“I was at church that Sunday when he made the announcement,” Chelsea said.
“Bishop Lance also said that he felt that the Lord was getting ready to bless him with his Eve,” Gladys added. “And he said that he had to get ready for her.”
Arykah knew exactly what Gladys was talking about when she said that Lance had announced that he had to get ready for his Eve. Arykah remembered that night when she had driven, in the pouring rain, to Lance’s home after Monique told her that she was going to marry Boris. Arykah got so upset at Monique that she stormed out of Monique’s house and sped to Lance’s new home, the same home she now resides in.
She was soaking wet when she arrived, and Arykah recalled Lance taking her to his master bedroom and showing her a closet full of ladies’ clothes and shoes. Lance led Arykah to the master bath where she saw every toiletry that a woman could desire. Arykah asked Lance why he had clothes and toiletries for a woman when he wasn’t married. It was then that Lance stated that he was preparing to receive his wife. Days later, Arykah learned that Lance had been preparing to receive her.
Arykah had a change of heart and decided to support Monique’s marriage to Boris. But that marriage never happened.
Darlita nodded her head. “Uh-huh. And when he said that he felt that the Lord was getting ready to bless him with his Eve, all the single ladies at church sat straight up on the pews. Everyone knows that Bishop Lance is as fine as aged wine, and he had women coming at him from all directions.”
Chelsea chuckled. “Oh my goodness, Lady Arykah. There was this one chick who wanted to sink her claws into Bishop Lance so bad that every Sunday, when it was offering time, she would take her tithes, always cash, and walk right past the basket the deacons held next to the altar. Instead of placing her money in the basket, she walked into the pulpit and put her money in the bishop’s hands.”
“Are you serious?” Monique asked.
“Yeah, that really happened,” Gladys laughed. “And after about four or five Sundays of her doing this, the bishop told the finance committee to just pass the offering baskets up and down the pews.”
“Wow, the lengths that women go to just to land themselves a preacher,” Arykah stated. “It’s so sad.”
“No, what was really sad was how no one acknowledged you, Lady Arykah, when Bishop Lance came to church one Sunday morning and announced that he had gotten married in Jamaica the week before. You were sitting on the front pew, but no one knew who you were. And right after praise and worship, Bishop Lance stood and walked to the microphone in the pulpit. He opened up by saying how God allowed us second chances in life.”
Listening to Gladys speak of her very first day at Freedom Temple as lady elect brought back the scene to Arykah’s mind.
When she and Lance woke up that Sunday morning and were getting ready for church, Arykah was so nervous. She knew that Lance was going to announce to his congregation that he was no longer a single man.
“And what he meant by second chances,” Chelsea started, “was that he had lost Gwen, the love of his life, in a terrible car accident. Bishop Lance told us how he had given up on finding a woman whom he could cherish forever because he thought that Gwen was God’s chosen one for him. And after being single for years, he really didn’t think that finding true love, getting married, and having a family would happen for him.”
“And that’s when he asked me to stand,” Arykah said.
“Yep, and when you stood up, everybody was whispering, ‘Who is she?’” Darlita remembered.
Thinking back on that day made Arykah nervous all over again. “My feet were shaking, and my hands were shaking. Everything was shaking. I didn’t even want to turn around and look into the members’ faces because I knew what was coming out of the bishop’s mouth next.”
“Then he said it,” Gladys said. “As soon as you stood up, Bishop Lance said,” she paused. The kitchen was quiet for about five seconds. “He said,” Gladys started, then paused again and looked at everyone in the kitchen.
“This is my wife, Lady Arykah Miles,” Arykah, Darlita, and Chelsea sang together.
Monique wasn’t present at Freedom Temple that Sunday morning when Lance introduced Arykah as his wife. She and Adonis had decided to stay in Jamaica and enjoy their honeymoon another week after the wedding. They flew back to Chicago the Monday after Lance’s announcement. “Wow, I could just imagine everyone’s faces.”
“I held my breath,” Arykah said to Monique. “I thought I was gonna pass out.”
Darlita laughed. “I think the mothers did faint.”
Arykah rolled her eyes. “And they’ve been giving me grief ever since that day, but I don’t wanna talk about the mothers right now. This is a stress-free evening.”
“I know that’s right,” Chelsea said while at the same time admiring the stove. “Um, Lady Arykah, I know Bishop Lance is a skilled chef, but how many burners does he really need?”
All of the ladies chuckled.
“Seriously though,” Chelsea chuckled with everyone else. “Does he ever have all six burners going at the same time?”
“Actually, he does have them all going at once,” Monique answered. “I’ve witnessed Bishop Lance have collard greens simmering in one pot and sweet potatoes boiling in another pot. At the same time, he was frying chicken in a skillet and frying sweet corn in another skillet. On one of the rear burners, he had a wok going with vegetable stir-fry, and he used the other rear burner to steam rice.”
Listening to Monique caused Darlita’s stomach to growl. “My Lord, my Lord. I have heard that Bishop Lance was no joke when he was in the kitchen.”
“Well, look what he made for us,” Arykah said, directing the ladies’ attention to the goodies on the center island.
Stuffed artichokes, twice-baked potatoes, chicken marsala, string bean casserole, Swedish meatballs, and Lance’s secret recipe for sweet potato cream cheese pie was what he provided for the ladies.
“Oh, wow, look at this feast,” Gladys said.
Darlita was famished. She eyeballed the stuffed artichokes. “I feel like royalty.”
They oohed and aahed over the feminine treats. The stiletto shaped cookies were a huge hit.
“Sister Ethel Avery made the cookies and the cakes on sticks,” Arykah revealed.
Monique knew Ethel. She had bought a few cakes from her. “No, really?”
“Can you believe it? Aren’t they cute and dainty?” Arykah asked the ladies about the decorative cookies.
“Yes, they are,” Darlita answered.
“Bishop Lance made his special chocolate sauce, and I want you all to try something.”
Arykah went to the refrigerator, opened it, and pulled out two trays of chocolate-covered apples. She set the trays on the center island, next to the food, and told the ladies to try them.
“Simply delicious,” Chelsea moaned when she bit into a chocolate covered apple.
Darlita enjoyed the sour taste of the apple blended with the sweet chocolate. “Lady Arykah, how do you do it? How do you stay away from the bishop’s cooking? If I were you, I’d be as big as a house.”
“I am as big as a house, Darlita, because I don’t stay away from his cooking.”
“No, you’re not,” Gladys said. “You’re not big. Wait ’til we get to church tomorrow and I’ll show you big.”
Chelsea laughed. “You’re talking about Barbara Brewer, Gladys?”
“Now she’s a big broad,” Darlita said. “Her nickname is ‘Heavy.’”
Monique frowned. She weighed 265 lbs. and wore a size twenty-two W. She was extremely heavy, and Monique would be heartbroken if anyone called her that as a nickname. “That’s cruel.”
“Barbara gave herself that nickname,” Chelsea replied.
Monique didn’t understand. “What woman would do that?”
“A woman with low self-esteem who is embarrassed by her size and is quick to make fun of herself before someone else does it,” Arykah answered. “It’s called ‘bea
ting them to the punch.’ It softens the blow. Been there, done that.”
The ladies prepared their plates and drinks before heading into the formal dining room. Arykah had place cards in the shape of stilettos created with each of the ladies’ names on them.
“These are cute,” Gladys mumbled to herself when she had seen her name on a place card before she set her plate of food on the table. She screamed shortly afterward when she pulled her chair from beneath the table and saw a Christian Louboutin shoe box on the seat. “Oh my God!”
Monique, Chelsea, and Darlita came into the dining room from the kitchen with their plates of food to see what Gladys was carrying on about.
“Look in your chairs,” Gladys told them excitedly.
Arykah came into the dining room with her camera to capture the moment when everyone saw their gifts in their chairs.
Darlita screamed out next when she saw the shoe box in her chair. Arykah was able to get a snapshot with Darlita’s tonsils showing. Chelsea let out a shriek when she saw her shoe box in her chair. Arykah snapped Chelsea’s face when her eyeballs popped out of her head.
“You did it anyway,” Monique said to Arykah. She had tried to talk Arykah out of buying such expensive shoes for the ladies, but when Monique saw a Christian Louboutin shoe box in her chair as well, she was fine with it. Arykah snapped Monique’s face when she opened her box and saw the stilettos inside.
Gladys pulled out her shoes and admired them. “Oh my goodness.”
“Look at me, Gladys,” Arykah said. When Gladys looked at her, she was still in shock and couldn’t close her mouth. Arykah snapped her photo.
“These are gonna be good,” Arykah said about the photos. “I got some good ones.”
The ladies couldn’t stop gawking at their shoes. “Lady Arykah, you are something else,” Darlita said already replacing her shoes with her new ones.
Arykah looked around the dining room and saw that the ladies had completely forgotten about the food. They were all putting on their stilettos.
“I thought you were starved, Darlita,” Arykah joked. “Aren’t you gonna eat?”
Darlita waved her hand at her plate of food to dismiss it. “Uh-uh. I ain’t hungry no more. You can wrap my plate to go.” Darlita’s focus was on her stilettos. At that moment food was the furthest thing from her mind.
“Wrap my plate too, Lady Arykah,” Chelsea added.
“Your pastor made all of this food. No one wants to eat?” Arykah asked them knowing they could care less about Lance’s labor in the kitchen at this moment.
The reaction the women gave when they saw their stilettos was exactly what Arykah had expected. She planned it that way. She had plenty of saran wrap and Styrofoam food containers for the ladies to take their food home with them. Once they had seen their shoes, Arykah knew that Gladys, Monique, Chelsea, and Darlita weren’t going to eat a thing.
“We’ll thank the bishop at church tomorrow,” Monique said. She was the first to stand in her new heels. Arykah had given her a pair of scarlet red, 100 percent silk, six-inch heel platform stilettos that allowed Monique’s toes to peep through the front. “Sexy, sexy, sexy,” Monique said as she sashayed around the dining-room table.
“I’m afraid to stand up,” Darlita said. On her feet were royal-blue leather stilettos with a five-and-half-inch heel. She had never worn a shoe that high.
Arykah went to Darlita and pulled her up from her chair. “It’s like riding a bike for the first time. Take a few steps forward and you’ll get the hang of it.”
Darlita slowly put one foot ahead of the other while holding on to Arykah’s hands.
After she took her tenth step, Arykah released Darlita’s hands. “You got it. Keep going.”
Darlita’s legs were wobbly, but the more steps she took, the more confident she became. It wasn’t long before she was strutting to the kitchen and back to the dining room on her own. “I love them, Lady Arykah.”
“I’m glad you do, Darlita. When I saw those on the Web site, they had your name all over them.”
“I love this color, Lady Arykah,” Chelsea said as she modeled burgundy, six-inch heels covered in black lace.
Arykah looked at Chelsea’s shoes. “Now those, Chelsea, are saying something. Black lace over any color makes a bold statement.”
“And the statement that I want them to make,” Chelsea said, “is ‘Husband, come and get me.’”
The ladies laughed at her comment.
“Well, I think that if you wear those to the grocery store, you just might meet your husband in the freezer section,” Arykah smiled.
“Just make sure to stop by the frozen dinner aisle. That’s where all of the single men shop,” Darlita added. “Trust me, I know.”
“Well, Lady Arykah, I think you just unleashed the cat in me.” Gladys modeled six-inch leopard print platform heels. The stilettos made her feel tall. They were the highest heels she had ever worn in her life, but she sashayed in them like a professional.
Arykah got a big kick out of watching her guests enjoy their gifts. “Is everyone happy?”
“Happy? Honey, we’re ecstatic!” Chelsea answered for them all.
Arykah pulled her chair from beneath the dining-room table, opened her own box of Christian Louboutins, and showed the ladies her exclusive pair. They oohed and aahed over Arykah’s shoes as they did when they saw the stiletto cookies. Arykah slipped into her Pigalili’s and said, “Let’s dance.”
Darlita became nervous. “Dance?” She had just learned to take baby steps in her new stilettos. Dancing in them was out of the question.
“Yeah, let’s dance. I’m ready,” Chelsea stated.
“Come on, girls. Follow me.” Arykah led the ladies into the great room. The forty-by-forty-foot space was enormous. The gas fireplace provided warmth, and the two oversized chocolate-colored leather sectionals gave the room a cozy feel.
“What in the world is that?” Gladys asked. “Is that a bear?” She stood next to one of the sectionals gawking at a bearskin rug on the floor in the center of the room.
“It sure is,” Arykah confirmed. “It’s a grizzly. I had it shipped here from Canada. It was hunted in the Canadian Rockies.”
The grizzly bear rug spanned seven feet long and three feet wide. It was dark brown, and the long guard hairs were soft to the touch and had a light blond tip. The head was massive and round with a concave face. The thick black claws were three inches long.
“That is beautiful, Lady Arykah,” Darlita said. She saw the bear’s teeth and fangs. “But it looks ferocious.”
Arykah chuckled. “I’m sure it was when it was alive and weighed over seven hundred pounds. This rug is one of those purchases that I made when I saw one like it on the HGTV Channel. I also had to purchase a wildlife permit so that it could be legally bought and shipped here.”
“Lady Arykah, please forgive me if what I’m about to ask you is out of order, but I just have to know.”
Arykah knew what Chelsea’s question would be even before she asked it. She wouldn’t have been the first guest to ask, and Arykah knew Chelsea wouldn’t be the last.
The grizzly bear rug was a showpiece. When guests entered the Howell’s great room, the sight of the grizzly bear always stopped them in their tracks.
“I paid $4,800 for it, Chelsea.”
Chelsea shook her head from side to side. Not to imply that Arykah may have overspent on the bear rug, but Chelsea thought that Arykah was living the life. A great life. Chelsea wondered how it felt to be in the financial position to purchase anything you want. To have the husband of your dreams and the home of your dreams is what every woman prayed for. To Chelsea, Arykah was definitely blessed beyond measure. Chelsea could see her cup running over. It wasn’t that Chelsea was jealous of Arykah’s life; she actually admired her first lady. And being in Arykah’s presence and seeing how real and down-to-earth she was caused Chelsea to gain a new respect for Arykah. “Go head on, Lady Arykah. Live life to the fullest. I really a
dmire you.”
That comment touched Arykah deeply. Folks always ask her the price of the grizzly bear rug. In the past when Arykah revealed the cost of the rug, noses would turn up, frowns would appear, and heads would shake. Oftentimes Arykah would pause when she was asked how much she had spent on an item. Whether it be her clothes, car, hairdo, or furniture, she really didn’t care to share how much money was spent.
She loved the finer things in life, and she didn’t pinch any pennies. Arykah knew she was a blessed woman and most women didn’t possess the things she had. Lance had told her that if folks were bold enough to ask how much something cost, make sure to tell the truth. And if anyone had a problem with what Arykah did with her money, in the gospel according to Lance, they need not ask. “Aw, thanks, Chelsea. And I admire you as well.”
“Mush, mush, mush,” Gladys joked. “Can we get this party started or what?”
“Let’s do it.” Arykah grabbed the grizzly bear rug by its left rear paw and dragged it across the room. She then went to the stereo set that was embedded in the wall next to the fireplace and searched through her library of CDs. When she had found what she was looking for, she inserted the disc into the CD player and pressed the play button.
She looked over her shoulder and said, “Y’all better get ready to move.”
Moments later the ladies heard, “This joint right here it makes me wanna—Whoo!” Mary J. Blige’s song “Just Fine” filled the great room. “Feel free right now, go do what you want to do.”
Arykah was the first to dance to the fast-paced music. “Come on now, ain’t no wallflowers in here.”
Monique grabbed Chelsea by her hand and escorted her to the center of the great room. The two of them joined Arykah on the floor and danced.
Mary J. Blige’s song set the tone for Arykah’s stiletto party. The lyrics sent a message to anyone and everyone who had a problem with the way someone lived their life. In the song, Mary J. Blige said that her life was just fine and she wasn’t going to change it to please no one. She let the world know that she wasn’t worried about what anyone said about her or what anyone thought about her.
Lady Elect Page 17