The Bride Experiment (2 page)

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Authors: Mimi Jefferson

BOOK: The Bride Experiment
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Chapter 2
Raquel pulled up to her favorite restaurant, stepped out of her Mercedes, and posed for the women getting into the car next to her. She could see them staring at her and she wanted to make sure they didn't miss one delectable detail.
The Mercedes was black, with matching leather and customized rims. Her stilettos were Jimmy Choo. The jeans hugging her frame were tailored to fit her every curve. The forest green Versace handbag on her arm was one of the largest and most expensive in their collection. The ring sparkling from her left hand was a specially designed creation of Henry Vu, jeweler to the stars. Her look was completed with flawless bonestraight hair, Versace shades—the same hue as her handbag—and makeup so perfect it looked like the work of a professional.
James went ballistic when she came home with her engagement ring. He couldn't believe she went and purchased a piece of jewelry that cost as much as a car. Raquel was quiet during his tantrum. She wasn't about to sell it. It made complete strangers shamelessly stop, stare, and gasp. Of course, nobody suspected she had bought it herself, and that was just the way she liked it.
Raquel strategically planned the engagement. It was going to be a breakfast James would never forget. She made his favorite foods and gathered their children, Morris and Alexis, around the table. She called James to the table, and with all of them in a circle holding hands, preparing to say grace, she asked, “Will you marry us?”
Stunned, James hesitated, and then he took a few moments to look at each individual member of his young family and said, “Yes.”
Raquel had only three weeks left before her wedding. Everything had gone perfectly until Karen, her maid of honor, was sitting in a coffee shop after a long night at the club. A young woman walked up to her and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In less than a month, Karen moved out of the house she had shared with her longtime boyfriend, stopped stripping, and joined the church. She sold her beloved BMW because she knew she would no longer be able to pay for it, moved back home with her mom, and did something she said she would never do—no matter what. She went back to working a nine-to-five gig, answering phones, at a delivery service.
Raquel knew her friend had officially lost her mind when she exchanged her stilettos and designer clothing for no-name flats and mom jeans. Raquel had been avoiding the issue, but now she had to make sure that Karen's new born-again status was not going to cause her to reveal the secret they both shared. That is why she scheduled this lunch date to make sure she and Karen were on the same page.
Raquel tried to appear calm as she followed the hostess to her seat. The fact was, though, she had never been more nervous. She used to feel like she had known Karen all of her life, now she felt like she did not know her at all.
They met when Raquel was new to the beauty business and was still hustling for clients. She would stand outside of grocery stores and hand out flyers showing pictures of her makeovers.
Karen had recently moved to Houston from Dallas and had tried several stylists, but none she really liked. She agreed to give Raquel a try. When Karen saw how natural and gorgeous her weave looked under Raquel's care, she was so grateful that she asked Raquel to be her guest on an all-expense-paid cruise. Raquel had never met anyone like Karen. Raquel was used to women hating her because of her looks, but Karen wasn't like that. She was generous and always had an upbeat attitude. Compared to the grumbling and complaining people in Raquel's life, Karen was a breath of fresh air. She didn't sit around waiting for something to happen; she made it happen.
If she wanted a $5,000 dress, she bought it. If she wanted a man's number, she asked for it. If she wanted the chef to make something off the menu, she had him summoned so she could instruct him on how to make it.
It wasn't until years later that Raquel fully understood how Karen supported her lavish lifestyle. She told everyone she sold real estate, but what she really did was show expensive homes for a real-estate agent. The agent thought her striking appearance would make the homes look better, especially to his single male clients.
Her full-time job was being “Allure,” the only black stripper at the exclusive gentlemen's club, The Serpent. Karen did not make a habit of selling her body. However, every now and then she would get an offer so lucrative, she would find herself taking it.
Raquel perused the menu out of habit; she already knew what she was going to order. She ate at Fontenot's almost daily since it was near her salon, and she could grab a quick bite in between her clients.
She got to the restaurant early to make sure she would have all of Karen's favorite dishes hot and at the table upon her arrival. Before Karen became a Christian, she used to eat all her meals out, but Raquel knew now that Karen was answering phones for a living, days like these were reserved for paydays and special occasions.
Raquel usually ordered the spicy chicken tenders, mustard greens, and a side of sweet potato fries. But since today was about Karen, she ordered from the more expensive side of the menu: jumbo lump crab cakes, seafood gumbo, filet mignon, Parmesan risotto, and peach sangria.
Raquel thumped her French-manicured nails on the table and got angrier with each thump. Karen made it clear during their phone conversation two days ago that she no longer approved of Raquel's lifestyle. Who was Karen to tell her how to live? So what there had been other men over the years besides James? It wasn't like he was innocent. Karen must have forgotten James had a baby on her with that ugly baboon, Joan Dallas. He had a longtime thing with Joan, and she had a longtime thing with Randall. Only, James knew nothing about Randall. As a matter of fact, James thought he was the only one with whom she had ever slept.
“Hey, girl,” Karen said, abruptly interrupting Raquel's thumping.
Raquel faked a smile while wondering why Karen felt it was okay to come outside looking like a dirty mop. “I will do your hair for free if you promise to never come out in public looking like that again.”
“What?” Karen patted her weave down.
“What do you mean ‘what'? You look like you got your weave done by somebody's thirteen-year-old cousin in the back of a truck going a hundred miles per hour. Patting it is not going to help. You need to pull that stuff out and start all over again. And what's wrong with your outfit? It's the summer, way past time for warm-up suits.” Raquel looked around the restaurant, then back at Karen. “Hurry up and sit down.”
Karen meekly took her seat across from Raquel.
Raquel suddenly noticed the sullen expression on Karen's face and remembered she needed to be nice to her. She tried to redirect the conversation.
“I'm sorry. I was tripping. It's just that you usually are so pulled together.” Raquel motioned to her stylish ensemble. “I mean, look at me. You taught me a lot of what I know, and look how good I look.”
Karen looked down at the table, unable to focus on Raquel's eyes.
Raquel continued. “It's okay, girl. We are going to get you fixed up just as soon as we leave. I have a client coming, but she can wait until I'm finished with you.”
Karen mumbled something.
“I'm sorry, I can't hear you, Karen.”
Karen wiggled back and forth in her seat. She still refused to look at Raquel.
Raquel could feel her temperature rising. The Karen she knew didn't wiggle, and she certainly didn't mumble. Whatever she said, she spoke it fearlessly. Raquel moved in closer and in a whisper said, “You are making me nervous . . . very . . . very nervous. What's up with you?”
Karen said nothing. Raquel took a deep breath when the food arrived. Surely, Karen would be excited about the spread she had ordered. Raquel said in a voice that sounded like a kindergarten teacher, “Look, Karen, I got all your favorite things.”
Karen stared blankly at the steak and risotto the waitress had set in front of her. Raquel went on. “I even got a small bowl of gumbo and a few of those crab cakes you like so much. I know it's a lot, but I was thinking you could take some of it home . . . you know.”
Raquel could feel the beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Karen waited until the waitress left, then pushed her food away. She finally looked up at Raquel. “I've decided to fast today.”
“What!”
Raquel caught herself and then said in a softer tone, “I mean, I don't understand.”
“Now that I'm a Christian, I find it necessary to get closer to the Lord. I have found that I can hear God's voice better during a period of fasting.” Karen waited for Raquel to say something; when she didn't, Karen went on. “I know why you have brought me here, and I want you to know I have been thinking and praying about your situation.”
“Really?” Raquel resisted the urge to squeeze Karen's neck and watch the life stream out of her. “What are you going to do about my situation, Karen?”
“I'm going to pray that you tell James that there is a possibility that Morris and Alexis are not his because you have been sleeping with Randall from day one.”
“I knew I should have never told you. What in the world was I thinking?”
“You never meant to tell me, remember? I found you and Randall in the back of his van at Lacey's housewarming party.”
Raquel sneered at Karen. For years, she had kept her secret, then one slipup and she spilled her guts to Karen. Of course, she thought that Karen could be trusted with this information. For a long time, she could. Only Karen knew about Raquel's secret obsession, a so-called rapper/producer she had known since high school. He was an overall mess-up, in and out of jail, no ambition, still living at home with his mom, but he could satisfy Raquel in bed like no man could. He was an addiction. As much as she tried to leave him for good, the hours of ecstasy he supplied her body with had her running back for more. It was their little secret, and it had to stay that way. It was weeks before her dream wedding. She was too close to spending the rest of her life with James to blow it.
Raquel tried to sound like she was calm. “James thinks he's the only man I have ever slept with. That's the one thing I have on that baboon, Joan. If the information is revealed, don't you know what it would mean?”
“Well, it is about time he found out the truth. Do you really want to start your new lives together with a pile of lies?”
The nervousness in Raquel was quickly turning to rage. Last night on
48 Hours Mystery
the reporter interviewed a man who had killed his wife with rat poisoning by injecting it into her food and water. The last interview was with a woman who had hired a hit man to kill her husband's mistress in what appeared to be a drug deal. Raquel wondered how she could do what needed to be done to Karen, only
without
getting caught.
“I thought we were better than this,” Raquel said.
“This is not about me and you. This is about you and God.”
Raquel shifted the conversation. “Are you still going to be my maid of honor?”
“I have been meaning to talk to you about that. I know I should have told you earlier, but no. I'm sorry, Raquel. I love you like you are my own sister, but I cannot participate in this mockery of God's holy covenant of marriage.”
Raquel wanted to slap her, good and hard. How many married men had she serviced dishonoring God's holy covenant?
Karen seemed to read her mind. “I know my new life is confusing to you. It is confusing to me too. I'm so different now. Everything has changed. Especially now that I have my diagnosis. All that hard living got the best of me.” Karen paused; then she looked around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. “I'm HIV positive, Raquel.”
Raquel felt sick. Karen didn't have anything to lose. Now that she had an incurable disease, she could tell James the truth and not have any regrets.
Karen started to weep. “I'm sorry, Raquel, for leading you astray the way that I did. I know that my past life was beyond evil. I'm trying to make amends and give back what I have taken. I know Jesus has forgiven me of my sins. He is giving me the strength to apologize to those I hurt. That includes you. I'm so sorry, Raquel.”
Raquel stared at her and waited for the sympathy, which she knew she was supposed to be feeling, to rise up inside her. But nothing came. All she could feel was anger. She knew she needed to choose her words wisely; so she paused momentarily and then said, “I'm sorry to hear that.”
Raquel handed her a tissue to wipe her eyes. Karen seemed to believe she was genuine. “I found out a few weeks ago. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how you would respond.” Karen paused. “All I've ever wanted was a family, but now it seems like I'm not going to have one, huh?”
Raquel couldn't help herself as she blurted out, “Are you going to tell James about Randall?”
Karen looked repulsed. “Did you just hear what I said? And that's all you have to say to me? Shoot, are you even human? Can you show no compassion?”

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