BFF's 2

by Brenda Hampton

  I staggered over to the bed. He didn’t move, so I leaned down and placed my lips close to his ear.

  “Get up!” I shouted. “Don’t you hear me?”

  Cedric jumped from his sleep and damn near fell out of the bed. He frowned at me and blinked several times to focus.

  “What in the fuck are you doing?” he barked.

  I put my hand on my hips and pursed my lips. “I . . . I’m doing what yo’ grimy tail asked me to do. I’m signing these doggone papers so that we, you and me that is, can be free to fly like little birdies.”

  I turned in circles, and flapped my arms as if I were flying around the room. Cedric sat up in bed and turned on the lamp. I could see him shaking his head.

  “So, here you go.” I dug in my purse, trying to retrieve the papers. When I pulled them out, my purse fell on the floor and all of the contents inside scattered on the floor. I dropped to my knees, attempting to stuff my things back into my purse. But when I spotted a pen, I reached for it.

  “Ah, ha!” I said with glee in my eyes. I held up the pen, showing it to Cedric. “There it is. Exactly what I was looking for. My little penny pen. Do you see it?”

  Cedric didn’t say a word. I plopped on the bed and slammed the messy papers on my lap. I scribbled my signature on the long line then tossed the papers at his face. I swiped my hands together then leaned in closer to him.

  “Done. All done, and now you can move the hell on. Just make sure I get my twenty freaking percent because I have places to go, people to see, and a new life to go live.”

  Cedric reached out to grab my face. He held it close to his and our eyes searched into each other’s. “I hate to see you like this,” he said in a whisper. “No words can express how sorry I truly am, but after all that’s happened, I know that saying I’m sorry will never be enough.”

  “Yeah, well, I . . . I’m sorry ’bout this too, but it is what it is.”

  I hiccupped again, and before I could back away from Cedric, vomit rushed up my throat. All I remember was it spraying in his face. After that, I blacked out.

  I woke up in the morning, not knowing where I was. My head was banging, and the room I was in felt like it was spinning. I yawned and cracked my eyes wider to look next to me. That was when I saw Cedric. He was sitting up in bed with a food tray resting over his lap. A piece of toast was near his mouth and his glass of orange juice wiggled as the bed moved when I tried to sit up.

  “Wha . . . How did I get over here?” I asked.

  A wet rag dropped from my forehead, and I had on a tacky flowered nightgown that definitely didn’t belong to me.

  “I can’t believe you don’t remember.”

  Cedric seemed to have an attitude, but I was concerned about how I’d gotten there. I remembered driving last night, and I also remembered walking up the stairs. That was pretty much it.

  “I don’t remember everything, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. I do know what I had to drink, and . . . What’s that smell? Something smells funny.”

  “Maybe we didn’t get a chance to clean up all of your puke. That could be what you’re smelling.”

  I tossed the covers aside and sat up. “I vomited? Where?”

  “All over the place.”

  “Stop lying, Cedric. You’re just trying to make me feel bad.”

  “If you don’t believe me, fine. Go ask Cynthia. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it, especially since she and Jacoby had to help me clean you up.”

  I got off the bed and looked down at the tacky nightgown again. Maybe that explained why I was wearing it. I left the room, and when I entered the kitchen, Cynthia was making breakfast.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Thompson,” she said.

  “Kayla will suit me just fine, Cynthia. Now please tell me something. What happened last night? How did I get into this gown?”

  She smiled at me from behind the island. “Do you really want to know?”

  “Yes, I do. Please tell me.”

  Cynthia told me everything that happened last night. From me throwing up in Cedric’s face, to him giving me a shower. She was the one who cleaned up my vomit and changed the sheets. And Jacoby was asked to help carry me to bed, because Cedric was too weak. Now, I felt really embarrassed. I apologized to her, and when I asked where Jacoby was at, she said he had already left with Adrianne. That reminded me about seeing her car parked outside last night, so I excused myself from the kitchen and went into another room to call Jacoby. He answered the phone, appearing to be out of breath.

  “Where are you?” I asked.

  “I’m at the gym with Adrianne. Are you feeling better?”

  “Much better, and I apologize for whatever happened here last night. You already know that I have a lot of things on my mind, and even though alcohol isn’t the answer, I used it to cope.”

  “No need to explain yourself, Mama. I can honestly say that I understand. I’m dealing with some things too, and trust me when I say that you’re not by yourself.”

  His comment caught me a little off guard. I thought things were getting better for Jacoby. Apparently, something else was stressing him. “Do you mind telling me what else you’re dealing with? Does it have anything to do with why Adrianne is here in the wee hours of the morning?”

  “She’s not always there in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, but not always.”

  “Sometimes is more than enough. You know that’s something I didn’t allow while I was here, and I definitely don’t allow it when I’m not. With that being said, answer my question. What else are you dealing with?”

  I heard Jacoby sigh. He wasn’t trying to have this conversation with me this morning. “Whatever you say, Mama. And the only thing I’m dealing with is school. Can’t wait until the semester is over.”

  “Why? Are your grades suffering? The last time we spoke about school, you said your grades had improved.”

  “They’re up and down. But I’ll work it out, like I always do.”

  “I’ll make sure you do, and when I get back to the hotel, I’m going to look at your grades on parent portal. If anything isn’t up to par, you know you’re going to hear about it.”

  “I’m sure I will. Meanwhile, I’m trying to get my workout on. Can I hit you back later?”

  I wasn’t sure if his grades were the issue or not, but I left the conversation there. I told him to enjoy his workout, and asked him to call me later. After I ended the call, I went back into the kitchen where Cynthia was. She interrupted my thoughts.

  “Don’t look so worried,” she said. “I hope you’re in the mood for breakfast, because I made enough for everyone. I thought Jacoby and his girlfriend wanted something to eat too. Unfortunately, they didn’t.”

  “All I want is some orange juice and something light, like a bagel. No cream cheese, because my stomach is upset.”

  Cynthia stopped what she was doing to pour me a glass of orange juice. She got me a bagel from the fridge and brought everything over to the table.

  “Tell me something.” I looked at Cynthia and thanked her. “How often does Adrianne spend the night? She’s not over here during the week, is she?”

  Cynthia hesitated to speak. I figured that she didn’t want to get Jacoby in trouble, but with her not saying anything, I suspected that Adrianne had been spending plenty of nights here.

  “I really don’t want to interfere, Mrs. Thomp . . . Kayla, but the truth is, she has been over here quite often. Jacoby has skipped school a few days, too, and I have seen them in some”—she cleared her throat—“questionable positions.”

  I figured there was more to it, and I didn’t know why I had a feeling that Adrianne was pregnant. Jacoby’s behavior alerted me that something was really wrong. “Thank you for telling me that. I’ll be sure to add a little something extra on your check. Is there anything else I should know?”

  Cynthia pulled back a chair and sat down. She clenched her hands together and rubbed them. “No, not really, other than Cedric is getting bet
ter. He’s been speaking to several people, including a few women who called to check on him. He’s been walking around a lot at night, but during the day he uses his cane. I don’t think your friend, Evelyn, has reached out to him again. But I haven’t looked at his phone in nearly two days.”

  I placed my hand on top of Cynthia’s. “Again, thanks for the update. You have my number, so be sure to call me if you think there is something urgent I need to know.”

  Cynthia nodded. She told me she had washed my clothes for me and went to the washroom to get them.

  I finished my bagel and orange juice then made my way back upstairs with my clothes thrown over my shoulder. When I entered the bedroom, Cedric was now on his laptop, appearing to be occupied.

  “Thanks for your assistance last night,” I said. “I apologize for throwing up on you. By the way I feel there will be no more drinking for me.”

  “I doubt that, but if that’s how you want to cope with your pain, do whatever you wish.”

  I ignored Cedric’s comment and went into the bathroom to change clothes. I used his wave brush to brush my hair then slipped into my heels, which I saw thrown in the corner. Unfortunately for me, one of the heels was broken.

  I held the shoe in my hand and went back into the bedroom. “What happened to my heel?” I asked.

  Cedric looked up and shrugged. “That probably happened when you were turning in circles, trying to pretend that you were a bird flying. You stumbled, and I do believe that was when you broke your shoe.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating about some things. Why would I be turning in circles, trying to fly around like a bird?”

  “Because you were celebrating. Celebrating this.”

  Cedric removed a piece of paper from the nightstand and reached out to give it to me. It was the last page of the dissolution of marriage agreement. My signature was poorly scribbled on the line.

  “I didn’t sign this,” I said, handing the paper back to him.

  “Yes, you did.”

  “It doesn’t look like my signature.”

  “But it is. I saw you do it and you used this pen right here.” Cedric lifted the pen and showed it to me. “Now, my question to you is if you were serious about it. Are we going to move forward with this divorce?”

  “You’re asking me as if I have a choice. You’re the one who presented me with those papers, so I assume that you still want this to go as planned. Or have things changed?”

  Cedric licked his lips then scratched his head. He rubbed the scruffy hair on his chin then shifted his eyes back to me again. “A lot has changed. I don’t want the divorce, but I totally understand if you do. So, yes, I’ll let you decide what to do. However you want this to pan out, I’ll roll with it.”

  Honestly, I was stunned. It was funny what being so close to death could do to a person. Cedric had a big change of heart.

  “Why would you let me decide, especially since you confessed to not loving me anymore? You couldn’t stay married to a woman you didn’t love; and what about your baby on the way? You know darn well how I feel about that, and we would have a very difficult time, trying to get that to work.”

  “Yes, we would, but I have a feeling that we would manage. We’ve been through a lot, Kayla, and I think it may be safe to say that our bad days are finally behind us. As for me not loving you anymore, you know I said that shit to upset you. The truth is, I do still love you. Very much. And I have a feeling that you still love me too.”

  See, I knew this would happen. Cedric was a master manipulator. He was saying anything right now to get me back on his team. Unfortunately, I felt it working.

  I bit my nail and swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’ve been tricked before, Cedric. And I doubt that a bullet to your chest is going to change anything. You still have a baby to deal with, other women at your beck and call, and Lord knows what else. I don’t want to keep going down this road. For you to—”

  “I’m a changed man. I don’t even believe that Evelyn’s baby is mine, and there are no more women. The majority of them all scattered when they thought I was dead. The only person who has been here for me is you. While you haven’t been at my beck and call, I know you’ve been here almost every day to check on me. That means a lot, Kayla, and I’m telling you right now that I want my family back.”

  This time, I nibbled on my bottom lip. I took another deep breath and narrowed my eyes to look at Cedric. “All we’re going to do is argue. You’re going to continue disrespecting me and—”

  “I only argue and disrespect those who disrespect me. I went there with you because you did the same with me. Like I said, all of that is now in the past. Allow us a new beginning, and if there are some things that you need to get off your chest, do it now. Curse me the fuck out, if it makes you feel good. Slap me, hit me, beat the hell out of me if it helps. Let’s get it all over with. Whatever you dish out, I’ll take it like a man who wronged his wife. I’m not going to say much more, but once again, the ball is in your court. Take at least another week to think about this, and then let me know. I’m not going anywhere, and as you already know, I’ll be right here, waiting.”

  I stood speechless. I couldn’t even look at Cedric much longer, because I didn’t want him to sense what I was thinking. A huge part of me wanted to reconcile, but then there was something inside telling me to run like hell. Then, of course, there was this little thing with Evelyn. How I wished I could go tell her that Cedric and I would be together forever. That we survived this setback, and that our marriage was going strong. I wanted to send a message to all of his mistresses, letting them know that they could not tear apart what God had put together. This was my husband, and no matter what, I would be keeping my status. And that included the money. I wouldn’t have to start over, and I could kiss that lousy 20 percent good-bye. All of those thoughts swarmed in my head. I was in no position to answer Cedric right now, so I left out of the room without giving him an answer. I told Cynthia good-bye and reminded her to tell Jacoby to call me later. I needed to get him straight again, but not as bad as I needed advice from my BFF. I called Trina to see if we could meet somewhere.

  Chapter 8

  Trina

  I received a call from Evelyn telling me about Kayla showing up at her loft drunk, and then I got a call from Kayla asking if I would meet her for lunch. The one person who I hadn’t gotten a phone call from was Keith. I was a little disappointed, too. By now, I thought that he would realize his mistakes and contact me to apologize. I felt as if I had been in the wrong too, and I intended to tell him that, if he called. But the no call meant that he didn’t want to reconcile our differences. And if he didn’t want to, neither did I.

  Kayla wanted to meet at Bar Louie in the Central West End. I arrived a few minutes early, but shortly thereafter, I saw her coming down the street. She looked as if she’d lost a lot of weight. The wide-legged gray pants she wore were hanging on her. Her off-the-shoulder red sweater was pretty, and I loved her short haircut. With her weight disappearing, now she really looked like a runway model. As for me, I sported the usual because I preferred to be comfortable: had on a neon and black sweat suit with Nike tennis shoes. My layered hair was always on point, and my face was makeup free. I didn’t get off into all the glam, but both of my best friends did.

  Kayla walked into the restaurant and saw me sitting at a table. It had been awhile since we’d seen and or talked to each other. I had to admit that it was like a breath of fresh air to see my friend. I missed her, and by the wide smile on her face, I could tell she missed me too.

  She walked up to me and we tightly embraced. Tears welled in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. I didn’t like to get all emotional, but there were times when I couldn’t hold back. We sat across from each other, and I was the first one to speak up.

  “First things first,” I said. “I don’t want any apologies from you, and I will not offer an apology either. What’s done is done. Let’s focus on the positive, and whatever you do, p
lease don’t bring up Evelyn.”

  Kayla held out her hand and shook mine. “Deal, but you know I gotta talk about Evelyn.”

  We laughed and hurried to order our drinks and food.

  “I’m glad you called me,” I said. “I’d been thinking about calling you too, but I wanted to give you some space. If you don’t mind me asking, how’s Cedric doing? I had been talking to Jacoby for a while, but it seems as if he’s been busy. I haven’t been able to catch up with him lately.”

  “Yeah, he’s been all right. Busy having sex in Cedric’s house since I’m not there. Busy skipping school and spending way too much time with Adrianne.”

  “Sounds like the typical teenager, but the sex thing is a bit much.”

  “Yes, it is. As for Cedric, he’s doing much better. I haven’t officially moved back into the house, but I do stop by to check my boys. I hired a nanny to take care of things for me while I’m away.”

  “I hope she’s not young, sexy, and available. If she was, you know that Cedric would have her in that bedroom and on her back in a minute.”

  I laughed, but Kayla found no humor in my comment. She stressed that Cynthia was an older Italian woman who wasn’t Cedric’s type.

  “Forgive me for saying that,” I said, correcting myself. “I was out of line.”

  She threw her hand back at me. “Don’t worry about it. With his reputation, we all know that anything is possible. But, he has admitted to being a changed man. That’s what I want to speak to you about, because I’m so confused. Do you believe people can change? Especially men who have the kind of reputation you mentioned? I don’t know what I should do about my marriage. Sometimes I feel as though I want it to work, other days not so much. It’s time for me to make a decision.”

  For the next hour or so, Kayla spilled her guts to me. She laid everything on the line about her feelings for Cedric, about her reasons for wanting to leave, as well as her reasons for wanting to stay. She even told me about how she wanted to slap Evelyn in the face with the news of her and Cedric possibly staying together, but then I decided to hit her with more news.