“Wait.” King stopped Tai before she could continue and before the tears that threatened began to fall. “Earlier you apologized for not being more attentive. Baby”—King dropped his head briefly, before standing straighter with his shoulders erect—“you’ve attended to me better than any woman ever could. Which is why this need to apologize to you hurts so much.”
Tai’s brow creased in confusion. “Why would you have to apologize to me?”
King sat on the bed and placed Tai’s hand between both of his. He worked to force the words past the lump in his throat, but determined that the only way for him to handle his mistake was by being truthful with his wife. His mind did a quick calculation of all the times he’d cheated, and all the times he’d lied. But no more. She deserved his faithfulness, and once again he’d failed her. But he never again wanted to keep secrets from Tai … even something as hard as this. “I slipped up again, baby.”
Tai’s heart dropped. “What do you mean?” She pulled her hand out of his grasp, believing she knew what he meant all too well.
“While in Barbados, I made a mistake.”
Tai’s entire body stilled as she absorbed his words. She didn’t have to ask for a more definitive explanation, didn’t need to ask for a better understanding. This wasn’t Tai Brook’s first time at this particular rodeo, and whatever the basis of this forthcoming apology… she knew that a filly was involved. Her eyes went from love and warmth to suspicion and coldness in an instant. But she did not say a word.
“It meant nothing,” King explained. “I was weak, she was there and—”
Whack! The sound of Tai’s hand connecting with King’s jaw reverberated throughout the bedroom. She jumped out of bed, backing away from him as though he were a stranger.
“You fuck me, and then tell me this? You put yourself in me and then you find the courage to tell me that you’ve been with someone else?”
King stood, too. “Baby, I—”
“Don’t you dare ‘baby’ me.” Tears seemed to push against the back of Tai’s eyes, but anger prevented them from coming out. She turned away from him. “King, just get out.” Her voice was weary but otherwise devoid of emotion.
“Tai, just let me explain—”
With anger rising, she pushed through clenched teeth, “Get. Out. Now.”
King looked at Tai a long moment, feeling totally defeated. She was acting exactly as she should, had a right to be even angrier, matter of fact. Her point about the sex was well taken. This confession probably should have come out before they’d made love. But he’d been caught up in the moment where once again, his lower head overruled his higher one.
“Okay, Tai. I’ll leave. But you need to understand something. This conversation isn’t over. I won’t let this be over until you hear me out. I’ll fight tooth and nail against anything you throw at me, any argument you bring to me, no matter how valid. Understand?”
Tai crossed her arms. “Here’s what I understand, King. You promised me that you would never have another affair. You broke that promise. I promised that if you ever cheated on me again that I’d get a divorce. I don’t intend to break mine.”
King watched Tai leave the room before turning and walking into their large, custom-designed closet. He pulled on a pair of sweats, made a phone call, and fifteen minutes later was back in the same car that had dropped him off just hours before. The same bags that had been delivered to the foyer were now in the trunk, moving with King toward his ironic destination, the first place of refuge that came to mind. He tipped the driver and waved off the offer to have his bags carried up. Instead King gripped the handles of both rolling suitcases and after walking a short distance, knocked on the door. Silence. King waited, and then knocked again.
Finally, a gravelly voice sounded from the other side of the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Dad,” King said with a heavy sigh. “Let me in.”
50
Father and Son (The Remix)
“Okay, Carla, are you here?” Vivian asked.
“Yes.”
“Tai, I still have you on the line?”
“I’m here.”
“Good. Sorry about dropping you earlier, Carla. I’m still trying to get used to how to conference on this phone. Well, ladies,” Vivian continued, shifting the chair in her home office so that she could cross her legs and peer out the window. “I don’t even know where to begin for today’s call. So much has happened in this last month and, needless to say, neither SOS nor Ladies First has entered my mind.”
All three of these women were members of LF, a group exclusive to pastors’ wives, and were the backbone of the Sanctity of Sisterhood organization, a group Vivian founded to address the specific needs of women. For the past two years, Vivian, Tai, and Carla had enjoyed bimonthly conference calls, conversations that had initially begun as discussions about upcoming conferences and now extended to whatever was going on in each woman’s life.
“Carla, could you start us off with a prayer?” Vivian asked.
“Sure. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this opportunity to gather together once again by way of this phone call. You said that where two or three of us are joined together, that you would be in the midst of us. So I thank you now, Lord, that you are here, joining us in our endeavors, guiding our thoughts and leading our actions. Thank you once again for healing our brother, Derrick. Thank you for your ministering angels, and the angels of protection that brought back King safely from his travels. Thank you for continuing to bless us, our families, and our ministries. Be with us now, Father God, as we move forward in your name. Amen.”
“Amen,” Vivian added.
Tai remained silent.
“How is Derrick?” Carla asked.
“Well, as Mother Moseley would say—may her soul rest in peace—Jesus is still in the healing business! Dr. Black says that Derrick’s recovery is nothing short of amazing. His motor skills are normal, the headaches have totally ceased, and there is no sign of any brain damage as a result of the tumor. Of course, he’ll have to continue to be closely monitored, but everyone is optimistic that Derrick will make a full and complete recovery and that this tumor will not grow back.”
“Thank God!” Carla said enthusiastically before her voice lowered as she continued. “Does that mean that brothah man is back in business … if you know what I mean?”
“Ha! I absolutely know what you mean and, trust and believe, my husband is back in stride again!”
“Well, thank God again!” Vivian and Carla laughed. “What about King?” Carla continued. “How was his time in Barbados?”
Silence.
“Tai?” Vivian asked, her voice suddenly laced with unease. She’d noticed that Tai had been silent, but considering that King had just arrived home last night, thought that her friend may have been still recuperating from their reunion. “You’re awfully quiet. Are you all right?”
More silence.
“Tai,” Vivian said softly. “What is it, sistah?”
Another long pause and then, “King cheated on me.”
“Jesus,” Carla hissed under her breath.
“Oh, no, Tai,” Vivian said, immediately feeling an intense wave of compassion and sadness for her friend.
“Oh, yes,” Tai replied calmly, a little bit too calmly for her friends. “He dropped this bomb on me last night when he came home, not long after we’d made love.” Now it was Vivian and Carla who had nothing to say. “He told me that this would never happen again,” Tai continued, almost as though she were talking to herself. “He promised me that I’d never have to feel this type of pain again. And after his being faithful for the longest time period since we’ve been married, at least that I’m aware of, I actually believed he meant it. Now look who’s the fool.”
“Certainly not you,” Carla retorted. “The woman who slept with your husband is foolish and King is crazy for letting it happen… but you didn’t have any part in it, Tai. Please don’t blame yourself or beat you
rself up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Who was it?” Vivian’s voice was soft, caring.
“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. But while away, his ass cheated again and that’s all the information I need.”
Again, no words. What was there to be said?
“I understand if you don’t want to talk about this, sistah,” Carla began. “But I’m curious as to why King said anything in the first place. If he hadn’t told you what happened on the island, then his slipping and dipping may have stayed on the island.”
Tai told them about her and King’s conversation, and how after they’d enjoyed making love that she’d apologized for not being more intimately available. “He then confessed that he had an apology, too.”
“Wow,” Vivian said, slowly shaking her head and trying to wrap her brain around this unexpected conversation. “I’m just shocked, Tai. After everything you two have been through, I am surprised that he cheated. But I’m even more surprised that he told you.”
“Most men wouldn’t have come clean like that,” Carla added.
“Yeah, well, I guess his conscience was killing him and he felt the need to confess his sin.”
“That’s not an easy thing to do,” Carla said. “Believe me, I know.” And she did. Even though it was nearly five years ago that Carla had survived her own cheating scandal, the pain of it was something she’d never forget. “I know you’re angry, Tai. Hurt, disappointed, disillusioned … all of that. But the fact that he told you, especially since he didn’t have to, says a lot.”
“How are you feeling, Tai?” Vivian asked.
“Honestly? I don’t even know. Numb, I guess. I’m beyond anger; I’m just done. Through with King, and with this whole situation.”
“I’m so sorry this is happening,” Vivian said, still feeling Tai’s hurt in her own heart. “Where’s King now?”
“I don’t know. I kicked him out after he told me. He’s at a hotel, I guess.”
“What are you going to do?” Carla asked.
“Divorce him. Hold on a minute,” Tai said, rising from the couch as she did so. “There’s someone at the door.” She walked down the hallway and looked through the paned glass. “It’s King, with his father.”
“Reverend Doctor O?” Vivian’s voice reflected the surprise she felt. She was one of only a handful of people who knew the real deal between him and Mama Max. “He’s back in Kansas?”
“Back in Kansas and now on my doorstep. Let me get off here and handle this. Y’all pray for me.”
51
Fistful of Tears
Tai opened the door but kept her mouth closed. Rather than look at King, she looked just beyond his right shoulder, and tried to see a future without him. The image was hazy at best.
“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” King said by way of greeting, jumping right into the heart of the matter. “I don’t deserve your love. I’ve messed up, and gone back on the promise I made years ago. I didn’t mean to, didn’t want to, but that doesn’t change the fact that I did it. All I ask is that you hear me out and maybe then you’ll at least understand how it happened.”
“Daughter,” Obadiah intoned in his firm, rich voice, “I have no right or desire to meddle in your and my son’s affairs. People living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. But if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s this: King loves you with every fiber of his being and from the depths of his soul. If he could change what happened to set y’all apart, he’d do it in a heartbeat.”
“Please, baby. Just let me in and hear me out.”
It was the tears in King’s voice that caused Tai to finally shift her eyes and look at him. That it hadn’t been a good night was written all over his face. Dark circles surrounded his bloodshot eyes and there was an ashen tone to his usually velvety chocolate skin. His eyes bore into hers—pleading, searching, wanting. She turned away before her heart could turn back to flesh from stone and, leaving the door open, walked into the living room. Once her resolve was firmly back in place, she again turned around.
“It’s Saturday, King. Why aren’t you at the church?”
“I had more important places where I needed to be.”
Tai looked behind King and, when she didn’t see Obadiah, asked, “Where’s your father?”
“He’s going to run over to Mama’s house, and then come back and pick me up.”
“Why’d you bring him here?”
“He asked to come, believes that in a way he’s partly to blame for what’s happening with us. I never thought I’d hear him admit that in some areas of life he hadn’t been the best example … but he did.”
Tai said nothing as she walked over to one of two chairs that framed the large picture window. She sat, back rigid, eyes looking outside.
“He’s determined to win back Mama … no matter how long it takes.” King looked at his forlorn wife, could actually feel the pain emanating from her body. It tore his soul. He’d been heartless and selfish to envision a life without Tai in it, a life with someone new. “I am so sorry.”
“You said that already.”
“I know, but I can’t think of any better words to use.” King took a step and saw Tai’s straight back get even straighter. He stopped, placed his hands in his pockets. For King, being unsure, unsteady, and not in control was unfamiliar territory. “I got caught up in a fantasy, one that had been orchestrated to snare me and reel me in. I hate that I took the bait.”
Tai gave King a sideways look, her brow raised in mock incredulity. “Oh, so this is somebody else’s fault?”
“Not at all. I blame nobody else for what happened but me. I was seduced, but I should have been strong enough to resist the temptation.”
“Who was it?” Tai asked, crossing her arms as she again looked out the window.
A deep breath and then, “Charmaine Freeman.”
Tai’s head whipped around. “Bishop Freeman’s daughter?” King nodded. “My God, King. She’s got to be young enough to be your daughter.”
“She’s twenty-eight.”
“Just when I thought you couldn’t sink any lower,” Tai murmured, sadly shaking her head. “And you expect me to believe that she seduced you?”
King met Tai’s stare without blinking. “Yes. I’m sure you don’t want to hear the details—”
“No, I don’t.”
“But trust me, it was a seduction. Her father was even in on it.”
“The bishop was okay with you sexing his child?”
“Yes.” King wanted to tell Tai everything: about their switching him from the hotel to their private beachfront villa, the planned encounters involving Charmaine, her late night visits to his guesthouse, her naked sunbathing just outside his bedroom window, the offer from Wesley and, yes, even the fact that Charmaine had offered up her virginity on a thousand-thread count Egyptian cotton platter. But he dared not say more.
The air fairly crackled between them. Finally Tai spoke into the silence. “Why did you tell me?”
King walked over to the chair opposite where Tai was sitting. This time, he noted, she did not flinch. “I had to, Tai. As much as I knew it would hurt you and maybe even cause you to leave me, I didn’t want to do like I have in the past and lie to you. I didn’t want there to be any secrets between us, didn’t want to carry the guilt around in my heart. I got caught up in a moment, in a highly charged, horribly wrong block of time. But even as it happened I knew that it meant nothing. That I’d leave the island and that it would never happen again.”
Tai banged the chair arm with her fist. “And that made it okay?”
King’s voice was just above a whisper. “No.”
Tai was silent a long moment. When she turned to face him her demeanor was calm, her eyes bright and clear. “I have loved you since I was fifteen years old. You are the only man I’ve ever known, and the only one I’ve ever given my whole heart.”
“I know and—”
“No, King. Let me finish.” King sat
back heavily in the chair, his eyes boring into Tai’s as she continued. “My whole world has been you, our children, and the ministry. I gave up everything to help you live your dream, and I did it gladly, willingly, never doubting that by your side was where I wanted to be. Like I said last night, after your last affair you promised me that it would never happen again. And I promised you that if it did, I would end the marriage.” Tai turned from the window and looked him straight in the eye. “I meant it.”
With that, Tai walked out of the room and up the stairs to their bedroom, head high, back straight, countenance one of strong determination. It wasn’t until she reached the master suite and had turned and locked the door that she wept for all of what had been … and all of what now would never be.
52
My Princess and Me
Kelvin and Princess sat out on Lavon and Carla’s spacious patio, enjoying the nighttime view and summer breeze. Since last week and the Fourth of July party fiasco starring Fawn, Kiki, Rafael, and the nameless brunette, the Petersen’s had visited with the Chapman’s almost nightly, not only getting marital counseling but also working on Lavon’s idea of a reality show starring Kelvin and Princess. Carla had been especially excited when Kelvin and Princess shared their vision for the show’s direction—showing a young, married couple determined to remain faithful to each other and to make commitment not only look attractive, but look like something to be envied if not achieved.
“Okay, so check this out.” Kelvin lifted his six-foot-five-inch frame off the chaise lounge and came to a sitting position. His eyes twinkled with excitement, and the barely there dimple on his right cheek deepened with his smile. “I’ve been thinking of an idea for the show intro. Like a theme song or whatever.”
“Who’s going to sing it?” Carla’s question was accompanied by a devilish grin. “Because as much as I love Princess, she can’t carry a tune in a bucket and, Kelvin, I doubt your crooning skills equal those displayed on the basketball court.”
“I got skills, Carla. You didn’t know?”
Carla’s look clearly showed that not only did she not know, she didn’t believe it.
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