Church Boyz 1 (Rod of the Wicked)

by H. H. Fowler

  “That’s good enough,” Dominic said and then added, “In essence, the whole farce of flirting is taken out of the game. They’re friends and have been friends for a long time, which somehow provides that sense of comfort.”

  “Which spells danger,” someone else said. “I don’t want to have sex with someone I’m too comfortable with. They’d be like family to me and that is just gross. That’s incest, I think.”

  “That’s not incest, stupid,” another joined in. “Hypothetically, I certainly would prefer to be comfortable. Saves time.”

  “Man, you guys are missing the real point of all this,” Garvin said, sitting up. “It’s sex with no strings attached. That’s what it’s all about. I said it a few minutes ago. Who cares about being comfortable? People want easy sex without all this emotional crap. Having sex in a car is not comfortable at all.”

  Tayah frowned at how Garvin made light of such a serious issue. She decided to jump in at this point. “But how do you not grow more attached to the person you’re being intimate with? When sex is involved it is near impossible to keep your emotions out of it.”

  “I speak on behalf of ‘us’ men,” Garvin said, grinning, high-fiving Sean and Eric. “We are only focused on the benefits. That’s the arrangement ‘we’ men agreed to…”

  “And it’s obvious ‘we’ women focus more on the friendship,” Tayah said, giving Garvin and her brothers a disapproving look. If she had her way, she would have separated those three, far away from each other. “That’s where a lot of the problems start. It seems as if women always end up getting the bad end of the stick. Maybe because we’re wired differently, and we tend to express ourselves in ways that sometimes don’t make a bit of sense even to us. I admit we are emotional and most of us are crybabies – occasionally challenged by our insecurities and low self-esteem.”

  Several young girls nodded their heads in agreement.

  “On the flip side,” Tayah continued, “most would agree that men are more physically oriented, and highly visual. Their emotions are not easily moved, or at least they are pros at suppressing them. So when a woman becomes intimate with a man, eventually her heart gets involved. She may not expect this to happen at the initial stage of the agreement, but as long as she remains intimate with that man, her emotions are bound to surface.”

  Tayah paused and looked at Dominic, who subtly encouraged her to stay in the flow. She was passionate about what she did and he didn’t see the need to interrupt her at the moment.

  “Now,” Tayah continued, “the statement I’m about to make means no disrespect to men in general, because I believe that a few good, decent men still exist, but only God knows where they are–”

  Smiles materialized on faces across the room at Tayah’s offbeat humor.

  “I’m kidding, of course, I’m married to a great man,” she said. “But seriously, just take a look at our sex-driven culture today. Would most of you agree that it is easy for a guy to take a woman to bed, and then walk away without looking back?”

  “I disagree,” an Oriental-looking boy said. He had a heavy accent and appeared to be no more than twenty years in age. “I think girls are cruel, and mean, and they never know what in the world they want.”

  “That’s a strong statement, buddy,” Dominic said, taking several steps forward on the platform, standing next to Tayah. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Girls never stay with me. They always leave when I wake up. They never call back either.”

  Those lines, irrespective of how grave the confession was, didn’t go over too well and in response, the crowd threw their heads back in laughter.

  “This is no joke,” the young boy spat. “Girls are worse than us!”

  “Impossible! Something’s probably wrong with you, man.” Garvin said, directing his attention to the entire audience. “Not even one stayed? All left? Man, I sure wouldn’t like to be your shoes…”

  The crowd laughed even harder, prompting Dominic to take charge of the noise. “Okay, let us be more respectful. We didn’t come here to make fun, or to pick on each other. This is not what this forum is all about–”

  “Dominic’s right,” Tayah interrupted. “I’m a bit disappointed by the way some of you are behaving tonight, taking a very serious issue, and making light of it. Some of you may never see the harm in this, but I simply believe that this ‘Friends with Benefits’ agreement, or arrangement, or whatever you call it is purely a disguise for friends using each other for selfish reasons, which strictly goes against the principles of Christian living. If you are striving to be a Christian, I feel this should be of no interest to you. Your focus should be on trying to please the one you’ve made Lord over your life.”

  “Okay, I get that,” Garvin said, fighting to keep that smirk of his face. “Your opinion applies to those ‘trying’ to be Christians. What about those who don’t care about being Christians? As far as I’m concerned, I don’t see anything wrong with two friends wanting to make whatever agreement they want. It’s their business and no one has the right to tell them what to do. Who cares whether it works or not?”

  “And you know what? I hear you, man,” Dominic said. “But the real world doesn’t always work like that, does it? There has to be a right way and a wrong way of doing something. There are always consequences for our actions, and sometimes we pay dearly if we fail to make good choices with our lives. And no matter which way you spin it, people get hurt in the process. Listen man, I’m no guru on the subject. I am only twenty-four, but I had a difficult childhood and I’ve done some things I’m not proud of. And up to this point in my life, I’m still wrestling with some things that simply don’t make sense to me. I am a Christian, but that doesn’t mean ‘we’ Christians have it all figured out. Man, I still have challenges with thinking the right things sometimes, especially when I see a well-put-together female walk by…”

  A wave of chuckles rose from the crowd.

  “Hey, I’m serious,” Dominic smiled. “But I’m careful to make decisions that will affect my future for the good. I learned the hard way, but I survived and I’m depending on the grace of God to take me throughout the course of my journey. I try not to judge others, but somehow this is still a big problem for me. Matthew Chapter 7 tells me, Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. Words like that would make me think twice. I said all of that to say this; none of us is perfect, but we must strive to make choices to better our lives and not choices that will destroy it. Personally, I think…”

  As Dominic went on, pacifying the crowd with his easy-going style, Tayah took that time to observe him. Her eyes were incessantly drawn to his taste in fashion, loving the way his cyan patterned shirt matched his dark denims. His clothing not only matched, but it also hugged his sturdy frame in all the right places. It was a fleeting assessment, but she’d caught enough and could tell his gym workouts were paying off. Soon she became conscious of her thoughts, which she wasted no time rebuking. I can’t believe I’m lusting at this man’s body. And he’s not even my husband! Lord, please forgive me…stay holy, Tayah, stay holy.

  More importantly, she appreciated Dominic’s ability to stay focused, despite his disappointment with his mentor. Nonetheless, Abraham would have been proud of him tonight. He handled himself well and she would be sure to tell him so, especially pointing out his choice of scripture. That showed he had some level of maturity and that he was still willing to believe the best about Abraham, even though his perception of the man had been severely tested the last couple of days.

  For her, that scored huge points with her heart. She admired a man who had the capacity to think things through, to examine a situation even when the situation didn’t suit his taste. Thankfully, she perceived, none of it seemed to affect Dominic’s out-going spirit.

  “…once you crossed that line,” Dominic was saying while turning to Tayah. “The old dynamic of that friendship is lost. There is no going back. Tayah you want to add
something?”

  “And ruin the mood? No way,” she said, flashing a smile at him. “Let’s just stand and say a word of prayer.”

  9:27 p.m.

  Brenda hurried to her station to answer Leroy’s page on the church’s intercom system. She’d slipped away to the coffee machine for a third refill after he announced that tonight was going to be a long night. A group of pastors and their entourage was flying in from the Bahamas tomorrow and last minute preparations were being handled by the Administration office. Leroy had gotten the schedule mixed up, assuming they’d been booked to come the following weekend. Resting her ‘I love you Jesus’ mug on the desk; she pushed down on a red button and spoke with a sense of urgency.

  “Sorry, sir, I had to get a cup of coffee–”

  “Brenda, do me a favor. As soon as the youth forum concludes, have Dominic come into my office.”

  “Most certainly. I will let him know, sir.”

  “And have you gotten a hold of Abraham? He’s not picking up any of his phones.”

  “No sir, but I will keep trying.”

  “Don’t trouble yourself, Brenda. Thank you.”

  9:49 p.m.

  “Come in Dominic and have a seat,” Leroy said. “I’ve been trying to catch up with you since Sunday.”

  Dominic studied Leroy as he pulled out a velvet-covered chair and eased down on it. The last time he sat in Leroy’s office was when he found out he’d been promoted to Youth Advisor to Abraham. Maybe this time he was about to be slapped upside the head with a demotion– his punishment for creating that scene at the organ.

  “I could hear your heart pumping through your chest,” Leroy said. “Relax, man. I don’t intend to keep you long. How have you been?”

  “Busy with classes and everything,” Dominic said, endeavoring to absorb Leroy’s piercing stare. “You know how it is; it’s nearing the end of the semester.”

  “I was once there,” Leroy smiled. “It could become quite a bit of a challenge. When are your exams?”

  “In two weeks. So you know my face is dropping in the books every night.”

  “That’s what’s required, my boy. Hard work. It sets you apart for greatness.”

  “Yes sir, I believe in hard work…”

  “Just look at this edifice we’ve built,” Leroy said, spreading his hands open. “It’s a symbol of dedication and commitment. I never imagined things would have turned out this way. When I inherited the church from my father, its membership staggered within the low hundreds, with a building that couldn’t hold more than five hundred persons. Now, we have to split the congregation into two services.”

  You have Shaniece to thank for that, Dominic thought. “I agree. The membership has exploded since I’ve started coming here.”

  “And you haven’t seen anything yet, my boy. I have great plans in store for this congregation. In short order we’ll be launching our very own school of Theology. I’ll be flying out to Pittsburg soon to ratify the final documents…”

  Why is he telling me this? He’s beating around the bush. Why doesn’t he just come out and say what is really bugging him? “That’s impressive. Mount Moriah is keeping up with the twenty first century.”

  “Yes, we are quickly becoming the church of choice,” Leroy said, gradually giving in to a few seconds of silence. He kept his eyes glued to Dominic in a way that told Dominic he was about to be put up on the stand. “So, tell me, how’s the mentor program going with Pastor Abraham?”

  Bam! There it was. The real reason why he was summoned to Leroy’s office. “It’s working out I guess,” Dominic said, praying his words didn’t reveal his true emotions. “I haven’t been going to the sessions lately; you know, classes and all–”

  “Yes, you said so. Are you certain that’s all there is to it?”

  “Yes…”

  “I saw you jump off the organ on Sunday and it concerned me. Are you sure everything’s well?”

  No, everything’s not well. Your right hand man is sleeping around with prostitutes. “Yes, I’m sure. I had a crazy morning that day, but I’m okay now.”

  “Good, glad to know.” Leroy extended his right hand toward Dominic. “I’m a man of my word. I don’t see the need to keep you any longer. We’re done here.”

  10:10 p.m.

  “Girl, I thought you were gone a long time. What you still hanging around here for?” Dominic said to Tayah as he returned to the auditorium.

  “I thought you were gone too.” Tayah ended the call on her BlackBerry to give Dominic her full attention. “I’m waiting on Phillip to come. And I’ve been trying to reach him, but his phone seems to be off.”

  “What happened to your car?”

  “Phillip has it. His car is down.”

  “Well, I can give you a ride home if you want.”

  “That’s kind of you, Dominic, but Phillip should soon be here.”

  Dominic folded his arms, and shot Tayah one of those sarcastic stares he was famous for.

  “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

  “How long have you been waiting out here?”

  “Not long–”

  “C’mon, girl. Your man shouldn’t have you standing out here in the wind like this. He should have been here twenty minutes early with the AC piping.”

  “You seem hurt.”

  “Of course I am. What do you expect me to say? I outta’ knock some sense into that bastard.”

  Tayah was failing miserably at suppressing her smile. “Must you show your hatred so blatantly for a man who hasn’t done anything to you?”

  He took you from me,” Dominic thought, as he playfully shook his fists at Tayah. “Oooh, I had to ask the Holy Ghost to hold my tongue. Don’t push me, girl. I wanna stay saved. Stay here, I’ll bring my car around and show Phillip how his woman should be treated.”

  Same Time

  Everywhere was dark; as far as their eyes could see. The plan was to make the warehouse, which listlessly sat behind a string of railroad tracks, appear as if it’d been abandoned. They’d cut the power source, and had jogged back to their hiding spot.

  “I don’t know why I allow you to pull me into foolishness,” Dee whispered, stooping down next to Phillip, who was in Tayah’s Champaign-color Nissan Altima. “If I’d known we’d be killed tonight; I would have left my mother a note.”

  “Shhh, stop rambling,” Phillip told her.

  “I’m not rambling. I’m talking sense. Who’s gonna find our bodies way out here behind these railroad tracks? We’re in the back of God’s back.”

  “This is only gonna take a minute. Then we’re on our way to get a drink.”

  “Drink? What I’m gonna do with a bloody drink with a bullet up my forehead?”

  “Shush it, girl! They’re here.”

  Several yards ahead, a black caddy glided by and stopped in front of the warehouse. The neon lights emanating from beneath the car confirmed to Phillip that the man in the car was Vell Gordon, with whom he’d been transacting business over the phone for the last two years; he was one of his largest financiers. Vell Gordon had come for his money.

  “What if they recognize us sitting here?” Dee said, nervously peeking at the scene in front of her.

  “They will if you keep up this crazy yapping,” Phillip spat. “Relax. We’ll be on our way soon.”

  Phillip was right. The black caddy didn’t stay long. No one had even attempted to get out the vehicle, and just as it had glided in front of them, it glided away from them and out of sight into the black night.

  Phillip sat up and spun the engine. “Let’s get the heck out of here. I have a feeling that they will be back.”

  10:30 p.m.

  “Turn up the volume,” Tayah squealed. “This is our theme song for this year’s volunteer banquet.”

  Dominic crinkled his brows as he swerved over to the left lane to enter I-275. “We Are The World? You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re getting wound-up about this song?”

  �
�Of course, you are so cruel. Who doesn’t love this song? Everybody loves them some Michael.” Her voice hit the first chord way off key, which starkly reminded Dominic of his experience with A’moree. “Come on, turn it up, turn it up…”

  “Okay, only if you promise you won’t sing along with it. Your voice is dreadful.”

  Tayah blinked away her astonishment. “You did not just go there, Mr. Dominic Housten.”

  “Stay in your calling. Trust me; I’m only helping you out.”

  Tayah chuckled. “You bet. You just love being mean to me, that’s all that is.”

  “Mean? I offered you a ride, didn’t I? Without me you would have been standing outside all by your lonesome self.”

  That last line struck a chord with Tayah, so much so that it wiped that toothy smile right off her face.

  “Me and my stupid mouth,” Dominic had an apology written all over his face. “I didn’t mean it how it came out.”

  “I meant to tell you that you were great with the youth tonight,” she said, making an attempt to change the subject. “I thought you showed a sense of maturity in your delivery.”

  “I’m sorry for what I said…”

  “I know you don’t think the world of Abraham right now, but he would have been proud of you.”

  “Tayah…”

  “You handled yourself like a true champ–”

  Dominic turned down the volume on the radio, searching for the right words to say to the woman who was supposed to have been his wife. “C’mon, girl, talk to me. I know something’s messing with your mind.”

  She placed a hand over her face, willing her tears to remain where they were and not embarrass her by rushing down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe her husband had taken her car and left her stranded on the church grounds. He hadn’t a shred of courtesy. At least, he could have called and let her know what was going on.

  “What if something happened to him?” she said finally.

  “I know that’s your husband, but don’t make excuses for him, Tayah.”