“What in the heck is going on with you?” I asked then clicked the thermostat on cool.
“Don’t bother,” she said. “My electric was turned off today. The air doesn’t work.”
“How . . . why is your electric turned off? Didn’t you pay your bill?”
Evelyn sat up on the couch and wiped snot from her nose with a tissue. “I didn’t have enough to pay it. I called for an extension, but they wouldn’t give it to me.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
I walked over to the windows to open them. There wasn’t much of a breeze stirring, but it was so stuffy inside that I needed some fresh air. I sat on the couch next to Evelyn, clenching her hand with mine.
“If you needed some money for your electric bill, all you had to do was ask me. Now go get your bill and let me call the electric company to make your payment. They will turn it right back on, won’t they?”
“Probably not until tomorrow. This has to be the worst day of my life. To make a long story short, I also got fired today. My whole world is tumbling down. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong or what I can do to stop all of this crap from happening to me.”
I felt horrible for her. I didn’t understand why she hadn’t told me things were this bad. “Fired? Fired for what? And your world is not tumbling down. Most things can be fixed and you’re just going through a difficult time.”
“I was let go because of coworker complaints. Obviously, the women there don’t like me and they conspired to get me fired.”
I shook my head and silently thanked God for being in a position where I didn’t have to involve myself with some of the crazy people in corporate America. “That’s terrible. But you’ll find another job, so don’t worry. Just go get your electric bill and let’s get this thing paid for.”
Evelyn wiped her nose again and dabbed her watery eyes. She stood up and went to her bedroom. I couldn’t help but notice how shapely she was. And she was slim. Her body didn’t have an ounce of fat on it. I had way more curves than she did, and according to her I was thick.
While she was in the bedroom getting her bill, I went into the kitchen to put up the groceries. I opened the fridge and the only thing inside was a bottle of diet Coke. It was empty as ever. I felt terrible for not realizing how badly my best friend had been suffering. I wish I had gotten her some more groceries, and I made a mental note to come back tomorrow to bring her some more things. I put the fruit and juice in the refrigerator then put the cans of soup in the cabinets. They were pretty bare too, causing me to shake my head even more.
Evelyn came back into the living room and sat on the couch. I poured her a glass of orange juice, but when I looked in the trash can to throw the bag away, I noticed a pregnancy test inside. I blinked several times, looking at the positive sign that was clearly visible. A smile washed across my face as I carried the orange juice over to her.
“What are you smiling for?” she said in a soft tone. She took the glass from my hand and gave me her electric bill.
“I’m smiling because I see somebody is about to be a mommy.” My voice screeched and I reached over to give Evelyn a hug. “Why didn’t you tell me? Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re pregnant! How could you consider this the worst day of your life, after finding out you’re pregnant?”
Evelyn didn’t appear as excited as I was. She slowly nodded and gazed at the trash can in the kitchen. “I—I just took the test today. I wanted to wait until the doctor confirmed it, before I said anything.”
“Those tests are pretty accurate. I—I don’t know what else to say, other than I’m so happy for you.”
Evelyn shrugged and sort of rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry if I’m not as excited about this as you are, but this is a bad time for me. A child is not what I want to bring into this mess I have going on right now.”
I reached for her hands again, holding them with mine. “Listen, I know you’re going through a lot, but this will all work itself out. That child is a blessing to you and don’t you ever forget that. I’ll help you get back on your feet, but you have to promise me that you’ll get back to work and get out of this slump you’re in. I hate seeing you like this. It pains me that you didn’t share with me what has been going on with you. Why didn’t you tell me you needed help?”
Evelyn removed her hands from mine and plopped back on the couch. She massaged her forehead and closed her eyes. “Because, I get tired of coming to you for every single thing. You already have a full plate and I knew Trina had just hit you up for some cash. I suspect that Cedric doesn’t know about all this money exchanging hands, and isn’t he going to be upset with you for giving us his money?”
“At the end of the day, his money is my money too. He never questions what I do with it because he knows that I’m responsible. It’s not like I’m out here blowing a lot of money. I’m very careful about how much I spend. You know how I used to run to the malls every day and do all that crazy stuff that rich women do? I don’t go out like that anymore, because material things don’t bring about the happiness my heart desires. Seeing my best friends on their feet and doing well makes me feel good. Knowing that my son’s college is paid for delights me, and having a husband who I can trust is what’s important. Now tell me, my dear, longtime, beautiful friend, how far in debt are you?”
Evelyn bit into her nails and widened her eyes as she looked at me. “I’m too embarrassed to say.”
“Tell me. Now!”
“Almost two-hundred thousand dollars in debt, but that includes student loan money that I have yet to start paying on. Minus that and the interest money, about a hundred thousand in debt.”
I put my hand on my hip. “With no mortgage, you should know better. But here’s what I’m going to do.”
I told Evelyn that I would give her twenty-five-thousand dollars for the next four months to help her. She agreed to call the student loan provider to make arrangements on her bill. She also agreed to find another job, and I offered to help with lawyer fees because the situation on her job sounded fishy. By the time I got ready to leave, she was all smiles. She appeared better and she seemed more upbeat about the baby.
“So what does Marc have to say?” I asked. “He is the father, isn’t he?”
“He—he seems excited. I just told him today and he said that he hoped it would be a boy. I’m hoping for one too.”
“Either one will suit me just fine. I can’t believe I’m going to be an auntie, and with all that’s been going on today, it’s finally good to hear some exciting news. I got into a heated argument with Jacoby earlier, so I need to get out of here to see if he’s made it home, okay?”
“Go handle your business. Thank you so much for everything, Kayla. I appreciate you more than you will ever know.”
We hugged right at the door and then I left. I walked slowly to the elevator while punching Jacoby’s number into my phone. It was almost seven o’clock. I wondered if he had made it home. He didn’t answer his phone so I left a message, telling him to call me back. I was still looking down when the elevator opened. But when I looked up, Cedric was standing there with his hand in one pocket and his suit jacket was tossed over his shoulder. His stare was without a blink. So was mine.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned.
Cedric cleared his throat and swallowed. “I . . . uh . . . called Evelyn looking for you. She told me you were here. She didn’t tell you?”
“No, she didn’t.”
“I’m not sure why, but after our conversation earlier, I came here to make sure you were okay.”
I sighed from relief and smiled. “I’m fine. I feel a whole lot better, so let’s go home.”
I put my arms around Cedric’s waist and rested my head against his chest. I asked how he’d gotten upstairs and he said he got on the elevator with a man who had a swipe card. The elevator took us back to the parking garage where we got in our cars and headed for home. I was glad to see Jacoby’s car in the driveway, but when we went inside and Cedri
c tried to talk to him, Jacoby didn’t want to hear it. He went into his bedroom and shut the door.
“I’m done,” Cedric said, removing his clothes. “His ass will have to make the next move. I’ve had it with his disrespect.”
“Don’t give up on him just yet. He’s going through a lot and we can’t expect for this situation to change overnight.”
“See what I mean?” Cedric went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. “You’re always making excuses and taking up for him. I wish you would just say he’s wrong and stop trying to sugarcoat shit.”
“I admit it, okay. He’s wrong. That’s what our talk was about earlier. I told Jacoby to stop being so bitter and to put forth some effort to work this out with you.”
Cedric didn’t say anything. I watched as he lathered his body with soap, and it was one sexy sight to see water running from his body to the drain. I removed my clothes and stepped into the shower with him. We faced each other. The silence was broken when Cedric gripped my ass and inched me closer to him.
“I do love you, you know,” he said. “In the midst of everything that is going on, you’re still my wife and I appreciate you for being there for me.”
“I love you too, and I certainly do my best to please you.”
Our tongues danced through the falling water that ran from the showerhead and drenched us both. Cedric lifted and positioned me for more action against the wall. I held on to his neck and rubbed the back of his waves. During my orgasm, I dropped my head back as he sucked my chocolate nipples, trying to arouse me even more. Wanting to please him too, I released my legs from his waist and squatted in front of him. He pulled on my braids and pumped his steel deep down my throat. I massaged the muscles in his ass, and when they tightened, he pulled out of my mouth and resumed in my pussy where I needed to feel him the most.
Around midnight, Cedric and I were cuddling in bed. We had just finished another long, lovemaking session and were on our way to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Evelyn. I wondered if she had called Trina to tell her about the baby. I decided to check with Evelyn first, before I ran off at the mouth and said anything to Trina. I did, however, feel as though it wouldn’t hurt anything if I mentioned it to Cedric.
“Guess what?” I said while rubbing the sparse, smooth hair on his chest.
“I know. You love me, right?”
I laughed and so did he. “Yeah, I do. A whole lot, but that’s not what I was about to tell you. I was going to tell you that Evelyn is pregnant. I found out today and I’m so happy for her. You know she’s always had a difficult time getting pregnant, and this is a huge surprise to all of us.”
For a few seconds, Cedric didn’t respond. I felt his body get real tense, so I looked up at him. A blank expression covered his face and I got no reaction from him.
“Did you hear what I said?” I asked.
“No, I—I didn’t. What did you say?”
“I said that Evelyn is pregnant. What were you thinking about since you didn’t hear me?”
“I was thinking about some stuff with Jacoby, that’s all. I didn’t mean to ignore you, but . . . uh . . . I guess that’s good news. You know how wild she is. I assume she probably doesn’t even know who the father is.”
I frowned and playfully pushed Cedric’s chest. “That’s not nice. You seem to dislike my friends and you never have anything nice to say about them. Evelyn is not like that anymore and she has settled down a whole lot. Marc is the father, and from what she told me he’s pretty excited about the baby.”
“Yeah, well, good for them. Now, turn out the light on your side. It’s already late and I need to get some sleep.”
I reached over to the lamp to turn it off. I was ready for some more action, but Cedric had turned on his side to face the wall. He pulled the cover over him, and a few minutes later he was out. As for me, I couldn’t sleep. I had too much on my mind, including my doctor’s appointment tomorrow that was only a checkup.
Chapter Ten
Kayla
I hated going to the doctor’s office, because no matter what I came here to do they were always busy. And then when they called my name to go back into one of the rooms, I still had to wait at least another thirty minutes to an hour to be seen. My doctor, Kenneth Woodrow, was a doctor I’d had for quite some time. And no matter how crowded his office was, I was comfortable with him and didn’t want to switch doctors. The plus side was he was a fine black doctor who I trusted. I waited for him to come into the room, and sat on the examination table while paging through a magazine. The nurse had already taken a sample of my urine and she had drawn blood as well. I had on one of those ridiculous wrinkled gowns with an opening in the back.
I heard a knock on the door and Dr. Woodrow entered. Normally, he would be grinning from ear to ear, but I guess today was a hectic day for him.
“Hello, Kayla,” he said, closing the door behind him. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel great. Just here for my regular checkup. I wanted to make sure everything is good with me.”
Dr. Woodrow sucked his teeth and opened my folder to look at it. He nodded and scanned his eyes down the papers inside. He licked his lips then his brows shot up.
“It’s that bad, huh?” I teased.
He finally smiled. “No, no. Not bad, but certainly not good, either.”
My heart fell way below my stomach because I had no clue what he meant by that. “Not good? What’s going on?”
Dr. Woodrow pulled up a stool and sat in front of me. “You know I don’t like to get into your personal matters, but we’ve known each other for a long time. How has your marriage been doing?”
“It’s been . . . been okay. I mean, Cedric and I have had some issues, but nothing that can’t be worked out. Why are you asking—”
“Any issues with infidelity?”
I was straightforward with Dr. Woodrow and was a little irritated as well. “No. Not at all.”
He scratched his head and glared at me. “You have chlamydia, Kayla. I suggest that you and your husband use condoms from now own because you don’t want to open yourselves up to anything else.”
My brows shot up; I was speechless. I had an out-of-body experience and I wasn’t quite sure I had heard what he’d said. Chlamydia was something that young people—teenagers—got. Not a grown woman like me who was married and had been so for many, many years.
“Look, Dr. Woodrow, there has to be some kind of a mistake. Maybe my urine test got mixed in with someone else. I’m going to need for you to go back out there and clear this mess up.”
“I understand that you don’t want to accept this, but it’s apparent that someone in the marriage has been unfaithful.”
Hearing his comment made my blood boil. I knew darn well that it wasn’t me and I suspected that it wasn’t Cedric.
“No, you don’t understand that we don’t get down like that. Please go find out what the hell is going on and correct this mess, now!”
Dr. Woodrow stood up. He left the room and I hopped down from the examination table to put my clothes back on. If the organization in his office was this screwed up then I was going to have to find me another doctor. How dare he come in here feeding me this crap about having chlamydia? I was seriously considering a lawsuit against him for getting it wrong.
Once I put my clothes back on, I paced the floor and waited for Dr. Woodrow to return. My thoughts were all over the place. The what-if’s started to kick in. My heart was already racing and when Dr. Woodrow came back into the room the same gloomy look was on his face.
“I wish I was wrong about this, Kayla, but I’m not.” He handed me a piece of paper that showed the results to my test. He started to point out why he was correct, but I snatched the paper from his hand.
“This is such bullshit,” I said as tears rushed to the brim of my eyes. “I don’t believe this. Cedric would never—” I couldn’t even finish my sentence because my gut had already told me what the hell was up. Jacoby had told me
too, but I chose to accept what Cedric said as if his word was above all.
“I would like to give you a full examination, just to make sure everything else is okay with you,” Dr. Woodrow said. “I want to check for herpes—”
I was so embarrassed that I ran out of the room in tears. Everybody was looking at me and questioning if everything was okay. I was numb all over. By the time I reached my car, I was a wreck. I felt like Dr. Woodrow had just told me I’d had cancer. The pain I felt from Cedric’s betrayal was unbearable. I couldn’t wait to confront him with this, and instead of waiting until he got home, I drove straight to his office. I didn’t bother to clear up the smudged mascara that was running from my eyes, nor did I bother to straighten my clothes. My lips trembled as I stood at the receptionist’s desk, asking where I could find my husband.
“He—he’s in a meeting right now,” the receptionist said with caution. “I’m sure he’ll be done shortly, so why don’t you have a seat and I’ll tell him you’re here.”
“Don’t bother.”
I stormed off to the boardroom that was at the end of the hallway. The door was closed, but when I swung it open, Cedric sat at a shiny, mahogany wooden table with at least a dozen other executives in business suits. Many of them were chuckling until the door flew open and they saw me standing there, distraught. Shock covered their faces. The room was now so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Cedric shot up from the chair like a rocket, but by the time he could make it around the table I took off my shoe and flung it across the room, hitting him in the head. I then charged into the room with tightened fists. I swung out wildly at him and pounded his body with my fists so hard that he had to crouch down in the chair.
“You dirty, nasty-dick motherfucker! How dare you do this shit to me! How dare you give me a goddamn disease from one of your trifling whores!”
I didn’t care about putting our business out there. I wanted Cedric to feel my pain and embarrassment too. My arms got tired from swinging, so I picked up the leather binder on the table and smacked him with it. Papers scattered everywhere and so did some of the men who were in the room.
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