“Good morning, Dave,” she greeted him in what appeared to be an upbeat tone. “I know your calendar is full today, but when you get a minute, can we talk?”
“Definitely, as a matter of fact, this is a great time.” Best to get the unpleasant matter behind them, give her a powerful recommendation, and let Sherry get on with her life. This was best for her in the long run. Might not feel so good at the moment, but the day would come when she’d have no regrets about leaving DMI.
Sherry followed Dave into the office as he closed the door behind them. She took her usual seat at his table.
“Thank you for meeting with me.”
Dave sat down. “It’s not a problem, and I needed to talk with you anyway.” Dave could have prolonged the inevitable but didn’t. “Madeline and I have talked and come to an agreement about how to restore our marriage. The only way I see this working is to let you go.” It wasn’t in his heart to be so harsh. But Madeline’s position in his heart was much greater. She had the outright edge. Sherry was quiet. “I hope you understand. It’s just that my family is very important to me, and I have to protect my marriage and my children.” Sherry was still quiet. “I will make sure you get a generous severance package and a glowing letter of recommendation. If you need help finding another job, just let me know. I’ll do the very best I can to help you get relocated.” To Dave’s surprise, the discussion was going smoother than expected. Sherry wasn’t yelling or crying. He felt pretty good. “And, Sherry,” he said, wanting to touch her hand and offer comfort, but decided it wasn’t a wise move. “I’m very sorry about how this has turned out. I pray that you’ve forgiven me, and I wish you the best in your future.” Bringing the meeting to a close he said, “Is there anything you’d like to say?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“Excuse me?” he said, pulling up to the table.
“I’m pregnant.”
Dazed, he went for the only relief available, hoping it was true. “Is it Edward’s?”
“No, it’s yours,” she said very calmly.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I haven’t been intimate with Edward for months, long before he left for Texas. And we’ve only spoken a few times since he moved. That relationship is over. There is no one else but you.”
Now, Dave was the one sitting quiet. He really was speechless. Many thoughts swirled, none positive. Going home to tell Madeline was at the top of his list, and it wasn’t a task he wanted to undertake. She was going to be a handful.
Besides facing his soon-to-be irate wife, he reflected on his faith. The obvious question would be where was God? How could God let this happen if He’d truly forgiven him? But Dave didn’t need to ask any of those questions. He rested on his reality and allowed wisdom to think for him. Had he been obedient to God’s commandments, he wouldn’t be dealing with the aftermath, but the deed was done. Repenting had cleansed his soul, but there were circumstances that netted unchangeable consequences. Sherry’s pregnancy was one. A moment of weakness was planting seeds for a lifetime of discord.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. It’s yours.”
He drew in the longest sigh of his life. “Then we’ll have to figure out what comes next.”
“I can’t lose my job. I’ll have no insurance or income.”
The legal implications bombarded him along with the other factors to consider. They could be significant, but paled in comparison to the backlash coming from Madeline. He honestly didn’t know what to do.
He didn’t have to wait long. There was a knock with the door opening simultaneously. “Madeline, what are you doing here?”
“I came to make sure that this little tramp gets fired today,” she said, approaching the table as each word was enunciated.
“I am not a tramp,” Sherry fired back, which seemed to fuel Madeline.
“As far as I’m concerned, you are. I took your behind off the street and gave you a job when you were practically homeless, and this is the thanks I get. You sleep with my husband. You knew he was a married man which makes you a tramp.”
Dave hustled to the door and closed it. By that time, Sherry and Madeline were standing toe-to-toe. He rushed over to get in the middle. “Ladies, let’s all take a breath and calm down. We need to discuss this like adults.”
“Discuss what? We’re already discussed what’s going to happen. She needs to pack her stuff and get the heck out of here, end of discussion,” Madeline said, spewing disgust in Sherry’s face. “We don’t ever want to see you again.”
Sherry took a step back and rubbed her belly. “Dave is always going to be a part of our lives.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ask Dave.”
Dave cut in, terrified that Madeline was going to find out in the wrong way. He had to get them separated and attempt to regain a semblance of control. “Sherry, please don’t do this. Can you step outside and let me talk to Madeline, alone?”
“That’s right, step out of this office, out of this building, and out of our lives. Bye,” Madeline said, giving a wave to Sherry as she left the office. Dave closed the door.
Madeline sat down, appearing to cool down. “Good, finally, she’s gone.”
Dave wished there was a way to avoid what had to come next. He contemplated, considered his options, and thought some more. There was no other way out. He had to tell her. “Madeline, Sherry’s pregnant.”
“Great, she and her fiancé can go away and raise their offspring somewhere. They won’t ever have to look back at us,” Madeline said glibly.
Dave wished he could drop the conversation there. He trudged on. “She says the baby is mine.”
Madeline swung around in her seat and belted out, “Pleasssse, that’s the oldest trick in the book. I have to give it to her, though. She’s good, real good, but Sherry didn’t count on having to deal with me. We’ve handled so many ridiculous lawsuits in the past. She will just be one more pathetic money grubber looking for a payday. I’ll have an attorney take care of it. You won’t have to be bothered. I’ll handle this with pleasure.”
“She might be telling the truth.”
“She better not be,” Madeline barked.
Dave had to be honest. Denials and lies weren’t going to erase the truth. “I have a strong feeling that it’s true,” he said, drawing close to Madeline. “But this doesn’t change what we talked about this morning. If this turns out to be true, we’ll do right by the baby, but that’s where the relationship with Sherry ends.”
“Have you lost your mind? You’re struggling with taking care of four legitimate children. One more isn’t remotely an option. More importantly, when I told you I never wanted to see Sherry again, I meant it. I can’t imagine having to deal with her and a baby. It would be a constant reminder of your betrayal. I couldn’t handle it, Dave, no way,” she said, breaking down in tears.
“We’ll figure this out.”
“Don’t come home until you do.”
“I know you’re upset, rightfully so, but let’s not make any hasty decisions until we get home and talk this through, calmly.”
“The decision was made on our wedding day, when you agreed to love and honor me. That includes honoring our bedroom, which you haven’t done. So, don’t talk to me about being hasty, because I don’t want to hear it.”
“I understand how you feel, but we still need to talk.”
“Dave, I mean it, don’t come home.”
“Where am I going to go?”
“You figure it out. Get a hotel, get lost,” she said, turning toward him and sending a piercing gaze. “You can stay anywhere, except Sherry’s place. You better not stay there.”
Before he could console Madeline, she bolted out. He didn’t chase after her. She had to breathe and let the shocking news settle. He’d get a suite at the Westin for a few nights until Madeline changed her mind. Sherry was another story. He didn’t quite know what to do with her yet. Wisdom would come hop
efully real soon.
Chapter 60
Madeline had to get out of the den of disgust and retreat into her safe haven on Mayweather Lane. It was going to be the one place Sherry’s venom couldn’t penetrate. Running inside the office was inappropriate, but she hustled as quickly as her high heels permitted.
“Madeline, what are you doing here?” Frank said, catching her coming off the elevator in the lobby. “Please tell me that you’re coming back to work. We’ve missed having you here, especially me.”
Madeline sniffled. “Frank, I’m in a hurry.” Sherry and Dave had robbed her of the ability to offer common courtesies. Getting out was her single priority.
“You seem upset. Anything wrong?”
“Ask your brother and his trifling secretary.” She slowed down but didn’t stop. Making small talk was of no interest. She’d barely fought back tears a few minutes ago, and they weren’t far from returning. Madeline wasn’t going to take a chance on losing composure because she carelessly chewed up time chatting. “I’ll talk to you later,” she told Frank, escaping through the revolving door.
Frank watched as Madeline left the building, confused about her disposition and comment. Something was definitely wrong, and it bothered him. Madeline wasn’t a woman easily shaken. He’d seen her in action. She was tough, especially for a woman. He’d gladly have her on his team anytime. Seeing her unnerved was troubling. He’d go to his brother’s office and get some answers.
Frank went upstairs and walked into Dave’s office. Sherry was in there crying, with his brother consoling her. “Excuse me,” Frank said. “I’ll come back.”
“No, come on in,” Dave said, moving away from Sherry.
“Don’t worry about me. I didn’t want anything important. I can follow up with you at another time,” he said.
“You sure? Because Sherry was just leaving,” Dave told him.
“See you later,” Frank said and left. He kept walking to the staircase. With each step, Frank hoped that what he’d seen wasn’t what it seemed. If Dave could fall victim to temptation, then there was no hope for him. Frank wished for a miracle. He would have prayed, but didn’t really know how. Sure, he could have sputtered off a few sentences, but they probably wouldn’t get past the ceiling. It wasn’t his strength. He’d solely relied on Dave to handle spiritual matters for him. Without his brother’s prayers, he was lost.
Sad or mad; Madeline sat in her Mercedes flipping back and forth between the two, both with equal force. She wiped across her eyelids, certain that her makeup had smeared. She didn’t care, figuring her outside might as well be consistent with the ugliness she was harboring on the inside. What has Dave done she repeatedly wondered. She shifted the car in reverse and then back into park. She was numb to the core, unable to move. Do this, do that, rattled around in her head, with nothing seeming to gel.
Sherry, Sherry, Sherry, also played over and over in her mind. Madeline could push her into the abyss and wipe away the problem. If only she could send Sherry’s tacky behind on a ride to the moon. That would be about the amount of distance necessary to feel secure with her around. Since neither of her top choices was feasible, Madeline remained stuck. She attempted to put the car in reverse again, but the rush of chaos overtook her. Madeline eased the gearshift into park. She gripped the leather-padded steering wheel with both hands and let her forehead rest against it.
There was no getting around it. She wanted—no, needed—Dave and his mistress to pay dearly. Conflicted, the next second Madeline remembered what she and Dave had meant to one another for over a decade. She wasn’t ready to walk away from her world because of one mistake. Raising four children required her to see the merit in surviving the infidelity. But then, there was the baby, a constant reminder. How could she accept a child born to her husband’s mistress? But she couldn’t let Miss Nobody crawl in and make a home with her husband. Madeline wanted to scream out, dig deep into the center of her pain, and get some relief. Get control. She allowed her emotions to calm the best she could.
A little while passed and Madeline put the car in reverse, this time giving it the gas and making an actual move. She was going backward. But at least from her perspective, she wasn’t sitting still and letting misery beat her down. Pride and grace could continue their debate along her thirty-minute ride home. The winner would determine whether she was going to fight or forfeit the marriage. Time would soon tell.
Chapter 61
Frank popped up to Dave’s office after six. He had to catch his brother before the day ended. He got to the sixth floor. His brother’s door was open and the light was on. Frank bolted into the office without knocking. Dave was sitting at his desk.
“Hey, I see you’re still here,” Dave said, glancing upward and quickly returning to writing on a notepad.
Frank grabbed a seat and pulled right up to his brother. “What the heck happened today? I caught Madeline running from the building in a tizzy. Then I come upstairs and walk in on you and Sherry hugged up while she’s bawling her eyes out. What is going on?” Curiosity had escalated to the point where Frank had to get answers.
Dave looked up, set his pen down, and rested his arms on the table. “I messed up,” he said bluntly.
“How?”
Dave’s gaze dropped to the floor. He covered his eyes and said, “I slept with Sherry, once.” He held his index finger in the air. “And that was enough to create a gigantic nightmare.”
“You can’t be serious. Come on, Dave,” Frank said, not able to process what he’d heard. “It’s not possible. You can’t be serious.”
“I wish I wasn’t, but the truth is the truth. Worse yet, she claims to be pregnant.”
“Man, you got careless, little brother,” Frank said, falling back into his chair. “If they’d told me to list a million men who had or would cheat on their wives, I could have named every man I know, except you. Yours is the only name that wouldn’t have been on the list. Even my name would be on the list but not yours.” Frank scratched his head. “Anybody else could get away with this, but not you, man. And she’s pregnant? I can’t understand how you can jeopardize everything you have accomplished.” Frank let his head hang down, as the gravity of his brother’s carelessness came into vision. “This is unbelievable.”
“I told you I messed up.”
“How could you fall into one of the oldest traps in the book?”
“What trap would that be?”
“Getting too close to the secretary and eventually committing adultery. That’s why I don’t have a secretary. I don’t plan to get caught.”
“It wasn’t a trap. She went through a rough patch with her fiancé being out of work for almost a year. I tried to help and instead caused a bigger riff between them.”
“So what, you decided to offer a shoulder and one step led to the next.”
“Something like that.”
“Where’s the fiancé now?”
“Gone to Texas. I’m pretty sure they’re finished.”
“You think?” Frank snickered. “What man wouldn’t be once he found out his woman was pregnant by another man?” Frank kept shaking his head. “You shouldn’t have taken the man’s woman. You said he had been out of work. She was probably the best thing he had going, and you scooped in and took her from the man. That’s shameful, and I have to tell you, this doesn’t look good. If this gets out, DMI is ruined. Your reputation won’t be any better than the slobs we’re trying to help improve their images and choices.”
“We’ll work through this.”
“I’m not as confident as you are about cleaning this up and keeping it out of the press. This is going to start a chain reaction impacting most of us. What are we going to do when clients find out and ask questions? So long as you were seen as a godly man, we could hock our religious services. Not now.”
“I understand that people may be mad, but the truth is that people, not God, wants me to pay for the same mistake over and over. I know there will be plenty of folks to
judge me. I can’t stop them. I’m not perfect. But when I fall short, there is someone who can cleanse me and give me a fresh start, even when others don’t think I deserve it. That’s the role God plays in my life.”
“Sounds good, but who’s going to buy that crap? Clients expect you to walk the walk even if they aren’t.”
“I’ve been humbled. If anything, I will have more compassion for others who have done what I’ve done.”
“Whoopee-do for them, but how’s that going to help you?”
“What do you want me to say? I’m not running from my sin. I’m not trying to cover it up or sugar-coat it. I messed up. My actions with Sherry were a stain before God, but redemption has made me whole again, and I refuse to waddle in guilt. It is a heavy weight. I choose to move on and fulfill the purpose in my life.”
“Well, good luck with convincing your clients about how stable DMI is with your wife and mistress fighting.” Frank laughed. “Your anointing will certainly come in handy right about now.”
Chapter 62
Four months concocted more of the same. Dave was a semi-permanent resident at the Westin, costing him a boatload of money. His excuse for extending the stay there was that he didn’t have time to find more economical accommodations. Truthfully, he was wishing that Madeline would change her mind and let him come home. Dave was willing to patiently wait as long as it took, but the light of hope was dimming in the marriage. He could hear it in Madeline’s voice when they spoke.
Sherry reported to the human resources director on the third floor. Dave thought moving her was the best compromise. He hadn’t fired her, because she didn’t seem strong enough to handle it. But Sherry couldn’t stay near his office if there was any shot at Madeline’s heart softening. Out of sight three floors away seemed reasonable to him, especially on mornings like this when his wife was coming into the office. Dave didn’t know why she was coming in and braced for the worst, like he had for her past three visits.
Anointed (Urban Books) Page 20