“Baby—”
“I mean it, Derrick,” Vivian snapped. “We need to update our wills. Fine. We can do it next month. But I am not going to do it tomorrow. So you might as well call your boy and give him the news.” She stood. “And speaking of news, let’s talk to the children tonight during dinner, okay?” She didn’t wait for a response, but left and headed to the kitchen … where Derrick couldn’t see her silent tears.
Later that evening, Derrick, Vivian, D2, and Elisia sat around the Montgomery dining room table. Vivian had fixed tacos, one of her children’s favorite meals, rounding out the dinner with corn and rice. For a while, the room was filled with the kid’s chatter: D2 wanting to spend time with Kelvin in Phoenix (we’ll see) and Elisia wanting to dye her hair a Rihanna red (hell to the no).
“Mom, Dad, can I be excused to go play video games?” D2 asked, after finishing his fifth taco and effectively cleaning his plate.
“In a minute, son. There’s something we need to discuss with you and Elisia.” He looked at Vivian and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
“So, guys, we got back the results from your father’s MRI.” She looked at Elisia. “Do you remember what we told you an MRI is?”
Elisia nodded. “Where they look inside your body.”
“Yes,” Vivian replied.
“Magnetic resonance imaging,” D2 added. Both Derrick and Vivian looked at him with raised brows. D2 shrugged. “I asked Kelvin and when he didn’t know, we both looked it up online.”
Derrick took over. “Well, they looked inside my head and it turns out there is a tumor growing there. I’m having surgery on Friday to have it removed.”
Elisia gasped as she turned wide eyes on her father. “They’re going to cut your head open?”
Vivian placed a comforting hand on Elisia’s arm. “Yes, baby. A very skilled doctor who has performed this surgery hundreds of times is going to make an incision in his head, take out the tumor, and then sew it back up.”
“That sounds scary, Daddy,” Elisia said. “Don’t do it.”
Derrick glanced at Vivian before answering. “That’s just it. I have to do it, baby, in order to get well.”
“But if they cut you in the head, then you might die!” Elisia’s eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, shut up, girl,” Derrick Jr. said, his face fixed in a serious scowl. “Where’s your faith?” He looked at his father. “Don’t even sweat it, Daddy, for real. No weapon formed against you will prosper. Isn’t that what you’ve always told me?” The questioning look in D2’s eyes belied the bravado in his voice.
“Yes, son,” Derrick answered, clearing the tears from his throat. “I believe that I’ll be all right. This is simply a test of our faith and I will need all of you”—he looked lovingly at Elisia and gave her a wink—“to believe that God is able. In the meantime, Grandpa and Grandma have a trip planned for the four of you… . You’re going to Disneyland!”
“Yes!” Elisia yelled.
D2 shot daggers at his sister. “I’m staying here.” It didn’t sound like a question.
“Derrick, I appreciate your wanting to be here for your father, but believe it or not, you’ll be doing him a bigger favor by going away and having fun. It’s all about lifting our prayers to God, and having a positive, happy attitude is a part of that.” When D2’s countenance continued to be doubtful, she continued. “Maybe after this is over, you can spend that time in Phoenix with your brother that you’ve wanted.”
The family meeting continued for another hour. After that, they retired to the great room, played some board games, watched a movie, and then Derrick and Vivian tucked the children into bed.
The reverend and his wife retired soon afterward. They made love, slowly, soulfully. The words weren’t spoken, but they were physically expressed: tomorrow is not promised. With each stroke, touch, kiss, thrust … they made the most of the moment they had tonight.
32
Yield Not To Temptation
King sat back in the cushiony leather chair that accommodated his bulky frame as he soared thirty-five-thousand feet above sea level. When Wesley Freeman offered the church’s private jet as a means to hurry to his best friend’s side, King did not hesitate in accepting the offer. Thinking about Derrick’s health had kept his mind distracted all week. And any part of his thoughts that weren’t on Derrick were dominated by Wesley’s daughter, Charmaine. She had singularly and completely been the Barbados beauty for which he had not been prepared, had not even thought about prior to this visit. The last time he’d seen Charmaine, she’d been a lanky if somewhat attractive eighteen-year-old teenager. When he’d visited the ministry five years ago, she’d been studying abroad. Their interaction before this one had been while Charmaine was basically a kid. But King would be the first to tell anyone who’d listened that the little Barbados cutie was all grown up. After buckling his seat belt and accepting a sparkling water from the flight attendant, he reclined his seat and remembered the events of the past five days.
“Charmaine?”
“May I come in?”
It was two days after King had arrived in Barbados, and two hours after he’d left the pulpit of His Holy Word’s Prophetic Conference: sweaty, exhausted, exhilarated. Service was uplifting and the church had been packed. After a late-night dinner at the home of a high-ranking official, King was driven back to the Freeman villa. Once again, he enjoyed the indoor/outdoor shower and had just finished a call with Tai, who among other topics had given him an update on Derrick’s condition, when he’d heard a knock on his guesthouse door.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” he finally said.
“Are you really?” Charmaine’s eyes were bright and searing, her tone as sultry as her silky pink dress. “Somehow, I believe my being at your doorstep is not totally unexpected. Besides,” she continued, “I figured a nice cup of chamomile tea would be welcomed, perfect to ensure a peaceful night’s sleep.” She held up the tray. “So are we going to stand here chatting until the water gets cold, or are you going to be a gentleman and invite me inside?”
If you want me to be a gentleman, then inside this guesthouse is the very last place you need to be! Even as he thought this, King stepped back so that Charmaine could enter the abode. She smelled of flowers and moonlight, with her smile equaling the latter’s light. He couldn’t help eyeing how the silky dress fabric spilled over her luscious backside, and the thought of running his tongue along her long, creamy-looking legs happened before it could be censored.
Charmaine placed the tray on the dining room table and immediately went about the task of preparing two cups of tea. King walked over to the table and sat down, watching her work. A sex-filled tension filled the silence. After a moment, Charmaine gazed through narrowed eyes and long, thick lashes to ask King, “How sweet do you like your tea?”
Innocent question delivered in a way that was not so innocent.
“Fix it however you like yours.”
“Okay.”
She finished fixing the tea and, after placing the cup and saucer in front of where King sat, she sat down beside him. “My father told me that he spilled my secret—that I’ve been in love with you since I was a kid.”
King took a sip of tea. It was delicious—perfectly doctored with honey and cream. “You’re in love with an image. You don’t even know me.”
Charmaine boldly placed her small hand on top of his large one, running a nail down his thick, middle finger. “I’d like to.”
Lord, have mercy. “You’re a young, vivacious, intelligent woman who will someday make a wonderful wife. I’m sure you have your choice of men not only here on the island, but around the world. I’m flattered at the notion that you find me attractive, but I’m more than twenty years your senior, married, and have a son just a couple years younger than you. You deserve someone who can give all of themselves to you, instead of an unavailable man with whom the most you could have is a fling.”
“Spoken like a wonderful husband and
father,” Charmaine said, her voice somewhere between a pout and a purr. “They are words I’ve heard before—what my father told me and what I’ve told myself. But like I told Dad, my love for you is very real. It goes beyond the mental reasoning of what I know or don’t know about you. It goes beyond whether you’re available or not. I’m not expecting you to leave your wife, or make any commitment to me. It’s enough that you know that I love you … and always will.”
The conversation moved from Charmaine’s feelings to the evening’s sermon, and how idyllic life was on the island. As he finished his cup of tea, King leaned back in his seat. “It’s been a long day, Charmaine. Thank you for the tea, and the conversation. You truly are a special woman. Some guy is going to be a lucky man. And speaking of men, can I give you some unsolicited advice?” Charmaine nodded. “Don’t settle for someone who is less than worthy of what you have to offer. Committing oneself to another for a lifetime should not be taken lightly.”
“Thanks for that advice, King. May I call you King?” He nodded. “And now there’s something I’d like to give you.”
“What’s that?”
“My virginity.”
Your virginity? Good God, I haven’t had a woman able to offer me that since … that’s right, King—since the day more than a quarter of a century ago when you lay with YOUR WIFE. It was the reality check that he needed in this precarious moment. “Charmaine, I’m committed to my wife, Tai, and to my family.”
“And I,” Charmaine replied, nonplussed, “am committed to you.”
The next night, the charming hostess once again brought a tray of tea. This time, however, the honey in the cup wasn’t the only sweetness tasted. When the sun rose the next morning, King had yielded to temptation and Charmaine was no longer a virgin.
King welcomed the flight attendant who diverted his mind’s meanderings by requesting whether he’d like beef, fish, or chicken for his dinner entrée. He also accepted a glass of red wine, a rarity in his list of drink choices but welcomed considering the circumstances. King was very much his father’s son, and had experienced his share of pastoral dalliances. And as much as he’d been committed to upholding his vows and staying faithful to his wife, he’d not been able to withstand the wiles of the island temptress. He’d thoroughly enjoyed his night with Charmaine and prayed that his adulterous action wouldn’t come back to bite him. Little did King know in this moment that the question wasn’t if it would come back … but when.
33
Let’s Stay Together
Vivian sat in the room with Derrick, marveling at how a shaved head could so change one’s appearance. She’d often wondered how her husband would look bald. They’d even tossed the idea around a time or two—not only when Michael Jordan had made the look popular and acceptable, but also a few years ago when fellow LA pastor Stanley Lee had shaved his head. She’d give anything for the circumstances to be different, but if it were any consolation her husband looked just as handsome without his close-cropped, tight black curls as he did with them.
“I think you look better without hair,” she said, offering her final decision on Derrick’s new look.
Derrick continued to study his reflection in the handheld mirror. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“No, baby, I really mean it. The cut emphasizes your eyes and lips.” Vivian kissed said lips to emphasize the point. “I’ve got my work cut out for me … to keep those holy hussies from trying to steal what’s mine.”
Her comment had the desired effect. Derrick blessed her with a smile, though his eyes were melancholy. “This isn’t how I planned to spend my forty-eighth year … battling for my life.”
Vivian left the chair where she’d been sitting and perched on the side of Derrick’s hospital bed. “Life is what happens while we’re busy making those plans,” she whispered. She traced Derrick’s prominent facial features with her fingers, remembering a lifetime of experiences with each soulful touch. “I remember the first time I saw you,” she began, a wistful smile on her face. “The Kewana Valley District’s Baptist Convention back in Kansas … re— member? Tai had invited me to check out King and to tout her connection to a mini-star. Didn’t matter that I was only on a local channel … I was on TV!” Vivian smiled at her own memory.
“Yeah, that was the early eighties,” Derrick said, with a smile of his own. “No one had heard of Oprah.”
“I thought of myself as the black Barbara Walters, ready to shake up journalistic television and put my name on the worldwide stage.” She rubbed her hand over Derrick’s still flat stomach, pausing it just above the manhood that had brought her so much pleasure. “You changed all of that, you know. One look at this brother in the perfectly fitting suit, the snakeskin boots, and the raspy voice and I was toast. I think I fell in love with you that first night, at first sight, before I’d even been formally introduced.”
Derrick covered Vivian’s hand with his own. “Dang, I wish I’d known that. I threw away every sistah’s number in my wallet, just to make sure you didn’t find it. If I’d known I already had you I might have been able to get a couple hits in before the wedding.” Vivian swatted his hand. “Ha! Baby, I’m just messing with you. From the moment I saw your tight body sitting there in that navy blue suit—”
“You remember!”
“Of course. How could I forget? Girl, I could barely remember a scripture, especially since I had to cool down a hard-on while sitting in the pulpit of a crowded auditorium. I knew right then that I had to have you … and that it would be more than a simple affair.”
“I knew you were special, too, even though I tried to convince myself that nothing could get in the way of my broadcasting career.”
“Yeah, and nothing could get in the way of my ministry.”
For a few moments, the couple was content to bask in the memories of those early days.
Vivian chuckled. “I remember the first time that I knew for sure that you weren’t cool.”
“Oh yeah? When was that?” Derrick looked at his wife with a skeptical expression, even though he had an idea exactly what she was going to say.
“When it was time to go to the hospital and deliver your firstborn….”
“And I took off in the car with everything but you inside it.”
“Ha! You had the car seat and my overnight bag and the sack of groceries we’d bought for my stay. You were running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to look like you were calm and in control.”
“No cell phones in those days. I got a block away from the house and didn’t notice that I’d left you until my question of how you were doing was met with silence.”
“And I’m standing there in the driveway still wet from my water breaking.”
“God takes care of babies and fools… .”
“Derrick the second was a perfect child—short labor, sunny disposition.”
“Yeah, he was giving us a break for when Elisia made her appearance.”
“The first time I thought to whup a child less than thirty days old.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You were a perfect dad back then. Coming off the road from God only knows how many revivals, but you’d take the kids into the den and give me time to myself. Derrick, I’ve never told you how much I appreciate that but …” Vivian stopped as tears threatened.
“C’mon, now, baby. I need you to stay strong for both of us. Remember what D2 said, that no weapon formed against his old man would prosper… .”
“Proof of your legacy … live and in living color.”
“I know we don’t want to talk about it but, baby, if for some reason I don’t—”
“You’re right. I don’t want to talk about that, or think about that, or entertain any thought other than the fact that you will come out on the other side of this operation an even better and more godly man than you are right now.” Vivian knew her voice was firm and harsh, but it was all that she could offer without totally coming undone. To change the fo
cus of his thoughts, she leaned into him and whispered, “The way you licked my pussy last night? Can’t nobody give it to me like that, baby. And nobody has that thick, curved dick that fits so perfectly inside me. You have no choice but to come back to me, love. We have some unfinished business in the bedroom. And I fully intend to see it done.”
Derrick gazed at Vivian with a look that could only be described as love personified. When his First Lady talked nasty, it totally turned him on. Even now, even under these dire circumstances, he felt himself harden. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”
“Yes,” Vivian said, her own eyes shining. “But you can tell me again.”
“I love you, Vivian Stanford Montgomery. And I won’t leave you. You have my promise.”
“I’m going to remember these words,” she said, gingerly caressing his face in her hands. “And if for some reason you die on me … I’ll kill ya.”
Shortly thereafter, the nurse came in to take Derrick’s vitals, and to tell Vivian that visiting hours had been over for quite some time. Vivian dutifully nodded and allowed the woman to do her job. After the nurse had left, Vivian watched as her husband’s eyes became droopy. “Stay with me,” he whispered, “until I fall asleep.”
As she watched her husband’s peaceful slumber, Vivian’s heart clenched. I can’t imagine life without him, God. Please let him be okay. She stood, but could not get her feet to walk away from his side. Instead, before even really thinking about it, she positioned herself in the only place she could imagine—beside him. She barely noticed the less than comfortable bed as she snuggled up against Derrick and placed her head on his chest. “Stay with me,” she whispered as a lone tear fell from her eye. “For the rest of my life.”
34
Let It Be
Tai sat in the Four Seasons lobby, rereading the article about her daughter’s whirlwind marriage to Arizona’s NBA darling. It was almost as if she were reading the story of a stranger. That’s exactly how Princess felt to her right now. Even with the intuitive feelings she’d had regarding Kelvin, Tai never thought that her levelheaded (or so she’d thought) daughter would leave a smart, handsome man who was as steady as the second hand on London’s Big Ben clock and marry a cocky, irreverent professional athlete who’d proven to be unfaithful. How could that have happened? Tai sighed, inwardly acknowledging that she knew exactly how this had happened. It was the same reason why she and King were still married, even after all he’d done and all they’d been through. Crazy love.
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