Church Boyz 1 (Rod of the Wicked)

by H. H. Fowler

  The Heights Waterfront was the place to be tonight. It was considered the premier waterfront venue for hosting special events, such as the volunteer annual banquet. Conveniently located on the Riverwalk, north of the Straz Center, Tayah was pleased with the spot when she stepped out of her vehicle and looked at the picturesque scene surrounding her. The committee had been divided over choosing this place, simply because it was too big to decorate and too windy during this time of year, but she was impressed, to say the least.

  Thankfully, the weather was serene and the company they’d hired to spruce up the site had done an excellent job, worthy of recommendation. But they would not be dining outdoors tonight. Inside, with over seventy thousand square feet of space, fifteen hundred people gathered to enjoy one of the most anticipated events of the year.

  The atmosphere shook with live music from Sounds of Blackness, as they performed one of their old time favorites, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”. The message of the song fit the theme for tonight. 'Life is hard, but we will make it.' She looked on, searching for familiar faces, but the ballroom lighting made it a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, Ian had reserved tables for the committee members and their guests and had marked them with special decorations.

  But she didn't want to move on without Dominic. She would wait near the entrance until he arrived. When several minutes had expired, she decided to check her BlackBerry to see if he'd sent her a message, but she discovered her phone wasn't in her purse.

  Maybe it'd fallen out in her car seat, she thought.

  As she contemplated whether or not to walk back to the parking lot, she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. In response, she turned around to see who wanted her attention.

  “Abraham! Mother!” Her expression fell somewhere between surprise and disappointment. On one hand, she was pleased to see her mother, but on the other hand, she wished it were Dominic. It felt as if she'd been waiting forever for him to arrive. She took her mother by her hands. “I wasn't expecting you to come. This is certainly a warm surprise.”

  “Anything for you, darling,” Michelle leaned in and kissed Tayah on her cheek. “You look lovely.”

  “As do you, mother!”

  “You do look lovely, dear,” Abraham said, kissing Tayah, also. “You light up the entire room.”

  “Oh, Abraham, thank you,” Tayah said, feeling a bit awkward calling Abraham by his first name, but it was what he preferred. “You’re too kind.”

  “Where's Phillip?”

  “Where's daddy?”

  Both Michelle and Tayah had spat out their questions the same time. When Tayah looked into her mother's eyes, she got all the answers she needed. Even makeup couldn't hide the distress stitched into her mother's visage. The way things were going, Tayah wasn't sure if her parents' marriage would last another six months. But her daddy had taught her from a child that nothing was too big for God to handle.

  “Phillip couldn't make it,” Tayah said, trying to make it seem as if it was not a big deal, but deep down inside of her, she too was falling apart.

  “Well, we're here,” Michelle said. “And that's all that matters. We'll follow and sit with you.”

  “Of course. I will have it no other way.”

  Tayah gaped at her watch for the tenth time. It was nearing eight o'clock and she began to doubt if Dominic would actually show. Sounds of Blackness left the stage and Ian took the podium. His voice boomed through the speakers as he excitedly announced the lineup for the evening. He promised them that it would be a night of nonstop fun. Tayah looked through the doors behind her and tried to remain optimistic, but disappointment had already begun to sink in.

  “You guys ready,” she smiled. “Let's go and find our table.”

  “Tayah!”

  She froze and then turned around slowly, recognizing his voice. “Dominic!”

  He neared her, his eyes heavy with apology. “I texted you several times. I missed my exit and got caught up in that seven o’clock traffic.”

  “I don't have my BlackBerry,” she said, and then smiled, her eyes showing that she was extremely pleased to see him. But then again, she’d always been pleased to see him. “And, I'm right here fussing at you in my mind. I was starting to think you wouldn't show.”

  “C’mon, Tayah. I would never do that to you.”

  When he said those words, she felt that he truly meant them. She couldn't stop staring at him. The black tuxedo he wore, with his hair and beard freshly shaved, he looked as if he'd stepped right off the cover of a GQ magazine.

  “Dominic, Tayah didn't say you would be joining us,” Michelle said, stepping in next to her daughter.

  “First Lady Paxton…”

  She waved him off. “Enough with that crazy stuff. Why can't I get people to just call me Michelle?”

  Her casual air took Dominic by surprise. He thought about a sensible response, but the only thing he could do was offer her a bashful smile. First Lady Paxton was what he’d always called her.

  “Where's Abraham?” Tayah inquired.

  “I don't know,” Michelle said, looking around behind her. “He was right here a minute ago. Give me a second, I'll go find him.”

  “I want you to know right now that I will not sit at the same table with Abraham,” Dominic said when Tayah turned to face him again. “Why didn’t you tell me he was here?”

  She touched his arm gently. “Dominic, how long do you intend to avoid him?”

  “Not until he stops sleeping with that prostitute.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  When Leroy heard the front door slam, he got up from the chair he’d been sitting in all evening. He placed his Bible on the table, which he left open to Psalms 51, and then made his way into the main hall. As soon as Eric walked past, he stopped him.

  “Son? I need to have a word with you.”

  Eric threw up his guard right away. “What is this all about? I’m busy.”

  “We can have this conversation here in the hall or we can have a seat in the den like two civilized men.” Leroy was not moved by his son’s attempt to intimidate. “The choice is yours.”

  Eric cracked a small smile. “The choice is mine. Funny that you should say that…”

  “Where have you and your brother been all day? It’s Saturday. You had no classes and you had no practices of any sort.”

  “How do you know that? You’re never around?”

  “Lose the attitude, young man.” Leroy took several steps forward. “I never told you that I’m perfect, but I am still your father and I expect you to treat me as such.”

  “You might be my father,” Eric said. “But that doesn’t mean I have to listen to you.”

  “Clearly, you’re hurt over some of things I’ve done, or did not do, but I will not stand here and allow you to disrespect me in my home.”

  “You see, that’s your problem, dad. You get upset for nothing. You hate your words to be challenged, yet you expect us to swallow everything you push down our throats. We can’t have an opinion, we can’t express ourselves, and knowing how you would react in any given situation, we would talk to mom first before we talk to you. Ever since the incident, you have never been the same…”

  Leroy put up a tough exterior, but on the inside, Eric’s words pierced his soul. “Where’s Sean? I would prefer to talk to both of you.”

  “Well, dad, you don’t always get what you want. That’s what you taught us, right?”

  “I also taught you about love and forgiveness.”

  “Yeah, that was when we were like five or six–”

  “All that I do, and all that I’ve ever done,” Leroy continued, “was because I wanted to protect this family. I wanted to give you all everything that life has to offer…”

  “And you did give us everything. We never lacked for anything when it came down to you providing for us.” Eric spread his hands before him. “But money, cars, and an eight-bedroom house is not a substitute to spending quality time with your family. Why do we
have to beg for your attention? All of a sudden you stopped coming to our games–”

  “I have explained this to you and Sean repeatedly. I am obligated to that church–”

  “No! Your obligations are here with us!”

  “Don’t you raise your voice at me!” Leroy didn’t want to get upset, but he couldn’t stand having his position as the head of the home taken lightly. He pointed a stern finger at his son, changing gears so quickly that Eric didn’t have time to catch up. “You keep that half naked woman out of this home. If I ever catch you or your brother indulging in such perversion, I will personally write you both a one month check out of here. I won’t tolerate your looseness in here!”

  “What are you doing, man?” Eric’s eyes watered at hearing his own broken voice. “You can’t fix this by threatening us. You have no idea what’s going on with–”

  “I will not turn a blind eye to what you and Sean are involved in!” Sin was a brutal slave driver and Leroy did not want his sons following his mistakes. “You boys had better know that I’m not playing when I say that!”

  “We’re not asking you to turn a blind eye, dad.” Eric swatted away the tears that’d dropped down his square jaws. He was annoyed at himself for allowing his father to see that he’d gotten to him. “We need you to stop flying off the handle and listen to your family for once in your life!”

  Leroy withheld his rebuke when he saw the grief in his son’s eyes. It was the first time he’d seen him cry as a young man. And it was at that point that he realized that no matter how old his sons got, they still craved the attention and the validation of their father. That was the easy part. Admitting that he was wrong would be a challenge.

  “Eric, I’m not too set in my ways to recognize my mistakes…” Leroy heard the front door slam for the second time and he figured it was Sean. It felt as if he took forever to walk into the area where they were. When he had, his expression told Leroy that he was about to bolt back through the door.

  “Don’t panic, stupid,” Eric told him. “Just come right in and take any standing spot. Our father is about to share some important words with us.”

  “Sir,” Sean said, keeping his eyes on his father. He didn’t care what Eric said. He had to be sure his father was in his right mind. The last time the three of them stood together like this, Eric had taken the BMW for a joy ride and crashed it into a wall. The punishment had been horrendous.

  “Where are you just coming from?”

  “Friends, dad. We went bowling. Are we in trouble?”

  “No, my boy,” Leroy said. “You came at the right time. I was about to apologize to your brother, but I don’t want to leave you out of it. Come; let us sit over here in the breakfast nook.”

  ****

  Phillip searched from room to room, desperate to tell his wife the truth – not about his infertility problem, of course, but about Shaniece's wicked plan to take over the church. He would tell her everything, from start to finish: how Shaniece had forced him to marry her and had given him money to keep his mouth shut. He would spare no details. As far as he was concerned, his sister had gone too far. He rubbed his jaw, still reeling from shock that she'd almost slapped his head off his body. When a woman got to that point, she was looking to have her life cut short. Not many men would allow a woman to hit them in the face and then let them get away with it. That’s why he had to put Tayah in her place. Shaniece was lucky that she was his sister, because if she weren’t, he would have broken her nose in three places.

  He'd made up his mind to free himself from the burden he'd been carrying the last three years. He hadn't a clue as to what would happen after he told Tayah the truth. Obviously, she would be upset, but eventually she would get over it. He stood still for a moment and tried to pinpoint where his wife would be at nine o'clock at night. His best bet was to call her BlackBerry and save himself the headache.

  He dialed her number several times, but her phone just kept ringing and going to her voicemail. He was tempted to think that she was avoiding him. But as he moved around, he faintly heard the actual ring of her phone, as if it were near him, somewhere. He swiftly spun around and headed to the bedroom where the sound appeared to be coming from. A short search revealed what he'd expected. Tayah had left her BlackBerry at home, which was something she would never dream of doing. His only solution was that she had left in a rush and hadn’t realized it until it was too late.

  He held her phone in his hand, inspecting it, staring at the blinking red light, which indicated a missed call or a text message. He didn't need to figure out that the missed call had come from his phone, but as that red light blinked in silence, it began to stir his curiosity, and soon he found himself eager to peek into his wife's private affairs. But he thought, nothing should be private between them anyway, because as husband and wife they shared everything. He had a right to inspect her phone if he wanted to. The first text he stumbled across was from a guy name Ian Laing:

  We're about to start the event. Where are you?

  Work related, he concluded. He scrolled to the top, which showed all recent text messages from her contacts. When Dominic's name came into view, he immediately clicked on it. One advantage of BlackBerry messenger was that it organized all new and old texts unique to each contact's name. The only thing he had to do was read their conversation, which was still in progress. The history hadn't been cleared and he believed Tayah simply had forgotten to do it in her carelessness. Then again, she wasn’t expecting her husband to search through her phone. He got comfortable and read everything; line for line:

  I'll be a few minutes late. Missed my exit.

  I'm near the Straz center, but the traffic is crazy.

  Haven’t heard from you lately, but I hope your night be as radiant and as breathtaking as you are. Only thing though, I wish it was me next to you and not Phillip.

  So far, all were from Dominic. He wanted to see how Tayah responded, which was the very next one he read:

  Thank you. And it seems you just might get your wish. Phillip will not be able to make it tonight.

  He kept strolling.

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

  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 to present in an hour. I’ll try to call you later…

  Phillip gently rested the BlackBerry on the bed, exactly in the place where he’d found it. He stripped down to his boxers, and in his black tube socks, he walked the short distance to the kitchen. He took down a shot glass from the shelf and then retrieved the bottle of tequila from its hiding place. His friend from Mexico had bought it for him as a gift.

  He sat in the middle of the floor, and filled the shot glass to the brim. He brought it up to his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. His Nokia rested on the sofa in front of him, and after a few minutes of drinking, he pushed himself up to retrieve it. He stuck his thumb against the speed dial button and then released it after a brief hold. His fingers trembled violently, preventing him from putting the phone against his ear. So he activated the speaker and listened as the ring disturbed his quietude.

  “Yes, Phillip. What you want?”

  “Do you have four thousand dollars?”

  “What?” Dee almost bit her tongue out of her mouth. “You are kidding, right? You know I don’t have that kind of money. And furthermore, I don’t want you callin’ here anymore. You almost got my blinking scalp split in half the other night. I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Four thousand dollars? You’ve got to be trippin’ out your–”

  “Well, you better find it,” Phillip said, not fazed at all by Dee’s big mouth. “Because you’re gonna need it to bail me out of jail in the morning.”

  Dee took her voice up to earsplitting levels. “Boy, what you got yourself mixed up with now? You never catch sense! Just dumb and stu
pid! And full of liquor! Phillip! Phil–”

  He cut the connection, relieved to have his quietude returned to him. Dee made a lot of crazy noise, but he knew she would find a way to come up with the money. She owed him for keeping her home from being repossessed by the bank. He held the bottle of tequila to his face, and noticed it was already half empty. The longer Tayah took to come home would be to her detriment, because every moment that ticked by, he became more and more furious. There’s no telling what he would do when she walked her cheating behind through that front door.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Tayah won the award for volunteer of the year. According to Ian Laing’s assessment, she had a strong presence in the community, and was a faithful board member of the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. He could depend on her to do anything. She’d played a major role in helping to launch several fundraising projects, and had kept the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alive through networking with many important people and awareness groups across the country. Civil rights activist, Dr. Benjamin Chavis placed an arm around Tayah, as half a dozen photographers drew near and went camera crazy. With all those bright lights slapping them in the face, Dominic was sure Tayah’s eyesight would have to be readjusted before she walked down from that podium.

  He and Michelle stood and were clapping and whistling along with everyone else. It appeared that Tayah had many friends in the audience and seeing all of their smiling faces, loving on this woman, sent a warm feeling through his body. He was proud to be associated with her and would do anything to remain a part of her life for as long as he could. What a pity he’d let her slip through his fingers, he had practically handed her over to Phillip. It was the biggest mistake he’d made in his life and every night he paid for it. Now, he could only imagine holding her, caressing her, and kissing her – things only Phillip had the right to do.

  The scripture forbade him to covet another man’s wife, but as she gracefully moved around in that fitted emerald dress, locking her smile on him; she caused him to sin without effort. If Sanchez got a sneak preview of his thoughts, he would scold him from sunrise to sunset, and tell him how much of a hypocrite he was. But Dominic had convinced himself that he knew where to draw the line. He would settle for Tayah’s friendship. Obviously, he wanted more, but it was not possible. It was certainly better to have her as a friend in his life than not to have her at all. As he watched her descend the steps from the podium, his BlackBerry buzzed crazily against his hip. He quickly retrieved it and scanned the text: