“William wants to come back home.”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Sylvia blinked furiously, trying to gather her wits.
“I thought I did. But things have changed. He now knows I’m pregnant.”
“What? How?”
“Last week when Claudette and I went to my doctor’s appointment, guess who we ran into?”
“I’ll take a wild one—William.”
“Correct. A crazy thing happened on the way to the doctor. William was there with his girlfriend.”
“Please don’t tell me she’s pregnant with William’s baby.”
“Right again.”
“Jesus! What an ugly mess. Why are you just now telling me about this?”
“I don’t know. Claudette has been very supportive.”
“So the two of you have bonded?”
“Yes, and she was going to kick William’s ass when he said that he was having a baby with that wretched woman.”
“Oh, girl. What are you going to do?”
“There’s more. The girlfriend lost the baby this morning. Now he wants to come home. Can we have an emergency meeting of the group? I’m desperate. I need to talk this out.”
Beep, beep.
“Hold on one minute, Ashley. Don’t go anywhere.” Sylvia clicked over to the new call. “Hello?”
“Sylvia, this is Rachel. I’ve got to talk to you now. Can I come over?”
“What’s wrong, Rachel?”
“My date tonight…it went sour.”
Like you and Ashley are the only ones with issues,Sylvia thought. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. I thought Marvin—”
“He’s a good man, Sylvia, but…”
“Hold on a moment, Rachel. I have Ashley on hold; she’s got problems, too.”
“Is she all right? It’s not the baby, is it?”
“That and a whole lot more.”
“Look, talk to Ash. We need to have a meeting. We ran into Marvin’s ex-wife attheir restaurant.”
“What do you mean ‘their’ restaurant?”
“You heard me. Think about it a moment. Arrange that meeting because I need to talk to somebody, preferably without Marvin being there.”
“Okay. Ashley wants a meeting, too. How about tomorrow after church? About three o’clock?”
“That’s fine. Everyone can come to my house. I’ll call Mona.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. No Marvin, though. Give Ashley my love.”
“Okay, sweetheart. It’s going to be all right, Rachel. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Click.
Sylvia took a deep breath before switching back to Ashley.
“Sorry, Ashley, that was Rachel. It sounds as if everyone is overdue for a meeting. Can you come to Rachel’s house tomorrow at three o’clock?”
“That’s fine. I’ll call Claudette. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
“It’s okay, Ashley. I was wide awake. Try and get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Sylvia.”
Sylvia sat in the middle of the bed with her knees pulled up to her chin. She needed to talk to someone as well, but she had to be there for Ashley and Rachel. Putting other folks’ needs before her own seemed to be the story of her life. It might sound selfish, but wasn’t that why she started the support group—to get help forherself ?
Well, she still needed to talk to someone. She clicked the phone back on and dialed the numbers.
“Hello?”
“Kenny, it’s Sylvia. Can you come over? I need you.”
EX-tenuating Circumstances
For those anxious to get a good word under their belt to carry them through the week, today was Sunday. Sunday was the day people went to church to get the blessings God had set aside for them. Sunday was the day to get your praise on for all of His goodness and mercies that kept you from an early grave. This was the day that the Lord had made, rejoice and be glad.
Right here, right now, on this Sunday morning, Sylvia felt like shouting. She left Kenny in bed to get the sleep she’d deprived him of. A nice breakfast of eggs, bacon, grits and Belgian waffles would be a great reward for coming to her rescue. Something else nagged Sylvia. She was falling in love or maybe it was a figment of her imagination. She wasn’t sure, but there was some kind of chemistry brewing.
Fresh coffee brewed in the pot brought Kenny to the kitchen. “Smells awfully good in here; I could definitely use a cup of coffee.”
“One cup of coffee with cream and sugar coming right up.”
“This feels so right, Sylvia.”
Sylvia turned and faced Kenny. She smiled but didn’t say anything. Sylvia flinched at the sight of him and looked away to regain her composure.
“I’m willing to wait. Didn’t I share your bed last night? And nothing happened? I didn’t even complain.”
“You were here to listen…help me get through the night.”
“And you did, baby. Now, how about that coffee? And what else do you have in here?” Kenny asked as he stepped completely into the room, his taut muscles rippling on his bare chest.
This man was fine, and whatever Kenny Richmond had done in the past was now forgiven. She took the towel that was in her hand and wiped her face. When she looked up again, Kenny had on her black-and-white polka-dot robe. How he’d managed to retrieve it from the bedroom that fast was a mystery.
“Sit down,” Sylvia admonished, giggling. “You’re going to have a real breakfast.”
“Oh, you’re going to hook a brother up. I’m telling you, I could get used to this real fast. That cat messed up—oops. Sorry, Sylvia. Didn’t mean to bring up your ex.”
With hands on her hips, Sylvia walked to where Kenny was standing. “It’s okay. Adonis had it coming. Now hold me, Mr. Richmond. Don’t let go until it’s time for me to get ready for church.”
“Church? You’re going to church?”
“My flesh wants me to stay here, but the Lord is calling my name.”
“My flesh wants you to stay,” Kenny murmured.
“You can go to church with me,” Sylvia replied.
“Maybe another time. In the meantime, don’t let the devil get in the way.”
Kenny drew her close to him and held her in a warm embrace. Their eyes met, then their lips, gingerly tasting each other. Their bodies touched and Sylvia could feel Kenny through her flimsy gown. She wasn’t fooling God. He was a know-all, see-all God.
A flood rushed through her body, and she knew that she should move away. Kenny’s hands roamed her body like he owned her, taking control of the buttons that tapped into her emotions. Sylvia tried to resist, but she was weak. She had to get to church. She couldn’t miss this appointment with Pastor Goodwin after missing the one on Thursday.
Kenny pressed buttons and Sylvia responded. She held on as Kenny examined and explored, testing her endurance and raising the bar. Fingers tore at the sides of her panties, while her negligee lay on the tiled floor. Moans of pleasure escaped from Sylvia’s mouth. Kenny smiled and opened his eyes.
“Oh, Sylvia. We’re going to burn the house down!” Kenny ran to the stove to put out the fire under the pot of grits that had boiled over onto the stove.
“My God,” Sylvia wailed. “What is wrong with me?”
“Too late to call on God. You should have been getting ready for church.”
“Shut up, Kenny. It’s all your fault.”
“The kitchen didn’t burn down, and you can still make it to church on time. I’ll admit, Sylvia, I wanted you bad, but not at the expense of losing everything. Dinner later?”
“Much later. We’re meeting over Rachel’s house after church. Some of the sisters need to talk. Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“You’re welcome. Now what were you wearing last night that made you smell so delicious?”
“You mean my Warm Spirit mango soufflé?”
“Whatever you call it. It messed a brother up. It was hard to concentrate on what you were saying and ve
ry hard to be that close to you without…well, you know what I’m trying to say. If you’re trying to live right, don’t invite a brother to come and talk to you in the middle of the night, in your bedroom, drenched in mango soufflé.”
“So everything that I was saying to you last night or early this morning, whichever it was, fell on deaf ears.”
“I’m a good listener.”
“I bet you were.” Sylvia grinned. “I do owe God an apology, though.”
“For letting the devil use you to get me to come over?” Kenny kissed Sylvia.
“Kenny, I was having a terrible nightmare about Adonis, and I couldn’t—”
“So why were you smelling sooooooo good?”
“Get out,” Sylvia said jokingly. “Put some clothes on because you’re going to church with me.”
EX-planation, Please
People spilled out of the sanctuary in a hurry to get home or to their favorite restaurant. Everyone was talking about the wonderful message Pastor Goodwin preached today. The spirit was still with some of them as they continued to praise the Lord.
“Mother,” said the voice behind Sylvia.
Sylvia stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. Oh, she looked so much like Adonis—from her button nose to her petite frame. Even the texture of her wavy hair screamed his name. There was no mistake that Maya was his child.
Looking at her daughter made Sylvia queasy and prompted her to question whether she had fought hard enough to save her marriage. If there was any consolation, Maya had Sylvia’s smile and cute dimples.
“Maya, Carlos, you look wonderful. How are you two doing? Honeymoon over?”
Maya looked Kenny up and down, giving him the once-over.
“We’re doing fine, Mother,” Maya said. “And we will be on our honeymoon for a long time. The question is, how are you doing? We saw you tiptoe in late. Bet you didn’t hear a word Pastor preached today—finding a virtuous woman.”
“Mind your manners, Maya. I’m still your mama, and you’re not too big to put over my knee. Right, Carlos?”
“Whatever you say, Mrs. St. James.” Carlos tried to stifle a laugh but could not hold it back.
“Don’t laugh at her, Carlos.”
“I’m Kenneth Richmond, an old high school friend of your mother’s.” Kenny offered his hand. Carlos took it; Maya looked on with a twisted smile on her face.
“Look, I have an appointment with Pastor Goodwin, and I’m going to be late,” Sylvia said. “Would love to stay and chat.”
“Appointment for what?” Maya asked, looking from her mother to Kenny.
“Not that it concerns you, but Pastor Goodwin wants me to head up a class for some of the young members who are on the verge of divorce or have recently gotten one.”
“Why did he choose you?” Maya mocked.
“Because he found out that I had already started one.”
“Oh, so I guess it helped you get over Daddy.” Maya took another shot at Kenny with her eyes. “You are a recovered divorcee.”
“Maya, I love you, too. Now I have to go before I hurt you.”
“Mother, I…I…just want an explanation.”
“For what? If you’re talking about Mr. Richmond, he has every right to be at church as you, Carlos and me. In fact, I was telling him about the Lord and how he should give his life to Him. The Lord is happy, and you need to mind your own business.”
“Sorry, Mr. Richmond.” Maya offered Kenny her hand. “Mother has been pining over Daddy so long, I can’t believe she knows what another man looks like.”
Sylvia would not look at Kenny. If Maya only knew that Kenny had spent the night, albeit nothing happened, she would have gone ballistic—not that Maya had forgiven her daddy for running off with his ex-wife of twenty-five years ago. Sylvia smiled internally, thoughts of Kenny sifting through her head.
“Gotta go, babies. Give me a kiss. Don’t be a stranger. Stop and see your mother sometime.”
Both Maya and Carlos gave Sylvia a giant hug and swift kisses on either side of her face.
“Nice meeting you, man,” Carlos said to Kenny.
“I apologize again,” Maya said to Kenny. “The Lord loves you. Come back again.”
“It was nice meeting you both,” Kenny said, glad they were going in the opposite direction.
“Whew,” said Sylvia and Kenny at the same time.
“If they only knew,” Kenny said.
“Well, we won’t entertain that in the house of the Lord,” Sylvia said.
“Look, go to your meeting and I’ll catch up with you later on.”
“I don’t think you should come over, but do give me a call.”
“Mango soufflé?”
“No, Mr. Richmond. You better get your mind on the Lord.”
“I only came to be close to you.”
“Don’t talk like that in the Lord’s house. He might strike you dead.”
“Sylvia, you drive me crazy. I’m out.”
“’Bye, Kenny,” Sylvia said softly and seductively. “Call me.”
Sylvia watched Kenny until he exited the building. Her knees were trembling and butterflies teased her stomach. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to tell Sylvia she was falling in love. She composed herself, took a deep breath and turned and walked in the direction of Pastor Goodwin’s office.
She wasn’t sure that she wanted to take on this task now. She wasn’t sure that she could be objective considering her somewhat contradictory feelings about Adonis. And now Kenny had resurfaced in her life. There was no denying it: Sylvia was messed up.
Sylvia knocked on the door to Pastor Goodwin’s office, and he asked her to come in.
“Sister St. James, it is so good to see you,” Pastor Goodwin said as he stood and shook Sylvia’s hand. “Have a seat.”
“I enjoyed your sermon today, Pastor. I’m trying to live the walk and be that virtuous woman you were talking about.”
“Are you sure you were here today? Don’t tell me you went to sleep on my sermon.”
Sylvia sat back, embarrassed at the obvious mistake she’d made. She was going to kill Maya! What did the pastor think of her now? Was she worthy to lead a group of young adults in the direction that was intended?
“Don’t worry about it, Sister St. James. Sister Goodwin nodded through the last part. ‘Faith in God’seemed so appropriate since we have so many young people who are just getting started and find themselves at a crossroad in life—slaves to debt, victims of spousal abuse, survivors of failed marriages, you name it.
“I don’t know what the statistics are, but I look all around me, right here at the church, and see that the number of divorces and domestic problems are astronomical.
“We have to pray for the world, Sister St. James. I want to impress upon the young people that God is their refuge and help in their time of trouble—they need not feel alone. If they need to talk to someone, there is someone they can go to. While the scriptures do not advocate divorce, the Bible, in the book of Matthew, chapter five, verses 31-32 gives legal justification to do so in the case of adultery. And for those who may want to get married again, I want them to know that God will send them what they need if they ask.”
Sylvia fidgeted in her seat. Pastor Goodwin was preaching straight to her. Forget the young adults; she hadn’t gotten that part herself. Now she had to share what she wasn’t practicing.
It was moments like this that Sylvia felt so unworthy. But how could she disappoint Pastor Goodwin, who seemed to have so much faith in her?
“Pastor, I have one question,” she began.
Pastor Goodwin’s thick eyebrows arched upward. “Yes, Sister St. James?”
“Pastor Goodwin…” Sylvia paused. “Pastor, am I weak because I struggle to loose myself from my ex-husband? I saw him on television yesterday; he was at the U.S. Open. He was with the woman who was his wife twenty-five years ago—a marriage that lasted less than a year.”
“Oh, I didn
’t know…”
“It wasn’t a big deal until now. I became so angry looking at him sitting with that woman. How dare he? Pastor, how could he just get up and leave me after all the years we spent together as husband and wife? I was a devoted wife and mother. I worked hard to ensure that my marriage would be forever—in fact, I worshipped the ground Adonis walked on. I don’t know where I failed, but I didn’t see any of this coming.”
Sylvia stood up and began to pace. Her face and hands became more animated as she continued speaking.
“I loved my husband with all of my heart and soul, but I’m honestly trying to move on with my life. It seems when I make strides, something sets me off that causes me to take two giant steps backward.”
“Sister,” Pastor Goodwin cut in, “let me try and answer your first question. You’re not weak; you had expectations that you and your husband would be man and wife forever. When those expectations weren’t fulfilled, you did what most people do in this situation. You fought to save what was yours, and the more it became unattainable, the more determined you were to make it right.
“Divorce is like death. It has that air of finality, and it hurts like hell to lose someone you love. You’ve said a lot of things this afternoon, but you have to be willing to step back, step out of the familiar and see the whole picture.
“It appears that Brother St. James didn’t invest as much into the emotional side of your marriage as you did. There had to be a thread, though, that kept you together for twenty years or more. He seemed to be a good Christian and a decent man to me, but we don’t always no what goes on behind closed doors.”
“But he walked out, Pastor,” Sylvia cried. “Said the marriage was over a long time ago, that I was too fat, oh I can’t remember what else. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to go on like this.” She collapsed back into her seat.
Pastor Goodwin went over to Sylvia and handed her a tissue, then sat in the vacant chair next to her. “Perhaps now is not the right time for you to head up the young people’s support group. You seem to have a lot of sorting out of your own to do. I’ll speak with Sister Witherspoon about taking over that ministry.”
Ex-Terminator Life After Marriage Page 12