“You’re still here?” Felicia commented, walking into the office. It was already after six o’clock, and she still had a good three hours of work ahead of her.
“I’m actually about to leave,” Deena answered. “Oh, the woman from Jonathan Demme’s office called again.”
“That’s her third call in as many days. They really must want Gabrielle. Are Lois and Stephanie here?”
“Stephanie left a while ago. Lois is on her phone, so it’s just the two of you.”
“When Lois hangs up, could you ask her to come by my office? Have a good evening, Deena.” Felicia walked proudly through the new reception area, feeling a huge sense of accomplishment. In the areas of public relations and talent management, Wilcot, Jourdan & Associates was fast becoming recognized for its professional acumen, and they now had the office space to go along with it.
Felicia had just settled in behind her round desk when her intercom buzzed. “What’s up?” Lois asked.
“Can you come in for a minute? I might have a new client for you.”
“Anybody I know?”
“Gabrieile Donovan.”
“Ching, ching,” Lois said, giving her impression of a cash register.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just adding up my fifteen percent. I’ll be in in a minute.”
Thank goodness for Lois, Felicia thought, laughing. Her addition to the firm was a blessing on several levels. Personally, Felicia was thankful to have her old friend working with her. Even after years of separation, the two women had stepped right back into the same comfortable, companionable friendship they’d shared in college. Her humorous, tell-it-like-it-is attitude was contagious, and her mere presence added a certain levity to the office.
Financially, Lois was also a godsend. She came on board with a roster of clients that was growing quickly. Thanks to her savvy and aggressive business sense, Lois also brought to the firm a plentiful infusion of cash. This money allowed them to move into their new offices and relieved much of Felicia’s worry that a divorce might topple her business. Together they were building a powerful alliance.
It was less than a minute before Felicia heard a tap on her door, followed by Lois’s familiar, “Hey, girl. What’s all this about Gabrieile?”
“Jonathan Demme wants her for a small part in his next movie.”
“If she’s interested in the part, she’ll need an agent.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Is your client roster full?” Felicia asked.
“There’s always room for a potential star. Why don’t we take Gabrieile out to lunch and discuss the idea with her?”
“I’ll set something up when she gets back from Europe.”
“Just let me know when and where,” Lois said, as she turned around to leave.
“Don’t go. Come on in and take a load off.”
“That sounds like you got some juicy dirt to dish, sistafriend. What’s up? And start with where you were all afternoon,” Lois requested as she made herself comfortable.
“At my lawyer’s. I filed for divorce, and I’m telling Trace tonight.”
“What made you go ahead with it?”
“I’ve let Trace drag this separation on for months. I don’t want to live in limbo anymore. Our marriage is over, and it’s time to let go.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. That’s not to say that I’m not scared as hell. I’ve never lived on my own before, but this just isn’t working. A part of me still loves Trace and probably always will, but I can’t be married to him anymore.”
“I have to be honest with you. I always thought you could do better. Trace was a tight-ass when you met him at Georgetown, and his butt is even tighter now. Hell, he even managed to suck most of the life out of you.”
“We had our problems, but Trace is a good man. He’ll make some woman very happy, but I’m not that woman.”
“I have to give it to you, you’re a lady to the very end. I’ve never seen a more graceful kick to the curb. I hope, for your sake, that Trace is as understanding and cooperative as you are.”
“Why wouldn’t he be? I don’t want anything from him. There’s no reason this divorce should be ugly.”
“You’d think so, but it’s not always the case. Just check out your Compton’s.”
“And what am I going to find in the encyclopedia that has anything to do with my divorce?”
“Freedom always costs,” Lois summed up. “Though getting rid of that control freak is worth almost any price.”
“This isn’t all his fault. I’ve done some things that I’m not proud of either.”
“Do any of those things include Lexis?” Lois probed gently.
“Why would you ask that?” Felicia said, unable to look her friend in the eye.
“Come on, Felicia, you may not have made any announcements, but your body language is screaming out the news. Whenever you two are in the same vicinity, it’s pretty clear that something’s going on between you.”
“Is it really that obvious?”
“Don’t get me wrong, you’re still your highly professional self, but anybody who’s observant or who cares about you can tell. Is Lexis the reason for the divorce?”
“No, not really.”
“That sounds convincing. Have you two done the wild thing?”
“Only once,” Felicia admitted, unable to keep from laughing.
“I won’t ask for all the gory details, but you have to tell me one thing,” Lois said, holding her two index fingers about six inches apart. Smiling, Felicia answered Lois’s inquiry by pulling her hands another two inches apart.
“The brother is so lean. Who knew he’d be packin’ a wallop?” Lois commented as they both burst out laughing. So amused were they that neither woman heard Stephanie return to the office to retrieve her forgotten briefcase. Instead of making her presence known, Stephanie quietly positioned herself outside Felicia’s door to find out what all the laughter was about.
“If Lexis is that gifted, why did you do it only once?”
“I thought you didn’t want any of the details.”
“I lied,” Lois laughed. “Give up the four-one-one. Let’s start with where.”
“In Martinique.”
“You and Lexis went to Martinique together? How did you pull that off without Trace knowing?”
“We didn’t go together. I was there on vacation, and Lexis just showed up.”
“And where was your husband?”
“We had an argument, and Trace left for New York.”
“So while he was in-flight, you and Lexis got busy.”
“If you want to put it that way, yes. I have to tell you, Lois, he changed my life.”
“He’s that good, huh?”
“It wasn’t the sex, though it was great,” Felicia said, smiling at the memory. “Making love with Lexis made me look at myself differently. For the first time I felt like I was in charge of my life, that I was my own woman.”
“That must have been one hell of an orgasm,” Lois said, not getting the laugh she was expecting. “So why only once?”
“Things got complicated,” Felicia said, getting quietly but visibly distraught.
“Hey, girl, if this is upsetting you, we don’t need to talk about it.”
“No, I need to tell someone. I’ve been carrying all this around for so long, sometimes I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
“Felicia, you aren’t the first woman who tipped out on her husband when her marriage was falling apart.”
“It’s not that. I got pregnant.”
“Oh, shit. Did you tell him?”
“I didn’t know which ‘him’ to tell.”
“You had an abortion?”
“Yes.”
“And neither of them knows?”
“No.”
“So you did what you had to do.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.”
“Look, I have a meeting at CBS,” Lois said, glancing at her watch. “If you need to talk, I’ll be up late. You be strong tonight. Don’t let Trace bully you into anything you don’t want to do, and definitely don’t say anything to him at this late date.”
Hot copy, Stephanie said to herself as she quietly scurried back to her office. She couldn’t believe what she’d heard out of Felicia’s own adulterous little mouth. She stored the information away, knowing that it was only a matter of time before it came in handy.
“You’ve already filed? Without telling me?” Trace asked, slamming his glass down on the table. He was caught totally off guard by Felicia’s announcement.
“That’s why I’m here now.”
“I thought this was supposed to be a temporary separation.”
“We’ve done everything we can to save this relationship, Trace. When I came back from Martinique, we went to counseling. It didn’t help, but we kept limping along for months until I finally moved out. It’s over, Trace. Our marriage is over.”
“I don’t have time to get divorced,” Trace pointed out angrily, unwilling to face the truth. “I’m in the middle of an important case.”
Felicia shook her head in disbelief. Even when it came to the dissolution of his marriage, Trace put his career first. “Believe me, I wish it could wait, but it can’t.”
“What’s the rush, Felicia?”
“I need to get on with my life.”
“A life with a new lover?”
“No. I just want my freedom.”
“You have your freedom. We haven’t lived under the same roof for months. I don’t see why this matter can’t wait until I have the time and energy to give it my full concentration.”
“And I don’t see why this ‘matter’ has to be a big deal. We have no children. There are no custody issues,” she said, keeping her cool.
“And I know you’re glad about that,” Trace remarked sarcastically. Trying to get Felicia pregnant had turned out to be a miserable failure. Trace still couldn’t understand why she hadn’t conceived during or right after the cruise, but she hadn’t, and to make matters worse, she’d gone on the Pill shortly thereafter. Now, with divorce on her mind, Trace had to face the fact that he would never share parenthood with Felicia. “What about alimony or the property settlement?”
“There’s no need for alimony, and I’m sure we can come to an equitable property agreement. I want to make this as painless as possible for both of us.”
“What about WJ and A?”
“What about it?” Felicia asked, suspiciously.
“I do have a financial stake in the company. It seems to me that it should be on the table with everything else we own.”
“Trace, I was hoping that we could dissolve our marriage quietly and without hurting each other any more than we have to,” Felicia sputtered, outraged by his suggestion. “But if you want to go toe-to-toe on this, fine. Just understand that Wilcot, Jourdan and Associates is not negotiable.”
“I guess we’ll just have to see about that.”
“Why are you being so difficult?”
“Because I don’t want a divorce. So if you’re hell-bent on giving up on our marriage, be prepared to give up everything.”
Felicia stormed out of his place. She had been such a fool to think that they could get through this divorce with a friendship intact. She should have known that because dissolving their marriage was her idea, Trace would make the situation as difficult and uncomfortable as possible. Lois’s warning had been right on target; her freedom was going to cost her, but Felicia had not been prepared to pay with her company.
She walked out into the night air and flagged down a cab. Felicia climbed into the backseat, not knowing where to go. She didn’t want to go home. The idea of being alone right now was totally unappealing. She needed to be around people, keep her mind occupied. The last thing she wanted was to be flooded with memories of the man who for over ten years had been her lover and husband, and who now had become her enemy.
“Where to, lady?”
“Seventy-third, between Columbus and Central Park West,” Felicia said, giving the driver Lois’s address. “No, wait,” she said, changing her mind. “Make that One-sixteenth Street and Seventh Avenue.”
Traffic was light, and they made it uptown to Harlem in less than fifteen minutes. The cab dropped Felicia off in front of Graham Court, and after the night guard buzzed her in through the wrought-iron gate, she walked through the courtyard and into the building. She rode the elevator up to the fifth floor, silently second-guessing her decision to come. Within seconds of her knocking, the door flew open, revealing a pleasantly surprised Lexis Richards.
“Hey, what’s up? Come on in.” Felicia stepped into the apartment and immediately regretted her impulse to stop by. The lights in the living room were off, and the room was bathed in candlelight. The mellow sounds of South African guitarist Jonathan Butler filled the air, and an open bottle of wine sat on the coffee table. Lexis was obviously entertaining.
“I’m sorry for dropping in on you like this, but—”
“You were in the ’hood and decided to swing by,” he finished.
“Something like that. You’re busy, I’ll call you in the morning.”
“It’s cool. I was just sittin’ here by myself, chillin’.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Pull up a pillow,” Lexis said as he pulled out another wineglass for Felicia. “How’s everything at the office?”
“Busy. I brought you by some clippings on Praline Livin’. The buzz going around town is very good, and we’re still another few months away from opening.”
“Bet. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s really up?” Lexis insisted.
“What do you mean?”
“I can hear it in your voice. I can see it in your face. You either did something or want to tell me something, but you don’t know how.”
Felicia sat back and marveled at how well Lexis knew her. In all the years she and Trace had been married, he still could not read her feelings and moods the way Lexis could.
“I finally filed for divorce today.”
“Is everything cool?” Lexis asked, trying to contain his own enthusiasm.
“If you’re asking me if I feel okay about my decision, the answer is yes.”
“What about Trace?”
“He’s a different story. I just left his place. Things got pretty ugly.”
“You rocked his world. You didn’t expect him to just sit back and take it, did you?”
“Take what? The truth that our marriage is over? Yes, as a matter of fact I did. What I didn’t expect was him trying to take away my company.”
“He said that?”
“He told me that if I was giving up on our marriage I’d better be prepared to give up everything,” Felicia said, unable to keep the tears at bay any longer.
Lexis reached over and gathered her up into his arms. “Baby, don’t worry. He’s just sellin’ wolf tickets.”
“He meant it and he’ll do it, not because he really wants my business but because he wants to control me. Lexis, I can’t lose WJ and A. It’s all I have.”
“Why are you so worried? Your people have money.”
“I’m thirty years old. This is my problem. My responsibility, not my parents’.”
“If you do need some help, I’m here,” Lexis promised.
“Why is he doing this?” she asked, grateful for Lexis’s support and happy to be back in his arms.
“Because he’s a chump who doesn’t like to lose.”
The two sat in silence, both thinking about the impact Felicia’s decision would have on their lives—both individually and together. Lexis couldn’t help hoping that tonight marked a new beginning for him and Felicia. He was tired of being patient, tired of being her friend. He wanted more. Much more.
“Trace asked me if I had a new lover. I didn’t know what to say,” Felicia said.
“One slammin’ day in the sun is all we had. You have nothing to confess and certainly nothing to feel guilty about.”
“But I do,” Felicia said softly. “Lexis, shortly after we got back from Martinique, I found out I was pregnant.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t tell you or Trace because I didn’t know who was the father.”
“But it could have been mine?”
“Yes.”
“Then I deserved to know.”
“I’m sorry.”
Stony silence was Lexis’s response.
“It was the hardest decision I ever had to make, but considering the circumstances, I couldn’t stay pregnant. Can you understand that?”
“Yeah, I got it—your body, your choice. What I can’t understand is why you totally dissed me. We could have dealt with this together. I would have supported your decision either way.”
“I’m sorry. I should have trusted you.”
“Felicia?”
“Yes.”
“What if you knew the baby was ours? Then what?”
“I would have definitely told you, but beyond that, I honestly don’t know. We really didn’t know what was happening between us then.”
“And now?”
“I still don’t know what’s going on,” she said softly. “But I’m ready to find out.”