Free This Time Forever by Adrienne Williams

Renee heard Lena’s soft African accent, she was immediately transported back to a time when life seemed much simpler.  “Renee, it is so nice to hear from you.  Thank you for returning my call.”   Renee tried to keep her voice from trembling and said “Mrs. James, yes, it is very nice to talk to you as well.  How is Mr. James?”  Lena and Renee talked and exchanged pleasantries for a few more minutes before Lena said “I do hope that you will be able to have lunch with me today, Renee.  I’m sure you know that we were with Elliott the other day for lunch with Kayla and Matthew.  They are so beautiful, Renee, and so smart.”  Renee felt her heart start to beat rapidly again.  “Thank you, Lena, and yes, lunch today would be great.”  Renee could hardly believe that she had just agreed to have lunch with her.   She was doing exactly the opposite of what she told herself she was going to do.  She was supposed to be in meeting all day and would not be able to break away for lunch.  Instead, here she is telling Lena that lunch would be “great.”  They agreed to meet at Sylvia’s.   Renee asked Lena about how she would getting there and Lena said that she would call a cab.  Renee said “Why don’t I call Kayla or Matt to pick you up?”  Lena was resistant at first, saying that she did not want to disturb them, but Renee assured  her that it would be no trouble at all as they both have very short days on Fridays.   Lena said “Okay, that will be fine.  I will see you later, then.”  When Renee hung up the phone, she was in a daze.   She had to quickly remind herself to call Kayla to see if she would be able to pick up Lena this afternoon.  “So, you and Lena are having lunch today?”  Kayla was surprised, but pleasantly so.  “Yes, it was an unexpected invitation,” was all that Renee offered.  “Sure, I’ll pick her up and take her back to Elliott’s afterward.  Do you have his address?”  Renee gave the address to Kayla.  When she hung up the phone, she was sitting at her desk staring at her blank computer screen.   Genevieve came in and saw the blank expression on Renee’s face and asked her if everything was alright.  “Well, if you can call having lunch this afternoon with your children’s grandmother alright, then I guess it is.”  Genevieve’s eyes widened as she sat in the chair across from Renee.  “Oh, wow, Renee, things are certainly exciting for you, huh?   Renee replied “Without a doubt.”  Before Genevieve left Renee’s office, Renee said “I’m still going to meet with the decorator this morning about the finishing touches on the Manhattan boutique, and I am going over there before lunch, since I’ll be in the neighborhood anyway.  I’ll call you later to let you know how things are going.”   Genevieve said that would be fine and that if Renee needed her to do anything to just call her.    Just as Genevieve was leaving Renee’s office, Liza’s associate was waiting on the other side of the door, getting ready to knock. 
     
    After her meeting with the decorator, Renee left the office and went to The Skin and Hair Boutique II.  This boutique was different from the one located in the city in that it specialized in services for those who opted to maintain their hair without chemicals.  It also carried Renee’s skin and hair care line, Beautifully You.  When she arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the building phase was indeed nearing completion and that decorating could soon begin.  After doing a careful inspection of the face and skin care rooms as well as the salon, Renee was satisfied that everything was running on schedule.   She checked her watch.  It was now 12:30.  She knew that she needed to leave in order to make it to the restaurant on time.   She had been so busy during the morning that she did not have time to think or worry herself about seeing Lena today.  However, when she got into her