Every Woman Needs a Wife (34 page)

Margaret dipped her head as she avoided eye contact with her daughter. “We’ll just get him some help…that’s all he needs is a little help. Everything will be fine.”

“You’re just as sick as he is,” Tanya snapped, pulling Mindy even closer.

“It’s not like you can’t handle it,” Margaret shot back. Her normally elegant, patrician features turned into a murderous scowl. “Hanging out with that—that—Michelle person. Those little Black boys sniffing around
like some rabid dogs. You’ll let one of them have at you sooner or later. It’s better that it’s one of our own. It’s no difference.”

“No difference!” Tanya shrieked, looking at her mother as though the woman was a total stranger. “He’s my father. My
father!”

“All the more reason why you should just—”

“To hell with you!” Tanya glanced out of the window, calculating the best way to jump if it became the only option.

“Margaret, go downstairs and tend to our guest,” Wilbur said, with a bit of steel in his voice. “She must be wondering what’s going on by now.”

“Yes, Wilbur.” Dutifully, almost blindly, her mother’s face went blank as she turned and walked out of the room, leaving a stunned Tanya watching in her wake.

Then he turned on her little sister. “And just where do you think you’re going, little missy?”

Mindy shrank behind Tanya for cover. He lunged forward; Tanya flexed her left leg and connected with his groin. He doubled over with pain, dropped to his knees on the floor.

Tanya grabbed Mindy’s hand and ran for the stairs. Mindy couldn’t keep up, but that didn’t stop her from trying.

“Drop the suitcase,” Tanya yelled, gasping with each step, pain exploding within her every time her feet touched the oriental runner that spread the length of all three hallways. The pink luggage bounced against Mindy’s leg, causing her to pull Tanya to the side and slowing them down.

“But my teddy’s in there.”

“Drop it!” Tanya yelled, ignoring the pain as she picked up the pace. Wilbur’s clunky footsteps echoed behind them.

As they turned the corner leading to the main corridor, the suitcase tumbled out onto the floor. All they had to do was make it to the west wing and Mrs. Patton. Just get to Mrs. Patton. Mrs. Patton…

Pain vibrated from every cell of her being. A wave of nausea followed right after.

They crossed the connecting corridor, doubled back up the stairs, and ran through the hidden corridor that linked the main areas of the house in a set of wooden pathways and stairways.

“My side hurts,” Mindy whined.

“I know, but we…have to…keep moving,” Tanya said, between gasps.

Tanya slowed a little so Mindy could catch her breath. A quick look left showed her sister’s pale face had turned a bright, almost sickly color. But they had to keep going. Their father sounded close—too close.

“Almost there, Mindy. Keep moving.”

As she opened the panel that would lead to a short hallway to her father’s library, blood from her jeans dripped down to the floor. She threw open the heavy doors to the library.

Mrs. Patton jerked to her feet, rushing in their direction with an open mouth and wide eyes.

Tanya brushed past her mother, pushing Mindy forward into Mrs. Patton’s waiting arms.

The words, “Daddy hurt Tanya again. Mama saw it,” were the last things Tanya heard before her world turned black and she crumbled in a soft, bloody heap onto the Persian rug.

♥♥♥

Brandi Spencer touched Tanya’s hand, jolting her out of the past.

Tanya took a deep breath, turned on the water and allowed it to spill over her hands. She splashed some onto her face, welcoming the cool jolt back to the present—back to safety.

“Are you all right?”

Tanya nodded, but she felt nothing close to all right.

Brandi gripped her shoulders, brought her into the living room, and made her sit on the sofa.

“We’re doing things the same way that Vernon did it to us,” Tanya said softly. “And you’re right—I’ve just become so used to having men take care of me that challenging myself to take up where I left off in school seems too tough to handle. I wasn’t bred to work hard, and that’s all my life has been about—trying to have the life I was born to—being a woman kept by men.”

Tanya shared her past abuse with Brandi, and Brandi slowly recounted
her own rape the day she turned thirteen. By the time they were through, both women were in tears and had another chain in their unusual bond.

“I’ve never realized that we had so much in common,” Tanya said, her eyes glued on pictures of the girls on the end table. “What happened to me should never happen to any woman or child, but the more I listen, the more I sense that it’s already touched the lives of most women I know.” She gazed out of the window. “I struggle hard not to blame outside sources for my pain, especially since the people closest to me hurt me the most. Me by my parents; you by that nasty old man who raped you, and a husband who gave us both a one-two punch. That’s not a white or a Black thing.”

Brandi looked out as the sun slipped out from behind the clouds. “Sometimes I believe what anyone else does to us outside of our own race doesn’t quite match up. So while we’re looking the other way, pointing the finger at everyone else, our own are slipping in and doing more damage than anyone. That hurts more because we don’t expect them to hurt us. I’m tired of letting that time in my life keep me fearful and unwilling to move forward in life.”

“So what do we do about that?” Tanya asked in a voice that was just above a whisper.

“We take control and move our lives forward.” Brandi reached out for Tanya’s hand. “I go to counseling on Wednesday. Sesvalah’s also a sexual abuse counselor and family therapist. Do you want to come?”

Tanya cautiously placed her hand inside Brandi’s. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

F
ive weeks later, having completed their first series of separate counseling sessions, Tanya and Brandi were still working with two books:
Speak It Into Existence
and
Radical Forgiveness
while completing the worksheets that went with it. Sesvalah had them bring their work in for every session and so far the results were great. Both women had done at least two “forgiveness” sheets on their situations with Vernon.

Tanya dropped down on the love seat in the corner of Brandi’s office. “We’ve got a problem.”

Brandi tore her gaze away from the papers in front of her to look at Tanya. “Oh?”

Tanya crossed one leg over the other. “I’m horny.”

Brandi paused a moment, blinking twice as she took that in. Then she leaned over, laughing her ass off. “Can’t help you there, dear, I’m horny, too.”

“Well something’s gotta be done.”

“Then order some,” she said, still laughing. “And make it a large at medium charge.” Suddenly her tone changed. “Wait a minute. I thought you were done with men.”

Tanya shook her head. “I said I didn’t want to take another man for a test-drive. Right now most of them are rentals instead of being for sale as advertised. I thought maybe a professional lover would put a different spin on things.” She let out a small sigh. “Oh, for the days before AIDS.”

Brandi laughed even harder. “Yeah, ’cause that stopped me from getting buck wild. That’s why I wanted to get married. I wanted mine in-house and on standby. Or is that stand up?”

Tanya chuckled. “And I’m done with relationships, not sex. If I don’t get some real soon, even your mood swings will look mild.” Then her red lips spread out into a wide smile. “You don’t want that one drop of Black blood I
might
have to come out.”

“Damn!”

Tanya covered her mouth to stifle a small yawn. CNBC played silently on the TV screen.

“Okay, I’ll purchase you some Doc Johnson products. They make real good ones.”

“Like that Sword of Love under your mattress?”

Brandi nodded. “How do you keep finding that thing!”

“I clean this place, remember?” Tanya said with a laugh. “And for the life of me, I can’t see why you keep it on your side of the mattress, must be a dreadful night’s sleep.” Then her gaze narrowed. “I don’t suppose they come with a living, breathing human being on the other end?”

“No, that’s the up side, it’s all galvanized rubber and pure imagination,” Brandi said, lifting her chin a little. “Works for me.”

“Then you’re a different breed of woman, ’cause just like every woman needs a wife, every wife needs some good sex.”

Brandi leaned back in her leather chair watching Tanya from hooded eyes. “So what do you propose?”

“I don’t know.” Then she paused for a moment. “You know, speaking of dick, I met this guy at the grocery store, but something doesn’t seem right about him. He’s too persistent and it’s almost like he’s been coached or something—knows all the right things to say and do. It’s weird.”

“So how did you manage to spend time with him?” Brandi leaned forward.

“Well, after you and the girls are down for the night, I sneak off, but nothing’s happened because it doesn’t feel right.”

“So that’s where you’ve been,” Brandi said, letting out a long sigh of relief. “I thought you were meeting Vernon. He’s missing in action around the same time you are. A quick call to my mother-in-law gives me that info. I figured you’d slip up sooner or later and I could tack on a few more
months to the contract,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Believe it or not, it’s been…strange having you here, but it’s also been…” Brandi shrugged, trying to come up with a term that seemed to escape her. “Kinda nice.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me sleeping with Vernon again. I wouldn’t screw him if it would get me off life support.”

“Don’t get drastic,” Brandi said with a sly grin. “If sex could keep you alive, take him up on it. Doesn’t make a difference to me.”

“Yes it does,” Tanya shot back. “I wouldn’t be here if it didn’t.”

“You’d be here because it’d be in your best interest, so get off it.”

Tanya blushed a little and dipped her head sheepishly. “The woman knows me too well. I don’t want to bring a man into this house or anywhere around the children,” she added softly.

“I appreciate it. Since my husband is still vying to return, I’m keeping the option open. Until our lives are decided—stay separated, divorce, or get back together. I’m not sure if I want to tackle anyone else.”

Tanya grinned. “Even Michael?”

Brandi thought it over for a moment. “Even him. How did you know about him?”

“When you take your little catnaps on the couch, you call his name in your sleep. You must be having wet dreams, but you mess it up toward the end when you call out for Vernon. What a nightmare.”

Brandi chuckled, propping her legs up on the edge of her glass desk, a duplicate to the one in her office at The Perfect Match. “I’m feeling something for Michael, but I’m not ready to move on to another man until this thing with Vernon is decided. I respect the vows I made. I can’t do the things he has.”

Tanya leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Well, I have a solution to my problem, but I’ll need at least two weeks vacation. And that’s one thing that’s not in the contract.”

“Two weeks? Woman, you haven’t made it past the probation period and you’re asking for a vacation already?” She sighed, but Tanya didn’t miss the smirk on her lips. “Boy, good help sure is hard to find.” Then
her light brown eyes narrowed to slits. “And just where do you think you’re going for two whole weeks?”

“Belize.”

“Why there?”

“They love fleshy women with big breasts,” Tanya said, giving her a sly grin.

“Really?” Brandi perked up. “Just like Jamaican men, huh?”

“No, they’re just using the sex to get us to bring them here. Belize men aren’t trying to leave their country, they love who we are—wide hips, full breasts…”

“Book two tickets.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Tanya practically skipped from the room.

Brandi would never admit to Tanya that she already had her backup lined up. Vernon had called and asked to see her at his mother’s house. That could only mean one of two things: He was either gonna try for some toe-curling sex or another round of explanations.

Like Tanya, if she didn’t get some live stuff soon, mood swings would be the least of everyone’s worries.

“What’s it like?” Tanya asked, coming back into the room with her gaze locked on the picture of the girls.

Brandi followed her gaze. “You mean having children?” She turned back as Tanya nodded. “It wasn’t as painful as everyone makes it out to be,” she said softly. “And motherhood—as Craig would put it—ain’t no punk.” Brandi folded her hands under her chin. “Simone was an easy delivery, but when it was Sierra’s turn, it was cold enough to grow our own frozen vegetables.

“Vernon had been stalling about getting the car in the shop to have it worked on, but finally he had no choice. Wouldn’t you know it—little Miss Sierra decided to make a half-ass entrance into the world. And I only say half because though I was in labor twenty-six hours, her little tail was asleep the entire time so they had to come in and shake my stomach every thirty minutes. And I wanted her out—out—out! The girl was interrupting my love affair with a good meal.”

Tanya leaned forward soaking up every word.

“Anyway, we had to borrow the next door neighbor’s car to get to the hospital in the first place—an old rusted-out Cutlass that had see-through spots on the back floors. We had a perfect view of the great outdoors.”

Tanya perked up. “Mr. Dishman had a car like that? I can’t see him driving anything less than a Mercedes.”

“No, this was from our first house. We haven’t always lived here. We used to live close to my mom’s place in Jeffrey Manor.”

Tanya frowned trying to take that in.

“When Vernon married me his father cut him off and we had to start from scratch—literally.”

“Seems like something he would do.”

“Girl, you don’t know the half of it,” Brandi replied in a dry tone. Then she perked up. “Okay, okay, back to the story. I had to ride all the way to the hospital with my legs hoisted up in the back seat and watching the snow scene on the floor. Then the car choked on the first five turnovers. I thought we were going to have to start the damn thing Fred Flintstone-style.”