Society Wives

by Renee Flagler

  Pulling over down the block, she dug into her purse for her phone and stabbed in Angela’s number.

  “Angela!” Nadalia didn’t wait for Angela’s greeting. After a few beats of silence passed by. “Angela.”

  “I’m here.” There was silence again. “I’m not handling this well. What about you?”

  “Well.” Nadalia heard Angela release a heavy breath into the phone. “I guess you can say what we have now is more like a business arrangement.”

  “Angela?” Nadalia was appalled by her response.

  “I know what you’re going to say, but first let me explain.”

  A part of Nadalia didn’t want to hear what Angela had to say. She sucked her teeth. “Go on.”

  “You see, I get everything—and I mean everything—I’ve ever wanted and need in exchange for my silence. I keep my house and my lifestyle as well as the opportunity to live my life as I please, and he gets to keep his image intact. It’s a win-win.”

  “Is it really, Angela?”

  At first she didn’t respond. Nadalia let her hang in the silence. “Nadalia, I still love him. I can’t just turn it off. Plus, he begged me not to leave. I have my family to think about. He said they were merely experimenting. He’ll never do it again.” Angela tried to sound convincing, but only came across as pitiful to Nadalia. “So…yes.” Angela paused. “I’m staying with him.”

  Disgusted Nadalia looked at the phone as if it had just given that ridiculous excuse. “Goodbye, Angela,” she said and tossed the phone into the backseat.

  Angela’s actions surprised her. She couldn’t imagine why Angela would consider staying with Coffey. It didn’t make sense. She couldn’t believe that they were more worried about his image than the things he’d done to betray her.

  Nadalia swore that the moon would first turn to blood and drip from the sky, while Jesus rode on a cloud before she would take Sage back. Forgive him, she could, but return to him…that would never happen.

  Chapter 49

  Vonnie

  A somber quiet had filled the house as Vonnie sat alone in the kitchen watching the display on her telephone light up with Pearson’s name and number. Like she had for the past several weeks, she let the call go to voicemail and still hadn’t listened to any of the messages she or the other wives had left. Bowing out silently was what she preferred, despite the fact that she wasn’t sure if that would work. Maybe they would stop calling and not even notice that she and Mike had dropped out of the scene.

  At the sound of the bell, Vonnie braced herself on the edge of the kitchen table and lifted up. Mike was off somewhere in the garage trying to navigate the city of storage boxes that they had erected and Noelle was most likely in her room group texting her circle of friends. Making her way around a bunch of boxes in the spacious foyer, Vonnie trailed her way to the door, touching the empty spaces on the wall where paintings used to hang. The area, turned gallery, now held an eerie emptiness, mirroring how she felt about having to leave her cherished home.

  Vonnie paused, took a breath and pasted a smile across her face before opening the door. The buyers were back again, bringing more family to see their new home. She and Mike had been lucky enough to find an enthusiastic young couple with deep pockets only two weeks after discreetly putting the house on the market, receiving an offer they couldn’t refuse. They went into - contract immediately, looking forward to making enough on the house to get them out of foreclosure status while also affording them a hefty down payment on a much smaller, but still beautiful five-bedroom Tudor home that was full of character a few towns away.

  Politely, Vonnie greeted the fresh young executive, his pregnant doe-eyed wife and their three young children, along with the additional member of the family. Less than two seconds in, the overwhelmed mom was calling after her toddler who had taken off toward the family room.

  “Please excuse him.” She nodded apologetically, wobbling after the quick-moving tot. “Kaitlin, go and get your brother,” she said to her older child who looked to be about five years old.

  Vonnie gave her an understanding smile. It seemed that every time another family member came into town, they called to see if they could come by and show the house off. Each excited visit drove a stake further into Vonnie’s heart. Their new neighborhood was still considered affluent, but paled sorely in comparison to their grand twelve room mansion, complete with a three-car garage, circular drive, exotic gardens, water features, and a pool house the size of a modest single-family home.

  “We’ll only be a minute, Mrs. Madison. My uncle was in town and we wanted him to see the house. Thanks for making time for us.”

  “No problem at all,” Vonnie said, forcing that cordial smile again, hoping they wouldn’t see the pain she hid behind her eyes. “Feel free, to show him around.” Vonnie stayed in the background as the couple showcased the home and spoke of all the things they wanted to do to make it their own. Vonnie trailed behind the happy bunch as they went from room to room and then out to the massive, bi-level backyard.

  Saying her goodbyes from there, Vonnie reminisced about how excited she was when she and Mike had found this house. Prior to their search, she had never seen homes so grand in person. The thought of actually living in one tickled her to the point where she pinched herself every time their realtor showed them a house. She hadn’t labeled the process as mere ‘house hunting.’ Walking through elaborate mansions that were large enough to fit the house she grew up in at least five times couldn’t be something as regular as house hunting. It was a fantastical adventure. When she walked into her current home, she felt like she had entered into her personal Shangri-La. The place spoke to her, inviting her in with its exquisite grand foyer, spacious layout, yet cozy feel. She decided then that she would fill her foyer with beautiful things so that they would be the first thing she saw when she entered her new home.

  Once they moved in, the feeling of living a real life fantasy took years to wear off. She loved pulling up into their cobble-stoned circular driveway, curling her car around the serene fountain, and the beautiful shrubs and flowers planted around it. Vonnie couldn’t even sleep during her first few nights there. A part of her couldn’t believe the home actually belonged to them. Now they were leaving—too soon.

  Vonnie rushed back inside, ran up to her bedroom and buried her tears in her pillow. Less than two months ago, life was still perfect. In that short time, the ugly truth unveiled itself. Mike’s business had been downsized even more, they were saying goodbye to their dream home, and Noelle was attending the local public school. Fortunately, her daughter adjusted well to the transition since she had missed her friends when she went off to boarding school anyway.

  Mike was no longer his usual jovial self. He spent most of his time at home in intense research to find ways to recapture the success that had slipped through his fingers. Other times he apologized to Vonnie for putting them in this situation. Now that she had a much more active role in handling their finances, she often tiptoed around topics of past due accounts in an attempt to keep from further bruising Mike’s already fragile ego. She knew they’d get past all of the angst once they were settled in their new home. It wasn’t as if they had to go back to Jamaica, Queens.

  Vonnie lifted her head and listened keenly. She thought she had heard the doorbell ring once again and then, the happy chime flowed through the house. Vonnie pushed herself up off the bed. Mike wouldn’t hear it from the garage and Noelle’s ears were probably plugged with some pop song.

  On her way to the door, she peeked into Noelle’s room. As she suspected, her daughter lay across the bed with her head hanging off and her feet against the wall, snapping to the music filling the room from the wireless Bluetooth speaker as she video-chatted with friends. Noticing her mother’s presence, Noelle smiled and waved. Vonnie smiled back and shook her head before closing the door.

  The doorbell rang again. Vonnie sniffed back a slight attitude. “I’m coming already. How many times are you going to ring t
he damn bell?” She assumed it was the family once again. They probably left the two year old in the backyard and had driven a few miles before they realized he wasn’t with amongst the boisterous brood.

  Vonnie trudged to the door, stopping just before to pull down her shirt, take a deep breath and paint on a fresh smile. Without peeking through the glass, Vonnie opened the door, flashing her killer Hollywood smile, adding a warm tilt to her head before she froze.

  “Hey, Sweetie!” Pearson said and stepped passed her, inviting herself into their home. “What’s up with you? It’s been weeks since we’ve talked. I was in the neighborhood, collecting last minute donations for the silent auction at the gala tonight so I decided to stop by. Girl, I thought you and Mike dropped off the face of the earth. No one has heard from you. I called you earlier. Did you get my message?”

  Pearson’s rambling gave Vonnie time to think. She had hoped that Pearson didn’t taken notice of the storage boxes and the bare walls, but a blind person wouldn’t have missed that.

  “Hey, Pearson.” Vonnie tried to force some elation into her greeting so it would seem like she was happy to see her. Her hand never left the knob of the door after she opened it and prayed that Pearson’s visit would be short.

  Pearson continued talking, seemingly oblivious to the sparse surroundings. She removed her shades and moved closer to Vonnie. “I’m running my mouth and I haven’t even greeted you properly.” Pearson squeezed Vonnie in a genuine embrace and air-kissed the side of her cheek.

  Vonnie’s mind was searching for a way to get Pearson out before she started asking too many questions. Pearson hadn’t seemed to notice Vonnie’s lack of conversation as she continued to fill every available space with her own voice.

  “You guys are coming tonight, right? I never got your RSVP back in the mail.”

  “Oh my goodness! The benefit is tonight!” Genuinely surprised, Vonnie’s hand shot to cover her gasp. “I completely forgot. We’ve been so busy,” she offered a valid explanation. She wasn’t going to mention that she hadn’t planned on attending. “Noelle’s home and I don’t have a babysitter.”

  “So. Bring her. She’s so well behaved. If I ever had kids, I’d need your help raising them to make sure they didn’t come out as screwed up as me.” Pearson hooted.

  Vonnie jerked, startled by the unexpected outburst. “But we haven’t bought tickets.”

  “So you’re good for it.” Pearson waved Vonnie’s concern away. “As a matter of fact, just come. Don’t even worry about the tickets. I had a few last minute cancellations and I still have to pay for those plates anyway. It’s so important for the girls to see successful people and couples like you and Mike. I love telling them that you’re a doctor. They’re always so impressed.”

  “Goodness, Pearson. I’ve nothing to wear.”

  “Girl, please! Find something in the huge closet of yours. I’m sure you can put something stunning together in no time.” Pearson looked down at her watch. “Listen, honey,” she leaned in and gave Vonnie another air kiss, “I’ll see you guys later, okay? I’ve got so much running to do before this thing kicks off, it’s unbelievable.” Then Pearson finally looked around. “Where’s Mike?”

  Vonnie held her breath. From the change of expression on Pearson face, Vonnie knew that she noticed the empty foyer.

  “You’re doing some remodeling?”

  “Um.” Vonnie toyed with the idea of lying. “Not exactly.”

  Pearson raised her brows at the ambiguous answer.

  “We’re moving,” Vonnie said flatly.

  Pearson’s surprise showed in her furrowed brow line. “Moving? Why? When?”

  Vonnie drew in a long breath, pushed the door closed and gestured for Pearson to follow her to sun room. As they sat, she gave Pearson the short version of the recent changes in her lifestyle.

  “Vonnie!” Pearson held her hand to her chest. “Why didn’t you guys come to us? We could have—”

  Vonnie held her hand up, stopping Pearson. “Mike wouldn’t have it.”

  “How are you handling all of this?”

  “Better than before,” she admitted. “We’ll be fine,” she added dismissively.

  Pearson shook her head. “You just never know what’s going on behind closed doors.”

  At first Vonnie didn’t know if she should take offense to Pearson’s remark until she continued.

  “Life hasn’t exactly been a bowl of cherries over at the Day’s residence either.” Pearson proceeded to share the problems with her tough journey to sobriety and efforts to rebuild her relationship with Niles and her mother while facing the harsh realities of Candice’s impending demise. “It’s been so hard. I’m proud of myself. I haven’t had a drink in three weeks and two days. At first, I would sneak a few drinks in here and there, but Niles found my stash.” Pearson paused, holding back possible tears. “I’m doing better. I can’t afford to lose Niles. Soon he’ll be all I have in this life.”

  Vonnie wiped the tear that trickled down the side of her nose and took Pearson’s hand in hers as they wept together.

  After a while, Vonnie broke the silent cries. “Things aren’t always what they seem, huh?”

  “Tell me about it, girl!” Pearson wiped her tears with the back of her hand, sniffed and stood. “Believe it or not, this is like therapy for me. I never really had people to talk to. Now I can’t seem to shut myself up. But it helps,” she tittered. “I need to get going.” They hugged again, smiling as they pulled away.

  Vonnie hadn’t expected it, but sharing her story with Pearson made her feel lighter. She smiled inwardly as she walked her to the door.

  “Hey,” Pearson said. “Have you heard from Nadalia?”

  Vonnie thought about it. She had ignored calls from Pearson and Ryan but didn’t recall any missed calls from Nadalia. “No.” She thought a moment longer. “Not since we went to dinner that last time,” she said.

  “I guess we’ve all been hibernating, handling our business.” On the way out, Pearson turned back toward Vonnie. “Promise me you won’t stop being my friend when you move.”

  Vonnie pursed her lips together and smiled before she said, “I promise.” She held three fingers up like a girl scout. Both women laughed.

  “Love you, girl!”

  Vonnie blinked. “Love you too,” she said slowly, surprised at Pearson’s expression.

  “I know. I’ve been trying those words out on certain people lately. Everyone seems to give me a similar response. But it’s true.”

  The girls hugged one last time before Pearson left.

  Vonnie headed to the garage to check in on Mike, realizing he’d been in there for a while. She found him sitting on one of the boxes with his head in his hands.

  “Hey.”

  Mike looked up. “Hey.”

  Vonnie came over and tapped the box he sat on, gauging its stability, before climbing onto his lap. She put one arm around his neck. “You okay?”

  Mike smiled and Vonnie’s heart quickened for a second. That was the first genuine smile she had seen from him in a while.

  “Believe it or not, I’m good. I was just thinking about some of the memories we made in this house. I hate to leave, but we’ll just make more in the new house.” He raised his brows and grinned.

  “You got that right!” Vonnie winked. She let a moment pass before saying, “Pearson was here.”

  Mike raised his brows. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. She knows we’re moving.”

  “Niles knows, too. He kept questioning me, talking about something hadn’t seemed right with me for a while. Finally I had to break down and tell him a few things. He just wouldn’t let up on me.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He wanted to help.”

  “And you said, no!” Vonnie interjected before Mike could say anything else.

  “I’ve been praying.”

  Vonnie’s eyes stretched wide. She and Mike had always been consistent church members, but other than grace, she h
adn’t seen him do much praying. “Wow.”

  “I think He heard me.”

  “Of course He did.”

  “No really because things have been happening and I feel different.” Vonnie looked at him curiously. Not that she didn’t believe him, but she had never heard him speak this way before. “Seriously, babe,” Mike said responding to the look she was giving him. “I even got a message from the lawyer saying that the case was going to be dropped because of something the police didn’t do properly.”

  Vonnie closed her eyes and thanked God herself for answering her prayers. She wrapped her arms tightly around Mike’s neck. She couldn’t imagine having to live apart from him or explain to her daughter why her father was in jail.

  “Plus all the stress that I’ve been feeling is starting to go away. All of a sudden, I’m not so upset about leaving here. I’m actually looking forward to starting a new chapter and having Noelle home. I mean, we can’t get it on as spontaneously as we used to, but I can deal with that. Instead of focusing on what we’re losing, I’ve been counting my blessings. I realize I’ve got quite a few.”

  Vonnie’s joy started on the inside and spread to her lips and eyes.

  “I’ve always said that life was good as long as I had you. We started from the bottom, now we’re here.” Vonnie swatted Mike playfully for his sad rendition of the popular line from the rapper Drake’s song. “And we’re going to be just fine.” Mike nuzzled his nose into her neck.

  Vonnie threw her head back and laughed. Mike was becoming himself again. She too was sure that they would be alright. Mike laughed, and then wrapped his arms around Vonnie, who leaned in for a kiss. One that started as a series of sweet pecks, but quickly turned into a passionate lock, ending abruptly when the box they were sitting on collapsed underneath them and sent them crashing on to the cold garage floor. They looked at each other, laughed, and locked lips once again.