Kacie reared her head back and started laughing. “You see, that right there shows just how stupid and immature you are, boy. This girl”—she pointed mockingly at Jackie—“could care less about you. No telling how many boys she’s been doing that to.”
“My daughter has been raised in a Christian home. That’s one of the things I made clear to you when she was referred to you by one of our church members. Nothing like this has ever happened, until now. One thing your son said that makes sense is that age doesn’t matter, especially when he’s the size of a full-grown man. So don’t start pointing accusatory fingers at my child. You’re talking about calling the police, go right ahead. I bet you’ll see that it’s my daughter who’s been violated, that is if anything happened.” He looked over at Kenny with bloodshot eyes. His daughter remained silent.
“That’s a hoot. Everything you’re saying is a bunch of bull. You really want people to believe you’re Christian folks? What kind of Christian allows their daughter to run around having sex with underage boys? What kind of Christian allows their daughter to act like she’s so innocent and pure when she’s no more than—than—than. . .” Kacie was at a loss for words.
“We don’t have to justify our faith or beliefs to you. It’s you who needs to take a look at your life and all these stray children you have.”
“You don’t know a thing about me or my children,” yelled Kacie, “but the police are going to know all about your child.” Kacie dialed 911 while Kenny yelled for her to stop, and Jackie sobbed into her daddy’s chest. “Yes, I need the police right away. My son has been sexually assaulted.”
~
Envy took Fischer for his walk before she settled in for the night. It was clear, quiet, and the stars shone bright. Her mind reflected once more on the death of her child. Her plan to talk to Kacie and Layla tonight had been foiled.
“Maybe it was for the best. Sometimes God has to intervene in situations in life before we make even more mistakes. Maybe God didn’t want me to tell them tonight. Maybe I need to talk to a lawyer, Fischer, before I do anything else. That’s exactly what I need to do.” She spoke aloud to the dog like he understood everything she was saying.
One thing was for sure, if there was any chance of moving forward in her life, she had to go back and clean out the damage of her past. What the decision to talk to a lawyer would lead to, Envy had no idea, but she arrived at the conclusion that now was the time. Not another day, month, or year could go by without her confessing her crime. Throughout the years, she often prayed and asked God to forgive her, but it was never enough for Envy. She believed her full healing and forgiveness would come once she paid for what she’d done. It was the only way she could forgive herself.
“Come on, Fischer. You’ve finished doing your business. Let’s get out of this cold. Tomorrow is going to be a better day. Just wait and see.”
~
Layla tapped on Dennis’s door. She pinched her cheeks until they turned red and forced tears to pour from her eyes, just as soon as he answered the door. Without waiting on an invitation, Layla walked inside Dennis’s house like a sad puppy dog. She walked over to a nearby chair and placed her oversized bag on it. Immediately she fell into his arms.
She loved the power she wielded over Dennis. She made sure she kept him on his toes; she didn’t want him to think she would be at his disposal 24/7. In this way, she could love him from a distance while she played around just enough to catch up on all she had been missing in her life before possessing a figure that most women would die for, and men drooled over.
“Dennis, please listen to me. I’m sorry. I know you think I was up to no good, but really it wasn’t what it looked like.”
Dennis, with a sickening look on his thick, mustached face, and light beard, pushed her away and walked into the open-floor-plan house. He stopped at the family room and took a seat, quickly placing his head in his hands. “Why? Just tell me why, Layla?”
“Come on now, Dennis; there is absolutely nothing to tell. It was all completely innocent. I love you.” Layla slowly sat down next to him. Her body leaned against his, sensually, she spoke into his ear. “How could you ever think I would consider cheating on you?” Layla tenderly removed one hand and then the other from his face. She cupped his chin and tilted his head so they were eye to eye. “I’m no fool and neither are you. If I wanted to mess around with, Landon, why would I tell him that I was going to be at a lounge with two of my friends? Think, Dennis. That doesn’t make sense. And he was lying because he never told me that he was coming to The Silver Spoon. We spent some time talking, and the subject about some of the cool places in Memphis. I thought about hooking him up with Envy or Kacie, nothing written in stone. It was just a thought.” She fell into his arms, looked up at him, and flashed her captivating smile.
Dennis couldn’t suppress his feelings any longer. Layla was enticing. The enticing smell of her perfume, the soft look in her hazel brown eyes, and the sincerity that dripped from her lips like honey appeared to have him spellbound. He leaned in and kissed her with passion, and she allowed him to do whatever he pleased with his hands. Tonight was the night to remind him, at all costs, what he would miss if he ever thought about putting her out of his life. She was not going to let a man win ever again. She would be the one to say when things were over. No matter what she had to do, she planned to prove to him that if he ever walked out of her life, he would be the loser, not her—never her again.
8
Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.
Kacie despised every minute she had to sit and look at Jackie and her father. Clinching her teeth, she was furious. Kenny was still sitting over in the chair, brooding like the young boy he was.
The police arrived full of questions. They barely gave Kacie a chance to talk. All the commotion must have awakened all the kids because they stood outside the entrance of the den whispering.
Her voice bellowed. “Get out of that hallway and get back to your rooms.”
They scurried out of Kacie’s sight but remained in the hallway within earshot.
Kacie was fire hot with anger after Kenny had the audacity to support Jackie’s version of what happened. No this boy didn’t just go against me? She closed her eyes, clinched her fist, and inhaled deeply. What planet did he think he was from? Mars or something? She was about to bust him in his head but up stepped Cheney like he was so holier than thou.
“Officers, I am just as upset, if not more so, as Miss…uh Miss Mayweather here. But I believe these kids, especially my daughter,” he said while glancing at her. “As you heard, both of them stated that nothing happened.”
Kacie couldn’t hold back one minute longer. Like an oral version of Old Faithful, she blasted out long, unintelligible swears, and spewed out vicious, verbal assaults at Cheney.
“Look, ma’am, you better shut up before we give you a special ride downtown,” one of the officers said. Sounding like a master sergeant, he barked, “It’s over. We’ll fill out a report, and if anything changes, you can come down to the station and report it.”
The second police officer spoke up; his stare directed toward Jackie and her daddy. “You two, you’re free to go.”
“You mean you’re not taking her to juvenile detention? You’re just going to let her walk out of here like−”
The officer pointed one lone finger a smidgeon away from Kacie’s nose. “I don’t want to hear another word from you. Now, goodnight.”
Kacie tried her best to slam the security door as hard as she could when they walked out of her house. Like a whirlwind, she whipped around and met seven pairs of eyes glued to her every move. “You know what?” she said and moved closer to the children who seemed paralyzed in their spots, because they sure didn’t attempt to move. “Y’all better get out of my sight before I do something bad, real bad, to you.
As if pricked wit
h a pin, they suddenly jerked and scurried away like squirrels.
~
The following morning, Kacie made it a priority to call Envy and tell her what had happened. By the time she finished telling the story, she’d made herself even angrier.
“Girl, I’m so doggone mad I can really, really hurt somebody right about now.”
“Don’t say stuff like that. If the wrong somebody hears you talking like that, you could find yourself locked up. They could say you threatened them. And as for Kenny, he’s growing up, Kacie. He needs some male guidance. And as tall and big as he is, I don’t think he needs a babysitter. I mean, he used to take care of all of the kids when he was younger anyway, and he still does when you can’t find someone to babysit. He’ll be a teenager in a week, so why do you need to pay a babysitter? You could pay him the money you pay a babysitter. That way he could have a little pocket change to do some of the things he wants to do.”
Kacie exploded over the phone. “Do you realize how foolish you sound, Envy? I see why you don’t have children. Why in the world, after finding my son and the babysitter naked on the floor of my living room, would I consider trusting him to keep his sisters and brothers? You sound like booboo the fool.”
“Look, don’t take your frustration out on me,” Envy snapped back. “I will not hold this phone and listen to you insult me. I’m only trying to give you a way out of this mess. You see the police aren’t going to help. Why don’t you consider signing him up at the YMCA. There’s plenty going on there for him to do.”
“Look, I’m not going to the “Y” every day or every other day, so that’s out of the question.”
“Why don’t you let him participate in the weekly youth groups at church then? It will be good for him. They have activities for the boys. I heard that they teach them things young men their age should know, all within in a Godly environment. If you aren’t careful, this is only the beginning of a situation that can easily get out of hand. Kenny is at the age where he’s beginning to what the old folks call ‘smell himself’. If you aren’t going to allow his father to spend more time with him, and if you don’t get a hold on him now, or get a mentor or someone in the church to help him, you’re going to have your hands full. And he’s the first one. You have six other ones that are going to follow in his footsteps, so you better get on it sooner rather than later.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. After the police left, I took my leather strap and beat his naked behind. Then I took his cell phone from him and removed the computer monitor out of his room. He won’t be calling or chatting with no fast-tail girls for a while. Believe that,” Kacie said like she’d won the battle.
“I still say that when we go to church tomorrow, you should sign him up for one of the youth groups. Plus, it would be a good idea to start the other ones, who are old enough, in age-appropriate Bible classes too. It might even help you out, because you can get some studying done while they’re at church.”
Kacie remained quiet for a moment or two. “You know what, that might not be such a bad idea. I’ll think about it. But I still want something done about that babysitter and her self-righteous, lying daddy. They need to pay, and I’m going to find some way to make sure they do. I guarantee that.”
“‘Vengeance is mine,” says the Lord,’” Envy told Kacie.
“Yes, I know that. But this time He’s going to get a little help from His friend - me.”
“Whateva. Whenever you get like this, there’s no talking any sense into your head, so I’m going to change the subject. Have you heard from Layla?”
“Nope. You know Saturday is usually her busiest day at the salon, plus she gets her hair and nails done too, so it’s likely that I won’t talk to her until sometime this evening.”
“But she still usually answers her cell phone.”
“She might have her hands in a jar full of perm. What’s up?”
“Shoot, I want to know if she patched things over with Dennis.”
“Who can tell with her. You already know that girl is sitting on s-t-o-o-p-i-d. She’s stuck on herself, and frankly, I hate to say this, but she’s not fun to hang around with anymore. She’s changed way too much for me. Got the nerve to try to act like we’re beneath her. Then on top of everything that went down last night, she expected us to lie for her? Not me, girl,” Kacie stressed over the phone. “God just can’t bless some folk because they don’t know what to do when He does.”
“Kacie, you are going to have me rolling this morning. You are so funny, but you’re telling the truth at the same time. You know good and well that Layla has been our friend for far too long to cut her off. Think about it, suppose you were in her shoes. Suppose one day you woke up and God had healed you of your cerebral palsy. Suppose you no longer walked like you do? There’s no telling what you would be out there doing!” Envy laughed again.
Kacie laughed too. “Ooh wee, I don’t want to think about it. If I had some sexy legs and walked without this limp, and my legs were suddenly straight, I don’t know what I would do with myself. I mean, first, this sister would not have seven kids. I would give Layla a run for her money because, I don’t care what nobody says, I know I look better than she does on my worst day. People always talking about beauty is only skin deep, but that’s a lie. Beauty is to be seen; it’s expressed on the outside. And when it comes to us women, we definitely have to have it going on for a man to even step to us.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You sound just like Layla. You have no confidence or self-worth about yourself. Imagine how she feels now that she’s thin. It’s like going from a negative one-fifty in your bank account to waking up and finding you purchased the winning Powerball ticket worth millions of dollars.”
“Powerball? You gamble?” inquired Kacie.
“Is that all you heard out of everything I said?” asked Envy.
“No, but I still want to know if you play the Powerball.”
“All I can say is you can’t win if you don’t play. Now I have to go. I’m going to do some shopping now that the ice and snow has melted, and the temperature is climbing.”
“Knock yourself out. I have some homework to finish, and I promised the kids I’d take them to Wal-Mart and buy them a few movies later on. I’m going to make Kenny sit in the car while me and the other kids take our time shopping.”
“Now, that’s mean. It’s going to be cold in the car.”
“He better think about the warm body he was laying next to last night like he was grown.”
“You’re too crazy for me. Let me let you go. I’ll try to call Layla a little later on. If I don’t talk back to you, I’ll see you at church tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and think about what I said about Kenny.”
“Yeh, um, hum, bye, Envy.”
“Bye, girl.”
~
Layla stood in front of Dennis’s steamy bathroom mirror. She used a hand towel to wipe away the steam so she could finish getting dressed. She and Dennis had fun making up, although afterward she hated herself for using her body to please him. No matter what she did now, she couldn’t push away the lessons she’d been taught ever since she was a girl in church. Her parents took her and her siblings to church, Sunday School, and midweek service every week. If the word “church” was in it, the Hobbs family was sure to be there.
Layla understood that the Bible taught that fornication and adultery were a sin. She understood that a long time ago, but it was the only thing she had to offer to men when she was fat and ugly. Now instead of being used by men, she made it her mission to be the one to call the shots. Dennis wasn’t meant to be included, but the fact that he was a man could not be overlooked. Whenever she engaged in sex with Dennis, it was because she chose to do so. She never felt pressured by him, even before she lost all of the weight. She had to admit that he was a good, kind, decent Christian man. But she was also ready to tell him to step, if he ever tried to control her. Last night she had almost let hi
m go, but she decided that it was worth giving him one more chance. Plus, it felt good being in a position of power. She felt like Delilah. Like Delilah, she used her seductive words and captivating body to make him do as she pleased. It was fun. It felt good finally to have the tables turned.
“Layla,” Dennis called out, and interrupted her beauty regimen.
“Yes, sweetheart,” Layla answered.
“Do you want some breakfast before you leave for the salon?”
“Sure, that would be nice,” she answered.
The extra set of scrub uniforms she kept in her car came in handy. She finished dressing and breathed in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee as she neared the kitchen.
“Ah, it smells good in here,” she complimented him. He walked toward Layla and kissed her. “I made you an egg whites scrambler, with turkey crumbles, diced tomatoes, a slice of pepper jack cheese, and red peppers.”
“Yes, just the way I like it.” This time she kissed him. When she felt that he was getting heated, she eased away from him and walked toward the dining-room table. She loved teasing him.
Dennis had the food arranged beautifully on the table like they were in a five-star restaurant.
When he took his seat next to Layla, he reached for her hand, which she placed inside his. He said aloud, “Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for bringing Layla into my life. . . .” He prayed for family, friends, and the food they were about to receive, while Layla prayed secretly for a carefree life, without having to keep safeguarding her relationship with Dennis.
9
Whatever God’s dream about man may be,
True Beauty Page 6