Fortune & Fame: A Novel
Page 26
“Sweetie, I’m gonna have to go. But first, let’s pray,” Lester said.
Since she had nowhere else to turn—not to Jasmine, not Mae Francis, not even her husband—Rachel turned to the only place she had left. She closed her eyes and began to pray with her husband.
That prayer didn’t completely wipe away her fear, but it gave her strength.
“You okay?” Jasmine asked once she walked back into the courtroom.
“I am” was all Rachel could manage to say as she squeezed Jasmine’s hand. She looked at Mae Frances. “Thank you, Mae Frances. For trying to help me.”
“It ain’t over,” Mae Frances said matter-of-factly. “So, don’t come in here sounding all defeated.”
Rachel was about to say something when Kirk came out the side door. This time, he had a look of pure joy on his face.
“What?” Rachel exclaimed, racing over to him. “Please tell me you have good news.”
“I have great news!” Kirk said as the door opened again and Mary and some woman walked out. The woman looked extremely familiar, but Rachel couldn’t place her.
“What happened?” Rachel asked, turning back to Kirk.
He grinned widely. “This case has been dismissed.”
Rachel’s hands went to her mouth and Jasmine had to catch her to keep her from losing her balance.
“Seems Mary told the judge Lewis should stay with you and he agreed since the charges against the good reverend are a lot more serious than we thought,” Kirk continued. “He had pictures, videos, email correspondence. Looks like he was running a regular child pornography ring. The evidence was overwhelming.”
“And that was enough for the judge?” Rachel finally managed to say. “I thought you said he denied everything.”
“Oh, he did. But then,” Kirk glanced back at Mary and the woman as they approached, “they brought in a witness. A woman to whom Nathan tried to sell the pictures.” He smiled at the woman next to Mary. “I can’t thank you enough, Ms. Margaret, for coming forward.” Kirk glanced down at his phone as it rang. “Excuse me, ladies, I have got to take this call.” He stepped outside the courtroom as Rachel stood face-to-face with Mary and “the witness.” When Kirk said her name, Rachel remembered exactly where she knew the woman from. She had the same stringy hair and pale skin. The same bags under her eyes and the same dingy clothes.
“Mary, what’s going on?” Rachel asked.
Mary squeezed the woman’s arm and smiled. “My mother finally decided to do something right.”
Margaret returned her daughter’s smile. The last time Rachel had seen this woman, the state of Texas had given her custody of Lewis because Mary had been arrested. Since all Margaret had wanted was a check, and not a child, Rachel had managed to convince the social worker to let Lewis stay with her.
“I left those drugs alone. Two years clean,” Margaret said proudly. “I hadn’t done right by my baby”—she looked at Mary—“in, like, ever. Been trying to get her to forgive me, but . . .” She paused like she couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. “Well, when my daughter called and asked for my help, I was all too happy to oblige, especially since I’ve been trying to see her since she moved to Atlanta.”
Rachel was stunned as Margaret rambled on. It was actually Mae Frances who spoke up. She stepped next to Rachel, a confused look on her face. “Wait, so um, how, um, so what do you mean Nathan tried to sell you pictures?” Mae Frances asked.
Rachel knew Mae Frances was thinking the same thing she was. If Nathan had been set up, how could this woman have been working with him?
Margaret shrugged. “I just do what I’m told.” She looked at Mary proudly.
Rachel turned to Mary for an explanation.
“I knew that Nathan would try to wiggle his way out of this, and he might have been able to walk. I wasn’t sure if he was guilty or not, but I figured if he was in jail, he might as well stay. And I knew it would be a little harder for him to plead his innocence if there was someone else who could support what the police found,” Mary confessed.
“So, you manufactured a witness?” Mae Francis asked, in awe.
Mary shrugged. “Old habits die hard, I guess.”
Mae Frances cackled. “Ha. Girl, I think I like you!”
“I . . . I don’t understand. Why would you do that?” was all Rachel could say.
Mary looked at Rachel and her eyes teared up. “I learned to love me.”
They stood in silence for a minute. Just for clarification, Rachel felt the need to ask, “So, you don’t want Lewis?”
Mary closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and smiled at Rachel. “I want him. Bad. But he’s yours. You and Lester are the only parents he knows. I’m not going to rip him from that. And I’m sorry for all the heartache.”
Rachel didn’t know what came over her, but she threw her arms around Mary’s neck. “Oh, my God! Thank you!” Rachel couldn’t wait for Lester to arrive so she could share the news.
“Hmph, where are the cameras when you need them?” Mae Frances asked.
At that moment, the side doors opened and a disheveled Nathan was shuttled out by two officers.
“Mary! Mary!” Nathan called out to his wife.
“Ladies, that’s my cue,” Mary said, ignoring him. “See you at the reunion show.” Mary didn’t look back as she and her mother left the courtroom.
Nathan continued yelling at her and when he saw Rachel, Jasmine, and Mae Frances staring at him, he snapped. “What are y’all looking at?”
Jasmine just shook her head pitifully.
Rachel flashed a big smile.
And Mae Frances said, “Hey, Preacher Man.” She pointed to the heavy hardware on his hands and legs. “You might want to learn the words to that gospel song, ‘Shackles on my Feet.’ ”
All three of them laughed as they walked out of the courtroom.
“We make a good team,” Rachel said as they approached the elevator.
“Unh-unh. I told you, y’all too soft to be on Team Mae Frances,” Mae Frances said, pulling her mink tighter around her body.
“And just what is the secret to being on your team, Mae Francis?” Rachel asked as they stepped on the elevator.
“Please, you’ll never get the answer to that,” Jasmine replied, pushing the Down button. “Her life is like the Bermuda Triangle, information goes in but it never comes out.”
Rachel eyed Mae Frances. She had literally snapped her fingers and brought Nathan down. In the short time that Rachel had known this woman, she’d discovered more secret contacts than the CIA.
“You know I’m good at investigating stuff,” Rachel said. “I’m gonna go home and spend time with my babies, but this weekend, I’m starting a book about you,” she told Mae Frances. “I’m going to expose how it is you do all the things you do. I’ll call it The Unauthorized Autobiography of Mae Francis.”
Both Rachel and Jasmine laughed. Mae Francis didn’t.
“And I will sue you for everything—including that twenty-six-inch yaky you’re parading around like it’s yours.” Mae Frances tugged at Rachel’s hair.
Rachel pulled her hair away. “It is mine. I bought it. And it’s Remy Bohemian, for your information.”
“You from Fifth Ward in Houston, wearing Korean nails, European clothes, and Bohemian hair.” Mae Francis shook her head.
“Say what you want,” Rachel replied, “but I’m going to find out your story. You sure you don’t want to tell me?”
“If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.” Mae Francis stepped off the elevator.
“And you know she will,” Jasmine said, following her.
“Not personally.” Mae Frances stopped, turned back to face them. “I don’t get my hands dirty. Now, take me home, Jasmine Larson. I’m sure my roommate is missing me.”
“Take me home first,” Rachel said, “so I can see my kids.”
“I’m going home first. Get it? Got it? Good. It’s my world, my rul
es,” Mae Frances said as she walked out into the sunlight.
“Hey, she stole my catchphrase,” Rachel said.
Jasmine shook her head and smiled. “Let her have it. I’ll help you come up with another one because somehow I think the reality show First Ladies will definitely be back for season two.”
TOUCHSTONE READING GROUP GUIDE
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Fortune & Fame
From competing against each other to become the First Lady of the American Baptist Coalition, to joining forces to extract themselves from a murder case, Jasmine Cox Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams have been through a lot together. In Fortune & Fame, the women must put aside their differences as production begins for the new reality series First Ladies, where both Jasmine and Rachel intend to become the show’s biggest star. But when Rachel’s husband’s former lover joins the cast and Jasmine’s husband’s former flame turns up as the show’s executive producer for the OWN network, the ladies find themselves in for a season of drama both on- and off- screen. To survive the months of filming and maintain their sanity and their marriages, Jasmine and Rachel will have to decide whether it’s best for them to become friends or foes.
For Discussion
1. The world of reality TV provides a setting rife with drama for all of the novel’s characters. What do Rachel, Jasmine, and Mary each hope to gain by appearing on First Ladies? Is it simply fortune and fame, or something more than that? What does each character stand to lose by starring on the show? Do you think that the benefits of appearing on a reality show outweigh the negatives?
2. Each of the three First Ladies has come to her position in a different way. What does each of them gain by being a First Lady? How do Jasmine and Rachel’s positions differ from Mary’s, and why? Are they right to treat Mary as they do?
3. Reality shows are supposed to be unscripted. But as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that many events and scenes of First Ladies—for example, Nathan exposing the secrets of Mary’s past on the altar of his church—are staged by the stars and the producers. Were you surprised by how many of the characters orchestrated events during the course of filming, and by how scripted the “unscripted” show actually was? Why do the characters feel they needed to manipulate situations, and how do their manipulations help or hurt them?
4. From phone calls to Stedman to her brilliant scheming, Jasmine has a very powerful friend in Mae Frances. How do Mae Frances’s connections help Jasmine and Rachel throughout the course of the novel? Could Jasmine and Rachel have made it through filming without the assistance of Mae Frances?
5. Natasia promises Rachel, Jasmine, and Mary that First Ladies will be a classy show, “about serving as an example of a Godly woman who finds forgiveness in the most difficult of situations.” By the end of the novel, do you think Natasia’s description is an accurate representation of what audiences would take away after viewing season one of First Ladies? Why or why not?
6 Rachel reveals that she thinks that God is testing her by putting her on a reality show with her husband’s former lover and ex-con Mary. Discuss Rachel’s relationship with Mary over the course of the novel. Has Rachel accepted Mary by the end of the book and passed God’s test, or not? If you think of the reality show as a test from God for all of the main characters, who passes and who fails?
7. Jasmine constantly refers to herself as classy and sees herself as above the show’s drama, while Rachel struggles to maintain her composure and refrain from physical violence and altercations. How do the women’s contrasting personalities push them apart and how do their differences bring them together? Do you think Jasmine and Rachel are actually more alike than they think? Do you have friends with personalities that you consider to be completely opposite from yours?
8. When Mary is released from prison, she never dreams that her life with Nathan will turn out the way it does. How does her time in prison change Mary and her faith in God? Why are her expectations of life with Nathan so different from the reality? Why is she so submissive to her husband? Were you surprised when didn’t she speak up for herself or try to leave her marriage sooner?
9. The First Ladies get the opportunity to star on a television show because they each have a powerful husband, but the pastors all have very different feelings about the show. Describe how Hosea, Lester, and Nathan each react to their wives being a part of the television show, and how their feelings about the show impact their marriages. Why are Lester and Hosea so reluctant to be a part of the filming, and why is Nathan so eager to appear on camera?
10. Natasia’s illness causes her to question everything in her life, particularly her relationship with Hosea. Does Natasia take advantage of her situation to get closer to Hosea, or is she doing what anyone in her position would do? How does her understanding of her mortality impact her actions? Do you think Hosea goes too far in his support of Natasia, or are his actions justified? Is Jasmine right to be angry with her husband for helping Natasia, or not?
11. ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray wrote the book in alternating chapters. Could you tell which author wrote which chapter? Did you see examples of how each author tried to put the other in situations that would be difficult to write their way out of ?
12. By the end of the novel, do you think that Jasmine and Rachel are truly friends, enemies, frenemies, or something else? What do you predict will happen on the next season of First Ladies?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Hold a reality show pitch session! Each member of the book club should prepare their best idea for a reality show and pitch it to the group. Who would star in your show? Where would it take place? Why do you think it would be a hit?
2. The First Ladies are filmed volunteering at the Fulton County Right Track program with troubled young girls. Spend an afternoon with the members of your book club volunteering at a cause that is important to all of you. No need to bring the drama—just have fun while you help make a difference!
3. Are you on Team Jasmine or Team Rachel? Make T-shirts showing your loyalty like the ones Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley are wearing in their joint author video for Sinners & Saints, the first book that brought Jasmine and Rachel together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g57hGCzXPp0.
© ROCHELLE SCOTT
VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY is the author of ten Essence bestselling novels, including The Deal, The Dance, and the Devil and Lady Jasmine. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female), she splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
VictoriaChristopherMurray.com
© KAREN BARFIELD
RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEY is the number-one national bestselling author of numerous novels for adults, as well as the Good Girlz teen series. She recently won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Say Amen, Again. She is also the author of the nonfiction book The Motherhood Diaries.
ReShondaTateBillingsley.com
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COVER PHOTOGRAPHS © GEORGE KERRIGAN;
BACKGROUND © KAMIRA/SHUTTERSTOCK
ALSO BY VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY AND RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEY
Sinners & Saints
Friends & Foes
ALSO BY VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY
Never Say Never
The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil
Sins of the Mother
ALSO BY RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEY
A Family Affair
The Secret She Kept
Say Amen, Again
We hope you enjoyed reading this Touchstone eBook.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the authors’ imaginations, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley
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First Touchstone trade paperback edition February 2014
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Cover: photographs © George Kerrigan, background © Kamira/Shutterstock
ISBN 978-1-4767-4717-0
ISBN 978-1-4767-4718-7 (ebook)
Contents
A Note from Victoria
A Note from ReShonda
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine