“That is not going to happen, Shatrice. I am just getting the respect I need around here. People think she has not been here because she is depressed about losing the baby.”
“They think she has been depressed all of this time? Surely you do not believe that. People are smart, and there is no way they believe that. They may know and are just keeping quiet about it, giving you some time to work it out.”
I walked into the office. When Byran saw me, his eyes got as big as Popeye’s, Kristal’s boyfriend.
“Surprised to see me, huh?” I said.
“What are you doing here, Allyson?” he answered, standing.
“I came to bring you these divorce papers to sign,” I said, taking the papers out.
He laughed so hard, he sat down in his chair. “Whew, you are hilarious, Allyson. Girl, you should have been a comedian. I told you I was not giving you a divorce until after four years. Nothing you can do will make me sign those papers.”
“But there is something I can do,” Shatrice said.
“Baby, you in on this with her?” he asked, looking puzzled. Then a thought hit him. “Oh, you want me to divorce her because you are ready to marry me. Babe, why didn’t you just say so?” He broke into a wide grin. “The only problem is I still cannot marry you right away, because it will look like we were messing around all along. You do understand, don’t you?”
I shook my head at his arrogance. This man needed some help.
“Byran, I am not here because I want to marry you,” Shatrice informed him. “I am here to get you to sign these divorce papers and let this woman go on with her life. She does not want to be married to you, she has moved on, and you need to do the same.”
“What interest is this of yours, Shatrice? What I do with my wife is my business and hers,” he said, changing his tone. Once again, Byran was all about himself and would challenge whomever when necessary.
“Oh, so it is you and your wife now? What about when it was you, your wife, and me? You are a piece of work. And I realize you will throw anyone under the bus when you see things are not going your way,” Shatrice observed. “So, here it is, Byran. You will sign those papers Allyson has in her hands or else.”
“Or else what?” he shot back.
“Or else I am going to your church and exposing all your dirty little secrets. And even if that means people will look at me sideways for the rest of my life, as I always say . . . so be it. If it means that not another woman has to fall prey to your sneaky, manipulative ways, I will suffer the loss of my reputation.”
He seemed unfazed. “Shatrice, you have no reputation, because no one knows you. Who are you? If you try to walk up and say anything in my church, before you take the third step, you will be stopped. Who do you think will believe you? I will just tell people you are infatuated with me, I rejected you, and you cannot move on with your life.”
“You are so sad,” I interjected. “You claimed to love this woman. Are you telling me your love has an on-and-off switch? You can just turn on her that easy because she is doing something you don’t like? I can understand you doing me that way, because you admitted you never really loved me. But Shatrice? This is the same woman who you said you were in love with. Do you even know what love really is? You are looking in the faces of two women who loved you and would have done anything to make you happy. Most people don’t get that in a lifetime, let alone from two people. And you are too silly and self-absorbed to see you have been blessed.”
“Yeah,” Shatrice chimed in. “This woman was about to have an abortion in hopes of getting you to see how much she loved you. She was willing to kill her child for you. How sick is that? Byran, can you not see the damage you have done?”
“Both of you . . . get out of my office before I have you removed!”
“We will gladly leave after you sign those papers,” Shatrice countered.
He hit his desk with his hand, causing both Shatrice and me to jump. “I already told you I am not going to sign any papers!” he shouted.
“Okay, well, we tried to talk to you like adults, but you are insisting on being a tough guy,” Shatrice said, getting up. She pulled a yellow envelope from her purse and placed it on his desk. “In this envelope are copies of everything I have the originals to. Text messages, e-mails, videos, voice mails, surveillance footage from the hospital and doctors’ offices in Chattanooga, and a host of other things. Additional copies are with a friend who is standing at the post office right now, ready to drop them in the mail to every local radio and TV station. All I have to do is call.”
He opened up the envelope and fumbled through Shatrice’s pile of evidence. I stole a look at it and was surprised she had so much. She had gathered everything but a string of his hair, but then again, I would not put that past her, either.
I laid the papers I had on the desk to go along with what he already had. To his left were the nails—the evidence—that would crucify him. And to his right was the salvation—the divorce papers—that would spare him. The decision was up to him.
“Even if I agreed to sign these papers, you think I would sign them without first seeking counsel from my attorney?” he asked, still looking through Shatrice’s pile.
“The papers are very simple. We do not have any kids together, and the only thing I am asking for is to be released from the deal we made, and granted a divorce. I want nothing from you,” I replied.
“You think I believe that?”
“Just read the papers, Byran.” I glanced at my watch. In another fifteen minutes people would begin filing into the church. I needed him to hurry and sign the papers before that happened or before Seth came storming in.
Shatrice saw me getting impatient and took her cell phone out. “Hey, girl. Are you at the post office? I don’t think Byran is going to sign these papers.”
His eyes got big again. I almost burst into laughter. For the first time I noticed how small he had gotten and how worn he looked. He had bags underneath his eyes and looked as if he had not slept in weeks.
“Shatrice, hang up the phone,” he ordered.
“Hold on a minute. Byran is saying something.” She put the phone down by her side. “Were you saying something?”
He flipped the pages of the divorce papers. There were only three, but he kept flipping back and forth. “I said hang up the phone.”
“You do not control anymore. I will hang up the phone if we have a deal. Otherwise, I will give her the word to drop those packages in the mail, and this time tomorrow night our story—our love story—will be on the local news. What will it be? Are you going to sign those papers or not? I have someplace to be, and I need to know now.”
“Yes,” he said, barely above a whisper.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Shatrice replied.
“Yes.”
“Yes what?”
“Shatrice, don’t push it. I am saying, ‘Yes, I will sign the papers.’”
“Girl, we have a yes, but stand by. I will call you back if something changes.” She ended the call.
He grabbed a pen from his desk and signed the papers. I grabbed them as Shatrice laid another document in front of him.
“What is this?” he asked.
“This is a gag order I got on myself,” Shatrice explained. “This document will protect you going forward and assure you I will not pop up later and try to use this evidence against you in any kind of way. I am going to sign it, and Allyson will notarize it. That is the only copy. I do not need one.”
Byran looked confused. “You would get a gag order on yourself?”
“We thought of everything. We know how you operate, and we are trying to show you this is not about exposing you but about doing what is right,” she explained.
She signed the paper and I notarized it, just as we had planned.
“Byran, I honestly pray you find happiness and peace within, and I forgive you for everything you ever did to hurt me,” I said. “You can tell the church I was so overcome with
grief, I wanted out of my marriage. I do not care what you tell them. You will be fine, because these people adore you, need you, and besides that, you are incredibly gifted and talented. I hope one day you will get the opportunity to stand before men, both young and old, and testify of the type of man you used to be, because I will pray to God every day for a change to take place in your life.”
I stepped to him and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for setting me free. You will discover that you don’t have to trick and scheme to get the blessings of God. All you have to do is trust Him.”
Shatrice kissed him on the other cheek. “Good-bye, Byran. I will always love you.”
We both walked out of the office and down the hall.
Two wounded women.
Two victorious women.
For we had proved it was possible for wounded warriors to win.
Chapter Twenty-three
August was a month that was hot no matter what. It was in the middle of the year between a windy spring and a cool fall. You could not escape its heat. But as I looked around at those who were closest to me, the joy I felt even in the midst of the heat was hard to contain.
“Baby girl, how does it feel to turn thirty?” Dad asked.
“Like it felt yesterday, when I was twenty-nine,” I replied and laughed.
“Give it a few days. Your entire outlook on life will change,” Mom chimed in.
“She is right. Girl, when I turned thirty, men started flocking to me left and right,” Kristal said.
“And why do you think turning thirty had something to do with it?” I asked.
“See, men can sense that transition you go through when you exit your twenties and enter your thirties. You are more mature, you think on a different level, and you realize life is not slowing down for you. You get on your grown woman ish, and you start settling down.”
“I was thinking of all that yesterday, at twenty-nine, though,” I said.
“Yeah, you just wait. In a few days you are going to wake up and see life totally different. The change may have already started, but it will soon be solidified,” Kristal assured me.
“I remember when I was thirty,” Ms. Todd said. “I was too hot to trot. My husband could hardly keep up with me.”
We all laughed.
“Is that right? What were you doing, Nana?” I asked.
“Anything I wanted to do that I was scared to do in my twenties. I had figured out I was old enough to know better but young enough to do it, anyway,” she joked.
“Dinner is served, everyone,” Claudia announced.
We all got up from the living room and went into the dining room, where the buffet was spread. It contained all my favorite foods, from chicken Alfredo to fried fish. . . . We had it all.
As we sat down at the fourteen-seat dining room table, I looked at the paintings on the walls. On the wall directly in front of me was a replica of the painting that hung in the bar at the St. Regis. It was the phoenix rising from its ashes. And on the other wall was a picture of James Durham, the first recognized African American physician in the United States. Two different paintings with great meanings. One said you could rise from anything, and the other said you could accomplish anything.
As I surveyed the people in the room, Seth, Ms. Todd, Mom, Dad, and Kristal, I thought about how we had all risen from something to become better individuals. We each had a testimony of endurance, survival, and restoration. Verses from one of my favorite new scriptures, Psalm 66, came to mind.
For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
God had indeed been good to me and those I love. My parents were doing great, and Mom was happier than I had ever seen her. As time went on, and as God dealt with me, I had to admit, the two of them were made for each other. Sometimes relationships went on a journey of separation, but when it was true, genuine, authentic love, people could find their way back to each other.
Kristal, my ghetto fabulous friend with the big heart, would be joining me on Carson Land as my assistant. I had taken over Melanie’s job, after convincing Seth I actually wanted to work for anything I got. Our relationship was blooming, but I was determined not to follow the same path I had always followed. His money meant nothing to me, and if or until I became his wife, I would not spend it like it belonged to me.
Ms. Todd had finally given up the apartment at the senior housing facility and had decided to move back to Carson Land. She was still taking her dialysis twice a week but seemed to be happier and healthier being around those that she loved and cared about the most. She reminded Seth and me on a weekly basis that we needed to hurry and get married so she could live to see her great-grandchildren.
And Seth.
I looked over at him and partially listened as he talked to my mom about the strawberry patch. He was the kindest, sweetest, and most gentle man I had ever met. If I had to sit down and create a sketch or a description of a character in one of those romance novels that described the perfect man for me, he would fit it entirely. He had taught me how to love myself and know my value. He treated me as if I was as precious as the Hope Diamond. He loved over all my flaws and loved me through my failures and disappointments. And to this day, and even though my divorce had been finalized three months ago, he refused to dishonor me by sleeping with me outside of marriage.
What a man! What a man!
All of them combined had taught me something different that I did not know a year ago, and on this thirtieth birthday I was simply grateful.
My dad tapped his crystal glass with his fork to get everyone’s attention.
“I just have a few words to say about my daughter before we bless the food and eat,” he said. He turned to look at me. “Baby girl, you are the light of my world, and you have been since the day you were born. My actions have not always matched what I have felt, but you mean so much to me. I want to apologize to you again for not being directly involved in your life while you were growing up. If I could get those years back and relive them, I would. But I am grateful to God that He has seen fit for us to make the rest of our days the best of our days. I am honored to be your father, and I am honored to be able to share the first birthday with you since that year I gave you that herringbone necklace.”
He reached down beside his chair and retrieved a bag. “I scraped up every penny, dime, and nickel to buy you that herringbone all those years ago. It took everything I had, but I was determined to get it for you because I knew how badly you wanted it. Well, God has blessed me more since then. Thankfully, I do not have to struggle the way I used to. So today, baby, I want to replace that necklace with this one,” he said, handing me a blue Tiffany bag. “Your mother told me you still had the herringbone, and I am sure when you look at it, you think back to a time when you were happy as a little girl, but the happiness slips away when you think about how I left you. I pray that every time you wear this new necklace, you will feel happiness and know that this time . . . Daddy is not going anywhere. I am here for the long haul, my sweet darling.”
By the time he finished speaking, I was in his arms, crying like a baby. The Tiffany necklace meant nothing to me in this moment. This moment was all about me being Daddy’s little girl again, and that was exactly what I felt like—his little girl.
When we had both found an escape from our tears, I opened the box, and in it was a sterling silver Tiffany Notes round pendant that had the letter A on it. It was absolutely gorgeous. I gave him another hug and composed myself the best I could.
I went back to my seat, and as if I had not cried enough, I cried more when everybody took turns telling me what I meant to them. By the time everyone had said their peace, Claudia and the staff had to take the food back and reheat it.
“While we are waiting on the food to come back out, I would li
ke to say something else,” Seth said. “I did not say much a minute ago, because I was saving my full speech for later, but I guess I will say it now.” He walked over to me. “Allyson Chase, you have changed my life in more ways than you will ever know. I did not know what the missing piece in my life was until that day you walked into my office. Now that you are here, my breathing is off rhythm when you are not around. And I have concluded, if I have to go a day without you, I would just as soon disappear from earth. I would just as soon die.
“Scientists have this theory that the world came about through some big bang theory. We know that is not true. We know God created the world and everything in it. But their theory isn’t all bad, because when I met you, our two souls collided, and out came this beautiful love that we share. I would be a fool to spend another day contemplating—or even praying about—my future with you. I already know what it is.
“So, Allyson Chase, let’s make a deal. I have a contract right here that I would like for you to sign, and before you get upset, just hear me out. The agreement details are as follows. One, you will accept my love for the rest of your life. Two, you will love me until the day you die. Three, you will have as many of my babies as you want to have.” He got down on one knee. “Tiffany has a slogan. It says, ‘True love grows, year by year, hand in hand, better and better.’ And I totally agree with them. So what do you say? Will you give me the honor of being my wife?”
He pulled a Tiffany box from his pocket, opened it, and removed the most flawless diamond I had ever seen. Being familiar with Tiffany, I recognized it as being the Tiffany Novo diamond. I looked at my dad, who was grinning from ear to ear. I looked at everyone else. They were giving me nods of approval.
“Somebody give me a pen,” I said.
I could tell everyone was baffled. My mother handed me a pen.
I looked Seth in his eyes. “I signed my life away once before to the wrong man. But I trust you, and I know God created you for me. So today I agree to sign my life away . . . again. To the right man.” I signed his mock agreement. “And my answer is yes. Yes, I will marry you, Seth Carson!” I screamed. I jumped up from my seat and into his arms.
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