. Marvin knows what it takes to make me happy and he knows how to be a good husband…oh, but I’m sorry, you wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you? Because the truth is you’ve never had one.”

  She was cutting me in two but I tried to hold my peace.

  “I don’t know why I ever became friends with you,” she said, and even though no category of rudeness was beyond Charisse Richardson
, I was still a bit surprised by what I was hearing. I don’t think I’d ever heard her go this far before. But I wouldn’t let her speak to me like this and get away with it. Not when I’d finally stood up to my mother and sister just three weekends ago.

  “And the feeling is mutual, Charisse. Once upon a time I thought you were a good person and a great friend, but I stopped thinking that a long time ago. And to be honest, the only reason I didn’t cut you off is because of Taylor. She’s the one who kept defending you and insisting that I shouldn’t.”

  “Well, Taylor shouldn’t have done me any favors, because I outgrew you right after college. And the only reason I didn’t end our friendship then was because I felt sorry for you.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Yes, sorry, Whitney. You’re a truly pitiful person so I’ve always sympathized with you. I tried to be there for you because I knew no one else would be. That is, with the exception of Taylor, who I’m sure feels sorry for you, too. I mean, what in the world would Taylor and I have to gain by being friends with someone like you? You eat everything you see, you can’t keep a man, and the only reason you have such a good job is because of affirmative action. Because who on earth would choose to put a two-hundred-fifty-pound black woman or any fat woman for that matter in a management position? I mean, it’s not like that can be all that great for business. If anything, someone like you could turn people away just from disgust.”

  “You know what, Charisse, you’re nothing but a two-faced, conniving little hypocrite. Here you run around claiming to be saved, claiming to know Jesus, but yet you’ve hated your own daughter since the day she was born. And don’t get me started on the way you’ve treated Marvin like he was some animal on the street or how your own son is afraid to bring home his friends because he never knows when you might humiliate his father. Just about every parent in our neighborhood knows about that, but you’ve been too stuck on yourself to see it. Although maybe the reason you act like this is because your own mother can’t stand you. She never loved you when we were kids, she doesn’t care anything about you now, and I finally, finally understand why. You’re just not a likable person and I’m sure you deserved every ass-whipping she gave you.”