She's No Angel (2 page)

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Authors: Janine A. Morris

BOOK: She's No Angel
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Chapter 2
“O
h, my goodness!” Jasmine screamed into the phone as Charlene told her the news.
Jasmine was sitting on her couch curled up in her lavender cotton pajamas watching
The Office
when her phone rang. Two towns over, Charlene was still fully dressed sitting on Isaac's love seat with her cell phone, smiling from ear to ear as she shared her breaking news story. Charlene would have died if she hadn't gotten Jasmine on the phone right away to tell her.
Jasmine was one of Charlene's closest friends, they'd known each other since A. B. Gail Junior High School. They had been through a lot together, and they had celebrated and suffered a lot together. Jasmine was twenty-eight years old and she had been married for only a year to her high school sweetheart. Jasmine was one of Charlene's few childhood friends who had graduated from high school. Since high school Jasmine had been working at clerical jobs to make ends meet, and raising her baby girl, Serenity. Jasmine was also one of the few friends from Charlene's youth that she still kept in touch with. Jasmine, like Charlene, tried her best to live a better life than they had once had and to become a mature adult woman. They wanted to live a life for the future, and not remain stuck in their past. So, although they were at somewhat different stages in their lives, they always had that understanding and bond with one another. It was the bond of reform; they both knew where they had been and where they were trying to go—or, rather, what they were trying to leave behind.
Charlene and Jasmine had often discussed marriage in their friendship, but it was usually about Jasmine's, and about Charlene's belief that hers would never exist. So, without hesitation, Charlene had to call Jasmine to tell her that she was finally one step closer.
“I know, I know ... It still feels like I'm dreaming,” Charlene said back.
“How is the ring?” Jasmine asked.
“It's beautiful... looks like it's about two or three karats,” Charlene said, holding out her hand to look at the rock Isaac had bestowed upon her.
“Uh-oh ... Souky, souky now ...” Jasmine said.
“Be quiet,” Charlene replied, blushing. “The ring is designed like a flower with petals, it is the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen,” Charlene said while still staring at her ring.
“Aww, that's nice. Especially since you love flowers,” Jasmine added.
“Yeah, I know. I'm still kind of in shock.”
“Charlene's getting married ... go 'head, go 'head ...” Jasmine started to sing some silly song.
They both laughed. Charlene would have loved to sit and talk about every detail of the night, but she had to rush Jasmine off the phone so she could tell her family and call one other friend to brag. It wasn't actually bragging, most of Charlene's friends were either married or engaged, but she had to let people know she was “validated” as well. Some of it was because at Charlene's age, when everyone is getting married and engaged, it messes with your self-esteem when your ring finger is still bare. However, some of it was from Charlene's own low self-esteem. She hadn't completely become comfortable and stable as the woman of worth she was trying to be. So Isaac hadn't only made her romantic dreams come true tonight, he helped make her whole. And Charlene was eager to spread the news. As soon as there was a moment of silence she told Jasmine she would call her back because she had to call her mother.
Charlene had kicked off her shoes and buried her feet into the couch in Isaac's living room. She looked over at the pewter picture frame that held an 8 x 10 picture of the two of them at Great Adventure. She looked over and smiled as she dialed her parents' house number. Most people would be surprised to find out that Charlene had any esteem issues. She was all of twenty-six years old, and full of youth and energy. She had the body of a runway model: tall and slender with long legs. She was light-skinned with a beautiful face that most people would say was made for television. High cheekbones with naturally rosy cheeks. She was gorgeous and she knew it, her looks got her by a lot in life. Yet with all her beauty, what made her feel like a true woman was sitting there on her hand, her left ring finger, to be exact. So, as she waited for one of her parents to answer, she sat there in Isaac's living room still glowing with joy.
Isaac was in the bathroom by then, but prior to that he was walking around the apartment doing his own thing. She had noticed him on the phone at one point, probably with his boy Surge, who he called Ser-Hey, telling him that he'd gone ahead and done it. But Charlene was too distracted to be nosy enough to overhear the conversation they were having. Usually Charlene played close attention to those kinds of things; she was always concerned with what his friends and other people said about her. She knew it was a level of paranoia, always being the subject of a rumor. She was always wondering if and what Isaac would find out.
Charlene's mom, Ann Tanner, answered on like the third ring, and Charlene could tell from her mother's voice that she already knew why she was calling. Initially Mrs. Tanner tried to sound normal just in case it hadn't happened yet. Then Charlene took her out of her misery, and told her that, yes, she was officially engaged. Between a mixture of tears and pure joy, she congratulated Charlene and told her how excited she was. Charlene also found out how and when Isaac had asked her parents for her hand in marriage. Charlene was happy that her mother was still alive to share this moment with her. It made her think about how happy Isaac's father would be to still be here to share it, too.
After she spoke with her mom, dad and sister she called her friend Tiffany, one of her cousins and another girlfriend. Charlene didn't have a lot of friends, most of them she had lost touch with over the last few years, but there were still a few people she was dying to tell. They all started asking her questions as if she had the wedding all planned out. Charlene had to explain this wasn't a save-the-date call, the proposal had only happened a couple hours ago. She realized then that most ladies don't brag so much and call everyone they know only moments after, so she decided to stop making calls.
As for the wedding, of course, like most women there were some decisions she'd already made. For instance, summer or fall wedding, short or long engagement, big or small wedding. These are things most girls think about and figure out when they play with their Barbie dolls as a little girl. Usually the color scheme is figured out as well, and some other basics, but not every detail of the wedding. Charlene answered the questions with a basic “I will let you know” response, along with whether she would be subjecting them to an ugly bridesmaid's dress.
Isaac had gone upstairs to watch television, Charlene assumed. As she held the phone in her hand she sat for a moment to reflect, digging her toes into his plush black and light gray carpet. She thought about the entire night as well as all the nights to come. She tried to imagine married life with Isaac and leaving the single life for good. She thought about moving out of her not-so-great place, and living in the beautiful and lavish condo that she was sitting in. She tried to think about it all, all the bright sides of the new life she would live. Soon her daydreaming brought her back to the present. She let out a little giggle when she thought about a question that Tiffany had just asked her: “So, are you going to invite Lacy?”
“I don't know, but I doubt it,” Charlene replied.
“That's going to be an interesting situation ... You may have to just suck it up.”
“Yeah, I know, but we will have to figure it out. I just don't want any issues that day.”
“Well, it all depends who is paying for it,” Tiffany said, laughing.
“That's the truth,” Charlene replied.
A few moments later, Charlene was hanging up the phone and laughing out loud.
That girl Tiffany, she ain't never lied,
Charlene thought to herself with a smile. Lacy was a friend of Isaac's that Charlene didn't approve of. She had no justification for her feelings other than her own jealousy, so she was kind of stuck dealing with their friendship. Although Charlene was sure it wasn't only in her head that Lacy wanted Isaac, she knew that there wasn't much to say without evidence. So for years she sat back and played a little game with Lacy, the one that females play when they communicate in a way that no one else is supposed to see. Tiffany's point made her think even more about all the drama that was bound to surface about the guest list, exes and friends that each of them would object to. Charlene wished she could expect otherwise, but she knew that jealousy and pettiness would definitely surface when it was time to work on the list. Charlene was hoping there wouldn't be too many skeletons surfacing along with it.
The longer Charlene thought about it, the more she wondered what she was thinking telling Isaac she would marry him. For a second Charlene thought to herself that she should run now, and give the ring back before her secrets exploded in her face. That was easier said than done, because Charlene knew that more than anything she wanted to live happily ever after with Isaac. Still, Charlene knew her life's track record, and she knew that wherever there's happiness for Charlene there lurks some amount of drama. If it wasn't the guest list it was going to be something else, so she had to brace herself for the ride.
Charlene had sat for about fifteen minutes thinking about all of that. The thought of the overall blend of guests for a quick second tickled Charlene. She started to think about just how funny this wedding was going to be. Her folks were so different from Isaac's she knew they would have quite an interesting wedding. His family members were extremely reserved and, aside from Charlene's parents, quite a few in her family were a tad more on the wild side. Charlene knew there would be some that would get along just fine; but there were a few jokes that definitely wouldn't get laughed at and a few strange looks that would be made. Charlene knew her wedding planning would be a handful and that she had her work cut out for her.
By the time she got off the phone and finished daydreaming about the wedding guests and made her way into the bedroom where Isaac was, he was already in his boxers, ready for bed. When she walked in the room, he looked up at her and smiled.
Damn, was he fine,
she thought to herself. She knew why she was the luckiest woman alive. He was brains and beauty ... and body. He was brown skinned, 6'3”, with a tight medium build. He had a chiseled chest with close to six-pack abs, more like a four-pack. He had a low caesar, which he kept bald most of the time. He had one deep dimple in his right cheek when he shared his beautiful white smile. His facial hair was minimal and well trimmed, and he had these juicy lips that she just loved. Man, did she feel lucky that he was her man, she thought as she crawled in the bed next to him. At first he just looked over at her and then glanced back at the television, but then he realized that it was a special night and he didn't want her to start complaining. So he turned over toward her again and started looking into her eyes.
“Did you tell the world?” he asked.
Laughing, she replied, “No, only half ...” and then she thought about it and added, “Did you tell anybody?”
“Yeah, I told K.D., and I had already told most of my family before I asked.”
“Well, don't you need to let them know I said yes?”
“Please, they know you said yes.”
“Oh, really?” she asked. “And how do they know that?”
“Because it's me ... And because who could turn down that ring?” he asked, laughing. He had better start laughing, because it was their engagement night and she didn't want any problems.
“What happened to the time when y'all would be scared and nervous that we would say yes?”
“I don't know, I never proposed before ... I don't remember that time.”
“Oh, you're real funny tonight, aren't you?”
Aware that their sweet night was capable of going sour real soon, he started to try to fix it up. He got closer to her and placed his arm around her waist.
“I'm only joking, baby. They knew you would say yes, because they knew what we have is real, and that I love you and deserve you as my wife and that we are going to have a beautiful life with about six snotty-nosed kids,” he said, starting back up.
“Yeah, OK,” she replied with a slight laugh.
Charlene didn't even want to think about kids right then and there. That stress was bound to seep up on her sooner than later, but she would rather it be later.
“Well, we can get started on some of them now,” he said as he slipped his hand up her shirt to cup her breast.
She smirked. Maybe not for the sake of having the six snotty-nosed babies, but she couldn't say she wasn't all for partaking in some newly engaged sex.
Chapter 3
T
he engagement party was quite impressive. Especially for a girl that grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, with very little money. Who would've thought Charlene would grow up to be the well-rounded woman she was? A few years ago she graduated with her associate degree in management. Since then she had been working as an office manager for an advertising agency. She had a half-bedroom apartment on the border of Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, and she had just purchased a 1999 Altima. The past few years of Charlene's life had been prosperous and turning better, all starting when she made the conscious decision to improve her life. She had some regrets that she would have to live with forever. Still, she had already begun fixing what was within her power, and what was out of her control she tried not to stress over. In addition to all the other accomplishments, almost even more impressive to her was that she had managed to win the heart of Isaac.
Isaac was a twenty-nine-year-old, picture-perfect, finance manager for a Fortune 500 company. He had his master's in finance, and was considered to be one of the most promising executives in the field in New York. He was born and raised in Scarsdale, New York, in a very nice suburban neighborhood. Although it was basically a hop and a skip from Charlene's neighborhood, hers was definitely the other side of the tracks. His parents were both professionals. His father was an accountant and his mother was in banking. Isaac went straight to college from high school. He took up accounting in college, pledged a fraternity and started on his path to success.
After working a couple of years he purchased a two-bedroom condo in Palisades, New York, overlooking the river, which was the hometown of an even higher class of folks. Although Isaac was one of the few of his kind there, he fit right in, especially with his 2007 burgundy Mazzerati with the peanut-colored leather interior parked out front. The inside of his condo looked just as good, if not better than any of his neighbors'. He had dark gray micro fiber furniture in the living room, with black and white photos all over the place. His dining area was colorful with hues of burgundy, blue and green. The kitchen was stainless steel, accented with black. He had walnut furniture in his second bedroom, and marble floors and tabletops in his home office. There was even a mini NASDAQ ticker in the office. Isaac wasn't one for sloppy seconds; he definitely enjoyed the finer things in life.
The women from around Charlene's way became envious of her as she started getting her life together and decided to go to college at age twenty-one. As trivial as it was, they would have smart remarks when they would see her dressed for her office job, wearing slacks and loafers or pumps. Sad part was that they weren't jealous because she had on nice clothes, but rather that she had a job to wear them to. Most of them did nothing all day, had a couple of kids and had no direction in life. Most of them had been her friends growing up, but Charlene didn't think they were still growing. They had made some smarter decisions than Charlene had, and some that weren't as smart. Charlene definitely almost got stuck in their same rut, but her not-so-smart decisions had become too much for her and she had to get out. Eventually she moved out of her parents' house, but that's when the girls really started to hate her and have a lot of negative stuff to say. It was the separation, it was the last step of growth beyond them and they couldn't take it. Their back turning only made it easier for her to exclude most of them from her life, and start a new one.
The last year that she lived at home with her parents before she got her own place was when Isaac started coming around. That had been interesting. The neighborhood girls were green-eyed and lurking without even trying to disguise it. They were trying to get all in his business, and trying to get close enough to throw themselves at him. They were hoping to catch his eye long enough to get some. It was easy for them to see that Isaac wasn't just one of the around-the-way guys that they were used to. They could tell by his clean-cut look and stylish clothes that he was something special. For most of the girls clocking, the car and money made him even more special. What was bothering them the most though, was that they were all wondering how Charlene did it, how she got a guy like him. Most of them assumed that it probably had a lot to do with Charlene's looks. She was definitely considered one of the physically advantaged. They were always jealous of her caramel-brown complexion, her beautiful head of shoulder-length dark brown hair, her hazel-colored almond-shaped eyes, her full lips that Angelina Jolie would trade in for, and her body to die for. You would think she had a personal trainer. She was 5'6”, 129 pounds, a 32C with JLo's junk in the trunk. She had the looks of a chick in a rap artist's video, but instead she was Isaac Milton's trophy girlfriend, and the girls would rather she not be the latter. Those were the signs that these girls weren't really her friends. Misery loved company, and miserable was all that she had been all those years. So with that reality, and her fear that they might one day get a chance to put the wrong information in Isaac's ear and ruin it all for her, she knew she had to move away—and quickly.
Regardless of her looks, for Charlene there were many more benefits that came with having Isaac in her life. She had someone to motivate her to be more, and he always knew what steps she needed to take to be successful at things. Whether it was how to write a better resume; get a better job, or make presentations at business meetings, he knew what to tell her to wear, do and say. He boosted her self-confidence and gave her hope in life. There was a time that she didn't think she would ever get a man to marry her, and he made her feel like she was living a whole new life. Charlene was elated that he saw some worth in her as well, and that they were celebrating their relationship.
 
 
The engagement celebration was held at Charlene's aunt's house out in Huntington, Long Island. She had a beautiful, spacious six-bedroom house with amazing landscaping. A majority of the guests were outside sitting poolside and along the patio. Coworkers, family and friends were socializing with one another and enjoying the ambience. Most of Charlene and Isaac's family and friends had come, bringing the number up to approximately one hundred. They had drink specials for the night that were Charlene and Isaac's favorites: Watermelon martinis and Rémy Martin XO. For entertainment there was music from Aunt Abby's jukebox, card games, pool and swimming, with some couples games planned for later on. A photo album was in rotation filled with pictures of the couple, which was sparking a lot of conversations.
The affair was pretty much going as planned and there was a sense of real joy and happiness in the air. Of course, there was the occasional emotional scene, and some people got all excited at the sight of the ring. As Charlene had expected, her mother started hugging her and crying the second she stepped foot in the door. It was like Ann Tanner never had thought the day would come or something, but if so she wasn't the only person to doubt it. It could have been that she was happy that Isaac was finally going to make an honest woman out of her daughter, but whatever the reason it was the happiest Charlene had made her mother in a long time. Her dad reacted similarly, minus the crying. David Tanner, a more reserved and quiet older man, didn't often show many emotions.
Charlene was happy that Isaac had been smart enough to go to him to ask for her hand in marriage, otherwise the whole thing would have been null and void in his eyes. Her dad was definitely old-fashioned, as was her mother. A few aunts and uncles got emotional as well, but it was all joyful. Charlene's sister, Paige, on the other hand, was way too excited to cry. She just jumped up and down when Charlene and Isaac walked in. She hugged Isaac and repeated at least three times how thrilled she was. Charlene knew her sister was genuinely happy for her, but she also knew Paige, like everybody else, was in shock that Charlene had managed to snag herself such a good one.
Isaac walked around the party greeting the guests and taking in his congratulations and “lock down” jokes from the men. He worked the crowd like a pro, flashing his gorgeous smile and giving his clichéd, one-liner responses. At one point Charlene took a moment to watch him, and from the look on her face you could see that what she saw made her happy. She didn't see any looks of doubt. He seemed happy and positive about the engagement, and that made Charlene feel confident that he was as sure about this as she was. She had wondered once or twice since the proposal if he had been pressured by his father. However, seeing his demeanor at the party convinced her that the proposal was from his heart. Isaac seemed to be in a great mood, and so was Charlene—until Paige caught her alone for a minute in the kitchen.
Charlene was pouring herself a glass of her aunt's fresh-fruit punch. She looked up and could see Paige coming toward the kitchen entrance through the screen door. Charlene decided to drink her beverage in the kitchen and take a moment away from the crowd. Paige pulled back the screen door and stepped in, and then walked to the edge of the kitchen to glance inside the living room. Charlene watched her as she did all this, and continued sipping on her drink. Once Paige walked back to the kitchen, she stood next to Charlene.
“Did you tell him yet?” Paige asked.
“What?” Charlene asked.
“Did you tell him?” Paige repeated, giving her the “you know what I'm talking about” face.
“No,” Charlene replied in somewhat of a snappy tone. “Why would you bring that up now?” she asked as she placed her drink in the sink and began to end her moment away.
“I'm just asking. You better hurry and tell him now, don't you think?”
“Paige, go somewhere with that right now ... dang.”
“Excuse me, I was just asking,” Paige said with a slight attitude back.
Charlene had already begun opening the screen door by then and was walking out. Just like most older sisters, sometimes Paige really got on Charlene's nerves. Always thinking they know everything, or that because they're older they can do whatever they want. Paige's intentions were in the right place, but she definitely didn't consider the concept of bad timing. Paige was good for blurting something out in front of the wrong person, or bringing up something touchy at the most inopportune times. So it didn't surprise Charlene that Paige didn't consider that just maybe she didn't want to think about anything negative on the night of her engagement party. Most people would understand that she had waited for this for so long, she just wanted to enjoy it. Charlene couldn't blame Paige for wondering, though. Paige, being one of the only people who knew, was curious about what was on Charlene's mind, now that this time had come and she hadn't mentioned it to Isaac. Charlene honestly didn't even know what she was thinking herself.
As much as she tried to brush off Paige's question, she walked out of the kitchen with a different facial expression. Charlene had really tried not to think about any of the issues that she knew were going to arise eventually. The regular stuff, like the size of the guest list, was nothing compared to the real issues that she expected to occur as the engagement moved forward. Charlene figured the real drama was going to come from truths revealed, true colors being shown and of course her uptight mother losing her cool. It was to be expected with all weddings and relationships, but Charlene knew that hers was going to have some additional elements.
Speaking of the drama, as soon as she stepped outside into the backyard, there she was. Lacy was just coming in the gate holding a gift box in her hand.
Oh, great,
Charlene thought to herself. All at once, the event had hit its downside for Charlene. First Paige's question, which had dampened her mood, and now having to be in pretend mode 'cause Lacy showed up. As she headed toward Lacy, Charlene noticed Isaac a few steps ahead of her, en route to greet Lacy. She walked up beside them as they were hugging, and chimed in.
“Don't mean to interrupt here, but just came over to say hello,” Charlene said as Isaac and Lacy released their embrace.
“Hey, Charlene,” Lacy said in an overly excited voice.
“Hey, miss,” Charlene said back as they hugged hello.
“Here, this is for you guys,” Lacy said as she handed Charlene the gift box in her hand.
“Oh, you didn't have to bring anything,” Charlene said.
“No problem, it's just a token of my happiness for you guys ... It's a bottle of wine.”
Charlene wanted to say,
“No, you really didn't have to ... hell, nobody else did.”
Except Charlene was well aware that this was just one of Lacy's ploys; trying to be deemed good old, sweet Lacy. Charlene saw right through her.
To an outsider it would appear that Charlene and Lacy got along just fine, but there was a lot seething beneath the surface. Although Charlene had been pretending for a long time now that Lacy was a friend, she didn't trust Lacy—not one bit. Lacy knew both Charlene and Isaac, they had each met Lacy at different times prior to their relationship. In high school Charlene used to spend time with one of Lacy's brother's friends, and she and Lacy associated at some social events. Then, years later Isaac and Lacy met while freshmen at Iona College. Obviously, Lacy was closer to Isaac, since they'd been friends for more than a decade, whereas Charlene and Lacy had barely gotten to know each other. However, since Charlene and Isaac had been dating, Lacy had grown closer to Charlene, except Charlene would never let her get but so close.

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