Silver Currents of Change

Chapter 38

In August of 2008, Zarah and Yvette were at 1700 Strawberry Circle getting ready to go back to graduate school in L.A. Yvette attended both sessions of summer school and would complete her MBA in December. When Zarah's friend found out Harvey Wilson offered his private jet for the trip back to California, and Zarah accepted it, she started quizzing her once old, now new roommate, trying to find out what was going on.

But Vette's roommate kept changing the subject every time she brought up the topic because she wasn't sure now was the right time to tell her secret. After making dinner for the two of them, once she was done doing the dishes, Zarah walked slowly from her kitchen into her family room, and she sat down in an armchair next to the sofa where Yvette was sitting. Even though she wasn't seeing Harvey outside of work, they were still in love, she still believed her destiny was with him, and she was trusting him to free himself from his wife.

Her best friend, nearly six months pregnant, was getting married in December. After being with Sean Carlos Davis for less than a year, Yvette had gotten engaged and would be spending the rest of her time at UCLA living in Malibu with Zarah. With a due date in mid-November, Vette's fiancé insisted it was the only way he would agree for her to go back to school. Otherwise, he wanted her to sit out the semester and stay in Pleasant Valley—the place where both of them grew up.

After thinking about her secret for a few days, Zarah's mind was finally made up. "Vette," she said. "Since you'll be staying with me in Malibu, it's time for me to tell you something ... important. Something you need to know."

Watching TV and munching on popcorn, Yvette stopped chomping and looked at her old friend. "Talk," she said. "And I hope you gone tell me why a big old jet is taking us back to L.A., because you can't be that important to Wilson Publishing."

Zarah laughed. "Excuse me? I am that important. But. There's some ... stuff ... you need to know." After she started talking she told her roommate the whole dramatic story with all of its romance, innocence, curiosity, love, passion, deceit, deviousness, problems, and pain. Only stopping to catch her breath, she let it all out, ending with an extremely heartfelt apology for not having told her best friend the truth.

After excusing herself to go to the restroom, when Yvette got back, she sat back down. "Let me see if have this straight. You have been sleeping with your married-but-separated white boss for a year? A whole freaking year, and you never said one word to me about it? I don't believe it. Ma'am, do I know you? Because the Zarah Brion I know would never fall in love with the enemy."

"He's not the enemy, but you can believe what you want. You know I wouldn't, I couldn't love a white man who was a white supremacist. He's on our side Vette. He's on my side, and you can say or believe what you want. I'm in love with him, and I don't care anymore what anyone thinks. Not even you."

"Look. You're not even twenty yet, so maybe this is just a 'white-man experiment.' I met him, so I know he's good looking, rich, smart. Y'all got a lot in common too, except for the rich part. So, maybe it's a phase ... wanting to know what it's like to be with someone like him."

"Or maybe I'm deeply in love and he's the love of my life."

"Oh, no," Yvette was staring into her eyes. "I just thought of something. Is this the guy you told me about last year. When you got back from New York? The one you said you started 'staying over' with after work? Wait. You said he wasn't married."

"I lied. But I had to."

"How could you lie to me?" Yvette picked up and threw a throw pillow, and Zarah dodged it. "I would never date a white man, but most of all, I would never date any man who was still married."

"He was legally separated, and he's getting a divorce."

"My God, Zarah. Just looking at you, I definitely see it. You are in love, even though, for the life of me I'm having a real hard time believing it. The blackest black chick from Pleasant Valley High has fallen in love with a rich, scorching hot white guy that she thinks has an "S" on his doggone chest."

"Well, you better find a way to believe it, because it is the truth, in black and white. Wait. I think he does have an "S" on his chest. And don't try to tell me you don't think the same thing about Sean Carlos."

"My fiancé is black, baby. He's from Pleasant Valley, he's the younger brother of your sister's ex-husband, and baby, baby, baby. You better know he's the man of my dreams." Sean was twenty-eight, and Yvette was twenty-three, and although they were too far apart in school to have known each other well, they made up for a lot of missed time once they met. In no time, they discovered they had a lot in common, including an undeniable attraction and an extremely strong love connection.

"I introduced you to him, remember? He asked me out, and I turned him down. Told him I was taken, so you owe Harvey a big old thank-you."

"Remind me to thank him too for assigning you to do that story on my guy. Sean is the man of my dreams."

Zarah laughed. "Just thank Sean Carlos for being an ex-NFL quarterback, for retiring young, and for getting elected sheriff of our county. Oh wait, I'm sure you've already thanked him for that." "Millions of times. And even though we got it a little backwards, getting pregnant before getting married, I'm still in pretty good with Hilda over my choice. And even though your boss saved your life, I'm not sure Harvey will ever pass 'Hilda inspection.'"

"Thanks for the wonderful thought. I'm just sick dreading the day I'll have to tell Mama and Josie about me and Harvey. I have until he's divorced to do it, so if he never gets divorced—then I'll never have to tell 'em."

"Girl, you sound like you'd rather he stay married so you won't have to tell Hilda y'all are dating.""I am so scared to tell Mama. But mostly, I hate the idea of disappointing her. I don't want to the hurt on her face and know, without a doubt, I'm the one who put it there."

Yvette scooped up a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into her mouth. "I sure don't envy you. But. I think ... well, I guess you could do worse for a boyfriend. I mean, he's old, but he's handsome, smart, loaded, sexy, and he's getting a divorce. Sounds like he loves you, so, as far as I'm concerned ... it's cool, if you wanna do your boss."

"He is not old!" Zarah picked up a throw pillow and threw it at Yvette, then she ducked when, immediately, it came flying back at her. "And I haven't 'done him' in months. We're waiting for him to file for divorce. And if it never happens, well, I guess I'll just have to take Sean Carlos away from you—since he can pass Hilda inspection."

"Too late," Yvette said. "We're engaged, and our two bundles of joy will be at the wedding. So he's mine, sweetie. All mine. But Richard and Sean have a baby brother. You remember Troy Davis, the hunk of Pleasant Valley Elementary?"

"I remember the legend. Too young to remember the guy."

"Well if this white-man thang don't work out for you, maybe you should 'Plan B' him. He's black, he's handsome, and he's a professional of some sort. He's back home from Chicago, divorced. I'm just saying. He'll soon be my brother-in-law, so I could do a sista' a favor and hook you two up."

"Thanks for the offer, Vette. But Josie told me one time Richard's youngest brother used to have a mad crush on Eva Pearl. And I think Pearl had one on him, too. So. Since I'm madly and hopelessly in love with Harvey Wilson, until I get tired of waiting for him, I'll just stick with Plan A."

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