by Pat Tucker
“Yes. I divorced his ass when I found out he’d been carrying on with his co-worker for more than a year. That’s totally different. That’s love or headed toward love. A man who goes out and bangs a chick because he wants something different here and there, I could deal with that,” Samantha said.
Leela whipped her head in Samantha’s direction. “Well, that doesn’t make any sense. He can screw someone else as long as it’s not the same person over and over again?”
Samantha got up and snatched her martini glass. “That’s correct!” she said. “I’m going for a refill; you need one yet?”
Leela shook her head and declined the refill, but said, “I don’t get your logic.”
“You don’t have to. I’m just telling you that if my man had come to me before he stepped out and said, let’s try something to avoid divorce, regardless of whether or not I wanted to go along, I probably would’ve agreed. Now, you know how I feel about marriage. You know I think the whole thing is a waste of a pretty dress and lots of good liquor, and money, but if you wanna keep your man and he’s asking you to give it a try, I think you should.”
From the kitchen, Samantha continued, “Don’t you ever get tired of screwing him?” Leela didn’t respond.
“You don’t have to answer that. But it’s not like the man said, ‘Let’s move my side-piece into the room down the hall.’ He said, ‘One day out of the month, you can go out, have some fun and not feel guilty about it, whatever it turns out to be.’ Shiiiiit! That’s a win-win for you both, if you ask me!”
Samantha returned with the pitcher of grape martini and plopped down onto the sofa. “So, what’s it gonna be? Are you gonna agree to Free Nights or whatever the hell it’s called, or are you gonna wait for some bleeding heart chick with a tight twat and big tits to come along and give your husband a sympathy bang?”
“A what?” Leela asked as she extended her empty glass toward Samantha.
“Honey, there are women out there who actually feel sorry for married men. They feel like it’s their duty to give him some sympathy pussy because the poor bastard has to wake up next to the same woman who loses her sexual desire little by little each and every day.”
Leela burst out laughing. “Where do you get this foolishness? It’s like ever since you got divorced, you’ve come up with all kinds of crazy ideas. Sympathy bang, no-spouse parties, a successful marriage has an expiration date, what the hell?”
“Laugh all you want now, but mark my word. If you don’t do what Riley wants, you might find yourself sitting right next to me in more ways than one.”
• • •
The following Tuesday, Leela left work early to go deal with an issue for her grandmother.
Big Mama was okay physically, but Leela was concerned about her mental state. She knew it had to be hard for her to be alone after all those years of marriage.
“Do you want to get something to eat?” she asked Big Mama as they pulled up in front of the apartment building.
“No, I’m fine. Ain’t had much of an appetite,” she said.
Leela was worried about that, but she knew not to bring too much attention to it.
“Okay, let me go turn this paperwork in and I’ll be right back.” Leela got out of the car and called her husband. “Hey, didn’t you say one of your clients owns a home health care business?”
“Yeah. Why? What’s up?”
She looked back at the car and saw her grandmother staring out of the windshield. Her heart sank at the thought.
“Well, I think we need someone to come in and look after Big Mama. I don’t like the idea of her being alone as long as she is. It must be hard for her.”
“Let me make a few calls and I’ll get back to you.”
Leela turned in the paperwork, then returned to the car. Her grandmother could’ve been a statue. She hadn’t moved an inch.
“Okay, you want some pizza or something?”
“Pizza! Chile, please!”
Chuckling to herself, Leela maneuvered the car toward the back of the apartment building where her grandmother lived. She was about to really be worried if the pizza comment hadn’t gotten a rise out of Big Mama.
“I could go for some smothered chicken and sweet potatoes,” Big Mama said.
“That sounds great! I’ll fix the sweet potatoes if you fix the chicken,” Leela offered.
Her grandmother’s sad eyes fixed on her. “Ain’t you gotta go home and tend to your husband, Chile?”
Leela shrugged. “Riley can fend for himself for one evening, Big Mama. Besides, it’s still early in the afternoon. How long does it take you to fix chicken?”
Her grandmother looked around and out of the window as if it was the first time the thought of the time of day had crossed her mind. “Umph. I guess it is still early, huh?”
“Yes, it is. So, we’ve got plenty of time to fix whatever you feel like eating. You know what?” Leela turned the wheel and steered the car away from the apartment. “Let’s go by the store because I may want some wine with dinner this evening.”
Swatting an arm and laughing, her grandmother said, “Chile, you a mess! We ain’t got no business drinking no wine in the middle of the doggone day!”
“Big Mama, we both grown. If we want to get a little tipsy in the middle of the afternoon, I don’t think that’s anybody’s business but ours!”
• • •
Four hours later, the small apartment smelled like a five-star soul food restaurant. Leela and her grandmother had made a mess. Both were feeling extremely relaxed by the time dinner was ready. They shared a bottle of wine, and over dinner, Leela decided to bring up the topic she wanted to discuss.
“Big Mama, you mind if I ask you something?”
“Ask away, Baby.”
“How do you do it? You were married for more than fifty years; how do you get along without him?”
“Women are strong, Chile. You know that. Don’t get me wrong; it ain’t easy. But when a man shows you who he is, despite how hard it is, you gotta believe it. For many, many years, I turned my head to a whole lotta things. I never would’ve thought your grandfather would hurt me like that. We didn’t have much, but I kept a clean house, fed him and my children and did everything a good wife is supposed to do.”
Leela swallowed back tears. She wasn’t trying to bring gloom over their otherwise perfect afternoon together.
“It just goes to show you. You can think you’re doing it all right, and then in the end, you still wind up with shit!”
Stunned to hear her grandmother curse, Leela’s eyes quickly returned to their normal size.
“I woulda though it was Sybil. Sybil Hamilton was the one woman every single wife had an eye on. I don’t know what it was about that woman, but she turned some heads. She wasn’t even the prettiest, but it was something about her that drove the men crazy. Now, I don’t know whether Sybil did any of the things people said she did, but here I was keeping an eye on her. And while I was busy monitoring her, while she way across town, he’s stepping out with my neighbor’s daughter.”
Leela had no words.
“I was busy focusing on a threat across town when the real enemy was right next to me and he was causing damage three doors down! Go figure.”
Leela got up and rushed to the other side of the table. She took her grandmother into her arms and squeezed her tightly.
“I’m okay, Baby. I’m okay,” her grandmother said.
It didn’t sound like it to Leela, but she wouldn’t challenge what her grandmother had said.
The wine must’ve been like truth serum; before long, Leela was sharing some secrets of her own.
“I just can’t help but feel like he might be trying to give himself a free pass,” Leela said. She had gone over the entire roll-out. She told her grandmother about the restaurant, and what happened after they had arrived home.
“But wait a minute; didn’t you say you can both do what you want on this day?”
“Yeah, but what
if he’s only saying that because he’s already doing something? I can’t express it fully, but something tells me he’s up to something with this.”
“You’ve gotta go with your gut,” Big Mama said.
Leela stopped and turned to her grandmother. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you need to go with what your gut is telling you. This ain’t no decision for anybody but you to make. Your man is trying to tell you something. You just need to figure out whether you wanna listen.”
Leela sighed hard.
CHAPTER
19
“Dawg, what you tryin’ to do to me?” Riley asked as he walked into Bill’s place and saw Natasha sitting there.
She looked just as good as ever. The sight of her made Riley hard, and he was immediately disappointed in himself. He didn’t want to want her, but he did. It had very little to do with his marriage. Riley didn’t like the idea of any woman having control over him; it was supposed to be the other way around.
Bill shrugged. “Sue me. I’ve got a soft spot for people in love.”
“Wait a minute!” Natasha squealed. “Did you whiten your teeth? They look great! You look great!”
Wow! Leela hadn’t even noticed and less than ten minutes with him, and Natasha picked up on it right away. He wondered how his wife had become that complacent. She hadn’t even noticed the other procedure he’d had done. He didn’t mind giving Natasha a pass because when she was down there, her focus was on bringing him pleasure, not aesthetics.
Bill’s head snapped in Riley’s direction. He squinted his eyes, then broke out into a fit of laughter. “Oh look at that. You whitening your teeth and shit now,” he mocked.
Riley blew out a breath, and flipped Bill the middle finger. Riley could only imagine what his boy would say if he knew about the ball ironing.
“Nah, Dawg, real talk,” Bill said as his laughter quieted and he tried to pull himself together. “It looks real good, for real,” he teased. “Maybe you’ll win when you enter the Miss Texas competition.”
“Bill, shut up!” Natasha snapped. She turned to Riley and smiled sweetly. “I made you uncomfortable at the party. I’m sorry for that. I just couldn’t resist; I needed to taste you. But I promise, I will never do anything you don’t want me to, ever again,” Natasha said in a sultry voice.
Riley was stunned. Had she really gone there in front of his boy? Her boldness might have stunned him, but it excited him a little, too.
Bill’s eyebrows jumped up.
“It wasn’t you,” Riley stammered. He tossed Bill a look of death. Bill shrugged.
“It’s me. I can’t get caught up. Real talk, Natasha. What we had is in the past. My wife would be hurt if she ever found out,” he admitted. “Why you trying to get me caught up?” Riley asked.
“Caught up how?” Natasha asked.
“Don’t answer a question with a question. I’m not trying to go there. If my wife found out, I’d be dogged by headaches,” he said.
“If she found out what? That I had to all but beg you to let me give you some head? Then even when I did, you act like it was nothing. Then, you ignored all of my calls and text messages. You won’t even accept my friend request on Facebook.”
Riley shook his head and tried to dismiss everything Natasha offered. Even when he tried to talk to Leela about Free Fridays, never once did Natasha cross his mind as a possibility. Natasha was in love. She lost out and didn’t get his last name, so now she was jockeying for a position on the side. That’s not what he wanted.
He wasn’t on his game in her presence. He felt weak and that wasn’t good for a man. He didn’t plan to look backward, and he definitely wasn’t trying to get caught up. That’s what Natasha represented. She wanted to play house, and he couldn’t afford to do that. He already had a real house and a wife in it too.
“Yo, dig this. I’ma run out for a minute. If y’all need something, hit me on the hip,” Bill said. “Ima go see if I can find myself some Crest Whitening Strips or something,” he muttered.
Riley used his eyes to toss Bill a disgusted glare, but Bill ignored the knowing looks and quickly scurried out of the front door.
“You can’t keep doing this,” he said once he and Natasha were alone.
“I know. You’re right. I just wanted, needed to see you. I don’t know what happened. I’ve held out for as long as I could. I’ve admired, loved you from afar, and I guess I just wanted to see what it was like, to be with you again,” she admitted sheepishly.
“I get that, but we can’t do this,” Riley said.
“But our chemistry. When we were out on that balcony, I felt something for you. You felt the same. You wanted me; you wanted what we used to have,” Natasha said.
“I love my wife.”
“I know you do. But I think your heart is big enough to love more than one person at a time. And besides, I’m not asking you to leave. I want whatever you can give me. I just want to be a part of your life. I want to feel you inside of me. I want you to touch me, because since you, no other man has ever been able to make me feel the way you have. I get why you married her. I get it, but I’m not even trying to tell you to leave. I just want some time with you.”
Riley shook his head.
“You deserve better. You deserve more. You should have a man of your own, Nat. You don’t want this work. I know you; you’ll never be satisfied for long. I can’t do it.”
Natasha’s head hung low.
Riley gave himself a mental pep-talk. He wasn’t trying to get caught up. He was willing to take extreme measures to save his marriage, not throw it away. Natasha was a bad chick. She was successful in her career. Her body was still just as tight as ever, and she looked better today than she did when she was younger. He knew he didn’t need to put himself in a position where he’d be stuck in love with two women at the same time. There was no way that could end well.
“Don’t answer now, please,” Natasha said. She jumped up and rushed to his side.
She smelled real good. When she touched him, he flinched slightly. Riley didn’t trust himself to touch her, so he stood as still as possible. He feared any sudden move might be misunderstood and he didn’t want to send any mixed messages.
“Take some time to think it through. I won’t see anyone else. I’ll wait for you. You can have all of this. I know you want it. I know you want me,” she said. Natasha took his hand and moved it to her backside. Riley didn’t resist.
“I’m married,” Riley said.
“Yes. I get that. But you should let me put this pussy on you. I wanna fuck you like I own you.”
He wanted to crack a smile when she started using the lyrics from that song. No, he needed to stay as far away as possible from Natasha.
“I’m not available, Nat, not even part time. Listen, I’m out. Be good,” Riley said and he eased out of Bill’s front door.
Natasha was disappointed, but still determined.
CHAPTER
20
Before Linda even opened her mouth, Leela knew to expect something smart or sarcastic from her mother. The sour expression on her face was always a good indicator of what one could expect with Linda.
“I know this ain’t what you wanna hear, but I’ma put it to you like this. I know it probably took a lot for you to share that with me, and this might hurt your feelings, but Samantha is absolutely right!”
Leela couldn’t believe the words that tumbled from her mother’s lips.
“I’ll take it a few steps further. I say that man is trying to throw you a life line. If he came talking about let’s take a break, it’s because he’s contemplating doing something,” Linda said.
“Riley’s not cheating on me. He wouldn’t do that,” Leela said with fleeting confidence.
Linda looked at her side-eyed as if to say, lie to yourself if you want. “Regardless of whether he is, or not, he is asking for help. Now it’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do.”
“I don’t get w
hy I have to do anything at all.”
“Chile, I wish I had the answer, but you already know, marriage is not my strong suit. What does your heart tell you to do?”
Leela contemplated that question for a bit before she answered. “Well, there’s a part of me that wouldn’t mind having a little freedom myself,” she said. “Not to be with someone else or anything like that,” Leela quickly added.
After Riley stood by her side through her grandfather’s move and helped her select a home healthcare worker for Big Mama, Leela wanted to surprise him.
She’d been giving it careful thought and her mind was made up. But she wanted to break the news in a dramatic way. Her evening of romance started with a stop at Frederick’s of Hollywood for some raunchy lingerie. She ordered and picked up takeout from some of his favorite restaurants and put together the perfect playlist for the evening.
Hours after everything was in place, Leela looked around at the man-cave that she had transformed into a virtual love den. Red and yellow rose petals were scattered on the floor, chairs, and tables. Candlelight flickered all over, and songs with sexually explicit lyrics were on repeat. Now, all she had to do was sit back and wait for Riley to come home so she could surprise him.
As she waited, she thought of all the ways she could share her news with him. She decided getting straight to the point wasn’t the best option in this case because she still had to convince herself that this was the best thing for their future.
It didn’t take long for sounds of the front door opening. The noise broke Leela’s thoughts and she quickly adjusted herself on the chair.
“Leela, Babe! I’m home!” Riley yelled moments later.
She fought the urge to call out to him; she needed him to stumble onto the scene she had created. It didn’t take long since she was careful to make sure every other light in the house had been turned off.
“Oh, wow!”
Leela lay stretched across one of the chairs with her legs gapped open.
Riley stepped inside and looked around like he was in an amusement park. He brought his focus back to his wife and loosened his necktie.
