Color of Deception Read Free

office. “Hi Mr. Holmes, Mrs. Bevins is here to see you,” Carlisha said after Pete answered his line.
    “Mrs. Bevins!” The recognition of the name was immediate to Pete. His nostrils started flaring with anger. What the HELL does she want with me? How dare she step foot in my business! “I’m not available!” Pete snapped. He ran his free hand through his mostly dark with just a hint of gray, straight hair. “Never mind, I’ll be out in a minute.”  Pete slammed down the phone. He didn’t care if it banged loudly in Carlisha’s ear. He was curious as to why Mrs. Bevins felt the need to come and see him. He looked back at his computer screen which had an image of his late wife on it. Today was the one year anniversary of her death. No one in the office seemed to have remembered, or they felt it best not to mention it to him – not that he gave them the opportunity to speak to him casually beyond business anymore. He was grateful no one mentioned it though; he’d been holed up in his office staring at her picture and obsessively re-reading her obituary all day.
    “What is it that you want?” Pete demanded from Mrs. Bevins after he walked out front into retail.
    Carlisha was a bit shocked at his tone to the business guest, but she wasn’t too surprised considering just moments ago he slammed the phone in her ear. She knew today was the one year anniversary of Mrs. Holmes death and figured his poor mood was because of it. She wanted to say something to him earlier, but thought it was best she didn’t, now she knew that she’d made the right decision.
    Mrs. Bevins wasn’t as shocked as Carlisha was at Pete’s reaction to her presence, she had her own reservations about coming, but she felt it was best, regardless.
    Pete stood at a distance waiting for Mrs. Bevin’s response. He was thankful there weren’t any customers in the establishment at that moment; he would’ve hated to scare them off. He did still have a business to run.
    “Mr. Holmes I know you are still grieving your wife’s death, I am too, as well as the death of my husband. I just wanted you to know that I am still extremely sorry for your loss. I brought you some flowers; I thought they would be nice to place at your wife’s gravesite on my behalf,” Mrs. Bevins said, standing her ground.
    “You think some damn flowers are going to make me feel any better about losing my wife?” Pete questioned angrily. He didn’t care that Mrs. Bevins was his senior or that she was a woman. All he saw was her black face. He could care less that she was grieving too, that today was also the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death. If your idiot of a husband hadn’t had a heart attack or wasn’t drinking then we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation.
    Carlisha listened and watched, peeking up over her computer monitor periodically, at the exchange. Despite Mr. Holmes grief she couldn’t believe how he was continually being so disrespectful to Mrs. Bevins. Her spouse died one year ago as well, she shouldn’t be spoken to like that. The business phone line rang distracting Carlisha from the scene in front of her.
    “I know you’re angry but that is no way to speak to me! My husband died that day as well. I’m heartbroken just as much as you are,” Mrs. Bevins stated.
    “Well it wasn’t my wife that crashed into your husband! It was the other way around!” Pete was done with the conversation. It was taking every bit of strength not to want to strangle the life out of the older woman in front of him. He felt that would bring him immediate pleasure, death to one of the people he now despised.
    “My husband had a heart attack; he didn’t intentionally cause the accident…”
    “Get out of my business establishment and take your flowers with you!” Pete demanded. He desperately wanted to pick up the vase and throw it against the wall to show Mrs. Bevins just how much he didn’t appreciate her presence or her pathetic