"Shh, let's find out."
Tracie paused- a long, dramatic pause, as she waited for all eyes to turn on her. Out of the corner of her eye, Latisse noticed Mrs. Blanchard pushing her way through the room, with a security guard hot on her tail.
"Get her out of here!"
Tracie gazed around the room, with a hideous fake smile plastered on her face. Her Hollywood dentist whitened her teeth to perfection.
"Everyone… I’m pregnant……with Guy Blanchard's baby." She dropped the microphone and burst into tears.
Latisse was numb. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't even begin to process the information that had been broadcast for the whole world to hear. Slowly, as if in a dream, she pulled away from Guy. His face had gone white as a ghost, draining of all color. At that point, he really looked white and not a hint of chocolate was anywhere in sight. He stared at her frantically, reaching out as if trying to pull her back to him.
"Latisse, I-"
"No," she said, shaking her head, as she continued to back away. "No."
Divas do not do drama. She had to repeat that mantra over and over again just to get her head on straight and back from her fairy book romance.
Yes, it was too got damn good to be true!
She wasn't going to cry; she wasn't going to make a scene, or any kind of fuss. She was simply going to go upstairs, collect her things, and call a taxi to pick her up and deliver her to the airport. She would fly home to Atlanta, and life would return to normal.
She would go back to her fabulous company and continued being the best business woman that Atlanta, Georgia had every seen.
She was Latisse Charles, and she would NOT show the world any type of weakness. She would not let this break her!!!
Without glancing back, she ran from the room; up the stairs, and locked herself in the guest room Mrs. Blanchard had helped her settle into only hours ago.
Nobody followed her; she supposed they were all too busy dealing with Miss Tracie Morgan, spoiled princess, royal bitch and now expecting mother of Guy's child. Oh, Guy, she thought sadly, why didn't you tell me?This reminded her so much of a bad episode of that stupid reality show, The Kardashians. Kim and Kanya West are having a baby while Kim is still married to the NBA star Kris Humphries.
She just kept saying her mantra “Divas Don’t Do Drama’ as she prepared to leave. It was the only thing that soothe the sting of betrayal and stopped her from getting dramatic.
She left without saying goodbye. There was no need. She stared dully out the window of her cab as it drove her to the airport. She would have to spend the night in the airport while she waited for the next flight to Atlanta, but that was ok. She had called ahead and her flight was leaving first thing in the morning.
By tomorrow she would be back home, and it would be like the past week had never happened.
She would force herself to forget about it, forget that for a brief moment in time she thought she could be happy-That for a brief moment in time she had been happy. She would forget about Guy, just as she had forgotten about Daryl. How hard could it be?Absentmindedly, she realized that midnight had come and gone, and she had not rung in the New Year kissing Guy as she had planned. Another year had come and gone, and like always, she was alone. Damn!
She didn't go straight to her condo when she landed in Atlanta. Instead she took a cab to her parents' house. Her mother took one look at her and knew immediately something was wrong.
"What happened, baby girl?"
"Oh momma, he broke my heart." It was only then, wrapped in her mother's warm embrace that the tears began to flow. Once they started they would not stop.
Guy tried to call but she never answered. She read in the paper a few days later that billionaire Guy Blanchard was engaged to socialite Tracie Morgan, and that they were expecting a child.
She threw the paper in her fireplace and burned it. Once in a moment of anger she answered Guy's call, but then hung up on him as soon as she heard his voice. He left countless voicemails, trying to explain, which she of course deleted.
"Latisse, I know you hate me now, but I am truly sorry… I had no idea any of this would happen. Please call me… I didn't want things to go down this way."
It really did not matter if he was black or white.Latisse was convinced that Men no matter race, creed or whatever were dogs-with capital D-O-G-S.
The month of January slowly passed, and eventually Guy stopped calling. Latisse didn't know if she was happy or sad when she stopped receiving his calls.
In a way, even though it was already over, it felt like another end- now that he had stopped calling, he was out of her life forever. Latisse refused to think about what could have been; it only left her crying. A dull ache had settled permanently in her chest. She supposed it was her wounded heart, trying to heal itself. That would take time.
One day she arrived home from work to find Daryl waiting for her in front of her condo.
"Nikki left me," he announced, before bursting into tears. Maybe it was due to her own broken heart, but Latisse felt bad for the old brute, and invited him upstairs for a drink. One thing led to another, and before she knew what happened she was in bed with her old boyfriend.
Afterward she felt disgusted with herself, angry that she had let her guard down and had displayed any signs of weakness toward him.
She snuck out of her apartment early the next morning, hoping that he would leave once he woke and found her gone. The last thing she needed was to rekindle anything with him.
The first week in February, the Dalai Lama was scheduled to make a trip through Atlanta. She had always admired the man, and decided that she would try to meet with him.
Latisse wasn’t into any particular religion. She was very much into spirituality. She did not want to get caught up into any type of dogma. She just wanted to know the spiritual solution to her problem and Deepak was busy at the White House with President Barack Obama.
Perhaps he had some advice for her- some words of wisdom that could help her find inner peace. She hoped so, anyway. Hope was such a rare thing to come by these days.
Since Latisse was a well-respected and well-known business woman with a law degree, she had no problem getting an appointment to meet with the wise master for only $4,897.97. Even peace of mind has a price from his holiness.
She found his presence to emit pure love and joy, something which she found unnerving. Yet he made her feel at ease, and was happy to answer any questions she had for him.
"My child, you are at war within yourself. You lack inner peace." She swallowed and nodded in agreement.
"I have been having a hard time finding happiness these days, yes. I have recently had my heart broken."
"I see. You have questions? What is it you wish to ask me?"
"What is the secret to happiness?" The wise man laughed.
"There is no secret. Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
"I see… what about love?"
"Great love and great achievement involve great risks. We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder. We always have the choice. "
Latisse left her meeting with the Dalai Lama contemplating her own path in life. What was she doing to achieve happiness? How about inner peace? She realized that peace and happiness had to come from within; outside sources should not be able to strip her of it.
Yet that is exactly what had happened; Guy Blanchard had come through her life, like a whirlwind, and stripped her of her sense of contentment. But maybe that sense of contentment had been false all along.
She was angry- yes, ANGRY!- and she had been for months now, ever since she first learned that Daryl had cheated on her. In a way, this situation with Guy was like Daryl all over again- only wasn't she the one who he'd been cheating with? Technically he had broken up with Tracie, but they had already made a baby- a baby, dammit!- had he known about the baby
all along? Was that why Tracie kept calling during their little honeymoon in Napa?
If that was the case, then shame on Guy for yelling at her and refusing her calls- even if she was a spoiled ditz of a woman, she still deserved to be treated with respect from her partner- former partner- once a baby became involved.
Maybe the secret to inner peace was simply to let all of this go. Yes, let go and let God.
She remembered a picture that hung in her mother’s den she would read frequently as a child. “If you love something let it go. If it comes back to you then it is yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”
She felt so much solace from that quote and she felt that is exactly the mindset she was going to take regarding Mr. Guy Blanchard or any other man in her life.
Daryl, the cheerleader, Guy, Tracie and everyone else. Just let it go and move along, focusing only on herself and what made her happy. She decided right then and there to forgive them all and asked them in a very private way to forgive her. She was going to accept the situation as it was with not malice or anger. The anger was only hurting her and no one else. She really wanted to open to the true meaning of love.
Wow! She really felt good after she forgave everybody. Her spirit lifted. It was like she was having a coming to Jesus moment. She opened up her heart up to love and felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Not because of someone else, but because she was fallen back in love with Latisse Charles, a bad Mamma Jamma. She laughed to herself. She had her mojo back.
She would surround herself with friends and family- people who really loved her- and forget about the rest. Life was too short for all this drama.
The next day Latisse stopped by to see her mother, wishing to share the sage advice she had received from the Dalai Lama.
The very first thing her mother had to say was “this came in the mail today,” as she handed her daughter a plain linen hand written card.
“Will be in your beautiful city Saturday the 12th, would enjoy meeting both yourself and Latisse for lunch at the Regency. I hope 1pm is convenient. I look forward to meeting you and seeing your lovely daughter again. It was signed with a simple “Ruth.” Ruth Blanchard, Guy’s mother just happened to be coming to Atlanta in a couple of days? Latisse didn’t believe much in coincidence. Nor did the note leave much room for objection.
Latisse wasn't sure how she felt about seeing Guy's mother again. It was only then that she realized she still had the necklace Mrs. Blanchard had given her the first day they met- her mother's necklace- the cameo choker featuring the profile of a black woman.
Latisse supposed she should return it, and made a note to take it with her when they had lunch on the 12th.February 12th was two days before Valentine’s Day. Oh, how time can fly. Valentine’s day was a time for love, happiness and cheer. She had done enough spiritual work to know that if you want love, you have to give love.
She really did love Guy’s mom and thought she was a classy lady. Matter of fact, she wanted to be like her when she grew up. She reminded her so much of Coretta Scott King. She was so beautiful, regal and proud. She made you really proud to be a black woman.
Moreover, she really did love Guy. And even though, it was not meant to be between them, she was going to love him from a distance and wish him well. She had to for herself. So, she could open up heart to love in order to recognize it when it shows up again in her life.
Man, this spiritual stuff was working. She thought it was going to take her years to get to this point. But, that is what love does. It creates miracles-big ones and little ones.
February 12th finally came, and Latisse found herself waiting with her mom at the Regency. Mrs. Blanchard arrived exactly five minutes after 1 pm, looking beautiful as ever- but something was off. She looked paler, frailer than Latisse remembered her. She trembled slightly as she embraced Mrs. Blanchard, the woman who had given birth to the man she thought she loved…no she loved.
"Now then," Mrs. Blanchard said, as all three women sat, "I have good news and some bad news." Latisse smiled to herself; it was just like Guy's mother to cut right to the chase. "The good news," she continued, "is that Tracie and Guy are no longer together."
Latisse felt her jaw drop. "What??" Mrs. Blanchard smiled.
"You heard me right. Guy insisted on accompanying Tracie to her doctor appointment, to confirm the pregnancy, and that's when Tracie's lie unraveled. You see, she was never really pregnant. She made that story up to steal back Guy." She paused and took a sip of water. "As soon as Guy found out that none of it was true, he dumped her. I don't believe she will ever be coming around him again."
Latisse was in shock. "Why didn't he tell me?"
"He tried to, my dear, but you wouldn't take his calls. He resigned himself to be hated by you forever." She paused. "You know he loves you, right? Not Tracie. He was only going to marry her because she was threatening to blackmail him and his company if he didn't." Latisse didn't know what to say. She was in absolute shock over this news. Yet she felt Mrs. Blanchard and her mom were both waiting for her to say something.
"…What is the bad news?"
Mrs. Blanchard took another sip of water. "I have been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer." Latisse slapped her hand over her mouth.
"Oh no!"
Mrs. Blanchard smiled, a bittersweet smile. "That is actually why I'm here, my dear. I have an appointment with one of the finest cancer specialists in the nation in a few days. My son will join me." She paused. "He will be arriving on Valentine's Day. I have already reserved a room for him."
Latisse's face grew hot. She could tell where this was leading.
"I don't think he'd take me back even if I begged him to, after ignoring his calls the way I did."
"Obviously you don't know much then, or at least you don't know my son. He is miserable without you."
Latisse suddenly remembered the cameo choker in her purse. She reached down and retrieved it, handing it back to Mrs. Blanchard.
"That reminds me- before I forget, I’d like to return this to you." Mrs. Blanchard pushed it back toward her.
"Nonsense. You keep it! I told you to keep it unless a time came where you had to give it back. As far as I'm concerned, that time has not come yet. Your story with my son is not over yet." She leaned over mischievously and gestured for Latisse and Mrs. Charles to do so, too. "See, here's what you're going to do……"
On Valentine's Day, Latisse couldn't believe what she was doing. Mrs. Blanchard had given her the key to Guy's suite and instructed her to wait there for him. Soft music played on the stereo system; a bottle of champagne sat chilling in a bucket of ice. Latisse had never felt so nervous in her life. She was wearing a dark red negligee, white stockings and black heals. Mrs. Blanchard said that Guy's plane would be landing at approximately 1:15. It was already 2 pm.
Latisse sat on the edge of the bed and waited. At 2:20 she heard the door open, along with the sound of luggage being set down. She trembled from head to toe as she waited for Guy to appear. It seemed like an eternity.
Finally he appeared in the bedroom doorway, and froze. His shadow fell across the bed, across Latisse. His eyes widened in surprised, as he simply stood and stared at her, like a man dying of thirst finally getting a long drink of cold water. She stared back at him.
"Hi," she said, hoping her nervousness didn't show.
"Hi." He hadn't moved. He just stood there, drinking in the sight of her while she drank in the sight of him. He was wearing the same tweed jacket they had first met in.
"Oh, Latisse," he finally cried, holding out his arms to her.
"Oh, Guy!" she cried back, jumping up and running eagerly into his arms.
They held each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally their lips sought each other out, and when they found each other, it was like they had returned home after a long trip away.
Eventually he pulled back. "I should explain-"
"Shh," Latisse pressed her index finger to his soft lips, quickly replacing it with a kiss. "I al
ready know. You're mother told me."
His eyes wrinkled up in amusement. "Did she, now? I should have known she was behind this." Latisse giggled, then frowned. "What?" he asked.
"Your mom. Is she going to be ok?"
"We don't know yet, but she's being treated by the very best specialists money can buy. She's a fighter, Latisse. She won't go down without a fight." Latisse suddenly remembered back to New Year's Eve, and the conversation she and Mrs. Blanchard had had before the party.
"Neither will I," she whispered, pulling Guy in for another long, passionate kiss.
A Holiday Romance Page 6
