This Time Forever

by Williams, Adrienne

  After her meeting with the decorator, Renee left the office and went to The Skin and Hair Boutique II. This boutique was different from the one located in the city in that it specialized in services for those who opted to maintain their hair without chemicals. It also carried Renee’s skin and hair care line, Beautifully You. When she arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the building phase was indeed nearing completion and that decorating could soon begin. After doing a careful inspection of the face and skin care rooms as well as the salon, Renee was satisfied that everything was running on schedule. She checked her watch. It was now 12:30. She knew that she needed to leave in order to make it to the restaurant on time. She had been so busy during the morning that she did not have time to think or worry herself about seeing Lena today. However, when she got into her car, her stomach felt fluttery. She calmed herself and pulled out into the street. She arrived at Sylvia’s without a minute to spare. She did a quick check of her reflection in the rearview mirror before going into the restaurant. When she arrived, she saw that Lena had already been seated and that Kayla was sitting at the table talking with her. When Lena saw Renee she said “You are as beautiful as ever.” Renee suddenly felt like a shy teenage girl. She gathered herself quickly and said, “Lena, no one is as beautiful as you are.” She truly meant that. Lena’s dark skin was smooth and taut, her eyes and smile were as bright as ever, and her figure was still trim and fit. Her hair, though now mostly gray, was still thick and beautifully curly. “It’s no wonder that you and Elliott have such beautiful children, Renee.” Kayla stood up and smiled at her grandmother and mother. “I am going to check out your new boutique and that dress shop across the street from it. Is it okay if I come back in about an hour?” Renee took a deep breath and told her that would be fine if it was okay with Lena. They all agreed. “Oh, before you go and before I forget, I want to take a picture of you two,” Lena said as she took her camera from her purse. Before she could protest, Lena was already standing there ready to take the picture. She and Kayla smiled for the camera as Lena snapped the picture. Lena then asked one of the waitstaff to take a picture of the three of them. After their photo shoot, Kayla left and Lena and Renee were left to chat. “I’m so glad that you could join me today, Renee. I had the sinking feeling that perhaps you would not be able to on such short notice.” Renee said “I must admit that I was surprised, but pleasantly so, Lena. No need to thank me.” They exchanged a few more pleasantries before ordering salads. Lena finally said, “You know this was such a surprise, albeit a very pleasant surprise for all of us, right.” Renee almost choked on her sip of water at Lena’s bluntness. She had forgotten that when Lena had something to say, she just said it without mincing words. “Yes, I’m sure it was, or is. I don’t have any excuses.” Lena could see that Renee was getting upset and she had not wanted to upset her. “Please tell me what happened. You and Elliott were so close. Ben and I thought you two would marry at some point, but then you left so quickly and without very much explanation.” They sat in silence for a moment and Lena said “I remember you called after you went away. Is this what you wanted to tell Elliott?” Renee took a deep breath. She explained to Lena about how her mother, Maggie, had practically thrown her out when she found out that she was pregnant. She told her that her dad, Dennis and his sister had helped her, that Dennis divorced Maggie and remarried. “She took it very personally, Lena. As if I had done something to purposefully bring her down. She made it all about her.” Lena sat in silence for a while before she spoke again. “Renee, trust me, I do know about how much influence a mother can have over her children. Having heard this now puts things into perspective for me. When Elliott told us about Kayla and Matt, he was a mixed bag of emotions. He was happy to find out he has children, but he feels that you kept them from him without cause.” Renee could barely face Lena. “I know he hates me and I can’t blame him.” “He doesn’t hate you. He’s just going to have to sort through things at his own pace.” Lena asked Renee about her life in New York, her job, and of course Kayla and Matt. Despite its initial awkwardness, their lunch turned out to be very nice. Renee was getting ready to pay the bill when the waitress brought it to the table. Lena took it from her and said, “I’m paying. I invited you to lunch, so please allow me.” Renee did not argue. Shortly afterward, Kayla returned and was excitedly talking about how she couldn’t wait until the new boutique was officially opened and that the new dress shop had very cute clothes but they were very expensive. Lena and Renee hugged, with Lena promising to be in contact with Renee. “Bye, Mom. I’ll be over later this evening to pick up the mango butter if that’s okay with you.” Renee said that it would. When Renee got into her car, she checked her phone for any messages. There was one call from Liza, but she decided to return her call once she got back to the office.

  “You did what?!” Liza asked incredulously as Renee was telling her that she had just returned from having lunch with Elliott’s mother. “Wow, well, tell me about it. Was there a big emotional scene, hair-pulling, or loud voices to be seen or heard? Is it going to be on the 11:00 news?” Renee laughed and said “It was actually very nice to see her again. I actually had planned to make an excuse out of it, but at the last minute decided to see her and I’m glad I did. “ Liza asked “Does Elliott know that you and Lena had lunch today?” “I don’t know. It wouldn’t have made any difference anyway. Once Lena decides she is going to do something, nothing and no one gets in her way.” Renee and Liza talked a bit longer and made plans to have lunch the following week.

  Elliott and Ben had gone out to run some some errands before Lena left with Kayla to have lunch with Renee. However, they had returned before she and Kayla. Prior to leaving, Lena had left a note on the kitchen table stating that Kayla was picking her up and that she was going to have lunch. When Lena and Kayla walked into the house, Ben and Elliott were sitting on the barstools in front of the kitchen counter drinking iced tea. They were pleasantly surprised to see Kayla. “Oh, wow,” Kayla said as she walked into the kitchen, “This house is really nice.” Lena laughed and said, “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.” As they were walking down the foyer and into the first bedroom, Lena grasped Kay’s hand and said, “I must tell you, Kayla, Elliott doesn’t know that I had lunch with Renee today. Please don’t mention it to him. I’m going to talk to him later on this evening.” Kayla shook her head in understanding and said “Yeah, things were pretty intense when we first saw him in Mom’s office.” It was Lena’s turn to nod and say “Perhaps when I talk to him and tell him what happened, it will take away some of the anger.” They finished touring the house with Kayla saying that she hopes she can afford to have a place as nice as this one or her mother’s one day.” Ben slipped his arm around his granddaughter’s waist and said “I’m sure that with your smarts, you will be able to have anything you want.” Elliott smiled at Kayla and said “I’m sure you will have a place even nicer than this one, Kayla.” They set the time for the cookout the following day. As they were walking Kayla to her car, Elliott asked if Matt would be able to make it. “I remember he said he may have to work.” Kayla said “Oh, yeah, I got a text message from him today saying that he was able to get someone to switch days with him.” They said their good-byes and waved as Kayla pulled out of the driveway.

  “You had lunch with Renee? Your note implied that you were spending the day with Kayla.” Lena looked Elliott directly in his blue eyes and said “Don’t try your lawyer talk with me. It won’t work. My note said that Kayla was picking me up for the afternoon. It did not imply that I would spend the entirety of the afternoon with her. Want me to get the note and show it to you?” Elliott did not say anything. He was almost 40 years old, but he knew better than to challenge his parents. By this time Ben was walking into the living room. He sat on the sofa next to Lena and asked her, “How is Renee?” Lena said “She is a beautiful woman, Ben. Remember how pretty she was as a teenager? Well, now she is beautiful, smart and from what I can tell, very successfu
l.” Lena went on to explain to Ben that Renee has her own skin and hair care line, store, and is now opening a boutique that specializes in hair care and skin care. She went into Elliott’s office, went to the computer and pulled up Renee’s website. Ben said “I’m very pleased and relieved that she has done so well. And you’re right, she is beautiful.” Lena said “Oh, silly me. I have a picture of her that we took today at the restaurant.” Lena went into the living room and got her purse and took out the pictures. Ben said “Oh my, she really is a beautiful woman.” This whole conversation between Lena and Ben was going on with Elliott standing silently by. When Lena handed the pictures to Elliott, he glared at her briefly before looking at them. He placed the pictures on the desk, turned, and walked out of the room. Lena started to go after him, but Ben said “Let him have some time to himself, honey. He’ll be okay in a bit.” Lena took a deep breath and decided to follow her husband’s advice. “Okay, I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Ben and Lena went to bed a little early that night, Lena explaining to Ben what had happened with Renee all those years ago.

  Elliott was in bed staring at the television. He was not watching, but staring at it. He didn’t even know what was on. He still couldn’t believe that his mother had gone behind his back to see Renee. Why would she do something like that after what Renee did to him, to them? To Elliott, Lena’s meeting with Renee was pointless. He was really surprised that his mother would request to meet with Renee, but he was even more surprised that Renee agreed to see her. Elliott finally grew weary of the many questions in his mind. He turned off the television and fell asleep.

  When Elliott awoke early the next morning, he went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He then went into his office and turned on his computer. On the desk were the pictures that his mother showed him the previous night. Elliott looked at the three women in the picture. He could not take his eyes off Renee. The navy sheath dress that she wore fit as if it had been made specifically for her, complimenting her figure perfectly. She wore black sling back pumps that gave her a little extra height. Her hair was gathered to one side in a low side bun. As much as he tried, he could not stop staring at her. He had to admit to himself that Renee had grown into a very beautiful woman. He was soon brought back from his own thoughts when he glanced up and saw his mother coming into the office with two cups of hot tea. “Good morning, Elliott. Are you still mad at me?” Lena asked as she sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. Elliott looked at her and said “Not mad, just . . . I don’t know.” Lena said “I wanted to see her because she is the mother of your children, and our grandchildren. I was curious to see her after all these years and I wanted to see if she would say what happened.” Elliott tried to interrupt, “Mom, there is nothing . . .” Lena looked Elliott directly in the eyes and said, “You are going to listen to what I have to tell you.” At that time, Ben was walking in and said to Elliott, “You really need to hear this. Might put things into perspective for you.” Elliott sank back into the chair while Lena explained to him why Renee left the way she did. That Maggie had wanted Renee to terminate her pregnancy, and when she refused, Maggie told her she could not live there anymore. After Lena had finished the whole story, they all sat in silence. Elliott finally said “How did Maggie find out that Renee was pregnant?” Lena explained to him that when the doctor called for Renee to give her the test results, Maggie intercepted the call. Ben said “I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but it does answer some questions.” Elliott sat quietly before saying “How could she do that? That evil woman had no right to do that. And why would Renee just go along with it?” Lena said “It sounds like Maggie wanted to control Renee. She wanted her to terminate the pregnancy. And when Renee wouldn’t let her have complete control, she threw her out. So, that’s how she ended up in here in New York. She lived with her aunt and uncle for a while. Eventually her dad left Maggie and came to New York to help her.” Elliott was silent again as he sat there looking at the pictures of Renee, Lena, and Kayla. As he took a deep breath and stood up, he looked at his parents. Ben said “Your mom and I are going out to pick up a few things for tonight. Would you like to come along?” Elliott declined their invitation. He decided to use this solitary time to absorb what he had been told.

  Chapter 12

  It was early Saturday morning and the temperature outside was already a balmy 85 degrees. She walked into the living room and turned on her favorite weekend morning programs on MSNBC. She decided that she really wasn’t in the mood for news, so she turned on some music instead and set about her Saturday ritual. Just as she was finishing making her hair into a high ponytail for yoga class, there was a knock at her door. Matt and Victoria decided to pay Renee an early morning visit. “I hope we are not disturbing you, Ms. St. Claire. I told Matt that it’s too early to be visiting people.” Renee smiled at Matt’s gorgeous girlfriend and said “No worries. I’m usually up pretty early. And please, call me Renee.” The two ladies talked about the opening of The Skin and Hair Boutique II and Renee said, “You know, Victoria, we’re looking for models to help launch the store, products, and services. Would you be interested?” Victoria drew in a surprised breath and said “Seriously? Me? I would love to. I have been using your products since before I even knew Matt and I absolutely love them.” Matt was sitting on the couch looking through some magazine back issues. He smiled and said jokingly, “Hmph, don’t know about that. Don’t know if I can just stand by and watch you enter into the seedy world of modeling.” They both looked at him and they all started laughing. “Well, just think about it and let me know if you will be able to do it. You can come by the main office and we’ll go over all the details there.” They were talking about Matt’s promotion at work to supervisor when he changed the subject to Renee’s lunch with Lena. Renee glanced quickly at both of them and said “Yes, it was good to see Lena. She hasn’t changed a bit.” Matt stood up and said, “You know we’re having dinner at Elliott’s tonight? Are you going?” Puzzled, Renee looked at Matt and said “No, I have plans this evening.” Victoria noticed the somewhat uncomfortable exchange between Renee and Matt and said “Come on, we’re keeping your mom from her yoga class.” Renee smiled at Victoria’s save and said, “Yeah, I better get going. I’m not as young as I used to be and I need to do all that I can to try to keep thunder thighs at bay.” Victoria said “I don’t think you have to worry about anything like that at all.” They walked down to the lobby. Victoria told Renee that she would be in contact with her during the week about helping with the new salon opening.

  After her yoga class, Renee was exhausted and exhilarated. She had been attending hot yoga classes for about a month and could really see and feel a difference physically. It helped her to retain her curves while simultaneously making her lean and toned. Just as she was taking her hair down from its high ponytail and take a shower, she noticed the blinking light on her phone. The message was from Dennis. She had called him earlier to see if he was going to be home later in the afternoon because she was planning on coming to visit him. “I’ll put some tilapia on the grill.” Renee showered and put on a pretty coral sleeveless dress and a pair of thong sandals. As she was driving to her dad’s and Sharon’s house, her cell phone rang. It was Liza. “What’re you up to today?” Renee told her that she was on her way to see Dennis and Sharon for dinner. “You know,” Liza said, “I was so stunned the other day when you told me about your lunch with Lena that I forgot to ask if you liked the color palettes that Megan brought over to the office.” “The colors are perfect. Very calm and soothing.” Calm and soothing was just what Renee needed in her life right now. “Megan is really learning the ropes very quickly.” Liza said “Yeah, she is. It’s been pretty great letting her take on some of the leg work. Gives me more time to actually design and decorate.” As Renee was pulling into her dad’s driveway, she said “Okay, I’m here. What are you and Joe doing this evening? No, don’t answer that. It probably has something to do with making babies, right?”
Liza laughed and said, “Unless Joe plans on getting pregnant, I don’t see any baby in our future.” Renee said “To be on the safe side, make sure you use your birth control.” As she was ending the phone call, Renee was walking up the three steps to Dennis and Sharon’s house. Sharon greeted her with a warm hug and ushered her into the living room. “Dennis will be right back. He had to get more charcoal.” They exchanged pleasant conversation for a few minutes before Sharon finally said, “Okay, so how are things really with you, the kids and their dad?” Renee was used to Sharon’s bluntness and told her that Kayla and Matt were spending time with Elliott and his grandparents. While she was telling Sharon about Elliott’s parents being in town, Dennis came in. He hugged Renee and said, “Did I hear you say that Ben and Lena are in town?” Renee told them that she’d had lunch with Lena and that the kids were having a cookout over at Elliott’s place this evening. “Have you talked to Elliott?” Dennis asked. Renee told them that she had seen or heard from Elliott since he came by her office that day and she didn’t expect to see or hear from him. Sharon said, “Oh, I think you’ll see him at some point. How long is he going to be in town?” Renee shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip of her iced tea. “I don’t know. But I’m sure he’ll have to get back to LA sometime soon.” Sharon said “Well, I did a little research and he’s actually the senior partner of a very successful law firm in LA, so I would imagine that if he can stay in town as long as he wants.” Renee shrugged again and said “He might.” Sharon and Dennis sensed that Renee did not want to talk about Elliott so they changed the subject. By this time, Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leonard were walking into the house. Renee squealed in delight when she saw them. Renee, Sophie and Sharon helped Dennis and Leonard with grilling the fish and vegetables. The meal was absolutely delicious. After they had finished eating dinner and clearing away the dishes, Sophie said, “Look, I don’t know how anybody is going to take this, but I called Maggie and told her that Elliott is here in New York and knows about his kids.” They all looked at her in stunned silence for a moment before Sharon said “Well, I suppose she was going to find out at some point. What did she say?” “You know, good-ole Mags, always the martyr. She told me that she didn’t know why all of this was coming up now, that everybody’s life had turned out for the best, and hadn’t she been through enough?” At first they just sat there, but then they all burst into laughter. Laughter to let off some tension, and laughter because Maggie, even after all this time, was still just as absurd and bizarre and wrong as ever. Sophie asked Renee if she ever talked to her and Renee replied “I don’t. I really have nothing to say to her and she has nothing to say to me that I want to hear. She has never shown one ounce of interest in Matt and Kayla.” Nobody wanted to talk about Maggie anymore, so the conversation turned to end of upcoming events and vacations. Sophie asked Renee when the new salon was scheduled to open. “If everything stays on schedule, around the mid October. It was getting late, and Renee was starting to feel the tired effects of having gotten up early that morning and attending yoga. As they were saying their good-byes, Sophie asked Renee to let her know when the opening would take place. She also said, “Don’t worry yourself about all of this. I think it’s fantastic that Elliott knows about the kids. From what you had told us, the problem was not with him, but with Mags.” Renee hugged her aunt and the others and said that she would see them in a few weeks at the opening of the salon.