Feelings and friendship

Chapter twelve

N I N E  Y E A R S  L A T E R

Leonard and Amina got married and had a son; Leonard junior. He was nine years old and was the spitting image of his dad. A beautiful black little boy with his daddy's smile and sparkling eyes.They cut off every tie they had to the rest of the Deloitte family. The only one Amina spoke to on a daily basis was Teshana. They often went on double dates with their spouses. Zakari and Teshana were so close and their sexual chemistry was off the chain. Even on their dates, when they thought nobody would notice, you could see them touching or looking at each other longingly. Yes, sure Leonard sr. and Amina had their fair share of sex, but their chemistry was nothing compared to Z & T's. It wasn't that Amina wasn't attracted to Leonard, I mean how could you not be? It's just that she was used to something else, the feeling of unconditional love during the act. A love only her father had for her, a parental type love.

On one of the nights they were supposed to have a double date, Teshana fell ill and Amina decided to go over to her place with a bowl of soup in one hand and Leo junior in the other arm. The double dates seemed more of a guys and girls night now a days and the guys didn't seem to mind that their wives weren't tagging along anymore. Amina didn't mind because it only meant she would spend some one on one time with Teshana.

She put Leo jr. in front of the TV and had a couple of glasses of wine with her sister. She was happy they could spend a little quality time, away from their spouses. The guys knew a lot about them but not everything. Teshana was the only one who knew that Amina was responsible for their father's death, a secret they both vowed to take to the grave. A couple of glasses turned into three bottles. They were laughing their asses off! Amina realized that she couldn't drive intoxicated with little Leo in the car. She texted her husband and told him they could all stay over at Zakari and Teshana's place so they could drive home together tomorrow. Teshana and Amina played cards and gossiped about their neighbours. For a while their talks were all about the laughs and gossip. Then Teshana's face grew more serious: "Mimi, I have a question... I mean, I don't want to sound insecure or anything but... Zakari and I haven't had much sex these couple of months..."
"Well, that happens sometimes in marriages, right?" Amina said trying to console her sister but knowing their chemistry she did find it odd. "But what's your question?"
Teshana sighed "Since him and Leo have been spending more time on their own, I've been sensing something's off. I've been smelling other women's cologne all over his shirts and finding cash in his pockets. You know our men don't like handling cash with all the money they make nowadays. Now... my question is; have you noticed anything strange recently? Do you think I'm overreacting?" Amina thought about how Leo used to be way more affectionate and that she was the distant one. Now they're one and the same. She used to be relieved but now that Teshana mentions this, she wonders why the sudden change in his behavior. She also found Leo jr. playing with a condom one day, a couple of weeks ago. She brushed it off as being an old one they used to stock because she didn't want any more kids. "Yes, but not the cologne type thing though. Leo's been distant, but you know me... I prefer it that way."
"Hmm" Teshana said and rolled her eyes. "What's that for?" Amina asked a little annoyed. "Well, your distant behavior may have pushed him in another direction sis, just saying" she said and shrugged. "But weren't we talking about your 'other-bitches-smelling-cologne-ass-husband'?" Amina spit back at Teshana. They looked at each other in silence and poured themselves another glass of wine. They smelled and sipped their wine sync, like they were thinking and acting as one. They stayed silent. 
"Amina, we cannot tolerate disrespect.... Not after all we've been through." Teshana said. "No, we can't. We haven't worked our asses off just to be betrayed by the person that should protect us at all times... Not again." Amina stated. "So, what are we going to do? I mean, if there's any truth to our suspicions?" Teshana asked. "Well, we can prepare them a meal, just like I did daddy... The devil rest his soul." Amina said and looked sad thinking about her dad. "But how are we going to find out?"
"When they get here, they're probably going to the study to drink one more glass of scotch, like they always do, before they go to sleep. Here give me your phone!" Teshana motioned. "I'll call you right before they get here and we'll place the phone in the study. We'll be able to hear their recap of the night and see if their truly hiding something. Either way we should act as if everything's normal."
Amina nodded.
At that moment they heard a car driving up Teshana's driveway. "Guess it's showtime!"
They did as planned and went in the guest bedroom right across from the master bedroom. The men came into to the house, tripping over each other, laughing in hushed voices and went straight to the study. Teshana and Amina listened carefully as they stepped in.