by Dynah Zale
“Oh, yeah! She hates hospitals.” Sheridan remembered how she reacted in the park when he suggested that she go to the hospital.
“I gave her a light sedative. She’ll sleep ’til morning. You can take her home now.”
The doctor pulled the curtain that surrounded the emergency cubicle. Elise lay on the bed sleeping soundly. Sheridan had to admit, she was a very attractive woman. Her slightly tousled hair lay over her left eye. Her beauty branded his heart, leaving a lasting impression.
“Here’s a prescription for the pain.” The physician handed Sheridan a piece of paper. “The nurse will bring you her discharge papers.”
What am I going to do with her now that she is asleep? Sheridan wondered. “Damn, I’m going to miss that barbecue,” he said out loud.
Elise focused her eyes on a photograph that hung against the wall across from her. The photo captured the innocence of a twelve-year-old boy dribbling a basketball. The photo and the boy were both unfamiliar to her, so she closed her eyes again, thinking it was all a dream. She turned over and pulled the covers over her head. This bed seems awfully hard, she thought. It’s usually much softer. She smelled the scent of the sheets and that too was unfamiliar. These sheets didn’t smell like Gain laundry detergent. She lifted her head and stared around the room. This wasn’t her bedroom. The walls were a dull blue color. The far wall was devoted to baseball caps of various shapes and sizes, and trophies were crammed onto a small shelf in the corner.
Not exactly sure where she was, she listened to the noise coming from the other room. She could hear someone cooking in the kitchen. Elise attempted to swing her legs off the side of the bed, but a surge of pain shot up her leg. She grabbed her leg, hoping to stop the burning sensation.
She looked up and the stranger from the park was watching her. He stood in the doorway holding a bowl. He wore a Dajuan Wagner basketball jersey with a pair of black, oversized basketball shorts. His muscular, tattooed arms exposed the fact that he worked out daily.
“Good morning. Are you hungry?” he asked. Elise watched the words slide off his lips. His lips invited her to come closer. For a split second she wondered what it would feel like to have those lips pressed against her lips, neck, and breasts.
“Do you remember what happened yesterday?” he asked.
The last thing she remembered was being in the hospital and being poked with a needle.
“You may still be a little incoherent from yesterday. The hospital gave you a sedative. They said you were pretty upset about getting a needle.” He flashed a devilish smile that looked like Denzel Washington’s.
The throbbing pain from her leg was becoming a little too much for her to bear. The stranger noticed her holding her leg. “Your prescription pain pills are sitting on the nightstand next to you.”
She turned and grabbed the bottle of pills. “Thanks,” she replied.
“I’m making breakfast. Would you like something to eat?”
She glanced over at the clock sitting on the nightstand. “Oh my goodness! It’s eight o’clock in the morning? I spent the night here?” Elise thought about how worried Miles would be. “I have got to get out of here!” She jumped off the bed and the immediate pressure she applied to her leg caused her to stumble. Sheridan ran over to catch her before she fell to the floor. They looked into each other eyes and the attraction between them multiplied by ten. Elise pulled away from him.
“Where’s my cell phone? I can’t believe my phone didn’t ring all night.”
“Ma’am, you didn’t have a cell phone on you,” Sheridan informed her.
“I must have left it in my car. You kept me here all night? I don’t even know you. Did you ever think I could be married? What am I going to tell my husband? He has probably called the police and reported me missing.” Elise yelled a series of questions at him. She pushed his hand away from her and leaned against the wall to regain her balance.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you any problems. When I took you to the hospital, they assumed I was your husband. You didn’t have any identification on you or a cell phone, so I had no choice but to bring you to my house. The sedative they gave you put you in a deep sleep. I couldn’t ask you where you lived.” Sheridan’s voice got higher and higher. He tried to defend his actions to her.
Elise felt bad for lashing out at him the way she did. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. You don’t know my husband. If I’m ten minutes late coming back from the supermarket, he gets worried. Can you take me back to my car?”
He walked out of the room upset by her accusations. How dare she get mad at me for helping her out? I could have left her at the hospital and they would have labeled her a Jane Doe. I messed up my plans trying to be a Good Samaritan. He grabbed his keys from the key holder hanging by the front door. He looked at her, rolled his eyes, and walked out, leaving the front door wide open. She followed behind him, limping.
Sheridan hated for a woman to be upset with him. Although he knew that he had done no wrong, he didn’t want her to leave upset. “I really didn’t expect for you to sleep through the night. I thought you were going to wake up in an hour or two and go home. Is everything going to be all right at home?” he asked.
“Everything will be fine,” she replied.
He pulled up next to her car.
“Do you have a pen and a piece of paper?” she asked.
“In the glove compartment.”
Elise pulled out a small notepad and pen. She scribbled her name and address on the sheet of paper, tore it off, and handed it to him. “I assume the hospital is going to send my hospital bill to your address.”
“Yeah, I did give them my address.”
“When you get the bill, can you send it to me?”
“No.” He pushed the paper away. “I’ll take care of the bill. I am the one responsible for your accident.”
“No, I insist. Please send me the bill and I will have my insurance company take care of it.”
“Okay,” he replied reluctantly, taking the slip of paper.
Thirty minutes later, Elise opened her front door and came face to face with Miles. He sat on the bottom step of their winding staircase with his head in his hands. He lifted his head and Elise saw the worry in his eyes.
He saw the bandage wrapped around her leg and he ran over to her. He lightly brushed his hand over the gauze covering her leg. “Elise, what happened? I was so worried about you! I’ve been calling you all night. Where have you been?”
“I got in a minor accident in the park.”
“In a car accident? Are you all right?” he asked and pulled her over to sit on the steps.
“No, not in a car accident.” She carefully sat down on the steps, trying her hardest not to move her leg any more than she had to. “Some guy ran into me on his bike in the park yesterday. I was bleeding badly, so he took me to the hospital and they gave me stitches.”
“You went to the hospital?” he asked, surprised.
“They gave me a tetanus shot. I completely lost it when I saw the needle. They had to give me a sedative to calm me down. So I spent the night at the hospital.” This was the first time she had ever lied to her husband. She felt it would be best if she spared him the truth. The truth would only add to the problems they already had.
“The hospital! I didn’t even think to call there.”
“I left my identification and cell phone in the car, and the man who took me to the hospital didn’t know my name. So they had no idea how to contact my family.”
“Who is the guy who took you to the hospital?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t get his name.”
“You never saw him before at the park?”
“No!” She wondered if he believed her story. “I caught a cab from the hospital back to my car this morning.”
“Honey, I was so worried about you. I had so many terrible thoughts running through my mind. I wasn’t sure if I should call the police. I thought . . .” He stopped mid se
ntence.
“You thought what?”
“I thought you left me. Maybe the problems we’ve been having was too much for you to bear.” Her heart crumpled. She hated to hear him talk like that.
“You have no reason to think that way. I told you I’d never leave you.”
“I panicked. I couldn’t reach you and I thought the worst.”
“I love you!” She leaned over and kissed her husband on the lips. “Can you help me up the stairs? I need to take a shower.”
Chapter 4
The hands on the clock approached the eleven o’clock hour. Sunday school teachers were bringing their lessons to a close while members of the congregation arrived for Sunday morning service.
“Can someone volunteer to close us out in prayer?” Tressie asked her Sunday school class.
A group of seven-year-olds waved their hands, begging to be picked. Tressie looked out among them and chose Dontonio, who was hiding behind his sister. “Dontonio, why don’t you close us out in prayer?” she asked.
“Awwwwwman, why you pick me?”
“’Cause you were trying to hide from me, that’s why. I’m sure the Lord would love to hear from you. Please close us out in prayer.” The children gathered around, held hands, and formed a circle.
“Dear Lord, I want to thank you for waking me up this morning,” the boy said. “Bless my mother, my father, and my sister. Amen. Oh! And bless Ms. Tressie, too.”
Tressie looked up and smiled at Dontonio. “Thank you for including me. I’ll see you next week, all right?”
“Yes, Ms. Tressie.”
Tressie straightened up the church pews as the children gathered their things to go home. She grabbed a stack of Bibles and returned them to their place on the back of the church pews.
“Ms. Tressie?” Ta’Lena, one of her Sunday School students, called out her name. “This man was outside looking for you.” Ta’Lena pulled a man by his hand into the sanctuary.
Tressie turned around and looked straight into those eyes. Those captivating eyes that held her completely hypnotized before; long, perfectly curled eyelashes above almond-shaped eyes. It was him. He was here. A wave of heat suddenly passed through her body like a storm. Except this storm held her like a hurricane that kept circling around inside of her.
“Hello,” Tressie greeted him.
“Hi,” Payce responded. Ta’Lena instinctively let go of his hand and ran back outside with the other children.
“Nice to see you again. What brings you here this morning?” Tressie asked.
“I came here to see you,” Payce answered.
Before she could respond, Reverend Kane, the associate pastor, came up to her with the morning service program. “Tressie, I need for you to make a few announcements at the start of the morning service, and I want to change the scripture reading.”
Tressie stood and listened to the adjustments Reverend Kane wanted for the program. Before the pastor had a chance to walk away, Tressie stopped her.
“Reverend Kane, this is a friend of mine, Payce.”
The minister turned and reached for Payce’s hand. “Hello, Payce.” She greeted him with a huge smile and shook his hand. “I’m glad you came to worship with us this morning.” She turned back to Tressie. “Thanks again for those changes, Tressie.”
The organist began to play the opening hymn, giving the signal that service was about to begin. Tressie excused herself and took her seat in the pulpit next to Reverend Simms, the senior pastor. After the opening hymn concluded, Tressie led the church in prayer. As she bowed her head, she glanced over in Payce’s direction. He winked his eye at her and she replied with a smile. He is so cute, she thought to herself.
Reverend Simms stood before the congregation and delivered a soul-wrenching sermon. “Church!” Reverend Simms screamed. “Beware of wolves that disguise themselves in sheep’s clothing. Everything ain’t what it seems. I Peter 5:8 tells us to be careful and watch out for attacks from the devil; for the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for victims to devour.” Tressie absorbed the words of wisdom spoken by Reverend Simms.
After church, Payce waited around to speak with Tressie.
“I was so surprised to see you today,” she said to him.
“I remember seeing you in Harrisburg, and my brother mentioned that you lived in Philly. Finally, after a lot of harassment and putting myself in debt by promising to get his car washed every week for the next three months, he told me your name and what church you attended.”
“I’m flattered that you went through so much trouble.”
“On my way over here I hoped that you would be worth all this fuss. Now that I’m here, I can see that you are.”
Payce’s compliments left Tressie speechless. She silently thanked the Lord for answering her prayers. He was what she had prayed for. She asked the Lord to send her a man who knew the Lord, but also knew the streets. She didn’t want an uptight church boy who always followed the rules. She needed a man who broke at least some of the rules and created his own. It looked like Payce was that man.
“Would you like to go get something to eat?” he asked.
“Sure. There’s a diner around the corner we could walk to.”
They arrived at the diner and were immediately seated. Tressie had been to the diner at least one hundred times before, so she already knew what she wanted to order.
“Pastor Kane looks very familiar to me. Has she been with your church very long?” Payce asked.
“She’s been a part of our church for probably five or six years now.”
“She looks so familiar. I’ve probably seen her at one of the conferences or meetings that my father has, but I don’t want to talk about the church. I want to find out more about Montrese Cox.”
Tressie looked over at him. He was casually dressed in a blue-striped button up Sean John shirt with a pair of matching blue khakis. She loved his style. She could definitely fall for him.
“There’s not much to tell. I’m a full time student at Temple University. I’m majoring in psychology. I lead a boring life.”
“Well, it can’t be that boring if they voted you in to hold a position with the church state conference, along with my brother.”
“Oh yes, your brother. I had no idea your brother had a twin.”
“Well, he wouldn’t tell anybody. I’m the bad boy of the family.”
Luckily I like bad boys, Tressie thought.
“I heard that you were away for a little while,” she replied.
“Yeah, I did some stupid things that got me locked up, but I’m home now and I’m determined to do better. I just need a good woman by my side to keep me out of trouble.”
“I’ll say a prayer that you’ll find that woman.”
He looked into her eyes. “I think I already have.”
“I did it! I prayed without ceasing! I took my troubles to the Lord and he answered my prayers!” Tressie screamed as she danced her way into the church.
Everyone was gathered together going over their current Bible Study lesson when Tressie burst in with her testimony.
“Did everyone see my man in church Sunday?” Tressie asked.
Olivia was glad to see Tressie so happy. It had been a long time since she had smiled so much. She had seen Tressie and Payce together in church and thought they looked like a cute couple.
“I was surprised to see him here!” Elise replied.
“So was I, but he tracked me down and he came there specifically to see me,” Tressie rejoiced. She sat down in the pew smiling. She was obviously in a cheerful mood.
“I just want to testify that God does answer prayer. When Elise told us to increase our prayer time, I did. I began praying in the morning before my first class and in the afternoon. Plus, I prayed on the train after my final class ended. Elise said that we could pray for anything we wanted, so I prayed for a man, and I was very specific about the man I prayed for. I did ask God not to send me anyone who would remind me of Payne Boy
d.”
“But, isn’t that exactly what he sent you?” Elise asked.
Tressie started laughing. “Yes. Payne’s twin brother, but he is the total opposite of his brother. They may look alike, but that is where the similarities end.”
“Wait a minute, you’re dating Bishop Boyd’s son?” Olivia asked.
Tressie nodded. “Let me finish telling you about my blessing. I began praying to the Lord telling him I wanted a man who believed in God, but I didn’t want a corny church guy. I told God that I wanted him to be fine and respect me, and Payce is all those things. He’s different from the kinds of guys I’ve dated in the past, I wanted a change.”
Tressie’s past boyfriends were at one time all residents of the county jail. Everyone attracted to her had a criminal record, cornrows in their hair, and Timberlands on their feet. It was hard not to confuse them with one another because their matching tan khaki outfits made them look like they were still imprisoned in the penitentiary prison yard. This stereotype included her former, longtime boyfriend, Jabril. Jabril was currently serving a fifteen-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Tressie had plenty of life-threatening stories involving Jabril. They had been stuck up, shot at, and even car-jacked together, but none of this stopped her from standing by her man.
Jabril was a big time drug dealer from Camden, New Jersey who made a lot of money and bought Tressie whatever she wanted. A drug deal gone bad made him a fugitive. He was apprehended by the police on Christmas Day, and his arrest was televised on the eleven o’clock nightly news. Before he was transported to the county jail from the police station, he stopped to give a statement to the press.
“I’d like to thank each and every one of you for coming here tonight to report on my arrest and the pending charges against me. First I want to declare my innocence. I have done nothing wrong. Secondly, I’d like to give a message to my girlfriend, Tressie.” Jabril abruptly snatched the microphone from the reporter. “Tressie, I love you, and if you ever leave me or if I catch you with another nigga, I’ll kill you.”