Infidelity (27 page)

Paula reached up and slapped Clarke’s face. "You have no right," she cried. "You don’t know me or anything about me. I didn’t put a gun to your father’s head!"

"And not only that, but how dare you judge her? You cheated on your wife just like your father," Persha jumped in. "Get out of here! I need to talk to my mother and I really don’t want to see you right now."

Looking back as he walked to the door, Clarke’s face was wet with tears. He opened the door and walked out and Cricket followed.

Once alone again, Persha sniffled back her tears. She didn’t know what to say to her mother, but she knew she didn’t need to sit there and hear Clarke cut her down like that.

"I guess the part that bugs me the most is how you never told me what you did," Persha said. "I honestly believed you never had sex until you were married. I can’t remember a time when you weren’t this super religious person I’ve known all my life. There were times you made me feel so dirty, so ashamed of being your daughter because I wasn’t good enough; like I wasn’t worthy. Now you’re telling me that you made the very same mistakes?" Persha shook her head denying her own words. "You’re no better than me! Is that what you’re trying to tell me?" She was disappointed with her mother.

"I should’ve said something sooner," Paula said. "But each time I tried, for some reason, I’d talk myself out of it. I know it was wrong, but I’ve prayed about it and I am so very sorry."

Persha looked up at her mother through swollen eyes. "Sorry? Where’s your God now, Ma? What loving God would allow something like this to happen? So many times you’ve questioned my faith? But what about yours? Can you use your sanctified imagination and tell me how your precious savior could’ve allowed something this sickening to happen?"

~ Clarke

Two months after the Clarke and Kelsa’s divorce was finalized, Clarke was planning to go back to court to ask for a reduction in his mandatory payments to Kelsa. Those payments weren’t alimony, but something similar. He lost heavily during the battle in spite of the attorney Clarke Sr. had secured for him.

He was recently promoted at his job. While he’s still not the vice president, in his new position he is responsible for all of the horticultural needs of his company’s upscale clients in the River Oaks and Highland village parts of Houston.

With his promotion, he was able to move to North Houston and hasn’t seen Persha in more than a year.

He and his father visit regularly but have vowed never to mention the names of the two women who’d forever changed their lives. They’d decided what happened was best left forgotten and agreed to take their unbelievable stories to their graves. Both now take women through a series of carefully crafted questions about family history before progressing to the second date.

Antwone was so upset over all he lost in his divorce, he stopped talking to Clarke immediately afterwards. He cringes when he thinks about how any judge could allow a frivolous lawsuit like Kelsa’s to go forward. He’s expected to see the entire gang again at the deposition.

~ Persha

She and Clarke’s baby survived for three days. He weighed less than three pounds and his lungs never fully developed. After making several unsuccessful attempts to reach him about the baby, she and her mother decided it was best to have the infant cremated.

Persha, Paula, Cricket and Kori all agreed they’d never speak of the unusual story again. They also made a pact to always thoroughly research any future love interest before making a commitment.

Immediately following her baby’s cremation, Persha flew back to California with her mother. Their relationship hasn’t fully recovered, but both are praying about it and are looking forward to becoming even closer with all their secrets now out in the open.

When Persha returned, she learned that her insurance company had fixed the mix up and finally agreed to pay for her condo. At her attorney’s urging, she bought her new condo in her mother’s name to avoid it being taken away in any pending litigation.

Cricket’s aunt passed away, leaving her entire estate to Cricket in appreciation for her continued love and support. Upon finding out the sum of that estate, well over one million dollars, Cricket sprung for an all inclusive, all expenses paid, round-trip for three to Jamaica.

While packing for that trip, Persha fanaticized about possibly staying there until her eye caught a glimpse of the lawsuit. She was dreading the deposition herself, and was hoping the suit would’ve been thrown out.

An attorney jokingly told her this case was a new trend in new age divorce and that he only knew of one other similar case. He was still researching to find the outcome in hopes of being able to properly defend her against the charges. To Persha’s knowledge, Kelsa never found out about her relation to Clarke and she hoped to keep it that way.

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