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ABOUT HIM

VANESSA

T he distance between Genesis’ office building and the spa where she was meeting the first of the evening’s companions was about fifteen blocks.

In anticipation of the walk, she’d packed a pair of comfy sneakers in her bag.

Switching out her heels for the sneakers, she immediately felt better, if only a little, and took off for her destination.

When she arrived at Harmony Spa, her sister-in-law, Dani, was coming outside.

“Hey,” Vanessa greeted her. Dani’s russet-brown face was beaming, and she was dressed in a cute pink blouse and fitted boot-cut jeans, not her usual tired mommy in yoga pants attire. “Look at you! You look relaxed. And you’re wearing real pants with structure and everythang.”

Dani struck a cute pose with a pouty lip.

“Why, thank you,” she exclaimed, then kissed Vanessa on the cheek.

“It was amazing. I really needed that. I have to thank Thalia when we see her later for recommending it.” She paused and looked closely at Vanessa.

“But damn, looks like you could have used a massage even more than me. You seem fucking stressed, bro.” They copied the way their husbands spoke to each other as a sister-in-law inside joke.

Vanessa gave a short laugh with raised eyebrows. “Whew. Accurate, bro.” She’d done a bad job keeping the tremor from returning to her voice.

Dani was aware, at least, that today was supposed to be Signing Day. An expression of sympathy crossed her features.

“Damn. Alright,” she sighed. “Let’s go to the park and get some lunch and that first round while we wait for everybody.”

Vanessa and Dani’s relationship had come as a nice surprise after the rocky beginning they’d had during that family trip to Italy three years ago.

When she first saw Dani from her bedroom window at the villa, Santino pulling her out of the car and gawking at her, Vanessa had immediately been flushed with jealousy.

She vividly remembered holding Santino’s phone in her hand at that very moment and seeing Dani’s smiling face on the dating app, remembered the ugly shock of reading the messages establishing what she’d believed was their date.

She’d wanted to kill this woman, thinking she’d been secretly sleeping with her husband.

Even after learning that Dani really was there for Santino’s brother and not for her man, she’d relaxed but had still kept her distance. It wasn’t in Vanessa’s nature to open herself to new friendships that easily. Until…

They’d been broken up for a year or so. She was taking her afternoon jog in the park…

or should have been jogging, after having come from a meeting with Santino and their divorce lawyers.

He’d been seething the whole time, and when his rage was finally unleashed, things had devolved into shouting on both sides.

Santino finally stormed out, angry tears streaming down his face.

At the park, everything overwhelmed her, her fury, his anguish…

. until a soft voice had said, “Hey. Vanessa? Are you okay?”

She’d heard that Dani and Nico had moved into their town, but this was her first time running into either of them.

Vanessa hadn’t made any friends there, and something about Dani’s expression of caring and concern did her in.

She put her face in her hands and cried as Dani sat with her, not speaking, letting her get it all out.

That was the real beginning of their friendship.

They had a lot in common besides being married to two Donahue brothers.

They were both raised with the same ethics and expectations by their respective West Indian families (or at least on Vanessa’s maternal side), and they were both the eldest of their siblings, which added another layer of expectation.

They’d also had to learn how to deal with their husbands’ mother, Carolina. According to Dani, Lina was still playing Mama Bear with an advanced case of rabies whenever she even so much as heard Vanessa’s name.

There was only one rule on their hangouts: no discussions about Santino. In fact, because she knew Dani’s loyalty was split and she didn’t want her to have to keep secrets, she hadn’t mentioned Scott before either.

Now, facing Dani’s concerned gaze, Vanessa felt close to spilling what had happened with Santino at the meeting, unsure if she should finally tell someone, anyone, how much she still hurt so hard over the breakup, how weak she felt whenever she was near him.

How the guilt of trying to move on with someone new was eating away at her, even though she was technically free.

But instead, she forced an upbeat, casual tone into her voice, started walking toward Bryant Park, and asked, “How’s that baby?”

Dani joked, “Which one, Nico or Adriano?”

“Girl…” Vanessa laughed too. Already, being in Dani’s down-to-earth presence made her feel even better than a pair of comfy shoes after high heels, and that was saying a lot. “Keep that up and I’m gonna tell on you.”

“I’m done weaning Adriano off the boobs. I’m kinda sad about it, but I am looking forward to having some real drinks tonight,” Dani confided.

“I’ll bet Nico will be happy to have them thangs back,” Vanessa said.

“Um…who says he stopped? He liked a little —”

“Ma’am. I’m gonna have to stop you right there.”

They reached the park not long after. It was a fabulous azure afternoon.

People were already camping out on the green square with their blankets in front of the huge movie screen.

Their plan was to have a meal at the café that was next to the lawn, then find a spot on the grass and wait for the rest of their girl-crew to arrive for the movie: Dani’s sister Terri, their cousin Thalia, and their sisters-in-law, Tori and Merelys.

“Is Jade gonna be able to make it?” Vanessa asked as they settled onto their high stools after ordering and paying at the counter.

“I don’t know,” Dani said, with a brief lip pout. “She said ‘maybe,’ again , which most likely means ‘no.’ I’m happy she finally quit that loser she was dating, but now she’s self-isolating and questioning all her life choices.”

“Been there,” Vanessa muttered. Damn. She hadn’t meant to let that bitterness slip out like that.

Dani shot her a look, almost as if she was going to say something about the indirect remark about Santino. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her tropical punch with more than a splash of rum. “This is yummy.”

“It might be a little too yummy. I’m gonna have to pace myself,” Vanessa remarked.

The food arrived. They drained that first round of punch, then got another as they talked about Dani’s long to-do list for the annual summer trip to the family vineyard near Parma while they ate.

Already feeling the drinks, Vanessa talked a little about work and the ugly case with zero attempt at sugarcoating it.

“Homeboy is guilty as fuck. I know he is, Jace and Sandy know he is. The partners know. Errrbody knows.” Was she swaying, or was it Dani moving?

“And he’s a racist, so of course he requested that the one Black woman attorney at the firm be front and center on his team to prove he’s not.

They want me to do the final examination and closing statement.

I’ll be the last person the jury hears from before they decide his fate.

I should fucking go up there and say, ‘He did it, y’all!

Yes, he did! ” she exclaimed with her arms open wide.

“Wouldn’t you lose your law license if you did?” Dani asked, squinting at her.

“My license, my job. Not that it would be much of a loss,” she mumbled dourly.

Then she grinned again when Dani’s eyes widened.

“I was just kidding. I’ve worked too hard to ruin my career over assholes like that.

And oh my God, can you imagine what Nadine would say? I’d never hear the end of it if I did.”

Dani nodded her agreement with that fact.

All the while, time stretched and looped, taking on beautifully blurred edges.

The grass on the expansive lawn seemed to glow a vivid green.

Vanessa paused to take another long sip of her punch while Dani glanced at her, stirring her punch with the little straw, then putting it in her mouth with a speculative look.

“What?” Vanessa prompted when Dani remained silent.

“So, what happened earlier? With you know who?”

“Oh, that. He didn’t sign. Again. And somehow, he found out I’ve been dating someone new. He cornered me and said some crazy shit. Like he thinks we’re getting back together, after everything. Can you believe that? It’s been three years. Three years .”

Dani didn’t laugh or affirm that it was crazy even though her mouth was now slightly parted with surprise. “Since when are you dating a new guy?”

Vanessa was silent, unsure if she should have blurted that part out. Instead of responding, she bit into her ham and cheese baguette sandwich.

“I know this isn’t something we usually talk about, but I’ve been wondering if you’d tested the waters out there. Gotten your feet wet in the sea.”

Heat rolled through Vanessa at the question. “That’s a lot of metaphors you’re mixing,” she remarked, and Dani twisted her lips at her.

“Okay, Miss Undergrad English Lit 101. A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ would’ve shut me up.”

“There’s something I could say that would get you to stop talking? If I’d known it was that easy…”

“Ugh. Ssser’sly.” There was a slight slurring in Dani’s pronunciation now. Vanessa thought she had said “seriously,” but who knew at that point? “Not to get up in your business but I’ve wondered. Are you really sure you’re done? With Tino.”

Vanessa sighed, taking a sip to steady her suddenly jangling nerves. “Yes. I’m done with him. I have a new person. Or maybe I have a person since it’s so new. But it’s time.”