Tina and Lucy

By Lisa D. Vaughn

Lucy has now been with Tina for two years. She seems quite happy settling into her new life with Tina and preparing to attend the wedding of her best friend Sandy. Her career as a news journalist has also brought about some amazing changes in her life as she is given a new office assistant to work closely by her side. What could possibly go wrong? Life seems wonderful for Lucy until she finds out her ex, Michael has gotten out of jail and has threatened to get revenge on her. As much as she loves Tina, Lucy is terrified and lives in constant fear that Michael will hurt her or Tina. As Michael threatens to settle the score, Lucy will make a decision that will change her life forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493164790

Lisa D. Vaughn

Lisa Vaughn was born in New York City and was raised in the Bronx. In 2004, she moved to Upstate, New York with her son in pursuit of giving him the best education possible. After losing her employment in 2010, not being able to find work and being a single mother of a 12 year old, Lisa decided to return to college to pursue a degree in Literature and Marketing. While in college, Lisa met with a professor who read one of her manuscripts that she submitted for extra credit. The professor loved her story so much that he convinced Lisa to have it published and to pursue a career in writing.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Tina And Lucy

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

This book is dedicated to all of my professors who have

supported and inspired me to write creatively.

TINA AND LUCY

T ina and I have been together for two years now. I can remember the day it all started. I had been with Michael for seven years when I met Tina at a house party that I attended with my best friend, Judy. Judy is getting married to her partner Sandy in six months. They have now been together for two years.

I am the Maid of Honor at Judy’s wedding. I remember the day that she told me she was getting married. I was in shock because Judy never had a relationship that lasted more than six months. Usually, I had to be the one to pick her up off the floor when these relationships ended. Judy was always so dramatic about her relationships! I am so happy that she is getting married to Sandy. She is a very nice woman who treats Judy well. They seem like the perfect couple.

Judy and Sandy decided that they would spend their one week honeymoon in Aruba. Sandy wanted to go some place where it was warm, sunny and near a beach. I smiled at Judy and told her that Aruba would be the perfect getaway. Lately, I was feeling like Judy was working so hard that she had little time for fun. This honeymoon would be a great way for her to relax and have some fun. I noticed that something seemed to be bothering Judy and I was wondering if she was feeling okay. I asked her if anything was wrong and she told me that she had called her parents to invite them to the wedding. Her mother told her that she would never come to something like this which she considered to be an abomination. She was sad for her daughter’s poor choices in life which she felt would eventually lead to her destruction. Her father always seemed to agree with whatever her mother said. Judy referred to her father as being weak and having no balls. Her mother definitely wore the pants in that marriage. I really felt bad for Judy and I began to think about how fortunate I was for having my mother’s love and support regarding my relationship with Tina. My mother was happy as long as I was happy. I was quite grateful for this. How I wished that Judy had the same relationship with her mother especially now that she was getting married. I could never imagine not having my mother at my wedding. I was thinking of a way to help Judy with her mother, but I did not know how. I told myself that it would be a shame for Judy’s mother to miss the most important day of her daughter’s life over something that is so meaningless. Perhaps I could find a way to talk to her. Judy’s mother has always been fond of me since I was a child. I told Judy that I had to go home and make a list of some things that I needed to get for her wedding.

When I arrived home, Tina was in the kitchen preparing a nice meatloaf dinner and salad for us. As I approached her, she smiled at me and I gave her a hug and a kiss. My life with Tina felt so right. As I reflect back to when I first kissed Tina which seem like a life time now, I still cannot figure out why I was so afraid. Tina has been the best relationship that I ever had and I was grateful to have her in my life. I sat down at the kitchen table and told Tina about my conversation with Judy and how she was so upset about her mother’s decision not to attend her wedding. I told Tina that I knew Judy better than anyone and that this situation was eating at her. I must try to fix this by having a conversation with her mother to make her understand how she is hurting Judy with this decision. Tina was not so hopeful. She explained to me that regardless of how much Judy’s mother liked me, she will never compromise her beliefs for anyone, not even for her daughter. Tina said good luck with that situation.

After Tina and I ate dinner, I washed up the dishes and then quietly went into the dining room where I would have some privacy to talk to Judy’s mother. As I dialed her number, I could not help thinking about why Judy’s mother and many other people have such a strong hatred for two people of the same sex loving one another. Even when I was with Michael, I always felt that two people who love each other should be able to get married if they choose to or at least be together without all of this drama of bigotry being added to it.

Judy’s mother Catherine answered the phone on the third ring and I found myself getting nervous about what I needed to say to her. Even though Catherine and her husband Brad were a pleasant couple, they were very religious. Catherine was surprised to hear from me. I asked her if she had time to talk to me. Immediately she knew that I wanted to talk to her about Judy’s wedding and she told me that she will never accept this abomination of a marriage. I said that Judy is your daughter and that her first priority should be for Judy to be happy. I assured Catherine that Judy was very happy with Sandy and that I have never seen her happier. I went on to explain to Catherine how it was not my mother’s first choice for me to be with Tina, but my mom understands how happy that I am and she is very supportive of my relationship. I asked Catherine to find it in her heart to at least attend her daughter’s wedding even if she does not agree with it. What matters right now is that she should be there for Judy. It would make Judy very happy. I asked her to please reconsider for her daughter’s sake.

Catherine told me that she just could not do this and that she would pray for Judy’s soul and for her to change her life around. I could not believe what I was hearing. I asked Catherine if we could meet for dinner one day this week to discuss this matter. Catherine told me that I was wasting my time because she would never agree to attend this wedding. She actually told me that I need to look at my own life as well. I told her that I was very happy with Tina and Catherine had the nerve to tell me that if Judy and I do not change our life, we would not have any salvation and would both burn in hell. I was taken aback by her harsh words and I suddenly realized how Judy must have felt having this same conversation with her mother. The very last thing that I said to Catherine before I hung up was that if she and her husband did not attend Judy’s wedding, it will be something that they both will regret for the rest of their lives. They would hurt their daughter who would be left with some unwanted memories of her father not walking her down the aisle and her mother not being present on the most important day of her life.

After I hung up with Judy’s mom, I understood the pain that Judy was feeling. Judy is an only child and her parents were all that she had for family. Her grandparents had passed away when she was 12 in a tragic car accident. Judy has always been closer to her father and for a moment, I thought about speaking with him privately. It was important to me to do everything I could to help Judy’s wedding day be a very happy one with pleasant memories.

As I sat in the dining room pondering over this situation, Tina came over to me and asked me about my conversation with Catherine. After I told Tina what happened, she hugged me and told me that she was sorry about how this whole thing had played out. She told me not to feel bad because I did all that I could to help Judy. I said that I needed to do more. I must find a way to make Judy’s parents understand how important this is to her. At that moment, I decided that I would visit Judy’s dad at his job tomorrow. Brad was is Executive Director for one of the biggest oil companies in Chicago. He has been working at this company for more than 20 years. Brad would be much easier to talk to than Catherine. Even though he is just as religious as his wife, he has more compassionate about Judy than Catherine does.

The next morning as I sat at the kitchen table sipping on my coffee, I told Tina about my plan to visit Brad. Tina did not see the point of this. She felt that Brad would never see the light of day because he always follows his wife’s shadow. Tina thought Brad was weak and useless. I told Tina that I must try for Judy’s sake because she deserve to have her father walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Tina looked at me and told me that I was a good friend to Judy and that there should be more people in the world like me. I smiled and gave her a hug and told her that I would be home in time for dinner and I would update her about Brad when I returned home.

As I drove to work, I thought about Judy and her parents. I thought to myself that I could not imagine my mother not attending my wedding regardless of how she felt. I told myself that even though Judy seemed to be holding things together, I know that this situation is eating her up inside. I could not bear the fact that my best friend was hurting so much over something so ridiculous. Why do so many people feel like this is wrong? We are people who happen to love the same sex. I wondered to myself, what would happen if everyone would just accept or over look this? Would things really be better? All I can do at this point, is to try to make a difference, starting by helping Judy.

I arrived to work at 5:15 AM and Brenda was in her office working on a story to raise money for a 7 year old girl who needed a bone marrow transplant. The girl’s name was Maura and her parents were very worried that she would not get a donor match in time. Maura had leukemia and she desperately needed a donor. Brenda was scheduled to interview Maura’s mother, Mildred at 8 AM. Recently, our boss Kyle, had given Brenda a promotion and most of her day was spent surfing the Internet and interviewing people who needed help from the public. I was very proud of Brenda. She worked hard to get this promotion. Brenda was anxious to meet with Mildred before the interview so that they could go over some important information regarding a potential donor. This information was going to be discussed privately with Mildred and not mentioned during the interview. Brenda seemed excited and was eager to talk to Mildred. I wondered what type of donor information that Brenda had found. Mildred seemed quite interested in what Brenda had to tell her. She went into Brenda’s office and closed the door behind them. Mildred was a tall, quiet woman with green eyes and jet black curly hair. She had a Master’s Degree in marketing and she worked as an advertising consultant for one of the most prestigious advertising companies right outside of Chicago. She enjoyed her work immensely. Everything seemed to be perfect in her life except for the fact that her only daughter was sick with leukemia. Mildred also had a 9 year old son named Mark who was the spitting image of her husband, Manuel. Mildred and Manuel have been happily married for 14 years. Manuel was a tall, medium built man with jet black hair and a olive complexion. He was very handsome and spoke with a slight accent. Manuel was from Mexico and his parents came to the United States when he was 10 years old. Mildred met Manuel during first semester in college on a date that her roommate set up for her. He was very charming and Mildred was smitten with him immediately. Brenda could see how excited Mildred was about telling her about how she met her husband. She could see how much love she had for him.

Brenda told Mildred that her interview will be seen by millions. It might be possible that someone watching the interview might be able to help her or at least point them in the right direction to help Maura. Brenda’s new position allowed her to publicize her interviews ahead of time. Whenever she received a story that was about someone in need such as a sick child or elderly person, Brenda would talk to our boss Kyle. He usually allowed her to advertise this a month in advance so that we could get a higher viewing. Kyle went along with the program since Brenda was very good at her job and the ratings were phenomenal.

At 8:00AM, Brenda interviewed Mildred. The interview was very interesting and went quite well. Mildred was very teary eyed throughout most of the interview and there was not a dry eye in our entire studio. Everyone was touched by her story. After the interview was over, Mildred reached out and hugged Brenda and told her thank you. Brenda then offered Mildred some coffee and breakfast. Shortly thereafter, Mildred left and Brenda told her that she would keep in contact with her.

After the interview, Kyle called all of us into his office unexpectedly for a brief meeting. This caught everyone by surprise. As the entire department gathered into Kyle’s office, I noticed a woman that I had never seen before and I began to wonder if this was the purpose of our meeting. Once everyone was seated, Kyle stood up with a smile on his face as the woman made her way to the front of Kyle’s office. This woman was very well dressed and quite unusual. Once she reached the front, she stood next to Kyle. He introduced her as our new assistant. Her name was Lisa Dee Phillips. She was about 5´4˝ with dark hair and a curvy figure. Lisa Dee had a funny sense of humor and she was a woman of color. Kyle told everyone that Lisa Dee had just received her Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and advertisement six months ago. She had done some prior work as an intern at a well known television station in Washington D.C. She was their right hand person, helping script writers to come up with new story lines for comedy and other stories. Kyle stated that Lisa Dee will be assisting Lucy in finding new important stories to be on the news. She will make sure that Lucy’s stories are informative and interesting. I was in total shock! Kyle then asked Lisa Dee to make a few comments.

Lisa Dee began to speak to us. She was poised, confident and funny. Most of all, she was grateful for being selected for this position. She told us some funny stories about the crazy mistakes that she made when she started her first semester. We could all relate to her stories. I was quite surprised how she caught everyone’s attention and made us all feel comfortable. She spoke for about ten minutes before turning the floor back over to Kyle. After the meeting was over, Kyle asked me to stay in his office with Lisa Dee. I introduced myself to Lisa Dee and asked her if she wanted to be called Lisa. She quickly told me that she is known as Lisa Dee and that is how she would like to be called. I asked her what the Dee. stands for? She walked up to me very closely and said wouldn’t you like to know. I found this comment to be quite unusual. Was this a flirtatious remark or what? Kyle looked at me and said that we would work well together. I asked him what did he mean by this and he just smiled and walked away. I was left standing with Lisa Dee who said Well, let’s get to work. What would you like me to do first? I could not figure it out yet, but something was very different about her. She made me a little nervous.

After Kyle left, I stayed in his office with Lisa Dee. She smiled at me and behaved as if she knew me for a long time. For some reason, this woman made me a little uncomfortable. It was as if she could read what I was thinking. Whatever it was, I did not like the feeling that I was getting. I sat down at Kyle’s desk and asked Lisa Dee to have a seat so that we could discuss her job as my assistant. Even though I was a little uncomfortable with her, I began to ask her questions about her internship and college. Once she started to talk about her college and about her extracurricular activities, I found myself warming up to her. Her resume was quite impressive too. She had been a member of various clubs and organizations at her college. She told me that while she was working at the television station in their communication department, she was able to help her manager, Jacob, seal a contract deal for a new comedy sitcom in which she received lots of recognition. This was a major accomplish-ment. Her manager arranged this interview for her to see Kyle, who owed Jacob a huge favor. Unfortunately, Jacob was not able to offer Lisa Dee a real job at the television station where she did her internship due to the fact that there were no vacant positions available. I wondered what Jacob did for Kyle so that now he owed him this big favor.

I told Lisa Dee that her hours would be from 5:30AM to 1:30PM. The first thing that I needed her to do was to find additional information on a story that I was researching that involved a young man who recently was released from prison after spending 3 years for a rape that he did not commit. This man was 25 years old and he was released from prison after the after the case was re-opened and DNA evidence exonerated him of all charges. The man’s name was Stonen Gee. I told Lisa Dee that his entire life has been affected by this prison term. I needed to review some information regarding a document that he submitted to our staff when he agreed to do this interview. This document was signed and notarized by Stonen’s employer and two of his co-workers who stated that he was at work at the time this crime took place. Stonen said that this piece of evidence was not allowed to be entered into court and the jury never had a chance to learn about this information. The prosecuting attorney deliberately hid this document from the jury and the public.

I was shocked to find out that this document was not used in his trial. I truly believed that things would have turned out differently for Stonen if this document was used as a piece of evidence at his trial. I asked Lisa Dee to contact Stonen’s attorney, James Ruckus to schedule an appointment to meet with me at my office. I needed to speak with him before scheduling the interview so that I would know what not to discuss over the air concerning this case.

After I spoke with Lisa Dee, I showed her where her cubicle was and I immediately went back to my office to review my itinerary and e-mails. Shortly thereafter, I called Lisa Dee into my office and I told her that I was going to lunch and I would be gone for more than an hour. I asked her to call me on my cell phone if she needed to speak to me before I returned. I left to go to Brad’s office. I knew that I had to do everything within my power to convince Brad to walk Judy down the aisle on her wedding day. Judy would be so happy. If only I could make her father understand how important this day was to Judy. I know that he loves Judy. I must speak with him alone. I believed in my heart that Judy’s wedding day could still be a happy one if her father showed up to walk her down the aisle.

I arrived at Brad’s office a few minutes before 1:00PM. I wondered if he still took his lunch break at that time. Judy had mentioned to me a few years ago that regardless of what was happening at the office, her dad always took his lunch break at 1:00PM. As I got off the elevator on the seventh floor, I noticed a brown door with gold letters that said Executive Offices. I knocked on the door and someone buzzed me into the office. A lady with salt and pepper hair and light brown eyes smiled at me and asked me if she could help me. She was very friendly and polite. I told the lady my name and asked her if Mr. Brad Forrester was in his office. The lady told me that he was leaving to go out to lunch. I told this woman that I was his daughter’s best friend and that it was important for me to speak with him. She called Brad on the phone and after five minutes, Brad came out of his office to see me. He was quite surprised to see me at his office. I had only been at his office once before and that was a few years ago with Judy.

I asked Brad if we could have lunch together. I told him that it was very important that I speak with him. Immediately, Brad asked me if Judy was okay. I told him that she was physically okay. However, she was mentally sad that her father chose not to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Brad looked at me with such sadness in his eyes and at that moment, he invited me to go with him to a nearby coffee shop to have lunch. I was very happy that he agreed to see me. Maybe, I could get him to see things differently.

Brad and I walked two blocks over to