Adding Value to Dishonesty

“You want nothing to do with me,” Erica Sanders said as she approached the table in Envie Moi. An upscale French restaurant where she often dines. “Yet, you are here at my favorite place to eat and also at my table,” she said to Sanya, Yvette, and Toya.

Sanya hit back, “This is a public place, and you don’t own this table.”

Pulling out the empty chair beside Sanya, then pushed it between Yvette and Toya and hung her small handbag on the side of Toya’s chair to her right, sitting down and signaling the waiter, who rushed over. “My usual,” she said. “And whatever these ladies want.”

“We don’t want anything from you,” Sanya said. Turning to the waiter, “take her order to her table, wherever it is.”

Turning away from the waiter, Erica shouted, “We have been friends since we were babies. I know you envy me, but I forgive you all.”

“I am the oldest, so I should go first,” Yvette threw on the table.

Toya and Sanya nod in agreement.

“You are right,” Yvette said. “I begrudge you for all of the wealth you have achieved through lying and scheming while destroying innocent lives and our friendship.”

Toya dived in without a swimsuit, “I am envious of you because my husband and I can’t get a break away from our children. They want to spend all of their time with us. While your first child is incarcerated for robbery in juvenile hall and doesn’t even want to see or hear from you.”

Her eyes widen, and Sanya hits the ball out of the stadium, “I am envious that you found the love of a lifetime and lost it because you have increased the value of your unscrupulous practices. I harbor ill will against you for allowing a damn good guy to have to get a restraining order against you and having the court award him full custody of your only daughter. I grudge you because that beautiful angel will grow up without a mother’s love.”

Toya slides in again, “I am jealous of the fact that your children might imitate you and your lifestyle and repeat history, adding more pain and deceit to an already wicked world.”

Yvette continues the battle, “And I covet you for losing the two houses that you bought and your dream job. I am also envious of you for lying and scheming your way to a disastrous life of pain and regrets.”

Erica’s eyes widen, and she defends, “I wouldn’t have won if I played fair.”

“What the hell did you win?” Sanya demands.

“We grew up with dishonest parents. That’s all we knew. Now you are judging me because you think you are righteous!” Erica argues.

“After your parents unscrupulous actions took their lives, your grandmother didn’t raise you to be a thief and a liar!” Sanya defends her godmother.

“Erica,” Toya yanked her back into a world they vowed not to return to. “You have lost more than us. For what happened to your parents, your grandmother stressed the value of honesty to make sure you didn’t repeat history. The woman did that to try and save your damn life!”

“They didn’t escape the consequences of their lying and cheating ways. It ended their lives!” Yvette reminds her again.

“And your parents escaped,” was her defense.

“They didn’t get caught. That doesn’t mean they escaped the consequences,” Sanya informs.

“I don’t win when I play fair. Playing fair will make my life boring like yours.”

Sanya nods, and Yvette steps in, “What she is trying to say is that you pay the most because you lost both parents young. Their lack of ability to be fair ended their lives and denied you of both parent’s love. That should be a reason for you not to do what they did.”

“You guys play by the rules and is honest and look how your lives turn out.” Erica stressed.

Toya took control before Yvette exploded, “Our lives aren’t perfect. But playing fair is how we will keep our family and selves safe. We don’t have to keep looking over our shoulders. With honesty, no one can take our win away.”

“So, they can with dishonesty?” flew from the cobwebs in her brain.

“Girl are you brain dead?” Sanya bounces back. “Go back into your book of life and see all of what you have lost. Dishonesty takes and takes and keeps on taking. Honesty gives.”

“I agree with Sanya,” Toya said. “We may not have a perfect life, but we are there for our kids to make sure they don’t repeat generational mistakes.”

“I am sorry,” she said. “I am living the life I know. I can’t live what I don’t know.”

“By allowing Fate and destiny to control your life?” Toya states.

Yvette adds, “You were raised by an honest god fearing grandmother who showered you with love.”

“You weren’t raised in the same environment as your parents,” Sanya argues.

“I don’t get it,” Toya said in frustration when their efforts to show a friend the consequences of double-dealing failed. “Life paid your parents back live, direct and in real time, making you an orphan. We were raised by dishonest parents.”

“And we learned not to increase the value of falsehood. You were raised in a honest environment, and you learned nothing. Does that make sense?” Sanya wondered.

“That’s what I have been trying to get you to understand,” Erica said. “Lying and cheating are planted in my DNA. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter where you were raised. What you were taught or who raise you.”

“Damn,” the three friends said in unison after understanding connected the dots allowing them to see the truth.

Everything in life has a reason, even deceit. But people with influence, like Donald Trump and George Santos, keep adding value to cheating and wins.

Honesty will find a way to get back what dishonesty took.

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it. Please enjoy more from some talented writers on this platform.

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