This very long and is a conversation within a conversation. Here's the map:

1. Andre and Xandri's conversation (and narrative) is written regularly

2. Comments from the peanut gallery (those watching the conversation) are in the bold brackets [...]

3. Song lyrics bold italics

Hope that makes sense.  Click play above if you'd like to hear the song. Thanks for reading. Please review and recommend.

     Cookie met Xandri downstairs and while they rode the elevator up she explained the day's events. Clearly still shaken, she confessed that she really wasn't ready for what she had seen. They walked to Andre's office.

"You can just knock on the door. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you. Thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. I'm glad you called me."

As Cookie was leaving, almost running, from Andre's office and she ran into Jamal and Hakeem.

"Hey ma, is Andre still in? Hakeem and I thought we'd get him and we have some dinner together."

"Yes, he's in there with his friend Xandri." Cookie replied grabbing their hands.

"Xandri? I've never heard of her." Hakeem said.

"Is she real or imaginary?"

"She's very real and if you two hurry to my office with me we can see how really real she is." And she pulled them into her office. As they were hurrying they caught Lucious's eye and he followed them.

Cookie turned the tv to the closed circuit channel Malcolm assigned for this purpose. On the screen was an image of Andre sitting at his desk looking at some papers. Lucious walked in the door, startling them.

"Why are the three of you running around like some roaches hiding from the light?"

"Shh! Get in here and close the door."

"Why? What are you doing?" He looked at the tv. "And why is there a camera in Andre's office?"

"I had Malcolm put two in there while he was in your meeting this afternoon. It was a quick operation because you don't like long meetings."

"And why are you spying on him?" asked Lucious.

"For one, I asked Xandri to come over and talk to him about what happened this morning. And I just want to see what goes on between the two of them when they talk."

"And two?" he asked.

"And two, in case we have another situation like this morning we can see what's going on."

"Who is she?" Jamal asked.

"She is your brother's ex-girlfriend that told us he talks to her when he has problems and she helps him. I just want to see what she does."

"An ex? Does Rhonda know about her?" Hakeem wondered.

"Yes, and Rhonda can't stand her." Cookie moved her chair from behind her desk. "Ya'll might want to get comfortable."

     Andre was sitting at his desk, looking over numbers he'd probably looked over fifty times in the past hour. He guessed he could leave it alone until the next day. This was a part of the leveling out that he didn't like after starting medication again. He was somewhere between bored and in a fog. As he began to straighten his desk he heard a knock on his door. It was after hours and there couldn't have been that many more people still working in the building. He thought it probably was his father.

"Come in." The door opened and a familiar face peeked in.

"Andre?" he looked up and saw Xandri's face. "I'm not disturbing you am I?" He stood up and immediately came to meet her.

"Xandri! Hell no, you're not disturbing me. I was just thinking about leaving. Come in, come in." She walked in and closed the door behind her.

["She got a nice ass." Hakeem said. Cookie hit his arm.]

["Hakeem!"]

["What? I can't look?"]

"How are you?" Andre greeted her with open arms and they gave each other the warmest and sincerest of hugs.

["They're hugging a little too long for me." Lucious said. Jamal shook his head at his father.]

"I'm good. It's great to see you, it's been a few months."

"Yeah, we talk but there's nothing like seeing your beautiful face."

"Oh listen to you."

"Please have a seat." He directed her to the couch. She placed her coat and purse in the chair facing them.

["Damn, I know he's a little off now. She's a dime-piece times ten and he left her  for Rhonda?" Hakeem commented.] "So what brings you by here? Empire doesn't seem like the kind of place you would choose to hang out in after work hours."

"True but I...uh...came to see you. To check in with you, see how you're doing."

"My mother called you didn't she?" Xandri nodded. Andre groaned and rolled his eyes. "Why did she do that?"

"Oh don't fuss at her. She called because she's doing what she thought was best for you. Besides I don't mind coming here to see you. So come on, tell me about your day."

"What's there to say? I had a serious episode this morning. Right before I was supposed to do this really important presentation for the IPO. I can usually pull myself together if nobody bothers me, but not this morning. I locked myself in here and I didn't want to let anyone in. It was the first time my mom had seen me like that. I think it really shook her. I don't think any of them had seen me like that. My dad didn't really care. No big surprise there. Hakeem said I looked like I was gonna kill him. It was just scary for all of them."

["Was it that bad?" Lucious asked.]

["Yeah, he was kinda stone faced after you left." Jamal said.]

"I know. Seeing it for the first time is scary. And you can't really prepare people for that because it's different every time. Do you have any idea what your stressor was?" He shrugged his shoulders.

["That's what I want to know." Cookie said.]

"There's a lot going on." His voice began to shake. "Um...it could've been anything, everything, nothing. Things aren't going the way I want them to Xandri, the way I feel they should  be." Andre tried his best to blink back his tears but couldn't.

["Is he getting ready to cry?" was the complaint from Lucious.] "I just...I just...I..."

"It's okay, let it out, let it all out." He buried his face in his hands and cried.

["Look at this shit! What is he crying about?"]

["Does it matter Lucious? Your son feels overwhelmed with everything in his life. What do you do when it happens to you?"]

["I damn sure don't cry about it! Crying does nothing but give you a stuffy head and puffy eyes."]

["So you mean to tell me, that you didn't shed any tears when you found out you had ALS and that your expiration date was closer than you thought?" asked Jamal. "Even you can't be that cold-hearted. Not to yourself."]

["I took a step back, I'll admit that. But I didn't cry about it, I didn't be a punk about it. I didn't show any weakness about it. I raised y'all to be strong, not weak. Or did you forget that?"]

["Hey, we're not gonna fight amongst each other anymore." Cookie said. "We need to be on a united front for Andre. We need to be on a united front for all of us."] After about ten minutes he felt like he could talk again.

"I feel so damned defeated sometimes!! Like this damn thing won't let me live. Am I loosing my mind Xandri? Am I cracking up?" She cradled his face in her hands and gently kissed his forehead as his tears flowed. Her heart hurt for him. This disorder didn't play fair and she ended up shedding a few tears of her own.

["He's so open with her. I've ain't never seen him be that open with nobody." commented Hakeem.]

"No, you're not cracking up honey. I promise you're not. You're so much stronger than you know. I've always known that and I've always told you that. At one point you used to believe it."

"Sometimes I only feel it when I talk to you or think about you." She wiped his tears with the pads of her thumbs. He managed to look at her through his tears.

"You're crying. Why are you crying?"

"I don't like to see people hurting; I don't like to see you hurting."

"I don't want you to cry over me Xandri; I'm not worth the cry." he whispered.

["Is he serious?" asked Lucious.]

"Well, who are you to decide when, where, and how I choose to shed my tears?" she replied laughing a little. "You'll lose that argument every single time because worthy causes always get my tears."

["You tell him Xandri."] He managed to smile a little bit. "Are you taking your meds properly?"

["Hell naw, he's not taking them!"]

"You know the answer to that. They put me in that fog that won't let me think or feel. I want to be able to feel Xandri."

"If you stay on the medication and talk to the therapist regularly it would help tremendously. My uncle has worked hard and is off the serious meds. He takes some herbal stabilizers now and he's done well."

[Cookie grabbed a pen hoping she might give Andre some names of the herbal medication.]

"But how long was he on the meds?"

"Years but after he got serious about his treatment, extremely serious, things began to change for him. Things will change for you too."

"I don't know what to do Xandri."

["Get your shit together, that's what you do." Lucious said.]

"As soon the IPO is done, you should go somewhere."

"Vacation?"

"If you want to tell everyone that, you can. But I mean a facility."

"A mental health facility? No I don't wanna do that."

["Come on Dre, at least think about it man." Jamal said.]

"Yes, it's the only way. You need to get back to that structure and discipline to help you stay on track. Talking to the therapist and your family, getting your feelings out will help your desire to want to stay healthy. Daily meditations have helped uncle Rock so much. I can't see why they wouldn't help you too."

"Clearing my mind is easier said than done."

"Well, one of the lessons I learned from him is to prioritize what's on your mind. He meditates and when he's done, he starts on that list and if he only gets three of twelve things done, then the rest waits for the next day. And he doesn't beat himself up for what doesn't get done. Surely you can do that."

"Have you noticed where I work? There's always something that needs to be done." Xandri took his hands in hers.

["Yeah, do you know where he works, Xandri?"]

"You can do it. I know you can."

"Thank you for having so much faith in me."

"It won't be long before you get your faith back in yourself."

["At least he's smiling now." Hakeem said.]

She smiled at him and Andre smiled back at her. A genuine smile, a happy smile. He began to kiss her hands in appreciation. Then her fingers knowing this would maker her giggle.

["Um, Andre what are you doing?" Cookie asked leaning forward.] His lips made their way to her wrists, which he remembered was a sensitive spot for her; she became breathless and moaned with pleasure.

["Wait, did she just moan?"]

"Nah, nah, nah Andre. What are you doing?"

"Kissing you."

"Uh, I don't think you really want to go there." She placed her finger on his lips in a poor attempt to get him to stop.

"It's exactly  where I want to go." he replied and removed her finger to kiss her. He tilted his head to the right, placed his finger under her chin and brought her face closer.

["Uh..."]

["Is he gonna kiss her?" Jamal asked.] It started gently, then their lips seemed to open simultaneously, drawing each other further in.

["Damn bruh, go ahead then!" Hakeem said smiling.] Sensuality took over as their tongues met and she erotically sucked his tongue, bringing forth butterflies in both of their stomachs. Xandri reluctantly moved back, because it would be so easy to continue and go beyond.

["As long as he and Rhonda have been together I've never seen them kiss like that." Lucious said. "Never."]

["That's the kiss of a man in love." Jamal noted and before Lucious could make a rude remark "Keep it to yourself dad."] She shook her head "no" when he came in for a fifth kiss.

"Andre..."

"What's wrong?"

"You know we can't."

"We can and we just did." he said moving toward her face again. This time she placed her hand on his lips to stop him.

"You're married. I can't do that to your marriage."["Smart girl." Cookie replied.]

"I miss kissing you and holding you. Those were some of my favorite times. After studying our lessons we got to study each other." They laughed. "You remember how you used to lay on my chest, across my body really, and we'd just kiss and talk?"

"Yes, I also remember doing that because you wanted to feel all on my booty." Andre looked behind her. ["I'd do the same thing Dre." Hakeem said]

"Well could you blame a brotha'? It was a beautiful booty. Probably still is."

"Oh no, hands off mister." she said as she pulled his hands from around her waist in an attempt to keep them where she could see them.

"Is there anyone else feeling all on your booty?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but no."

"So you're saying I've got a chance?" They laughed again.

"No, not as long as you're married to Rhonda. I never liked to share my man and after what happened with Jordan, you know I make triple sure there is no sharing going on."

They sat there admiring each other.

["Look at the way he's looking at her, like he could sop her up with a biscuit or something." Cookie remarked.]

["He's way more into her than he is Rhonda. I wonder if that's why she doesn't like her?" Jamal mused.] Xandri always loved the squareness of his jaw and the smile- no it was more like a smirk- that could make her wet. He also had perfected that LL Cool J lip licking/biting action. She wasn't the only one swooning over that action that but she was the only one who benefited from it. Andre's attention to detail was such a turn on for her; he paid attention to what she wore, what she ate, liked to read, loved to listen to. They were all a part of his charm and sexiness. Even at nineteen, he was damn sexy. He always loved everything about her. She always had naturally beautiful long hair, gorgeous hazel eyes, lovely mocha skin, and curves so sexy that would make a winding road jealous. And he loved feeling every single curve. Her voice was smooth and sweet as honey and every time he heard it, it made him breathless and he wanted to hear more.

"Jordan was a fool for messing things up with you."

"No argument here."

"And so was I."

["Wait...what?" They all said simultaneously.]

"I won't argue with that either." He watched her cross her legs as they continued to hold hands, remember what those legs used to feel like surrounding his waist. "Do you ever have 'what ifs' about us? I think a part of me going after Rhonda was the beginning of this disorder. But what if I had stayed focused on you, on us? What if we had stayed together? What kind of life would we have?" She shrugged.

["Is he really going there?" asked Lucious.]

"I don't know. I'd like to think that I'd be the type of wife who would support you no matter what."

"I think you would too. When I think about us and what could've been, I remember stuff we used to do. Like this, holding hands and cuddling. I miss that."

["I don't think I've ever seen them hold hands." Hakeem said.]

"And Rhonda?"

"She's not much of a cuddler."

["I didn't think she was." Cookie mused.]

"And no big booty to grab on either."

"There's that."

["Got that right!" Cookie hit Hakeem's arm again.] They laughed. "Do you remember some of the music we used to listen to while hanging out together or being intimate?" he said with as much sex appeal as he could.

"Yes, I still have a lot of that music in my playlist."

"Me too!" Andre took out his phone and brought up the playlist. "Do you remember this one?" He pressed play and Maxwell's "'Til The Cops Come Knockin'" started to play. Xandri smiled, rolled her eyes at his mannish behavior but relished in the memory.

["I don't know that song." Hakeem said.]

["I've heard of it. Very sexy song." Jamal said.]

"Of course I do. Especially that the time the cops actually came knocking."

"Well, it wasn't exactly a cop..."

"No, it was the your floor's Resident Assistant, which is dorm speak for cop." she laughed.

"To be fair," Andre said, "my neighbor did have a valid complaint about my headboard hitting the wall...a lot."

["What?!" was Cookie's response.]

["That's my big brother." Hakeem said laughing and trying to slide over to escape his mother's slap to his arm.]

"Anyway." she giggled.

"How about this one?" One click and Sade's "Kiss of Life" played.

["Well, I give them props on the music. Sade's on everybody's sex play list." commented Lucious.]

"Ah Sade." Andre could tell she was blushing from the memory. "I remember that afternoon. I had just finished doing laundry..."

"Hmmm Mmmm, and you had to change your sheets."

"My goodness you are so bad!"

["He's the bad one? She sounds like a little freak!"]

"Wait, we can't forget this one." He played another song. "Janet Jackson's 'Anytime, Anyplace' against the wall next to your dresser?"

[Hakeem took out his phone and starting looking up the songs as Andre and Xandri mentioned them.]

["Boy what are you doing?" Cookie asked him.]

["Taking notes, duh." He wasn't fast enough to get away from her hitting his arm that time.]

"Everybody had gone to the party after the football game."

"Except for us. I didn't know I had that much stamina." She laughed. "You're laughing but I'm so serious."

"Stamina was never a problem between us."

"Mmmm, no it wasn't. We didn't have any problems regarding intimacy did we?"

"Nope. Unless you count being patient in waiting until we were done studying or had some alone time."

["Damn, sounds like she had that good-good and he was addicted." Lucious said. "Sounds like he still might be." He was sitting too far away from Cookie for her to hit him but she threw a notepad his way.]

"Speaking of no alone time...do you remember that time when you figured out how to send me that text of a curvy body and told me to come by after I left the library? None of your suite mates wanted to go anywhere. We were in your room and we played that other Janet Jackson song we loved 'The Body That Loves You'?"

"Oh my god and we tried our best to not let them hear us."

"Probably the quietest and most intense orgasm I've ever had in my life!"

["Oh. My. God. I don't know what to say!!" Cookie said. Lucious laughed at his ex-wife.]

["Cookie, he was college student. That's what college boys do."]

"Me too! When you talk about these songs you'd think we were at it every time we saw each other."

"True, however we should never apologize for the way we felt about each other. Love makes you do that sometimes." He looked her straight in the eye when he said those words, hoping that she knew it wouldn't take much to get those feelings back. She kissed his nose and in a moment of weakness she kissed him. And he didn't resist. She pulled away, again reluctantly, each of them relishing the taste of the other on their lips.

["I don't know who wants who more." Jamal said.]

["I know right?" replied Hakeem.]

"Damn it, I said I wasn't going to do that!" Xandri forced herself to sit back. "So what other fuzzy feeling down memory lane to you have in there?"

"Only one of our favorite songs, ever." She thought for a moment.

"Andre if you play that song I will have to leave!" He clicked the song, it began to play and Xandri quickly clicked the screen to make it stop.

["Wait, what was it?" Hakeem asked.]

["I couldn't tell." Jamal wondered.]

["It sounded like The O'Jays." Lucious said.]

"Awe come on Xandri! You know you loved this song. The mighty O'Jays singing 'Lovin' You' was everything! We had orgasms all over that song."

["Ewww..." Cookie made a face at that comment.]

"I know..."

"And I remember that you used to sing it until you got to that point you couldn't sing anymore and let that orgasm go."

[Cookies grabbed the remote from her desk. "Oh my god I can't listen to this. I'm turning it off!"]

["No!" Hakeem insisted.]

["Hey you were the one who wanted to spy on them," Lucious said laughing. "you can't complain now."]

"Well it was kinda hard to sing with your head between my legs! And if I remember correctly, we used to sing this to each other, hands locked until we reached that point where we couldn't sing anymore."

["That's hella intimate." mentioned Jamal.]

["Nobody says hella anymore." remarked Hakeem.]

"Did we sing this together?" Xandri nodded. "I don't remember us singing it, I remember you singing."

"Yeah we sang it."

"Well," he said standing and extending his hand, "let's take a trip down memory lane. May I have this dance?" She gave him a crazy look as she stood, hands on her hips.

"Dance to this song...with you? Knowing how we used to be on this song?"

"Why not?"

"Only if you can keep your hands and 'him'," she said pointing to his crotch, "under control." Andre looked down at his crotch.

"You hear that down there? Control yourself. Can you do that?"

["Man, how much of a cornball can you be Andre?"]

["Did he just really say that?"]

"Oh my god!" she said laughing.

"He agrees." Xandri shook her head and smiled.

"Okay, let's dance."

"Bring those sexy hips over here." Andre started the song, then he tenderly pulled Xandri into his arms. Her hands rested on his chest as they began to sway to the music. When the verse started he began to sing:

Lovin' you
Has made my life much sweeter, baby
Baby, since I've got you
Everything is alright

["I've never heard my son sing." Cookie said.]

"Come on Xandri, sing with me." She decided to go ahead and sing with him:
When I'm lovin' you
I feel so good inside, ooh baby
When I make love to you
I'm in paradise, I'm in paradise, oh

["She can sing too. Do you hear that harmony between them?"]

You know you make me feel

You make me feel so good

From my head down to my toes

Sometimes I wanna shout
I wanna scream, tell the world about it
There's a girl in my mind
Your love is so good, so good, so good, so good to me

Needing you
I need you in everything I do
Baby, since I've got you
My life is complete

(Instrumental)

Xandri placed her forehead against Andre's. "Ah, I've forgotten how sexy you sound when you sing."

"And I've forgotten what it feels like to have you in my arms." Xandri's hands were now around Andre's neck and they were staring into each other's eyes.

["Shit, you see them? They're oozing sex. Are we sure they're not sleeping together?" Lucious asked.]

["She said they weren't Lucious."]

["Do we believe her?"]

I'm in paradise, I'm in paradise
You know you make me feel
You make me feel so good
From my head down to my toes

And sometimes I wanna shout
I wanna scream, oh and tell the world about it
There's a girl in my mind
Your love is so good, so good, so good to me

"Your love was more than just good to me, it was amazing." Andre pulled her even closer, then they were cheek to cheek.

["This song is deep." Jamal noted. "It expressed everything when they were together and it looks like nothing has changed. I don't know why he's with Rhonda but it's clear with this song, he'd rather be with Xandri."]

Oh, lovin' you
Has made my life much sweeter baby
Baby, since I've got you
Everything is alright
Everything is alright
This song had always said what he felt in his heart about Xandri. At that moment he was doing a poor job of hiding his emotions. So was she. His heart was beating so hard and he just knew she could feel it pulsing through his body. She was blinking back tears herself.
The way you love me
Feels so right
The way you hold me
Feels alright
Everything is alright

["Look at her. I think she feels the same about him."]

When you kiss me, baby

Everything, everything is just, just
Feels so good it's not true
Everything is alright

As much as they tried to fight it, their lips found each other. Their kiss expressed a deep desire and sensuality that absolutely had to be suppressed, except for this moment. Reluctantly and breathlessly the kiss ended and he held her closer to him.

As long as I keep food on the table
Long as I keep the bills paid, baby
Long as I'm lovin' you
Long as you're lovin' me
Everything is alright

"I'll always need you Xandri. As long as I have you in my life everything is alright."

"But I can't be in your like the way you want, the way we want."

"I know." It pained Andre to say that. They spent the last minute of the song holding each other for dear life.
As long as I'm taking care of you, baby
And every little thing is alright

The way you love me
The way you hold me
The way you wrap your arms
Wrap your arms around me

["I don't understand. If she loves him that much, wants him that much what is she waiting on? She could take Rhonda down, no problem." Hakeem said.]

["I know, I don't get it either." Jamal replied. "Xandri clearly has the power over his heart. I mean look at them. Is she giving up?"]

["No," Cookie said. "she's not giving up; believe me she has a plan. And a genius one at that. She knows exactly what she's doing."]

The music stopped but their embrace didn't. Neither wanted to let go. These were moments that were years in the making but would have to last a lifetime as long as he was married to Rhonda. It would be easy if she had agreed to be his mistress, the side chick. But Xandri really didn't want to share him. She wanted to protect him, to care for him, be his advocate, his support system, and to love him.

["They're so gentle with each other. I've never seen him act that way with Rhonda. They never show emotion like that. You can't even tell they're married." Lucious commented.]

Andre pushed back a curl from that had fallen into her face and caressed her cheek as he smiled. Xandri took his hands and held them close to her heart so he could feel how fast her heart was beating, then he did the same for her. And she knew if she stayed any longer she would really violate his marriage vows and they would be naked on the floor.

"I should probably be going."

"Do you have to?" he whispered. Xandri nodded. "I don't want you to."

"I know. I don't want to either, but I have to. If I don't we'll be in trouble."

"I'm not afraid of a little trouble."

["That's my cue to head out to meet her. Try not to mess up my office ok?"]

"Andre..."

"I know, I know." She grabbed her purse and coat and tried to leave but he kept hold of her hand. Kissing her fingers he asked, "How soon can I see you again?"

["See? He's really trying to rekindle their relationship. Why doesn't he just leave Rhonda? Life is too short to spend it with the wrong person." Jamal shook his head.]

["You think it's that easy?" Lucious asked. "Just to give up on a marriage?"]

["If the love isn't there dad, it isn't there." Jamal replied.]

["And it's clear, there's no more love for Rhonda." Hakeem said.]

"We'll see. You can call me anytime you need to talk. You know that." He nodded. "Please make sure you take your medicine and talk to the therapist, ok? More than anything I want you to be healthy."

"I will."

"Promise?"

"I promise." She caressed his cheek and gave his one last kiss on his lips.

"Good night."

"Good night Xandri." And with that she left Andre's office.

      Once she closed the door, it took everything in her will not to go back into the office. Cookie met her as she was walking down the hall. Xandri almost felt embarrassed to face her because of how she was feeling. And she was sure it was written all over her face.

"Hey girl I was just coming to check on you guys." Cookie noticed her tears. "Are you ok? How did everything go?"

"I'm fine, I just miss seeing him, being close to him. I mean we talk, when he needs to but seeing him...did something to me." She wiped a few tears. "We had a good talk though. But I really am concerned about him."

"Why?"

"He's scared Cookie. Really scared. I'm scared for him and I haven't seen him this scared in years."

"How many years?"

"Four or five maybe. Please listen to me when I say as soon as the IPO is done, he needs to check in." Cookie nodded that she understood.

"I will. Lucious and I have talked about it. We just need Rhonda on board."

"If she can't do it, for his sanity you have to do it."

"Believe me, I understand that more than you know. No matter how grown your children are, a mother's work is never done. Xandri thank you so much for coming over. I can't thank you enough."

"It was my pleasure, it really was."

      An hour later Andre was walking into his home and everything was quiet. He didn't see his wife right away so he called out for her. No answer; didn't mean she wasn't there. He wandered into the kitchen where their chef had left a note about dinner. Apparently Rhonda had given him the night off. Andre hung his suit jacket on the back of a stool at the counter top and loosened his tie, preparing to warm up his dinner. He had just gotten the salad and meat out of the refrigerator when he heard the click of Rhonda's heels.

"Hi honey, you're home. I thought I heard you call me." Andre turned around to find his wife dressed for a night out in stunning knee-length turquoise strapless dress. Her hair was pinned up and along with flawless makeup, she had on a dazzling platinum diamond jewelry set that she bought herself the year before. "I see you found Carl's note. I gave him the night off."

"I see. Um...was there a dinner engagement that I forgot about?" Rhonda looked down at her dress.

"What, this? Oh no, nothing you forgot about. I was invited to a secret fashion show tonight by the photographer from the shoot today." Remembering some of the day's events, he decided to take Xandri's advice and to try talking to his wife.

"So how was the photo shoot today?"

"Oh it was great!" she exclaimed. "The weather was chilly put the pictures turned out amazing. I think this new line will be our best seller yet. And how was your day? You had a presentation didn't you?" Rhonda was asking but wasn't really concentrating on him, just her phone.

"The presentation went well. Tim, Samantha and Joe did an excellent job."

"What? You let someone else present something for the IPO? What happened?" Andre needed to tell her about his episode, but he needed her to sit down and listen.

"I, uh...wasn't feeling well this morning."

"Oh?" She placed the back of her hand on his forehead then underneath each side cheek, feeling for a fever. "You don't feel feverish."

"It wasn't a fever. I had an epi-" Just then her phone rang and she answered.

"Hey Sarah, I'm ready. Are you outside?...Awesome, I'm on my way out." She turned to her husband. "Sarah is here, so I'm gonna go. I'm sure I can watch the presentation tomorrow. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"But I wasn't that kind of sick Rhonda."

"Well, we can talk about it later. Don't heat that steak up for longer than two minutes or else it'll be tough." She reached up to kiss him. "Don't wait up." And she left for the night.

Andre stood in disbelief and silence for a few minutes. He had just tried to tell his wife about his day but she couldn't be bothered. Just like when his mother and brothers had tried to call her about him. How was he supposed to get better when his support system was failing?