BROKEN PROMISES
Chapter 3

Abilasha

     It was around seven Friday night and I was lounging in my bedroom watching TV, bored, because both of the girls were staying at a friend’s house. I had decided to maybe hit the gym again when there was a knock at my door. I paused and stared at the closed door curiously before telling whoever it was to come in. I stopped short and stared shocked when I saw Mark standing in the doorway.

     "Hi," I replied nervously.

     "Hey," he responded.

     "Um...is there something I could help you with?" I asked him.

     "I spoke with Ava and she told me her father was getting married and I was wondering if you were going," he replied.

     "No," I replied shortly.

     "Why not?" he asked as he walked in and took a seat on my chaise lounge.

     "You know that the way things ended with my ex wasn't the best and I don't think it's in the best interest of any of us involved for me to go," I replied.

     "I think you're wrong. I think it's in your best interest for you to make an appearance at this wedding to show both your ex and his fiancé that you're over it and that you're a better woman because of it," Mark replied.

     "What exactly do I have going for me right now other than the fact that I have an amazing daughter?" I asked him.

     "That right there should be enough but you also found a way to support her. And have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?" Mark asked me with disbelief in his voice.

     "I look at myself every morning. I'm just me. There's nothing special about me. I'm not beautiful but I'm not ugly. I'm just average," I replied.

     Mark looked at me and shook his head before standing up and offering me his hand. I stood up from my spot on my bed and smoothed my large t-shirt over my baggy sweat pants before slipping my smaller hand in his. He closed his larger hand around mine and led me into my bathroom.

     "What do you have on under your shirt?" he asked.

     "A sport's bra," I replied.

     "Take off your shirt," he replied.

     I did what he asked and looked at him expectantly. He twirled his finger around, motioning for me to face the mirror, before grabbing a hair tie off the counter and coming up behind me. Mark grabbed my hair and pulled it back out of my face and held it that way with my hair tie before leaning into my ear.

     "Look at your face Asha," he replied lightly. "You have high cheek bones, beautiful grayish green eyes, thick hair, long thick eyelashes, beautiful lips, and a clear golden complexion. You're one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, and I've seen some people."

     "You're just saying that," I replied waving him compliment away.

     "No, I'm telling you the truth. Don't you notice the way people stare at you when you're out with the girls?" he asked.

     "They're just looking at me because I'm fat," I replied lowly.

     "Fat!" he yelled. "You have a crazy view of yourself girl. Don't you remember when I talked to you about seeing someone because of your nightly habits?"

     "Yeah," I replied.

     "I said that not just because you weren't getting any sleep but because you were disappearing on me. Do you realize how much weight you've lost?" Mark asked me.

     "Twenty pounds? Maybe thirty cause none of my jeans seem to fit anymore," I replied lowly.

     "Try about eighty pounds," he replied. "Your jeans don't fit because you're like half the person you used to be. You're so tiny Asha. If I didn't know that you actually ate and were healthy I would have made you get help."

     "What?" I asked, shocked at his statement.

     "Look at yourself Asha," he replied forcefully.

     And for the first time in a long time I actually saw myself. I was no longer the large round woman just barely fitting into a size 16. My stomach, which had protruded and overlapped my jeans, was flat with new indentions of abs. I was amazed at what I was seeing. I could tell that my breasts went down a size with my weight and were sitting higher, even though they would never be perky as they once had. My arms were sculpted and as I felt my thighs I realized that I now had space between them. I was amazed at the transformation I had made, one I hadn't even realized I'd done.

     "Can you see what I see?" he asked.

     I nodded, speechless. He smiled, a boyish look crossing his face, as he said, "So why don't you and I go shopping tomorrow and pick up some things, including something for you to wear to this wedding next week?"

     "Mark..." I started.

     He shook his head as he moved back, walking out of my personal space. "We're doing this. I promise that you'll thank me for this later and if it makes you feel any better I'll come with you."

     "I really don't want to go shopping," I said.

     He stared at me for a minute before saying, "We're going shopping. My treat, so there's no reason for you to say no."

     After a minute of contemplation I nodded and he smiled and kissed me softly on the forehead before backing out of my bathroom and out of my bedroom. I stared at him and I blushed when I realized just where I would have liked him to kiss me. I pulled my mind off of Mark and his charming self by shrugging back on my shirt and heading downstairs to the gym.

Mark

     I got up early around nine o'clock Saturday morning and showered before pulling on a pair of dark blue Gucci jeans and a white Polo button down shirt before heading down the hall to Abilasha's room. I knocked on the door and waited for her to open the door. Five minutes later she opened the door and presented herself in a pair of heather gray sweat pants that was clearly too big and hung dangerously low on her slim waist and shapely hips. A white ribbed Fruit of the Loom tank top, the only thing that fit other than her white Reebok's, covered her sport's bra. Her long brown hair was up in a neat ponytail and her lips were covered and shiny clear gloss.

     "Ready?" she asked.

     "Yeah," I replied, "we can grab a muffin or something from the kitchen before heading out."

     She nodded and followed me down the winding staircase and into the kitchen. The cook smiled at us and I told her that we just wanted something quick and she promptly pulled two bottles of lime Perrier out of the refrigerator along with two huge blueberry muffins. I handed a muffin and a bottle of Perrier to Asha before grabbing my own and leading her outside. She stopped short when she saw a black limo waiting for us.

     "Mark?" she asked curiously.

     "We're going shopping and you should know it's hard to find parking spaces in LA," I replied.

     "But there's space at the mall," she replied.

     "We're not going to the mall," I replied as I opened the door for her and motioned for her to slide inside.

     Once we were both sitting comfortably on the leather seats the driver pulled off and headed towards Saks. Once we got to the store I had to all but pull Asha in the store. She was just so adamant about how much everything cost and I had to smile at how cute she was. You would think that after living in my house for the last four months that she would learn or at least ponder over just what I was worth. I could afford to splurge and right now I felt that Asha needed a little pampering.

     At first Asha wouldn't pick out anything, figuring that if she didn't I wouldn't buy anything but when I told her that if she didn't participate then I'd buy the things I'd like and have them tailored to fit her, stressing the fact that it'd cost me much more to do that than if she'd actually participate and have fun. I sat back and watched at she picked out clothes and I couldn't help but smile at her innocent awe when she realized, after trying of different sizes of the same pair of jeans, that she was now a size six. She twirled around in front of the mirror to catch herself in every angle before coming over to me and enveloping me in a warm hug.

     I responded and she and an attendant just went around the store happily, Asha because of all the new beautiful clothes she could get and the attendant because of the commission she would receive from this sale. When we left Saks Asha's old clothes had been tossed into one of the bags and she was walking confidently in a colorful silk halter dress and a pair of jeweled Giuseppe Zanotti sandals.

     "So where are we going now?" she asked me as the limo went the opposite way of the house.

     "We're going to Nordstrom. You're going to get you hair and nails done while I search for your dress," I replied.

     "Don't you think I should be involved in the choosing of this dress?" she asked.

     "If you get done in time you will," I replied as we stopped in front of Nordstrom's.

     I led her towards the Nordstrom Spa and Alice, a girl who knew me, smiled and immediately grabbed Asha's hand and led her into the back for the treatment I had reserved for her.

Abilasha

     It was well after five in the afternoon when Mark and I arrived back home. My hair had been trimmed, my nails had been polished, and my eyebrows had been waxed. I was amazed at what some new clothes and a spa treatment could do for me. Mark had gotten me a dress and shoes for the wedding while I was getting everything done but had refused to let me see it yet. I was a little anxious and wondering what he could have possibly have gotten that he was so worried about my reaction to it. Mark and Carlos, the butler, helped me get my bags to my room and placed them in my closet before Mark placed a brown garment bag on my bed and a shoe box next to it.

     "Is this the dress?" I asked him.

     He nodded before saying, "Well I'll let you rest."

     Just when he was out the door I called out, "Thanks for today and...everything."

     "You're very welcome," he replied before closing the door behind him.

     Once the door was closed I unzipped the garment bag and took in the beautiful floor length green, white, and yellow patterned silk gown. It was held up by thin spaghetti straps and had a plunging v neckline. The back was virtually non existent and plunged so low that the small of my back was visible. The shoes were beautiful and matched the dress perfectly. Suddenly I wasn't as apprehensive about attending the wedding.

Priscilla

     I was in the back room of the church pacing nervously in my gown. I would be married in less than two hours and the church was filling up rapidly. There were over a hundred people in attendance and my stomach was in bubbles. My maid of honor walked in, dressed in her patterned mini dress and sandals. Her hair was up and she smiled at me softly and tried to calm my nerves.

     "Take deep breaths Cilla," Adrian replied.

     "I'm trying but my stomach is jumping something terrible," I replied.

     "You are about to marry a very handsome man who loves you very much. There's nothing for you to be nervous about," she replied.

     "I don't know," I replied.

     "Well this will make you feel better," Adrian replied.

     "What?" I asked her.

     "I looked at the guest book. Omari's ex is here," she replied with a smirk before walking out the room and down the aisle with her partner.

     "Really? I can just see her big ass now. In tears because I took her man," I replied with a smirk.

     I untangled my hair from my earrings before slipping on my tiara and giving myself a once over. Just as I got myself straight my father knocked on the door. I slipped my arm around his and made my way down the aisle.

     The ceremony was over and we were at a hall in the Four Seasons getting our party on. The flowers and garter belt had been thrown and I was dancing with Omari and trying to catch a glimpse of Abilasha's wide ass. Omari and I had retired back to the head table when his daughter Ava walked over and told him that she was leaving.

     "Your mother's here?" Omari asked.

     "Yes," she said.

     "Where?" he asked, and I looked at him closely wondering why he cared.

     Ava grabbed his hand and led him over to where her mother was. I got up and trailed them too and grabbed Omari's other hand as we walked over towards a table in the middle of the room. The table was occupied by eight people and I knew everyone but two of them.

     "Where's your mother baby?" I asked Ava.

     She looked at me shortly before saying, "She's right there."

     I looked to where she was pointing and my mouth dropped. The woman Ava was pointing to looked nothing like the Abilasha I had come to know. This woman was small and fit, more toned than I was, and her dress revealed all of that. Her brown hair was up in a neat French Twist and white diamond drop earrings fell from her ears. Her make up was flawless and a beautiful diamond and emerald necklace graced her delicate neck. She was sitting down with her legs crossed, revealing a pair of expensive Giuseppe Zanotti sandals, speaking intimately to a handsome Caucasian guy. Me being a label whore immediately picked out the custom tailored cream Dolce & Gabbana suit he wore over a white v-neck Calvin Klein white tee. Suede Cream Ferragamo loafers covered his feet and a three row white gold based diamond bracelet covered his left wrist.

     Abilasha's attention was bought to us when Ava walked over and called her attention to us. Abilasha leaned down and whispered something to her before uncrossing her legs and standing from her seat. I frowned unconsciously when I saw the cut of the dress as well as how Omari stared at her in said dress. I tapped him on the side as the guy I assumed Abilasha came with stood and took his spot beside her and placed his hand on the small of her back.

     "Congratulations," Abilasha replied as she looked at both me and Omari.

     The guy with her nodded his head at the statement. I saw confusion in Omari's eyes and I frowned at her lack of anger. I had expected her to be bitter and angry. This reaction was something I was seriously unprepared for and it didn't help any that she looked amazing. I had no idea that the person in front of me was inside of the woman I had known and by the look in Omari's face he hadn't either. I suddenly felt threatened by the way Omari was looking at her and decided to make my presence known.

     I wrapped my arm around Omari's waist and leaned in before saying, "Thank you. To be honest I didn't think that you would be here."

     "Hmm," she said, "I was invited so I came."

     I just stared at her shortly and she gave me a self satisfied smirk before saying, "I'm so rude," and turned her attention to the guy beside her. "Mark this is Omari Grandberry and his wife Priscilla. Omari...Priscilla this is Mark Walhberg."

     "Nice to meet you," Mark said as he nodded his head to both Omari and me.

     "So you're leaving?" Omari asked, sounding disappointed.

     "Yeah," she replied as Mark slipped his hand in hers, "Mark and I both have prior engagements to attend to."

     Omari nodded before bending down to hug his daughter. Ava kissed him quickly on the cheek before grabbing her mother's free hand and the three walked out of the hall.