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14
It was my turn to host our girls’ night, and I was sitting on my bed watching Nicky rifle through my collection of essential oils, praying she didn’t swipe my lavender oil while I wasn’t looking.
“What man’s been sleeping in your bed?” Nicky asked from her seat at my vanity, the same vanity that matched the same bed and dresser I’d had when my family first moved into this house decades earlier. I marveled at how it all still looked brand new, but realized my father had paid a pretty penny for it. He may have been an inattentive father and a womanizer, but he was not cheap.
Angie chimed in, “Yeah, I was going to ask you about that when I first stepped in here. It definitely smells like a man’s been in here. At first I thought you’d been sneaking Robert in here, but you truly hate him at this point with the way he’s dragging this divorce out.”
I’d lost my mind when I first got back from Atlanta, spraying that cologne on my sheets and in the air like a freaking air freshener. Then we had that little run-in at Genesis, and I promptly trashed the bottle and washed my linens, but I was sure it was in the carpets.
I shook my head. “Y’all are probably just smelling a sample from some magazine over on my nightstand. I haven’t had any male company whatsoever anywhere.”
“Still upset about how Lorenzo acted at Genesis the other week?” Angie asked.
I shrugged.
“Well, from what you told me about the whole Lorenzo thing, you played yourself, big sis,” Nicky said. “I mean, you did basically tell the man to back off. How’d you expect a man who wants you so bad he’s willing to lick your kitty on the third date to react to being rejected?”
I glared at Angie, since I’d only told her about the whole oral sex in his kitchen thing and not Nicky.
Angie stared back at me, wide-eyed. “What?”
I sighed. “You just had to tell her.”
Angie grinned. “I knew if anyone would appreciate hearing about that, Nicky would.”
“Mm-hmm, and if it was me, his face would still be between my legs!” Nicky declared.
“Can we talk about something else?” I groaned.
“Why? Because you’re getting all hot and bothered over there?” Nicky asked.
I scooted further up in my bed, careful to leave my feet hanging over the side so my wet toenails didn’t touch the comforter. “No—shit…yeah. You’re right. I played myself, and now I’m stuck in divorce purgatory with Robert with no relief. At least Lorenzo gave me something to look forward to, and I had to go and snatch that away from myself. I’m so damn stupid.”
“No argument here,” Nicky said.
“Damn, Nicky. Kick her while she’s down, why don’t you?” Angie said.
Nicky sucked her teeth. “Look, you two are cut from the same cloth, the Lisa Boston-Strickland cloth. Y’all are just like Mama used to be—dutiful, upstanding, boring. Sitting around clinging to men unworthy of you, missing out on good, nasty sex. No fun or spontaneity in either one of you.”
“Excuse me? I think you need to remove me from that category. I mean, did you forget I’m Mrs. Boyé now? Ain’t shit boring about my life in or out of the bedroom. Best believe that,” Angie shot back.
“Girl, my bad. I know you getting it good now. I was talking about your pre-Ryan era. Anyway, back to you, Renee. You get ahold of what you describe as a fine nigga with exceptional cunnilingus skills, and what do you do? Kick him to the curb to remain true to Lord Voldemort’s ass! You better learn to let loose.”
I threw my hands up. “I’m trying! But…I can’t do anything right now but will myself not to kill Robert. I despise his lying ass!”
“Well, I guess he’s living up to his threat to make you regret filing for divorce,” Angie pointed out.
“The only thing I regret is ever even looking in his direction all those years ago. The best decision I ever made was filing for divorce, and if he keeps messing with me, he’s going to be the one with regrets.”
*****
I sat in Danielle’s office and shook my head. She had been in contact with Robert’s lawyer as we attempted to reach a settlement that would keep us out of court. As it stood, the courts were backed up, and we weren’t scheduled to go before a judge for another couple of months. I wasn’t going to be able to spend another couple of months married to Robert if I was to retain my sanity, so I told Danielle to offer him the house, his car, half the money in our joint savings account even though he’d made no deposits, and all the proceeds from the sale of a plot of land we’d bought on the outskirts of town with plans to eventually build a home there.
This meeting was scheduled so that I could read Robert’s answer to my amended petition for divorce.
And this fool had gone from bad to worse.
He was fine with everything I proposed, even dropped the request for spousal support. But now he wanted me to sell my portion of Genesis Birthing Center and give him that money, too.
