“It’s okay, Dad. All my life, I’ve heard nothing but good about you. I have no reason that I know of to hate you. I know you said you left me alone for a short time when I was a baby, but I was obviously okay. I admit that when I was younger, I did wish you were there. I cried about it sometimes, but I had Mom. I was okay. I’m just glad I have you now.”
Thomas looked at Karlie with amazement. He shook his head, unable to fathom her words. “Karlie, you are mature beyond your years. I am grateful to have you in my life, and no matter what, I love you.” Thomas refrained from calling her his daughter, but he spoke the truth.
“Next time I come, may I bring Jamaal?”
“Oh, is that the guy you were telling me about?”
“Yeah, he’s my . . . boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend.” Thomas touched his chin as thoughts of what he was like at that age surfaced in his mind. “I hope you’re being careful?”
Karlie blushed. How like a dad. “You have nothing to worry about in that department.”
Thomas visibly relaxed, and though the words stuck in his throat, he felt compelled to ask her something. “Well, do you have any, ah, questions for me? You know, like a man’s point of view?”
“No. Mom told me everything I need to know.” Karlie peered up at him from under her lashes, feeling tongue-tied. “But I will try not to be too embarrassed to ask you a question if I need to.”
“Whew. That is good enough for me. And to answer your earlier question, bring Jamaal with you the next time you come.”
“You’re not going to threaten him or anything like that, are you? ’Cause he is still scared of Mom. I keep trying to convince her of his intelligence, but Jamaal keeps proving me wrong every time she comes within two feet of him.”
Thomas cracked up. “What does he look like?”
“A little like Ludacris.”
He could picture Tiffany’s face. “Well, I know better than to judge a book by its cover. Believe me, people are not always what they seem.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Darnell arrived at Tiffany’s house promptly at seven o’clock. April and Amber were with him. It had taken him an hour to get them dressed and to put their hair in some semblance of order. He was going to drop them off at his mother’s house when he left Tiffany’s. She had offered to get them off to school and to keep them that weekend.
“Open the door, Daddy,” Amber demanded.
“I can’t, honey. I have to wait.”
“Daddy, just open it.” April pushed past his legs to turn the knob. Darnell lightly swatted her hand away, but then Amber put her hand on the knob.
“Guys, just wait.”
“We’re not guys, Daddy.” Amber chuckled.
“Yeah, we’re girls,” April pointed out. “We do not have peanuts.”
Thankfully, the door opened, sparing him further conversation about “peanuts” and “bresses,” and “veggies.” Darnell felt his temperature rise. This was the first time the girls were going to meet Tiffany and Karlie, and he was nervous.
On the drive over, Darnell had pondered at length if he was doing the right thing. He debated how his young daughters might react and considered the awful possibility that they would hate Tiffany. In the end, Darnell brought them and decided that he would play things by ear.
Karlie answered the door. “Hi, Mr. King.”
Darnell noticed her pleasant smile but noted the guarded expression in her eyes. He wasn’t the only one feeling trepidation. “Hi, Karlie. How are you?”
“Awww, twins.” Karlie bent to give his daughters a warm hug. She rubbed her face between them so each of her cheeks touched their faces. The girls squealed.
“Actually, they’re two years apart,” Darnell explained, though Karlie was too enthralled with the girls to pay him any attention.
“I’m April.”
“And I’m Amber.”
“I like her, Daddy.” April turned toward her dad to share her news.
“What’s your name?” Amber quizzed.
“Karlie.”
“I like that name.”
By that time, Darnell had gotten out of his brown tweed jacket. He bent to help Amber get out of her faux leopard-print jacket. Karlie assisted April with hers. She then led the girls from the foyer through the living room, and they bounded up the stairs to see her room.
Darnell couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that his daughters had received a much warmer greeting than he had. Darnell tried to shrug it off but knew that Karlie’s reserved attitude made a warning bell go off in his mind. He decided to tread carefully with Tiffany’s daughter because she might not like the idea of a man coming around after all these years. Darnell made a mental note to ask Tiffany about that as soon as the opportunity arose.
The doorbell rang. Tiffany called out, “Get the door!”
Since he was the closest to it, Darnell answered it. “Hey, Neil.”
“Darnell, how have you been?”
Karlie raced down the stairs. When she spotted Neil, she gave him an exuberant greeting and a quick hug.
Tiffany came out of the kitchen. “Neil. I didn’t expect to see you.”
“Karlie invited me since Myra is at a women’s meeting. She’s coming by when it’s done.”
“Cool. The more the merrier.” She would find out what he thought about Darnell later.
Tiffany added an extra leaf to the table and two extra place settings. Darnell and Neil rushed to help her get the table ready, but Tiffany shooed them away. She called Karlie to assist, while the men caught up on their lives since high school. April and Amber were playing with Karlie’s Wii. She rarely played with it anymore, and the girls were enjoying it.
“Why did you do that?” Tiffany asked her daughter.
Karlie played dumb. “What?”
“You know,” Tiffany said. “I wanted you to get a chance to meet Darnell and really get to know him and his girls. I wasn’t expecting extra company.”
Karlie shrugged with the unconcern of a teenager. “I invited Jamaal over too.”
“When were you planning on telling me?” Tiffany injected a serious tone in her voice so her daughter knew she was not happy about the situation.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t think you would have a problem with it.” Karlie sounded appropriately contrite, so Tiffany decided to let it go.
“So what do you think of Darnell?”
“He is all right. I guess.” Karlie shrugged. Her dry tone revealed that she didn’t relish this conversation at all.
Tiffany did not like the deadpan response her daughter gave her. She looked over at Darnell. He looked good, and there was nothing just “all right” about him, either. “Is it because he is a teacher at your school?”
“What? I said he’s okay. Give it a rest, please, Mom.” Karlie heard the doorbell and went to let Jamaal in.
Tiffany let her daughter off the hook. Communicating with teenagers was a nightmare at times. Their acerbic, monosyllabic answers made their true feelings hard to ascertain. Generally, Tiffany and Karlie always managed to have a good rapport. That was why Tiffany felt puzzled at her daughter’s one-liners and tepid responses. She decided to let it go for now, telling herself, “I’m going to drag the truth out of her later.”
Myra and Neil held hands as they walked the short distance to their home. They had had a great time at Tiffany’s house.
“Karlie is a dream. I’ve seen her walking about the neighborhood, but I really got a chance to know her tonight,” Myra commented, deciding that Tiffany had obviously spent a lot of time with her daughter and had done some good parenting. Karlie was well mannered and extremely respectful.
“Yes, Karlie is a sweetheart,” Neil agreed. “Aren’t Darnell’s daughters just precious?”
“Yes, they are.” Myra smiled. “They are so precocious and rambunctious. Darnell obviously has his hands full. I think it’s because they will be with his mother this weekend that he agreed to come with us to church this
Saturday.”
Neil chuckled. “I’m glad he decided to come. Good thinking on your part to invite him, Myra. Hey, did you see when he covered up Amber’s mouth when she mentioned Tiffany had nice breasts? Well, her word was ‘bresses’, but it took everything in my power, to hold my laughter in.”
Myra cracked up. “Yes! That was hilarious. Tiffany turned purple from embarrassment.”
“Kids say the craziest things. That was definitely a funniest video moment.” By now, they stood outside their gate.
Myra squeezed Neil’s hand to get his attention. “Neil, I had a great time, but I felt a little funny, though.”
“Why?”
“I guess it’s because we were the only ones there without any children.”
Neil sighed internally. He did not know how many times he could say the same thing. It was becoming slightly monotonous. “Myra, I am quite sure nobody paid attention to that. Most of our friends actually envy us. We are free to travel and do whatever we want.”
“I know,” Myra said. “I guess I am just being paranoid.”
“Yes, you are,” Neil assured her. “Myra, I am okay with us not having a child of our own. I am just happy to be with you, and you are enough for me. If God does not choose to bless us with a child, I can live with it. Myra, please just try to be happy.”
“I love you, Neil,” Myra said wholeheartedly. “I am lucky to have a warm, loving man like you. I guess that is why I wish I were able to conceive. You would make a great father.”
Neil patted Myra on the shoulders and said nothing. He yearned for the day when Myra would not base her worth on her ability to bear a child. He wished she could see that there was more to her than that. He looked at her and tried to communicate his true feelings in words.
“Myra, I love you whether you have a child or not. I love you for you, warts and all.”
“I want to point out that all the letters Paul wrote were to actual churches. He addressed regular folks with struggles just like you and me. It’s in the book of Romans that we find what is commonly known as the Sinner’s Prayer. And that prayer is the same today. If you confess your sins and profess that Jesus is the son of God, then God will wipe your slate clean. I know He will. He did it for me.”
“Hallelujah,” Myra yelled, pumping her hands in the air.
“Tell it, Pastor,” another voice shouted from behind.
Tiffany said a low “Amen.” She was still self-conscious about shouting out praises to God.
“So, the question is, what is stopping you today? What is making you stay in your seat instead of coming forward?” Pastor Johnston reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow. He motioned with his hands to the congregation.
“Darnell is going up.” Myra nudged Tiffany. “He is going up to the altar.”
Tiffany looked on as Darnell sunk to his knees. He had both hands extended in the air, and tears streamed down his face. Pastor Johnston went over to pray with him.
“Go up with him,” Myra urged.
“No,” Tiffany whispered. “It’s gonna look like I followed him up there.”
“Who cares?”
“I do.”
Tiffany looked behind her and spotted Karlie sitting next to Tanya. Karlie had asked her mom if Tanya could join them. Their eyes met, and they smiled. “I love you,” Tiffany mouthed.
“I love you too,” Karlie mouthed back.
Tiffany tilted her head toward the altar. Karlie got to her feet and walked down the aisle toward her mother. The choir leader began singing, “Let Jesus fix it for you. . . .”
They joined hands and went up to the altar for prayer.
“Are you going to ask Jesus to heal you?” Karlie asked.
Tiffany didn’t answer but just smiled..
“I’m going to,” Karlie whispered. “God can do it, Mom. He can heal you. You just have to believe.”
“Okay,” Tiffany said just to end the conversation.
Pastor Johnston was heading their way. When he placed his hands on her shoulder to pray, Tiffany felt an instant calmness permeate her body.
At that moment, Tiffany recognized and accepted His divine presence. God was here. She could feel Him all around. His Spirit filled the atmosphere. Inside she prayed, God, thank you for my life. Help me accept whatever you will for me and give me peace.
At the end of the prayer, Neil enfolded Tiffany in a warm embrace. He placed a soft kiss on top of her head and leaned back to smile in her face.
Karlie noticed and smiled.
Myra noticed and frowned.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Ryan and Patricia fell out of the shower and onto the floor in a huge mass of bubbles and soap. They howled with laughter like kids.
Ryan rubbed his body against her, basking in the rippling sensations. “Patti, I will never get tired you.” She rocked his world even after all these years.
He had caught a shuttle from Boston to make it here tonight. Brian had insisted that he be there to see Tiffany’s performance at Nakisaki. Ryan did not want to disappoint his son, who had specifically requested he come, so he had bent over backward to make it home on time. The problem is that Patricia had been waiting for him too, which explained why they were now a soapy mess on the bathroom floor.
They heard a loud rap on the door. “Are you two still in the shower?” Brian yelled through the door.
Ryan and Patricia looked at each other guiltily. He placed his hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh. “Shhh,” he warned.
“We are coming, Brian,” Ryan said. Patricia squirmed beneath him, shattering his concentration. “Keep still, Patti. You are distracting me.”
“Fantastic. Can’t you two ever control yourselves?” Brian sounded disgusted. “We are going to be late, for crying out loud. It’s a Saturday night, and we have to get there before the crowd. . . .”
“He sounds pretty upset,” Ryan whispered to Patricia.
“Give us ten minutes, Brian,” Patricia called out. “We’ll be right out.”
“You guys are disgusting,” Brian said before walking off.
Brian went into the foyer to mope and wait for his parents to finish their business. He looked at the clock. “Great. I’ll be lucky if they’re ready to go in a half hour. I should just leave.” His only reason for not leaving was that he had promised Tiffany he’d bring his parents. She had given him complimentary tickets, and if his parents came, then Brian would get into the club without a hassle. He did not know why he allowed his parents to get to him after all these years. He should be used to it by now. Brian just did not know why he continued to hope against hope for some attention from them.
Even tonight Brian had been thrilled when his father walked through the door. It meant a lot to him that his dad had made the big effort to make it tonight. His father had also been on time. Then his father had busted his bubble, as the first chance he got, he jumped between his mother’s legs. Brian had tried to distract his father with some conversation, but it was to no avail. When it came to Patricia, his dad had a one-track mind. He could keep his attention diverted only for a couple of minutes before his father rushed off in search of Patricia.
That was why Brian had urged his mother to dress before his father got in, but he was willing to bet that she had been stalling on purpose. Brian knew that if she was not fully dressed when his father got in, they were going to be late.
Another glance at the clock confirmed his predictions were accurate. Not knowing what else to do, Brian sulked.
Forty minutes later, and still waiting in the living room, Brian was fuming.
Over at Nakisaki, Tiffany glanced up at the clock. She had ten minutes until showtime, and she was a pack of nerves. She looked out in the audience and saw Neil and Myra. They must have been looking out for her, because they waved as soon as she poked her head out.
Tiffany went into the small dressing room to get herself together. She was afraid that her voice would crack tonight
, even though her voice coach had repeatedly assured her that her voice was “dynamite.”
She pulled on her green floor-length sequined dress. “Did I gain weight?” she wondered aloud, because she suddenly felt claustrophobic. “Please don’t let me throw up on the stage.” Tiffany quickly chided herself for even voicing her fear.
Tonight was going to be perfect.
Tiffany wondered if Darnell had gotten there yet. His mother was supposed to be babysitting. She looked out again and saw him. Tiffany smiled and waved like a schoolchild. Darnell gave her the thumbs-up sign and blew her a kiss.
Tiffany beamed. She really liked Darnell and enjoyed his company but refused to entertain the notion that she felt more than like for Darnell. She did not want to take that final step and admitted that she was falling in love with him. Tiffany knew that would not be fair to either one of them to expose her growing feelings. Darnell did not need that from her now. She did not need it, either.
Tiffany’s cell phone rang, and she rushed to answer it. “Hi, Karlie.”
“Hi, Mom. Just calling to tell you I love you and I hope you break a leg tonight. I’m having a great time with Tanya and her parents. We’re going bowling.”
Tiffany smiled. “Thanks, honey. I love you too, and I’m so glad you called. Well, I’d better get going. You and Tanya have fun tonight, and mind your manners. I’ll come get you in the morning.”
Winona called next. “Sorry I couldn’t make it, but I know you will do your thing.”
“Thanks, Winona. I got your flowers, or should I say, your entire garden,” Tiffany said, eyeing the huge centerpiece. “It barely fits in this small dressing room.”
“Only the best for you, babe,” Winona said. “Now, don’t worry. Everything will go without a hitch, and you are going to be great.”
“Thanks, Winona. You are doing wonders for my psyche. I don’t even know why I am so nervous.”
“I would be nervous if you weren’t nervous,” Winona assured her. “Now, let me get off this phone so you can get in your zone.”
Sing A New Song Page 16