Alicia got onto I-90 West, heading to Mitchell. She hated that she’d missed Melanie’s call and was just now on her way to the hospital. If that hadn’t been bad enough, Phillip had also left her a message, and she’d lied to both of them, claiming she’d been working. She couldn’t have felt worse, knowing that what she’d actually been doing was lying in bed with Levi all day. She’d only planned to stay a couple of hours, but then after they’d talked and made love again, they’d dropped off to sleep. When they’d awakened, Levi had ordered carryout from a nearby restaurant, and they’d watched a movie. After that, they’d made love a third time. Finally, when she’d realized that it was definitely time for her to go, she’d checked her phone and listened to both Alicia’s and Phillip’s messages. She’d purposely not checked her phone at Levi’s because she hadn’t wanted to feel guilty, which was exactly what would have happened had she noticed a missed call from Phillip.
Of course, her seeing Levi for as many hours as she had today still hadn’t been enough for him, because five minutes ago he’d called her and they were on the phone now.
“This is what I get for being with you when I know I shouldn’t,” she said.
“Sweetheart, why are you beating yourself up over this? The important thing is that your friend is fine, and you’re on your way to be there for her.”
“Yeah, hours after she tried to contact me.”
“It wasn’t like you knew her dad was going to have a heart attack.”
“That’s beside the point. Her dad is in surgery, and something also happened to Mel. She passed out, and if anyone should be there for her, it’s me.”
“You apologized and told her you were working, so I’m sure she understands.”
“What you mean is that I lied to her. I’ve been doing that a lot lately, and we both know why.”
“But it’s not like you have to. Just tell everyone the truth, and we won’t have to sneak around like this.”
Alicia turned on her left signal and changed lanes. “No one can ever know about us.”
“After spending nearly a whole day with me, I guess you’re still in denial.”
“No, I’m not. I already admitted to you that I’m in love with you, and that I wish I could be with you. But I’m still marrying Phillip. I’m doing what’s right.”
“You’re putting someone else’s happiness before your own.”
“Maybe, but I still know it’s the right thing.”
“I won’t accept that.”
“It’s not like you have a choice.”
“You know, I have to say again that I never once expected you to act this way. All those years I was locked up, the one thing that kept me going was the fact that you still hadn’t gotten remarried. I always knew that you still loved me, and that when we saw each other we would connect like we’d never been apart. And we did. But now you’re telling me you’re going to walk away from true love just so you can be miserable?”
“It’s called sacrifice and being unselfish.”
“It’s called crazy and insane. You must be out of your mind if you think you’ll be able to pull this off. You’ll marry that man, try to be happy for maybe a couple of months at most, and then you’ll come looking for me. Of course, I’ll be sitting here ready and waiting. After that, we’ll get together, make love like there’s no tomorrow, and sooner or later, you’ll get caught again. Your new husband will find out about us, and more damage will be done to him than the last time.”
Alicia wanted him to stop this. He was draining her word by word, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could listen to. She loved him, hated him, and wondered how she was going to live without him.
“I need to call Melanie to see how things are going.”
“Are you driving back tonight?”
“I don’t know. I doubt it.”
“When will I see you again?”
“Can’t say.”
“What about tomorrow on your way back home?”
“No, I don’t think so. Thanks to you, I’ve missed all this time reading my manuscript, so I really have to buckle down all day tomorrow. Plus, Phillip will be at my condo for the entire weekend.”
“Will you at least call me?”
“I’ll see.”
“I’ll say a prayer for your friend’s father.”
“I appreciate that. Talk to you later.”
“You’re just gonna hang up?”
“What else?”
“You could tell me you love me.”
“Good-bye, Levi.”
Alicia ended the call. She was too distraught to talk to anyone, so instead of calling Melanie the way she’d planned, she drove the rest of the way in silence. She thought about everything imaginable, but what she kept coming back to was Levi’s prediction of what was going to happen if she went ahead with her marriage. Would she honestly be that unhappy with Phillip? To the point where she would go right back to seeing Levi? She didn’t want to believe that, but the whole idea of it terrified her. No matter what decision she made, she wouldn’t win.
When Alicia arrived at the hospital, she parked what seemed like half a mile from the ER entrance, and she was glad she had on a sweat suit and athletic shoes. When she walked inside, Phillip stood, walked over, and hugged her. Gladys, Freda, Curtis, and Charlotte all sat in the same row of chairs.
“I’m so glad you came,” Gladys said as Alicia leaned down, embracing her.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Is the surgery still going on?”
“Yes, and the doctor said it could take a while.”
“Well, I know Mr. Johnson is going to be fine. He’ll come through this very quickly, and he’ll be back to normal before you know it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Alicia hugged her dad, her stepmom, and Freda. “Where’s Mel? Hasn’t she been released yet?”
“No,” Phillip said. “The doctor ordered an EKG, which came back fine, but he wanted her to stay hooked up to her IV awhile longer.”
“Wow. Well, I’m going back to see her.”
“I’ll be out here,” he said.
The receptionist behind the window buzzed Alicia back to the ER examination area, and one of the nurses directed her to Melanie’s room. When she opened the door, Melanie smiled and Brad got up and hugged her. Alicia was proud to be back in Brad’s good graces, because years ago, when everyone had learned about Alicia’s affair with Levi, Brad hadn’t wanted anything to do with Alicia. He’d told Melanie that she could remain friends with her all she wanted to, but he was through with her. And he hadn’t spoken to her for more than two years. Thankfully, he’d gotten over it, and the two of them were friends again.
Alicia set her purse down and hugged Melanie. “How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“Are you sure?”
“No, she’s not,” Brad said matter-of-factly. “She’s also angry with me for telling the doctor the truth.”
Alicia raised her eyebrows. “About what?”
“That crazy diet she’s on. I wish she’d get off of it before it kills her.”
“Why are you blowing this so out of proportion?” Melanie shouted.
Brad turned toward the door. “I’m going back out to the waiting room. Alicia, maybe you can talk some sense into your friend while I’m gone.”
Brad closed the door behind him.
“Mel, what is he talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“I remember you saying on Saturday that you wanted to lose weight, but what are you eating?”
“Do we have to do this?”
“Yes. You passed out and your blood work didn’t come back normal, so yes, I wanna know what’s up.”
“I’m drinking two shakes a day and eating a salad,” she said.
“And what else?”
“That’s it.”
“Why are you doing this to yourself again?”
“What do you mean again?”
“Starving yourself.”
“I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.”
Alicia frowned. “You don’t have a choice.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Apparently you don’t, because if you did, you wouldn’t be lying here in a hospital bed.”
“All I want is to get dressed and go wait for my dad,” she said.
“Oh, so now you’re going to ignore what I’m saying?”
“Look, I appreciate your concern, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but this is my body. It’s my life. It’s my business.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m so sick of people telling me what I should and shouldn’t be doing. Especially people who don’t know a thing about being overweight. People who have perfect lives with no issues.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
Melanie repositioned her IV tube and folded her arms. “Nothing. I think we should stop before we say something we’ll regret.”
“All this anger because I asked you about some diet you’re on? You’re not overweight, Melanie. You haven’t been in years, and if you can’t see that, something’s wrong with you.”
“Are you saying I’m crazy?”
“I’m saying you need help.”
“You know what, Alicia, get out.”
Alicia took a step back, half laughing. “Yeah, right, Mel.”
“I mean it. Get out of here, and don’t come back.”
Alicia had been sure Melanie was joking, but the outraged look on her face told a different story. Alicia wanted to ask her what was going on with her, but she could tell it would only make things worse. Something was very wrong with Melanie’s mental state, and the sad part of it all was that she looked like she’d lost a whole size since Saturday. Her neck was too skinny and her face was much narrower. But for now, all Alicia could do was pray for her, and that’s exactly what she did.