Over the next three months, the twins were each feeling the love and each keeping the love they were in away from each other, as well as, everyone else. Velle had become addicted to Monique, needing to see her any and every opportunity he could get. Monique had convinced him that it would be in both their best interest if they kept their relationship under wraps. How would they explain sleeping together after they had denied it for the past year? Velle hated not being able to let the world know that he was in love with what he considered the greatest woman in the world. But as long as Monique showered him with her love, both body and soul, then he was willing to keep what they had away from anyone who may disapprove.
Nikki, on the other hand, was on cloud nine. She was finally divorced and she was in what she was sure was love. She had never experienced anything close to what she felt when was with Justice and when he was away her soul yearned for him. Justice, being away at graduate school during the week, made Nikki appreciate the time that they shared on the weekend. He always went by to see his “niece” on Fridays, before coming to see her but she didn’t mind because it gave her time to get ready for him. She was happy that family meant something to him even though she wasn’t sure how she felt about him having to see Robin in order to visit the baby. She had heard about how much in love with Robin he had been before she started dating Jay. But Nikki tried to keep that little insecurity in the back of her mind, so that she could enjoy the affection Justice showered on her whenever they were together. She hated that she couldn’t tell her brother about the new man in her life, but she also knew that he wasn’t coming clean with her about his relationship with Monique either.
Even though Nikki’s love life was finally back on track she still had to deal with the uncomfortable situation that Ricardo had forced them into. Muffin still wanted nothing to do with the new baby and Tia hadn’t returned any of her calls so that their children could meet. Ricardo was a sorry everything except father, making sure to come pick up Muffin on his designated days and sometimes picking her up on alternate Sundays for what he called “daddy/daughter dinner day”, when he and Muffin would get dressed up to go out to fancy dinner. Nikki had done everything she could think of to try to get on familiar terms with the woman who had helped destroy her marriage to no avail. She had finally given up, satisfied to never know her daughter’s brother, especially if it meant kissing the ass of some bitch who had slept with her husband while they were married.
She was taking Muffin in for a regular check up at the doctor's when she saw Sterling sitting on one of the benches outside holding, what looked like, a baby. Her curiosity quickly got the better of her, as it always did, and before she knew it she was making her way over to further inspect his bundle of joy. She smiled as she approached her old friend saying, “Oh my God, Sterling! I didn’t know you had a baby. Oh God, he’s so beautiful,” Nikki said reaching out to hold the new baby. Because Sterling knew that there was something in all women that made them go all gushy whenever babies were involved, he handed over his delicate package. Nikki continued gushing as she welcomed the precious package into her bosoms, rocking him gently to ease his fears before proclaiming, “Oh my God, Sterling he looks just like you! Same eyes, nose and lips…it looks like you spit him right out.”
Sterling appeared at a lost for words, as she pointed out all of the features that he and the baby shared. Nikki, either too wrapped up in the joy that is a baby or just not paying attention, continued her interrogation of the baby’s parentage, “Who’s the lucky girl who finally got a baby on you, boy?” She asked as she watched the baby fall asleep in her arms. She couldn’t get over the resemblance between him and this child. She was waiting for Sterling to answer her questions when the answer to all of them walked out of the pediatrician’s office. Out strolled Tia with a handful of papers and face full of shock, which was quickly replaced with anger when she saw Nikki holding her son.
Nikki smiled as she handed the baby back to Sterling, never taking her now knowing eyes off Tia. Not only had this bitch broken up her marriage but she had done it with a baby that didn’t even belong to her ex-husband. Nikki couldn’t help but feel a small amount of admiration for the card Tia had played, mostly because it was one she would have played had she been the other woman. This little tidbit of information was better than Christmas. She made sure to speak to Tia saying, “Hey Tia. I’ve been calling you. Look girl, we’ve got to get the kids together…since their brother and sister and all. Just call me at home, I’m sure you remember the number from when you were sleeping Ricardo…so we can schedule a play date.” Tia was livid! She grabbed her baby from Nikki and stormed off, with Sterling dead on her heels. As she made they way to the parking lot Nikki called out, “Congratulations on the son you two.” As Nikki made her way inside the office she thought, “the nerve of that bitch, using one man’s baby to try to capture another man’s heart.”
There was definitely a renewed wiggle in Monique’s walk. Yes, the lovin was good and Monique was happy, as was Velle, but for every drop of happiness there seems to be a bucket of pain and sorrow. Even though Monique had swore that she would only allow herself the pleasure of Velle’s glory that one time, she had somehow managed to spend the past 90 days testing his every stroke. Velle wanted them to date, which was a notion she was able to keep at bay by simply stating what a conflict of interest it would be for the two of them to date openly. She wanted their relationship to stay just the way it was. Commitment free. Besides, things were just fine the way they were. Labels only seemed to complicate things or at least that was the excuse she used to keep herself from opening loving the man she had already fallen head over heels for. But today’s meeting with the loan officer at the bank was hopefully going to change that. After today, she’d be able to tell the world what she was feeling without fear of what people in the shop would say because the shop would belong to her.
But her meeting with Greg, who was going to be her account manager, had been much longer and more devastating than she could have every imagined. She couldn’t believe the brick load of bad news that had just been dropped on her. For an hour after she left her appointment with Greg, she just sat there in the bank parking lot crying. She screamed and yelled, at times beating her fists on the steering wheel. She turned the rearview mirror so that she could see her tear stained face in it. Her eyes were puffy and red from her uncontrollable crying and the sight of being again defeated was more than she could bare. She knocked away the sight of herself in the mirror by pounding it with her fist. She yelled out, “Why does this keep happening to me! I can’t ever have shit I want!” She was frustrated and felt herself one breath from cursing God, so she quickly ended her rant afraid to profess what was in her heart. She finally started her car and returned to the salon only to find that everyone had already left except Will and Mark, who were in the middle of packing up for the day.
“And where have you been, Ms, Thing? You been gone since one o’clock.” Will asked before he saw the sorrow on Monique’s face.
“I know, right,” Mark added while still placing things back in their respective places. He continued, “It’s closing time now and just so you know Mrs. Carlton was pi-“ Before he was able to finish his statement he was interrupted by Will tapping his shoulder while pointing to Monique. He quickly changed his tone from jovial to concerned as he asked, “Mo, what’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” he voice cracked as she threw her purse on the counter of her station and took a seat in her styling chair. She still hadn’t wrapped her mind around what she had been told and wasn’t sure if she would be able to repeat what she’d been told to her just an hour before.
They had both know her too long to believe there was no reason behind her pitiful state. Will had known her since she was four years old, so he thought of her more like family than a co-worker. He wasn’t going to settle for her one word excuse, so he walked over to her gently placing her hand on his shoulder saying, “You know you gon’ have to tell me what’s wrong. Your nose all red, your eyes all puffy and the hurt is all up and through your face. Tell us what’s wrong child.”
Monique looked as if she still might not budge so Mark added, “Baby girl, we ain’t leaving til you tell us what’s going on. Let me know, do I gotta go ruff mofo up or what?” When his remark didn’t bring the slightest smile to her face, he knew things were serious.
“Don’t get mad,” she started, “but I was going to use my savings as a down payment to buy this place from Velle. That’s the only reason I took the manager’s position, so that he would sell me this place at a discounted rate. I know, we said we were going to buy it together I didn’t want to be the manager and I was sure he would say no when I made buying this place a stipulation of my taking the position but he didn’t.”
“So, what…you thought we was gonna get mad at you or something?” Mark asked as he shrugged his shoulders completely confused that would be enough to make Monique so upset.
“I don’t know what you talking ‘bout, I’m mad as hell. Heffer, how you gon buy this place and not even let me know? I could have been planning a party. That’s great news! Why you in here crying?” Will said thrilled by the possibility of Monique finally realizing her dream of owning her own salon. He had let go of that dream years ago.
The tears were impossible to hold back. Monique buried her face in her hands unable to show her pain to two people who had known her for years. She could feel their wondering eyes on her as she sat their sobbing, feeling as though death itself would be an easier fate to handle. She cringed as Will wrapped his arms around her, unable to accept condolences from anyone at that moment. She could hear the two of them continuously asking her what was wrong but every time she formed the words to speak in her mind they somehow got lost on the way to her mouth. Finally after hearing Mark threaten to call Sterling or Robin because something had to be seriously wrong since she couldn’t stop crying, she managed to explain through the tears, “All of my savings is gone. Somebody stole my identity and maxed out my credit cards, took out a second mortgage on my house, cleaned out all of the money in my checking and savings accounts. They even cleaned out all of the money in Bri’s college fund. I thought I was finally about to be living my dream and now that’s gone. Everything’s gone. Everything!”
