Dilemmas (Part 1) (13 page)

“Hello ma’am, can I help you?” Jasmine asked.

“Yes, I’m here to pick up a prescription for my husband, Maurice Galvinston.”

Jasmine retrieved the medication and printout. She explained the antibiotic to Bevelyn and told her to watch him carefully for any side effects for the first twenty-four hours.

Bevelyn became more upset at the pharmacist’s instructions. She got in her car and threw the medication bag onto the passenger seat and drove off. She was approaching a red light when she began to think of when she first met Joseph. They would sit in the field together and talk about their lives and their marriages. Joe revealed to her how badly he wanted children of his own and how it broke his heart that he did not have any biological children.

She decided to call Nedia to let her know that she and Maurice would be unable to attend the funeral. She reached down for her phone and ran into the car in front of her. The driver, an average-sized man, exited the car. He asked her if she was OK.

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you OK?” she asked as she got out of her car. She picked up her cell phone and started to call the police.

“Wait,” he said. “Let’s just exchange information. There’s no need to contact the police.”

“OK.”

As she looked for her insurance information, he could see she was crying. “May I?” he said politely as he wiped her tears. “It’s OK, it’s not that big of a deal.” She thanked him for his understanding and got back in her car.

He walked to her car door and asked if he could call her some time. She looked at him and then his Jaguar and immediately began to think of how much he reminded her of Joe. “Yes, you can, anytime you want,” she said with a smile. She took his hand and wrote her cell phone number and name down.

He looked at her. “By the way, I’m Les,” he said.

Bevelyn arrived home and called Nedia to tell her that she and Maurice would not be able to make it to the funeral. Nedia told Bevelyn that she saw Maurice at the hospital and that he didn’t look too good. Bevelyn began to cry, saying she really needed to be with Nedia at the funeral. “It’s OK, Bevelyn, really it is. Just take care of Maurice,” she said.

Bevelyn walked into the bedroom and handed Maurice some juice and his pills. Maurice took the medication and told her his sister would have the kids for the next few days while he was sick. Bevelyn was headed out of the bedroom door and heard Maurice’s phone vibrate.

“Do you want me to get that?” she asked.

“No, it’s just a text.”

Bevelyn walked out of the room, and Maurice reached for his phone. “Good job!” a text from Nedia read.

chapter
11

The funeral had been over for weeks. Maurice was back at work, and everything was back to normal. He had just come out of his weekly meeting with a soda in his hand and was walking to his desk when he noticed Sheila leaving his area. He went straight to his desk, looking for anything that may have been out of place. He looked around and did not see her, so he grabbed his things and headed down the hallway. He stopped at the break room to throw away his drink, and Sheila was attempting to walk out. “Hello,” she said.

“Hello Sheila,” he said as he quickly moved past her.

He walked to the trash and dropped his soda can in. When he turned around, Sheila was standing directly behind him.

“You don’t think you can get rid of me that easy, do you?” she asked. “No such luck, huh?” he replied.

She stood on her toes and began to smell the bottom of his chin.

“I smell pussy again,” she said.

“Sheila, I—” he began to say as she started to slowly and seductively lick his chin.

“Yeah, that’s pussy,” she said.

He was extremely turned on by her actions, and she pulled him to her and started to kiss him. She started to rub his dick when they heard the doorknob turning. He pushed her back and walked off. She looked at him and smiled.

Bevelyn was at home enjoying her evening and trying to pry her way into Maurice’s safe when a text message came in. “Hello gorgeous, can we do lunch?” it read. Bevelyn was excited to hear from Les again. She decided to call him while she tried to break Maurice’s combination.

Les revealed that he was a senior scientist at a local DNA lab, unmarried, and had no children. He was interested in her but was very adamant about not wanting to know anything about her husband. He asked her to not mention his name or anything about him because he could become a jealous man. She thought that was a strange request, and it threw up a red flag for her. He told her that he had no problem taking care of her as long as she took care of him. Bevelyn sat on the phone and started to enjoy what she was hearing, though hesitant about his concerns with Maurice.

Maurice walked in the door with the children, and Bevelyn hurried off the phone. He handed Bevelyn the mail, which included a letter from an attorney. Bevelyn opened the letter and read that she was to be at the attorney’s office the next day.

“That bastard!” she said aloud as she balled the letter up.

“What’s wrong, Bev?” Maurice asked.

“Remember that fender bender I was in the night you were sick? That bastard is suing me,” she said.

“Really?” he asked.

Bevelyn thought about how Les was so concerned about not ever hearing Maurice’s name and decided she would flaunt her husband in front of him.

“Maurice, can you go with me? It shouldn’t be long, and it’s during your lunch break.”

“I guess,” he replied.

Bevelyn felt like she had been manipulated by Les and was ready to fight fire with fire.

Bevelyn and Maurice arrived at the address on the envelope. “Doesn’t that look like Nedia’s car?” she asked Maurice.

He got out of the car and looked. “Yes, it does.” He told Bevelyn he had left his cell phone in the car. He opened the passenger door and unlocked his glove compartment to get the remote for Nedia’s car. He
pushed the lock button, and her car horn blew and her lights blinked. He was confused as to why she would be there when she was supposed to be at work.

“Did you read the letter?” Maurice asked.

“No, I just glanced at it and saw to be here today. I just cannot believe he’s doing this,” she said.

“Well, Bev, you did hit him,” he said, still wondering why Nedia’s car was there.

Maurice and Bevelyn arrived on the fifth floor of the building and reached the attorney’s office. They were asked to have a seat until they were called. Maurice was looking around at the generic office setting, becoming concerned about Nedia’s her presence in the area. An attorney came out and called Bevelyn’s name to escort her back.

Bevelyn and Maurice were led into a room and saw Nedia, Diane, and other people sitting at a conference table.

“What are you doing here?” Nedia asked them.

“A traffic accident,” replied Bevelyn.

Maurice was just as confused as Bevelyn.

“This is a will reading,” the attorney said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I must have come to the wrong office,” Bevelyn said.

“Are you Bevelyn Annette Wayne-Galvinston?” the attorney asked. “Yes, I am,” she said.

“Well, you’re supposed to be here,” he said.

Maurice looked at Nedia as he sat down. Diane had not opened her mouth or looked phased.

Nedia jumped up, “I think this is a mistake!” she said.

“No, ma’am, there is no mistake,” the attorney said.

Nedia began to panic. Maurice got up to console her.

“She can’t be here, Maurice,” she whispered.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

Bevelyn watched with concern as Maurice was consoling Nedia.

The attorney began to read the will, “To my loving wife, Denetra, I leave controlling assets of my business, stocks, and bonds totaling $168 million.”

“Denetra?” Bevelyn asked.

No one responded to Bevelyn.

“Who in the hell is Denetra?” she asked.

Diane still did not say a word. She continued to sit quietly at the table. To my daughter, Aiden—”

“AIDEN!” Bevelyn said as she stood up from the table. “Bitch! You’re fucking Aiden?”

Diane still did not move or open her mouth.

Nedia looked at Bevelyn. “Yes, I am Aiden,” she said calmly.

Bevelyn jumped across the table toward Aiden, punching her on the side of her face. Maurice and some of the people at the table were trying to pull Bevelyn down, but she was much stronger and a much more advanced fighter than they imagined.

Aiden fell out of her chair and jumped straight up into a stance. Bev-elyn continued to swing at Aiden, but she was able to maneuver some of her blows and kicked Bevelyn in her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Security came into the room and restrained Bevelyn to a chair.

“Bitch, I’m going to kill you! Watch me, I’m going to kill you! You have NO idea who you’re dealing with!” she yelled.

The attorney wanted to reconvene another day.

“No!” yelled Nedia, “let’s get this shit over now. I want to know the
real
reason she’s here.”

Bevelyn asked to go to the bathroom, and security escorted her. Maurice went to Aiden and asked if she was OK.

“I’m fine. Go check on your wife,” she said.

“Aiden, I’m not going anywhere, and I want to know why she’s in his will?” he asked.

“Good question,” she said.

Bevelyn went into the bathroom and started running the water. “Why in the hell am I mad? I’m here for her. Get it together, girl, get it together. This shit is not real. Get it together, Bev,” she said to herself as she washed her face.

Bevelyn went back to the room. “Can we proceed?” Bevelyn asked, wanting it to be over quickly.

The attorney was reluctant to say anything further. “I will not say anything else, I just want this over so I can leave,” Bevelyn said.

“Security, we will detain anyone who becomes unruly as I finish this reading, do you understand?” the attorney asked.

“Yes,” everyone mumbled in unison.

The attorney began to read again, “And to my two children, I leave five million dollars in trust for each. Their mother, Bevelyn Annette Wayne-Galvinston, will remain trustee of their estate.

“What in the hell?” Maurice said.

Bevelyn became very nervous, fidgeting with her purse.