Your Pastor, My Husband

by B. M. Hardin

  For all of thirty minutes, I stood still, doing and saying absolutely nothing.

  Suddenly, I got an idea and ran to my computer.

  So, here's the back story.

  With being the daughter of a lawyer; investigation just becomes a part of your life.

  I would watch Mama for hours, at her computer, searching, looking for information or clues.

  Of course, I knew of many and plenty of ways and sites to find whatever I needed, whether it was personal or public; with enough accurate facts and start up information.

  I could pretty much find out whatever I needed to know; which was why I was so disappointed when I couldn’t find my Daddy. The only thing I could think of was that Mama hadn't been honest about his real name.

  That was the only explanation.

  And since he was allegedly dead before my birth; he never signed my birth certificate, so I had nothing else to go on.

  But as for Shelton and this woman…I had all that I needed.

  I searched the name from the marriage license.

  Levi Maurice Tate.

  There were a few results but they were all located in other states and every one of them were at least ten plus years older than Shelton.

  So instead, I headed to a more private background check site and searched the name again…the results were the same.

  Next, I searched her.

  Shelia Claire Brown-Tate.

  I was able to find her; minus the last name Tate.

  She was born in California; but check this out…she'd lived in the same exact city in Texas that I had…for about two years.

  Interesting.

  I immediately started to try to figure out if maybe I had pissed her off back in the day. Maybe I stole her man; or at the very least had sex with him.

  But there was no way that I could pin point which man that it might have been; even if I tried.

  Now, it was showing that she was located in Washington D.C.; where she had been for years.

  Then what the hell was she doing all the way in South Carolina?

  I grabbed my credit card and paid for the most expensive and advanced search that they had on her.

  This search came with everything from traffic tickets, to bankruptcy...and marriages.

  I headed to the marriage license section; but there was nothing there.

  Huh?

  There was absolutely nothing there.

  I continued to look through all her information.

  Her name was exactly what had been on the marriage license that she’d shown me---minus the last name Tate.

  Tate was nowhere on her file.

  The search even included a picture of her driver’s license, so I knew that I had the right person.

  What the hell was she talking about?

  I headed for my phone to call Shelton, but I stopped in my tracks.

  What was I supposed to say?

  From the looks of it, the marriage license had been a fake---so what was I calling to say?

  I put the phone back down and headed back to the computer again.

  There was nothing connecting her to Shelton or to a Levi Tate.

  Just what was she trying to prove?

  I searched Levi Tate again, and even tried to narrow the name down to California and even Texas…nothing.

  So obviously, from the looks of it...she was lying.

  Was this her plan in attempt to get me to leave Shelton…so she could have him?

  It was obvious that she and Shelton knew each other, in some way; but how was the question.

  Shelton hadn’t been to Washington, so I couldn’t help but wonder why she was here.

  There was no South Carolina address on her profile, not even under the relatives that were listed for her.

  I also searched and paid to see her relative’s profiles too; just to see if something was there.

  Her father’s last active address was in California; her mother’s was in Washington.

  The other people listed were all along the west coast; either that or marked as deceased.

  There was nothing tying her to Shelton under their information either.

  She lived in Washington, but she was constantly showing up here.

  I knew for a fact that Shelton just didn’t have the time for some crazy long distance love affair, but there just had to be something that I was missing.

  But what?

  For the third time, I tried searching the Levi Tate again; and I even searched Shelton Cartwright again…nothing there.

  I went through the relatives again, and then everyone that was listed on their profiles too.

  By the time I was done, I had paid for over fifty profile searches and background checks and still; nothing connected a Shelia Brown to a Levi Tate or to a Shelton Cartwright.

  “What are you doing?” Shelton asked startling me.

  I hadn’t even heard the front door open.

  Quickly, I exited out of everything that I could and turned around to face him.

  “Nothing…how was your day?” I asked, but Shelton didn’t look convinced.

  “What were you doing on the computer Maxi?” he asked, avoiding my enthusiasm and question.

  Think quick…

  “If you must know, I was looking for a job,” I said.

  Yes, that was a good lie.

  Shelton smacked his lips and exhaled.

  “Maxi, we discussed this already. We said you wouldn’t go back to work until Mackenzie was at least five,” he said shaking his head.

  Sucka’…he believed me.

  “Okay, okay, fine I won’t go back to work, are you happy now?” I asked playing along.

  “Very,” he smiled and kissed my forehead.

  If only he really knew what I was up to.

  ~***~

  There wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t spending hours at the computer, so called investigating.

  I had even tried calling the numbers listed for Shelia, but none of them were in service.

  I don’t know about anyone else, but when a random woman shows up at your front door, claiming to be married…to your husband…somebody owed somebody some damn answers!

  But for right now, and thus far, I had found out tons about her and her family; but not one thing about her and Shelton.

  Maybe she didn’t expect me to do my research.

  Maybe she'd thought that I would automatically believe her and jump the gun, leave Shelton, so that she could have him.

  Maybe.

  But if there was proof…any proof to what she'd said; she had better believed...I was going to find it.

  But so far, there was no proof and her story just didn’t add up.

  Mentioning anything to Shelton was pointless.

  For starters, I didn’t even know if she was telling anywhere near the truth and if I was wrong, Shelton and I would be right back in the same stage that we had just come from, and it would be all my fault…again.

  “You ready to go?” Shelton asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  Smiling at him, I nodded my head.

  The summer was coming to an end, and we were beach bound.

  I was ecstatic to be getting away from all of the investigating and craziness back home.

  I just wanted to forget everything that had happened over the past six months, and I just wanted to enjoy myself.

  But as God was my witness, if Shelia ever set foot in our church or South Carolina again, and I saw her; I was going to drag her from the church, all the way back to Washington...or wherever the hell she came from.

  And that was my good word.

  Shelton reached over the arm rest and held my hand.

  I smiled as though I was taking a ride with my high school crush; only Shelton wasn’t nearly as bad as he had been.

  My high school days were just as bad as my college ones.

  I lost my virginity at the young age of fifteen.

  I’m not proud of it; but I couldn’t change the past.
r />   When Mama became a lawyer, though she made time for me regularly; sometimes she just didn’t have time to give.

  My first was a pretty average kid---named Jasper McDowell.

  He wasn’t exactly popular nor was he exactly what we considered a nerd.

  He was just a regular kid, and that was what I liked about him the most.

  No, he hadn’t been the only one to ever show me interest; but he was the only one that ever took the time to pretend as though he didn’t just want my body.

  Although we all knew that he did.

  Secretly, I had a crush on him for quite some time and when he finally took notice in me, I tried my best to keep his attention.

  When the conversations about sex started to arise, I did what I thought I had to do to make sure that he stayed around.

  But of course once he had the bragging rights of being my first, he was gone, and I quickly became non-existent.

  At first, my feelings were crushed but after a while, I figured that was the way it worked.

  You use people for your own personal reasons; and then you dispose of them as though they meant nothing at all.

  Needless to say, I followed the train that was always moving, and it led to countless encounters with boys and men who I allowed to use me as though I was nothing more than a piece of ass.

  But that was then; now, I had a man at my side that despite the recent mishaps, he was indeed Heaven sent.

  I didn’t have to beg for his love, it was already mine.

  And nobody, no Shelia in Hell, was going to take that away from me.

  Forgetting the thoughts of the past, I kissed Shelton’s fingers and allowed my eyes to tell him the words that I couldn’t say.

  We were the Cartwright’s…together…forever.

  ~**********~

  ~Sometimes you have to go through the worst. To get to the Best~

  Anonymous

  Chapter Eight

  I was sad that we had to return back to South Carolina.

  The beach had done us both some justice.

  Shelton was able to relax and forget about church business for a while.

  I was able to concentrate on loving my husband.

  And Mackenzie had the time of her life.

  Now, it was back to reality, as we passed the church and soon pulled up at home.

  Leading the way, Mackenzie and I headed to the front door, while Shelton began to unload the car.

  Before I had even fully reached the door, I noticed that it was cracked open.

  “Shelton!” I screamed in his direction and he dropped the bags and headed our way.

  He entered first and we followed behind him.

  I gasped at how empty it was.

  We had been robbed.

  What wasn’t stolen was destroyed.

  The furniture was either missing...or ruined. All of our electronics, televisions, computers, jewelry, or anything of value...was gone.

  They even had the nerve to take all of our damn food!

  Our wedding pictures were ripped in half.

  Our daughter’s baby pictures had been written on with black markers.

  There was no doubt in my mind that whoever had done this was no stranger.

  There was no doubt in my mind that Shelia hadn’t had something to do with this.

  Shelton ordered Mackenzie and I to go sit in the car until the police arrived.

  While sitting there, I noticed that my car had four flat tires and that the front window had been shattered.

  This means war!

  Shelia Brown or whoever the hell she was…was mine…and I meant that!

  ~***~

  We were staying at the house that I’d purchased when I first moved to South Carolina.

  We’d kept the property and usually kept it rented out; but just our luck, the tenants had moved out only a few months before.

  It was fully furnished, and though it wasn’t as lavish as the one that Shelton and I had just moved from; it would do.

  Our neighbors hadn’t heard or seen a thing in regards to our break in; which I couldn't believe.

  With all of the damage that was done and especially being that we had the nosiest neighbors in all of South Carolina, I found it hard to believe that no one had seen or heard a thing.

  The church owned the home, so what was destroyed was covered under insurance.

  The material loss wasn't the real issue.

  The issue was that someone was trying to get the best of us; and boy were they giving it their best shot!

  And I knew exactly who was behind it all; and I was willing to bet that Shelton knew too. Shelton decided that it would be a good idea to sell the house.

  He said that he wouldn't ever feel safe enough to leave Mackenzie and I there alone again.

  The church agreed to purchase another home for us to live it, but we were in no rush.

  Surprisingly, Shelton wasn't pressing the issue as much as I thought he would be.

  In a way, it looked as though he had no real plans to purchase a new house for us at all; well, at least not anytime soon.

  So, for now, we were settled and comfortable in my---well our, two bedroom home.

  Shelton and I cuddled, watching a movie, as Mackenzie slept peacefully on the other end of the couch.

  I listened to the sound of Shelton’s heartbeat, to see if it matched mine.

  Looking up at him, I waited for him to take his eyes off of the TV, and put them on me.

  Once he noticed that I was watching him, he looked down at me, and kissed my forehead.

  His kisses still had the power to make me melt, but I wasn’t quite ready to turn up the heat.

  “Shelton, can I tell you something?” I asked him, though I was mentally at a tug of war on what I actually wanted to tell him in the first place.

  Keeping it real, I wanted to mention Shelia. Not so much as to tell him what she about them being married or whatever; but to attempt to ask him who she was...and how he knew her.

  Everything in his past, really wasn’t my concern, but when a potential past person was causing problems in the present, hoping to be a part of the future; correct me if I’m wrong...but that was worth mentioning.

  Our relationship had been better than ever, so I could only hope that he would be more willing to open up to me.

  It was as if all of the issues were starting to make us stronger, closer.

  I didn’t believe Shelia about the marriage piece; but I did believe that there was something.

  “Yes,” Shelton responded, still looking into my eyes.

  “I lied to you about something,” I said, and immediately tried to take back my words as soon as I'd said them.

  Damn it!

  That was not what I meant to say!

  Can I have a redo?

  But Shelton was all ears, there was no turning back.

  Oh, hell, why not?

  “I lied about something when we first met. I guess I didn’t think that we would ever really get married, but we did. Anyway, sex partner wise…it kind of wasn’t just two; well including you,” I said ashamed.

  Suspiciously, instead of being angry...Shelton appeared somewhat relieved by my confession.

  It was as if he was expecting me to say something else.

  There were a few lies that I could have chosen to be honest about, but I felt that this one was the easiest.

  Maybe my new found honesty would spark something inside of him and have him come clean on a few things that I was sure that I needed to know.

  Wishful thinking.

  “How many more?” he asked curiously.

  Now that was a question that I wasn’t exactly ready to answer.

  I pondered the idea of lying about the number but oh well, it was in the past.

  “Well, um, it was two…plus maybe a hundred,” I whispered.

  I couldn’t believe my ears...

  Shelton started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked him, offended.
>
  He didn't answer me.

  He only laughed for a little while longer.

  After a while, he finally quieted down and looked at me with a smirk on his face.

  I was somewhat pouting as I waited on his response.

  “Don’t you think I know a lie when I hear one?” Shelton asked, though he really didn’t need or want my answer.

  I was quiet, still giving him the evil eye.

  “Look, I don’t care about that. All that matters is that I’m the last man that you will sleep with,” he said in an assuring tone.

  And the best husband award goes to…

  “Maxi, I lied to you about something before we got married too,” Shelton uttered.

  Bingo!

  That's what I was waiting for!

  I sat up straight, giving him my full attention. Yes! Finally he was going to be honest will me.

  “Well...I don't know how to say this. I don't know where to start, so I'll just come right out and say it. The truth is....at first....I hated your cooking! Thank God the Mothers of the church gave you a few pointers. Your food used to taste like card board!” Shelton proclaimed and fell out laughing.

  I playfully punched him a few times in the arm.

  Screw him...I could always cook!

  I looked at him as he continued to laugh in my face, and then he returned his attention to the TV.

  I was hoping that he would have been honest about something a little more serious, but whatever secrets that Shelton had, were locked away.

  And from the looks of it...the key to his heart full of secrets...was long gone.

  ~***~

  “Hurry up, or we are going to be late,” I screamed from the car.

  Never and I do mean never, had there been a morning during our entire marriage, that I had beat Shelton getting dressed for church on Sunday.

  He went back into the house to change his suit, again; for the third time.

  I wasn’t sure about this, or if there was some kind of rule in the Pastor’s handbook, but Shelton never wore the same suit twice.

  Ties and shoes, maybe; but suits, never.

  I checked my watch once more and then observed my surroundings.

  I’d always like this neighborhood.

  Its beauty was one of the main reasons I’d chosen the house.

  All of the houses and lawns were well groomed, and it looked like the perfect street to raise a family and grow old on.

  During my observation, I noticed a black car in the distance.