Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right

by Brenda Hampton

  As soon as I made it to the doors in our bedroom, Isaac yanked the sheets off his head and yelled my name.

  “What?” I yelled back and turned.

  “Why are you being so silly? This is ridiculous.”

  “Silly? Do you think this is a game or something, Isaac? You’re the one who’s silly for treating this marriage as you have, and expect to hear from my attorney soon.”

  “Whatever,” he said, pulling the sheets over his head again.

  I cut my eyes at him and continued on out the door.

  The moment I left, I knew my whole life was about to change. The first thing I did was check into a hotel for the night and thought about how to move forward. Monday, I’d go into work and ask Darrell for some time off. I was sure he’d give it to me, but maybe it was time for me to be honest with him about my situation. I wasn’t happy about sharing the truth, but I didn’t feel good about constantly lying to my boss who had been nothing but honest and upfront with me.

  As I sat at the hotel, looking through some travel brochures, I tried to decide where I could go for the next week or two. I’d had the brochures sent to me a year ago, as I’d thought about trying to patch up things between Isaac and me. That never happened, and what a waste of time it would have been. Either way, I wanted to go somewhere nice, quiet and relaxing. The kind of place I was thinking of would surely cost me a fortune, but a vacation for me was long overdue. When I came across a brochure from a Four Seasons Resort in Maui, it instantly caught my eye. After I got on my laptop and researched the packages, I was sold. Ten thousand dollars was a lot for a vacation, but no one deserved it more than me.

  Surprisingly, I slept like a baby last night. My head was clear and my mind was focused. Yes, I’d thought about my failed marriage to Isaac, and the thoughts of it hurt deeply inside. However, I couldn’t allow it to consume my mind. It was all about my trip, even though I had to take it alone.

  When I got to my office, I buzzed Darrell and told him that we needed to talk. He came right in and closed the door behind him.

  “You sounded anxious, Cydney. I…I hope you’re not leaving the company, are you?”

  “No, nothing like that Darrell. I’m happy with my job. But sadly, it’s my marriage that’s in question.”

  “What?” he yelled then took a seat on my sofa.

  I stood, folded my arms and gazed out of the window. It hurt me like hell to even think about discussing my issues, but at the same time, it felt good to get things off my chest. “Yes, Darrell. I think it’s time for me to throw in the towel. Isaac and I have had problems for many years. I haven’t been happy for quite some time.”

  “Cydney, noooo. Every time I see the two of you, you seem so happy together.”

  “It’s been a front. He doesn’t love me anymore and I’ve fallen out of love with him. I didn’t call you in here to go into great details about my failing marriage, but I wanted to know if I could have some time off. I need to clear my head and figure out what’s next for me.”

  “Sure, sure,” he hurriedly said. “Take as much time as you need. I’m sorry about this and I certainly had no idea.”

  I walked over and held my arms out for a hug. Darrell stood and embraced me. “Darrell, please don’t tell anyone about this. I’d like to keep everything under wraps, until I decide what to do.”

  “I wouldn’t tell a soul.”

  Darrell walked away to pour us some coffee. After handing the cup to me, we both took a seat.

  “So,” I said. “How are things going with you and your girlfriend?”

  “It’s a disaster. I’ve asked her to marry me, but I’m still seeing someone else. She’s so darn emotional, and the thought of hurting her is killing me inside.”

  “Darrell, you’ve got to be honest with her about your feelings. Marrying her is not the answer, trust me. Right about now, I’m not one to give advice, but you’ll be so much happier in the long run if you start by being honest. It’s better to hurt her now, than hurt her later.”

  Darrell agreed. We stayed in my office most of the morning discussing his situation and mine. To my surprise, I felt comfortable speaking with Darrell. He said that Isaac was a fool and was disappointed with me when I told him I’d been sleeping with someone as well. He was in total disbelief, and even though he was, he wished that Isaac and I somehow worked out our issues.

  The prime ocean view suite at the Four Seasons Resort in Maui was the best. As soon as I got there, I pulled off my white straw hat, sat on the soft queen-sized bed, and fell backwards. I looked up at the ceiling fan and wanted to scream for not doing this sooner. The room was to die for. It was furnished with bright tropical colors and had an ocean view to the white sandy beaches. White French doors separated the bedroom from the living room that had a dining room adjacent to it. Nearby was a built in bar for my drinking pleasures and I surely intended to make use of it. The bathroom shower and tub was made of marble and the entire room had to be, at least, three thousand square feet. No doubt, I was in heaven. I stepped outside on the balcony and checked out the amazing scenery. What a beautiful sight it was, as the blue water and flowered gardens brought tears to my eyes. This was a moment for Isaac and me to enjoy together, but so much for that. I’d planned to make the best of my vacation and I hurried to unpack so I could change into my swimming gear.

  It didn’t take long for me to change into my peach and white one-piece swimming suit and sheer wrap that tied around my waist. I’d thought about wearing my straw hat, but instead, I brushed my long hair over to the side and let it rest on my shoulder. As I stood looking at myself in the oval shaped glass mirror, there was a knock on the door. My cell phone rang at the same time. I’d forgotten to turn off my cell phone, but I rushed to see who it was. I’d told Darrell to only call me if there was an emergency, but when I looked at the caller ID the caller was anonymous. I answered and opened the door. I heard Miguel call my name, as my personal server came into my room with fresh flowers.

  “Hold on,” I said to Miguel then lowered the phone to my side. I looked at the server. “Thank you. The flowers are beautiful.”

  He walked them over to a crystal floor vase by the balcony and put them inside.

  “We do this for all of our guests,” he said, while arranging the long stem flowers. “And if you need anything else, please let me know. My name is Mylee.”

  I walked up to him. “And, my name is Cydney. I won’t be needing anything else right now, but if I do, I’ll be sure to call.”

  The Asian man smiled, nodded and made his way to the door.

  “Call the front desk, Cydney. They will let me know if you need anything.”

  I nodded, and once he closed the door, I returned the phone to my ear.

  “What is it?” I said.

  “Damn, baby. Your tone would imply that you’re mad at me about something. You not returning my phone calls would mean the same, and I hate to be ignored.”

  “Miguel, your game is over. Just in case Isaac hasn’t already told you, we’re getting a divorce. Now, like I told you the other day when I did return your phone call…I’m taking a vacation to Maui, I need some time alone, and what we had, we have no more. You’re gonna have to find another one of Isaac’s women to toy with because this one here is out of the picture.”

  Not wanting Miguel or anyone else to ruin my vacation, I ended the call. Before I turned off my phone, I called my mother to let her know my whereabouts.

  “Maui,” she yelled.

  “Mom, I promise I’ll be back in a week, maybe two.”

  “Okay, but you should have told me this before. You know how I feel about you riding on those planes. Anything could have happened to you.”

  “Sorry, but my boss was in a rush,” I lied. “We almost missed our plane, and as soon as we got here, I had to attend a conference. I’m on my way to another one now, so I have to go, okay?”

  “Where’s Isaac?”

  “Uh, he…he’s on his way here. He got caught up at th
e station and had to take a separate flight. I’m expecting him soon. Normally, he doesn’t attend my business trips with me, but we needed some quality time together.”

  “Well, that’s good. At least he’ll be there with you. Be careful and call me as soon as you get back to St. Louis.”

  “I will, Mom. Love you.”

  “I love you too,” she said, and then hung up.

  Feeling awful about lying to my mother, I wiped a few tears that had fallen and turned off my phone. I tossed it on the bed and left the room so I could enjoy the rest of the day.

  No doubt, by the end of the day, I knew why being here was considered paradise. I’d done everything from snorkeling to horseback riding. After taking a helicopter ride, and going on a scenic waterfall hike, I was exhausted. While on the helicopter, I’d met a black lady named Dez who was taking a vacation as well. She and I met up for drinks, chat and dinner on the beach.

  “My Charles has only been gone for three months and my life hasn’t been the same without him. I needed this vacation badly,” Dez said, while sipping her wine.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. From what you said earlier, Charles sounded like a wonderful husband.”

  “He was. I couldn’t ask for more.”

  I wanted to change the subject because this was a time for us to enjoy ourselves. Not think about the hurtful things in our lives. Dez’s husband had prostate cancer. Her deep memories of him caused me to think of Isaac.

  For a while, we sat silently. That was until the waiter came over and placed lobster tails in front of us.

  “Now, that should get us in the mood,” Dez said, looking at the lobster. She was a beautiful woman who put me in the mindset of Patti Labelle. Richy-rich was written all over her, but no matter how hard she tried, a bit of sadness still covered her face. I could tell she was much older than I was, but by the way we clicked, it didn’t even matter.

  Dez fell back in her chair while chewing her food. She then placed her hand on her chest. “Girl, this is delicious, isn’t it?”

  The taste of the lobster made my mouth water for more. “It’s more than delicious. I just hope there’s plenty more of wherever this came from.”

  We laughed and continued on with our dinner and chatting.

  Not intending to, I sat at the table and spilled the beans about my marriage to a complete stranger. When I told Dez about some things that had transpired between Isaac and me, she appeared to be in disbelief. Several times, her mouth hung open and she kept moving her head from side to side.

  “Umph, umph, umph,” was all she could say, and after hearing myself tell it all, that’s all I could say too.

  “How does a marriage get that bad?” she asked. “There is no way in hell I would have put up with that mess. Your husband is out of line and you haven’t been no saint either. Two wrongs don’t make a right, Cydney.”

  “I know it doesn’t, but being with someone else, at times, made me feel a lot better.”

  “Only for the moment, I’m sure it did. But you’ve got to be better than he is. So many people think that revenge is the answer, but by taking that route, all you’re doing is hurting yourself. Being married for thirty-one years, Charles and I had bumps too. Early on in our marriage, he cheated on me one time. I did the three p’s and prayed for him, packed my bags, and pitched him. I left and told him that when he worked out his issues, I’d be waiting for him. Honey, that man missed those meals, he missed having his clothes washed and laid out for him, and let’s not go there with the sex,” she laughed. “But, when he figured out that no woman would love him like I did, he got his mess together. We went to counseling, and after that, everything was fine. It took time for us to heal, and if he ever stepped out on our marriage again, I knew nothing of it. Any man who is capable of keeping their mess outside of the home is alright with me.”

  “Well, you wouldn’t like Isaac at all. His mess is all over the place. He doesn’t care what I know about his affairs, and I can’t understand how or why I haven’t divorced him yet.”

  As open as I was with Dez about my marriage, I hadn’t told her that I’d already left Isaac and wanted a divorce. Instead, I wanted to hear her thoughts.

  “Timing, Cydney. When the time comes for you to let go, then you will. Then again, that time might not ever come. You can’t base that decision on what I say, or what others say, but you have to do what feels right for you.”

  “I agree,” I said as we held up our glasses, clinking them together.

  Dez and I hung out until dawn. The beach was still crowded with partygoers and couples who were there on their honeymoon. The sky was too beautiful and to go inside would have been a sin. Basically, I had no choice because if I yawned one more time, I was bound to fall asleep in the white wicker chair. Dez gave her good-byes and said she’d see me in the morning. We agreed to meet up early for breakfast then take a boat ride.

  After drinking a bit much, I was a slight bit tipsy as I made my way back to my room. I squeezed my tired eyes together and when I opened them, I squinted at a tall, muscular man, dressed in a pure white uniform. He removed his hat and placed it underneath his arm.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, walking up to me, as I stumbled down the hallway.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” I gazed into his olive green eyes. Simply put, he was gorgeous. His tan glowed and his dark brown wavy hair gave me good chills. He put my arm inside of his, escorting me down the hall.

  “Where’s your room,” he asked.

  I pointed down the hall and he helped me to it. After I slid my keycard inside the door, it popped open.

  “Thank you, but I’ll be okay,” I said. “I just had a little too much to drink. It’s nothing a little sleep can’t cure.”

  He smiled at me with his pearly whites and waited until I went inside. Not even getting his name, I closed the door and stepped away from it. Surely, I waited for a knock, but I could hear him walk away.

  Once I got settled in for the night, something inside of me felt funny. In deep thought for a moment about the “superman” I’d just seen, I stood on the balcony and gazed at dark but beautiful sky. The soothing breeze made my pink nightgown cling to my body, and my long hair to blow all over my head. A moment later, I stepped inside and closed the doors to the balcony. Tired, I went into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. I wondered what Isaac was up to, and assuming that he was with one of his lovers, I tightly closed my eyes to make the thoughts go away. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.

  ISAAC

  I was lonely as hell. Couldn’t believe Cydney had finally walked out on me. Reality had set in and it was time for me to put up or shut up. I had to make some changes. My first challenge started with avoiding Laquinta’s calls. I had no desire to be with her, and Cydney’s whereabouts had my mind consumed.

  As for Cydney, I didn’t know where in the hell she’d gone. It was as if she’d fallen off the earth or something. Worried, when I called her mother, Gloria, that’s when she told me Cydney was on vacation. She asked why I wasn’t with her and why I didn’t know where she was.

  “Gloria, I didn’t know she had left because we’ve been having some issues in our marriage. It’s nothing we can’t work out, though.”

  “I hope so, Isaac. Cydney told me she was on a business trip with her boss. She also said that you’d be joining her so I’m really surprised by your phone call. Are you sure…”

  “Mom, please don’t stress yourself about this. I’m sure that Cydney didn’t tell you the truth because she didn’t want to worry you. Lately, we’ve been having some differences, but again, it’s nothing that we can’t work out.”

  Gloria let out a deep sigh. “Isaac, take care of my girl, okay? A mother knows her child, and during our conversation, I could sense that something wasn’t right. Lately, Cydney’s been so short with me. I don’t like the idea of her lying to me. I want you to know that her dad and I are here, if y’all need us.”

  “Thank you. And if we do, we’ll let you know.�
��

  Gloria ended the call, and I held the phone in my hand, thinking about the mess I’d made. Also, the conversation with Gloria made me crazy. If Cydney was with her boss, I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. She had been gone for almost a week, and she’d never been away from me this long. For business purposes, maybe a day or two, but this was ridiculous. We were still considered husband and wife, and for her to be away for so long, I suspected that another man had to be occupying her time. More than anything, I figured she’d been having sex with someone else. I hadn’t dipped into the goods for quite some time, and I just couldn’t see Cydney going without. I tried not to let my hurt show, but as I sat at my desk doing nothing, Miguel interrupted my thoughts.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

  “Go where?”

  “It’s time to hit the streets. Since your mind seems twisted, how about you let me drive today?”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  I put on my cap then reached out for a piece of gum Miguel had given to me. I thanked him and after that we left.

  “What’s been on your mind,” Miguel inquired, after we got inside of the car.

  “Cydney. She left several days ago and I haven’t heard from her.”

  “Well, call her. I’m sure she has a cell phone, doesn’t she?”

  “I’ve called her several times, but she won’t answer. After three days of calling, I gave up.”

  Miguel put his seatbelt on and started the car. “All I can say is you may have to find a replacement for her soon. She’s tripping, and I do mean hard.”

  I looked straight ahead in deep thought. “Yeah, you may be right. Besides, fuck her. She ain’t satisfied my manly needs in a very long time. I should’ve kicked her to the curb a long time ago.”

  “No doubt, especially if she’s been satisfying another motherfucker too. Do you think she’s giving up the goods to someone else?”

  “I have my suspicions, but then again, Cydney’s so…she’s so…so, innocent and…and…she wouldn’t go out like that.”