In the Midst of It All

by Tiffany L. Warren

  A tear trickled down Zenovia’s face. “Justin… it’s my mother.”

  Justin scanned the parking lot. “Yes, there they are. Audrey looks good.”

  Zenovia watched her mother stumble across the parking lot. Phillip tried to hold her arm, but she pulled away.

  “Justin, she does not look good,” Zenovia said.

  Zenovia had barely spoken above a whisper, but Audrey’s head snapped in her direction as if she’d heard. Then she started marching toward Justin’s rental car. She seemed determined, on some type of mission.

  “She’s coming over here,” Justin said stating the obvious.

  “Zee, is that you?” Audrey yelled before she reached the car.

  Zenovia got out of the car and stood there waiting for Audrey’s appraisal. “Girl, what is up with your hair?”

  “Do you like it?”

  Audrey cocked her head to one side, “Yeah, you look like one of those island women. I been telling you to go natural for years, so them little baldy-locks could grow on out. Now look at you, looking just like Pam Grier or somebody!”

  Zenovia covered her mouth to contain her laugh. Somehow it didn’t seem appropriate to break into spontaneous laughter when she hadn’t seen her mother in four years, especially when her vision just told her that Audrey’s mental health was worse. It seemed like there should be tears, but not laughter.

  Audrey continued, “You coulda told somebody you graduated. I woulda came.”

  “Phillip wouldn’t have let you come, Mom. You know that,” Zenovia explained. “How’d you know about my graduation anyway?”

  Audrey put a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. “You think I can’t count? You been gone four years, Zee. That means graduation. And that sapsucker don’t tell me what to do.”

  Zenovia wanted to mention how Phillip had told her to stop taking her medication and she had. But she let it ride. She knew Audrey was perched right on the edge of an episode. The extra helping of lipstick smeared on Audrey’s lips and teeth told her as much.

  Audrey peered into the car. “Justin Batiste. What y’all two doing together?”

  “She’s my girlfriend,” Justin said from the car.

  A huge smile spread across Audrey’s face. “Hey! I knew y’all was gone end up together. I saw that a long time ago.”

  “I’m not his girlfriend….”

  “I don’t know why not!” Audrey said while winking at Justin. “He is fine, girl. Nice and chocolate!”

  Justin was so tickled that he had tears in his eyes, but Zenovia was beyond mortified. Audrey always found a way to embarrass her, even when she wasn’t doing it on purpose.

  Phillip refused to cross the parking lot, but he didn’t have any problem yelling. “Audrey, come on here.”

  Audrey lifted one of her eyebrows, and to Zenovia, almost looked like her old self. “Y’all coming in?”

  Zenovia nodded and Justin joined them. They walked across the parking lot as a trio, because Phillip jetted into the Devotion Center when he saw the three of them walking together.

  Justin whispered to Zenovia, “Sounds like everybody thinks we should be together except you.”

  “Maybe all of y’all need some medication,” Zenovia whispered back, but she did not pull away when Justin linked his arm through hers.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Audrey separated from Justin and Zenovia before they walked through the doors of the Devotion Center. She may have been in need of antipsychotic medication, but Audrey obeyed rules—especially rules about God. Audrey took God rules more seriously than most, which was one of the reasons Zenovia didn’t even think about inviting her to the graduation.

  And the Brethren’s rules said that Justin was cast out and Zenovia was an apostate. They were like Brethren outlaws.

  “Are you ready?” Zenovia whispered to Justin who was squeezing the life out of her hand.

  He nodded. “I am. It’s just that I was almost a celebrity here, and now…”

  “Don’t think about it. Let’s just do this and get it over with. Then you can take me somewhere fun tomorrow.”

  Zenovia threw her shoulders back proudly and glided through the doors of the Devotion Center. Maybe it was her friendly conversation with Audrey that had given her hope, or perhaps she really only cared about reconciling with her mother. Either way, she felt ready to dodge any stones the Brethren of the Sacrifice wanted to hurl in her direction.

  At the door was a young lady serving as a hostess. Her face wasn’t familiar, so Zenovia greeted her with a big smile.

  The young lady asked, “Are you guests of the bride or groom?”

  Justin spoke up. “The groom is my brother.”

  “He is? Wow! I didn’t know Tristan had a brother. You must be proud of him, serving at headquarters and all.”

  Zenovia flinched at the words. If she knew Tristan well enough to be a hostess at his wedding then how in the world did she not know that Tristan had a brother? Had the Batistes tried to erase Justin from existence?

  Justin smiled and Zenovia watched the girl partially melt. “Follow me. I’ll seat you with the family.”

  “You are crushing my little hand,” Zenovia whispered to Justin.

  Zenovia gave Justin a reassuring squeeze. She tried to ignore the obvious hush that fell over the congregation as they made their way to the front. Fortunately, none of the immediate Batiste family was seated in the sanctuary. Zenovia assumed that their father was somewhere with Tristan. Sister Batiste and Alyssa were probably with Mia in the women’s dressing room, no doubt helping her put the finishing touches on her wedding-day look.

  After the initial silence from the congregation, the whispering began. Loud, rude whispering that would never be tolerated by cultured or couth adults. But the crowd assembled was neither cultured nor couth—they were the self-righteous Brethren of the Sacrifice. Zenovia felt a surge of boldness, as if the whispers had themselves empowered her.

  She did a half turn and sent a beaming smile in the direction of several groups of onlookers. The expressions she got in return were mostly shock, but some were full of scorn. She remembered how friendly each face was on the day she and Audrey first walked through the doors of the Devotion Center. She’d thought that they were some of the most loving people on the planet. But clearly, the love came with conditions.

  Justin and Zenovia sat in the second row from the front. Zenovia was so happy they’d decided to color coordinate. It added more to the illusion that they were together as a couple. And as perfectly matched as they were it was all just an illusion, because Zenovia’s mind was not made up about her future with Justin.

  Soft music played, alerting everyone to get into their seats for the start of the ceremony. The groups of whisperers reluctantly dispersed. Zenovia concentrated on looking forward and not making eye contact with anyone except Justin.

  Zenovia jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see Bryce Goodman. She shivered involuntarily. Of all the people she wanted to avoid eye contact with, Bryce had to be number one on the list.

  Her eyes formed the question, What do you want? She was not sure she could speak a word to Bryce and it not be profanity.

  “Zenovia, you and… Justin can’t sit here. The Council of Elders has asked that you all take a seat in the rear if you want to stay.”

  Justin replied, “We are sitting in the family section, Bryce. I’m Tristan’s only brother.”

  Bryce ignored Justin and spoke again to Zenovia. “By fellowshipping with someone who is cast out, you accept their treatment.”

  “Um, yeah… not really caring about that right now,” Zenovia replied. “By the way, we’re not moving.”

  “We don’t want to remove you from the building,” Bryce warned.

  “You just try it!” Justin said in a menacing voice.

  Zenovia stroked Justin’s arm. “You can try to remove me if you want, Bryce. But then, I’ll make sure to have a conversation with your wife before I leave town. Sh
e looks mighty pretty today in that yellow dress.”

  Bryce fumed. “You two better not make a scene or by God, I’ll remove you myself.”

  Zenovia smiled wickedly. “I’m terrified, Bryce. I really am.”

  Bryce stormed away angry and defeated.

  “What do you have on him, Zee?” Justin asked.

  “If and when I officially become your girlfriend, I’ll spill it.”

  “That’s not an if, Zenovia. It’s definitely a when.”

  Zenovia grinned. She was glad that Justin was so confident that they would be together. It made it easier for her to imagine it to be true as well.

  Tristan and Brother Batiste entered the sanctuary and walked down the center aisle to oohs and aahs from the same crowd that was just sending vile expressions to Zenovia and Justin. Zenovia kept her eyes to the floor. She didn’t want to make eye contact with her ex-friend.

  Finally, she did steal a glance in Tristan’s direction and was confused by what she saw. He did not have the look of joy that should come standard on a man about to be married. He was still devastatingly handsome, but there was a tremendous melancholy draped over his entire countenance. It made the beginning of the ceremony seem like a solemn occasion.

  Tristan stopped at the altar, and turned to face the crowd. He made eye contact with Justin and finally a smile appeared on his face. It was the same smile that had captivated Zenovia in Charlotte Batiste’s van so many years ago.

  Zenovia watched Tristan’s eyes take her in. She could tell that he didn’t recognize her at first, because there was interest in his expression, but nothing else. Then, he squinted and leaned forward a few inches, and Zenovia wiggled her pinky in a small hello gesture. He mouthed “Zee” and she nodded.

  Time stopped for Zenovia.

  She waited to see how her heart would feel. She expected a gaping hole to open up and make a chasm in her chest. She placed a hand over her heart in case she had to hold herself together. But it didn’t happen.

  “Am I going to have to beat my brother up at his own wedding?” Justin whispered.

  Justin took Zenovia’s hand in his and entwined their fingers. The message should’ve been obvious to Tristan, and Zenovia believed that it had been. Tristan looked away from them with an expression that Zenovia didn’t know how to take. But for some reason, she thought it was more about their status as former Brethren members than their relationship.

  Zenovia recalled Tristan’s warning about Justin. He’d told her that Justin wasn’t the one. But maybe his judgment was off, because unless someone had given Mia a personality transplant, Zenovia couldn’t see how she could be the one for Tristan.

  The bridesmaids walked down the aisle one at a time, and they were mostly girls that Zenovia didn’t know, so she paid them no attention. She was, however, excited to see Alyssa, who was the maid of honor, according to the program.

  “Here comes Lyssa,” Justin said.

  Unlike Tristan, Alyssa immediately spotted Justin and Zenovia. She shocked them both, and everyone else in the room, by walking out of her place in line to give them hugs. One of the bridal party members hissed for her to get back in line, because Mia was about to start the bride’s march.

  Mia was a gorgeous bride. Her skin and makeup were flawless, and her hair was pinned to one side with curls cascading over her shoulder. The flowers in her hair were a beautiful ivory color that matched the color of her dress.

  Zenovia looked again at Tristan, who for the first time that day, looked truly happy. He smiled lovingly at Mia and even had tears in his eyes as she approached. His emotional display touched Zenovia, and his tears were contagious; she struggled not to shed a few of her own.

  But Tristan’s tears made Zenovia feel at peace with his decision. In her heart of hearts she had wondered if Tristan had carried a torch for her all of those years. His joy at seeing Mia proved that he had not.

  Zenovia was free to love Justin.

  She squeezed Justin’s hand and then gently kissed his cheek. Zenovia couldn’t decipher the strange expression on his face. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

  Besides Bryce Goodman’s ill-advised attempt at strong-arming, Charlotte Batiste’s behavior was the only ugly spot on the ceremony. She spent the entire time glaring at Justin and Zenovia instead of watching her youngest son share marriage vows with Mia.

  When the ceremony was over, Justin whispered to Zenovia, “Let’s get out of here. We’ll call Tristan later. He can’t talk to me now, anyway, not with the Brethren hovering.”

  Zenovia and Justin hurried toward the rear of the sanctuary and almost made a clean escape. They both stopped suddenly when they heard Charlotte’s voice.

  “Why did you come here? Why did you want to ruin your brother’s day?” Charlotte asked, apparently not caring who heard her.

  Zenovia touched Justin’s back, to calm him and to let him know that he had her support.

  Justin turned around slowly. “I’m happy to see you too, Mother. It’s been too long.”

  “Don’t play games with me Justin. I hope you don’t plan on turning up at the reception with this tramp. Neither of you are welcome and no one wants to break bread with you.”

  Tramp? Zenovia flinched as if the word was a blow to the head. She needed someone to rub her back and calm her down.

  “Did you just call my daughter a tramp?” Audrey had appeared in the foyer of the Devotion Center just as Charlotte began her tirade.

  “I call them like I see them, Audrey. She was determined to have one of my sons. She started on Tristan, but couldn’t get her hooks in him. I guess she settled on Justin. He’s clearly the weaker of the two.”

  Audrey’s pale face turned an alarming shade of red. “You need to take that back right now, Charlotte. I ain’t tryin’ to act a fool up in here, but I swear if you don’t take that back, you’re gonna be pulling my high-heeled sandal out of your extra-large behind.”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Lord knows you’re certainly capable of acting a fool, but I will not apologize to this sinful heifer.”

  Fortunately for Charlotte, Phillip had been right on Audrey’s heels. He grabbed her by the arm, too roughly for Zenovia’s liking, and pulled her toward the door.

  “I apologize, Sister Charlotte. Tell your husband and Tristan congratulations for me.”

  Zenovia shook her head angrily. Phillip was such a punk. He never had a problem trying to flex his authority to Zenovia, but when dealing with higher-ranking Brethren members, he was a totally different person.

  Alyssa burst into the foyer and took Charlotte’s arm. “Mom, come on. We have to greet the guests and Mia wants you to be in the pictures.”

  “I’m just making sure your brother and his trash don’t disrupt this day any further.”

  Alyssa gave them an apologetic glance. “Come on, Mom, before Tristan gets upset.”

  Justin’s eyes were wet with tears that he refused to let fall. He took Zenovia by the arm and they walked out of the building. No one but Zenovia could tell that he was leaning on her as they made their way to the car.

  Justin seemed to start breathing again when the car doors were safely closed. “We survived.”

  “Yeah, we did,” Zenovia replied. “But I’m not walking through those doors again unless somebody dies.”

  “I feel the same way,” Justin concurred.

  He pulled out of the parking lot as dozens of eyes followed them.

  “Do they really have to stare like that? It’s like some kind of horror movie, or something,” Zenovia replied.

  “They were staring because they wanted us to feel uncomfortable.”

  “Well, it worked. Even though it was nice seeing Audrey, Tristan, and Alyssa again, I’m glad we’re done with that.”

  “Hmmm…”

  “What?” Zenovia asked, “What are you hmmming about?”

  Justin asked, “I was wondering why I finally got a kiss from you. I know it was only on the cheek, but what was that abo
ut? Were you trying to make Tristan jealous?”

  “No, but I don’t know how to explain….”

  Justin drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I really wish you’d try.”

  “It’s like, I knew I didn’t still have any feelings for Tristan, but I didn’t know how he felt about me.”

  “And…”

  “Let me finish. If he did still have feelings for me, then I wouldn’t be able to date you, Justin, no matter how much I want it.”

  “How much do you want it?” Justin asked. Apparently, he was unable to resist a double entendre, no matter the circumstances.

  “Justin!”

  “Okay, I’ll stop. Please continue.”

  “But seeing him there with Mia, and truly happy with Mia… that was all I needed to see. Because, if he’s in love with her, then he could’ve never loved me.”

  Justin tilted his head to one side. “Tristan ending up with Mia is odd. He’s never cared for her personality. He always said she wasn’t very intelligent. I don’t get why all of a sudden she’s the love of his life.”

  “Does it matter why? It’s true, and that’s all I need to know.”

  Justin asked, “So you kissed me because now, after seeing Tristan, you can date me guilt-free.”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know how I feel about our relationship being contingent on Tristan’s feelings.”

  They drove for a few minutes in silence. Zenovia was grateful for the break in their conversation. She didn’t want to talk about Tristan’s feelings for the rest of the evening.

  “Do you think your mother really would’ve done something to my mother with that high-heeled shoe?” Justin asked, breaking the spell of silence.

  Zenovia laughed. “Your mother was about five seconds away from an Audrey beat down.”

  “And is that worse than a regular beat down?”

  “You think I’m joking. Next time you see your mother you better hope she’s in one piece, because I guarantee, it ain’t over with Audrey.”