The Real Housewives of Adverse City

by Shelia E. Bell

  “I am now that I’m out of there. I know it was probably wrong for me to walk out like I did, but one thing I’m not is fake, and I cannot pretend like everything is wonderful when Carlton has made it clear that he is not happy with me, or this marriage. I just couldn’t do it one second longer.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “Yeah, I don’t blame you,” Peyton said.

  “Where’s Eva?” Meesha asked, looking around the SUV.

  “She didn’t answer her phone. I called twice. Harper must be at home.”

  “Humph, that’s a miracle,” Peyton smarted off. “Where are the boys, Meesha?”

  “Carlton, Jr. is spending the night with his best friend. Malik, Marlon, and Micah are next door at the Smithville’s.”

  “Okay, cool. Your kids are taken care of so where are we going?” Peyton asked.

  Meesha turned and looked at Peyton who was sitting on the back seat. “Do you really have to ask?”

  Peyton’s eyebrows rose and she twerked her mouth and shrugged her shoulders. “Please don’t tell me we’re going there. You know they don’t serve alcohol.”

  “Exactly. So to Diggy’s Bistro we go.”

  Diggy’s was a small, private bistro where the girls retreated whenever they wanted to trade in their active lifestyle for private and uninterrupted time together.

  The girls drove the rest of the remaining twenty minutes without talking. The radio played one tune after another. Meesha hugged the window as Avery drove.

  Meesha thought back on all that had transpired. She reached inside her purse and pulled out her cell phone, and started punching numbers. She called and spoke to her neighbor about her sons. After being reassured that they were fine, she hung up the phone and leaned her head against the windowpane. A fine mist of rain began to silently land on the car. Like she had been hypnotized, Meesha stared intently as the rain gently landed on the window. She imagined that she was like the rain drops falling. Though they couldn’t be heard, they could clearly be seen. Though she wasn’t physically stating her innermost feelings of betrayal, still hurt was written all over her face. Something had to give. She wanted answers; and she wanted them now.

  ●

  The housewives arrived at Diggy’s. Slowly, one by one, they got out of the SUV. Once inside, they were greeted by a hostess and led to a table toward the middle of the bistro.

  Sitting at the table, Peyton reached over and took hold of Meesha’s hand. “We’re not going to let you go through this alone. I hope you know that.”

  Meesha nodded. “Thanks.” She looked over at Peyton who was sitting across from her. “Thanks, Peyton. I don’t know what I would do without you guys.”

  “Like the song goes, that’s what friends are for,” Peyton sang off key.

  The three of them talked for the next couple of hours until Meesha decided it was time to pick up her boys and head back home. After going back and forth with Peyton and Avery, she determined that it wasn’t her who had anything to run from. She shouldn’t have left her own home tonight. If anybody should have felt uncomfortable hosting the dinner party, it should have been Carlton. He was the hypocrite - not her.

  All the way back to Meesha’s house Avery and Peyton continued to give Meesha a dose of her own words of encouragement. They reminded her of the faith and trust she always exuded and how she was the one who told them to pray about everything.

  This was one of those times when Meesha needed to hear her very words being hurled back at her; not in a mean or spiteful manner, but in the kind, loving way Avery and yes, even Peyton displayed.

  Meesha arrived at her neighbor’s house. She gathered up her three boys, got back in the SUV and Avery drove them home.

  “Thanks again for everything,” Meesha said to Avery and Peyton as she and her sons got out of the SUV. “Boys, go on up to the house. I’m right behind you.” She focused back on what she was about to say to Avery and Peyton. “If it hadn’t been for the two of you coming to rescue me from all this madness tonight, I don’t know what I would have done. I felt like I was about to explode.”

  “But you didn’t,” Peyton said, smiling slightly.

  “Looks like all of your guests have left,” Avery said as she looked at the empty driveway that was filled to the brim with cars when they first arrived. There weren’t even any cars parked on the side of the street. “Guess the coast is clear.”

  “Thank you, God,” Meesha said as she quickly looked upwards at the dark star-lined sky.

  Meesha looked over her shoulder. Her sons were standing on the wraparound porch waiting for her to finish talking.

  “Goodnight. I love you,” Meesha said to both Peyton and Avery.

  “Love you too,” Avery answered.

  “Me too,” Peyton added. “Now go on inside. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Here I come, boys,” Meesha said as she trotted toward the steps leading up to the front entrance and onto the porch.

  She had no idea what Carlton was going to say, but at this point, she didn’t care. He was the one big on wanting to make others think that his life was picture perfect. Just a few days ago, if someone had told her that it was anything different, she would have boldly called them a lie, but even she had been duped.

  Chapter 16

  “Any relationship which starts with a lie will end with a truth.” Anurag Prakesh Ray

  Walking inside the lavish house, all was relatively quiet. Meesha went toward the kitchen and dining area. It appeared that everyone was gone, except the remaining caterers who were cleaning up. She sighed in relief.

  “Go upstairs, get your baths, and get ready for bed,” she ordered the boys who trailed right behind her. Without so much as saying a word, they did what their mother told them.

  She remained at the bottom of the stairs, for no apparent reason, and watched the boys until they disappeared.

  “You satisfied with yourself?”

  Meesha turned around at the sound of Carlton’s voice. She could tell from his tone that he was angry.

  “Actually,” she said folding her arms together, “no, I’m not and I won’t be satisfied until you tell me what’s going on with you.”

  “Humph. You think embarrassing me in front of my peers is the way to make me talk? I can’t believe you could be so selfish.” His voice rose an octave.

  Meesha was relatively surprised at his tone because Carlton was known to be a low key, soft-spoken man. Tonight Meesha was hearing and seeing a side of him she’d seen very few times during their marriage, and she didn’t like it.

  “Me,” she pointed to herself, “embarrassed you?” She chuckled. “You can’t be serious. You expect me to act like the perfect first lady when just days ago you told me you no longer wanted to be married,” Meesha retorted. The force in her voice indicated her own rising anger. “I don’t know who you think I am, Carlton Porter, but I’m telling you this; I am not going to be tossed to the side like I’m nothing. I’ve given you a good marriage, bared your children, stood by you through your dreams, not mine, yours, Carlton.”

  “So what you’re saying is that you never wanted to be my first lady? You never wanted to be a preacher’s wife?” he barked.

  Meesha turned briefly and glanced upstairs, making sure that the boys were still inside their rooms. “If you want to talk sensibly about this, let’s go in the study. I don’t want the boys to know that their father is a first class jerk who’s ready to walk out of their lives.” Meesha walked away from the stairs, pass Carlton, down the corridor, and toward the study.

  “I would never walk out on my kids. You know that, so don’t even go there, Meesha. This has nothing to do with the boys. I love my kids.”

  Meesha opened the door to the study and walked inside with Carlton following her and closing the door behind them.

  “You just don’t love their mother,” she said as she told herself not to cry.

  “That’s what you’re saying, not me.”

  “Wh
o is she? Was she here tonight? Was she in my house, Carlton?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Stop playing me for the fool. What other reason can you give me that would make a man walk away from his ministry, his wife, his children, everything that we’ve built together. Now tell me, who is she?”

  “There is no other woman. And as far as my ministry goes, I said nothing about leaving the ministry. God called me to preach and that’s what I plan on doing until the day I die.”

  “How are you going to stand in a pulpit Sunday after Sunday living a lie? Have you told your so-called peers your plans?”

  Carlton was quiet. He looked away and walked to the right of him toward the built-in shelves containing rows of books, mostly religious.

  “You haven’t told them, have you? What’s going on with you? Talk to me, Carlton.” Meesha’s voice suddenly became soothing as she realized that her husband was keeping his decision from everyone. “This isn’t like you. Tell me what’s really going on. Please.”

  Carlton stood staunch in front of the wall of books, refusing to look at his wife. How could he tell her the truth? What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say?

  So this is how it’s going to be, huh? Well, have it your way, Carlton. I’m done. I won’t go through this kind of anguish. I won’t do it and I don’t deserve it,” she said and stormed out of the study.

  Chapter 17

  “My yesterdays walk with me. They keep step, they are gray faces that peer over my shoulder.” William Golding

  Peyton drove toward the other side of town, a less than favorable neighborhood of Adverse City, but she had to do what she had to do because there was no way on God’s green earth she was going to let the woman come to her house.

  Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped the steering wheel. Biting her bottom lip, she prayed aloud inside the car. “Lord, fix it. Don’t let this blow up in my face.”

  She drove several miles into the neighborhood, listening to the navigation system as it directed her to the location of the restaurant where she had agreed to meet Breyonna.

  Her past was like a nightmare. It returned day in and day out, haunting her, never fully allowing her to live in her present. Why now, after all these years, had Breyonna decided to track them down?

  Peyton slowly pulled into the parking lot of the small hole in the wall restaurant, parked her car, and waited inside of it for a few minutes before she sucked in a deep breath, opened the car door, and with feet that felt like lead, she went inside to confront her past head on.

  Inside the restaurant, her feet made a smacking sound as she fought to walk across the tiled floor that gripped the bottom of her shoes like super glue. All eyes seemed to fixate on her as she scanned the small restaurant until her eyes focused in on a woman sitting midway the restaurant in a booth. She had golden locks of curly blonde hair that kissed the top of her shoulders. Their eyes locked and the woman smiled, raising her hand slightly toward Peyton. Looking around, uncertain if the woman was calling for her, Peyton saw that the strangers in the restaurant were still gawking.

  She suddenly realized that her designer pantsuit, signature pumps and handbag, $200 hairdo and the giant rock on her ring finger must have been what made her the center of attention. She felt quite nervous, and irritated at herself, that she hadn’t dressed down. Dang, what she wouldn’t give for a drink. She ignored the stares and the catcall from a black male with a humongous piece of jewelry draping his neck, and a hat pulled half way down over his head. A man sitting across from him laughed as she passed by.

  Lord, help me get through this, she prayed as she walked toward the woman.

  “Breyonna?”

  “How soon we forget,” the woman remarked snidely.

  Peyton sat across from her in the booth. There was a glass half filled with soda sitting on the table with a plate of half eaten fries next to it.

  “I’m not here to play games with you,” Peyton immediately said as she sat her purse next to her, with her arm looped inside the straps of it, like she was trying to make sure it was secured.

  “What makes you think I’m here to play games? I want to see my son. Point blank. Now, tell me when we can make that happen.”

  “Your son?” Peyton chuckled, throwing her head back. Next, she pushed back her bangs from off of her flawlessly made-up oval face. Scouring she said, “How dare you come here after not having seen or tried to contact us for the past thirteen years of his life. The boy doesn’t know you and frankly, I don’t want him to know you. You think you can just waltz in town, intrude on my life, and demand to see my son. Well, let me say this,” she fumed, pointing her finger at the woman. “You don’t scare me. Now, tell me, how much do you want this time, Breyonna?”

  Peyton looked down at her side at her purse, opened it, and pulled out her wallet.

  Breyonna’s glare was sharp enough to cut through bulletproof glass. “Hah, you think I want money?”

  “Why else would you be here? Why would you show up in Adverse City after all of these years demanding to see the little boy that I,” she pointed at herself, “have raised to be the outstanding young man that he is.”

  “Because when it’s all said and done, he’s my son. You don’t have any right to him. Let’s be real here, Peyton. You think that changing his name and giving him a new identity would change the truth? You thought leaving Memphis would keep me from finding you? I guess you see that I’m too smart for you, huh? I was always one step ahead of you, high or not. And no matter what name you call him, it does not make him belong to you,” Breyonna seethed. “You didn’t give birth to him; I did. So I suggest you not push me, Peyton.”

  Peyton put her wallet back inside her purse. “Don’t you threaten me.” She leaned in toward Breyonna from across the booth. “You were the one strung out on heroin. You were the one who gave him away. If it hadn’t been for me, God only knows if he would still be alive.”

  Breyonna shook her head then began to clap. “Bravo, what an act. You want thanks, I’ll give you your thanks. I appreciate what you did to help me out. But look at me.” Breyonna regarded herself. “Do I look like I’m that person from all those years ago? I’ve cleaned up my act. I’ve been clean and sober, unlike some folks I know,” she snarled, “for the past couple of years.”

  Peyton frowned. “Oh, so that makes you a mother now? That gives you the right to disrupt Liam’s life. He’s not some puppy dog, not some toy that you toss back and forth, Breyonna. Now, tell me how much you want?”

  “Let’s see what his father thinks about this.”

  “His father? Are you kidding me? How many men will have to line up for that DNA test?”

  This time Breyonna leaned in, balled up her fist, and pounded the wobbly table. It shook like a tiny earthquake. “Yes, his father, his d-a-d-d-y. I may have been on heroin back then, but I know who my baby daddy is. It’s Carlton Porter. And I know where he is. I’ve even been in touch with him.”

  “You’re such a liar. You tried to feed me that crap about Carlton being Liam’s daddy, when you and I both know that’s another one of your bold faced lies.”

  “What make believe world are you living in, Peyton? Look, you say you don’t have time for games; well neither do I. I want to see my son. I’ll give you a few days, a week at the longest to tell him that his dear, sweet mother is in town. I’ll call you and make arrangements to see my son. As for Carlton, he is definitely his father and he knows the truth. Believe that!”

  “Get out of my face or I won’t be responsible for what I do to you!” Peyton screamed back.

  Breyonna stood up with such force that the booth table shook again, slightly moved, and almost pinned Peyton against the back of the wooden bench. “You’ve got one week.” A tired looking waitress approached the table. “She’s got the check,” Breyonna told her, walking off and leaving out of the restaurant.

  “Give me a shot of vodka,” Peyton practically ordered the chun
ky, gold-toothed, senior citizen looking waitress. “On second thought, make that a double.”

  Chapter 18

  “What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” Bob Dylan

  Eva stood outside leaning on her bedroom balcony, inhaling the crisp, spring air. The sun was bright; the soothing perfect breeze kissed her skin. The view of the ocean was visible in the horizon.

  Harper came up behind, startling her somewhat. Embracing her from behind, he nuzzled her on her neck. “You aren’t still upset with me are you?”

  Eva tensed up. She didn’t respond nor did she move.

  Harper kissed her on the back of her neck. Moving her hair aside, he planted butterfly kisses from shoulder to shoulder.

  Eva felt both excited and aggravated as Harper slowly turned her around. Almost immediately, the tension disappeared from her face when she turned to him.

  “I love you, Eva. I know you want us to have a child, but not right now. Just be patient with me, sweetheart.”

  She stiffened momentarily, as she shuddered inwardly at the thought of again having to wait to get pregnant. Her frustration didn’t last long as she became entranced by the chocolate of his eyes.

  With his powerful hands, he pulled her to him, leaving no space between them. His lips pressed against hers as he moved his mouth over hers hungrily, and his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth.

  She kissed him back as she succumbed to him. Her knees weakened as she drank in the sweetness of his kiss and felt his desire separated only by his boxer briefs.

  Without missing a beat, he walked her backwards into their bedroom while Eva’s emotions whirled and the blood pounded in her brain.

  His hand moved under her Victoria’s Secret nightie to skim her hips and thighs. The gentleness of his touch sent currents of desire racing through her.