A Christmas Prayer

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  The mini orchestra played beautiful holiday carols, and everyone laughed and chatted with joy. Even Alexis was having a great time, and she was enjoying the celebration of Christmas again. She also thought about her sister and niece and smiled. They’d been very happy about including Alexis in their annual tree-trimming tradition, and she was grateful for the opportunity. They’d sung along with some of the best holiday tunes, drunk store-bought eggnog, and eaten Christmas cookies, and they’d joked around and laughed about the silliest things. It had only been the three of them, but by far, it had been the best family gathering in years. Alexis was also happy to know that Melvin hadn’t done much calling, not as much as Alexis had expected him to, and that Sabrina was truly ready to move on without him the way she’d said. Alexis could tell that at times Sabrina felt sad and lonely, but for the most part, she was hanging in there and doing well.

  “Hey, honey,” Chase said, strutting toward her and looking as though he should be modeling for the cover of some national magazine. “I want you to meet someone.” He wrapped his arm around her. “This is Jason Bartlett and his wife, Laura. Jason is our new CFO. Well, sort of new, anyway. Jason joined the company this past summer,” he said. “And this is Alexis, my fiancée.”

  Alexis smiled and extended her hand, first to Laura and then to Jason. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

  “Likewise,” Laura said, also smiling. “And what a gorgeous gown you have on. Red is certainly your color.”

  “You’re very kind, and thank you for the compliment,” Alexis said. “I love your dress, too.”

  “Why, thank you.”

  “It really is great to finally meet the woman the boss here speaks so highly of,” Jason said.

  Chase rubbed the side of Alexis’s arm. “And it’s all true, too. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”

  “We’re very happy for you both,” Laura added.

  There was something very calm and pleasant about Laura, and Alexis liked her already.

  The four of them chatted for a few more minutes, and soon Paula and Rick walked in. Alexis had wondered when they would arrive, and to be honest, she was shocked that Paula hadn’t gotten there before the doors opened. Paula loved attending these kinds of affairs, and she’d made it known to Chase a long time ago that she wanted to be included on as many Borg-Freeman guest lists as possible. Chase got a big kick out of Paula, and he had loved her since meeting her.

  Chase gave formal introductions, and then the Bartletts left to go mingle with more staff members.

  “This is so exciting, Chase,” Paula said. “You guys really know how to put on a show.”

  “Yeah, it turned out pretty nice, didn’t it?” he said.

  “Please. Nice isn’t even the word. This is incredible.”

  “And thanks a million for inviting us,” Rick said, laughing. “Because if you hadn’t, I think my girl here might’ve had a heart attack.”

  “Whatever, Rick,” she said, and they all laughed.

  Chase and Alexis made their rounds, offering more holiday well wishes, and Paula and Rick got something to eat. Then Chase and Alexis maneuvered their way to the front of the room, and Chase walked up the steps to the podium. When the music stopped, he began to speak.

  “Good evening, everyone. Well, I first want to thank all of you for being here, and most important, I want to thank every employee here for all your hard work and dedication. I also want to thank all the spouses for tolerating some of the late hours many of us have been putting in over the last few months as we tirelessly prepared for the launch of our newest aerospace product. It just debuted this month, and I’m very happy to report that not only is it already a great success, but we’ll be seeing lots of national coverage for it in the coming year. So again, I want to say thank you for a job well done.”

  Everyone applauded, and those holding champagne glasses lifted them toward Chase.

  “My father, God rest his soul, would be very proud tonight and very happy to know that Borg-Freeman has experienced one of its most profitable years in history. So, that being said, every single employee, whether you’re working at the executive level or in an entry-level position, will be receiving a very sizable check in the mail no later than Monday or Tuesday.”

  There was more applause, and it lasted much longer this time. There was also lots of conversation, and most people didn’t seem to be quieting down. They were beyond excited.

  “Maybe I should have saved that particular news for the very end of my speech,” Chase said, laughing, and everyone else laughed along. “I’m just about finished, though, and actually, what I’ve done is save the best for last.” He walked over to the top of the stairs and reached his hand out for Alexis. They walked back to the podium, and Chase held Alexis around her waist.

  “As many of you know, I’ve finally found the woman of my dreams, and we’re getting married.”

  “Hear, hear,” some of the men said, and everyone applauded again.

  “Thank you all so much. The one thing I haven’t shared, though, is that instead of waiting until June, we’re doing it three days from now, on Christmas Eve. And I tell you, I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been blessed to run a great company, I have the best employees ever, and now my family life will finally be complete when I marry Alexis. So here’s wishing all of you and your families a very merry Christmas and all of God’s best in the new year.”

  Chase and Alexis clapped their hands along with everyone else and then stepped down from the platform. Folks walked over from every direction to congratulate them, and all was well until Alexis saw Geneva glide into the room dressed in a chic, full-length, bright green evening gown. She spotted Chase and Alexis immediately, but instead of acknowledging them, she strutted right past them, walked onto the stage, and stood in front of the microphone. Alexis knew the entire evening was about to be ruined, and that if Geneva was preparing to address the executives who worked for her own son, she was going to say a mouthful.

  Paula and Rick made their way through the crowd.

  “Oh my God, what is she up to?” Paula whispered to Alexis.

  Alexis slightly hunched her shoulders, because she hadn’t a clue. Chase seemed hurt, angry, and embarrassed, and his mother hadn’t even spoken yet. This was going to be a nightmare.

  “May I have your attention, please,” Geneva said, and the orchestra stopped playing again. “I’m really sorry to have to interrupt your party this evening, and if there had been any other way I wouldn’t have. But as a mother, I’m obligated to do whatever I have to when it comes to the well-being of my son. I realize he’s a grown man, and that he is a highly intelligent CEO whom you all have the utmost respect for, but for whatever reason, he’s allowed this woman here,” she said, pointing at Alexis, “to cloud his judgment.”

  Alexis stared at Geneva, and no one moved or made a sound. She was sure they were just as stunned as she was.

  “So since I haven’t been able to convince my son that he’s marrying a very devious and duplicitous woman, I decided it was best to come ask each of you for your help. He simply won’t listen to me, but once I tell you everything this woman has done, I’m sure you’ll understand why I had to come speak publicly about it. I wanted to share this with you because of how much you care about Chase. I also couldn’t just quietly sit back doing nothing while this woman brought down not just the Dupont family reputation, but also the reputation of this great company that my husband successfully ran for years. The company that all of you work for.”

  Now folks finally started to whisper, and Alexis’s stomach tied in knots. Chase grabbed her hand and locked their fingers together, but she couldn’t understand why he wasn’t doing something to stop his mother. Why wasn’t he rushing up to the podium and dragging her away from it? It was already apparent that she was planning to badmouth Alexis in the worst possible way, and once that happened, many of the employees would never see her the same. With these kinds of words coming from the former CEO’
s widow and the current CEO’s mother, it wouldn’t matter that Geneva was lying, because after this, questions would be left in everyone’s minds and rumors would fly in all directions.

  “You’ll all be very shocked to hear this,” Geneva said, pausing and attempting to squeeze out real tears. “But earlier this month, this same woman who claims to be so in love with my son burst into our home and attacked me. She threatened my life and told me that once she and Chase were married, she was going to make sure I never saw him again. She screamed at me, and she upset me to the point where I had to be rushed to the emergency room. I was in so much pain and my nerves were so shot, I thought I was going to die.”

  Whispers grew louder, and Alexis heard one woman say, “I knew she was only marrying him for his money. I knew it as soon as I heard about her.”

  “Please, please, please,” Geneva said with both hands raised, “if you’ll just give me two more minutes, I’ll leave you to your party. The reason this woman has slithered her way into my son’s life is because she grew up with nothing. She was raised up on the worst side of town, and now she’s figured out a way to take our money. She’s even talked my son into not making her sign a prenup agreement, even though we have millions of dollars.”

  Chase dropped Alexis’s hand, went over to the short stairway, and walked back onstage. “Mother, I’m asking you to please leave.”

  “Honey, I’m doing this for your own good. I’m doing this because I love you, and because I have to protect you. This Alexis Fletcher woman is nothing more than a lying jezebel, and this all has to stop before she takes us to the cleaners.”

  “Lying jezebel?” Chase shouted. “Mother, you can’t be serious. Not when you’re the one who has all the skeletons.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, preparing to go on with her monologue.

  But Chase interrupted her. “Why are you doing this, Mother? Why are you trying to ruin my happiness?”

  “Because you don’t know any better. This woman came from the wrong side of the tracks, and you deserve better than that.”

  “Really? Then why did Daddy marry you? Why did my successful father marry a woman who grew up in a one-room shack down in Alligator, Mississippi? I was so shocked when I learned the truth about that, I had to look up the city to make sure it even existed.”

  “Oh my God,” she said, reaching toward him. “Now this woman has made up a bunch of lies about me? And she’s got you believing them?”

  “These aren’t lies, Mother, and Alexis knew nothing about this. I only found out myself a couple of years ago, and had you not pushed me, I would have taken every bit of it to my grave. I would have never confronted you about it. But you’re a fraud, Mother.”

  “These are all lies, son. I swear,” she said, pleading with him. “You have to believe me.”

  Alexis didn’t know what to say or think, but she desperately wanted to grab Chase’s arm and pull him off the stage. She wanted to drag him out of the room altogether. He was so enraged that he’d forgotten about all his colleagues being in the room, and that this was the company’s annual Christmas party—he’d forgotten that he was the CEO, and that everyone in the city was going to hear about this.

  But Chase was on a roll, and Alexis knew no one could stop him. Not even her.

  “And then, Mother, imagine my surprise when you kept saying Alexis hadn’t gone to the right colleges, and that she wasn’t good enough for me. I couldn’t believe it, because you never even graduated from high school yourself, let alone attended college. All these years, you’d told me that your parents were dead, that you were born in Atlanta, and that you’d graduated from Spelman College. You even have a fake diploma from Spelman in your home office, and I can remember times when you flew to Atlanta for what you said were alumni events.”

  Beads of perspiration lined Chase’s forehead, and Alexis could tell he was getting angrier by the millisecond.

  Chase tightened his face and stared at his mother. “But you know what was worst of all, Mother? Finding out that your real name isn’t even Geneva. It’s Essie Mae. And just in case you’re interested, your mother is alive and well, and I’ve been sending her money every month since I met her. I’ve also been taking care of your two younger sisters. And all this time, Mother, you told me you were an only child. You lied about everything.”

  Alexis pulled Chase by his arm, and although he resisted at first, he finally gave in and walked away with her. They left the room and then the building, but Chase said nothing. He was numb, and Alexis knew things between him and his mother would never be the same. He would never be the same, and it would take a lot of healing for him to get past this.

  It would take a miracle for him to ever trust his mother again.

  Chapter 24

  It was Christmas Eve, only three days since the party fiasco, but Alexis and Chase were still getting married. Alexis had thought maybe it would be best for them to wait a few more weeks so that Chase could deal with all the unresolved feelings he had toward his mother, but he wouldn’t hear of it. She’d even tried to get him to go see his mom, but whenever she brought that up, he acted as though he hadn’t heard her. He wouldn’t outright ignore her, but he’d change the subject, caress the side of her face, or do anything he could think of as long as he didn’t have to respond to her comment. There was no denying that Geneva had treated Alexis horribly from day one, but because of all the Christian values Alexis’s mother had taught her, Alexis couldn’t imagine Chase cutting off his mother for good. She understood how angry and hurt he was—everyone who knew about his mother’s lies and deceit understood—but Geneva Dupont, aka Essie Mae Jackson, was still the woman who had brought him into this world. Alexis was sure Geneva still loved and cherished him, even though Chase no longer believed that.

  But now here they stood in the presence of God, family members, and friends, preparing to take lifelong vows. Chase wore a stylish black suit with a black-and-white-striped tie, a white handkerchief, and a white rose boutonnière, and Alexis wore a pure white satin jacket and skirt with a double-strand pearl necklace. She also wore pearl earrings and a matching bracelet, and her hair was pulled back in a chignon. Her Christmas-themed wedding bouquet was made mostly of white roses, with a few red ones sprinkled throughout and a hint of greenery.

  One of Alexis’s favorite soloists at the church sang “Silent Night” in honor of Alexis’s mother, and Alexis wasn’t sure the song had ever sounded more serene and moving.

  Pastor Black smiled at Chase and Alexis. “I must say, this is a very blessed day and a very happy one. It gives me great joy to be able to perform this ceremony for two truly wonderful individuals who love God as well as each other. So let us begin.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses to join Chase William Dupont the Third and Alexis Marie Fletcher in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men, and therefore is not to be entered into by anyone unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and solemnly. Into this holy estate, these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

  Alexis quickly thought about Chase’s mother again and how she’d expected that this would be the day Geneva would come forward to try to stop their marriage. But as it had turned out, she’d had much bigger plans and had carried them out at the party.

  “Who presents this woman to be married to this man?”

  Sabrina stepped forward. “On behalf of those who are with us, and my parents who have gone before us, I give my love, support, and blessing to this union.”

  Alexis smiled at Sabrina; they both blinked back tears and held each other.

  Alexis quietly said, “Thank you.”

  Now, Courtney walked toward them. “I’m so happy for you, Aunt Lexi.” She hugged her aunt tightly and also her new uncle.

  Pastor Black contin
ued. “No other human ties are more tender, no other vows are more sacred than these you are about to assume. You are entering into the holy estate which is the deepest mystery of experience, and which is the very sacrament of divine love. Chase, will you have Alexis to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only for her so long as you both shall live?”

  Chase gazed into Alexis’s eyes. “I will.”

  “Alexis, will you have Chase to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only for him so long as you both shall live?”

  “I will,” she said, gazing back at him.

  Pastor Black asked everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes, and he spoke a wedding prayer over Chase and Alexis. Then he asked them to hold hands and recite their vows.

  Chase gazed at Alexis again. “Not once did I ever believe it was possible to find my true soul mate…until I met you. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were special and that you were going to be my wife. The woman I would love and spend the rest of my life with. The woman I would always be able to trust and depend on. You make me smile, you make me laugh, and you give me the best kind of peace. I love you with all my heart…I love you with everything in me, and I am yours forever.”

  Alexis wiped tears from Chase’s cheeks and then wiped her own. She was so in love with him that she could barely keep a straight face. She wanted to cry out loud with happiness, but she calmly began her vows.