by H. H. Fowler
Yasmine hesitated, thinking she was not a baby, much less his daughter for him to even say something so inappropriate to her.
“I know I can’t be your mother,” he told her. “I won’t even try, but it’s just you and me now and we need to comfort each other.”
“You’re not my daddy,” she lashed out.
“No, I am not, but I could be. I love you just as if you were my own daughter. I’ll do anything for you, if only you would give me a chance.”
“A chance to do what?”
“To love you, Yasmine…” he moved down the sofa until his knees were touching hers. “You are so beautiful…just like your mother and I’m sure she is smiling down from heaven at you. It’s okay to cry, darling heart. I’m here for you and whatever you need, I would supply it. You will never have any lack in your life…” He pushed his fingers beneath the hem of her dress and began to rub the softness of her inner thighs.
Yasmine flinched. “What are you doing?”
“Shhhh…I’m taking care of you…relax…your mother would want this for you. You’re a big girl now and this is one of the many ways that I can comfort you…how does this make you feel?”
Yasmine pushed Ronnie’s hand away from her innocence. “Please, stop…”
“Relax, Yasmine…this is right for you…let me console you, because I can tell you want this…pretend that I’m that boy you’re lusting after in your classroom…kissing your neck, and every place on your sweet body…” he let out an animalistic groan at the touch of her uncontaminated flesh. “Your mother and I used to pretend we were someone else whenever we had sex. She liked calling me Ronnie, after the porn star from the many videos of him I’d made her watch in our intimate sessions. In time, sweetness, you too will get the hang of it…”
Without warning, he jabbed his hand further up between Yasmine’s legs, causing her to gasp in horror…
A sudden tap on her hospital room door brought Yasmine fumbling back from her past. She turned her head and leveled her gaze with Officer Steve Mitchell. He had two Styrofoam cups in his hands and by the look of the steam coming up from the cups, Yasmine could only assume they were hot coffee.
“Your bruises are healing quite nicely,” he greeted. “But you don’t appear ready to leave the hospital.”
“Why’d you say that?”
“Because you are still laying down in your hospital gown.” He handed her one of the cups. “Drink up.”
“I don’t drink coffee.”
“I figured that, being a former beauty queen and all. It doesn’t seem to fit in with your diet. It’s herbal tea.”
Yasmine stared at the youthful officer, the signs of gratitude in her expression. “Why are you being kind to me, after all the horrible things that I’ve done?”
“Giving you a cup of herbal tea doesn’t mean that I’m being kind,” Mitchell said. “But you are pregnant, and after going through such a terrible attack, which could have been your life, the least I can do is be civil.”
Yasmine turned her head away, suddenly disgusted. “Why did you have to remind me that I’m carrying the seed of that creep inside of me? I wish it wasn’t true.”
“Well, I’m relieved to know your story checked out,” Mitchell said. “Mr. Dewey’s DNA results came back this morning and matched the evidence in the rape kit. The semen sample, the fingerprints on the Rohypnol bottle…everything. But of course, we now know that you weren’t really raped.”
Yasmine swung her gaze back to Mitchell. “How can you say that? Ronnie forced me against my will – on many occasions. I couldn’t get away from him.”
“For all these years? Ms. Strummer, you had ample opportunities to report the abuse to the police, if that’s what you insist on calling it. He wasn’t holding a gun to your head when you went to Mr. Beckford’s hotel room on your own and tried to seduce him. That to me, is taking things a little too far.”
“I explained to you why I did that.”
“If you had gone straight home after leaving Mr. Beckford’s hotel room, I probably wouldn’t have had so many questions. But then, you deliberately went over to Mr. Dewey’s house and had sex with Mr. Dewey…that same evening.”
“I wanted the forensic examiner to believe I was telling the truth.”
“But do you see why I’m confused? It doesn’t make sense. This plan of yours was just too cumbersome, for the simple purpose of pleasing your father.”
“It was the price of my freedom that I’d been willing to pay!” Yasmine swatted her tears away, lips trembling like they’d contracted the chills. “When I was fourteen that creep pushed his fat fingers between my legs and ravished my innocence. He did it on the evening when I’d just buried my mother and threatened that he would kill me if I told anyone about it. Every night, without fail, he would come to my room and force me to have sex with him. He would say that he was teaching me the ‘ropes’ so that when I met my husband, I would know what to do.
“I tried to rebel many times, but I would only get slapped around until I had no strength left in my body. And even then, with me lying on the floor in blood, Ronnie would pull me toward him and rape me. In the morning, he would fix me breakfast and would go on and on about how sorry he was for hurting me. He would then give me money to go shopping and to buy anything I wanted. But those privileges never came without a death threat.
“Even when I was old enough to travel from city to city with my friends in the beauty pageants, Ronnie would always assign one of his goons to watch me. I hadn’t any idea who they were, but I knew they were there, keeping tabs on me, so that they could report back to Ronnie. Since I was fourteen years old, I never had any real freedom to do as I pleased or to come and go at will. So don’t stand there in those tight khaki pants and judge me for my actions, because you don’t know the hell I’ve been through with trying to break free from that ravenous beast.”
Recalling the similar reaction of his own daughter who’d been raped at twelve, Mitchell pulled back on his questioning tactics. It was the cop in him that always wanted to get to the bottom of a story that just didn’t make sense. However, he could tell that Yasmine’s distress was real and although he didn’t condone what she’d done to Mr. Beckford, he was willing to lend some credence to her logic. He was staring in the face of a battered woman who for years never really understood her own self-worth. It probably took everything in her to finally go against Mr. Dewey, which amazingly, showed she still had some fight left in her.
“In any event, this case is likely going to end up in court,” Mitchell said. “And if you don’t want to be prosecuted for perjury, part of the deal we made is that you testify against Mr. Dewey, so that we can put him away for a long time.”
Yasmine scoffed. “You don’t understand, I won’t live to see the day.”
“He’s in police custody, awaiting to be arraigned,” Mitchell assured. “He won’t hurt you.”
“Look at my face, officer. Do I need to remind you of how easy it was for those two men to find me and attack me in front of that club? I’m convinced they are Ronnie’s men and the only thing Ronnie has to do is make one call and I’m finished.”
Mitchell smiled. “That’s why I am one step ahead of you, Ms. Strummer. You are going on an extended vacation, at least until the trial begins. You will be placed in a witness protection program. All you have to do is name any of the major states you want to go in Florida and we will take care of it from there.”
Yasmine was about to protest, but why should she? She hadn’t a reason to stay in Devin’s Cay. It didn’t take her long to think about where she wanted to go, because that place had to be wherever Kevin was. He was the closest thing to real love she had experienced and even though she knew he would be upset for what she’d done to Drake, she was willing to take the chance. Swinging her feet to the floor, she gave Mitchell a small smile.
“So, that means I’m off the hook?”
“Granted that you testify against Mr. Dewey.”
“As long as I’m protected, you can rest assured that I will.”
“Have you decided where you want to go?”
“Yes…Tampa, Florida.”
“Good choice.”
“I know, that’s why I chose it.”
“Well then, Ms. Strummer, to Tampa, Florida you shall go.”
“When do I leave?”
“First thing tomorrow morning.”
Chapter Six
Sunday Morning – 6:31 a.m.
For the last five minutes, Sasha’s cell phone kept vibrating on the dresser next to her. And although the ringer had been turned off, the buzzing noise was equally annoying. Had Sasha not been worn out from the whirlwind of romance she’d shared with Drake during the course of the night, she would have slapped the phone to the floor. How inconsiderate for anyone to intrude so early in the morning, especially when she and Drake were trying to make up for lost time. But sensing the call may be important, Sasha reached for the phone and decided to shove her annoyance aside.
Drake’s arm was still fastened around her stomach, his unclad body the perfect depiction of youth and stamina. Smiling suddenly, Sasha offered God a silent ‘thank you’ for putting her marriage back on track and for blessing her with a man who knew how to execute his love-making skills. Indeed, last night had been a rhapsodic experience, considering they hadn’t had that many opportunities to practice.
However, although her sleep had been disturbed, she didn’t want the same for Drake. So she carefully moved his arm from around her, quietly propping herself up on her elbows. By this time, her cell phone had stopped vibrating, leaving a blinking green light in its place. It was a brief text from one of the women from the church where Sasha had fellowshipped at one time, explaining that Elder John Dewey had been arrested for attempted murder and sexual abuse of his daughter.
Stunned by the news, Sasha swung her feet out of the bed. She really didn’t want to wake Drake, but this was different. Elder John had been arrested. However, being the detailed woman that she was, Sasha preferred to get the full scope of a matter before running her mouth about something that probably wasn’t true anyway. She hastened to the bathroom and eased the door shut. But just as she was about to redial the number, her phone began vibrating again. It was the same person calling back and Sasha suddenly wondered why the person was being so persistent.
“Hello?”
“Sister, I don’t mean to disturb your rest,” came the rushed female voice. “I got your number from the church’s database…may I speak with your husband…I’m sorry, but this is rather urgent.”
News certainly travels around quickly. How does this woman know that Drake and I are back together or is she assuming that we are? Because it’s a very brazen way to think. “I got a text from you explaining that Elder John had been arrested,” Sasha said, forgoing to fulfil the woman’s request at the moment. “Is any of it true?”
“It’s all true. I’m assuming you haven’t seen the six o’clock news this morning?”
“No…”
“Turn on the TV. The headlines are all over the news stations.”
“Give me a sec.” Sasha opened the bathroom door and hastened to the 32-inch flat screen that was in the room to the far left. She turned it on, lowering the volume till it was just loud enough to make out what the news reporters were saying.
“…if you remember about a week ago, Drake Beckford, the young minister who’d been accused of rape by a former beauty queen, has been released and acquitted of all rape allegations. The victim has retracted her story, claiming that she’d lied to help her father secure the position as the next bishop in charge of El Shaddai Ministries. But in a twist of fate, the victim’s father has now been arrested on charges of attempted murder and sexual abuse of his own daughter…”
“Are you still there?” the female asked, prompting Sasha. “You see? It’s all true.”
Sasha knew that Yasmine had retracted her story, but she had no idea that Yasmine’s father had been behind it all or that he had been sexually abusing her. Sasha shook her head in disbelief. “This is unbelievable…”
“I said the same thing. But you know what this means?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, El Shaddai Ministries doesn’t have a pastor to lead it, especially on a morning like this. That church is going to be teeming with people over the next couple of hours.”
That church? What an impersonal statement to make. “So, what does this have to do with my husband?”
“Isn’t it obvious, sister? This is the hand of God! The entire church has been praying for Minister Beckford ever since this situation began. I, for one, have never believed the accusations against him and trusted that God would make the devil out to be the liar he is. Well, God certainly has! We – and when I say we, I speak as a representative for the wonderful people of El Shaddai Ministries – want you and your husband to take your rightful place as the successors of Rev. Henderson’s legacy. We won’t accept anything else.”
Sasha swallowed her first response, which would have been an outright rejection of what was being told to her. What did she say to a woman who was obviously too excited to make any sense of what she was saying?
“Well, this is a lot to be presented with this morning,” Sasha said. “And I don’t even know if I nor my husband will ever be ready for such a huge step. What about some of the other elders of the church? Have you raised your concerns with them yet?”
“We don’t have to. Everyone wants you and Pastor Beckford – I mean, Minister Beckford. You see? I’m already getting use to the idea of calling your husband, ‘pastor’. This was what Rev. Henderson wanted anyway, for you guys to be our next pair of leaders. A dynamic husband and wife duo who are capable of taking El Shaddai Ministries to the next level. We expect to see you two in church this morning.”
“I’m not sure we will be able to make it…”
“Don’t disappoint us. We all will be waiting to see you and your husband walk through those double doors. Be blessed, woman of God. We love you but Jesus loves you best!”
The woman was gone before Sasha had the opportunity to rebut with another excuse.
“What is going on?”
Sasha turned in response to Drake’s voice. He was standing behind her with a sheet wrapped around his naked frame.
“Elder John has been arrested for attempted murder and sexual abuse of his daughter,” she deadpanned.
“Are you serious?”
Sasha pointed to the flat screen TV. “It’s all over the news…I’m having trouble digesting it myself.”
Drake watched the clips for a few minutes and then turned his attention back to Sasha, his expression one of disbelief. “Who was that on the phone?”
Sasha was hoping her husband hadn’t noticed. But what sense would it make lying to him? “A sister from the church. She wanted to talk to you, but you were asleep. So I handled it.”
“What did she want?”
“Do you want the long or the short version?” Sasha asked.
“Just tell me something; I’m dying to know.”
“Well…our presence is being requested at the church this morning. And if I go according to what the young woman said, I would say that everyone is anticipating our grand return.”
Drake stared at his wife, discerning her troubled spirit. “Why do I get the impression that there’s more behind those words?”
“Because there is…” Sasha closed in the space between her and Drake, giving him eyes that said she would support him in whatever steps he made concerning their future, especially as it related to the church. “They want you to assume the role of pastor, with me assisting you. But of course, I did not give the young woman a decisive answer, because I believe in letting my husband take the lead.”
Drake pulled Sasha closer to him until their lips were inches apart. “I can see a lot of questions in your beautiful eyes, but you rest assured that I will not make a decision that would put our marriage
through another strain. As much as I love Rev. Henderson and appreciate all that he’s done for me in my formative years, I must consider what the best move is for us and for our marriage. Being a pastor comes with a lot of responsibilities and sacrifices that I myself don’t feel I’m ready to take on. I would prefer to spend some time getting reacquainted with my wife.”
Sasha touched Drake’s face in an affectionate manner. “You are the one Rev. Henderson chose as his successor…your spiritual inheritance from a man who’d had great confidence in you. Also, becoming pastor of El Shaddai Ministries has always been a long-held dream of yours. I don’t want to be the cause of your discontentment.”
Drake grabbed Sasha’s hand and pressed his lips against it. “A lot has happened since Rev. Henderson died. I almost lost you and I don’t intend for that to happen again. I will be content simply knowing that I’ve been given another chance to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Such sweet words would make any woman feel honored to have a husband like Drake. But this decision was bigger than her and Drake. This was God, orchestrating His divine will – Drake being exonerated of the false rape charges, the reconciliation of her marriage, and the surprise arrest of Elder John. Sasha knew firsthand how serious it was to contend with the Holy Spirit. She moved out of Drake’s embrace, feeling now a strong pull of conviction.
“We both know that the call of God on your life is no ordinary call,” she said. “You can’t just push it aside and pretend to be an average man with an average assignment. Ever since I’ve known you from your childhood, you were always a step ahead of the boys your age.”
“I am more concerned about you and how my decision to lead would affect our fairly new marriage. I don’t want to mess up a second time.”
“Don’t worry about my reservations. I can’t dismiss the signs of how God is making it easy for you to walk into your divine purpose. He gave you favor with the people, despite what Elder John and his daughter tried to do to you.”
“I will pray about it,” Drake said.