Flawbulous

by Shana Burton

  “I agree. Reggie needs to know if her lush nether region is about to turn into a tumbleweed! A bad sex life will cause a person to stray,” admitted Sullivan. “I know firsthand.”

  Lawson stomped her foot. “Will y’all stop trying to scare her?”

  Desdemona apologized. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m sure your husband would never do that, Reggie.”

  Reginell nodded, still not wholly convinced.

  Desdemona continued. “He loves you. Anyway, it’s not as if there’s anyone around here who could take his attention away from you, is there?”

  No one said anything, all trying their best not to look at Lawson.

  “No, Desdemona, there isn’t!” confirmed Lawson, feeling the heat from Desdemona’s question and her past with Mark. “And anyone who dared to mess up my sister’s happiness would have to answer to me. Mark and Reggie will be fine, so don’t start putting stuff in her head.”

  Desdemona looked over at Reginell. “As long as you know who you can and can’t trust around your husband, there shouldn’t be an issue. I’m sure your female intuition will kick in to discern any perceived threats. You’ll know in your gut if another woman is after your husband.”

  “So what’s going on with you, Angel?” asked Kina, eager to take the focus off of Reginell and Lawson. “You got kind of emotional while Lawson was praying. Is everything all right?”

  Angel shook her head. “Things haven’t been all right for a few weeks.” Finally admitting it brought her to the brink of tears.

  Sullivan rushed to Angel’s side. “Girl, what’s wrong with you?”

  “Is this about Duke?” asked Lawson. “We didn’t want to pry, but you never said anything about his arrest. Is that what’s bothering you?”

  Angel nodded. “I haven’t wanted to talk about it. Things are a mess! I can barely hold it together.”

  “What happened?” asked Kina.

  “Duke’s assistant accused him of sexually assaulting her.”

  Reginell gasped. “Rape? Are you for real?”

  “Technically, it’s sexual assault,” Angel informed her. “Attempted rape, to be exact.”

  Desdemona was still confused. “Is there a difference?”

  “Yes, rape is forced intercourse,” Angel expounded. “Assault doesn’t have to include penetration.”

  “Oh, so I guess that makes it okay, then,” grumbled Sullivan.

  “It’s definitely not okay for her to trump up false charges!” Angel exclaimed. “Her lies could cost Duke his freedom, his kids, his job—”

  “His woman . . .” interjected Sullivan.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” proclaimed Angel. “Duke is innocent. All he did was maybe flirt with the girl a little bit. He acknowledged that much. However, flirting is not illegal.”

  “Then that would mean he’s not guilty, but he’s still far from innocent!” stated Sullivan.

  “Humph, humph, humph!” Reginell shook her head. “You think you know a guy. . . .”

  “We do know him, Reggie, and we all know Duke would never do anything like this.” Angel looked to her friends for confirmation. “We all know that, right?”

  Lawson reassured her. “Of course we do. Duke may be a lot of things, but he’s not a rapist. Everybody knows that.”

  Sullivan cut her eyes to Lawson. “Do we?”

  Kina winced. “Sully, don’t. . . .”

  “I’m just saying . . . why would the girl lie about something like that?”

  “Because she’s a vindictive, angry, soulless wench for one!” answered Angel. “Who knows? Maybe she wants money or is mad because Duke rejected her and so she wants payback. There could be any number of reasons.”

  “Maybe . . . ,” said Sullivan. “But it takes a lot of guts to come forward with something like that, especially knowing that you’ll be criticized, judged, and scrutinized by lawyers and police officers and that you’ll have to face a judge and juror, not to mention your assailant.”

  “I can’t believe you’re taking this woman’s side, Sullivan,” said Lawson. “Duke is our friend, and he’s a good Christian man and father.”

  “I’m not on anybody’s side. I just think she deserves the benefit of the doubt.”

  “And Duke doesn’t?” stormed Angel.

  “Angel, I’ve been assaulted before. It’s horrific,” Sullivan revealed. “I just don’t see a woman in her position lying about something so serious.”

  Angel was vexed. “So you think Duke is lying?”

  Sullivan shook her head. “I don’t know, but he did admit to flirting with the girl. Maybe things got out of hand.”

  “It’s not improbable,” stated Reginell. “Me and just about every chick at the club where I used to dance has had some guy take things too far. I know several dancers who’ve been raped. At the same time, I know a lot of chicks who’ve lied about guys too.”

  “Reggie, strippers can’t claim sexual harassment. That’s part of the job description!” said Lawson.

  Sullivan frowned. “No woman signs on to be sexually assaulted. I don’t care what the job is.”

  “Sully, Duke may be a flirt, but he’d never betray me,” Angel declared.

  “Are you serious? He left you for another woman, then cheated on her with you while she was dying, I might add!”

  “He and I were never intimate while he was still married to Theresa!” insisted Angel.

  “I just don’t want you to have blinders on where Duke is concerned. You know I’ve liked Duke ever since we were in college, and I don’t want to believe he’d hurt anyone like that, but you’ve got to be realistic. What if he did it, Angel? What will you do?” quizzed Sullivan.

  “I can’t. . . .” Angel shook her head. “I can’t even consider that possibility.”

  “How can you not?” asked Desdemona.

  “I can’t believe that I’ve been planning a future with the kind of man who is capable of doing something like that. He has daughters, for God’s sake! I know Duke. If anyone ever raped or assaulted them, he’d kill him, so I can’t imagine that he’d do that to someone else’s daughter. He couldn’t have assaulted that woman. I know he couldn’t!”

  Sullivan hugged her. “I know you love him, and you want to believe in this man you’ve spent almost half your life being in love with. Unfortunately, sometimes people do things that we’d never expect them to do, things we had no inkling that they were even capable of. I’ve seen it in my own marriage. You can’t put nothing past anybody.”

  “I feel a headache coming on. I think I need some fresh air. Excuse me.” Angel slipped out the back door and took solace alone on Lawson’s deck.

  “Don’t you think you were a little hard on Duke?” Lawson asked Sullivan.

  “Absolutely not! I pray that Duke didn’t hurt that girl, but if he did, I hope they throw the book at him. No woman deserves to have her innocence or dignity stripped away because some horndog can’t accept that no means no!”

  Desdemona went out on the deck unnoticed a few minutes after Angel took refuge there. She sighed, making her presence known. “It’s sad.”

  “What is?”

  “How sometimes the people closest to you don’t want to see you happier than they are.”

  “Don’t be confused. These are not happy tears,” said Angel, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

  Desdemona dotted Angel’s eyes with a napkin. “I know. I’m sure it hurts to hear your friends say things like that about the man you love. I’m sure they aren’t trying to be hurtful, but you and Duke probably have the kind of relationship they all wish they had. Even if they don’t realize it, there may be some jealousy there, and subconsciously, they say cruel things about him because they don’t want to see the two of you happy together.”

  “I don’t think they’re jealous, Des.”

  “I’d certainly hate to think so. I just find it strange that they aren’t more supportive. Personally, I think it’s commendable that you’
re standing by your man. That’s what a woman is supposed to do,” asserted Desdemona.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re so lucky to have someone in your life whom you can trust. I haven’t had the best luck with men, so I’m a little gun-shy. It would probably be a lot harder for me to have that kind of faith in my husband or boyfriend.”

  “Duke and I have been through a lot together. I know him better than anyone else does. I know he wouldn’t do anything like that.”

  Desdemona nodded slowly. “I wonder why your friends aren’t more understanding. They should have your back.”

  “They do. It’s just . . . it’s complicated. They’ve been here for the good and the bad. They know what kind of merry-go-round our relationship has been.”

  “I guess they’re concerned because they know he’s been unfaithful to you before. If he cheated when you were married to him, maybe they feel there’s no telling what he’d do now that you’re not. In my opinion, it takes a strong woman to be able to ignore the fact that he’s stepped out on you and deserted you in the past. Not many women could get over that, but you have. You’ve accepted his children like your own, including the one who was conceived during your marriage. I admire that kind of strength.”

  “Believe me, I’m not strong at all. It’s God’s strength that keeps me sustained. You can do anything with God’s help, even forgive.”

  “Indeed. I guess your friends don’t see it that way. They look at Duke, and all they see is the lying and sneaking around, the selfishness, and all the hurt you endured because of him.”

  “Even though we’re not married yet, we’re very much one in our hearts. Duke, me, and the girls are a family. I know he’s not perfect, and he’s made his share of mistakes. We both have, but we have learned from our mistakes and have grown from them.”

  “That’s awesome, Angel, really. I think it’s sad that your closest friends have such a low opinion of the man you’ve chosen to spend your life with. I think it’s admirable that you can look past all his mistakes and betrayals and see a man worth fighting for.”

  “I’m not perfect, either. He’s overlooked my screw ups too.”

  “I’m sure he has. Listen, don’t let this situation get you down. This is just a small roadblock on your way to happiness.”

  Angel smiled a little. “You’re right. We’ve been together too long to let one low-life hussy destroy what we have.”

  Desdemona agreed. “You’ve talked to this other woman, right? You know she’s a liar.”

  “Well, no. Obviously, I think she’s a liar, but I haven’t talked to her.”

  “So you’re just blindly taking your boyfriend’s word for what happened? I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, sure he’s lied about other things, but he wouldn’t lie about something this important, would he? He certainly wouldn’t be unfaithful to you, knowing how much you trust him.”

  “Of course not.” As Angel responded, she couldn’t help but think of all the times Duke had cheated and betrayed her trust.

  “Then you have nothing to worry about. To tell you the truth, I wish I was more like you. I’m kind of like Sullivan in that regard. I don’t put anything past anyone. I probably would’ve been on that woman’s doorstep, trying to find out what happened, the minute I heard about the charges. Then again, I’ve been burned, so I’m a little more suspicious than you. As long as you believe him, that’s all that really matters. And you do believe him, don’t you?”

  Desdemona’s words started to take hold and plant seeds of doubt. Angel shivered and hugged her body. “It’s getting kind of cold out here. I’m going back in,” she said, unable to definitively answer Desdemona’s question one way or the other.

  Chapter 22

  “You’re a pastor, but that doesn’t give you the right to

  play God!”

  –Sullivan Webb

  “Thank you for coming over,” said Sullivan, offering Desdemona a seat beneath the sun on the terrace outside her bedroom. “And you came bearing gifts!”

  “Wine is always the perfect gift.” Desdemona poured Sullivan a glass of wine and extended it to her. “When all else fails, it rarely disappoints. I’m glad I was able to come.”

  “You’re the only one I felt like I could talk to.” Sullivan took a sip from the glass. “They just don’t understand me.”

  “Who? Your friends?”

  She sighed. “My friends . . . my husband.”

  Desdemona poured a glass for herself. “Unfortunately, we’re a part of a sorority no one ever hopes to be initiated into. Your friends don’t know what it’s like to lose a child, Sullivan. We do. We know the pain and the emptiness that come along with it. We know what it’s like to rack your brain for hours, trying to figure out what went wrong or what could’ve been done differently. We’ve been to hell and back. They haven’t.”

  Sullivan nodded in agreement and swallowed another mouthful. “They think I should just get over it and move on. They want me ‘back to normal,’ whatever that means. What they don’t get is that this is it. This is my new normal. Nothing will ever go back to being the way it was before I lost Christian.”

  Desdemona refilled Sullivan’s glass. “It’s pretty quiet around here. Where’s your husband and your little girl?”

  “Charity is on a playdate with Lawson’s stepson. She and Garrett took them to Gingerbread Village. Charles is over at the church, of course.”

  “And he left you here alone to grieve?” Desdemona shook her head. “Men can be so selfish sometimes, even the good ones.”

  “Charles isn’t like that. In fact, he’s probably the most selfless person I know.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t mean to be selfish, Sullivan, but you’re his wife. You’re falling apart, and you need him. He’s the one who should be here comforting you, not me.”

  “No, you’ve got Charles all wrong. He’s a wonderful husband to me and a doting father to Charity. Right now, he’s just—”

  “Busy?” queried Desdemona. “Preoccupied? Got a lot on his plate? Sasha’s father and I have our differences, but he was there for me when our daughter died. I don’t think I could’ve made it without him. He was my rock. If a no-account bastard like Ricky Harris knows how to be there for me, there’s no justification for a man of God like Charles not to be there for you.”

  “It’s not that simple, Desdemona.”

  “It is that simple, Sullivan. Don’t make excuses for him just because you’re married to the guy.”

  “You make him sound like a deadbeat, but nothing could be further from the truth. Charles is the best man I know. He’s kind, considerate, loving. At this very moment, he’s at the church, supporting the seniors at their annual holiday brunch.”

  “So the seniors at church take precedence over his family?” Desdemona asked in disbelief. “I’m sorry, Sullivan, but I can’t pretend this is okay. Your husband’s top priority should be you and your daughter.”

  “We are!” argued Sullivan.

  “Just not today, right?” Before Sullivan could respond, Desdemona stopped herself. “You know what? I shouldn’t have said anything. I was way out of line. I apologize.”

  Sullivan was quiet a moment. Her mood became pensive. “No, it’s okay. You . . . you brought up a valid point.”

  “Look, Sullivan, I’m not trying to stir up trouble between you and your husband.”

  “You’re not. In fact, I think you’re right. Charles should be here. I guess I’m so used to him putting the church before me and our family that I’ve just accepted it.”

  “You shouldn’t have to do that. He vowed to forsake all others for you, including the church.”

  Sullivan nodded. “You know, I’ve always felt like I was in competition with Mount Zion Ministries for Charles’s time and attention. It’s been an issue since the beginning of our relationship.”

  “If it means anything, I think you’re handling it remarkably well.”

  “Actually, I’ve
handled it quite terribly. A few years ago, I had an affair, and it nearly ruined our marriage. I fully accept my responsibility in all that, but I don’t think it would’ve happened if I felt wanted and appreciated at home.”

  “That’s how it usually is. Men cheat just because it’s there and because they can. Women, however, stray because they’re missing something at home.”

  “I was definitely missing something. In a lot of ways, I still am, I guess.”

  “Yeah, you’re missing your husband, on top of having to face every parent’s nightmare. You lost your son. I’m sure it doesn’t help that your husband had a hand in that.”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  “Has he even acknowledged what he did? I mean, Christian might still be alive if he had chosen differently.”

  “He keeps rationalizing, saying that he did what he thought was best and that he wanted to save me, but how can he not know that I would’ve wanted to save my son instead?”

  “It really makes you question how well your husband knows you. And for him to do that—to be the kind of person who’d endanger the life of his child—it’s got to make you question how well you know him too.”

  Later that afternoon Charles found Sullivan in Christian’s half-decorated Noah’s Ark themed nursery, staring out the window.

  “Some more flowers were just delivered,” he told her. “They’re from some of my family members up north.”

  “That’s nice,” she responded drily.

  “Charity still with Lawson and Simon?”

  Sullivan nodded. “They should be back around eight, but Lawson asked if Charity could sleep over. Apparently, the kids are having a blast.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad she’s having a good time. How about you and me doing the same? You know, it’s been a while since I’ve taken my lovely wife out. How about we take one of those dinner cruises you like?”

  Sullivan turned her nose up at the idea. “A dinner cruise in November?”

  “Yes, if that dinner cruise is in Aruba!” He strode up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her. “Why don’t we get Charity first thing in the morning and take off for a few days to get away from this sadness for a while? I think a change of scenery would do us a world of good.”