Just when I thought this nightmare was coming to an end.
“Is Elizabeth Zoey Barrett around this morning?”
“I’m Zoey, how can I help you?” I walked toward the door with a racing heart.
“I’m Tad from Marsh Securities. We’ve been assigned to monitor this location of your business.”
“Security? I didn’t hire security,” I clarified.
“It was arranged by Mr. Rogers, ma’am.”
“Again. I didn’t arrange for security, so you can leave.”
I watched as he pulled out his phone and mumbled a few words into it before handing it over to me.
“I’m not using that.” I crossed my arms over my abdomen.
He murmured into the phone again then tapped a few times before holding it in the air.
“Zoey,” I heard the familiar tenor call out. “Zoey!”
I shuffled in place, attempting to hide my discomfit. Stenton’s voice always evoked an involuntary reaction from me.
“This is Zoey.” My eyes fluttered at that weak reply.
“Please let the guys do what they’ve been hired to do.”
“I don’t need security, Stenton. This will all blow over soon. I have fifteen minutes of fame and just like everyone else’s, they’ll expire.”
“Damn it, Zoey, this is not a joke. Someone could really try to hurt you!”
Angela jumped in place at the shrilling he caused in the phone.
“I can take care of myself, Stenton.”
“You’re not the only one to be considered!”
“I only hire adults, Stenton. We’re fine. Philly’s finest are only a call away—”
“Fuck, Zoey!” he shouted. “My goddamn son is there weekly! Don’t play fucking cute!”
This time, everyone in the room reacted in some sort of manner. Tad, holding the phone, blinked several times. The guy behind him stretched his neck. And I trembled in my ‘Verses.
“Zoey, please just accept the damn security!” he tried with a controlled tone that time, though I knew he’d hit a brick wall.
“Fine! Is that all?”
“Yes,” he breathed and that arrested my attention. There was too much relief emitted with that one word.
He was stressed, it was palpable. I was hurt. It was miserable. Once again, Stenton and I were at an impasse. It had become our thing.
“Goodbye, Zo,” his tone was softer.
I gave a firm nod of assent, but not saying goodbye to Stenton; informing Tad he could disconnect the line.
~~~~~~~~~~
November 2011
~Stenton~
I paid a considerable cost to straighten that pregnancy shit out with Erika. With the coordination of my legal and public relations teams, it took months to clean and repair my reputation. We’d even hired an entertainment attorney by the name of Jenna Kline to do damage control. I wanted to sue the shit out of Erika and E! for running the lies about my denial and neglect, but the new attorney cautioned against it, fearing it would further assault my image. It took manipulation of Jackson’s genius to repair my image.
With great hesitation on my part, all it took was a manufactured rumor of me preparing to interview with Barbara Walters where I would publically apologize for distancing myself from my responsibility to Erika’s baby, and admit to it being because of my anger from all of the “false allegations” of her still having an affair with Shirez. In the admission, I would also speak to how foolish I realized the prospect of Erika sneaking out on me with Shirez was, because he couldn’t match my caliber. It took two days after that “rumor” hit the streets for Shirez to go on Hot 97 morning radio show and tell the world he was the father of Erika’s baby and provide proof of their creeping over the years and her informing him of being a father.
Who knew all it took for the truth to come out was compromising the ego of a man? In no time, the word got out about Erika’s scam and America was right again with Stenton Rogers. But at the end of the day, I’d been cleared of wrongful accusation, left with a hefty legal bill, and without Zoey.