Chapter Ten:

Unfinished Business

"What do you mean I can't talk to her?!" Tiana exclaimed "She is my friend!"

"I don't want anything to do with those people! That family is horrid Tiana." Naveen explained "You for one should understand that!"

Tiana was following Naveen around their hotel suite trying to get her husband to see her side of Vivienne. She desperately wanted to meet up with her to talk and catch up, but Naveen was completely against it, much to Tiana's despair. It didn't help that he had a meeting to attend.

"She's not like that. Vivienne is different. She treated me the best out of all of them. With the utmost respect!" she said as she watched him check his pocketwatch "She isn't like them…"

"I do not care. At the end of the day, her last name is Richelieu. I don't trust her. End of story."

That set Tiana off "End of story? Since when do I have to beg you to give me permission to do anything? You're not my father!"

"No I'm not but I am your husband, and you're obligated to listen to me during times like this. We took vows…"

"You don't want to bring up vows with me Naveen." she said sternly "You're the last person that I want to hear say that four letter word!"

Naveen was silent for a moment "Why do you always have to bring up the past? We are over that, done!" he said putting on his suit jacket "We were having a good time here until she arrived….."

"You're right! We were until you decided to think that you can control me again! All you had to do was support me in my decision to see Vivienne, but instead you created this huge scene! She's practically Victoria's aunt for goodness sakes!"

Naveen didn't want to hear that "That woman is nothing to my daughter. Nothing. As long as she has a relationship with that bastard that she calls a brother, she will never be welcomed in my presence...or yours."

Tiana stood back a bit frightened at how serious Naveen was. She didn't know what to say as she just stood there in front of him.

"I'll be back in an hour." and with that he left the suite

Tiana couldn't do anything but sigh as she plopped down on the parlor room sofa. Dazed.

"Oh I remember that record!" said Tiana "It was playing that day when I was helping you get everything ready for that Women's Suffrage meeting you were hosting."

"That's right!" remembered Vivienne "We had so much fun that night, you introduced me to jazz...and I introduced you to-

"Feminism." she finished as she took a sip of wine "I learned so much."

Tiana decided to meet up with Vivienne at her penthouse in the heart of downtown Paris, right after Naveen left for his meeting. She knew that he had good intentions but who was he to tell her who she could and could not see? Both women were surrounded by smooth jazz music, great wine, and friendship.

Vivienne nodded "I'm glad, but not at the fact that negro women are still not able to vote in America." she poured herself more wine "I should've left that backwards country sooner."

"It's alright. But tell me, why did you leave? And what's going on in your life now? Where is Simeon?"

"So many questions!" the brunette joked

"I'm sorry, but it has been so long…it's been..."

"Ten years." they both said

"So much has changed, well to answer your questions I left because I wasn't wanted in Louisiana. Things became worse after you left and I discovered new things about my father. Before he died, we found that he left majority of his fortune to me, while my siblings only received his possessions..."

Tiana listened on

"Marguerite was left with nothing except for the house and it angered them all so much, that I could no longer stay in Metairie let alone Louisiana as a whole. They all harassed me daily especially Violet. I knew that I didn't want to continue life with them in the midst of it. So I packed up Simeon and I's bags and we moved here and haven't looked back since. I don't regret one bit of my decision."

"That's strength. I'm so glad you were able to leave, not many people can do that." said Tiana

Vivienne smirked as she looked out of the window "You may not have known it then, but you inspired me to take flight Tiana."

The young queen was shocked "Really?"

"Yes! When I heard that you and Naveen had fled to Portugal, it ignited something in me. I knew how much you didn't want to leave, because of family and other things but you did it anyway. Plus you did it all with a young baby!"

"I really had no choice. If I would have stayed...I believe that Vincent would have eventually killed me."

Both women were silent for a moment

"I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

"Nonsense! We are having a conversation about the Richelieus, the mood will always be ruined whenever they are brought up." she laughed

"Very true." Tiana sipped her wine "How's Simeon?"

"Ah, he's doing well. He's fourteen now, doing well in school and loves science. He wants to be a physician one day."

"Great for him! I wish he were here so I could see him...he probably wouldn't even remember me."

"I think he would." she poured more wine "That boy can recall serial numbers on the back of a can of soup." she joked "How is little Victoria? Or should I say big Victoria now?"

Tiana stopped to think for a moment "She's the best thing, honestly. Full of energy, loves literature, always smiling…"

"Nothing like her father I suppose?"

"Not at all. I mean she has a few traits that remind me of him like the way she sneezes or the way she furrows her brow when she's trying to figure something out…" she reached into her purse "I have a photograph…"

"My goodness, she's basically the female version of him…" Viv said glancing at the photo "I mean she looks like you too, but this is almost crazy how much she favors him! Except for the curly hair!"

Tiana was silent

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing...I was just thinking."

"About?"

"The letter. He sent me a letter."

"Who Vincent?"

"Yes." she answered as she downed the rest of her wine "He wants to see her."

Vivienne frowned "What? He does? How did he even get your address? Why would he even bother after all these years…"

"I don't know."

"Does Naveen know?"

"No! And I'm not telling him." she stood up "I mean why would I?"

Vivienne hesitated before speaking "Has she become curious?"

"What?"

"Has she asked any questions...about her background? She does stand out visibly from her brothers."

Tiana shook her head "No. She's never questioned me about anything like that, nor have my sons…"

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know!" she began pacing the room "I do know for a fact that Naveen will be absolutely against it. He didn't even want me to come visit you!"

Vivienne listened on

"I hate Vincent for everything that he's done to me! He made my life hell when we were together and I can't see myself doing anything for him ever again...but then when I look at my baby girl, I feel that I owe her the truth about that other part of her...I want her to know you and Simeon as her aunt and cousin but I can't do that because...I'm afraid that it will ruin her forever. I could never forgive myself if that happened."

"I completely understand Tiana. This is a very delicate situation, and only you know what's best for your daughter."

Tiana chuckled "How would you even come close to understanding how I feel about all of this? Living day after day knowing that you're keeping this huge secret from your family?! Trying to keep it all together on the outside but on the inside you're actually dying..."

"You want to know how I understand your situation?"

"Yes!"

"I know because I lived it."

The young queen was silent

"You must have forgotten that I had gone almost thirty years of my life believing that Marguerite was my mother before she revealed the truth to me. I know what betrayal and anger feels like…"

"...and to think that she would have gone to her grave without telling me…it just hurts, because her not acknowledging the truth messed me up for so many years, especially in the beginning of my life, I couldn't figure out for the life of me why my mother treated me the way that she did."

Tiana listened on

"I thought that she treated me the worst because of 'tough love' - I was the eldest, when that was ruled out I assumed it was because I had a son out of wedlock, or because I had to continue living in her home - I couldn't afford to live on my own back then… I thought it was a whole lot of things … except for what it actually was… it was resentment. Resentment for what my father did to her."

"I don't want Victoria to resent me. Or Naveen." Tiana shed a tear "I don't want to keep her from the truth either."

"What is your heart telling you at this moment?"

She thought for a moment "I really don't know. I'm torn."

"Oh Tiana you know. Don't run from it."

"No I don't! God, why are you making me decide on something that will alter my children's lives forever? My entire family? This is not easy!"

"Seemed easier when you decided to alter mine ten years ago."

"Are you blaming me for what your family did?"

"No, but I want you to keep that same energy for this situation. How is this any different?"

Tiana was taken aback "Did you really just ask me that?"

"Tiana. Do what you think is right...I can't tell you what to do."

"Exactly."

Knock-knock.

Vivienne got up to answer the door to the housekeeper.

"I'm sorry Madame, but I'm afraid that you accidentally gave me an excess of the amount you were supposed to pay me." she handed her some money "I brought the remains amount."

The brunette shook her head "Oh no Yvonne, that's the correct amount, I felt that you deserved it. You work hard."

The housekeeper looked relieved "So generous Madame! Thank you so much. I'm sorry I interrupted.."

"Don't apologize. If it were a mistake, I'm glad you came...I mean like they all say, the truth shall set you free...right?" she said looking in Tiana's direction

Tiana looked away as she sipped the rest of her wine.