Church Boyz 1 (Rod of the Wicked)

by H. H. Fowler

  She then read whom it was from: “The one you can share anything with, Dominic.”

  “Dominic?” It took a second for Tayah to realize that the lilies were not from her husband. That bastard. She was slapped with two different feelings at once – she was disappointed because she felt neglected by the man that she’d pledged her life to, who obviously was oblivious to her needs as his wife. But, she also felt confused because she didn’t know what to make of Dominic’s intention. Was it simply a friendly gesture or was Dominic being an opportunist? He knew she was vulnerable at this point in her life and to send her flowers only added to the mayhem of her mind.

  Her BlackBerry vibrated on her desk, letting her know she’d just received a message of some sort. She accidentally clicked on an old message from Ian Laing, which read:

  Hi Tayah, just letting you know the MLK Leadership Breakfast has been rescheduled to this Saturday – seven o’clock sharp at Embassy Suites on Fowler. We found a replacement for our keynote speaker who, unfortunately, still is in critical condition. Please get out the communication on this. Cheers!

  Thank God that she’d clicked on that message, because she had totally forgotten about it. That meant she had to prepare for two events this coming Saturday, which was okay, because one was in the morning and the other was in the evening. The next message was from Dominic.

  Hey girl, I hope you’re smiling right now. I know lilies are your favorite. Let’s meet for lunch somewhere.

  Smiling? Why would he think I’d be smiling? she thought, as she pondered over how she would reply to Dominic’s text. After she’d spilt her guts to him last night, humiliating herself in the process, she didn’t want to face him any time soon.

  The lilies are nice. Thanks, but you shouldn’t have gone overboard like that. Phillip will have a fit if I take them home. Sorry, but we can’t do lunch today. My presentation is due in an hour. I’ll try to call you later.

  She read it a few times before she hit the send button, hoping he didn’t read between the lines.

  I’m cool with that. Give me a call when you have some free time. Just thought you should know, though, I don’t have an agenda; just want to see you happy.

  He had read between the lines, she thought.

  Thanks for understanding. But I really will call you when I’m done with my presentation.

  Don’t sweat it; I believe you.

  ****

  Dominic shoved his phone back into its case, just as his instructor slammed the results of his mock exam on his desk. He turned over the booklet and smiled, pleased, or should he say relieved, with the score he’d worked so hard to achieve. He could hear Leroy’s voice echoing inside his brains, “…that’s what’s required, my boy. Hard work. It sets you apart for greatness.” He agreed wholeheartedly.

  The real test would be in two weeks, which would separate the jokers from those who meant business. But he felt fairly confident that he would do well. He wasn’t the type of student who waited until the last minute to cram, which was his acronym for, Cranium Receives Acute Meltdown. He never understood how the other students did it, but to each his own. He would rather have the knowledge to help him embrace the future, than to have a couple of memorized answers for a one-hour exam.

  For now, all he had to do was continue to practice the accounting equations on the syllabus and review his notes on Taxation. He pretty much understood the concept of what he was doing. One more year and he’d be making those proud steps toward the podium to receive his B.A. in Applied Accounting. The way that he felt now, he hoped he would get the opportunity to celebrate with Tayah before the day was out. It was nice to know she loved the flowers. He would have sent her the entire store, just to show her much he cared about her happiness.

  He doubted that Phillip was that thoughtful, as he’d blatantly shown by the way he’d left his wife stranded on the church premises – that was just downright heartless. What real man would forget a woman like Tayah? He should want to spend every waking moment with that beauty, never letting her get out of his sight. It just showed that Phillip wasn’t a real man, Dominic thought. He’d always gotten a bad vibe from that fellow anyway, and Dominic knew it had nothing to do with what he felt for Tayah.

  ****

  Palm River had seen its share of troubles. The highest concentration of criminals in the area were juveniles, mostly involved in heavy drug trafficking and carjacking. Prostitutes roamed the residential streets and some were often picked up by police in front of people’s driveways.

  As Dominic slowed his Honda Prelude to a traffic light, he looked at the dilapidated buildings that made the neighborhood resemble a clip out of a horror movie. He suddenly had a newfound respect for his mother and stepfather, who had the guts to stay in the area to pastor people who were looked down upon. To operate a church in this part of town; one had better possess not only the grace of God, but also His supernatural protection.

  Dominic parked his car in front of a whitewashed wooden structure, got out, and then carefully climbed the rickety steps. He drove to this shelter every Thursday, after his two o’clock class, to help feed the hungry, who’d grown accustomed to the daily hot meals served there. As soon as he got inside the shelter, his stepfather threw him an apron. Rufus Claiborne took his work seriously and had done an excellent job instilling that message in his stepson.

  “Put that on and get to work,” he told him. “Take a look out there, the line has wrapped around to the back.”

  “I noticed as I was coming up,” Dominic said. “You’re tackling this by yourself? Where’s mum?”

  “She’ll be back, she went to get some more bowls.”

  “This is our biggest crowd yet,” Dominic said, as he poured a portion of lentil soup into a waiting bowl. “Soon, you guys won’t be able to operate from this shelter.”

  “Son, we’re praying for more space,” Rufus said. “But you know – to get things done in this district is like putting the cart before the horse. Everything’s done backwards around here. Here…”

  “What’s this?” Dominic said, inspecting the folded envelope, which he noticed was bound tightly with a red rubber band.

  “Jill wanted you to have it. Actually; both of us wanted you to have it.” Rufus kept busy serving, only taking a quick glance to catch the reaction of the boy he’d called son for the last ten years. “Come on now, keep pouring that soup. You’ll have plenty of time to look at it later.”

  Dominic quickly figured it out; he knew what it was. Rufus had been talking about dying a lot lately. He was three years from seventy, but appeared as fit as a forty-five-year-old. Dominic couldn’t imagine him leaving them any time soon. “This is your will, isn’t it?”

  “Not now, son,” he said, turning away to acknowledge Jill as she charged through the back door. “Well, here she comes with all that speed. Always in a hurry…”

  “Oh stop complainin’ old man.” Jill landed a wet kiss on Dominic’s cheek, and then tossed the grocery bags on the table behind them. “At my age, I’m in a race with life.”

  “I don’t see why,” Rufus quibbled. “You’re only forty-eight.”

  “My point exactly,” Jill spat, moving in next to Dominic. “How you doin’, baby boy?”

  “You two won’t change,” Dominic chuckled, enjoying the playful banter between his parents. They’d always been that way with each other.

  “And we ain’t fittin’ on changin’ either. Til death do us part, right old man?”

  “Quit calling me old, woman.”

  “What you want me to say, Rufy?” Jill threw a hand to her waist. “That you’re ancient?”

  Dominic cracked up at that, spilling some of the lentils on himself. “Now look what you two made me do. Stop with the foolishness.”

  “Who’s the parent?” Jill asked. “You or me? Don’t ever let me hear you tellin’ us to stop anythin’.”

  “Leave the boy, Jill. You’re so grouchy.”

  “Dominic doesn’t think so. Ain’t tha
t right, baby boy?”

  “Mum, I love you no matter what.”

  Jill pulled her son toward her and planted another one of those wet kisses squarely on his cheek. “You see, Rufy. The boy loves me no matter what.”

  “And so do I,” Rufus said. “We love you just the way you are. I won’t trade you for all the tea in China.”

  “Awwwwwh, Rufy, that is so sweet. Come here; let me give you a smooch…”

  “I’ll be right back,” Dominic said, untying his apron from around his waist. “I’m gonna take this call on the outside.”

  It was the third time Abraham had called that day, Dominic observed as he stared at the name and number on his phone. Should he answer it? What was left to say? The connection he once held with Abraham had been broken. There was no way to fix this. The man was a fake. A pretender caught in the act of his lies.

  “Why you keep calling? I have nothing left to say to you?”

  “It will do no good avoiding me,” Abraham said. “Get over your self-righteousness and let’s talk man to man. You must learn how to master your emotions.”

  “Quit the lessons. I don’t care to hear them.”

  “My boy, you won’t need to hear them from me. Life has a way of making you its pupil.”

  Dominic was ready to end the call right there and then. “You’re done? I’m busy helping my peeps.”

  “Why are you so bothered by this? Are you afraid of your own weakness? You know every man has a weakness.”

  “At least I don’t sleep around with prostitutes, then turn around and preach abstinence, if that’s what you’re saying.”

  Abraham felt his heart crushing at the words of the young man into whom he’d poured so much. “I pray that your heart will not be hardened against me, for your sake. I hope –”

  Dominic impolitely cut the connection, regretting he’d answered the call. Abraham always had a way of making him feel guilty, but he would not be manipulated into forgiving Abraham so easily. He spun on his heels and marched back up the rickety steps, not caring how they wobbled beneath his feet.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Hey babe, where are you?” Leroy asked.

  “I’m home. Why’d you ask?” Michelle questioned.

  “Well, I’m heading to the Brio Tuscan for lunch with the pastors from the Bahamas. I want you to join us.”

  “Oh Leroy, I don’t feel up to it.”

  “Come on, don’t be a party pooper. I told them that you’d come.”

  “I guess I don’t have a choice now, do I?”

  “Call Abraham and tell him to bring you. I love you, babe.”

  The maître d' ushered Michelle and Abraham to Leroy’s table where he sat with a group of six other persons, all of whom were men, except for one. Michelle would have been fine with the arrangement if the other woman at the table hadn’t been Shaniece, who’d planted her sanctimonious behind in a seat right next to Leroy.

  “I didn’t know she’d be here,” she whispered to Leroy as he stood to greet her.

  “Not now, hon,” he whispered back, holding her by the waist with one hand and using the other to wave to the gentlemen around the table. “Michelle, I want you to meet Pastors Cecil McKnight and Rodwin Thompson. And these are their adjutants…”

  The men stood to greet Michelle one by one. Leroy then introduced Abraham as the Youth Minister in Charge.

  “You have a lovely wife, Reverend Paxton,” Rodwin said. “I’m sorry that my wife couldn’t be here to meet you. She would fall in love with your style.”

  “Oh dear, maybe next time,” Michelle smiled as she gracefully took her seat. She hoped she didn’t sound stupid saying that. Leroy was so much better than she was at making small talk.

  Shaniece seized the opportunity to throw in her suggestion. “Why don’t we plan for both of your wives to come to our annual women’s conference in July? That way we can all bond and share our ideas with each other.”

  “Certainly,” Cecil said. “That’s something we will look into. As a matter of fact, we’ll get a group to come.”

  “Oh, it will be an explosion,” Shaniece beamed reverently. “I can feel it now. Our connection to the Bahamas would be a good move for Mount Moriah. Especially, now that we have quite a few Bahamians attending our services.”

  Michelle cut her eyes away from Shaniece, bothered by her overbearing attitude. Shaniece had never attended any of the women’s conferences, and here she was acting as if the steering wheel was in her hands. It was embarrassing to watch Leroy sit there and allow this woman to have this much control.

  As their server fluffed out their napkins and spread them in their laps, Michelle got an uncanny feeling that Shaniece’s next step was to start a network of churches overseas.

  “So, how’d you hear about our church?” Leroy threw the question out to either pastor.

  “My brethren,” Rodwin said. “We watch you every Sunday morning on the Word Network. Your delivery is powerful, and your style of preaching is spellbinding. I can see that the Lord is blessing your church.”

  “Thank you,” was all Leroy said as thoughts of his secret began to surface. None of these accolades would matter if what he’d done five years ago were somehow exposed.

  “What’s your membership?” Cecil asked.

  “Seven thousand,” Shaniece blurted out. “And it’s growing. The church can seat about five thousand. So we have to divide the services into two sessions to accommodate everyone. But that will soon change…”

  “Oh? What do you mean by that?” Rodwin asked.

  All eyes were on Shaniece. Even Leroy was at a loss as to what Shaniece was alluding to.

  Suddenly, feeling like she was about to be pelted with stones, she chose her next set of words wisely. “Discussion is still in its infancy stage and I dare not raise the issue here in the open.”

  Michelle flashed Abraham one of those I-told-you-so looks. This woman was trying to take over everything, and there wasn’t any shame in her game. More than ever now, Michelle felt driven to discover why Leroy was refusing to kick her butt out of their lives. The mere fact that he tolerated Shaniece’s tyranny was a sure sign that something bigger was happening without her knowledge.

  Their server brought two baskets of warm rolls and placed them on the table between them. Cecil reached over, grabbing one.

  “You know, back home in the Bahamas,” he began, turning to face Leroy. “We have many husband and wife teams, working together in ministry, as we are doing with our wives. We have seen tremendous acceptance of this trend within our congregations. Congregations love to see husbands and wives shouldering the responsibilities together. It boosts trust and confidence, and portrays a godly example of love and mutual respect. And we congratulate you for doing the same with your wife.”

  The air felt as if it’d been sucked out of the room. Leroy’s thoughts stumbled over each other, as he tried to put together a sensible comeback.

  Michelle kept her eyes parked on Shaniece and waited to see how this She-Devil would react.

  “I think you misunderstood,” Shaniece said, letting lose that priggish grin that reminded Michelle of the Grinch who stole Christmas. “My portfolio contains the line of succession, where it states–”

  “In the interim,” Leroy sat up interrupting. “Pastor Shaniece is currently serving as my assistant, which I feel will give her extensive training for her spiritual career. My wife’s hands are full, working in several sectors of the church. I will not put more on her than she can handle. Her roles as the Head of Administration and as the Head of the Women’s Ministry are enough to burn out anyone. I can assure you, the line of succession is firmly instituted, which my wife is very much a part of.”

  Leroy took a sip of water and waited to hear Shaniece’s mouth, but to his surprise, she kept her trap shut. Michelle rubbed her husband’s hand supportively. He had just said a bunch of baloney, but she couldn’t stop smiling on the inside. For once, it felt good to hear her man finally taking ch
arge. This time she gave Abraham a small wink, as if to say she’d won another small victory over Shaniece.

  “Well said, Reverend Paxton,” Rodwin commented. “Well said. I would have never thought of it that way. I love your style of leadership.”

  “Thank you, my dear brother,” Leroy said, raising the menu to his face. “I’m starving. Let’s order.”

  6:11 p.m.

  As Tayah rolled her Nissan Altima into her driveway, Phillip made his way out, dressed in his usual silk black shirt and matching black slacks. When she saw him, her blood pressure skyrocketed to the roof. She was already frustrated with his lack of concern and his tired excuses. It was time she let him know that this was the last night she was putting up with it. She leaped out of her car and dropped everything she was holding to the pavement.

  “Where you think you’re going?” she spat, throwing her body in front of him.

  “Get out the way, Tayah. Let me go ‘bout my business.”

  “No! Either we sort this out right now or you don’t come back.”

  “You’re giving me an ultimatum? How stupid.” He nudged her a little, smirking at her attempt to get even. “Where’d you get this fire from all of a sudden? Did “organ boy” put you up to this?”

  “Don’t be pathetic, Phillip. This is between you and me.” She took one whiff of his breath and almost gagged. “You’ve been drinking?”

  He chuckled at how long it took her to figure it out. He'd been drinking all week, and clearly, his reasons were justified. He doubted her week had been as terrible as his, compared to what he had to deal with it, if so, she would be drinking too.

  “And you're the cause of it,” he told her. “You should be home, but instead you're running around town with organ boy. You two sleeping together now? Don't lie, 'cause he's always wanted you for himself.”

  Tayah tried to keep the drama out of her expression, but Phillip had pushed the wrong button. “You, of all people, should know better than to accuse me of something as ridiculous as that. Dominic and I were friends long before we got married and I'm not going to let your dirty mind paint a negative picture of our friendship.”