Nausea floated through Margo’s body as the images of Jefferson and Angelica walking into the hotel she now approached herself came back to her. Knowing the whole story did not make her feel better because she now had to deal with the mistake she had made. She hated how Malik had reacted when she told him that she was staying with her husband. Now she knew it would be only a matter of time before Jefferson found out.
She grabbed her stomach as a terrible reality seized her mind. God, don’t let me be pregnant, she thought to herself as her nerves started to unravel. She was too old to have baby momma drama.
“Are you all right, Margo?” Angelica asked with concern on her face.
Margo looked up, and Jefferson, Edward, and Angelica were in front of her, staring her down. From somewhere, Jefferson grabbed a piece of paper and began fanning her.
“I’m all right.” Margo sat up straight. “I guess so much happened today that it all caught up with me.”
“Do you want me to take you home…I mean, the hotel? We no longer have police protection since they’ve killed Santiago.”
“No, Jefferson. I’ll be fine. If I can have some water or something else cold to drink.”
“Coming right up,” Angelica said as Jefferson sat next to Margo and held her in his arms.
“Water for the lady,” Edward said, handing a bottle to Margo. “Look, I want to thank you guys for sticking with us today. I know the relationship between our families has been rocky, but when it counted, you were there. We owe you a debt of gratitude. And I think my sister can finally get on with her life.”
Angelica smiled, walked to Edward and gave him a brotherly kiss on the cheek. “That was sweet, Edward, and I’d like to say I feel the same as my brother. Margo, you are the best, and if I ever get a friend like you again, I’m going to keep her for life. I want you to know that I do love you, and if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I’d appreciate it so much.”
Margo smiled and nodded. She took a sip of water and sat the bottle down.
“Angelica is thinking about going back to New York,” Edward said, trying to ruffle the silence.
“So, you liked New York?” Margo asked quizzically.
“It’s not that I like New York so much, but I left someone there who is very special to me. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have Ari on my side. He gave me hope and came to my rescue when I was trying to get away from Santiago. I put him through more changes, but he was my pillar of strength when I didn’t have it for myself. I’ll never forget how he gave me safe passage out of New York. He means the world.”
“He seems awfully special,” Margo said. “Sounds like you’ve found true love.”
“I believe I have, Margo. I believe I have.”
“Let’s see if we can’t get a bottle of wine to celebrate!” Jefferson said. “I don’t believe in taking a life, but seeing Santiago lying face down on the sidewalk made my heart glad. He was evil, and I can’t believe I allowed myself to get caught up in his scheme for the sake of the almighty dollar.”
“It’s your past now, baby,” Margo said. She went and put her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Visions of Malik tried to break through, but she held Jefferson tight to keep the ugly deed she’d done with Malik at bay.
“Uhh, time out, time out. It’s getting hot in here,” Angelica roared, making the time out sign she’d seen football players do on the field. “You may need to go on home.” Angelica winked at Margo and Jefferson.
Margo pulled away from Jefferson and wiped the corner of his mouth. “Hurry back, baby. Don’t let Edward keep you out too long.”
Surprise registered on Jefferson’s face. “I’m back, baby,” Margo said before Jefferson could utter a word. “Run along. Angelica and I have a little girl talk to do.”
Jefferson didn’t say a word but watched Margo with renewed interest. He followed Edward out of the hotel room, but not before glancing back at Margo with a curious frown on his face.
“What’s up with Jefferson?” Angelica asked.
“He can’t comprehend the new me. You see, it was a little difficult for me to consummate my marriage when Jefferson first came home. As much as I loved him, memories of all the things he had done and how he had treated me flooded back. I wanted to accept him without any reservations, but I found, Angelica, that the wound was open and hadn’t completely healed.”
“How was it that you forgave me so easily when I got out of jail?”
“Angelica, don’t kid yourself. It was not easy, and I’m not sure that I had forgiven you totally. It’s different when you live with someone and you see them every day and night. I made baby steps with you because I knew I wasn’t going to sleep with you and bear my soul to you.”
“Okay. I can accept that because I certainly didn’t deserve an ounce of your love.”
“But, as a Christian, I’m taught to love everyone, even my enemies. I didn’t hate you, Angelica, I hated the things you did and what you represented. I trusted you like a sister-I would have gone to the ends of the world for you. But you disappointed me greatly, for which I thought at one time there was no repentance. But I do love you.”
Tears flowed from Angelica’s eyes. She took her hands and wiped them from her face. Angelica stood and went and sat next to Margo and hugged her. “Thank you for the hug today, friend, I needed it,” Angelica said.
“I can’t breathe,” Margo said and began to laugh at herself. “Girl, you about squeezed the life out of me.”
“Margo, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had and I don’t want to lose you.”
“Sit up and look at me. Angelica, I’m not perfect.” Margo looked away and then back at Angelica. “I’ve done some things in my life I’m not so proud of, but I know that God forgives me. Now, if God, whom I can’t see, can forgive me, why can’t I forgive you, who I can see?”
“Profound, even though I know it came straight from the Bible. I remember my grandmother quoting a scripture close to that when she would always talk about faith and forgiveness.”
“I love you, too, Angelica.” She said it. That wasn’t hard, Margo thought. But she really meant it.
“Not to change the subject, but what happened with you and Malik tonight?”
“Let’s change the subject.”
“Malik fell in love with you, didn’t he? Don’t give me that strange look, Margo. The chemistry was there. You all had the chemicals burning out of the Bunsen burner.”
“Malik was there for me during the time Jefferson was in prison. He was like a brother to me-checking on his big sister. I realized it was much more than that right before Jefferson came home.
“I did everything to avoid him, Angelica, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And soon, I found myself thinking about him.” Margo looked straight into Angelica’s eyes. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, but I think I was feeling more for him than I cared to admit. But it wasn’t until a couple of days ago when I saw you and Jefferson going into this very hotel that I did lose it.”
“What do you mean, lose it? Wait a minute, back up-when you saw Jefferson and me? You mean the other day when Jefferson was going over Hamilton’s papers? Edward was there, too. Didn’t you see him? Honey, Jefferson and I were conducting business.
“Margo, I’m ready to settle down again, but I want a real and honest relationship with a man who loves me, who’s single, and would like to be with me until the sunset of our lives. That’s Ari, my friend in New York. He’s a beautiful person. And it doesn’t hurt that he can work a girl over, if you know what I mean.”
“You haven’t changed, Angelica.”
“I have, Margo. Long gone is the woman who used a man to get what she wanted. If I have to be all by myself, so be it, as long as life is kind to me and I can smile when I wake up, thanking the Lord for all of His goodness. It’s kind of like the pursuit of happiness.”
“Boy, what a new-sounding Angelica. I like it, and I pray that God grants you your dreams. Everyone deserves some happiness in their lives.”
“I’m glad we’ve had this moment to reflect, Margo. I’ve missed you so much. When I was in prison, I thought about you all the time, hoping you would come to see me…that you would truly forgive me.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t come,” Margo whispered.
“Not to worry, girl. I didn’t deserve your love, and now I’m better for it. So, finish telling me about Malik. That man is still fine.”
“He told me you tried to push up on him and you exposed your breasts.”
“What? Not me! How could Malik say such vicious things about me?” Angelica chided. “But girl, you should have seen his face. Now, any other man would have jumped at the bit to squeeze my melons. Don’t fool yourself, my fine brother was tempted, but he pushed the urge to get a free sample to the back of his mind because he had a Jones for someone named Margo.”
They laughed.
“How do you know that?”
“Margo, he was so nasty to me. He was mad that you recommended that I volunteer with him. He was so nasty that the pretty melted off his face. I’ll say the brother is fine, but he wasn’t going to treat me, Angelica Barnes, like that. I didn’t need him, even if I didn’t have two nickels to rub together at that moment-arrogant S.O.B. But it’s all right because I got me a real man.”
“Is he as fine as Malik?”
“Baby, he’s finer. Now, you and the handsome Malik didn’t get busy, did you? Did you…? Oh my God, you did.”
“What are you going on about, Angelica? No one said I did anything with Malik.”
“But, my sister Margo, you didn’t say you didn’t. O-M-G. Now I get it. You thought Jefferson was with me so you ran over to the fine brother’s house and gave him some. Shut up!!”
“Angelica, control yourself. Look, I can’t let on to Jefferson that this happened. It’s getting the best of me because Malik believes that I want to be with him.”
“Did you give him any reason to believe that?”
“Well, no…maybe. But I told him tonight that I love my husband and that we are going to be together for life.”
“Do you really believe that or are you psyching yourself into believing it?”
“I love my husband, Angelica. I love him with all my heart, soul, and…you know.”
Angelica let out a guttural laugh. “You should have seen your eyes. I believe you. But you know what you’ve done; you’ve messed Malik up. He’s not going to give up easily, even going as far as telling Jefferson what he had done to make Jefferson angry.”
“I’ve got to do something to make it right. I do love Jefferson, and I’m going to make it all up to him.”
“Do your breasts seem full? Have you felt your womb preparing itself?”
“Preparing itself for what?”
“A tax deduction? Like waaaaaaaaa, waaaaaaaaaa.”
“Truthfully, I’m scared, Angelica. I can’t believe I allowed this to happen The thought of having a baby at my age frightens me to death.”
“Well, you know it only takes one time and one sperm. I sure hope it was good. So were you going to make your husband wear protection?”
“Now, you’re talking like the crazy Angelica who used to be my friend. What I do or don’t do with Jefferson is off limits to you.” The reality, however, was that Margo hadn’t thought about it at all, and that wasn’t like her.
Angelica smiled. “I’m your friend, Margo. I’m only pointing out the reality of what you’ve done to spite Jefferson who loves only his wife and wouldn’t have come to the meeting if Edward hadn’t insisted. I know I’ve made my bed many times, but Margo, you’re much better than me.”
Margo let Angelica’s words sink in. She was going to have to find a way to tell Jefferson what she had done. Their marriage was on the brink of disaster, but she wanted it to be healthy again. She would have to find a way.
“You know, Margo, I miss Hamilton, in a funny kind of way. When he wasn’t doing his dirt, he was the most loving and kind husband. In fact, he was much more handsome than Malik-that’s what happened to his womanizing self. Thought he was fine…”
“He knew he was fine, Angelica. You couldn’t tell that man he didn’t look good. Shucks, I had to give him a couple of quick glances myself.” They laughed.
“Wow, those were the days. I can’t believe I buried him today, Margo.” The tears began to stream down Angelica’s face. “I loved him, and he still loved me. We just couldn’t live in the same house. I can’t believe he’s gone. Oh God, help me. Why did You take my husband from me?”
A box of Kleenex sat on the table. Margo pulled a handful out of the dispenser and dabbed Angelica’s tears. “It’s all right to mourn for Hamilton. He was your husband.”
“Excuse me, but I’ve got to make a phone call.”
Angelica stood up, retrieved her purse from the nightstand, and reached in it and took out her cell phone. She retrieved a number and dialed, and in an instant her face lit up. “Hey, Ari, this is Angelica. Santiago is dead, the police killed him. When I’m finished here, I’m coming back to New York. I hope you’ll be waiting for me…I love you, too.”