by Allen, Tess
I picked up the phone and called Drew. It was time we had a long talk. He picked up immediately.
“Rowena. I was trying to give you the space you asked for, but I’m going nuts over here. We need to work this out, baby.”
Yeah, right, I thought. We really do need to work this out!
“Drew, I was calling you for a reason. Something crazy is happening. Out of the blue my bank called my loan. I think something fishy might be going on. Do you know…”
“Called your loan? You’ve got to be kidding? You bank with Connect One, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I’ve already talked to my lawyer about that, what I was calling to find out…”
He laughed. “Forget the lawyer. You’ve got connections – no pun intended – real connections with Connect One Bank, baby.”
“What do you mean?
“Mother was just elected to their board of directors last month. Let me let her know what’s going on so she can get it straightened out. This will be the perfect opportunity for her to make up to you for behaving so badly. I talked to her this morning and she was telling me that she really, really wanted to make up for what happened.”
Oh my God! As the words rolled from his mouth it locked together like a Chinese puzzle. It was Gabrilla Ardmore who had done this to me, and she’d gotten help from the one person who could possibly give her a little ammunition, my accountant Sandra. And it was me, when I stopped by and told Sandra yesterday that I was on my way to lunch with Drew and Gabrilla, who had set this all in motion. No doubt Sandra had called Gabrilla to check the validity of what I’d told her; that Drew and I were engaged, and Gabrilla had expressed her deep disapproval, especially after the episode in the restaurant, and they had hatched their plan from there.
“Drew, do you know Sandra Durante?”
He grew quiet before he answered. “Steer clear of her, Rowena. She’s bad news. I used to go out with her. It wasn’t a good breakup,” he hesitated before continuing. “Why are you asking?”
“But your mother liked her for you, didn’t she Drew?”
“How do you know that? What’s going on Rowena?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Tell you later – baby.”
Chapter Sixteen
By Friday evening my attorney, Lincoln, wanted me to file criminal charges against both Gabrilla and Sandra; something about collusion and conspiracy as he described it. I’m human. I thought about it. I spent Thursday night going through all my files and papers, tracking back all my interaction with Sandra so that I could provide a paper trail to build a case, but, I decided that I’m not going there. I am not going to drag them into court, drag all of my business or theirs out in the open. It is not worth that to me.
Friday was not the horrible event I had thought it would be. Carolyn buzzed into my office about 4:30, just before the close of the business day, and told me that Delmar Cade at Connect One Bank was calling to let me know the loan had been reinstated. He wanted to speak to me, but I declined. I’m going to take my time returning his call. The next time I speak to him it will probably be to let him know I’m paying off the loan and moving my business elsewhere.
I don’t think Delmar has any idea that I let him personally off the hook though. The marching orders he got to call me just filtered down to him in a memo or something no doubt, but the bank president, Arnold Bates, and the bank’s attorneys and a few of the board members had been behind locked doors all day in conference calls trying to save the bank’s ass and me as a client, trying to make stupid Delmar the scapegoat, not wanting to own up to how they were manipulated by Gabrilla Ardmore and the Ardmore money.
Connect One had no choice but to reinstate my loan once we started to uncover the truth, Lincoln advised me, since there were no grounds to have called it in the first place. I assured Mr. Bates that their having entertained the thought I might be a questionable risk has assured me that they, Connect One, were a questionable financial institute that might require some investigative examination of its own. That was when they quietly offered me a handsome financial settlement, through my attorney, not to make a public issue of this incident.
But, as I told my attorney, my integrity is not for sale. I wanted to refuse it flat out, but Lincoln advised me not to be too hasty in my decisions regarding the bank. He advised me to just demand the loan be reinstated at this time. He wants me to keep the bank worrying. He knows I don’t want their settlement, but he doesn’t think they need to know that yet.
I’m going to have to talk to Drew this weekend. There’s a part of him that’s really a good, good guy, but he’s not my guy and he never will be. He will always be Gabrilla’s son and no other woman’s man. We were so out of sync all along. It seems crazy that it took all of this for me to admit that to myself. I’m wondering if he was a symptom of my other problems or were they a symptom of my problems with him? It’s time for me to know, that’s for sure.
As I was standing in my office saying a silent thank you prayer that Friday didn’t bring the horrors it could have, I began digging on the panoramic view from the 21st floor as I prayed, realizing just how magnificent my life really was. It made me think about something else that I have a feeling might also be magnificent if I opened up to it. I know I probably shouldn’t have done it so soon, but well, I needed to. I called Martin Charleston.
“Martin,” I said when he answered. “I need a friend.”
There had been absolute music in his laughter. “I’m here!” He’d said, and in my heart I knew that was a promise.
There’s only one thing now that I need to do.
Chapter Seventeen
Friday night and the girls are filing in one by one. It’s sister session time at Magic Hands and as usual, the scents, the soft mellow sounds, the colors and soft lights almost immediately take you into another zone. I wasn’t planning on being here tonight. God alone knows where I was thinking about going, thinking about doing. But that was so weak, so selfish to even consider such a thought. How could I have been so traumatized by the incident with Drew and his mother and the threat to my business future that I’d even considered … I couldn’t bring myself to say it, even to myself now. But Friday was looming so bleak, and my life was turning so dark, I didn’t know. I hesitate to even consider what I might have been considering. And to think I’d allowed something as insane as gambling to bring me to that brink.
I’m going to ask my girls for their help, for their support when I tell them about my terrible problem. No use beating around the bush with this any longer. I know they think I’m invincible – the strong one, the wise one. But I’m not. They’ve got to know that I’m not. I let something get in and take hold and it nearly ruined my life.
I glance across the room at Melayne who looks like a million dollars today. The strain that I saw a few days ago in her face is gone – her confidence is back – she’s ready to climb back on top of her world. Funny, I heard her fears in her voice on the phone, but I didn’t realize it was there in her face too until just now when I noticed its absence. She’s full of fizz and vigor tonight. Like me, she’s been conquering her own set of demons.
“If you cut a single strand of my hair, Becca, a single strand, your fanny is mine! You know I don’t let anyone but Ms. Qutie manage my hair.” Melayne wolfs as Becca lifts her heavy raven mane into a beautiful upsweep.
“Will you please just stuff it, Ms. Lady! I’m doing you a favor you talking head…” Becca drops the brush and covers her mouth as we all burst out laughing.
“Talking head? No you didn’t just call Melayne a talking head now did you, Becca?” Alexis chirped.
“Now I know I didn’t call you that! Not as much I hate that phrase. Girl, I can’t wait to see you giving us your two-cents.” Becca quickly apologized through the laughter to Melayne.
We all know why she hates it – know the story behind her political lover whom she’d discovered had another lover when he was outted by a pundit on live TV. That was a couple of years
before her mad affair with her current lover Marcus, but surely the pain of it was at the heart of her continued tendency to chose relationships she didn’t have to believe could ever work.
That’s a part of this bond of sisters we have here. We all know and love each other with all our warts, with all our weaknesses, with all our strengths, and with all our beauty, too. At least that’s the way I think it is, only I’ve never had to share my real weakness, I know they believe I’m unflappable with the exception of my ins and outs with Drew.
“So who are you all bringing to the watch party at my place?” Alexis asks suddenly.
“What watch party? What are you talking about now, Alexis?” I ask as everyone else chimes in.
“Uh oh, what are you up to now, Alexis?” Becca laughs.
“It’s going to be like the premier of the Oscars. I’m even thinking about having a red carpet rolled out in front of my house.” Alexia says, profiling first this way then that in the mirror. “You all owe me you know. You’ll be famous and you will owe it all to me!”
Melayne wags a finger at Alexia, it’s clear she already knows something Becca and I don’t. “Do you have any idea the cost of fame? Have you weighed the good against the bad of this? No more privacy. You can’t leave the house looking like a banshee ever again.”
Alexia picks up a small contain of bubble soap and pulls out its pipe. She blows a bubble and pops it. “There! I pop my own bubbles, thank you. I don’t need any help. You know you’re all just as excited as I am that the reality show was picked up by the network.”
“The reality show? The one you’ve been dreaming about? What? What network? You’re kidding, Alexia!” Becca’s mouth drops.
“Straight up! Got the call today. Rolls out in October.” Alexia pops another bubble. “So get ready. Our lives are all getting ready to change!”
It’s time. I can’t hold it in anymore. It’s my turn.
“Ladies, this has been one hell of a week. I came close to losing everything and you know why?” I started off quietly.
My unexpected tone got their attention immediately. Alexia turned her head to the side, her mouth open slightly. “Rowena, what are you talking about?”
Becca put down her brush and both she and Melayne turn towards me.
“You okay, Ro?” Melayne left her chair and comes towards me.
I shake my head very slowly from side to side. “No, ladies, I’m not. I’ve got a problem – a big problem. I’m a compulsive gambler. I got started gambling on the internet and it’s about to ruin my life!”
There I’ve said it. It’s as if, for a moment, the world stood still. What are they thinking? What are they thinking about me? About me being this weak!
“So that’s what’s been eating at you?” Alexis whispered, rushing to me and throwing an arm around my shoulder. “I’ve known something was going on, just didn’t know what. Thank goodness you’re telling us this, Ro. I’m so relieved you’re telling us what’s been wrong.”
“Girl, I know exactly what you’re going through, and it isn’t a joke. My sister is struggle with the same thing. She has an excellent therapist though, I’ll get her name.” Becca offered quickly.
“We’re here for you.” Melayne said, blowing me a kiss. “Just like you’ve always been there for all of us.”
Oh my God, they’ve come with arms open. They aren’t judging me. It’s okay. Oh, my God, I heard myself thinking. Thank God it’s Friday!
A half hour later as we toasted a glass of champagne, really to grab hold of our futures and take on our worlds, I know it’s time to shake off the dead leaves in my life so new ones can bud. Martin’s sincere smile flittered across my mind again as I lift my glass and take a sip. I laugh silently. There is no telling what is about to bloom.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The View from Suite 2100 is the third romance offering of author Tess Allen. Tess Allen, aka Peggy Eldridge-Love, is an accomplished poet, playwright, screenwriter, short-story author and contributor to a variety of fiction and non-fiction publications .
She suggests that you explore her Love Bites novella, The Jewel Thief (Love Bites) and His Wife’s Diary (Love Bites), and the works of another Love Bites authors, author Shelia Goss, The Kandie Shop and Mrs America.
You can email Tess at [email protected] .
