by Faith
“Give me his car keys so I can drive his car back.” Eddie said taking the keys out of Edem’s pocket.
“Okay, so that’s the plan let’s all meet back at Mama’s.” Mud said while they all exited the restaurant.
________
On the way home Junior and Mud tried their best to console and minister to him but they couldn’t tell if their words had fallen on deaf ears because Edem just stared in to space. They reached Mama Eloise’s house and brought Edem in. Junior took him to his old bedroom and undressed him. And when he took his dinner jacket off a box fell out of the inside pocket. Junior reached down and picked it up. He was blinded by the bling.
Damn! He was going to propose. A twinge of pain shot through his body. His heart ached for his baby brother and he just wished he could fix it. Edem had been waiting all this time to find the woman he wanted to marry and have kids, and this is what happens? This is his reward for being a good and faithful servant? Junior was getting angry and at that very moment he was not a man of God, he was just a man who felt his brothers’ pain.
Eddie and Mud came in the room. Eddie found some sweats Edem had in the drawer. They dressed him in that and white tee. They lay Edem down so that he could rest.
“We can take turns sitting with him.” Junior told them.
“I’ll go first.” Mud volunteered.
“Y’all come here for a minute.” Junior gestured as they went in the bathroom that was adjacent to the bedroom. “Look what fell out of his jacket pocket. He was going to propose too her so this is far more serious than any of us knew.”
“Damn!” Mud whispered.
“I hate seeing my dude like this.” Eddie said.
“I know that’s why we need to stay by his side. I’m going over Madear’s, I think the family should be represented. I’m going to take Mama with me because she a having a fit trying to get in this room but I don’t even want Mama to see him like that because she’ll be all worried. And oh yeah, let’s keep this ring thing between us.” Mud and Eddie nodded in agreement.
________
Mila was laid to rest a week later. The funeral was held at First Assembly. Edem attended but he was still not his normal self. The once outgoing young man became reserved and withdrawn. It had been a month since Mila died and Edem made it crystal clear that he did not want to discuss her. No one knew how to help him because he wouldn’t talk about it.
Edem focused all of his energy into his work at the church.
“Pastor, I brought you some cookies.” Ruthie placed the container of cookies on Edem’s desk.
“Thanks.” Edem said without even looking at her acknowledging her presence.
Ruthie’s feeling were hurt so she dropped her head, left out of his office and went back to her desk.
Edem finished what he was doing and got up to leave. He was almost to the door when he remembered the cookies. He went back and picked them up and he slipped out of the church before any of his brothers knew he was there.
Today was the day Edem’s custom made Harley Davidson was ready to pick up. He needed a rush. He needed something to help him escape from the pain he was feeling. Edem wasn’t angry at God, but he was confused on why God allowed this to happen. He had been a good and faithful servant. He tried his best to live right and be a good example of Godly love. He knew that he wasn’t perfect but he tried not to sin. Now here he sits drowning in a sea of pain and all he wants to know is WHY.
After relentless prayer and fasting Edem still had not received a word from God. Pain became his best friend. He woke up with pain in his heart. He slept on a pain filled pillow and wrapped his self up in a blanket full of pain. No matter what he did he couldn’t escape the devastating lost that he felt. Edem was becoming accustomed to the pain and knew he needed a distraction. So his Harley Davidson coming in was just what the doctor ordered.
He took a cab to the place since he was going to be riding his baby home. When he laid eyes on his baby, it was the first time he had smiled since Mila died. Edem was in love with his Harley Davidson V-ROD 330 Wide Tyre as soon as he sat on it.
“You came prepared.” The sales person said admiring Edem’s motorcycle helmet.
Edem nodded his head but he really didn’t know what he said because he was too busy checking his bike out. He drove off the sales lot and he felt as if he was floating. He maneuvered around the city of Greensboro until he could get to an open road. He hit the back roads going into Burlington and he was flying. The faster he went the faster he wanted to go. Edem felt free, free of pain and heartache. The adrenaline rush was consuming him and he let it.
Chapter 10
During Sunday service Edwin announced that he and Lacey were expecting their third child. The tension in the air between Sheila and Edwin had been getting pretty thick. Edwin had been focusing more on his marriage and Sheila seemed to have found her a boyfriend she met through the singles ministry.
Edwin and Sheila were going over his upcoming schedule when Jamir knocked on the open door.
“Come in, may I help you?” Edwin asked trying to recall his name.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, I just wanted Sheila to know I would be waiting in the car for her.” Jamir explained.
Edwin instantly became jealous. How dare her new man come to his office?
“I’m almost done babe, and I’ll be right down.” Sheila smiled at Jamir and watched him walk off.
After Jamir disappeared down the hall Edwin looked at Sheila with an angry expression on his face. “Babe?”
“Yeah, that’s my new friend.” Sheila smirked.
He had some nerve questioning her after they hadn’t been intimate in a months, and he announces they’re having another baby.
“So, when were you going to tell me?” Edwin sounded silly and childish.
“Are you serious right now? I didn’t know that I had to check in with you.”
“You sleeping with this cat or what?”
“Are you sleeping with your wife?” Sheila snapped back.
“That’s different, that’s my wife!” Edwin whispered.
“And he’s my man, so now what?”
“Oh, he’s you’re man now?”
“Don’t start that, Edwin.” Sheila got up and threw some papers into her briefcase.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Edwin barked.
“My man is waiting for me.” Sheila gathered the rest of her things and stomped off.
Edwin was infuriated. She had some nerve getting a boyfriend. Yeah, he had something in store for Sheila tonight. He put so much effort into working on his marriage that he neglected Sheila, but that didn’t give her the right to move on.
________
Edwin showed up to Sheila’s around 11:00 at night. He was hoping that her new dude would be there so he could let him know who holds Sheila’s heart. He had prepared himself for a pissing contest.
To his surprise when he tried to unlock the door, his key didn’t work.
What the hell? She changed the locks on me? Edwin thought to himself. He rang the doorbell over and over before he heard Sheila scream, “Coming!” She opened the door and put her hand on her hip. “What are you doing here?” She still had an attitude from earlier.
“Since when do I need a reason to come over here? You going to let me in or what?” Sheila moved out of his way so he could enter.
She sat down on the couch. Edwin was shocked because he was used to being in the bedroom with her.
“What do you want, Edwin?”
“What’s with the attitude, Sheila?”
Sheila looked at him as if he was crazy or something. “You cannot be that clueless. First you go from I love you to me not hearing anything from you unless it was church related. And oh, I forgot, congratulations are in order for the new bundle of joy you and the wifey are expecting. And you have the audacity to question me about MY love life? Man, miss me wit’ all that.”
“I know I should have told you that I was focusing m
y energy on my marriage but does that give you right to move on to someone else?”
“Ummm… yeah, pretty much.” Sheila smacked her lips.
“Well, I don’t see it that way. You meet some cat and then you change the locks on me? What’s up with that?”
“It was time for me to move on. I wasn’t planning on it or even expecting it, it just happened. Jamir is a good man and we want to take things to another level, so yeah, I did change the locks. What if we were in here doing whatever and here you come walking in with a key. How would we explain that?”
“So you’re cutting me off?”
Sheila sighed. She didn’t know what to say because she missed Edwin like crazy, but Jamir was growing on her the more time they spent together. Little did Edwin know that Jamir and Sheila hadn’t even slept together yet. They decided to wait until they got married. Sometime it was hard especially when the kissing session between those two became so intense, it has been getting harder and harder to abstain.
Edwin was still staring at Sheila. He wanted her so bad and couldn’t allow her to walk away from him. He walked over to her and kissed her. Sheila tried not to kiss him back but she couldn’t resist the temptation of his lips. Sheila gave in to her desire and allowed herself to welcome Edwin back in to her bed.
After a long sensuous kiss they headed to the bedroom. Edwin undressed and caressed Sheila’s big thighs and hips. Oh how he missed his Goldie. He loved his wife but he loved Sheila too. He didn’t know how he would keep both of them happy. Edwin pulled Sheila’s nightshirt off. His dick instantly got hard looking at Goldie. Sheila had her bath and body works candles lit and the light illuminated off of her gold tone skin. Jill Scott’s Until Then played softly in the background.
I imagine myself on my knees
Waiting for you to come over
and see me
I imagine myself on my knees
Waiting for you to come over
and need me
I imagine myself on my knees
Waiting for you to come over
and feed me
I imagine myself on my knees
Waiting for you to come over and free me
Edwin and Sheila made hot passionate love to one another. It was so intense how their bodies captivated each other. Edwin was marking his territory and Sheila wanted him to think about her in the middle of the night. The intensity to this love making was so thick that it sucked up all the air in the room. Both of their breathing had become labored. They made love to each other as if it would be the last time they shard together.
Sweat dripped off of each of their bodies. It was as if their bodies were on fire. Their loving was suffocating any cool air that was left floating around in the room. You would have thought that were both in a sauna the way they were sweating.
Edwin was going in for his third nut. Like in the movies, when he was about to cum, he locked hands with Sheila and planted his seed deep inside of her. They laid there on their backs trying to catch their breaths. Sheila looked over at Edwin but she didn’t speak. She wanted everything about him to become emblazoned in her mind.
She loved him but she couldn’t have him. For a long while it didn’t bother her until she met a good man that was free. That’s when she realized how much she was missing out continuing this secret love affair.
Edwin looked over at Sheila and thought about how much he missed her and what an integral part of his life she was. He depended on her as far as work was concerned. Her friendship meant everything to him, she understood him, and he didn’t have to pretend to be anyone but himself with her. She protected him and all of his secrets.
“What are you thinking about?” Edwin was curious where Sheila’s head was at.
“This thing between us will eventually need to come to an end.” Sheila looked saddened.
“What do you mean?”
“If Jamir and I take things to the next level then I’m not gonna cheat on him, Edwin.”
“The next level? As in what?” Edwin’s face showed the irritation in his voice.
“Did you really think I would just be your main side chick forever? Hell, I wasn’t even your only side chick. So I’m just supposed to sit around waiting for the limited time we have together instead of opening my heart up to an available man?”
“Are you and this cat talking about getting married?”
“That cat has a name, his name is Jamir, and he’s a good man.”
Edwin got up and threw his clothes on with an attitude. Sheila didn’t try to stop him, she just watched him without saying a word. Once he got his shoes on he grabbed his cell phone off the night stand and walked out of the room. Sheila heard her door slam shut and she got up to lock the door behind him. Sheila went back in her bedroom and turned her music up. She let the mellow sounds of Jill Scott put her to sleep.
________
Edwin was pissed off to the highest level. He couldn’t believe that he was losing his “Goldie” to some cat name Jamir. The more he thought about it the madder he got. Thoughts of this cat in between his Goldie’s big thighs were sending him into straight madness. Maybe he should fire her ass, that would teach her. Nah, he couldn’t do that. He had talked Sheila into quitting her day job years ago to be his personal assistant full time.
How can she even love another man? They were so good together. One thing for sure, that cat and Sheila wouldn’t have the same chemistry as he and Sheila. As much as he loved his wife, the chemistry between him and Sheila could not be duplicated or manufactured; it just was.
Edwin rode around for a while before stopping by Edem’s place. He hadn’t seen much of him lately. He knew Edem stayed up late and he needed to talk. Edwin took the elevator to the penthouse. He rang the doorbell and Edem finally came to the door.
“Did I wake you up, baby bruh?” Junior asked as Edem opened the door.
“No, I’m just up writing.” Edem looked better than he had in weeks. “You thirsty?” Edem asked going into his kitchen.
“Yeah, I’ll take a Pepsi.” Edwin sat down on the couch and made himself comfortable.
“So what brings you over here this time of night?”
Edwin let out a long sigh before sharing with Edem the night’s events. Edem listened intensely like he always did.
“Say something, baby bruh.”
“Are you SURE you want me to say something?” Edem laughed.
“That’s why I’m here, give it to me straight, I can take it, I’m a big boy.” Edwin laughed.
“Okay, well first of all you’ve been playing with fire with Sheila from jump. She was not like all your other conquest, you felt something with her and that was dangerous. You my dearest brother are in love with two women. But you are being selfish. When Lacey couldn’t meet your needs you ran to Sheila. That wasn’t fair to Lacey or Sheila. Now that you and Lacey are on a good path you completely neglected Sheila because she wasn’t needed. And then you have the audacity to huff and puff because Sheila found a man that is available? She doesn’t have to hide in the confounds of her own bed room. You are selfish, that’s understandable though because Mama has always given you everything that you ever wanted. You’re spoiled rotten and these women have continued to spoil you and now you’re having a temper tantrum just like a little kid because you can’t have your cake and eat it to.”
Edwin sat there and listened to what his baby brother had to say. That’s why he always came to Edem for advice because Edem would always give it you straight no chaser.
“Where do you get all this wisdom, baby bruh?”
“Trust me, it’s a blessing and a curse.”
“I know I’m selfish so I’m trying not to be, anyway, how are YOU doing?”
“I’m okay, I have my moments, but I’m okay. I don’t understand it but I know that God is still in control.”
“I admire you, baby bruh, you did scare me the first two weeks but I don’t think I ever realized how strong you are. I thought your faith would have been shaken. Y
ou know Mama already had the intervention all planned but you stayed strong in faith.”
“You know what I realized during all of this, my faith was the only thing that I could count on. People are so fickle and life is too, one day you’re here and the next minute you’re not. So all I could do was hold on to what I knew, and that was my faith. And I apologize for blocking the family out but I needed to strengthen my faith on my own. I couldn’t rely on your faith, or Mama’s. I had to rely on my own faith.”
“That will make a good sermon.”
“I’ve already written it.” Edem laughed.
“So do you want to preach Sunday? That message needs to be shared. I can see it healing people.
“I’ll call Mud and see if he wants to switch Sundays with me.” Edem didn’t want to step on Mud’s toes.
“Well, baby bruh, I thank you for the listening to me, the soda, the great advice and sharing your testimony with me. But I need to get home to Lacey.“ Edwin and Edem walked to the door and they shared a brotherly hug.
“Love.” They both said in unison before Junior left.
Edem texted Junior and said TEXT ME WHEN YOU GET HOME. JUST TO EASE MY MIND. YA KNOW?
Junior texted back. SURE THING BRUH.
Edem went back to his desk and started back writing when about fifteen minutes later he received a text from Edwin; MADE IT HOME SAFE AND SOUND.
Edem smiled at the text and responded with; GOOD TO KNOW, SEND LACEY MY BEST.
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The entire Blanks clan was at the weekly PUSH service. Pray Until Something Happens. It wasn’t by accident either. All of their presence was requested by Mama Eloise. She felt like her family was in a weakened state and she didn’t like that one bit. Mud and Tricia were going through a rough patch. She knew that one of those Harlot girls had gotten their claws into her son. Poor Edem was dealing with the death of his girlfriend, Edwin seemed to be angry all the time, and Eddie seemed to be extra paranoid for some reason. She had to get to the bottom of things.