MAHALIA'S DILEMMA. (BWWM)

4

Mahalia groaned, her mouth felt like she'd eaten gravel and her whole body felt woozy and in pain. There was something, some kind of strings attached to her hand, and she needed to use the bathroom so she tried getting up but heard an unfamiliar female voice.

“Your body is still weak and you should take it easy” The calm, buttery unfamiliar voice said. “I'll get you water”

“I'll get it. Why don't you check her temperature and the rest” An annoying familiar voice said, but it was too dark and her eyes were opened but it hadn't concentrated.

“Open your eyes and follow the light,” The voice ordered and just like that, her sight started returning to her and she was faced with a beautiful porcelain skinned woman with a raven mane of hair and sapphire colored eyes.

Mahalia, looked around the well lit room, she was in the living room of her grandfather's house, the view of the day from the huge bay windows suggested, it was probably two or three in the morning.

“What time is it? Who are you? How did you get here? And why is there a—” Mahalia paused from her rant to look at the straws and tubes stuck to the back of her palm and then at the frightened state of the beautiful woman in front of her.“What is this?”

The strange woman that looked eerily familiar smiled at her, showing a gap in the right side of her upper canines. “I had to do a make shift intravenous straws, cause you were dehydrated”

“So, you're a doctor?” Mahalia asked and Beatrice nodded. “I'm so parched.”

“Let me go get that fool” Beatrice said exasperatedly, letting her bare feet on the floor and walking towards the direction of the kitchen.

“I didn't get your name, ma'am” Mahalia said to the figure of Beatrice, who had tears in her eyes.

“Beatrice. Beatrice Monet-Lynch” She said without turning back.

“I'm Mahalia, thank you for your help” Mahalia said in a low voice, while massaging her throat.

Beatrice cleared her own throat, not because she was parched, cause she couldn't find her own voice. “Let me get you that water”

A silent sob broke out in the kitchen the minute Beatrice walked in, why Grant stood over the stovetop transferring the contents of a pot he was holding into a ceramic bowl.

“Keep it down Beatrice, or you'll send her into a coma if she finds out right now.” Grant shushed her, in a calm manner but his eyes were deadly angry and Beatrice knew it.

Beatrice ran to the sink and dabbed the cold, ice cold water on her face, bringing herself to a halt and trying to remember why she'd done it.

Why she's kept the truth hidden and why she let her parents talk her into forgetting her own child.

TWENTY SIX YEARS AGO,

“What's a positive pregnancy test doing in the flowers outside your bedroom window, young lady?” Duke Monet asked, his eyes jaded that she couldn't really tell what he was thinking.

“And don't you dare try to even lie about this, Beatrice” Cassandra Monet interjected, her eyes equally unreadable like that of her husband. “We want the truth and nothing but the truth”

Beatrice closed her eyes, her strong resolved melting by the second. The once intimate family room now a court room, where the judge was her parents and the laughing family pictures of she and her two other siblings mounted all over the room were the juries and it didn't look good for her.

“It's mine.” Beatrice said and the already silent room grew even more silent that you could hear a pin drop.

Her parents shared a look, the kind of look a judge and a witness would share. “Whose child is it?”

Beatrice wanted to laugh. Her parents weren't the normal types other child got. She used to love this their calm, observant and just dealings on sensitive issues, but today she wanted them to freak out, to lash out at her, throw her out even.

“Beatrice Anastasia Monet, whose child is it?” Her father asked again.

“If I say it's Grant's, would that make you two happy? The Monet's and Watterson's family together in marriage. One huge business together and the perfect life” Her parents shared another look. “So sorry to disappoint, but it's Gerald Osborne's baby.”

“We can do this later, but now you need to be a doctor” Grant said breaking her out of her reverie.

He handed her the tray that contained tomato soup and butterd cornbread, along with a glass of juice and a pitcher of water and a empty glass.

Beatrice dried her face with a towel, rolled her shoulders and carried the tray out. Pictures of Mahalia and Gerald through the years, till his death lined the walls of the house, but she looked away. Grant was right, she had to be a doctor now.

“So sorry to keep you waiting dear, we were making you something to eat” Beatrice said, the minute Mahalia came into view.

“I should be the one apologizing” Mahalia said dropping her phone on the sofa. “Having such a renowned doctor in my house overnight, I'm terribly sorry”

Grant and Beatrice, shared a look. “Oh, I'm sorry. I looked you up on the internet. You're a big shot, miss.”

Beatrice smiled ruefully, and Grant wondered how he never made the connection.

Grant cleared his throat. “The soup, Beatrice”

“I seem to have forgotten about you, Mr Watterson. Although this is all your fault, thank you so very much” Mahalia said fluttering her eyelashes mockingly.

Oh, she was Beatrice's daughter all right. Grant thought to himself

As she ate and took the pill, Beatrice handed her, she chatted idly with both of them, until sleep claimed her once again.

“Why'd you go through all this trouble for her, Grant?” Beatrice asked once she was certain, Mahalia was in a deep sleep.

She covered her with the wool blanket,and rubbed her now cool forehead lovingly. “She's much too young for you and not to mention, you're married and we're friends. Best friends”

Grant grabbed his wristwatch, and his sweater off the chair, Beatrice's eyes following him all the way. “I don't know, Beatrice. I don't know”

He stood by the door, watching the pale, pink sky. It was almost five in the morning and he had to make a trip to Boston, for a business meeting and then another trip to New York, to find another branch in the city of agencies and television.

“I know I don't have a right to be her mother or even have a say in her life, but whatever it is you're thinking, don't do it”

Grant opened his mouth, but closed it and mock saluted her as he stepped into the well lit porch and just stood by it, watching the pink light over the stunning lake.

He opened the door again and stepped past the foyer,“If you need a ride or anything, just give me a call, Beatrice”

Beatrice looked at him with those familiar baby blue jaded eyes and nodded. “I'll call over a ride. Don't you worry.”

He nodded and walked out again, closing the door behind him. Other than the fact that Mahalia was way younger than him, she was now the natural child of his best friend and his once good friend, Gerald.

You're stuck, Grant. You're in deep s**t too.

******

“You should take these pills once daily and please make sure to call me or come see me if you get any of these symptoms again”

Mahalia was sitting up and chugging down a plate of scrambled eggs made by Beatrice. Mahalia didn't like or wanted people's help, but last night she was beat and needed to take a seat and put her pride to the back burner.

“Please allow me to take you out for lunch one of these days” Mahalia said, pushing the now empty plate away.

She didn't trust easily. It took time and there was always that click that goes off in her head, when she's talking to someone and for the weirdest reason Beatrice Lynch, didn't need any of those requirements. Mahalia felt like she'd known her all her life.

“Sure, here's my card” Beatrice said dropping her business card on the glass coffee table.

Mahalia smiled and rose to her feet, which were still wobbly, but she stood her ground and walked Beatrice to the door. “Thank you very much, ma'am. But I got to ask, who's Grant to you?”

Beatrice watched her chestnut eyes, that gave an exotic look to her tan caramel chocolate skin tone. It looked jaded, she couldn't tell what she was feeling, but Beatrice knew deep down that her little girl has feelings for that i***t.

“We're best friends. Our families are friends” Beatrice finally answered and Mahalia gently nodded, still not satisfied. “I'm married too” She said digging into her pant pocket for her gold wedding band. “I always take it off for work.”

Her son's Wrangler came into sight on the gravel driveway and she turned to Mahalia who was watching the car, “I've got to go, that's my son.”

Mahalia nodded and stood awkwardly at the base of her door, not knowing what to do. Beatrice took charge and drew her in for a hug.

The kind of hug a long lost family would give, the kind of hug that gave you tears and the tears were forming in Beatrice's eyes.

“Mom, I've got school today” The tinted screen of the glass rolled down and a six foot raven head boy, stood on the steps of the huge jeep Wrangler.

“Shut up Billy, I'm coming now” Beatrice chided lovingly, wiping her eyes discreetly.

Beatrice gave a small wave and ran to the car in her bare feet, her heels tucked underneath her arms. The car turned around and sped off the dirt path road, Mahalia watched it go away, a nostalgic feeling hitting her hard.

“Good morning, miss” Jude Hayes said holding a take out bag. “Mr Watterson sent this for you”

Mahalia looked at him, calmly and took. She was expecting to see Grant and Jude looked like he was reading her. “He's in Boston on business, but he sends his regards.”

She nodded and took it. “Thank you Mr Hayes.”

“I can take you anywhere you want to go” Jude said, a small smile on his fragile and wrinkled face, his puppy brown eyes crinkling. “Mr Watterson, said to check on you from time to time and get you anywhere you need to go.”

Mahalia shook her hair that Beatrice helped braid into a ponytail. “I'm just going to rest for the weekend. Thanks for this again”

Locking the door behind her, Mahalia wondered how she stayed for ten years alone with non meaningful relationships and friendship. Maybe it was because she was surrounded by people all the time, even in her shared three room apartment.

But now she actually felt lonely, like she didn't have anyone and if truth be told she didn't.

******

Elvira Watterson stood outside the door of the lake house home, Grant had chosen to renovate out of the blue, it was peachy, but not her style. She preferred glass walls, high ceilings and exotic, expensive furnitures.

She poked the spare key into the lock, and let herself in. As expected it was spotless, the original hardwood floors shinning with classic and refined furnitures and big windows that framed the beautiful lake from different angles.

Throwing her purse and kimono robe on one of the chairs and walked to the beautiful wet bar with granite countertop and poured herself a gin and tonic, with ice. She was lonely and her kids—the twins were in Greece and her little girl in New York for school—so that left her alone.

Grant was out of town for business, but he would be back today and she was going to be here to welcome him, if he wanted it or not. She looked around the expansive room, caught sight of someone in one of the expansive windows—Mahalia Osborne.

Elvira Watterson almost spat her drink out but she smiled evilly at the development. Mahalia Osborne and Grant were neighbors. Elvira couldn't believe it, but she was happy, happy her plan was in motion without even having to lift a finger.

But,it was happening and that pugnacious, sexy figured brat gardening a few yards away was the answer to putting her once happy marriage to life, back together.

“It's game time, Mahalia. And you're the kingpin in this game, girl”

A familiar car, rolled on through the dirt path road and Elvira spruced herself up. Taking the pin from her fiery red hair, pulling off her wide leg pants and laying on the beige sofa, in her sheer red lace teddy, giving a sexy pose.

The door turned slowly and she arched her hips more seductively, a sexy little,sexy, inviting smile on her lips, when Grant turned around the corner and came up to her laying on the sofa.

Grant rolled his eyes and his shoulders, totally ignoring the sight before him. “What are you doing here, Elvira?”

She looked hurt, by his uninterested looks and words, but she shook it off and laid on her back, opening her legs to give him an invitation. “Can't a wife welcome her husband back in, style?”

But Grant Watterson was more interested in getting his bags into that house, and he did just that, letting Elvira slowly stew on the sofa.

“We talked about this, elvira.” Grant said running his hands through his mane and pouring himself a drink. “We need space. I need space to think and decide”

Elvira threw her legs down, her eyes spitting fire as she marched towards the direction of the wet bar, her ass jiggling softly as she did so in anger.

“I've given you more than enough space, Grant. We're married for heaven's sake” Elvira said getting in Grant's face and pushing his shoulders with her hands. “I need my husband, the children needs their father”

The two shared a intense look—which most mostly intense from Elvira—as Grant looked at her with a bored look in his eyes. She was just about to spit more, when the doorbell rang.

Grant shuffled out of the back corner she put him into and to the door, his anger slowly consuming him. But it melted away the minute he opened the door and saw Mahalia standing there with a little smile on her face and a pan of lasagna and a clear bag with his hoodie in it.

“I hope you don't mind, but I was wanted to thank you for last week. Hope you like lasagna”

Grant almost smiled, but he masked it and took both items from her. Elvira was there and if she finds him smiling at Mahalia, it won't end well for Mahalia or Grant.

“Thank you” Was all he said as he shut the door in the face, only to be met with Elvira's sinister smile.

“She's cute right.” Elvira said fully dressed now, her purse over her shoulder, her hands purposely tussling her hair, and smearing her lipstick, giving her a ‘I just had hours of wild s*x kinda look.’

She opened the door, coming face to face with a still stunned Mahalia, standing there. Mahalia's quickly regained composure and smiled softly at Elvira,who was grinning ear to ear.

“Mahalia, it's so good to see you again” She said snapping her fingers at her driver who started the car. “I've got to go, I need to get dinner started for the family”

She turned and gave a tired looking Grant a smacking kiss on the lips and waved lightly at Mahalia, before jumping into the Cadillac, leaving Grant and Mahalia staring after her moving car.

Grant Watterson looked at Mahalia, who gave him a tight lip smile. “I'll see you around, Mr Watterson”

He wanted to say more but she was already on the dirt path, walking home and all Grant could do was, curse. Just when he was about to get into her good books, Elvira had to mess it up.

But this was just the beginning. He wasn't giving up anytime soon, not even the warning Beatrice had given to him would deter him.

*******