The look of shock on Andre's face was almost enough to scare Rhonda. Almost. He quickly stood up causing her to step back.

"'What the hell?' What was that slap for?!"

"For all the lies Andre!"

"Lies? What lies?"

"For starters, you tell me there's absolutely nothing going on between you and Xandri...'We're just friends Rhonda'...'She's just my ex Rhonda'... yet I catch you jerking off and calling her name in the middle of a sex dream!!!"

"There's nothing going on between us!!!" He yelled. "We are just friends. How many times to I have to tell you that?!"

"I don't know; it hasn't been enough so far. And how am I supposed to believe you when the two of you are so buddy-buddy? Huh? Calling your phone like she has wife privileges."

"What? How do you know she called my phone?"

"You don't get to ask how I know; I just do."

"Rhonda, what did you do? I called her a few days ago because I was having issues and you weren't here when I needed to talk to someone. But you decided to take matters into your own hands and manipulate her phone call? She was trying to check up on me."

"She's not your wife; I am. She doesn't have a reason to check up on you. You don't have anything to share with her. You should be sharing with me!"

"Yeah, coulda woulda shoulda Rhonda. I share with Xandri when you refuse to communicate and listen." Rhonda scoffed at those words.

"I refuse to communicate?! I refuse to communicate? How about you? You are the one refusing to communicate with me! You had an episode in the office yesterday and you didn't even tell me?!"

"I tried to tell you Rhonda."

"Bullshit you tried to tell me Andre! When did you try?"

"Last night before you headed out to your 'little surprise fashion show'. I told you I wasn't feeling well yesterday morning."

"You didn't have a fever."

"And I was trying to tell you that it wasn't a fever but an episode. But you were so engrossed with your phone and waiting for Sarah to call you that you didn't even give me a chance."

"Well why didn't you bring it up at breakfast?"

"Why didn't you? Besides you didn't seem to be in a talking mood this morning."

"Damn right I wasn't...listening to you moan some other woman's name, waking me up in the middle of the night. Then, you had an appointment with Dr. Morell today that I didn't even know about."

"To be fair I didn't know about that either! My mother blocked off time in our schedules and I didn't know where we were going until we had already left."

"Oh so your mother can get you to see the doctor but I can't?"

"I just told you, I didn't know I was going until we were on the way. What do you want me to say Rhonda? She cares enough about me to see me through this. Can you say the same?"

"Are you questioning my loyalty to you?"

"Yes." Rhonda threw her hands up in frustration.

"Oh. my. GOD! I can NOT believe you just said that!!"

"What do you want me to say Rhonda? That I completely trust you? Because I don't. And you know I don't." The expression on her face was somewhere between shock and hurt. "You're surprised at this revelation? We live the life we live and you're surprised?"

"Yes." she replied.

"You shouldn't be. As much as we've planned, schemed and lied to get things done, you're surprised?"

"That's business Andre. Business. I'm talking about us. We are supposed to trust each other."

"Well, do you totally trust me?"

"Before talking with your mother today and hearing you last night, I would have said without a doubt I trusted you wholeheartedly. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Well, there ya go." He replied as he was preparing to leave. He was tired of the conversation already.

"But maybe I should, keep trusting you. It might be the only way I find out what I'm supposed to know since you never tell me anything."

"Again, Rhonda, if I thought it would help talking to you I would. You think it's just as simple as taking medication. It's not. It's more than just talking to some shrink. I need my family's support, I've always needed it; that includes you. It seems like everyone's just now coming around."

"Oh so now you tell them everything?"

"I told them more yesterday than I ever have."

"Including the suicide attempts?" Andre placed his hands on his sides and hung his head. "I told your loud ass ghetto mother tha-"

"Hey, hey...Watch how you talk about her."

"What? It's the truth."

"She's still my mother. You don't hear me bashing the woman who gave birth to you."

"Anyway, I told her that she was lying and you would have told me about any suicide attempts. Then she precedes to tell me that there have been more than one, more than a few suicide attempts!!! Did you forget to tell me something? Aren't we supposed to talk about this?"

"You are not the easiest person to talk to Rhonda, okay? You're my wife but you don't like to talk about this disease, on my terms." Andre started to walk away from her but Rhonda grabbed his arm.

"A gun? You have a gun in this house. You tried to commit suicide in this house? The house we share?"

"Yes, I did. And the gun wasn't the first attempt."

"I know. She told me about the roof, you going to the subway or the beach. Is SHE the cause of all this? All these attempts after she's been released from prison? Because if she is I'm sure we can find a way for her to go back."

"NO, she is not my stressor. See, you don't pay attention to me at all do you? I bet you don't even remember two years ago when you found me floating in the pool." Rhonda's brow furrowed as she tried to remember. "I had taken so many drugs and chased them with alcohol, I was hoping to fall out of that floating lounge chair to drown in the bottom of the pool! That's how hope-less I was!!" His wife looked at him in shock.

"What?! Two years ago? Why didn't you say something?"

"What is there for me to say when you won't see it Rhonda? I have been crying out for help and everything else for the longest time. We've been together ten years and you are just now noticing I have serious problems?"

"Serious enough to check yourself in? Were you gonna tell me about that?"

"Yes and yes. There is nothing wrong with me going in."

"If you could just stay on your medication you wouldn't need to go." Andre was very frustrated with his wife now.

"ARGH!!! Rhonda why are you not listening to me?!! I need help staying on my meds. I'm telling you I need help and after the IPO is done I'm checking myself in."

"And all this was Xandri's idea, right?"

"The facility, yes. Me going, no. She thinks it would be a good idea, my parents think it's a good idea and I think it's a good idea. And I don't need your permission to go."

"Why go now?"

"Did you forget my father is dying? He has to leave the company in someone's capable hands. I want those hands to be mine and they won't be if I can't get this disorder under control."

"I can come up with a plan to get you the CEO position I just need some tim-"

"NO. I don't want some plan or scheme to get the position. I want to have my wits about me and do this the right way. If you can't or don't want to support me, then say so. I need to know who I can count on and who I need to let go." She was taken aback by those words.

"Let go? Let me go?? I'm your wife; you can't just let me go. Or did you forget that?"

"Then act like my wife; you need to get on board, because as soon as the IPO is done, I'm checking myself in. I have to go before my dad dies." He picked up his mug of now chilled cocoa and left the room.

   Rhonda watched her husband walk out. She couldn't believe the conversation they just had. Had she really not been paying attention to their marriage? She thought she was. Was her mother-in-law correct? Was she actually to blame for their problems and not Xandri? No, make no mistake about it: Xandri was a problem. One she hadn't quite figured out how to handle just yet. Rhonda needed to get her away from Andre. And more importantly keep her away. That was going to be a difficult thing to do. She began to pace and go into battle mode.

"That bitch doesn't need to be anywhere near my man. I need to find a way to shut her down." Rhonda thought for a minute. What could she do? Slander Xandri in some way that Andre would be disgusted by her and leave her alone? "Shit, it'd have to be something big. She's damn near perfect in his eyes." Maybe put Andre in an unflattering light? But how could she do that when he was already bi-polar? Most people would have run by then but not her, not Xandri. "She must have some crazy rescue complex! Running into the burning building instead of running from it." She stopped pacing suddenly as inspiration hit her. Rhonda pulled a phone out of her purse and dialed a number. There was an answer after the third ring.

"Hey...it's Texas Snowflake is Sly or Jay available?...Cool, may I speak to Sly?..." Rhonda walked to the corner of the room to make sure she couldn't be heard by Andre. "Hey Sly, it's Texas Snowflake, how are you?...Good, good. I'm good but I have a little problem. I have a job for you. I need you to do a SWOT analysis on Alexandria Carolina Bishop. She's the CEO of BoMo Enterprises. That stands for 'Bishop's Own Management Operations'...I know, real unique name....Yeah...I need to know everything about her businesses- search the BBB, health department, business review sites, disgruntled former employees, whatever you can find. Then comb through her personal life. I want to know everything- every single ex, high school problems, family issues. Everything....yeah...you leave it on my desk with our special mark on the envelope... How much?... Okay, I can do that. Down payment left in the usual place? Good. I'm looking forward to what you can find. Don't disappoint me; I have a lot riding on this." Rhonda put the phone back on silent and into her purse. She took a few minutes to gather herself trying to decide if she wanted to sleep next to her husband tonight. Then a smile come over her face just thinking about what was going to be in the envelope Sly was going to bring her.

"Xandri won't know what hit her! She'll be so done, she'll go away and I'll have my husband back, under my control, where he belongs."

*SWOT analysis (for those who don't know): a business term used to define the Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats of a company (could be done on the company itself, a competing company, or a company that might be acquired).