by H. H. Fowler
“The state of an ejaculate can change dramatically over a three month period. That's why it is not recommended that we conclude our evaluation on one sample. But if there is an underlying problem, then yes, it is very likely the test results can be similar.”
Phillip nodded his thanks. He walked slowly toward the door, fighting back tears. This was the worst news he'd ever received in his life. He continued out the door while Valoom was telling him that he would see him in three months. Three months? He wondered if he'd still be alive by then. The way he felt at the moment, was a good excuse to hang himself. But first, he had to find a bar and ask for the strongest liquor that was on the shelf. A couple of drinks would set him aright and wash away this hole in his heart.
Several Hours Later
“Don’t speak to me like I’m retarded. I know this is your investment!” Phillip yelled into the phone. “I’m still working on it…no, I need more time…yes, of course….you will get your money…this week? Are you crazy, man? I can’t get that much by then…yes…yes, I know, I understand the terms of the contract…I’ll see what I can do.”
Phillip flopped back down in his chair, his nostrils flaring in anger. He couldn’t believe he’d been given an ultimatum. This was almost as tragic as being told he couldn’t get a woman pregnant. For two years he’d been working on a new invention that promised to alleviate chronic back pain with one push of a button, but he needed more time and more funding to ensure its success in the market. All the money he had borrowed had been swallowed up in research and parts manufacturing. The prototype was far from what he’d hoped it would be, but he would be a fool to let all of his hard work dwindle to nothingness. Now the investors were calling, threatening his life if he didn’t come up with at least half of what he’d promised to deliver. In desperation, he snatched up the phone and punched in the numbers he’d called two days earlier.
“Yes, Phillip.” The person answered after the second ring. “What you want?”
“I’m tired of calling about the check. Is it ready? I’ve got things to take care of.”
The person seemed to be wrestling with some papers. “Give me a few days and I will bring it to you.”
“You said that two days ago. You can’t do any better than that?”
“I’ve told you, I’ll bring it to you. Now sit your butt still until I get there.”
The connection was cut, leaving Phillip even angrier. He jumped up and paced the floor of his austere office, an old washed-up warehouse he’d leased for pocket change. He felt like pulling every strand of hair out of his head. Being married to Tayah wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. By now, he was certain he would have been on easy street. By now, he thought they would have been making plans to have their second baby – what a waste everything had turned out to be. He didn’t care what that stupid doctor told him. He was as virile and as fertile as any healthy twenty-seven-year old male. He refused to accept that all this time he’d been married to Tayah that he’d been shooting blanks.
He’d even placed a noose on his dreams of becoming a professional dance instructor – just to pursue something he thought would have swung him through the gates of affluence. Now, he wasn’t so sure he’d made the right decision. He shouldn’t have listened to Tayah about his dancing being vulgar and unholy. But it was too late to back out of pursuing his invention; he’d already secured thousands of dollars of investors’ money.
He’d promised them a reasonable return within eighteen months. That was the deal. Somehow, eighteen months passed and there was nothing to show for it. He paused and looked up into the ceiling, noticing the rusted beams that ran from one end of the room to the next. He shook his head despairingly. He had to get out of this place before everything collapsed on him.
He took his cell from his side and called Dee with a punch of a button.
“Dinner at the Steakhouse over on West Shore. My treat,” he said to her when she answered the phone.
“What?” Dee glanced at her watch. “It’s only six o’clock. What’s the occasion?”
“Clearing my head before I go nuts.”
Dee laughed. “I thought you did that on the dance floor last night.”
“Every day is different crap.” Phillip was already putting on his Corduroy jacket. “So, what you say, girl?”
Dee decided to mess with him. “I don’t know, my boy, I’m certain the wifey doesn’t fancy threesomes.”
“You’re sick, you know that? I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes.”
They arrived together and then asked to be taken to a booth near a window. They ordered right away, asking the waiter to bring their drinks before their food. Dee looked at Phillip from across the table and sensed his edginess.
“Somehow, you always seem nervous when we’re out,” she said. “But this evening you seem over the top. Everythin’ cool?”
He barely heard what she’d said, but he didn’t bother to ask her to repeat herself. He simply offered her a listless smile.
“You know, I’ve known you for a good bit and I still don’t know all it is that you do,” she tried. “You’re always vague about this invention you’re working on, how is–”
“You know that I love to dance. Everything else is irrelevant.”
“By that, you mean, it’s none of my cotton-picking business.”
“No, I mean exactly what I said. It’s irrelevant.”
They gradually grew silent. She was about to make a comment about how nice his Corduroy jacket looked on him, but another scene snatched her attention. “It looks like someone is taking matters into her own hands.”
“What?”
“Don’t look until I tell you,” she warned. “And whoever this guy is she’s with, is one fine-looking hunk…”
Despite Dee’s warning, Phillip twisted his head around. His heart dove to the back of his neck when he saw his wife coming up the aisle, with Dominic Housten, trailing closely behind. He spun back around and pushed the menu in front of his face.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was Tayah?”
“I did tell you not to look, stupid.”
“What are they doing here together?”
“Now that, I can’t tell you.”
The waiter took Tayah and Dominic across the floor to a booth against the wall – far enough for Phillip to remain inconspicuous but close enough for him to keep an eye on them. Peeking over the menu, he watched as Dominic pulled out a chair for Tayah and then sat opposite her, offering her a lingering smile. The scene disturbed him immensely, because he knew Dominic had always wanted Tayah for himself.
“You wanna go over and say hello?” Dee asked.
“What?”
“You’re eyeballing them like they’re celebrities.”
“What you expect me to do?” Phillip glanced at Dee for a brief second and then back to the scene at hand.
“Cut it out, before she catches you…”
“So, this is what she does when I’m not home…” His words faded into his crazy imagination.
“What do you want the woman to do? Stay home and count sheep all night?”
“Yes, that’s what a decent wife does!”
“Oh really? Get over yourself, Phillip.” Dee was happy just to be friends with this man and nothing more. He was a serious piece of work.
He continued. “My wife is over there chatting it up with organ boy, knowing his only intention is to get between her legs.”
Dee stole a quick glance at them. “Boy, please. Spare me the drama. That woman is not interested in anyone but you. Now, if she goes running off into the arms of another man, it’s nobody’s fault but yours.”
Tayah and Dominic both ordered raspberry ice teas with an appetizer to start the ball rolling. They’d agreed to meet at the Steakhouse while they discussed the plans for the youth rally, but the youth rally was the farthest thing from Dominic’s mind.
“I’m really concerned over this thing with Abraham,” Tayah said in a tone that told Dominic she
wanted to protect this man at all cost. “You think it’s connected?”
“What’s that?”
“With him cancelling at the last minute.”
“I’m fairly certain it is,” Dominic answered. “I don’t think he would be comfortable heading the discussion. ‘ Friends with benefits’ is an extremely touchy subject.”
“I know,” Tayah said, nodding her head. “We had to practically jump in between two girls at the last session.”
Dominic smiled at the recollection. “The truth can pierce like a dagger.”
“Tell me about it. But it’s good medicine for the soul.”
“It depends on the context,” he told her. “The truth is a double-edged sword.”
“Well, this is true,” she admitted. “Truth can destroy as well.”
“Exactly. That’s why I don’t think Abraham would be able to face me. Knowing what I found out about him, I would imagine it would be hard for him to teach abstinence and look me in the eyes…”
“I see you’re still hanging on to this assumption.”
“It’s not an assumption, Tayah. He confessed everything to me today.”
She stared at him, not sure what he really meant by that statement. “So, it is true then?”
“Unfortunately, as I have suspected.”
“How did he react when you confronted him?”
“I didn’t. He waited until I got out of my class…”
The waiter interrupted him, placing their raspberry ice teas in front of them. Tayah leaned forward, taking a sip.
“I’ve been avoiding his calls, you see?” Dominic finished. “When he wanted to know why, I told him what I saw that night. He played with my head a bit, but eventually I forced it out of him.”
Tayah kept her eyes on Dominic.
“Yes, he confessed to everything, Tayah,” he affirmed, as if he’d read her mind. “He said he paid her for sex.”
“Our Abraham?” She leaned back and took in a deep breath. “This is so unbelievable. I still can’t picture it.”
He looked at her ruefully. “I feel as if I’ve been punched in the gut. I would have cared less if it was someone else.”
She wholeheartedly agreed with that. She grew silent, as scenarios of what could happen if anyone else found out about Abraham’s indiscretions swirled around in her head. Like her father, he was a well-revered man in the church and was well-loved by the youth. Dominic was right; knowing the truth sometimes destroys. What good would come from exposing Abraham’s weakness? The youth would be the ones mostly affected. She shuddered at the thought of it.
For a moment, her eyes travelled over to the booth behind Dominic. She noticed a pair of twin boys who appeared to be of Italian descent. They looked no more than four years old. She offered them a smile, and when one of them returned it, her heart melted. Lord, when am I going to have my own? She pondered silently. Dominic watched her the entire time, sensing her mood change.
“When are you and Phillip going to add a little one to the family?”
Tayah stared at him suspiciously. Apart from her mother, no one knew how hard she and Phillip had been trying. But she wasn’t about to disclose that to Dominic. She cracked a smile instead, hoping it didn’t reveal her sadness.
“We are still young, you know,” she said. “When the time is right, I’ll be the one to tell you.”
Dominic didn’t buy it. He knew Tayah well enough to know she was hiding her true feelings, but he also knew when she didn’t want him to pry. So he just sat and stared at her, and allowed her fragrance to put him under the ‘Tayah’ spell. Even though they’d come to discuss the youth rally and the circumstances surrounding Abraham, he longed to express the way he truly felt about her.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Is something wrong?” she asked him.
“It’s noth –” For the second time that evening, the waiter interrupted him, but this time he was relieved.
“You were saying?” She wasn’t about to let him get off that easily.
He grinned, showing nicely formed teeth. “I wasn’t saying anything.”
“Tell me, or I swear I’ll make you pay for it.” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Oh really now? What do you have in mind?”
“Don’t push me, because you know I’m good for it.”
Dominic gave her a puzzled, but playful look. “What are we talking about?”
“Beats me. I don’t know.”
They burst into laughter, releasing the tension both of them had been carrying around the last few days.
He reached out and cupped her hands. “Thanks for that, Tayah. I really needed that.”
“I can say the same, Dominic. I’m beginning to enjoy the evening.”
Phillip caught it all and by the time their waiter brought the check to them, he was furious. Dee had stopped him twice from intervening.
“Why don’t we go and get a drink somewhere else?” she suggested. “You sitting here foaming out your mouth isn’t making any sense.”
“You go. I’m not going anywhere.”
Dee was confused. “Why is this bothering you so much?”
“You saw the way he held her hands? It’s exactly what I suspected.”
“You need to stop allowing your imagination to run wild–”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” he hissed at her. “That punk has the hots for my wife.”
“You know what, Phillip? I’m leaving.” Dee pulled out some money and threw it at him. “You can give, but you can’t take. Call me when you’re in a less nasty mood.”
Phillip jumped up too, slapping down one hundred dollars on the table. As he’d promised to pay, he picked up her money and hurried after her. “Wait, Dee. I’m sorry.”
She continued walking until they got outside.
“I said I’m sorry, woman!”
She spun around to face him. “What’s the matter with you, snapping at me like that?”
“Here.” He handed her the money. “I just got carried away. I don’t want to lose Tayah.”
She yanked her money from him and shoved it in her bosom. “Then start treating her like she deserves it, idiot!”
“I know. Tonight made me realize that.” He studied Dee for a second. Tonight was the first time he’d seen her eyes with that much fire in them. “You still want to get a drink somewhere?”
Dee’s face softened into a smile. “Only if you’re paying.”
“You little rat.”
Chapter Seventeen
When Leroy walked through the doors of his eight thousand-square-feet mansion, it was several minutes after nine in the evening. The late hours that he’d spent at his office that night were not intentional, but he had suffered a delay from a series of academic meetings with deans and campus presidents.
Mount Moriah was in the middle of launching their School of Theology and their satellite college, which would give his members and his local community the opportunities of spiritual advancement. His goal was not to make money; the church didn’t need it. But with the same token, the courses would be severely discounted, taking in enough to defray minimal expenses. If all went as planned, which he imagined it would, he would fly out to the headquarters in Pittsburg for the official ratification.
Their Staffordshire bull terrier greeted him at the door again, indicating Michelle was around. The way he had stormed away from her this morning, he seriously doubted she was happy to see him. Nonetheless, he felt a sudden urge to be near her. There was much to settle between them, but he didn’t know where to begin, or what words to use to soothe things over. The strenuous fighting had left both of them wounded. He took the elevator upstairs, feeling much older than his forty-nine years.
The first room, left of the elevator belonged to Sean, the one across from it belonged to Eric. He paused between the doors, which he assumed, was intentionally bolted shut to keep him and Michelle out of their world. He couldn’t remember the last time he reached out to his sons. Playin
g basketball with them was one thing but getting into their heads was another. They were such different people now. Their privacy and their independence was important to them than chitchatting with a father who barely saw them during the week. He was certain he would be wasting his time.
By the time he reached his bedroom, his shoes were in one hand and his blazer was in the other. Darkness cloaked the room, save for the light that came peeking through the bathroom door that had been left ajar. His eyes immediately scanned the bed and he noticed his wife hadn’t succumbed to another disappearing act. Taking that as a good sign, he stripped off his clothing, and then eased his sturdy frame into bed and against her back. He waited to see how she would react, as he tentatively wrapped his arms around her. As soon as she stirred, he leaned over her and kissed the passion back into her lips.
“What are you doing?” She stopped him, her voice breathless with desire.
“I miss you.”
She didn’t respond.
“Are you still upset with me?” he asked her.
“You can’t kiss away our problems.”
“No, but we can take a break from fighting.”
“What’s the point?”
“The point is I still love you.” He gripped her tighter. “And I still desire every part of your body.”
Her face turned to meet his eyes. Immediately, she was taken back almost twenty-six years, when she’d told him for better or for worse. He was still as dashing as the day she’d met him.
“Leroy, you know it’s hard for me to stay angry with you.” Her eyes moistened. “Don’t play on my vulnerability tonight.”
“I love you, Michelle. There is no hidden agenda in those words.” He pressed his lips lightly against her forehead. “Don’t try to rationalize this one; just go with the flow.”
As frightened as she felt inside, she gave into the desires of her husband. Whatever the repercussions, she blocked it out of her mind and trusted that God knew she’d done everything to keep her marriage together.
****
Seven thirty the next morning, Michelle was up and about and fixing something to eat for her three men. Normally, she skipped breakfast and settled for a light snack at brunch. But this morning was a different order of business. Spending time with Leroy had put her in a happier mood. She hadn’t felt such a burst of joy in a while – not knowing how long it would last, she relished the moment.