“Wow. Norman?” she said, still dumbfounded at what was nothing short of a total transformation.
“I know, quite different, right?” He flashed a smile. “It’s amazing how death can make you reevaluate life.”
“That’s right. You had . . .”
“A kidney transplant.” He patted the right side of his abdomen. “But now I’m like new and figured since I had a new lease on life, I needed to make the best of it. So, I got on a plan, lost the weight, cut the hair, and here I am back to work.”
“Wow, you look . . . you look . . .”
“I hope the word you’re looking for is good.”
“Yes, yes.” She nodded. “Good is definitely the word.”
They stood in awkward silence for a minute, before he finally raised his briefcase.
“Your husband said it would be okay to stop by and go over the policy updates. Now that Julian is about to graduate, he wanted to boost your coverage.”
Joyce was lost in his beauty. She always thought Norman was cute, and he’d flirted with her from the first day she’d met him. But she’d never paid him any attention because she’d never been able to see past the weight. But now . . .
“Ah, yeah, he mentioned that,” she said, finally stepping to the side. “Please, come in.”
“Well, would you like to go in the dining room?” he said.
The bedroom would be better. She almost gasped at the wicked thought that had raced through her mind.
Joyce had never so much as given another man a second look. But after that woman showed up at church last week, maybe Joyce needed to give Vernon a taste of his own medicine.
No!
She shook away the thought. She wasn’t about to bed some other man to get back at her husband.
“Yes, we can go over everything in here,” she said, pointing toward the dining room.
Long after the paperwork was signed and put away, Joyce and Norman were still talking. She admired his new outlook. She’d heard about his kidney issues but had no idea that he’d gotten the transplant.
“Well, it’s been so great catching up with you,” he said, glancing at his watch. “But I guess I’d better get going. Your husband probably won’t think too kindly of me having spent all this time here with his beautiful wife.”
Joyce didn’t want him to go. She didn’t realize how starved for companionship she was. Oh, Vernon showed her attention, but the baggage that came with him outweighed a lot of his affectionate acts.
“No, my husband won’t be in until late,” she found herself saying. “And the kids are at my sister-in-law’s.”
“Yeah, I heard your husband works long hours,” Norman said. “He does a lot of pro bono stuff, right?”
His tone told Joyce that even he knew better. She shuddered at the thought of what people around town must be saying.
“Yeah, he does stay quite busy.”
“So, where does that leave you?” Norman asked pointedly. He had leaned in closer and it should’ve made Joyce uneasy, but a surge of excitement actually shot through her body.
“Well, it does get kind of lonely. I mean, I have the kids, but Lauren is always off with her dad and Julian is always with friends,” she said.
“What about you? You don’t have friends?”
“I have a couple that I talk to occasionally. But”—she motioned around the house—“this is my life.”
“That’s not good,” he said. “A fine woman like you, you should get out, dance, have a good time.”
“The only new people I meet show up at my door.”
That brought a smile to his face.
“Your husband has no idea the jewel he’s neglecting.”
She wanted to ask him how he knew she was being neglected. But maybe it was the way she was breathing so heavily, dang near panting as he scooted closer.
“I’m going to say something and if you want to slap me after I say it, I’ll understand.”
She didn’t say a word, fearful that if she opened her mouth, the wrong thing would come out.
“I have always admired you. Wanted you.” His voice was husky. His cologne penetrated her nostrils. His closeness sent her heart racing. “I would never disrespect you. But if you ever decide that what’s good for the goose . . .” He slipped his card in her hand, letting his fingers linger inside hers. His lips moved close to her ear, as he whispered, “I would love to take you to ecstasy and beyond.” He leaned back, licked his lips, then stood. “I’d treat you like the queen that you are.”
He said that matter-of-factly. Like he knew all of Vernon’s dirty little secrets.
“I will get these papers processed and everything should be good to go in three days. I will see myself out.”
Joyce still didn’t say a word as he put a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. “I really do hope to hear from you soon.”
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had excited her so, and she didn’t know if it was because she genuinely was attracted to Norman, or if she believed being with him would be the perfect revenge against Vernon.
“Why are you sitting in here in the dining room?”
Joyce hadn’t even heard Vernon come in, but when she glanced at her watch, she realized that she’d been sitting for over an hour.
She stood. “Just sitting here, thinking.”
He sighed, like he knew what she was thinking about. “Look, Joyce. I told you, Cecile is just a—”
“Yeah, I know,” she said, cutting him off. “A client. They all are.”
She eased the business card into her pocket as she walked past her husband. No, cheating wasn’t her nature. But if she wasn’t going to leave just yet, she needed to find a way to cope, and maybe Norman would be that way.
The little piece of paper in her hand should’ve made her happy.
Should have.
But the way things had been going between her and Vernon, a baby was the last thing they needed. Julian had just graduated. Lauren was going into high school. Why in the world would she want to start over with a baby?
And then there was Norman.
After months of back-and-forth flirting, and more lies from Vernon, Joyce had made the decision to take him up on his ecstasy offer. Now she just needed to lose his number.
The baby changed everything.
Joyce tossed the beat-up piece of tissue she’d had crumpled in her hand, along with the piece of paper confirming that she was eight weeks pregnant, on the passenger seat and started her car. She’d been sitting forlornly in the parking lot of the doctor’s office for the last hour, shedding tears at the news that she was about to be a mother again.
Joyce cried because at one time she’d wanted a houseful of kids. Five, to be exact. But if two made it hard to leave him, five would’ve made it impossible. So Joyce had religiously taken her birth control pills for years.
“Nothing is foolproof.”
The doctor had uttered those words with a smile. Probably because she thought the news she was giving Joyce was good. But it had taken everything in Joyce’s power to not burst into tears right there in the doctor’s office.
Joyce glanced over at the dashboard and saw it was two o’clock. Her mother should just be wrapping up her soaps and her father wouldn’t yet be at home. She needed to talk to her mother.
Joyce made a U-turn and headed toward her parents’ house.
Thirty minutes later, she was sitting in the living room of her childhood home with a cup of hot tea set in front of her.
“Okay, start talking,” her mother said, sliding into the seat across from her.
“How long before Daddy gets home?”
“He’ll be here in about an hour,” she said. “I’ll be glad when he retires at the end of this school year. Because he’s getting more and more sickly. He doesn’t need to be working so.”
Joyce often checked on her father, who seemed like he kept a case of bronchitis. But in typical male fashion, he refused to s
ee a doctor or get treated.
“I know you didn’t come over here to get an update on your father, so what’s going on?”
“I just left the doctor.”
Her mother’s hand went to her chest. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Joyce said, burying her face in her hands. “It’s not.”
“Oh my God.” Her mother jumped up, raced to her side, and immediately put her arms around Joyce. “What’s wrong?”
“Mama, I’m pregnant,” Joyce whispered, barely looking up.
Her mother stiffened and took a step back. “What?”
“I’m pregnant,” Joyce cried.
Her mother smiled. “Chile, I thought something was really wrong.”
Joyce frowned. Of course her mother would react this way. “Are you serious? Something is wrong. I have two children almost out of the house and a husband that has given me grief since the day I said ‘I do’ and now I’m about to start all over? What could possibly be right about that?”
A clouded expression filled her mother’s face. “Well, you’ve always wanted a big family.”
“I gave that dream up a long time ago.”
“There is nothing wrong with you having another baby.”
“Mama, I was just waiting on Lauren to leave so I could leave.”
Her mother sighed. “And do what, Joyce? You’ve been a housewife for seventeen years. How much of a nest egg do you have stored away?”
“Nothing,” Joyce said resentfully.
“Exactly. So you’re gonna leave and do what?”
She had thought about that at least. “Vernon would have to pay alimony.”
“And a judge will say what’s wrong with you, why can’t you go to work?” Her tone softened. “All I’m saying is, you said yourself that Vernon had been acting better.”
Joyce lowered her head in shame. Her mother didn’t know half the drama Joyce had endured.
“We don’t need a baby,” Joyce said with finality.
“Maybe this is what you need to fix your marriage.”
“A baby is not the answer,” she repeated.
Her mother shot her a stern look. “Is Vernon a good father?”
Joyce thought about that. His relationship with Julian had been strained the older their son got. But Joyce knew that was because her son was resentful of the way Vernon treated her. And there was no denying his love for Lauren.
“Yes, he’s a good father,” she admitted.
“Then everything else is fixable.” Her mother sat back down, crossed her arms, and continued. “Honey, let me tell you, you get rid of this one and get you another one, and he’s going to cheat on you as well. You might as well stay with the devil you know.”
Joyce tilted her head, her mind racing back to the conversation the night Vernon showed up at their house to get her to come back home. Had that been what her mother was doing? Staying with the devil she knew? Joyce shook her head. “There’s something wrong with that, Mother.”
“Ninety-two percent of men cheat on their wives.”
She knew her mother had just snatched that statistic from the atmosphere. But Joyce found the strength to say, “Is Dad in that ninety-two percent?”
Her mother at first avoided the question. She walked over to the stove, picked up the teapot, and refilled Joyce’s cup.
“Your father loves me,” she said. “I don’t have to condone or agree with some of the things he’s done, but at the end of the day, he comes home. And I know his love for me is one hundred percent real.”
How could her mother find peace with that?
“Don’t look at me that way,” her mother said. “You’ve dealt with it for this long.”
“Yeah, and I was looking forward to leaving with Lauren.”
Her mother waggled a finger at her, as though she knew better. “And now you look forward to my new grandbaby.” She clapped her hands. “I can’t wait to tell your father. He’s going to be so excited.”
Joyce couldn’t take any more of this. She stood and grabbed her purse so she could leave before her father got home. If her mother was thrilled about this news, her father would be overjoyed, and right about now, she didn’t know how she’d muster up any enthusiasm about the child growing inside her.
Lauren watched her brother throw his belongings in a duffel bag. She wanted to ask if he was going to bother folding anything up. But the way he was ramming everything into the bag, she knew that she had to choose her words carefully.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice soft.
“I will be when I get out of this place,” he growled.
“Is it really that bad?”
He spun around on her. “Pregnant?” he snapped. “She’s pregnant. Yeah, I’d say it’s pretty bad.”
Lauren was trying to see the bright side of that. “It might be cool to have a little brother or sister.”
Julian looked at her like that was the dumbest thing she’d ever said. “Whatever. She can stay here and be tied to him the rest of her life. Let him keep dogging her out.”
“Daddy loves Mama,” Lauren said defensively.
“Yeah, if that’s what love is, they can keep it.” He zipped the bag up.
She hated that his last day in town before he left for the army was ending up like this. They were supposed to be happy, celebrating. In fact, that’s what they had been doing before this day took a turn for the worse.
Her mother had cooked a big farewell dinner for Julian, who was leaving in the morning. They were enjoying a rare family dinner when her parents broke the news.
“We have some news,” her father said.
Lauren couldn’t help but notice the uneasy expression on her mother’s face. Lauren’s first thought was that they were about to announce they were divorcing, but the giant smile on her father’s face quickly caused her to dismiss that idea.
“You two are going to have a little brother or sister,” her father proudly announced.
The news wiped the smile right off Julian’s face and left Lauren stunned.
A baby?
If she were younger, Lauren might have been upset because she never wanted to share her status as Daddy’s girl, but the more she thought it about, having a little sibling around might be cool. Julian, on the other hand, had stood up and stormed out.
“Why are you so mad about it?” she asked. While her father had told her to give Julian time to process the news, Lauren had followed him into his room. “It’s not like you’re going to even be here.”
“Do you see what he does to her?” Julian’s rage was evident. Lauren knew he didn’t really cut for their father, but right now he was acting like he couldn’t stand him. “No, you know the answer. You see it,” he said, narrowing his glare at her, “and you cosign it.”
Lauren was speechless. How did he know her secret?
“I-I don’t cosign anything,” she replied.
“Whatever, Lauren. Mama may be stupid, but I’m not.”
“Don’t call her that,” Lauren said.
Julian waved her off. He grabbed another bag and snatched his top dresser drawer open. “All Dad has to do is buy you a little gift and you’re just fine with what he does,” Julian said, pulling out underwear, then stuffing it into his bag. “Who cares if it hurts Mama?”
Those words hurt Lauren. What was she supposed to do? She wanted to ask her brother that, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out.
“Y’all can have this life,” he mumbled.
“I hate that you’re leaving upset.”
He took a deep breath before turning to face her. “Look, Sis. It is what is. I’ve been begging Mama to leave for years and she won’t. If she doesn’t care about what he does to her, I can’t make her. I just know if I ever get married, and I doubt I will, given the sterling example that has been set for me, you won’t have to worry about me treating my wife the way Dad treats Mom. His cheating makes me sick to my stomach.”
Lauren wanted to come to her fat
her’s defense, but she simply reiterated, “He loves her, though.”
Julian rolled his eyes at her naïveté. “Whatever.”
“I’m gonna miss you,” Lauren said.
His stance softened. “I’m gonna miss you, too. I really am. And I don’t mean to be snapping at you.” He shook his head. “But I’m telling you, you’d better find you a college far, far away because, a baby and fighting parents? That does not make for a happy home.”
For a minute, she thought her brother might be right. But then she had a flash—what if the baby was just what her father needed to let his outside girlfriends go? Yeah, that would be great. Lauren decided she would say a special prayer that her little brother or sister would change her father, and hence, change all of their lives.
There was no love like the loving Vernon Robinson gave. Once again, her husband had loved her to oblivion and beyond.
“You want some water or a beer?” Joyce said as she climbed out of bed. The moon’s rays beamed into the bedroom as if they were putting an exclamation point on their lovemaking. They had weathered some serious storms, but these last few months had made Joyce optimistic that they were back on the right track. The only thing Joyce hated was that Julian had yet to come around. He was off in basic training and had only called once in the month since he’d been gone. Joyce remained hopeful that he’d accept the baby. And she couldn’t wait to tell him how loving and attentive Vernon had been. Maybe her mother was right. Maybe this baby would save their marriage.
Vernon smacked her bare behind as she reached down to grab her robe. “Just some water, babe, because I need to stay hydrated for round two.”
Joyce slipped her robe on, then leaned down, planted another kiss on her husband’s lips, and made her way into the kitchen. Lauren was fast asleep on the sofa in the living room, her lean teenage body covered from head to toe by the down blanket. A videotape was still playing in the recorder. Joyce pushed the off button on the remote, cutting off both the TV and the VCR.
Joyce had just grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator when the house phone rang. She wondered who would be calling so late. But she picked up the phone and said, “Hello?”
The Perfect Mistress Page 5
