Chapter 16
A Shower of Blessings
Dressed in stonewashed blue jeans and a light blue short-sleeve T-shirt with the words GODMOTHER-TO-BE printed in bold black letters, Ginger looked out of her living room bay window. With only three weeks until the baby’s arrival, Celeste had yet to decide who the precious bundle of joy’s godmother would be. A week ago Ginger and Portia called Celeste on a three-way and put her on the spot to make a decision on which of the two of them would be graced with the title of godmother.
“The jury is still out on that,” Celeste responded.
With that being said Portia decided that she and Ginger should make the decision for Celeste and appoint themselves as godmothers. It was Ginger’s idea that they both have custom T-shirts made and to wear them to the baby shower.
Ginger saw Anthony’s shiny, freshly waxed silver limited edition Lincoln Navigator pull up to the curb in front of her house. “She’s here, she’s here,” she said excitedly.
About thirty-five of Celeste’s closest friends and loved ones gathered in the living room to welcome her when she walked in the front door. Ginger opened the door just as Celeste and Anthony got to it. Ginger took one look at the expression on Celeste’s face and knew right away that she didn’t want to be there.
“Hi, mommy-to-be,” Ginger greeted her with a smile, trying to encourage Celeste to put on a happy face. “Come on in.”
The expecting couple stepped into the foyer. Celeste noticed Ginger’s T-shirt and was about to comment when she heard shouts of, “Congratulations!” Immediately, cousins, friends, coworkers, and sisters in Christ of Celeste’s rushed to hug her, kiss her cheek, or rub her big belly as they pulled her farther into the living room.
Celeste forced a fake grin and did her best to return her guests’ greeting. “Hi, everybody.”
The last woman to greet Celeste was a surprise guest. “Chile, you look like a beluga whale.”
Celeste was stunned. What the heck is she doing here? Her forced, fake grin got wider. “Hello, Mother Harper. I didn’t know you were in town.” Celeste glanced over her shoulder at Anthony. Her fake grin turned upside down and transformed into an angry sneer.
Anthony swallowed. He purposely didn’t tell Celeste that his mother had been invited to the baby shower. Anthony knew that his mother was a thorn in Celeste’s side. Overbearing, overprotective, and over the top, Eugenia Harper was a force to be reckoned with. She and Celeste were like oil and water. The two didn’t blend well at all. It was said that a man sought a woman who resembled his mother. Anthony could honestly say that Celeste certainly reminded him of the lady who had given birth to him. They were both bossy, controlling, and confrontational. Truth be told the reason Eugenia and Celeste didn’t get along was because they were two of a kind. Their mannerisms were identical. Whenever Eugenia visited she and Celeste were in constant battle over who was the leading lady in Anthony’s life.
“Tony, you better remind your mother who your wife is. This is my house. She doesn’t run anything around here,” was what Celeste had told Anthony during Eugenia’s last visit. She and Celeste clashed when Celeste discovered that her entire kitchen had been rearranged.
Celeste had returned home, tired, achy, and sore after she, Ginger, and Portia participated in a five-mile run in support of breast cancer research. Celeste walked into her kitchen and opened the cabinet next to the refrigerator that stored the glasses.
Instead Celeste saw boxes of cereal. She frowned. “What the heck?” Celeste moved to the next cabinet where she kept her plates. She saw canned goods instead. She shook her head from side to side. “Am I crazy?” she asked herself.
When Celeste opened the third cabinet and saw spices instead of Tupperware bowls, she flipped out. “Tooooonnnnyyyyy,” she yelled.
He rushed into the kitchen and saw Celeste standing next to the stove with a distraught look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
Celeste pointed to the items in the cabinets she had left opened. “Look what your mother did.”
It took a moment for Anthony to understand what Celeste was talking about. He saw cereal, Tupperware bowls, plates, and spices. “What did she do?”
Celeste’s eyes grew wide and she spoke through gritted teeth. “She rearranged my cabinets, Tony. She moved everything around.”
Anthony didn’t see why Celeste was making a fuss. He shrugged his shoulders. “So what?”
Celeste’s eyeballs grew wider. “So what? Did you just say so what?”
“What’s going on in here?” Eugenia asked when she appeared in the kitchen doorway. Celeste’s raised voiced had brought her from the guest bedroom.
Celeste looked from her mother-in-law to Anthony. Celeste’s eyes told Anthony that he had better be the one to speak to his mother. If Celeste spoke, her words would be harsh.
“Ma, why did you move everything around?”
“Because boxes of cereal belong in the cabinet next to the refrigerator and not on top of the refrigerator. And spices should be kept either in a spice rack or the cabinet closest to the stove. Plates and glasses ought to be stored together in the same cabinet. It just makes more sense.”
Celeste frowned. “To whom?”
“You don’t like the new arrangement?” Eugenia asked Celeste.
“No, I don’t. Your setup is inconvenient. I don’t want to have to walk almost to the back door to the cabinet for a glass then walk back to the refrigerator to pour myself something to drink. I like my glasses in the cabinet next to the refrigerator. And I grew up with cereal boxes on top of the refrigerator. That’s where I put them and that’s where I want them to stay.”
Anthony didn’t want his mother to respond to Celeste. “Fine, I’ll move everything back to where you had it.”
“Yeah, do that,” Celeste said on her way out of the kitchen. “I’m gonna take a shower.”
“Anthony, you need to tell your wife to stay in her place. I’m gonna always be your mother but you can very easily change wives.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” Eugenia said.
Celeste looked at her mother-in-law. “Mission accomplished. I am definitely surprised.”
Eugenia enveloped Celeste in her overbearing arms. Celeste felt like gyro meat wrapped inside of pita bread. “How long are you staying in town?” Celeste rephrased the question she really wanted to ask her mother-in-law. She was more concerned about where she was staying.
“That all depends on when my little grandson will make his debut. I ain’t in no hurry to get back to Raleigh.”
Oh, my God, Celeste thought. She had one more week to go before she gave birth. Celeste knew that was more than enough time for Anthony’s mother to drive her completely insane.
Once when Eugenia had visited Anthony and Celeste she had gone through Celeste’s dresser drawers and thrown out all of her dainty lace lingerie and panties. She told Celeste that she needed to purchase classy underwear. “Men don’t want their wives to come to bed dressed like whores,” she told Celeste.
Celeste was so mad she didn’t know what to do. “Well, you obviously don’t know your son. He purchased all of my lingerie.”
And in the kitchen, Celeste couldn’t do anything correctly.
“You really should bake your chicken instead of frying it, Celeste. Why don’t you have any yogurt in your fridge? All I see is ice cream. Be careful of how much sugar you put in your pound cakes. Anthony is borderline diabetic. Girl, you put way too much bleach in Anthony’s boxers.”
And when Celeste arrived home from work and saw that Eugenia had replaced her 3 Musketeers candy bars with granola bars she told Anthony that his mother had worn out her welcome. “It’s either me or your mother. One of us has got to go.”
The next morning Eugenia was on an airplane headed back home to Raleigh. Celeste told Anthony that his mother was more than welcome to visit as long as she stayed in a hotel.
With Celeste occupied with her guests, Ginger spoke to Anthony. “Getting her here was like pulling teeth, wasn’t it?”
Anthony removed his black ski cap and rubbed his bald head. “I went ahead and shaved all the hair off my head since it was falling out anyway. Ginger, I won’t even tell you what I had to do just to get her out of bed and dressed. But I will say this: I am in complete agreement with Celeste about not having any more kids.”
Ginger chuckled. “That bad, huh?”
“One minute Celeste is hot and the next minute, she’s cold. This is January but last night she had the air conditioner going in the house. I was on the sofa with three quilts so it didn’t make me no never mind. This afternoon she decided to take a bath. After about thirty minutes or so I noticed that she was still in the tub. I knocked and asked if she was all right. She didn’t answer me but I heard sniffles through the door. I opened it and poked my head in and saw her sitting in the tub, crying.”
“What was the matter with her?” Ginger asked.
“I’m getting to that,” Anthony said. “I walked in the bathroom and knelt by tub. As Celeste wiped tears from her eyes, I saw that her fingers were white and wrinkled. I glanced at her toes and they were white and wrinkled too. I dipped my hand in the water and looked at Celeste like she was crazy. I asked her why she was sitting in cold water, crying. She said, ‘’Cause I can’t get out by myself. Why the blank you think I’m sitting in cold water?’” As Anthony spoke his neck danced just as Celeste’s had. He imitated her perfectly. He lowered his head and glared at Ginger. “You know she didn’t say ‘blank,’ don’t you?”
Ginger laughed out loud and patted his back. “Tony, you have my sympathy, honey. I’m pretty sure that God will have an extra crown in glory for you. How did you get her out of the tub?”
“Well, first she cussed me out because somehow or someway I’m supposed be a rocket scientist and know that she only takes fifteen-minute baths. And it shouldn’t take me a half hour to figure out that she’s stuck in the tub. Now, Ginger, on the inside my blood was boiling because, for the past eight and a half months, according to Celeste, I’ve been a cheap, good-for-nothing, inconsiderate, uncaring husband. But I forgave all of that verbal abuse and told Celeste that I was sorry. Then I had her loop her arm around my neck and I put my arm beneath her legs and lifted her out of the tub. I wrapped a big towel around her and saw that she was looking at me kind of funny. That’s when she told me that I have a unibrow and my nose was off center as a result of my parents being brother and sister.”
Ginger didn’t mean to but she screamed out in laughter. “Ooh, Tony, no, she didn’t.”
“Yeah, she really said that.”
Ginger looked at the women making a fuss over Celeste. “Well, now you can get about three hours of freedom unless you wanna stay.”
“You must be on crack, Ginger. I’m going home and getting in my king-sized bed and crashing.” He looked at all of the women doting on Celeste. “Where’s Portia?”
“She’s in the kitchen with an attitude. She and Celeste got into it earlier.”
Anthony raised his palms in the air. “Spare me the details. Don’t tell me about it, I don’t want to know.” Anthony had learned to leave Celeste’s spats with Ginger and Portia among the three of them.
It seemed that every other day they were arguing about something. They had always referred to each other as best friends but Anthony thought the term “frenemies” would actually be a better fit. Anthony would describe the relationship that Celeste, Ginger, and Portia shared as a bipolar one. One day they couldn’t live without one another, being happy, going shopping, and exchanging cake recipes. Then the next day it was, “I can’t stand you,” “Lose my number, I’m done with you,” or “I can’t believe you did that.” Two or three days of that nonsense and they would be sitting inside a nail salon choosing nail polish colors for manicures and pedicures.
Anthony went into the living room and greeted all of the guests, kissed Celeste’s cheek and walked back to the front door where Ginger stood. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He pulled a small gift-wrapped box from his shirt pocket and a card from his interior jacket pocket. “Give these to Celeste after she’s opened all of the baby’s gifts.”
* * *
Twenty minutes after Celeste’s arrival, Ginger noticed that Portia was nowhere to be seen. She walked into the kitchen and saw Portia sitting at the table, alone, feasting on barbecue chicken wings, meatballs, slices of honey-baked ham, spaghetti, potato salad, and chips.
“Portia, in case you’ve forgotten, you and I are both hosting this baby shower. I can really use your help entertaining the women. Why are you eating in the kitchen?”
“Because there’s no room in the living room.”
“There’s plenty of room, Portia. You’re being antisocial on purpose.”
Portia swallowed fruit punch from a light blue paper cup and belched loudly. “So what if I am?”
Ginger looked at her in disgust. “First of all, unleashing your internal bodily air into the atmosphere was not only rude, ignorant, and uncalled for, it was also unladylike and not at all feminine. And I had hoped you would be the more mature one and let this petty thing between you and Celeste go.”
Portia shrugged her shoulders and inserted a spoonful of potato salad in her mouth. “I have let it go, I’m fine.”
“Well, if that’s the case, can you please get the bag of ice cubes out of the freezer and pour half of it in the punch bowl? After that please go and mingle with the guests.”
Portia stood and threw her empty paper plate and cup into the trash can. She grabbed the bag of ice from the freezer and walked out of the kitchen. Just as Ginger was following Portia with a second pan of meatballs and spaghetti, the telephone on the wall rang. She set the pan on the counter top and answered the telephone. “Hello?”
“You are so beautiful.”
Ginger’s heart melted at the sound of his voice. She cooed, “Joseph.”
“I miss you and I can’t wait to see you tonight.”
Somehow he knew the right things to say to set Ginger’s inner core on fire. “Oh, honey. I miss you too.”
“How’s the shower going?” he asked.
She sighed loudly into the telephone.
Joseph understood her pause. All week long Ginger had shared with him how stressed she was about planning the baby shower and she couldn’t wait until it was over and done with. “A lot of fun, huh?”
“Well, Celeste arrived a few minutes ago. In spite of the fact that I have a living room full of women showering her with beautiful gifts for her baby, she seems determined to be in a foul mood. On the other hand Miss Portia is having a moment because Celeste said something to her that she shouldn’t have. So, I’m playing the hostess and the referee but you know how that goes. What are you up to?”
“Just counting down the minutes ’til I can see you again.”
“Joseph, you are so good for my ego, you know that?”
“And you are so good for my life, Ginger. Do you know that?”
“See, it’s when you say things like that that makes a sista wanna run down that center aisle quick, fast, and in a hurry. You better watch yourself.”
“You don’t even have to run down the whole aisle. I will come meet you halfway. You better watch yourself.”
At that moment, Ginger had an out-of-body experience. She saw the heavens open up and God’s ray of light shined down on her. “I wish I could clone you so that when one of you has to be away the other can be with me at all times.”
“You better talk to Celeste because I’m getting ready to kill her!” Portia’s loud words were like a fire hose. They doused cold water on Ginger’s love chat with Joseph.
Ginger glared at Portia in disbelief. “Did you hear that, Joseph?” she asked him. “The bell rang and round one has started. The referee has to step in the boxing ring.”
Joseph chuckled. “Remind them that there’s no hitting below the belt.”
Ginger ended the call with Joseph. “What happened?” she asked Portia.
“I’m out there waiting on Celeste hand and foot.” Portia’s neck danced as she spoke. “She’s being a diva. She said she doesn’t want to drink fruit punch; she wants grape Kool-Aid. She claims that she remembered requesting that we add it to the menu. She refuses to drink the punch.”
Ginger massaged her temples. A migraine headache was forming. “Jesus, just take me now, please.” She looked at Portia. “I don’t have grape Kool-Aid or any other flavor Kool-Aid. Celeste will have to drink the punch like everyone else. Her only other option is bottled water.”
Portia leaned against the kitchen wall and folded her arms across her chest. “Well, you tell her then, ’cause if she snaps off at me one more time, it’s gonna be on and poppin’.”
Ginger picked up the pan of spaghetti from the counter and gave it to Portia. “Just take this and set it on the dining room table. I’ll deal with Celeste.”
Ginger grabbed a sixteen-ounce bottle of drinking water from the refrigerator. She walked into the living room and saw Celeste seated next to their pastor’s wife, Lady Elaine Harris. The two were chatting. Ginger sat on the opposite side of Celeste and leaned into her. She shoved the water bottle in Celeste’s hand and spoke in her ear. “I don’t have any grape Kool-Aid. Okay? This ain’t Burger King; you can’t have it your way. Either you drink the punch or the water because it’s all I have.” Without giving Celeste time to respond, Ginger stood and walked away.
* * *
Before Celeste had arrived Portia had given each of the women small baby blue plastic safety pins to be pinned on their blouses. Portia explained the first game to them all. Throughout the duration of the shower, if someone said the word “baby,” her safety pin would be confiscated by the woman who heard her say the word. The lady who collected the most safety pins, at the end of the shower, would win a prize. It was one hour into the shower and Portia noticed many safety pins missing from blouses.
Portia was rearranging gifts on the gift table when the doorbell rang. She opened the door and was all set to greet the guest until she saw who stood before her.
Latricia Hall gasped. “Oh, my God. Portia Dunn, is that you?” She stepped into the foyer and enveloped Portia. “It’s been like what, fifteen years?”
Portia’s bladder leaked urine. She became chilled to the bone. She didn’t know if it was the cold January wind that blew inside or the mere fact that she had just come face to face with her married lover’s wife.
Latricia released Portia and looked at her. “Girl, you still look the same,” she said with a smile.
Portia’s heart raced. Her teeth chattered. “How are you doing, Latricia?”
“I am great. It is so good to see you, girl.”
Portia couldn’t look Latricia in her eyes. She looked beyond her, out the front door for something, anything to focus on. “Yeah, it’s been awhile. Come on in.”
Latricia gave Portia the gift she’d brought. “This is for Celeste and the baby.”
Portia took the gift-wrapped box from her. “Thank you. Give me your coat.”
Latricia took off her coat and gave it to Portia then looked at her from head to toe. Portia wore skinny-leg blue jeans and a T-shirt that matched Ginger’s.
“Awe, that’s so cute,” Latricia said about Portia’s shirt. Latricia admired her black thigh-high boots that laced up the front. She had no clue that Portia’s entire outfit, including the lingerie she wore beneath, had been funded from her own bank account. “You look fabulous, Portia. Still a fashionista with that Coke-bottle shape. You had all the boys in high school chasing after you. Remember that?”
Portia shrugged her shoulders. “That was a long time ago.”
Latricia looked at Portia’s ring finger. “You’re not married?”
Portia wished she could have been anywhere else but where she was right then. The position she was in took being uncomfortable to another level. “Not yet.”
Latricia’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Portia, I remember, during our senior year of high school, that you had the entire football team fighting over which one would be your husband after graduation.”
Portia chuckled but only to humor Latricia. She didn’t have time for small talk. She wasn’t interested in walking down memory lane with Latricia. She wanted answers to questions like why Latricia was there, and why she wasn’t informed that Latricia had been invited.
She hung Latricia’s coat in the closet in the foyer then set the gift she had brought on the table next to the front door. Portia pointed toward the living room where Celeste and her other guests were mingling. “Celeste is over by the fireplace.”
Portia guided Latricia directly to Celeste and stood in front of her. “Look who’s here, Celeste.”
Celeste’s eyes grew wide when she saw Latricia. She paused a few moments before she stood from her chair and hugged her. “Hi, Latricia. I’m glad you could make it.”
Latricia returned Celeste’s hug. “I was so excited when I got your invitation in the mail. I thought you may have forgotten about me from when I saw you at the bank a few months ago.”
Portia frowned and glared at Celeste. A few months ago? If looks could kill, Celeste would have been six feet under right then. She wondered why Celeste never mentioned that she had run into Latricia. Portia hastily walked away from them and went to search for Ginger. She found her in her bedroom slipping into a more comfortable pair of shoes.
Portia walked in and slammed the door shut.
The loud noise startled Ginger. “What’s wrong with you?”
Portia folded her arms across her chest. “You will never guess, in a million years, who is out there talking to Celeste.”
Ginger saw her folded arms rise and fall with every breath she took. “Considering the fact that I don’t have a million years, why don’t you just tell me and save us both a lot of time.”
“Come here,” Portia demanded. She opened Ginger’s bedroom door a bit and pointed Latricia out. “You see that woman talking to Celeste? Do you know who that is?”
Ginger squinted her eyes and looked at the woman. She couldn’t place her face. “Uh-uh. Who is she?”
“That’s Latricia Jenkins from high school,” Portia said. “Her last name is Hall now.”
Ginger gasped. “That’s David’s wife? I couldn’t put a face with the name when Celeste told me Latricia came into the bank to cash . . .” Ginger stopped talking because she realized that neither she nor Celeste had mentioned to Portia that Latricia had been invited to the baby shower.
Portia caught Ginger’s hesitation. “Well, don’t stop talking now. Spill it, Ginger.”
Ginger was not going to endure the wrath of Portia alone. She opened the bedroom door wider and called for Celeste to come into her bedroom. Celeste pointed Latricia toward the buffet table in the dining room then excused herself. She walked into Ginger’s bedroom and closed the door behind her. Celeste saw the disturbed look on Portia’s face and knew immediately that she was heated. And Celeste knew exactly why. Latricia Hall. She asked the question she already knew the answer to. “What’s going on?”
Portia fired off, “What the heck is David’s wife doing here and why didn’t either one of you backstabbing skanks inform me that she had been invited?”
Ginger sat down on her bed and allowed Celeste the floor. “It’s on you, Celeste. I didn’t invite Latricia.”
Portia looked at Celeste with raised eyebrows. Her neck rotated. “Well?”
Celeste knew the moment would come when she would have to explain to Portia why her lover’s wife was on her baby shower guest list. “Latricia came into the bank a few months ago to cash a check and—”
Portia interrupted Celeste. “Yeah, I heard her say that.”
Celeste continued. “We got to talking and catching up on old times. I figured out she was married to David when I saw their names and address on the check. We talked about my pregnancy and before Latricia walked away from my window she asked me to send her an invitation to my baby shower.” Celeste shrugged her shoulders. “What was I supposed to do?”
Portia’s eyebrows rose. Did she really just ask me that stupid question? “What were you supposed to do?” She answered Celeste’s question with a question. Portia looked at Ginger. She needed clarity. “Did she just ask me what she was supposed to do?”
Ginger nodded her head. “That was her question.”
“How about tell me?” Portia stated to Celeste. “I addressed and mailed out thirty-five invitations. You failed to tell me that an additional invitation was secretly sent to the wife of one of my men.”
“Wowwwwww,” Ginger said.
Celeste repeated Portia’s words out loud. “The wife of one of my men.” She couldn’t believe Portia’s gall. “How do you say that with such ease?”
“It’s like she was telling you what time of day it was,” Ginger commented.
Celeste chuckled. “I mean seriously. We need to get somebody who speaks Hennessy in here.” Celeste looked at Portia. “Are you drunk?”
Portia didn’t answer.
Celeste leaned against the chest of drawers and looked at Ginger sitting on the bed. “Do you want to tell her how stupid she sounds or should I?”
“It’s your world, Celeste. I’m just living in it.”
Celeste looked at Portia. “You know, Portia, it’s a shame to have all of that beauty and no brains. You’ve said some stupid things in your day but I’ve got to give you your props today, girlfriend. What you just said was the most stupidest of the stupids. If I had on a top hat, I’d tip it to you because you have outdone yourself.”
“Touché,” Ginger commented.
Portia looked at them both. “Oh, I see. Y’all in this together, huh?”
“In what?” Celeste asked.
“We’ve always had each other’s backs, Celeste. You call what you did having my back?”
“I do have your back, Portia. But I’m not gonna condone your wrongdoing. Yeah, I could’ve told you that I sent Latricia an invitation but thought better of it. Truth be told, I didn’t think she was gonna show up but now that she’s here, oh well.”
Portia frowned at Celeste’s words. “Oh well? That’s all you gotta say to me? Oh well?”
Ginger spoke up. “Portia, the three of us have done some crazy things in our lifetimes but we’re grown now. We’re not kids anymore. You know the scripture that reads, ‘When I was a child I spoke as a child and played as a child but when I became a man, I put away childish things’? That scripture is not only referring to men but women also. We all did our dirt back in the day but it’s time out for playing church. Latricia is in what I’m sure she believes is holy matrimony with a man you’re sleeping with and you need to stop it.”
Portia unfolded her arms and pointed her finger at Ginger. “You’re preaching to me? Since you’ve stopped shacking up and playing house, you figure you can preach to me now?”
“I’m not perfect, Portia. And I don’t pretend to be. It took me four long years to realize that Ronald was never gonna amount to anything. But when I made up my mind to get him out of my life, look what God did for me. He placed the man of my dreams right in my path. And look what God did for Celeste. It was when she confessed to Tony about keeping her secret that He planted the seed in her womb. I’m trying to get you to understand that you’re prolonging your own blessings. You know you’re living foul.”
“What Latricia doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Portia stated nonchalantly.
“This ain’t got nothing to do with Latricia!” Ginger shouted. “We’re talking about your actions, Portia. This is about you.” Ginger was frustrated. She would’ve bet one hundred dollars that if anyone had gotten her frazzled that day it would have been Celeste for sure. She threw her hands in the air and stood from the bed. “Look, I’ve said my piece. We’ve been in this bedroom long enough. Portia, you’re grown and you’re gonna do what you wanna do.” She looked at Celeste. “It’s time to open your gifts.” Ginger followed Celeste out of the bedroom.
Portia sat down on Ginger’s bed and exhaled loudly. “This really can’t be happening,” she said. She picked up the telephone on Ginger’s nightstand and dialed David’s cellular number.
“This is David,” he answered.
“It’s me. I’m calling from Ginger’s house. Where’s your wife?”
He frowned. “What?”
Portia spaced her words apart and spoke clearly. “Where . . . is . . . your . . . wife?”
“I think she mentioned something about going to a bridal shower. Why?”
“Try a baby shower, David.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You called me three days ago and asked if we could get together today. Remember that?”
“And you said we couldn’t because you were giving Celeste a baby shower.”
Portia chuckled sarcastically. “It’s the same baby shower Latricia got an invitation to.”
David got quiet on the other end.
“Did you hear what I said, David?”
“Are you saying that Latricia is at Celeste’s baby shower?”
“Ding, ding, ding, ding,” Portia chimed out of frustration. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“How did that happen?”
“Apparently, you store your money in the bank where Celeste works. Latricia came to the bank to cash a check. She and Celeste chatted a bit and she asked Celeste to send her an invitation to her baby shower. Fast forward a few months, Latricia’s here, I’m here, and this whole situation is uncomfortable and a big freakin’ mess.”
“Oh, wow. What are the chances? It really is a small world.”
Portia ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled loudly again. “Tell me about it. I opened the door and got the shock of my life. I darn near peed on myself. Latricia remembered me right away.”
“Last night Latricia told me she was going to a shower of somebody she went to high school with but she didn’t mention the woman’s name.”
Portia exhaled again. “This changes everything.”
“What do you mean?”
Portia paused before she spoke. “I don’t think we should see each other again, David.”
David knew Portia was headed there. “Portia, Latricia doesn’t know about us.”
“She reached out and hugged me today. Can you imagine how that made me feel? Latricia was happy to see me and here I am screwing her husband.”
The first time Portia had sex with David was at the home he shared with Latricia. David had told Portia up front that he was married. Portia saw photographs of Latricia and David hanging on the living room walls.
“I know her,” Portia stated when she saw a photograph of David and Latricia on their wedding day. “Is your wife’s name Latricia?”
David was taken aback. “Um, yeah. How do you know her?”
“We went to high school together.”
“Really?” David asked.
“Yeah, but we lost touch shortly after graduation. I haven’t spoken with Latricia in years.”
David became worried that Portia would have a change of heart now that she knew who his wife was. “Soooooo, what happens now?”
Portia stepped to David and kissed him seductively. “Let’s go to your bedroom.”
It made all the difference that Portia had reconnected with Latricia. Having not met a wife or not being in contact with any of her married lover’s wives gave Portia the guts she needed to be the other woman. Portia had no ties or connections to the wives of the men she slept with.
“Why you gotta make it sound like that?” David asked.
“Like what? Disgusting?”
“Yeah, disgusting. We don’t screw, Portia. We make love.”
“Really, David? Let’s be serious. We have sex. There’s no love in it at all. I’m ending it.”
“Baby, you’re being paranoid. Calm down.”
“No, David,” Portia shouted out. “I can’t do this.”
“Can we at least get together and talk about it?”
David couldn’t see Portia shaking her head. “No. Uh-uh.” She knew once she got in David’s presence all of her newfound common sense would leave her brain. Portia was weak. It would only take one kiss or the warmth of David’s breath on her neck and Portia would be naked instantly. “There’s nothing left to talk about.”
“What about the Escalade?”
Portia chuckled. That didn’t take long. “Wow. Is it like that?”
“You know what time it is,” he said calmly.
Portia knew she had to give it up. The Escalade was a conditional gift and she understood that when she had accepted it from David. She could drive the truck as long as she kept her legs open for him. She didn’t want to do it but she had no choice. Portia exhaled a third time then recited Ginger’s address. “It’s parked outside. Come and get it.”