by B Ivy Woods
“Your mom and I were having dinner, and when she went to the bathroom, I looked over and saw you were here having dinner with Rae. It’s lovely to see you again,” Terry said, sparing a glance at Rae.
“Likewise,” Rae said. Out of all the restaurants in the DC Metropolitan Area, Flint’s parents had to be dining at the one he picked out? What were the chances of that?
As Rae shifted her thoughts to the back of her mind, Gladys West strutted up to the table with a huge smile. Rae could immediately feel the tension rising in her head. The headache was already forming and she wished she could take something to keep it at bay.
“Hi, sweetie.” Gladys smiled at Flint and Rae could see the love she had for her son. But when her gaze turned to Rae, she could see the shift. Not that she expected Gladys to like her nearly as much as she loved her son, but the look in her eyes didn’t tell any lies.
“Did you submit the paperwork?”
Rae stared a hole into Flint’s eyes as she waited for a response. She replayed Gladys’s comment in her head multiple times, and each time, the glare on her face was transfixed. He had hidden something from her. What paperwork was he supposed to have turned in? When Gladys’s attention shifted to her once again, she knew she had made a mistake by asking the question out loud.
“Oh, Rae, dear, you hadn’t heard? Our son here has decided that he is running for Congress.”
The oxygen in Rae’s lungs was all but gone after Gladys’s announcement.
“What is she talking about?”
“Rae, this isn’t official—”
“So, you didn’t turn in the paperwork today?” Gladys chimed in from the peanut gallery.
Flint ignored her. “This is what I was hoping to talk to you about tonight.”
“What was there to talk about? You were already filling out the paperwork.”
Flint ignored his mother again. “Rae, this a decision I want us to make together.”
“Well, that isn’t—”
“Mom, can you please stop?”
Rae was stunned at his response as she watched the two go back and forth like they were playing a match at the US Open. She noticed that Terry was doing the same thing, so he was in the dark about all of this. And that was when she too had decided.
“I—I think I need to go.”
“Rae, wait—”
“No, I need to go.” As Rae got up out of her chair, she almost knocked over her glass of water but caught it before she made too much of a mess.
“I would love to say that I had a great time, but that would be a lie. Bye, Flint. Mr. and Mrs. West,” she said as she nodded in acknowledgment. She noticed the small smile on Gladys’s face but honestly couldn’t care less. She made motions to gather her things and Flint placed his hand over hers. Jerking her hand out of his grasp, she said, “Don’t touch me.”
“I guess you hadn’t.” Gladys had to have the last word.
“Gladys, this was unnecessary. We should be going. See you tomorrow for lunch, Flint?”
Flint nodded and watched his parents leave the restaurant. As they waved goodbye and walked away, neither Rae nor Flint said a word.
A few beats passed before Rae decided she had to speak up. “Were you going to tell me that tonight? That you were officially planning on making a run for a congressional seat?”
Flint quickly ran his hand through his hair, making it even messier than it had been before. “Yes. First, let me correct what my mother said. I haven’t made any motions to file since we talked about it last. Nothing has been signed or dated. Tonight, I planned to talk to you more about it over dinner. I want your input because I would need to decide sooner rather than later.”
After she closed her eyes, she leaned back in her chair as he explained his side of the story. This decision wasn’t something he was trying to hide from her. He just hadn’t brought it up yet. And Gladys was once again trying to start trouble.
“What does this have to do with you? Do you want to run, or is it because your father wants you to because of his involvement in Virginian politics?”
Flint hesitated for a moment before replying, “Yes. I think I can make a difference or at least do my damnedest to make a difference. I’m more concerned about how it will affect the people I love. If I run, I know it might open up family and friends to some scrutiny if I end up gaining traction.” When he said the last part, Rae noticed his pointed stare at her.
“When do you have to file?”
“Within the next few weeks. If I enter, I’m hoping to get a jump on the other candidates who might throw their hat into the race for the nomination.”
“Okay. Well, we still have a little time before you decide.”
“I’m just happy you at least seem open to the idea.”
Rae wanted to be open to the things that Flint wanted to achieve. If it was important to him, it was important to her, and she hoped he felt the same.
But as Rae was getting into bed that night, the more she thought about it, the more of an eerie feeling she had about the whole thing that she just couldn’t shake.
22
The sound of Rae’s text notification brought her out of a daydream she was having. She was home alone a few weekends later sitting on her couch with the television on, mindlessly listening to some reality show while surfing the internet. The only light in the room was the glow emanating from her laptop and tv. She had spent most of the time alone thinking about Flint’s dilemma about starting a congressional campaign but was coming up empty. Leaning over to grab her phone took more energy than Rae was willing to give at that moment, so she ignored it. When it buzzed again, she finally mustered up enough power to reach over to grab the device that was ruining her time in solitude.
Liv: Did you see the photo that had Jules was tagged in?
Eve: No. Why did you send us a separate group chat?
Rae: Nope. I’m rarely on social media nowadays, anyway.
And just like that, Rae’s quiet time had been interrupted, but she was okay with it. At least she had gotten a little time to herself. She placed her laptop on to the cushion next to her and stood up. Briefly stretching to get the kinks out of her limbs after sitting for far too long, she slipped into her house shoes, grabbed her phone, and brought it with her into the kitchen. She set it down on the countertop as she looked around to find the things she needed to make a cup of tea. She grabbed a mug from her cabinet and filled it up with water before putting it into the microwave to heat. Wandering over to her pantry, she found some teas her mom had probably left the last time she visited her apartment. Saying a silent thanks, she found one that contained lemon and ginger and waited for the microwave to go off. As the timer beeped, she quickly grabbed the mug handle and placed it on the counter. She dropped the teabag into the mug and waited for it to steep.
Thinking it was weird that Liv hadn’t responded to their texts, Rae’s fingers flew across the keyboard to compose a message.
Rae: What happened?
As she waited for a response from Liv, and for her tea to be ready, she opened up her last text message from Flint and smiled. Realizing it had been a while since they had last spoken, she typed a text to him too.
Rae: I miss you. What are you up to?
Maybe he would come over to her apartment tonight for a quiet night in. Or heck, she didn’t even mind going over to his apartment to spend time with him either. And that was saying something because she was already in her T-shirt and yoga pants. After all, she planned on staying home for the night.
A few more minutes passed before Rae realized her tea had to be ready. Just as she was about to take a sip, her text message ringer went off. Thinking nothing of it, she brought the mug to her lips as she clicked on the notification.
The cup slipped from her hand and crashed onto the wood floor.
“Shit!” Rae exclaimed as she saw the mess she’d made. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that none of the hot liquid had gotten on her. Silently, Rae thanked
her quick reflexes as she placed her phone on the counter and bent down to pick up the bigger shards of the mug. She couldn’t have seen what she thought she’d seen.
The loud ring of her phone interrupted her cleaning, and she welcomed that reprieve because she knew her thoughts were about to race.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Liv and Eve.”
“Hey.”
Rae didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m so sorry.” Rae could hear the sincerity in Eve’s tone.
“I’m not even sure how to process what I just saw.”
“Do you want us to come over?”
Rae took some time to concentrate on breathing before answering. “No. I think I’ll be okay.”
“You don’t sound okay.” Rae could hear the concern in Liv’s voice.
“I think I’m still in shock. Plus, I’m trying to pick up the mug I dropped after seeing that photo.”
The photo that Rae saw had Jules, Flint, and Cassandra in it. It looked to be taken at another event that Flint and Jules had attended. That didn’t bother Rae. What bothered her was the fact that in the photo, Cassandra was pressed up against Flint. Her chest was firmly attached to his torso, and she couldn’t see where his hand was. And Cassandra looked to be whispering something in his ear. Although she assumed there was an explanation for this, she couldn’t control the rage building in her mind. Her hand trembled as she tried to listen to what her friends were telling her on the phone.
“Were there any other photos that were posted with this one?”
“I didn’t even think to check because I wanted to make sure you knew about it. Hold on.”
“I’m asking because, in the photo, Flint and Cassandra weren’t looking at the camera. I’m curious to see if there were more photos taken where they were looking at the lens.”
Rae and Eve waited in silence as Liv searched for more photos of the event.
“Ah,” whispered Liv just before Rae heard her phone ping.
Rae tossed the paper towels she had been using to clean up the mess in the garbage and washed her hands. Then she checked her phone to see what Liv had sent her. There were a few more photos shot of the three. In them, Flint and Cassandra looked like a couple. One photo showed him gazing down into her eyes and smiling, another with him whispering into her ear.
“I’m getting a headache,” Rae said as she studied the photos. Flint looked…happy with her. “Were these taken tonight?”
“I’m not sure, but they were posted tonight, however.”
Rae could feel her anger building. “Flint was with me the night before last, so it wasn’t then. And he’s supposed to be at dinner with his father tonight. He told me he would contact me when they were done.”
“Have you heard from him?” Rae could hear the edge in Eve’s voice.
“No. Have either of you heard from Jules?”
Both women said no and Rae closed her eyes. She could feel the pounding in her head intensifying. Trying not to overreact, she took several deep breaths to stabilize her emotions, but she couldn’t get the photos out of her head.
“I will try to call him. I’ll talk to you later?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure.”
“Bye.”
Rae found Flint’s phone number in her recent phone calls and clicked it. The phone rang and rang until it went to his voice mail. Rae sucked her teeth and threw her phone down on the counter. Shaking her head at herself, she picked up her phone and checked to make sure it was still in working order. She texted Eve and Liv what had happened.
Rae: No answer.
Liv: Should we text Jules?
Eve: I think we should. She seems to be the potential link to all of this.
Rae: I agree.
There was silence for a bit before Rae heard her text ringtone.
Liv: Hey Jules. Where are you?
Time seemed to slow down as Rae waited for Jules to respond. Her heart jumped when she heard her phone go off once more. That excitement and nervousness were short-lived when she realized it was a spam message.
Rae wasn’t sure how long she stared at her wall in silence. The blank screen of her TV showed nothing but her sad reflection looking back at her. Being alone with just her thoughts was dangerous.
A knock on the door brought her back to reality. Her phone flashed 9:34 p.m. and no new notifications. The radio silence from Jules and Flint was deafening.
She checked through the peephole before opening the door.
“I thought you guys weren’t coming over?”
“You thought we wouldn’t come over when you were going through a mini-crisis? Get real,” Liv said as she scooted past Rae and let herself into her apartment. Eve hugged her before closing the door behind her. The trio headed to Rae’s couch and plopped down.
“So when can we kick his ass?”
Rae chuckled and shook her head at Liv’s comment. “I want an explanation. More than that, Jules not responding is driving me nuts.”
Rae put her head in her hands and felt Eve throw her arm around her shoulders as she consoled her.
“Hello? Jules?”
Rae’s and Eve’s heads shot up as they looked at Liv. She did always take life by the horns, so the duo wasn’t shocked that she had just called her.
“Hey! Are you busy? Did you just get out of the fundraiser? You need to come over to Rae’s apartment.”
Rae tuned out the rest of the conversation because her thoughts consumed her. She reached up to wipe the tears she knew had fallen but found none. At least they had stopped for now.
“Okay, see you soon.” And with that, Liv hung up the phone, but then was silent.
“So?” Eve asked. Liv didn’t respond right away. Rae raised an eyebrow as she waited for Liv to speak.
“Jules didn’t respond to our text because she didn’t get it until just now. Apparently, there was poor service in the building they were in, but she’s headed over here. And she was the one who brought up Flint.”
Rae’s blood turned to ice. “Did she tell you anything?”
“Not really, but she told me to grab some wine because we wouldn’t believe this.”
Jules soon arrived at Rae's apartment and began to share what she had seen at the event.
Flint walked into the room and immediately found his parents. A bunch of people surrounded them, probably shooting the shit. If you could say anything about his father, he was, without a doubt, a master networker and always knew someone who knew something about someone else. And he definitely used that to his advantage.
Somewhat ignoring his parents on the other side of the room, he mingled with his coworkers and some other guests. He didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard someone call his name. He swung around and saw his mom smiling at him. Although she didn’t work in the realm of politics, it was assumed that she would attend these events with her husband.
“Sweetie, can I speak to you for a second?”
Flint nodded and followed his mother to a quiet corner on the other side of the ballroom.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes, dear. Why would you think it isn’t?”
“Because you asked me to follow you over here.”
“That doesn’t mean that anything is wrong.”
Flint was losing his patience with his mother. “Please stop evading my question. What is going on?”
She sighed before saying, “I need you to break up with Rae.”
He did a double-take before replying, “Excuse me?!”
“Keep your voice down, dear.”
Flint raked a hand through his hair before saying, “I’m not breaking up with Rae.”
“You will if you want a decent shot at that congressional seat.”
“Excuse me?” Flint knew he sounded like a broken record, but couldn’t find any other words to say.
“I believe that you heard what I said.”
“Doesn’t make it any less ludicrous.
What do I being with Rae have anything to do with me running for a congressional seat that is technically not even up for grabs yet?”
“Well, that’s the thing. You need to be dating Cassandra Hopkins to seal the deal.”
His mother had to have lost her mind. “You are telling me Cassandra, and I need to date to ensure that I end up with an advantage in the primary?” He figured repeating his mother would show her that what she said was crazy.
“Ensure is a strong word, but certain things might work out in your favor if you do.”
“What things?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss, but I will say some contribution to a campaign might be at stake.”
It took every ounce of control in his body not to swear. “Mom, this is unreasonable,” he whispered.
“It’s the only way. So it’s either Rae or your political future. And I suggest you make your decision quickly.” And with that, she gave him a soft pat on the shoulder and walked away.
Flint didn’t move for several seconds. He took a deep breath and headed toward the men’s bathroom, which he had spotted when he had followed his mom, figuring that would buy him a few more minutes before he had to face anyone else.
But what he hadn’t known was that someone else, lurking in the shadows, had heard his conversation with his mother. And she knew just what she would do with this information.
“That’s what I heard.” The silence after Jules’s statement was palpable.
“And here I thought I was the one who was the next Nancy Drew. Jules, you beat me to it!” Liv exclaimed. Her comment broke some tension in the room.
“So, how did the picture come about?”
Jules shrugged. “So I guess I should point out I’m not sure what happened after Flint’s conversation with his mother. Flint and I talked for a few moments, but I couldn’t ask him about what I heard. While we were talking to another group of people, one photographer who was walking around at the time asked us to get a group picture. We were standing together, and I saw something flash out of the corner of my eye, but it wasn’t from the photographer’s camera. So I turned and saw that Cassandra had plopped herself between Flint and me. I didn’t even know she would be at the event, but there she was in all of her glory. She was up in his personal space and he didn’t seem to try to get away from her.”
