The Ex Files (11 page)

Asia winced. “I’m not a whore.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

“And I’m not going anywhere.” Asia’s fingers curled into her palms.

“I don’t have any more use for you and neither does Bobby.”

It wasn’t until Caroline glanced at her leg that Asia realized she was pounding her fist against her thigh.

“I’ve had enough.” Caroline stood, waved her hand, dismissing Asia. “It’s time for you to leave.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? You think you can get rid of me just like that? You think I’m going to give up Bobby, just because you said so?”

Caroline sighed. “Obviously, you aren’t making this as simple as Bobby said you would. He said that for a few dollars you would go away.”

Asia’s heart was on fire. “I’m the mother of Bobby’s only child.”

Caroline nodded. “Yes, well, that part…that little girl is unfortunate. I have to admit that when I found out about the baby I was upset. But Bobby assured me that your relationship wasn’t serious and it would end.”

Asia smiled. “But it didn’t end. Angel is five years old and we’re still together. And plan to be for a very long time.”

“Where did you learn to live inside such a fantasy?” Caroline shook her head. “Could it have possibly been when you were growing up in Compton?”

Asia lost her smile. She’d never told Bobby about her beginnings. Who she’d been before didn’t match the package that she’d created when she met him.

Caroline broke into Asia’s thoughts. “Could it have been, when you were living with your grandmother? Tell me, when was it exactly…Chiquita?”

Asia’s eyes widened and Caroline laughed again. But soon her smile was gone and she stepped in front of Asia. “When I told you that I knew everything, I was talking about a lot more than just your silly affair.” She stepped a few feet back. “Don’t mess with me, Asia.”

Asia’s heart pounded at the change in Caroline’s voice.

“I may not look like the kind of woman who can—how would you say it—throw down, but if you don’t get out of my house, you’ll find out there’s a lot more to me than just my graciousness.”

“I’m not scared of you,” Asia said, although her trembling told a different story.

“Then you’re dumber than I thought. Maybe you should have spent a year or two in college.” The two held their glares until Caroline said, “Get over it, Asia. Bobby is my husband. Has been for twelve years and since I plan on keeping my wedding vows, he will be until…until I say it’s over.”

The images passed through Asia’s mind—all of the ways Caroline could die. It wouldn’t have to be by her hand. She had money—Bobby’s money—to pay someone to do this deed.

Caroline said, “Now, I know your days are filled with useless activities, but I have some very important work to do. So if it’s clear to you now…get out of my house.”

Asia wanted to scream, curse, throw up her hands and fight. This was not the way this scene was supposed to play. She was supposed to walk in here, make her declaration of love, and then watch Caroline drop to her knees in despair. Then she was supposed to go home and wait for Bobby’s call announcing that his wife wanted a divorce—so now they were free to be together.

The way the scene had played in her mind, Caroline was the one who was supposed to be left with a bleeding heart. So why did it feel like she’d been stabbed in hers?

Asia picked up her purse and, without a glance toward Caroline, marched toward the door.

“You should know that Bobby and I have discussed the financial arrangements for your daughter.” Caroline’s words floated over Asia’s shoulder.

Asia kept walking.

Caroline continued talking, “I would never seek revenge on an innocent child. She will be taken care of.”

Still Asia didn’t look back.

“But understand, Chiquita, you will never again spread your legs for my husband.”

Asia closed the door on Caroline’s final words. She stood for a moment on the front steps. Once she steadied herself, she rushed to her car. The car’s tires screamed as she twisted around the driveway.

She swerved back onto Salon Drive, then punched the brakes, halting the car. She couldn’t believe this—Bobby’s wife had known about her. Always known. And it didn’t matter. She didn’t matter, not to Bobby and not to his wife.

What kind of woman would accept this?
she wondered. And then she answered:
the kind of woman who knew how to keep her man
.

She could still hear Caroline’s laughter. Asia dropped her head to the steering wheel, but before a tear could fall, her cell phone rang.

“Yes!”

“Chiquita, this is Aunt Beverly. Just making sure you’re on your way.”

Great
, she thought. She’d forgotten about her promise to meet her aunt. But she couldn’t do that now. She needed space to mourn, to figure out her next steps.

“Are you on your way?”

She sighed. “I’ll be right there.” She hung up, wiped away tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes, and then glanced once again at the home that housed her enemies.

“It’s not over, Mrs. Caroline Fitzgerald-Johnson,” she said before she sped away. She glanced into the rearview mirror. Her eyes still held despair, but she knew the best way to rid herself of these feelings. All she needed was a little time. A little plan. A little revenge.

S
HERIDAN

With cheer, Sheridan strolled through the church’s parking lot. Three days had passed since she’d seen Brock, yet her heart still sang. The only thing better than the memory of their weekend was the anticipation of his return. She brushed aside thoughts of her man as she trotted up the steps to the side entrance of Hope Chapel.

“Sheridan,” Pastor Ford greeted her the moment she stepped into the section of the church they called the Learning Center.

“Am I the first one?” Sheridan asked after they hugged.

“As it should be. You’re the leader.” The pastor tilted her head. “You ready for this?”

Her tone made Sheridan frown. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

Pastor Ford chuckled, but before she could respond, both turned toward the sound of heavy footsteps echoing from the hallway.

“Aunt Beverly!” Asia stomped into the room and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I went to your office and Etta-Marie sent me here.” She spoke as if she were annoyed, and then she stopped, just noticing the woman standing next to her aunt. “I’m sorry.” She nodded a curt hello, then turned back to Pastor Ford. “I’ll wait in your office.”

“No. Stay. This is exactly where you’re supposed to be.” Pastor Ford introduced her niece to Sheridan, and the younger woman cast her a wary glance.

“Aunt Beverly, what’s—”

“And here are the other ladies,” Pastor Ford interrupted.

Kendall and Vanessa strolled in side by side, although neither spoke to the other. More introductions were made before Pastor Ford motioned for the ladies to take a seat in the semicircle of folding chairs she’d arranged.

Pastor Ford perched against a table in the front, and had to stop herself from laughing at the bemused expressions that faced her. She began, “So, you’re all wondering what your pastor is up to.”

Only the pastor and Sheridan wore smiles.

“Well, I’m going to jump right in. Each one of you is going through some kind of transition”—she turned her glance to her niece—“or at least, you’re at a crossroads. Either way, this isn’t an easy time.”

The pastor paused. Behind their eyes, she could almost see the women’s thoughts, how each played out their situations in their minds. “I had this idea to bring you four together, as a support group. Our church has grown so large it can be difficult to connect with other women.”

With a sideways glance, it only took a moment for Sheridan to see that not one of the women sitting to her right were feeling this. Kendall twisted as if there were ants in her seat. Asia was slumped so low in her chair Sheridan thought she might slip onto the floor. And Vanessa—although she couldn’t quite make sense of Vanessa’s expression, Sheridan knew it wasn’t one of joy.
This isn’t going to be easy
, she thought, as the pastor continued.

“I’m calling this a prayer group, but I’m hoping it’ll be more. The four of you could really help each other.” The pastor peered at each one. “That’s all I’m going to give you. The rest you’ll work out.” She pushed herself from the desk. “Okay, I’m leaving. I have some calls.”

“Hold up,” Asia said, her scowl deeper now. “Where’re you going, Aunt Beverly?”

Her eyebrows rose at her niece’s tone, but still she kept her smile. “I said, I’m going to make some calls. I’ve asked Sheridan to be the facilitator.”

“Why her?”

Now the pastor lost her smile.

Asia said, “I mean, if this is a prayer group, then why aren’t you leading us in prayer?”

“Because you all know how to pray. And I want you to spend the time getting to know one another. Share your situations. From there, the Lord will lead you.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, Aunt Beverly,” Asia paused, letting her glance settle for a second on each woman, “but I don’t even know these people.”

Kendall said, “I have to agree with Asia, Pastor. I mean, we’ve been going to this church, and none of us have met before. That must mean something—we probably don’t have a thing in common.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” Pastor Ford said almost with glee. “What you have in common is”—she paused—“you’re all dealing with your exes. And none of you is doing it particularly well.” Pastor Ford grinned, waved, and seconds later, all that was left of her was the sound of her three-inch pumps resounding in the hall.

Pastor, please come back
, Sheridan wanted to scream.

“Oh, no, she didn’t,” Asia said and slumped even lower.

Sheridan cleared her throat and sat up a bit straighter. “Well, I’m glad to be here.”

“I’m not.” Kendall glanced at her watch. “So, let’s pray and then I can get back to my office.”

“I agree,” Asia said. “This doesn’t make any sense. I don’t even know why my aunt would want me here. It’s not like I’m dealing with an ex-husband.”

“Well, I think this is a good idea,” Vanessa piped softly. “It seems a bit strange to me because I’m not quite dealing with an ex either. But I get what Pastor is doing. And we all know that she hits a home run whenever it comes to helping the people she loves. She’s just trying to find a way to support us.”

Sheridan passed Vanessa a grateful smile. “I agree. It’s about support. So, I’m willing to give this a try”—she stopped—“if you are.”

Only Vanessa nodded, but when neither Kendall nor Asia made a run toward the door, Sheridan was encouraged.

“Great,” she said. “So, my thought is we begin by telling just a bit about ourselves, our situations…if you feel comfortable.” It looked like a choreographed dance, the way the three women squirmed in their chairs. “I’ll begin,” Sheridan offered. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear all the specifics of my life—that’ll come, maybe next week—”

“Wait a minute,” Kendall said, holding up her hand. “I thought this was a onetime thing. I thought we’d say a quick prayer tonight, then kiss and say good-bye. I didn’t make any plans to come back.”

“I’m not coming back here either,” Asia said. “I have too much going on in my life to sit around and chat—”

Sheridan said, “Chatting is not what Pastor had in mind.”

“That’s what this looks like to me. Trust—I ain’t coming back here.”

“Take that up with Pastor.”

“I don’t mind being here,” Vanessa said.

Bless you
, is what Sheridan thought. Aloud she said, “Whether we come back next week or not, let’s handle tonight. Like I said, I’ll start with the reason why Pastor asked me here. A few years ago, my husband and I divorced after being married for seventeen years and it came as a complete surprise to me.”

“What happened?” Asia asked. “Was he sneaking around with another woman?” She paused, added with a smirk, “A younger woman?”

Sheridan kept her eyes on Asia. “No, not a younger woman. He left me for an older man.”

Sheridan could not hold back her laugh. Not only were their shocked expressions priceless, but she wanted to stand and cheer at her own boldness. How far she’d come! Even a year ago, admitting Quentin’s preference for men wasn’t easy. But now, it was just a fact, a part of her history. “It wasn’t that bad, guys. Well, at first it was. But I survived.”

“Are you serious?” Kendall said. “A man?”

Sheridan nodded.

Kendall said, “After that, I guess my situation isn’t so bad.” She took a breath, “My husband left me for a woman”—a quick glance at Asia—“a younger woman.” Another beat. “My sister.”

“Dang!” Asia yelped. “Your sister? What kind of nonsense is that? I know you beat her down.”

“Not exactly,” was all Kendall said. After a pensive moment, she added, “And I just found out they’re engaged.”

“Hold up…your husband and your sister are getting married?” Asia’s mouth was wide open. “Isn’t that incestuous or something?”

“No.”

“Well, if not incest, it’s some kind of white people crap for sure,” Asia added. “Black people don’t do that.”

“Well, I’m black and it happened to me, so there goes your theory.”

“And,” Sheridan said, “I’m sure it’s happened to other people. “We don’t know everyone in the world, Asia.”

“Still,” the youngest in the group added, “that’s some mad mess. Like one of those crazy talk show programs.”

“I thought that too, at first.” Kendall shrugged. “But I’m fine with it now.”

Sheridan frowned. The way Kendall sat, with her head high and a half-smile curving her lips, she looked fine. Even dressed in the simple chocolate velour sweat suit that perfectly matched her skin, her success radiated as brightly as the one-carat diamond studs that sparkled in her ears. But there was something that encased her eyes—sadness—that revealed how far from fine she was.

Sheridan’s glance moved toward Vanessa and she wondered if the others knew her story. “Vanessa,” she began softly, not sure that the woman who definitely looked like a widow was ready to share. “I don’t know if you want—”

“I want to,” Vanessa said with too much cheer for Sheridan. Vanessa took a deep breath and smoothed her blue-flowered dress over her lap. “I guess I have an ex too, in a way.” She paused, breathed again. “My husband passed away.”

“Sorry,” Kendall and Asia said together.

“He committed suicide. He shot himself.”

“Dang!” Asia exclaimed, this time almost jumping from her chair. “Doesn’t anyone have a normal ex situation anymore?”

Kendall turned to face Asia. “Well, let’s hear from you, Ms. Asia. Since you’re sitting here telling us we’re not normal. Let’s hear your normal ex situation.”

Asia leaned back in her chair. “I don’t have any idea why my aunt has me here. I’m not married.” She paused, swallowed, as if she were waiting for memories to pass. “This meeting is clearly not for me.”

“Maybe it has something to do with Bobby Johnson,” Kendall smirked.

Asia’s eyes widened, but she recovered quickly. “I’d stop right there if I were you because you don’t know anything about me.”

“I must know a little somethin’-somethin’.” Kendall chuckled. “You and Bobby are in every tabloid in the supermarket.”

“That’s how you spend your days? Reading those rags?”

Sheridan held up her hand. “Ladies, we don’t need any battles up in here—except the ones we’re going to fight with prayer.”

“Sheridan’s right,” Vanessa interjected. “The longer I sit here, the more I see that this could be good—for all of us.” She paused. “Only you know the reason your aunt wanted you here, Asia. And, we can help you if you share with us.”

“How can you help me? Your husband put a gun to his head. I don’t need that kind of help.”

The silence was heated by their glares.
I’m going to talk to Pastor Ford
, Sheridan thought. This would never work if Asia stayed in the midst.

Before Sheridan could come to her defense, Vanessa spoke, “You’re right, my husband did that. And to the rest of the world, it probably looks like the worst thing that could have possibly happened. But you know what? I’m not the first woman this has happened to,” her heart said. “And just sitting here, I also know I’m not the only one with challenges.” She sighed. “You never know who you’re sitting next to. When you think you have problems, someone else is dealing with something just as big—if not bigger—than you are. So”—she paused, looked straight at Asia, and her heart continued—“if you think I don’t have anything to offer because my husband killed himself, then you’ll be the one missing out because there’s a lot that I can share.”

Sheridan wondered whether, if she were to give Vanessa a standing ovation, Kendall would join in. The look on Kendall’s face told her she would.

Asia shrugged, as if Vanessa’s lecture was no big deal. But she sat up straighter, bowed her head a bit. “Well, if you need to know, I guess I do have an ex—in a way. My boyfriend and I”—she glared at Kendall—“just broke up. Although my aunt doesn’t know about it yet.”

“So, he left you for his wife.” Kendall laughed. “That’s classic. Bobby’s wife—is she a younger woman or was just being his wife enough?”

“You know, you are dancing on my last nerve.”

“Little girl, don’t even think about jumping in my face.” Kendall’s finger punctuated the air with each word she uttered. “If you’re bad enough, bring it on.”

Asia, in her designer pantsuit, diamonds glittering everywhere, stood and pushed back her chair. “Oh, I got somethin’ for you.”

Sheridan’s eyes widened as Asia reached for her earrings, and began unscrewing the studs.

Asia said, “You don’t have any idea who you’re messing with. You don’t have any idea where I’m from.”

“Like that would matter to me….” Kendall chuckled.

Sheridan tried, but couldn’t get her lips to move, stunned by the scene that played in front of her. “Forget about the fact that you are grown women,” Sheridan finally said. “But have you forgotten where we are?” Sheridan was ready to march right into Pastor Ford’s office and surrender. She would tell her pastor that she’d work with Vanessa. But Kendall and Asia? They were pistols and she wasn’t willing to be in their line of fire.

“I’m sorry.” Kendall backed down first, even though her hands remained squeezed into fists.

Asia grumbled—although the words didn’t sound like any kind of English, Sheridan was sure it was an apology.