Unexpected Interruptions

by Trice Hickman

  “Hey, Debbie. It’s me,” Victoria said, munching on a roasted almond truffle.

  “Stop eating in my ear,” Debbie teased. “How was the cruise?”

  “It was great. I really needed the getaway. How’re you feeling?”

  “I’m good, but hungry as hell! I’ve never eaten so much in my entire life. I’m bigger now than I was in the pictures I emailed you a couple of weeks ago. You should see me!” Debbie said with a joy that Victoria had never heard in her friend’s voice.

  “I can’t wait for my godchild to arrive. I’m so excited.”

  “You and me both. Hey, have you heard from Parker?”

  “Not since before I left for the cruise,” Victoria said, trying to stay happy but not feeling it.

  “You miss him bad, don’t you? I can hear it in your voice.”

  “Yeah, I do. Even though we had our disagreements, especially right before he left, we had so much fun together. Parker is the most gentle, romantic man I’ve ever known, and some nights I get so lonely without him.” Victoria paused. “Once you’ve gone without sex for a long time and then you start again, it’s hard as hell to go cold turkey, especially when it’s good. And let me tell you, Parker is good!”

  “How good?”

  “I’ll put it like this . . . I think he got his degree in How to Eat Pussy, not Cardiology,” Victoria said, making Debbie burst into laughter.

  “Damn, that’s a tough act to follow. The only thing I can tell you to do is get a substitute.”

  “Are you crazy? Let me remind you that the consumption of alcohol is ill-advised during pregnancy.”

  “What I mean is that you need to hook yourself up. Make a trip to that sex shop I used to go to downtown.”

  “I hate going into those places.”

  “Well, my dear, you’ve got three choices. You can either stock your shelves with some battery operated goodies, find a live and willing participant, or block it out of your mind.”

  “Great,” Victoria said, depressed with the prospects.

  “There’s one other option.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Call Ted. I’m sure he’ll be glad to come over and knock the edge off.”

  “Please . . . ”

  “You know I’m right. Why can’t you just admit that he’s crazy about you and that you like him too? I hear the way you sound when you talk about him.”

  “Debbie, it’s complicated.”

  “Why? Because he’s white?”

  “Yes, partially. But also because I have a boyfriend. I love Parker and I couldn’t cheat on him. I know what that’s like and I’d never put him through that.”

  As only a true friend could, Debbie spoke frankly, from her heart. “I understand what you’re saying, Victoria, really I do. But I think that Ted’s race is the bigger issue for you, not your love for Parker. At some point you just have to say fuck it! You have to look beyond the man’s skin and look at how you feel about him.”

  Victoria sighed. “Listen, it’s late so I’ll let you go.”

  “You’re not letting me go, you’re brushing me off, but that’s all right. I still love you anyway.”

  “I love you too . . . and thanks,” Victoria said before they ended their call.

  She Called Out...

  Two weeks later Victoria found herself standing in the large upper-floor gallery of the ViaTech building. Last March Ted had arrived at the company, and now, a year later, he was the official chief executive officer and fifty percent owner of ViaTech, Inc. Tonight’s affair not only marked that occasion, it also celebrated the fact that while other telecom companies were beginning to take a hit, Ted had managed to realign ViaTech’s business model, putting them securely on top of their competitors. Senior managers and directors from the company’s remote locations across the east coast were all in town for the event.

  After a few hours of mixing and mingling, Victoria was ready to leave. “Denise, I’m going to call it a night. I have an early morning meeting with a prospective client,” she said.

  “Are you going to say goodbye to Ted?” Denise asked, giving her a devilish grin.

  Victoria had been trying to keep her distance from Ted all evening. This was a big event with lots of prying eyes, so she wanted to be careful about their contact. “No, I’m just going to slip out. If you see him, tell him I said good night.”

  Later that evening, Victoria ran herself a hot bath and tried to relax. She was lonely, and her body ached for attention. She toweled off and walked over to her nightstand. She opened the drawer and pulled out the vibrator she’d bought last week when she went “girl shopping” with Juliet and Gigi.

  “You need to find one that’s true to his size and form,” Gigi had suggested from her vast experience in such matters.

  Victoria’s eyes scanned the selections until she came across what appeared to be a close match to Parker. She pulled it from the shelf and examined it through the clear plastic packaging.

  “That’s true to Parker’s size?” Juliet asked.

  Victoria held it out as they all studied the sex toy. “Yeah, pretty much,” she finally concluded.

  “My, aren’t you a lucky one,” Gigi smiled.

  It still doesn’t beat the real thing, but beggars can’t be choosers, Victoria reasoned as she lay back on her fluffy comforter, parted her legs, and put the toy to work. She squirmed with pleasure as she fulfilled her needs, gently fondling herself in places she’d been deprived. Her body grew warm and full under her own touch as she moaned, enjoying the feel of her soft wetness. Her inner muscles tightened as the intense feeling of orgasmic euphoria filled her body. She moaned loudly, gave in to it, and allowed the rush to come. “Ooohhh Teeeddd,” she called out.

  Her eyes sprang open. The moaning—halted. The sensations—stopped. The euphoria—gone. Victoria sat up fast, letting the vibrator fall to the floor with a hard thud. She moved to the edge of the bed, naked and stunned, yet fully aware of what had just happened. A few minutes went by before she slipped on her nightgown and climbed back into bed.

  When the phone rang, she didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who it was. “Hello,” she answered.

  “I was calling to see if you’re all right,” Ted’s voice eased into her ear. “You left before I got a chance to see you tonight.”

  “Um, yeah. I have an early morning meeting with a client . . . ”

  “V, are you okay? You don’t sound well.”

  His concern was choking her. “I’m fine, just tired,” she said, pretending to yawn into the phone.

  Reluctantly, Ted let her go. But now she was wide awake, as if the sun had just come up. She thought about her situation and all she could do was pray that the answers would come.

  Let’s Make A Deal. . .

  The next morning, Victoria put her night behind her and concentrated on her nine a.m. meeting with Eva Masters. As she pulled into the driveway of the impressive brick home, she took in its intricate landscaping and detailed craftsmanship, hoping its occupant would be as inviting. Eva served on several boards and was one of the city’s most notable socialites. She’d heard about Divine Occasions when she attended the YFI fundraiser with a friend whose husband was a major donor of the organization.

  Victoria had received a frantic call from Eva three days ago. Initially, Eva’s daughter had been adamant about not having a sweet sixteen birthday party, but after months of pleading, the disgruntled teenager finally gave in. “We’ve wasted valuable time and my little angel’s birthday is only a week away,” Eva had told her.

  Victoria didn’t know if she could work this miracle, but with the type of money that Eva Masters was willing to spend, and the exposure and contacts this event would bring for Divine Occasions, she was going to do her best to pull it off. She stood in front of the mahogany double doors and rang the bell.

  “Good morning,” the housekeeper greeted her. “Mrs. Masters is expecting you, please come with me.”

  Victoria followed
the woman into the light-filled living room where the lady of the house was waiting. Eva Masters was fiftyish, but it was apparent that she was fighting like hell not to look it. She was tall and ultra-thin, the latter being a coveted asset in her social circle. Victoria thought she looked like the society types she’d seen at the spa who spent thousands of dollars on seaweed wraps and other sorts of age-defying remedies, only to come out looking like middle-aged women who were barely holding on.

  “Ms. Small, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Eva Masters,” the socialite stood and greeted, extending her frail hand.

  “Please, call me Victoria.”

  “Then I insist you call me Eva.”

  They sat across from each other in identical French Provincial high-back chairs. “Victoria, I’m so glad you agreed to see me on such short notice. Celeste’s birthday is only a week away and as you can imagine, I’m at my wit’s end. I hope you can help us.”

  Victoria nodded her head, whipping out her notes from their phone conversation. “I’ll certainly do my best.”

  “Celeste is going to be a debutante, and I think this party will be the perfect precursor to her formal debut, a lovely sweet sixteen party,” Eva mused. “Ah, here’s my angel now.”

  When Victoria looked up she nearly fell out of her chair. Celeste was decked out in a long-sleeve black T-shirt that boasted a peace sign emblem, tattered low-rise jeans that were falling off her hips, and a pair of rundown shoes that looked two sizes too big; not at all the polo shirt and plaid skirt Victoria had expected.

  “Dear, this is Ms. Small, the event planner I told you about,” Eva said with a nervous smile.

  “Hey,” the teen said, plopping down onto the sofa. She smacked hard on her gum, blew a big bubble, then sucked it back into her mouth. “I’m Celeste.” Her long, chemically darkened tresses peeked through the sides of her black skully.

  Victoria didn’t want to stare, but she couldn’t help it. “Hi, Celeste. It’s nice to meet you.” She nodded with a smile.

  Celeste looked at Victoria and leaned forward. “I don’t know what my mother told you, but if I have to have this dumb party, I want something that’s gonna rock, not some lame sugar and spice crap. That’s totally WACK!”

  Eva smiled uncomfortably, shifting in her seat while Victoria regained her sense of focus. “Okay, let’s start by establishing a theme. What do you like to do for fun, Celeste?”

  “I like clubbing and chillin’ with my friends,” she grinned, playing with the string hanging from her black wristband. Eva shifted in her seat again.

  Clubbing! She probably has a stash of phony IDs and a bag of weed under her bed, Victoria thought.

  “You like the beach too, don’t you, dear,” Eva encouraged, looking for a more suitable answer to give.

  Celeste rolled her eyes. “That’s the only reason I’m agreeing to this party in the first place. I do the party and make you happy, and you give me a week in South Beach.”

  Eva shifted in her seat again, growing more uncomfortable by the minute.

  Victoria shot Eva a look. She was appalled that the woman was playing Let’s Make a Deal with her own child.

  “And I like to paint,” Celeste continued. “I’m really good with gouache, and I kick ass at video games too,” she smiled, blowing another bubble. At that moment, the housekeeper entered with a tray of tea and cookies, just in time to save Eva from fidgeting a hole through her chair.

  As Victoria studied the rebellious teen, she realized that Celeste reminded her a lot of herself at that age: creative and bold, marching to the beat of the drum playing inside her head. But as she drank her tea and listened to the rebel without a cause, she became aware of a big difference between this girl and her younger self—Celeste Masters had already learned the art of negotiating to get what she wanted.

  “Well, that gives me something to work with,” Victoria said, turning to Eva. “Since you’d like to host the party here, I’ll need to have a look around your property.”

  “Certainly, this way,” Eva motioned as they stood, glad for the reprieve from her daughter’s rantings.

  A half hour later, after touring the massive grounds out back and more conversation with the debutante in waiting, Victoria had come up with a theme that made both mother and daughter happy. Celeste was going to have a sweet sixteen beach party centered around the mosaic-tile pool out back. They’d have to rent a tent and portable heaters to offset the forty-degree temperature outside, but that was okay because Eva said she would spare no expense to ensure the party’s success.

  When Celeste suggested having male servers wear Speedos and serve Jell-O shots to her guests poolside, Victoria’s eyes widened, and Eva got so upset she started hiccupping. “This party is gonna be killer!” Celeste smiled, smacking her gum.

  “Celeste!” her mother finally hissed. “If you don’t stop this nonsense your father and I will take away your weekend dress privileges. No more Woodstock clothes! Is that understood, young lady?”

  Another bargaining tool, Victoria thought. Seeing that Eva couldn’t handle her daughter, Victoria knew she had to take control. “I’m not tryin’ to go to jail over indecent exposure and underage drinking. This is how the party’s gonna roll,” she told Celeste, “we’ll hire co-ed servers, dress them in cargo shorts and T-shirts, and they’ll serve nonalcoholic tropical drinks on surf board–shaped trays,” she concluded with authority.

  Celeste thought about the proposition for a moment. “Okay, I can live with that.”

  You better, Victoria thought to herself.

  Eva wrote Victoria a check and thanked her a hundred times before saying goodbye.

  His Full Admission. . .

  When Victoria returned home that afternoon, she saw the package on the doorstep when she turned into her driveway. She drove around back, parked her car, and rushed through the house to the front door. It was a package from Parker. She was so excited! She went to the kitchen, grabbed a pair of scissors, and ripped into the box like a kid on Christmas morning. Inside, she found an Africa Project T-shirt, a letter, and a photo.

  The sight of him took her breath away. Parker was standing in front of the clinic, wearing a pair of shorts and the ratty Howard University t-shirt that she thought made him look so adorable. The top of his head was covered with black curls. Victoria turned the picture over and read the back. Haven’t had time to keep up my grooming regime, hence, the hair. Miss you, Need you, Love you . . . Parker.

  His letter and his picture made her feel warm inside. When she thought about what she’d uttered the night before, she felt like an adulterer.

  The next morning she decided to call Parker. Luckily, and to her delight, she was able to reach him. “I got the box yesterday. The letter was so sweet, and the picture.... Parker, I love your hair.”

  “You do?” he smiled into the phone.

  “Yes, I do. Just when I didn’t think you could look any more handsome you proved me wrong.”

  “Baby, I miss you,” Parker said, “life just isn’t the same without you.”

  “I miss you too. But hey, we’re halfway through this. In three months you’ll be back home, and I’ll be in your arms.”

  “Ooohhh, baby, I can’t wait,” he breathed into the phone.

  “Dr. Brightwood, the bags have been loaded onto the van and everyone is waiting. We need to leave now if we’re to make it to the city by the scheduled time,” a man with a thick accent called out in the background.

  “Where’re you going?” Victoria asked.

  Parker hesitated. “Um, Nairobi.”

  She heard the break in his voice. “Why’re you going to Nairobi?”

  He hesitated again, forcing himself to answer her question. “We’ve been given a two week break and I’m going on safari in Nairobi.”

  There was silence on the line. A two week break? Then it dawned on her. “Parker, is this the reason why you wanted me to visit you for two weeks this month? I just thought you wanted to see me. I had no idea you we
re actually going to have a two-week break . . . and to go on a safari trip! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Well, I . . . ”

  “I’ll tell you why,” Victoria said, cutting him off, “it’s because you knew that if I found out you had a two-week vacation, I’d want you to come home to be with me. But you kept it from me because you wanted to go on that damn safari trip so you could go looking for masks and artwork for your collection,” she fumed.

  “Baby, I’m sorry. Yes, I wanted to use the break to go on the safari, but I also wanted you here with me too.” Parker paused, knowing he had to push on with the selfish truth. “I didn’t tell you because after we got into that terrible argument right before your office Christmas party, and then at my folks’, I didn’t want you being more angry with me because I knew you wouldn’t understand why I’d choose to stay in Kenya, rather than come back home.”

  His full admission calmed her. Victoria appreciated that Parker never tried to bullshit his way out of situations the way Steven used to. He was completely forthcoming about any wrongs he may have committed. It was one of the things she’d grown to love about him. But what disturbed her was that his honesty was always marred with deception.

  “I know it doesn’t excuse the situation. I’m just telling you how I felt. I love you, Victoria.”

  “If you love me, why didn’t you change your plans and come home to be with me?”

  “I couldn’t. I tried right after I got here. But this government program is so fucking bureaucratic. The paperwork was too much.”

  “Parker, this is crazy. Why do you keep things from me that affect our relationship? You always try to control things.”

  “Dr. Brightwood, we have to leave now,” the man in the background called out again.