My Husband's Girlfriend Read Free

killed in a senseless tragedy, it’s the Lord’s fault because guess who had the power to stop things but didn’t? If anybody is going through anything they don’t like, well, blame it on the Lord. He’s used to being the fall guy, I thought. Pointed fingers shouldn’t bother him. And although I freely believed these things, I felt justified but scared at the same time. I didn’t believe that saying about how God strikes people with lightning. If that were true, a whole lot more people would be burned to a crisp on a daily basis, and it would probably be raining every single minute of the day, and people would be too afraid to go outside.
    But I did have some level of fear, that if I thought inappropriate things, the Lord knew and He’d punish me somehow. I wondered if my troubles were His payback.
    Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
I recalled that Scripture. And I thought that if God was paying me back, then maybe I’d luck out…and He’d pay Neil back, too.
             
    The morning after the baby is born, Sharvette cooks six large pancakes, scrambled eggs, and turkey sausage, and pours two tall glasses of pure orange juice, sets everything on a tray, and brings the food into my bedroom. I am so surprised and touched she’s thinking of me, I nearly lose my appetite. But that feeling doesn’t last.
    I start digging in. “Here, you have some, too.” I pat the spot next to me. Sharvette slides in the queen-size bed with me. She’s shoeless, sporting red short shorts and a white halter top with a red bra and one strap showing. It looks so silly but that’s just Vette. She picks up a turkey sausage and holds it in front of her open mouth like she’s about to suck something. She smirks at me, then chomps the meat like she’s starving. Oil glistens her lips, making it appear like she’s wearing clear lip gloss.
    We eat in silence for a minute.
    “You actually gonna finish decorating that nursery, Anya?”
    I wince but nod.
    “I don’t know about you, girl.”
    “Look, Vette, I’m not a young single woman, you are. You don’t understand.”
    “Then explain things to me. Help me understand, Anya. Because I’m starting to think you’re somebody’s fool.”
    “It doesn’t surprise me that you think that I’m a fool, but that’s fine because you are not walking in my shoes.” I have eaten two pancakes and I sip some orange juice, not that I’m terribly thirsty, but the pancakes are so thick my throat feels crammed, like I’m choking. I slide the plate to Vette’s side of the bed. I get comfy by lying against several pillows.
    “Sure, things are tough,” I say, “but I’m not going to up and leave Neil. I’m as responsible for this situation as he is, so…”
    “Bull, Anya. Creating a nursery for your husband’s other baby is out there.”
    “Look, Vette, it’s Reesy’s old room. It’s small, not being used for anything except storage. It’ll take no time to do a little paint job, apply some decorative wall border, and pull out Reesy’s crib. I doubt that Neil will bring his son over here that much, anyway. It’s just in case.”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Vette is starting to get on my nerves. She acts like she’s the wife instead of just the sister-in-law. She’s never been married before. How can she possibly understand?
    A few weeks ago Sharvette voluntarily informed me that I am a fucking wimp. Those were her exact words. And I just looked at her and laughed and she made this disgusting noise, then exclaimed, “See my point?”
    “Nope,” I told her.
    “Any other person would’ve cussed me out in both Chinese and Ebonics, but you just let me call you names. Why would you do that? Do you agree with them? Let me know.”
    Her words stung like a sharp needle puncturing my skin, so I didn’t say anything. Vette started rolling her eyes and talking to herself. She could roll those eyes until the whites disappeared. I didn’t care about her being mad. I get tired of people