Chapter Sixteen
“Vicky! Oh my goodness,” Stoney yelled as she saw her friend who had been a friend like no other. Running toward the forty-something woman who had been talking to a bridal consultant at the quaint establishment in the city, Stoney held her arms open wide.
Vicky squinted her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Stoney?” The two embraced. “Look at you, Stone Cold! Still got those hips, but, honey, you look fabulous,” Vicky spoke with a high-pitched tone, not her own natural one. “What happened to your coffee-brown stockings?” They laughed.
“Hush, Vicky with a Y. You are so silly. Oooh, I miss you so.” Stoney leaned in for another hug. “Look at you, girl!” Stoney squealed.
Vicky didn’t look as if she had aged at all in the three years since they had laid eyes on one another. Her short bob had grown out to a long and flowing length. A silver sparkling headband pushed her hair off of her face and showed off her brown and clear skin. The smile that Stoney remembered remained.
Vicky had had three babies and all before the age of twenty-five. By looking at the ageless glow she held, she would have to be asked because no one would know she was a mother to teenagers.
“You remember Mercy.” Stoney pointed to her sister on the other side of the store, who had already begun her appointment with her bridal consultant. “My sister? She’s getting married in two months. Last minute fittings for us. Wait!” Stoney yelled and jumped back at the same time.
When she realized she had caused a scene when all eyes landed on her, Stoney threw a hand over her mouth.
“Stoney,” Vicky laughed. “What is it?”
“Why are you in here, girl? Tell me. Tell me.” Stoney waited. Even though Vicky was years older than her, there was such a bond between them that made up for the space in between.
The years that had separated them came only when Stoney uprooted from Dallas and moved to Houston to be closer to her mother, after their own reunion. But even their telephone relationship stopped after Vicky had given Mike another chance at her heart and he did with it as he pleased.
With Vicky and Mike attending the same church for years, even before Stoney joined, Vicky had dated Mike once before. During that time it was only through the grapevine she had found out about him having had a questionable lifestyle. Never confronting him about it, she just called off their dating and pushed her crush to the back burner.
Light years ahead and Mike gave the illusion of how he still had feelings for Vicky. He apologized for not being upfront about his life before and all but swore he had changed long ago and just hadn’t shared it with her. Holding on to hope, Vicky had given him another chance. That chance left her depressed and pushing everyone out of her life, including Stoney.
“I’m getting married, Stoney!” The two squealed again and hugged out of reaction. “Oh, Stoney, he is so wonderful. Can you believe it? I’m getting married. A single woman with three—count ’em: one, two, three—chil’ren.” Vicky hadn’t lost her humor. They laughed.
“Hey now. You’re a good catch, honey chil’. Don’t front. You are an ophthalmologist ... You did it, Vicky. You gave God all your worries, heartache, and pain.”
“And He gave me another chance,” Vicky said with tears in her eyes. “I wish he were here so you could meet him. You’d love Robert. He’s goofy just like us, chil’.” Vicky fished around in her purse and pulled out a picture of the two.
Taking the picture in her hand Stoney looked at it and then used it as a fan. “Hmmm sookie, sookie, now. He might be goofy, be he is a hot tamale, baby. You did well, Vicky.”
“You know, what can I say?” Vicky turned her nose up nonchalantly and laughed. “Look, give me your address while I have you here. I want you to come to my wedding. No ... I want you to come to everything.” Vicky was already lost in her purse looking for a pen to write with when Mercy walked over and brushed up against her stepsister.
“Oh, Mercy.” Stoney hadn’t seen her walking up.
“You scared me, girl. You remember my friend Vicky, don’t you?”
“Of course.” Mercy leaned in toward the taller and older woman. “Congratulations. You’re getting married too?” Mercy smiled.
Beginning with a nod, Vicky couldn’t hold back her smile. Every time she thought about Robert it was an automatic gesture. “Yes. After all the frogs I kissed ... and we won’t even talk about the last one.” She handed a pad and pen to Stoney to write her info on. “I’m finally getting married.” The two took a moment and admired one another’s rings.
“He wouldn’t even let me go to the jeweler with him. Wouldn’t take any ideas nor would he let the kids in on it.” Vicky snickered. “He knew they’d tell as soon as they could.” She talked with her hand, so proud of her possession. “I taught them babies well,” she told on herself and laughed.
Mercy stood there admiring Vicky’s story. Still in love with her own ring as well, it was just the idea of her having to push for the wedding, push for the date, push for the ring.
Instead of second-guessing if that meant Grant was just not that into her, Mercy took it from the aspect of him not having funds except for the little bit from side jobs he did. She had told herself that it was the least she could do since Grant had had their son the majority of the time.
With a thoughtful look on her face, Mercy added a smile as she began to think of all the changes that would be made soon. With her being back in Dallas full time now, Grant could go back to school and find a full-time job. Even more than that, they would be able to expand on their family. With all the pain it caused her heart, Mercy decided to push all the negatives to the back of her thinking.
“Okay.” Vicky took the paper back.
“Nice seeing you again, Vicky,” Mercy said as she slowly turned to walk off, when she saw her consultant waiting for her.
“I’ll be right there, Mercy,” Stoney said, and turned her attention back to Vicky.
“Girl, but yeah. I’m so sorry I distanced myself away. But when Mike took me through all that drama, I didn’t know what else to do. I mean I had lost my mind,” Vicky explained. “It wasn’t that I was desperate, but I believed that he loved me and wanted to marry me. But then the nut goes off one day and tells me he made a mistake. Again!”
Stoney stood with arms folded, thankful she finally was able to get Vicky’s side of the story. She had been angry, hurt, and confused when she had heard through the grapevine what Mike had done ... the life he’d chosen, over Vicky.
“I was so embarrassed that, girl,” Vicky tried to whisper, “I pleaded with him to just go through with the wedding, and for us to just be together since everyone knew we were an item. I knew it wouldn’t work, but, girl, I was devastated. The enemy even tried to get me to kill myself. I neglected my kids and everything. It wasn’t until my cousin pushed me to see a counselor ... Robert.”
“God is good, Vicky.” Stoney grabbed her friend by the hand.
“Girl, he is amazing. I don’t hate Mike. I just hate what he takes himself and others through. He just needs to be real with himself. If he is gay, he just needs to accept that and stop—”
“Uh-uh.” Stoney dropped her friend’s hand in protest. She crossed her arms once again. “Uh-uh. Don’t even say it. He can’t accept what God doesn’t allow. Girl, he needs to choose what God he serves and realize who made him. It’s a spiritual warfare.”
“I agree, but it does no one any good until he recognizes it for himself. I forgive him, Stoney.” Vicky caught a direct glance into Stoney’s eyes. “I’m sorry I just left you out there alone with your feelings. I should have tried harder to contact you after I healed.” Vicky held her friend close. “You have to forgive him and love him right where he is, Stoney. Just look at the friend he was to you. You know you can’t take that away from him?” Vicky asked with her eyes.
Stoney was softening. She didn’t want to. For one, Mike had kept who he was away from her. Two: she didn’t believe in same sex anything.
As if she were reading Stoney’s mind, Vicky reminded Stoney of how Mike was there for her regardless. Even through the times when Stoney wanted and tried to take her own life.
“You have to forgive, Stoney,” Vicky said as she squeezed her friend’s hand and looked in her eyes through her own tears.
There was no promise Stoney was about to give to Vicky. Yes, Mike had been a friend. But within that friendship he only gave her what he wanted her to know about him. It would take God to heal her from the betrayal. Either way, Stoney knew she wasn’t ready to ask for the help.