The Perfect Mistress

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

  “Why would you tell her we can do it?”

  Matthew shrugged. “Because we can. We can give her that.”

  “Matthew, we have a lot going on. The board vote, the lawsuit, all this drama . . .”

  Lauren expected Matthew’s mood to immediately shift, but she was surprised when he said, “I prayed about it. What God has for me is for me.”

  She wished that she could have his faith. If the tables were turned, she’d still be mad. So the fact that he was not only no longer furious, but willing to marry her early, made her heart swell even more.

  “What did I do to deserve you?” she asked.

  He pulled her close. “I could ask you the same thing. I’m hopeful that everything will work out and they’ll still give me the job.”

  Lauren prayed for that, too. She didn’t see how Matthew would still want to marry her if he didn’t get the job.

  “Are you sure you want to move this up?”

  “Our wedding day will be about us. Saying I do. Whether we do that now or six months from now is not going to change anything. So let’s give your mother this slice of happiness.”

  Lauren was touched by the way he was always thinking of others.

  “Besides, everything happens for a reason. This could actually work out well. This way I could be married, and it’ll send a message about this whole lawsuit. So the more I think about it, it’s a brilliant idea.”

  As bad as she wanted to marry Matthew, Lauren didn’t see how she could pull off a wedding in a couple of weeks. “I just can’t—”

  “Get Vivian to help you. We already said we weren’t doing anything elaborate. We can go to the courthouse if that’s easier.”

  Lauren balked at that idea. “I am not getting married in a courthouse.”

  “Call Vivian. She’ll help.”

  Lauren finally gave in. Kissing him, she promised, “Okay, let me start planning my wedding.”

  It was obvious as soon as she picked up the phone, Vivian would be in no mood to plan a wedding.

  Lauren had called her a few times to check on her after her son left, but she kept sending the call to voice mail. Lauren had been trying to give her time to come out of her depression. But so far she hadn’t. Which is why she was surprised when Vivian picked up the phone.

  “Yeah?” she said.

  “Hey. It’s Lauren. How are you?”

  “Fine,” she said, sounding completely unfine. Lauren made a note to herself that when she got through with this drama with Matthew and everything with her mother, she needed to take Vivian away for the weekend.

  “Maybe I should call you later,” Lauren said.

  “Naw, I’m good,” Vivian replied. “What’s up?”

  Lauren hesitated, debating whether she should ask. But who else would she get to help? No one.

  “I was trying to see if I moved the wedding up, do you think you’d be able to help me plan something really quickly?” Lauren said. “My mother wants to see us get married.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Lauren filled her in on everything that had been going on the past two weeks—her mother’s diagnosis, moving in with them, and her request to move up the date.

  “Wow, that’s noble,” she said.

  “I know. I’m going to let the bitterness and anger go.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” she mumbled.

  “Yeah, I know. But I finally found my happy.”

  “I’m glad you have. At least somebody has.”

  “Your happiness is coming.”

  “Naw,” she mumbled. “I’m good. I don’t need another man. He’ll just cheat on me like the last one.”

  Lauren uttered words she never thought she’d say: “You know, not all men are bad.”

  “They aren’t, are they? Because you sure found a good one.” Her tone was condescending, but Lauren wasn’t going to let her mood be ruined.

  “You’re right about that.”

  Vivian sounded put out, but she said, “All right. Let me know what you need me to do. As a matter of fact, I’ll start looking for a place for the reception.”

  Lauren hadn’t expected such a quick response. “Oh, wow. Thank you, girl, you’re a lifesaver.”

  “No problem. I have no life anymore. I may as well help you plan yours.”

  Lauren ignored her negativity, just grateful that they would be able to pull this off.

  Who would’ve ever thought that this moment could actually happen? Joyce watched her daughter model the long snow-white dress with the intricate lace train. She was an absolute vision of loveliness.

  “Umm, I don’t know.” Lauren studied her reflection. “I mean, it’s nice, but it’s kinda old-timey.”

  Joyce wanted to tell her the one before made her look like a cheap hooker, but she was determined to stay positive. God was smiling on her today. Even though she was extremely tired, she was feeling better than she had in weeks. Lauren had wanted her to stay home, but she desperately wanted to help Lauren pick out her dress. Joyce had missed so much, and sickness was not going to make her miss this. In fact, Joyce felt in her heart that God was letting her hang on long enough to take part in her daughter’s wedding.

  “I think this one is gorgeous,” the saleswoman said.

  “That’s because it’s the most expensive,” Lauren joked.

  “Don’t worry about costs,” Joyce said. She didn’t have a lot of money, but what she had left, she wanted to share with her daughter.

  “Mama, you don’t—”

  “Let me, please?”

  She was grateful that Lauren didn’t continue arguing. After everything that had happened, they would be together for the most joyous occasion of her daughter’s life.

  Lauren couldn’t believe that they had pulled this off. They were holding a small, intimate ceremony at a church that they rented out, since they didn’t have one of their own.

  Both Matthew and Lauren agreed that that would be their first order of business—finding a church home.

  Lauren looked over at her mother, grateful that Matthew had convinced her to do this. She didn’t look good. In fact, she looked weaker and frailer than Lauren had ever seen her. But she was putting on a good face, though Lauren could tell by the look in her eyes that she was in pain.

  It had taken about two hours to get her dressed this morning. She wouldn’t let Lauren help, but Aunt Velma had swung by.

  “I wanted to give you something,” Joyce said. She shifted her walking cane to the side—she had flat-out refused to use the wheelchair—then handed Lauren a wedding ring, which hung from a small gold chain. “This is the ring your father gave me.” Joyce fingered the metal band. “I debated giving this to you because, well, honestly, I didn’t want to jinx you. But this circle symbolizes the lives we created, along with you and your brother. And that, in and of itself, is priceless. So here’s your something old.”

  Lauren took the necklace and put it around her neck. She leaned in and kissed her mother on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re here. Thank you.”

  “I’m so glad to be here.” Her smile was strained. She turned to the nurse attendant who’d come along to assist. “Can you help me out, please? I want to take my seat.”

  Lauren was going to walk down the aisle by herself, which was fine with her because her father was there in spirit. The only bridesmaid she had was Vivian. And that was fine, too.

  “So, are you ready?” Vivian asked.

  Lauren turned to her friend with a big smile. “I am. I am so incredibly happy.” She stopped short as she noticed Vivian’s red, swollen eyes.

  Lauren frowned. They were close, but not close enough to shed tears. “Why are you crying?” Lauren asked.

  Vivian’s face turned mean. “You’re so happy, huh?”

  “Yes, I never thought this day would come. I’m not just happy, I’m blessed.”

  Vivian let out a pained chuckle. “Blessed? How ironic. You ruin all of these marriages, but God still blesses yo
u. How crazy is that?”

  Lauren stared at her friend in disbelief. Surely, Vivian was not going to start tossing around judgment on today of all days.

  “Vivian, I don’t know what your problem is, but the love of my life is waiting to marry me, so—” Lauren stopped abruptly when she saw Vivian pull out a small-caliber handgun and point it directly at her.

  “Wh-what are you doing?” Lauren gasped, eyeing the chrome pistol.

  “You think I’m going to let you have your happily ever after?” she hissed.

  “Vivian, what are you doing?” Lauren asked, in shock.

  “I’m doing what I have been carefully planning for the past year.” She held the gun firm, utter contempt across her face.

  “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”

  “You have no idea, do you?”

  Lauren knew that Vivian was going through bouts of depression, but had she snapped as well?

  “You are nothing but a conniving little whore!” Vivian cried. “You destroy people and then don’t give them a second thought!”

  Lauren took a step back and held up her hands like she was in some movie. “Vivian, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m going to need you to calm down and put the gun away.”

  Vivian released a pained laugh. “Have you ever bothered to ask my son’s name?”

  “Huh?”

  She jabbed the gun in Lauren’s direction. “I said, have you ever bothered to ask his name?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “His name is Cornell Jacobs, Junior. I’m Vivian Harold Jacobs.”

  Lauren froze.

  “Yeah, you know Cornell, Senior. Very well. You screwed him on a regular basis. But you know, even after I found out about you, I was willing to forgive him. But he told me you made him realize what he was missing and he wanted out. And because he had the money, he took my son with him.” Her words were venomous.

  “Vivian, I-I thought you were my friend,” Lauren stammered.

  She laughed harder. “Friend? Skank, you’re not deserving of any friends. I hunted you,” she said slowly, piercing every word. “I tracked you. I followed you to hot yoga and then I befriended you. At the time I didn’t know what my intentions were. I just needed to see the woman that destroyed my life.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither did I. And I wanted to understand. I needed to understand. And then, I got to know you and I watched you callously tear down one marriage after another.”

  “So, you were just . . . Wait.” Lauren had a sudden flash of Vivian in her bedroom standing near her nightstand. She’d had an uneasy feeling, like Vivian had been snooping, but she’d been so preoccupied with her mother that she’d let it pass. “Did you give that information to Teresa Brooks? Send it to the board members at Matthew’s school?”

  Vivian smiled proudly. “Only a whore keeps her men in her datebook.”

  That explains so much, Lauren thought. The day Vivian used her bathroom, she must have ducked into Lauren’s bedroom and stolen her planner.

  “What did you hope to get sending that information?”

  “I want you to suffer! Like I’m suffering.” Tears streamed down Vivian’s face. Lauren’s eyes darted around the room. Hopefully, the wedding planner or someone would come looking for her. “Vivian, just let me go and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

  “I’m not a bad person,” Vivian said, gun still pointed, like she was talking to herself. “All I wanted was to please my husband, be a good mother. But women like you keep it from happening. Women like you give husbands the false idea that the grass is greener when you digging with hoes.”

  Lauren debated whether she should lie and claim ignorance, but this was a calculated plan. Obviously, Vivian had planned everything down to the last detail. Lying would only make things worse.

  “Please? Just let me go. I’m about to get married.” Lauren’s voice cracked.

  “Do you think I sympathize with you?” Vivian said, cocking the gun. She looked like a madwoman. Strands of hair had been released from her perfectly coiled bun, as if she’d been pulling them loose one by one. Black streaks ran down her face from the mascara, and it looked like she’d purposely taken scissors and cut the sleeves off her dress. “I know you don’t think I’m about to let you have some happily ever after.”

  Lauren measured the distance to the door. She could run, but Vivian would get a few good direct shots to her back.

  “Vivian, you can still see your child. You won’t be able to see him in jail,” Lauren said, deciding to reason with her rather than run.

  Her voice shook. “His daddy has already poisoned him against me, trying to make him think I’m crazy, and now my own son doesn’t want to be bothered with me. I. Have. Nothing.”

  Lauren knew there was no reasoning with Vivian. Maybe a harsh dose of reality would help her. “Your husband was leaving long before I came into the picture,” Lauren said.

  “That’s bull!” she screamed, jabbing the gun in Lauren’s direction again. “All marriages have their problems. What women like you do is you magnify them. You flash freaky sex, you’re nice to them . . . because you only have to see them for the couple of hours that you’re screwing them. You don’t have to see them and watch them leave their drawers in the middle of the floor. You don’t have to take care of a child, the house, then try to friggin’ make them feel like a king when you’re utterly exhausted. You just whip in, all made up, screw our husbands, whisper sweet nothings, then go on back to your life.” She began pacing as she rambled. “I contemplated how I could make you pay. I even thought about seducing Matthew. But here’s the tripped-out part: you got a good guy. And every time I watched you with Matthew or listened to one of your ridiculous stories, I seethed inside because you don’t deserve a good guy. You deserve to suffer like all the women you’ve made suffer.”

  Lauren decided she would have to take her chances and make a dash for the door. She was just about to do it when the door swung open.

  “Lauren, baby. I left my clutch . . .”

  Joyce’s words trailed off when she noticed the gun pointed at her daughter. “What is going on?”

  “Go away,” Vivian spat.

  Instead, Joyce slowly walked into the room, and stopped right in front of Lauren. “My God, what are you doing?”

  Vivian jabbed the gun with one hand, while wiping her face with the other. The move only smeared her mascara more. “Look, old lady. This ain’t your business. Go away.”

  Joyce ignored her, pushing her weight on the cane to help her stand erect. “Lauren is my business.”

  “Mama, she’s right,” Lauren said, trying to edge in front of her mother. “Vivian and I are just talking. Just go.”

  But instead of moving, Joyce took a step closer to Vivian. “This doesn’t look like talking to me. Put that gun down.”

  “Do you think I’m playing?” Vivian yelled. “I’m not afraid to use this!”

  Joyce wagged her finger. “My daughter is getting married today. You get out of here with this foolishness before we call the police.”

  That caused Vivian to get even more agitated. “I’m not playing! I will shoot both of you.”

  “Mama, move,” Lauren said, trying to push around her mother.

  The strength with which Joyce held her back was surprising, especially considering how frail she’d been this last week.

  Joyce narrowed her eyes at Vivian. “Young lady, put that gun down now.”

  “I’m not afraid to use this!” Vivian said.

  Lauren knew she had to defuse the situation because Vivian seemed to be slowly losing it. But before she could act, Joyce raised her cane like she was about to strike Vivian.

  “I told you—”

  “Mama, no!”

  As soon as the words left her mouth, there was a loud pop. Then unearthly silence.

  Joyce’s back hunched and she fell to the ground.

  “I-I wasn�
�t trying to shoot her!” Vivian said, immediately dropping the gun in terror. “Oh my God. Oh my God!”

  “What have you done?” Lauren dropped to her mother’s side. “Mama!” She lifted her mother’s head and placed her hand over the bloody spot in her stomach. Was she really about to watch her mother die in the same manner that her father had? “Nooooo! Mama, hang on. Please hang on.” As Lauren eased under her mother, trying to provide a cushion, the blood seeped onto her white-beaded gown.

  Vivian was sobbing, muttering something about not “meaning to shoot her.” But her words were becoming jumbled. All Lauren could hear was the life coming out of her mother’s body.

  “Get some help!” Lauren screamed. “Somebody help us!”

  The door swung open again and the wedding planner stood looking in shock. “Oh my God. What happened?”

  “Get help! Call 9-1-1!” Lauren screamed.

  The wedding planner took off.

  “I’m s-sorry I was such a bad mother,” Joyce whispered.

  “No. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I did,” Lauren cried.

  “F-Forgive me.”

  “Shhh, Mama. Just hold on.”

  “F-Forgive me,” she repeated.

  “I forgive you! Now just be quiet. Help is coming.” She rocked back and forth as tears streamed down her face.

  A small smile spread across Joyce’s face. “Thank you. Tell Julian I love him, too . . . I’m coming, Vernon.”

  As Joyce’s eyes slowly closed, a smile crossed her face, and Lauren let out a piercing scream.

  There is nothing like karma. She’d rained down on Lauren with the wrath of a scorned goddess, leaving her life in shambles.

  After they put Joyce in the ground, Dr. Stephens delivered the disastrous news that despite the fact that Teresa Brooks had dropped her lawsuit—rumor had it her husband paid her off—the board was offering the presidency to someone else. The devastation on Matthew’s face was heartbreaking.

  “Everything happens for a reason,” Aunt Velma told Lauren after Matthew broke the news. She didn’t understand why a man as deserving as Matthew should miss out on his dream.