I was always really bad at saying no. Putting my foot down wasn’t something I was good at, both in my professional and personal life. When Sandy sat down and ordered us both coffees, I thought for sure I was in for a simple ten-minute conversation. But as Sandy rambled on and on, I quickly realized how easily minutes could bleed into one another. It had been almost an hour since I’d arrived, and Sandy still hadn’t gotten around to the point. She was a natural storyteller, just like me, which was probably why I found it so hard to find a break in her story to finally excuse myself. It wasn’t like it was difficult to listen to Sandy. She had a sweet voice, rich and thick like honey. I was pretty sure that I fell in love with the sound of her voice before I even realized I’d fallen for her. But that was years and years and years ago.
Things were different now.
“I should have seen it coming,” she said, sipping at her mug. “Carl just became so distant. I didn’t know what was happening. I thought we were happy together. And I know this must be hard for you to hear. I know now I should have been upfront with you.”
“It’s all in the past now,” I replied. “There were cracks in our marriage long before you and Carl. I just wasn’t paying attention to your needs.”
“Yes, but still. I should have been responsible enough to tell you I was unhappy instead of running around with Carl behind your back.”
I offered her a gentle smile. “That’s very kind of you to say, thank you.”
“I hate what our divorce has done to Clarissa. I’ve been debating having her see a family therapist.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“You don’t?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I’m not sure. Clarissa seems as chipper as usual. Except now she knows how to demand things when she really wants them. I’m afraid she’s using the divorce as leverage. Now that I say it aloud, maybe she should see someone.”
“Just to process her feelings,” Sandy added, nodding in agreement. “It could be very beneficial.”
“She’s doing great at daycare, though. I’ve been told she’s reading at an incredibly advanced level.”
Sandy smiled wide and patted me on the forearm. “That’s our girl.”
“I was worried for the longest time that she wasn’t interested in reading. All of her daycare friends have tablets to distract them.”
Sandy clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “Lazy parenting, if you ask me.”
I shrugged again. “I don’t know. As long as it works, right?”
“Speaking of parenting, I think we should talk about us.”
“What about us?” I questioned, instantly on guard.
“Well, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I really do miss you, Chuck.”
I frowned. “You do?”
Sandy nodded, fluttering her long eyelashes. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the party. It was really good to see you again. I think I acted the way I did because I was jealous.”
I scoffed, “That much was obvious.”
“How’s that girl doing? Are you still seeing her?”
Red flags started to pop up all over my vision, sirens wailing inside my skull. I didn’t like where this was going. Why was Sandy bringing Lara up? Where did she intend to lead this conversation?
“I don’t think she’s really any of your business,” I said.
Sandy hummed, pursing her lips together into a thin line. “Oh, come now. If she’s spending lots of time around you, that means she’s spending time around my daughter. I want to know Clarissa isn’t picking up any bad habits from someone like her.”
“‘Someone like her?’” I echoed in disbelief. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, come on, Chucky. She’s obviously just with you for your money. I mean, look at her. She must be ten years younger than you. And she doesn’t exactly strike me as someone who was brought up… How do I put this delicately? She doesn’t seem like she understands our ways.”
“Our ways?” I echoed in disbelief, words dripping bitterly off my tongue.
“Class. I’m talking about class, Chucky. Who knows what terrible things she learned growing up in the hood.