Free Fridays (20 page)

“No. It's good. I am. I was just wondering how many more times I need to have the procedure done; that's all.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, it's really up to you. When you're satisfied, we can stop.”

Riley didn't respond.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I'm good.”

He eased back onto the table and spread his legs.

Later, as he was leaving the spa, Bill called. “Yo, Dawg, where you at?”

Nervously, Riley looked around. Had he jinxed himself with thoughts of Bill during his secret procedure?

“Why? What's up?”

“Now I need a reason to check in on my boy?”

“Nah, nothing like that,” Riley said. “Actually, I'm just leaving an appointment; about to head back to the office.”

“Oh shit, what you getting done now? Wait, lemme guess, more teeth whitening? Oh, no, maybe it's one of those Brazilian wax jobs! Damn, Playboy, you got it bad. You add all this extra grooming, with the monthly cycle, and all your new feelings, and I might need to go file a missing person's report,” Bill chided.

“Man, chill, all that ain't even necessary.”

“Oh, well, tell me something. I'm just checking, 'cause my real boy is straight M-I-A.”

“I was meeting with a client. You know, the kind of work you used to do?” Riley said.

“Oh. Okay. I see you got jokes. But that's all right. I'm almost back. My lawyer has a meeting in a couple of weeks. Looks like I should be back at the ol' salt mine by the end of the month if all goes well.”

“That's what's up, Dawg! That's what's up.”

Riley pushed Bill's jokes to the back of his mind but only temporarily. As they went back and forth, he steered his car into traffic and thought about whether he was losing his confidence.

He already felt like his wife had checked out. The last thing he wanted to do was start getting all emotional like Bill had accused him of being.

As they wrapped up their call, Riley made a decision. It was time for him to step up and do what men are supposed to do, and he meant that in all aspects of his life: at the office, at home with his wife and even with Natasha.

A
few days later, as she strolled through the office and toward her assistant's cubicle, Leela felt like something strange was going on. At work, she prided herself on her ability to remain beneath the surface. She was friendly to everyone, but her guard remained up at all times. And since she wasn't one to socialize much at work, she ignored it when she saw some of her colleagues near the water cooler and others who whispered as she passed.

That was what cheating did; it made you paranoid. For all she knew, her co-workers probably weren't even focused on her.

Leela's cell phone rang before she arrived at her office door. It was Linda, so she took the call.

“Hey, Mom,” she said.

“So?”

“So what?” Leela knew why Linda was calling. Leela had just returned from lunch with Big Mama and her grandfather. They weren't reconciled, but saw each other weekly and Leela was convinced it was doing wonders for her grandmother's health.

“What did he have to say for himself?” Linda asked. Her voice held its usual sour tone.

Leela passed her assistant who mouthed something and pointed toward her office door.

“I don't understand,” Leela said.

“I'm still not sure that she should be keeping company with him. I can't get over what he did to my mother—hell, to us all,” Linda whined.

“Well…” Leela sighed. “I get that, but while you're over there holding him accountable or whatever it is that you're doing, it looks like they're moving on with their lives.”

“Oh, God! Are you trying to get them back together?” Linda asked.

Leela clutched the doorknob and opened the door.

“OhMyGod!” she exclaimed.

She nearly dropped the phone as she walked into her office and came face to face with the largest, most colorful bouquet of roses she'd ever seen. It brought a massive grin to her face. Leela felt loved and wanted.

“What?!” Linda yelled. “What happened? I knew we didn't need to trust that bastard.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. My… I just walked into something in my office,” Leela stammered.

The pleasant scent that floated throughout the office was intoxicating. Instantly, Leela felt better. She didn't realize how tense was until she'd released some of that trapped stress.

“Well, what the hell is it? Got you screaming like a banshee and carrying on,” Linda griped.

Leela rolled her eyes. She moved in close and inhaled. These were the kind of signs that made the guilt sink even deeper. The last few days with her husband had been wonderful. Their evening of dinner and a movie came right on time. Riley had been more attentive, and her decision to focus on their marriage for the next three weeks had been a smart move.

“Hey, Mom, I need to run. Riley just sent me the most beautiful flowers, and I want to thank him before he gets caught up in a late-afternoon meeting.”

“What about Big Mama and lunch with that snake?!” Linda yelled.

“He's not a snake and it's gonna have to wait. I need to run; I'll call you later.”

“Oh no, Ma'am!”

Leela couldn't care less about her mother's protests. She hadn't forgotten how Linda had thrown her under the bus over lunch with Big Mama. Her mother had a negative disposition, and she expected her to always speak her mind, but at times, the negativity was too much.

Leela ended the call with her mother and dialed her husband. As she snatched the card attached to the bouquet, she sat in the chair and greeted him cheerfully when he answered the phone.

“Hey, Sunshine, what are you so giddy about?” Riley asked.

“Oh, I just wanted to say thank you for…” Leela's voice trailed off when her eyes connected with the words on the card.

The roses were from Malone, not Riley.

Leela's heart threatened to stop and her throat went dry.

“Thank me for what?” Riley asked.

“Uh. I'm sorry. I dunno, um,” Leela stammered.

“Leela, what the hell is going on?” Riley asked. His tone had taken a complete turn, and there was nothing friendly about his voice. He sounded pissed and highly irritated.

“Leela!”

“Oh, sorry, Babe, something just… I need to run, I'll call you, or see you later at home.”

Had she lost it that much? Why hadn't she checked the card before she assumed her husband had sent the flowers? He hadn't sent flowers to her job in more than seven years! She felt completely frazzled and tongue-tied. Before she stumbled again and put her foot completely in her mouth, she quickly hung up the phone.

Leela released a trapped breath and tried to pull herself together. Nervously, she glanced back at the bouquet. She wanted to hate
it, wanted to fight the wonderful feeling that began to wash over her. Malone was making his presence known, and it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore him, like she knew she should.

He's thoughtful, sexy, and considerate too? Did her husband even stand a chance?

•  •  •

“You would need to get there Friday afternoon, because the meeting is at seven forty-five Friday evening. Then the last meeting wraps up early Saturday afternoon around three thirty,” Mr. Watson, Riley's boss, said.

Riley felt uncomfortable for the first time in his professional life. He was completely uneasy about the idea of going out of town for three days. He listened as his boss rattled off details about what needed to be accomplished during the trip. Although the trip was a couple of weeks away, he already knew he didn't want to go.

“The papers should be signed before you leave Sunday. We have a meeting first thing Monday morning, so you need to circle back before you leave.”

He knew there was nothing he could do about the scheduled trip, but he didn't want to leave his wife at home alone. It wouldn't be a Free Friday weekend, but the thought still made him uncomfortable. There was no way his boss, Mr. Watson, would allow Riley to send someone else in his place. He understood that was nothing but wishful thinking.

After leaving the conference room, Riley strode down the hall and back toward his office.

“Franklin,” a colleague greeted as they passed each other in the hall. Riley gave an acknowledging nod and kept moving. His mind was far away from work and the upcoming trip he couldn't avoid.

What would happen if he left his wife home alone for three
entire days? Maybe he was making more out of the situation than necessary. If he didn't trust his own wife, he knew that was a sign that they had major problems.

Riley was disappointed in himself; he had allowed Bill to get in his head and now everything drove him crazy. Six months ago, he didn't have thoughts of his wife being with another man, but everything seemed to change once Bill and Samantha called it quits. Despite knowing that, Riley still allowed his mind to race with crazy thoughts.

He wanted to believe he was right, but his gut told him otherwise. Why had he let Bill talk him into Free Fridays in the first damn place? Better yet, why did he fall for the okie-doke? He didn't have to prove anything to anyone, especially someone who couldn't handle his own household when he was married.

Inside his office, Riley logged on to his computer and checked the itinerary his assistant provided. His travel plans were as good as set in stone.

He picked up the phone and was about to call his wife when he noticed she was already on the line. His plan was to ask her to accompany him on the trip. However, on such short notice, she wouldn't be able to join him even if she wanted. She had to have at least a month's notice for time off, and he had to leave late Thursday night. Besides, if she accompanied him, she'd be bored because the meetings and wining and dining clients.

Riley found their exchange over the phone strange, and he knew this time it wasn't his mind playing tricks. She sounded odd, and with everything that had changed between them, it didn't take much to feed his suspicions.

Riley pushed back his chair, got up and strode around his office. In his mind, he played out several scenarios, but none were good. Finally, he went to his cell phone and dialed Bill.

“What's up?”

“You in the building?” Bill asked. “I was just about to call you.”

“Yeah, in my office. Why? You here?” Riley asked.

“Okay, bet that. I'm upstairs, but I'll be there in ten.”

In the time it took Bill to come down to Riley's office, Riley had gone back and forth over whether he should discuss his concerns with his friend.

He couldn't remember a time when he had been so insecure and indecisive. What the hell was happening?

“Bill is here to see you,” Riley's assistant's voice announced through the speaker on his phone.

“Send him in.”

“Aey, Dawg,” Bill greeted.

The two bumped fists and managed a half-hug.

“So, when you coming back to work?” Riley asked.

“We're still working out some details, but it's looking good, real good, Man. What's up with you?”

“Gotta head out to Oklahoma City in a couple of weeks,” Riley said.

“Damn, why you sound like that about it, Bruh?”

“Here you go with all these damn feelings again,” Riley complained. “When you gonna let that go?”

“
H
e is single-handedly changing my view of men. I mean, he's everything Bill was not. Do you know we even talk about other women?”

Leela was bored. All Samantha had been doing the whole time they were at lunch, as they ate, and now afterward, was talk about Kent and how wonderful he was. She was glad that her girl had found someone who had restored her faith in the opposite sex, but did they always have to talk about him?

“Okay, okay, can you look any less interested in my conversation?” Samantha stopped and suddenly asked.

“Oh, no. It's not that. I'm worried; that's all. If it's not problems with Big Mama, it's problems with Riley. I swear, I'm glad Kent is everything you've ever wanted in a man. I promise I am interested, because I can remember several months ago when you had me worried.”

“Worried about what?”

“Don't you remember? All that talk about how marriage didn't make sense and how people shouldn't expect to stay together until death.”

“Oh, yeah. I do remember all of that. And I still agree to a certain point, but I guess what I should have said is, it takes two people who are right for each other to make it work,” Samantha admitted.

Leela nearly fell from her chair. She wasn't about to remind
Samantha of all the crazy things she'd said back then. But it was almost like a completely different woman was talking now. Or that's what she thought until after a moment of silence, Samantha started up again.

“Actually. My position hasn't really changed. I still feel like marriages like your grandparents will soon be a thing of the past. Gone are the years when people get married to their high school sweetheart and they remain happily married until their golden years and beyond.”

Leela raised an eyebrow.

“Hear me out. You've seen TV shows when the couple is old and have been married for many, many years.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever notice how grumpy they are? Often the man can't find a single nice thing to say about his wife; the wife is frustrated, has long lost that loving feeling, is tired of picking up behind him and she's exhausted.”

Leela's head tilted ever so slightly.

“Leela, they're miserable, and in most cases, they've made most people around them miserable too. I'm not saying that's the case with all of the couples, but for the majority of them, it is. Now, if those same people looked at each other, ten, maybe even fifteen years in and decided they no longer made each other happy being together, they could've gone their separate ways and still remained friends.”