Wives and Champions by Tina Martin

when
she told him she couldn’t have children. He realized that dumping
her was a mistake. But what was it to him now? He’d moved on,
married and had a son. Did he not think she would move on as
well?
    “ One thing is for certain,”
Dante said.
    “ What’s that?” Desmond
asked.
    “ We all got issues.” Dante
grinned.
    Dimitrius picked up his glass and
said, “That’s true.” He tossed the rest of the Bourbon back to his
throat and lowered the glass to the countertop.
    “ But it’s nothing we can’t
handle,” Dante said. “If we can successfully run a multi-million
dollar corporation, certainly we can handle issues in our personal
lives.”
    Desmond nodded though he knew his
problems with Sherita were more complicated than any business deal
he’d ever negotiated.

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    “ I’m so glad we were able
to get together like this,” Melanie said, sitting on the sofa in
Emily’s family room with one leg folded underneath her.
    Ezra and Grace were busy running
around the room, taking turns chasing each other and playing with
toys.
    Sherita held Nolan in her lap. Celeste
was sleeping in her car seat.
    “ I am, too,” Emily said.
“Everybody’s been so busy lately.”
    “ Yeah. Too busy,” Sherita
said. “I don’t know what it is, but lately, I’ve been so
exhausted.”
    Emily smirked. “You have twins, and
you don’t know what it is? Not to mention Desmond.”
    A half smile came to Sherita’s
face.
    “ Are the babies still
keeping you up at night?” Melanie asked.
    “ They are. You don’t see
these bags underneath my eyes?” She grinned.
    Melanie chuckled. “It’ll get better,
Rita. I was up and down with Grace until she was about…ummm…almost
eight months. Then again, you’re breastfeeding, so…”
    “ I’m going to be honest,”
Sherita said. “Breastfeeding is stressful. Being a mother is
stressful. Being a wife is stressful.”
    “ Preach,” Emily
said.
    The women chuckled.
    “ But it’s everything I ever
wanted,” Sherita continued. “When I was single and everybody kept
on asking me when I was going to get married and have babies…I was
so stressed out because I didn’t think it would happen for me. I
never thought I would get my happy ending, but I have it. I have
everything, and now I’m more stressed out than I was before I had
it all. And to make matters worse, I feel like I’m
failing.”
    “ Failing?” Emily
asked.
    “ Yes. I have my own
photography studio now, but I can’t concentrate on work because I’m
always worried about Celeste and Nolan. I feel guilty when I’m at
work because I could be at home with my children. Desmond makes it
a point to remind me, every chance he gets, that I don’t have to
work…that I can be a stay-at-home mom, and maybe he’s right. Maybe
I can’t be superwoman. I can’t do it all. God knows I want to, but
I feel like—” Sherita felt tears settle in her eyes. She forced
them in and said with a strained voice, “I feel like I’m going to
crash at some point.”
    “ Wow, Rita, if it’s that
bad, hun, then maybe you do need to take a step back and reconsider
some things,” Melanie said.
    “ But I don’t want to take a
step back, Mel. Like I said, I’m living the life of my dreams and
now that I have what I want, I’m stressed out. I feel like I’m not
a good mother to my children. I’m not a good wife. I can tell by
the way Desmond looks at me that he’s absolutely disgusted and
turned off. I don’t even think he’s attracted to me
anymore.”
    “ Now, stop it, Sherita,”
Emily said. “Why would you say something crazy like
that?”
    “ It’s just the way I’ve
been feeling lately. Look at me. I look like a slob. My hair is a
mess. My breasts are big and heavy. I can’t even fit any of my
clothes. And I am deathly afraid of making love to my husband
because I’m so scared I’m going to get pregnant again. I completely
ignore his advances and I know he’s growing tired