The Face In The Mirror (22 page)

When I woke Sunday morning it smelled deliciously of blue spruce, and I
felt happy. Mitchell was sound asleep, sprawled across the bed like the whole
thing belonged only to him. It was a cool morning, and I slipped out of the bed
and went to the bathroom to slip on my sweats. I ran the brush through my
hair and when I glanced back to the mirror, there she was, smiling at me, as if
to say ‘thank you’. I heard something and turned to find Mitchell.

“Quick,” I said. “What do you see in the mirror?”
“The woman I love.”
“Not my mom?”
“Nope, just you, I think only you see her because you want to,” he said

When we made it to the living room and I saw what we’d accomplished, I
felt merry. I finally had the Christmas spirit! There were still some finishing
touches that needed to be done, but it looked beautiful and festive, and I knew
my mom would have loved it.

Alecia came around the corner as we were admiring the revolving tree. “It
really is perfect,” she smiled. “I see many memories on that tree. She’d stayed
the night with us so that she wasn’t making that hour drive home so late.

Later, Chuck was working so Cassie was coming over, bringing the flyers to
prepare to mail. Mitchell’s business was close to Granny’s and he’d been able to
pull a mailing list from his previous advertising mailer for us. I’d printed labels
to start addressing the flyers Cassie designed. They were beautiful, and I was so
excited!

Mitchell was watching football, seemingly oblivious of our presence. We
were at the kitchen table chitchatting as we labeled the flyers. “Are you going to
be hiring help?” Cassie asked out of the blue.

Woman.”
“My business is going OK, but not as fruitful as I’d hoped.”
“Once people start to see more of your ‘fruits’ you’ll be so busy you won’t

know if you are coming or going!” I said, but I watched her, because it seemed
she had more on her mind. “But, if you’re looking for something to fill in some
time, I would love to work together!”

“Would you? I would love that, Renee! Salary isn’t the main motivation,
interaction is,” she replied. “Working from home and not knowing many
people yet, I get lonesome.”

“Mitchell and I will go over some numbers and we’ll talk. Have I told you
how beautiful these flyers are?”
“Yes, you have!”

On Monday afternoon, Mitchell called around four. “Sorry for the short
notice, but whatever you’ve got going on for dinner, put it away.”
“And?”
“Pick out a fancy dress. I’m taking my hot wife out.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Surprise. I’ll see you when I get there.”
I dug through the closet looking, and found something ‘fancy’, but I
waited. I knew he’d have to have a shower when he got home and I decided I’d
wait to join him.
When he walked in and found me still in my jeans and Donovan’s t-shirt,
he flashed a big grin. “Does this mean you haven’t showered yet?”
“Did you see the water bill for last month?” I laughed as he grabbed me.
Pulling the t-shirt over my head, he kissed me, caressing my skin, and walking
us toward the bedroom as he did.
“You’re in a good mood,” he said as we continued stripping.
“Frisky, too,” I purred.
“OK, then hurry up!”

“I’m anxious to hear what we’re celebrating tonight,” I said as we were
dressing.
“You’ll just have to wonder. Tell me about your day.”
“Well, I think I forgot to tell you yesterday, but I believe we have our first
employee lined up.”
“Cassie?” he smiled.
“Yes, she asked me about it.”
“I’m glad. I thought I heard you talking about help when I was watching
the game.”
I stepped closer to help with his tie. When I had the knot in just the right
place, I ran my hands up his chest, around his neck and whispered in his ear,
“Are you even gonna give me a hint?”
“Nope, and we don’t have time for more ‘frisky’, so don’t tease me,” he
laughed. “Come on, we gotta go.”

When he pulled up in front of The Reef I knew I’d made a good choice on
the dress - well, that and the fact that Mitchell wore a suit and tie.
He took my hand. “The color of that dress makes your eyes come alive,”
he said, complementing the blue dress I’d chosen.
“It’s not the dress. It’s you; you make everything come alive!” I said in a
playful manner.
“Hold that thought,” he said, and gave my bottom a squeeze.
When the hostess led us to the table, Ashley and Dave were sitting there
waiting, and my mind started racing. As we were given the menus, Mitchell
said. “A bottle of champagne…”
“Cuvee,” I said with a smile.
“Cuvee,” he agreed. “Please give us a few minutes to talk before we order.”
“I just figured we were celebrating something good and the last time we
drank Cuvee we celebrated something incredible!” I said.
Mitchell placed his palm gently on my cheek and leaned for a kiss. A young
man came to the table, popped the cork and filled our glasses. Mitchell raised
his glass and cleared his throat. “To a night of celebrating many very great
things,” he said. He seemed delighted about something and I could hardly wait
to know what it was.
We all sipped and he began again. “Renie’s business is getting closer to
reality.”
“Our business,” I corrected him.
“Our business; and I’m so proud of how it’s all coming together. We’re
making an offer to a potential employee, very soon.” He paused, and then said,
“Dave and Renie, I know the two of you are aware of the bid on the new
hospital. It’s a huge project - two years of work. I’ve put a lot of work into the
proposal. I want it, badly, but I don’t want it to consume me.”
He cleared his throat once more. “Donovan’s was the low-bid on the
project, but more importantly, the bid by Donovan’s was the one they were
most impressed with.”
“This is exciting news!” Dave said.
“It is, and you, my friend, have just been promoted to general manager. I
believe in you, and I have a beautiful, hot wife that I plan to go home to, on
time, every evening. I also want to be available for a while to get Convenient
Cuisine ready to go. I don’t want to miss those firsts. I’ll be moving my office
to Granny’s.”
“I love that idea!” Dave said. “Breakfast meetings at Granny’s before work!
And that brings me to a celebration I want to share with some of my favorite
people as well.”
He rose from his seat and fumbled in his jacket pocket, and then dropped
to one knee. I saw Ashley’s eyes widen, her hand went to her mouth, and she
started to cry.
“Ashley Cooper, I’m asking you in front of our good friends, so you can’t
say ‘no’.”
“Not a chance,” she yelled, and leaned forward to kiss him.
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
“Yes!” she shouted as he slipped the ring on her finger, and those around
us began to clap.

Lying in bed later, I rolled close to Mitchell, and he wrapped me in his
arms. “What a beautiful, special evening.”
“Yes, it was, but I don’t believe it’s over quite yet.”
“So tell me what you want, what you really, really, want…” I sang in his
ear.
And he surprised me by singing his reply in mine, “I’ll tell you what I want,
what I really, really want, I wanna, I wanna…”
“Don’t tell me Mitchell, show me.”
“Oh, you wicked woman!”
At four in the morning, I made a trip to the bathroom. When I returned, I
whispered in Mitchell’s ear. “Wake up.”
“What is it? Is something wrong?” he asked, alarm in his sleepy voice.
“Nothing’s wrong. It’s Mom. She was in the mirror again.”
“I love that,” he said.
“Me too. We’re so close to the end of Volume Six, I think I need to read,
are you up for that?”
“Yes,” he said as he turned the light on and snuggled closer.

I ran into Alecia Donovan yesterday. I always love seeing her. I always ask
about Mitchell, and pray that life is treating him well. And I secretly pray that
he is still single and that somehow you bump into him. You’ve had enough time
to figure out what you cast aside. You will someday, if you haven’t yet. I know
this in my heart.

Midgey came for coffee today, I love her visits, but it seemed she had
something on her mind.
“What’s up, lovie?” I asked her.
Her response was not news to me - it’s just something I continue to refuse to
acknowledge. It’s easier not to talk about it.
“I saw Wayne out today. I was at the courthouse finishing up the divorce
crap with Mr. Jones.”
“I was leaving, and I was hungry, so I thought I’d pop into LaVilla for an
antipasto. The hostess walked me to a booth and as I walked by, I saw
Wayne cozied up with some woman, a young woman who was not his wife!”
“Shocking, Midgey,” I said sarcastically. “It’s not the first time; it probably
won’t be the last.”
“Mona, do you hear yourself? It’s not right. It’s humiliating and you deserve
better. It’s time.”
“It just may be,” I replied.

“Oh my gosh, Mitchell, she’s gonna call him out!”
“Keep reading,” he told me.
I looked at the clock and turned to him, “You’ll be late.”
“I’m the boss,” he said, and sent Dave a text. “Running late, really late.”
“There are only a few more pages. Read!” he told me as he scooted closer.

I thought of nothing else all day. Midgey’s revelation, while not shocking,
had me ready for a come-to-Jesus meeting with Wayne. He called to say he was
on his way home, so I was ready. I was a nervous wreck, but I was ready. It
needed to be done. Finally, he came in and I was waiting for him. He dropped
his briefcase on the bench in the foyer and went straight to pour his scotch.

“Join me?” he asked.
“Yes. Short,” I told him.
He poured and handed me the glass. “You look as though you’re about to

crawl out of your skin, Mona. What’s on your mind?”
“Midge,” I said, and he interrupted me.
“I know where you’re going with this, Mona. I saw her. It was lunch. Cozy

lunch, but it was lunch. I went back to work and I came home to you.”
“Wayne, I’m not naïve. This isn’t the first time; I’ve just made a choice all
these years to ignore your ways, your indiscretions. I’ve been able to push all of
that aside - the hurt, the humiliation - because I loved you, and I wanted a
stable home for our daughter and your son!”

“Stop! What?” I barked, my heart and mind filled with disbelief. I closed
the book and neither of us said a word. “Oh my gosh, Mitchell! No wonder
he’s not in these pages! He’s not hers!”

“Mona, I married you…”
“Then treat me like a wife and stop keeping company with younger women.
Start coming home! You have a wife and a family and I’m tired of it, Wayne,
I mean it! You’ve humiliated me since we were first married. Every time I look
at Derek, and the way you praise, and dote on him, I’m reminded of your
indiscretions since day one of our marriage. I agreed to raise him, your child
from that…”
“Mona, don’t say it.”
“WHORE!” I shouted.
“She was his mother. My mistake, but he is my son…”
“And Renee is your daughter, our daughter!”
“I know that.”
“Then start acting like it, Wayne!” I shouted, and he stormed off to bed.

He was a good man when we first met in college. He was gentle, and kind,
and I fell in love with him, like the schoolgirl I was. He was a year older than
me, handsome, a tall basketball player, ambitious and smart, and on his way
to law school, just like me.

He went on to the law program at University of Florida. I finished my
degree in Political Science there, too. When we married, he was a year in and I
would just be starting the law program in the fall. The first year of our
marriage was rough. Both of us stayed busy, wrapped up in studying, and
learning how to be a couple. And then ‘she’ came along.

Fiona Mills was everything that I was not. She was promiscuous and wild,
and everything about her exuded ‘sex’. The next thing I knew, your dad was
crawling home begging me to forgive him, and I knew she was pregnant. I
swear to you by the ink on these pages that I wanted to die. I wanted to
disappear. I went home to Granny’s, put the next semester on hold and tried to
figure out what I was going to do.

The Ridgeways came to Granny’s, and Wayne was right there with them
with his tail between his legs, like some whipped puppy. He’s just like his
father, and I suspect by the way your dad treats Derek that he will be as well.

Poppa was so angry that I thought he’d pop a gasket. He paced while Mr.
Ridgeway put his ‘proposal’ on the table. Proposal! He presented it like it was
a business agreement! But then, I guess it really was.

“Fiona doesn’t want this baby…” Mr. Ridgeway began, and Poppa
shocked us all by his next words.
“Then take her for an abortion!”
“Mr. Webster, I love Mona…”
“Shut up, Wayne!” Poppa shouted. “Your ways of showing ‘love’ are
beyond my understanding. I could drop kick you from here to the moon and
back and still not be over the hurt you have caused, not just Mona, all of us.
When you told me that you wanted to marry my daughter, to become her
husband, there were expectations, and fidelity was at the top of my list! I’m so
angry right now! Looking at you sickens me!”
Poppa finished his rant and then Mr. Ridgeway began again.
“Fiona’s family has agreed to allow us to send her home to have the baby
and then we will adopt the child.”
“We? And then what?” I asked. My tone was sharp and my words
surprised me.
“We would support you, during the pregnancy to stay here, and after the
child is born, you will be a family. I will pay for a nanny as well as the rest of
your education.”
Poppa looked at me, waiting. Granny came to me and we went to the other
room.
“Your father and I will stand by any decision you make, but you have to
think about what you are doing, Mona. You have to know what Daniel
Ridgeway is selling you.”
And because I loved your father, I made a deal with the devil.

We read her entries about the time she remained home and how she found
and studied everything possible, so she was prepared for her return to school.
We read about Granny and Poppa’s anger and hurt over the situation and the
Ridgeway’s nonchalance about it all.