Ciara
My face flushes and I can feel acid in the back of my throat. I knew I shouldn’t have come out today. I knew it. I open my mouth to say something and shut it again.
It’s not worth it, Ciara
I start to wheel Alfred’s stroller around towards the door. Then all of the women’s faces break into smiles, and they start laughing.
The woman who pointed at me stands up and offers me her hand. “Shonda Montgomery.”
I bite my lip. Is she going to make some joke again?
“I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just we’ve all been there before. Tabloids love to go after people like us.” She looks around the table at the other women offering each of them a warm smile, like they are her sisters.
I can feel my shoulders relax, but I don’t think I’m a bona fide member of the rich and famous.
Shonda keeps talking. “This is Kim, Bethany, Carla, and Regina.” She gestures around the table and each woman waves. Kim is a skinny blonde with long blond ponytail, green eyes, and bright red lips. Bethany is Asian and has a short dark bob, black framed glasses, and warm brown eyes. Carla has brown curly hair, blue eyes, and long manicured nails. Regina has brown highlights in her dark brown hair and freckles. Shonda is tall and athletic looking with wavy black hair and dark eyes. “You should sit down,” she says. They all scooch over so I can sit.
“Your baby is so cute,” she says, peering into the stroller.
“Thanks, Alfred’s six months old.” I smile despite my nervousness. All of them lean over to look at his face and gush.
“Ooh,” Carla says. “I could pinch his cheeks for days,”
Shonda looks toward the coffee bar. “Alyssa,” she calls to the barista. “Can you bring Ciara a…?” She looks at me quizzically.
“A decaf latte,” I answer. A minute later a lanky redhead gives me a perfectly foamed latte with a wink. “You’ve just met a group of the most badass women ever.” I smile at her. I’m not quite sure what to say. “Thanks.”
“So Ciara,” Kim says mischievously. “As Shonda was saying, we’ve all been in your shoes, so you shouldn’t feel embarrassed. When I was working in DC I was accused of having an affair with a congressman. Whoever said ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ was right. A picture is worth a thousand words . . . of bullshit!” Before I can stop myself, I start laughing. It feels so good to find humor in the tabloid situation.
Bethany speaks up as I take a sip of my latte. “I was in a polyamorous relationship and I didn’t even know it. I was married to three men at the same time! Weirdly, in the pictures one of them looked like my stepbrother. Isn’t that funny?” She rolls her eyes. “They say shit about all of us. I wish we could investigate those journalists sometimes.”
Carla nods. “Apparently, my daughter is really a boy, and the son of my father’s business partner, who has known me since I was little girl.” She makes a disgusted face. “They really scrape the bottom of the barrel.”
I nod. “That’s gross.”
Regina looks at me and beckons me closer. I lean in. “Word on the street is I attend orgies,” she whispers so the toddlers around the table can’t hear. Carla shrieks with laughter at the look of shock on my face, and then they’re all going again and I can’t help but join in until tears are streaming down my face.
“I’m impressed with how well all of you handle everything.” I admit to them. “I wish I could brush it off so easily.”
“It wasn’t easy at first.” Shonda looks at me seriously. “But the stories just kept getting crazier, and after a while I learned to go with the flow. I know the truth and my friends and family know the truth. Nothing else matters. The rest is just hot air. How is your family taking it?” she asks.