Doin' Me by Wanda B. Campbell Page A

the open wound.
    â€œWho I spend my nights with is none of your business!” Reyna blessed Tyson with a string of expletives, then stomped toward the front door.
    â€œHow could you put Reyna’s business on Front Street like that?” Marlissa said, letting Tyson have a piece of her mind at the same time the front door slammed.
    â€œI didn’t mean to, but that woman drives me past crazy,” Tyson replied, defending himself.
    Starla joined in. “You were so wrong for that. I never thought I’d see you stoop so low.” She planted her balled fists against her waist, which caused her swollen abdomen to stick out even farther. “Now, you go outside and apologize!”
    â€œNow!” Marlissa added, while pointing at the door.
    Kevin and Leon didn’t offer any support.
    Sure he was wrong, but apologizing to Reyna for bringing out the worst in him was getting old. He detested public scenes, yet in less than one hour, he’d allowed Reyna to pull him out of character twice. As much as he wanted to cast the blame on her, deep inside Tyson accepted full responsibility for his lack of self-control. Not to mention his efforts to steer Reyna back to the household of faith had just been derailed. Exasperated, Tyson threw his hands up, then went to find Reyna.
    He assumed she’d be sitting in the car, but she wasn’t. He was about to panic when out of his peripheral vision he spotted yellow fabric floating down the slope. Kevin lived atop a hill.
    â€œReyna!” he yelled and caught the attention of Kevin’s neighbor. “Sorry,” Tyson offered when the older gentleman dropped the water hose, then proceeded to trot after Reyna. “Reyna, wait!” he huffed as he picked up momentum. When he purchased the tailored suit and dress shoes, chasing Reyna down a hill was not what he had in mind. The spiked heels that minutes earlier had adorned Reyna’s feet were now swinging wildly in her hands.
    Reyna turned and paused long enough to tell Tyson to take a permanent trip to the dark side, then continued trekking down the hill.
    When Tyson caught up with her and grabbed her from behind, Reyna whirled around and swung her heels at him. “I can’t stand you!” she screamed.
    With ease, he held her hands stationary and steadied his breath. “Would you calm down and listen to me?”
    â€œWhy? You just told all my business.” Reyna yanked her arms free and glared at him. “How did you know what happened at the Claremont? I didn’t tell you that.”
    â€œI saw your car in the parking lot on Saturday, when I went to retrieve my coat,” Tyson answered, still hoping his deductive reasoning would prove incorrect. Tyson observed the anger seep from her, only to be replaced by shame. Her shoulders slumped, and she turned away. “So I was right?”
    â€œYes,” she answered just above a whisper. “You were right about more than you think.” The stilettos slipped from her hands and clanged against the cement the second her shoulders started to heave.
    Tyson grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Seeing Reyna shed tears because of his behavior made his insides quiver. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain in the literal sense. He reached inside his jacket pocket for a handkerchief and wiped her face. “Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He searched for words. “You’re my friend and I care about you, but sometimes you drive me crazy and I don’t know how to handle that,” he admitted.
    Reyna snatched the handkerchief. “Would you shut up and let me talk? This is hard enough, but since you put it out there, you might as well know the whole truth. I only got mad because somebody found out about my stupid mistake.”
    â€œGo on.” Tyson nodded, wondering if he would ever understand