“What’s going on?” Olivia heard Christian’s voice.
Olivia panicked. Her kids were witnessing Mariah hitting Malcolm. “You better not lay a hand on my children, Mariah. Otherwise, this will be your last day on the face of this earth. I’m coming over there,” Olivia yelled. She wasn’t certain if Mariah heard her warning in the frenzy of the moment. Olivia strained to make out the jumble of voices.
Malcolm’s voice came through the speaker. “No. Don’t come here. I’ve got it handled.” Olivia heard him yelling away from the phone. “It’s okay, Son. Go back to bed. We’re fine. Mariah, give the pot to me,” Malcolm growled. More scuffling sounded through the phone.
“You’re hurting my hand, Malcolm,” Mariah cried out. “Let me go.”
Olivia heard clanging that sounded like the pot hitting the ground.
“You said you loved me. Why were you with her? You said you loved me.” Mariah’s constant wail began before the phone died.
Olivia sat in silence. The phone tumbled from her hand onto the sofa. She stood and marched to the bathroom to get in the shower. The events of the morning convinced her to carry her behind to church for a dose of Jesus today.
TWENTY
Savvy
The Redeemed Saints Baptist Church choir swayed in unison in purple and gold robes. Their voices belted out in harmony the gospel song, For Every Mountain, which brought the congregation to their feet. People cried out, “Hallelujah” and “Thank you, Jesus,” in response to the singing stirring the spirit.
Savvy swayed in her seat to the music, singing along with the alto line. People often complimented her songstress talents. She’d considered joining the choir if there was time available to do so. Olivia stood next to her with eyes closed and hands raised in total praise.
A lady sitting two rows in front of them began shouting, “For every trial, you’ve seen me through. Thank you, Jesus.” She repeated the same words until her voice sounded raw. Church members attempted to calm the woman by fanning funeral home paper fans around her until she crumpled to the pew with tears pouring across her face.
Savvy turned to Olivia and noticed wetness on her cheeks. She reached into her purse and offered a pack of tissues. Olivia grabbed them and lowered herself onto the pew where she continued rocking to the music. She dabbed her face and the flow of tears slowed as the song ended.
Savvy hadn’t seen Olivia cry this hard in church. She hadn’t stopped crying since the choir sang their first song. Concern about what could be wrong grew in her mind.
Savvy patted her friend’s hand. Olivia peered at her with red-rimmed eyes and whispered, “Thanks.” She blew her nose and crumpled the tissues into her fist.
Savvy dug into her purse again and produced a church program and pen. On the back, she scribbled, Are you okay? Or is the Holy Spirit washing over you right now? She passed the note to Olivia.
Olivia sniffled and read the message. She extended her hand for the pen to scratch out a few words before handing it back.
The note read: I’m a mess.
Savvy took the pen and jotted; I see. Do we need to step outside for a breath of fresh air? She passed the items to Olivia.
Olivia read it and shook her head. She scribbled on the paper and handed it back to Savvy. I can make it through church. I need this sermon today. You won’t believe what happened last night. We’ll talk.
Savvy burrowed her eyebrows and crinkled her nose. She stared at Olivia for a second before tucking the note and pen away.
Pastor B. stood from his chair in the audience to walk up the stairs to the pulpit. He opened the Bible on the podium and greeted the congregation with, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy name.”
Several people responded, “Amen.”
Pastor B. continued, “Saints, the name of the message this morning is ‘Team Ratchet or Team Righteous’.” Members of the congregation snickered at the title. “You heard me right. ‘Team Ratchet or Team Righteous’. Which side are you on? You may be seated.”
“Preach Pastor,” a member yelled out.
Everyone settled into the pews for the sermon. Savvy noticed Olivia had a pen and paper ready for notetaking as if she were a student again. She appeared prepared to catch every word from the pastor’s mouth today.
Pastor B. adjusted the microphone before speaking again. “Everybody plays a fool, sometimes. God will set you up, to hook you up. Your setback is a setup for your comeback.”
Various members of the congregation agreed by yelling, “That’s right,” and “Teach the Word, Pastor.”
Pastor B. continued, “Let me tell you about what righteousness means. It means right or moral conduct. The power of the Gospel provides and reveals the righteousness all of us need. Can I get an Amen?”
Olivia and Savvy each said, “Amen,” along with others in the congregation.
Pastor B. paused before making his next point. “Now let me tell you about this word, ratchet. It is to be uncouth, ghetto, gutter, or nasty. It also means being overdramatic or promiscuous.” The audience laughed at his definition.
“Listen up, y’all. I need you to make a choice today. Are you on ‘Team Righteous?’ Or ‘Team Ratchet?’ You need to pick a side. The fruit of the Spirit I want you to focus on today is self-control. After I give you the scripture, we will break it down with some serious expository preaching. Follow me into this lesson and pay close attention.”
Pastor B. preached a colorful sermon. By the time the invitation to salvation was extended, ten people ran down the aisle declaring their desire to be on ‘Team Righteous’.
Olivia squeezed past Savvy to sprint toward the altar yelling along with the group of runners. Savvy stared in disbelief at her friend marching around the church shouting ‘Team Righteous’.
The choir closed out the service and the congregation flowed from the sanctuary into the vestibule. Out of breath, Olivia returned to the pew to gather her purse. Her cheeks flushed from the exertion of spiritual energy. Savvy shook her head and led the way out. After telling other members goodbye, they headed to the parking lot.
“Alright, Missy. Get to ‘splainin’ what is going on with you?” Savvy questioned and studied her friend’s face for clues as they walked toward Olivia’s car.
Olivia shifted her eyes downward to avoid Savvy’s gaze. She mumbled, “I messed up. I’m trying to be on ‘Team Righteous’. I don’t have any self-control and can’t seem to get my life together.”
Savvy positioned herself in front of Olivia with her hands planted on her hips. “You messed up? How? When I talked to you before I went to Pharrell’s house, you were fine. What happened?”
Olivia made eye contact with Savvy. “Girl. Pastor B. preached his sermon for me. I’m on Team Ratchet,” Olivia exclaimed and waved her arms in the air for emphasis.
“What else is new?” Savvy replied without surprise. “We’ve all done some things which fall into the ratchet category. So, what did you do? It can’t be much since you didn’t have a lot of time between last night and this morning. Spit it out.”
“I slept with Malcolm.” Olivia’s remorse emerged through her lips.
“You what?” Savvy screamed and slapped both hands on her cheeks.
“Stop yelling. People are looking at us. I think Deacon Yargrove heard you.” Olivia nodded toward a man gazing their way before she opened the car door. “Get inside and I’ll tell you what happened.”
“Olivia. You’re kidding me, right? I know you didn’t say what I think you said,” Savvy slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. She widened her eyes and stared at Olivia. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Olivia groaned. “I wish it wasn’t true. I didn’t expect it to happen.” She untied the colorful silk scarf decorating her neck. “Look.”
Savvy squinted. “Is that a hickey? Olivia. Why were you two together? Where did this crime happen?”
“At my house.” O
livia hung her head and tied the scarf, covering the mark of passion.
“Your house? For what? Did you invite him over?” Savvy couldn’t believe the words coming from Olivia’s mouth.
“He showed up. Uninvited. He started apologizing about this and that. He kissed me, and blah, blah, blah. Next thing I knew, we did it.” Olivia flapped her hands around and explained the scenario at a rapid-fire pace.
Savvy’s mouth popped open and froze. “Really? Blah, blah, blah? What in the world does that mean? I can’t fill in the blanks.” She shrugged with palms extended outward to try to get some sense of understanding.
“I know it’s crazy. He’s still my husband, legally. Doesn’t this mean I’m not a complete ratchet person for sleeping with him?” Olivia smirked.
“Sure, the two of you are still married.” Savvy scratched her head in confusion. “Am I missing something here? Did you forget about the fact you and Malcolm can’t stand each other? He cheated on you last year with not one, but several women. On top of that, he made one of them his fiancée.”
“If anyone is ratchet, it’s Mariah. She’s the one who is engaged to my husband.” Olivia crossed her arms and pinched her lips. “Speaking of that skank, she knows we were together last night.”
“What?” Savvy yelled in the car space. “Olivia. How did she find out already?”
“I woke up this morning, by myself, and figured all of this had to be a nightmare. I called Malcolm after discovering the hickey and being buck naked. Also, all the physical activity made my body achy. You know what I mean?” Olivia chuckled.
“Ewww. Leave out some detail. How did she find out?”
“Well, Malcolm tried to hide in the pantry and hold a conversation with me on the phone. He told me he loved me and she walked in on him.” Olivia clapped her hands once for emphasis. “Girl, Mariah hit him with a pot. I heard everything.”
“She beat Malcolm up with a pot? This would be comical if it wasn’t a serious situation. I can’t believe this happened.”
“I called Malcolm on my way to church to make sure the kids were okay. They were in the room when she beat him up. She’s lucky she didn’t lay a hand on my children. You know I would’ve been on my way to their place to handle some thangs.” Olivia pounded her fist into her hand.
“Man. All of this happened with the kids there? Now, that’s an example of ratchet behavior.”
“Yup. So, now she gets to suffer like I did when he cheated on me.” Olivia snapped her fingers and smacked her lips. “Sweet revenge.”
“Excuse me? You did this for revenge?” Savvy snapped her head toward Olivia with her mouth wide open.
“Not exactly. I didn’t set out to get my revenge. Although, since it turned out the way it did, justice has been served,” Olivia said, with smug content. “Does the constant urge for retaliation make me ratchet?”
“Okay. Put aside who is ratchet. My question for you is, why did you have sex with Malcolm? Are you thinking about getting back together?”
“Oh boy. Here you go trying to get deep in analysis about what happened,” Olivia huffed. “I haven’t contemplated anything beyond the moment. He told me he belongs to me and is still in love with me. I don’t know what to do with his declaration.”
“Olivia. You need to proceed with caution. You’re still in recovery from all that has happened to you. You have a lot of healing to do. Don’t let physical enjoyment cloud your rational thinking about the reality of everything,” Savvy counseled.
“Boy. I opened a can of worms. I should’ve known you’d start nagging me about our entanglement. Geesh.” Olivia rolled her eyes.
“I’m not saying anything you don’t already know to consider. I don’t want to see you hurt again. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks for listening.” Olivia smiled. “Now, let’s change subjects. I heard your voicemail. What in the world happened with Pharrell? You have got to tell me all about this crazy dinner date. Are we still on to play racquetball this afternoon?”
“Yes. We better get going if we’re going to make our court reservation time. I’m ready to beat your socks off.” Savvy laughed. “Boy, do I have a story to tell you about Mr. Pharrell. Talk about ratchet. I’ll call you on the drive there.” Savvy opened the door to head to her car.
“Naw. Let’s chat about it when we get there. I need these details in person. Hurry up and meet me at the gym.” Savvy closed the car door before Olivia drove away.
TWENTY-ONE
Savvy
“All he did is talk about himself?” Olivia asked before slamming the racquetball against the wall.
“Ugh.” Savvy dove for the ball with her racquet and managed to hit an around-the-wall shot, which caught Olivia off guard. She assumed she had the point in the bag.
“Aah.” Olivia flew into the air in time to swat the ball with expert force.
Savvy grunted and slammed the ball. The shot traveled down the line and rebounded straight before sliding along a side wall.
Olivia’s effort to return the ball failed. “No,” she screamed.
“Game point.” Savvy raised her hands and racquet in the air in victory.
Olivia high-fived Savvy’s gloved hands in defeat. “I have to admit, you got me with a serious wallpaper shot. There’s no way I could get to it in time.”
Savvy grabbed her towel and lifted her goggles to wipe her face. “I can’t believe I beat the Wallbanger of San Antonio. I think you’ve won the last two times we’ve played.”
Olivia settled onto the floor to catch her breath. “I sure did. I had to ease up on you today to give you a break,” she laughed.
“Whateva. I beat you with pure skill.” Savvy joined Olivia on the floor and removed her glove.
“Okay. Back to my question. Did Pharrell really have poster-sized photos of himself in every room?” Olivia asked.
Savvy took a swig of water from her bottle. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Yes. I should’ve snapped a picture of the one in the bathroom in his American flag speedo.”
“You should have. I can’t even imagine.” Olivia broke out in uncontrollable laughter and swiped tears of amusement with the back of her hand.
“And get this, who puts a naked picture above the bed of themselves eating grapes while floating on a cloud?” Savvy removed her ponytail holder and shook her braids to dry “I had no idea of what I got myself into.”
“He figured he could get into some Savvy.” Olivia gripped her stomach in a giggling fit. “I can’t stop laughing.”
“It’s hilarious. I’m mad though. The lamb he cooked had to be the best tasting meat I’ve ever had. I only got one bite before he made his move on me. I wanted some more of it.” Savvy frowned and shook her head. “If nothing else, the man cooks like a gourmet chef. I had to run through a drive-thru to put food in my growling stomach.”
“That’s messed up. Well, I’m glad you found out about him sooner than later. Imagine if you had sex with him and he
started referring to himself in the third person.” Olivia lowered her voice to imitate a man speaking. “Baby, Pharrell wants you to discard your panties.”
Savvy joined in with a deep tone. “Pharrell wants to make love to you until the pigs come home.”
Olivia snorted a laugh. “Pharrell wants you to watch us in the mirrors around the bed as Pharrell conquers your body.”
“Stop it.” Savvy giggled. “I can’t stop thinking about his crazy home. I walked into a circus house with a maze of mirrors.”
“Oh, boy. You’re too funny.” Olivia wiped her tears with her towel. “I needed this. You made my day with that story.”
Savvy stood from the floor and offered Olivia her hand to help her up.
“We better get going before the next players bang on the door.” Savvy gathered her towel, water, and goggles.
“Yeah. They get demanding for these rooms around here.” Olivia grabbed her things and opened the door to ex
it the racquetball court. She stopped in her tracks when the person waiting to play became evident.
“Hi, Olivia.” Durbin stood outside the door with a wavering smile. He wore black shorts, a white t-shirt, and a white sweatband pressed tight around his afro.
Olivia stammered. “Uh, hi Durbin.” She glanced across her shoulder to make eye contact with Savvy.
Savvy heard the exchange and lifted her head, curious about who Olivia could be talking to. She raised her brows in surprise. “Durbin. What a surprise.” She extended her hand to shake his. “I didn’t know you play racquetball.”
Durbin appeared uncomfortable for a moment. A store tag stuck out from the cover on his racquet.
“Um. Yeah. I play.” Durbin shifted from one foot to another. He raised his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose.
“Well, you arrived in time to get this court. We’re done.” Savvy held the door open for Durbin to enter. He seemed reluctant to go in.
“Where’s your partner?” Olivia asked with a hint of curiosity.
“Um. I planned to hit a few shots on my own. Get in some practice.” Durbin gave them a sheepish half-smile. His eyes never left Olivia’s face.
“Unh-huh. I see.” Olivia dragged her words.
“Do you want to hit a few balls?” Durbin asked with sudden enthusiasm.
“I’m tired. Haven’t we been playing for an hour or two, Savvy?”
“Yes. We are whupped. Have fun with your workout.” Savvy took Olivia’s hint and began moving toward the door of the gym.
“Okay. Perhaps we can play another day,” Durbin said with a sound of defeat in his voice.
“Um. I’ll see if I ever have time,” Olivia responded; her tone sharper than necessary.
“Okay. By the way, I look forward to showing you the security cameras next week when I stop by,” Durbin replied.
“Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I’ll text you my address if I’m still interested. Bye.” Olivia waved her hand and scurried out of the gym.
“Bye, Durbin.” Savvy trailed Olivia.
In the parking lot, Olivia glanced across her shoulder to make sure Durbin didn’t follow them. “What is he doing here? Have you ever seen him in this gym?”
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