The Choir Director

by Carl Weber

  Finally T. K. spoke, breaking the silence. “I don’t ever want to see either of you in my church again.”

  “What do you mean, your church?” Maxwell scoffed. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t know yet, do you?”

  “Know what?” T. K. demanded.

  “You know, I was going to save this and let you get the notification by messenger, but I just can’t resist. I want to see the expression on your face when you get the news.”

  “Get what news?”

  I watched the scene with morbid fascination, kind of like when you drive by an accident and can’t resist looking.

  “Not only did I buy the property, but I bought the church’s mortgage note from the bank too. By the way, you’re three months behind on your mortgage, and I’m calling the entire note. Expect to get our documents in the morning. You have exactly thirty days to come up with the three million dollars you owe, or I’m going to close your ass down and have the sheriff lock you out.”

  “You wouldn’t.” There was almost a pleading quality to T. K.’s tone.

  “Oh, yes, I would.” Maxwell stood up and walked over to a scale model of some buildings he had on a table. “I’ve been planning this for quite some time. I’ve already got the plans drawn up for a shopping center to be built on the site. Take a look.” He started pointing at various buildings.

  For a moment, I thought lightning had struck T. K., the way his body shook with anger. That’s when he lost it and lunged for Maxwell’s throat. He missed, but in the process, he smashed that model to smithereens.

  “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”

  Maxwell scampered away behind his desk.

  Aaron jumped in and grabbed T. K.’s arms, holding him back to keep him from reaching Maxwell with a right hook. “Bishop! Bishop! He’s not worth it. You don’t want to go to jail. Not for him.”

  Damn right he didn’t want to go to jail. Not after I’d been screwing Maxwell to keep him out of jail. My heart was still thundering in my chest, and I’d never been so filled with rage. I wanted to go in there and kick Maxwell’s ass myself instead of peeking around the corner. I just couldn’t believe that he was the same person I’d once cared for. The person in there now was a monster. Had I ever really known the man named Maxwell Frye?

  “Bishop,” Aaron pleaded. “Calm down. Calm down, Bishop. I got this.”

  Aaron pointed at Maxwell, his lips curled in disgust. “You ain’t shit, Deacon Frye, and neither is that yellow bitch sitting next to you. You two deserve each other, you know that?” He turned back to T. K. “Don’t worry about it, Bishop. When you hired me, you hired me to save the church,” Aaron explained. “Well, I’ll be damned if I’m not gonna do just that.”

  “What are you going to do, sing on the subway platform with a tin cup and take donations? Or do you have some rich uncle down there in those sticks you came from, choirboy? Give me a break.” Maxwell laughed. “That church is mine, and so is the school.”

  “You keep underestimating me if you want to. There’s a million-dollar first prize at the National Gospel Choir Competition this year, and the recording contract alone has a three-million-dollar signing bonus. I plan on winning that contract and donating my share to the church.”

  Maxwell glanced at Simone, looking annoyed.

  “Don’t look at that bitch. She can’t help you. Look at a man when he’s talking to you, ’cause thirty days from now, the bishop and I will be back here to shove a three-million-dollar check down your throat.” On that note, Aaron wrapped his arm around T. K.’s shoulder and led him toward the door. “Come on, Bishop. Let’s get out of here. The stink seems to be getting worse.”

  Simone

  52

  I sat in Maxwell’s office in shock, still trying to digest the last ten minutes of my life. Had my ears just heard correctly? Had Aaron just called me out of my name? Had he just done the ultimate no-no and called a black woman the B word? Not just any black woman, but me? He wasn’t calling me a bitch when I was sucking his … never mind. To top that off, he had the nerve to bring that heifer Tia up in my face again. As much as I hated to admit it, Aaron was slowly but surely becoming the enemy, and he had no idea what I did to my enemies.

  “Wow, I guess you two won’t be getting back together any time soon, huh?” Maxwell chuckled as he picked up the pieces to his model. “I know that had to hurt when he called you a bitch. I’ve never met a black woman who took that well. But I will say this much: He and Tia do make a cute couple, don’t they?”

  I shot him an evil glare. Leave it to Maxwell to pour salt into my wounds. You would think he’d have some loyalty to me. I’d just helped him destroy the church I practically grew up in. I didn’t even want to think about what my father would say when he found out.

  “Earth to Simone.” Maxwell’s antagonistic voice brought me out of my thoughts. “Don’t let him get to you when you could be doing something else.”

  The underlying sinister tone in Maxwell’s voice let me know that he had some suggestions for just what I could be doing. Right now, after being humiliated by Aaron yet again, I was open to any and all suggestions, even from Maxwell. But I didn’t want to appear too eager. I already needed him more than he needed me. Needy wasn’t my thing, though, so I had to do my best not to show it.

  “Who says he got to me?” I replied with a shrug.

  “That look on your face says it all, my dear,” Maxwell stated. “Besides, you never were that great at hiding your true colors. Like most people, he eventually saw the true you.” Once again, Maxwell chuckled. He was getting a real kick out of this. It was almost as if he wished he’d been the one to call me a bitch.

  “I guess compared to you, being a bitch isn’t so bad,” I shot back. I couldn’t let Maxwell be the only one throwing out insults in this conversation.

  “Touché.” He smiled, and then a serious look immediately cast over his face. “Look, I couldn’t care less about you and that little punk’s business between the sheets, but what I do care about is his business—his private business.”

  Okay, now Maxwell had me confused, and it showed on my face.

  “What I’m trying to say is, like I said a minute ago, don’t let him get to you. You just make sure you get the last laugh.”

  “And how do you expect me to do that?”

  “Think, Simone. What’s more important to him right now, more than anything?”

  I thought for a couple of seconds. I almost thought he was referring to Tia, but then I realized what it was. “That national choir competition, of course.”

  “Right, and whatever happens, he cannot win that competition. If Aaron wins, T. K. gets to keep that church, Aaron looks like a hero, and I don’t get my shopping center. None of which are acceptable outcomes.”

  “So, what exactly do you want me to do?”

  “Surely you two weren’t screwing twenty-four seven. Surely you two must have talked a little. Shared some intimate secrets, maybe? Secrets of his private affairs, things that not even Bishop knows about.” Maxwell walked in close to me and rubbed his hand up and down my cheek. “Things that a man reveals only after he’s been between the legs of a sexy woman like yourself.”

  “Hmmm, are you trying to say I’m sexy?” I teased.

  “I’ve never said you weren’t a fine woman, Simone,” Maxwell said. “As a matter of fact, if my heart didn’t already belong to Monique, I might give the choirboy a run for his money. But I’ve got my mind set on making a certain first lady my lady.”

  “You wouldn’t even make it to first base with me, Deacon.” I shut him down before he got any ideas about including me in whatever it was that he and Monique had going on. “Let’s just cut to the chase. What exactly is it you want me to do?”

  “I want you to do all that you can to keep him from winning that competition.”

  “Are you serious?” Now it was me who chuckled. “You’ve seen them perform. They’re good. They’re damn good. They could actually wi
n.”

  “Then keep him from even showing up at the competition to perform. The choir is good, but not without him. He’s the backbone.” He said it as if it were that easy. “I want you to take any information you have that could hinder him from even being in that competition.”

  “Okay, let’s say I do have something on Aaron and I do make sure he loses nationals. What’s in it for me?”

  Maxwell’s smirk returned once again. “You mean aside from the satisfaction of ruining the man who just called you a bitch? Well, if you can pull it off, it’s worth three hundred thousand dollars cash. That should be enough to pay back the money you stole from the church and your old man’s business, with a little something for your trouble. Think of it as a get-out-of-jail-free card. They can’t prosecute you for something that’s been returned and explained as an accounting oversight on your behalf.”

  A mischievous grin crossed my lips.

  “You like the thought of that, don’t you? So, think long and hard, Simone. There’s got to be something.” Maxwell grabbed me by the arm and applied pressure. “I need this to be a done deal. That means if he comes crawling back to you on bended knee, you better not let dick get in the way of this.” He pointed a finger in my face. “Because I swear to God, if you screw me on this …”

  That much money at stake really got my brain churning. I thought about the business card those two goons had left with me not too long ago. I knew it would come in handy, but I had no idea just what a gift it had really been. “I think I have just the thing to keep lover boy and his little whore from winning that competition.” I licked my lips. I could already taste the sweetness of revenge. Aaron had humiliated me for the last time. It was now my turn to humiliate him and be free of Maxwell at the same time. “Don’t worry. By the time all is said and done, Aaron is the only one who’s going to be screwed.”

  The Bishop

  53

  I stormed out of Maxwell’s office only to find that Monique had not left but was standing in the doorway. I thought she might have gone to the car. When she saw me exit Maxwell’s office, she just stood there like a fat kid on a diet whose hand was caught in the cookie jar. How could she not have told me she’d had a relationship with Maxwell, of all people?

  I halted and stood there looking at her. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Thank God, because no telling what they might have been.

  “Come on, Bishop, let’s go.” Aaron grabbed me by the elbow to move me on. Both Tia and Monique followed.

  “Are you okay?” I heard Tia asking my wife.

  Is she okay? I know I sure as hell wasn’t. What I did know was that I’d been betrayed, and Maxwell wasn’t the only one who was guilty.

  As we headed for the car, I was glad to see that it hadn’t been towed, considering I hadn’t noticed when we got there that I’d parked at a bus stop.

  “Bishop, I can drive if you’d like,” Aaron stated as we approached the car.

  “Thanks, son, but I’ve got it.” I went to the front passenger door and opened it for Monique. Although right about now I thought her to be less than a lady, I still wasn’t going to be anything less than a gentleman to her—at least not in front of these young people.

  “Thank—” was all Monique got out before I slammed the door closed. Okay, so a little less than a gentleman, but considering what I’d just learned about my wife, could you blame me?

  Once everyone else was in the car, I got in and sped away from the curb.

  “Bishop, you can just drop Tia and me off at the church. We’ll get home from there.” Aaron was trying his best to be accommodating. At least somebody was considerate of me. My wife sure hadn’t been.

  “Thanks, son. You sure you don’t mind?” I responded.

  “Not at all. My truck is there, and I’ll drive Tia home.”

  The drive to the church was a blur. I couldn’t even tell you how many stop signs or traffic lights there were. I don’t remember stopping. I don’t remember anything. That’s just how fogged my mind was.

  I could feel Monique looking at me every now and then while I drove. She wanted to say something. Hell, I wanted to say plenty, but we both knew this wasn’t the time. Not with company in the backseat.

  Pulling up in front of the church, I put the car in park. Aaron got out first so that he could walk around and open the door on Tia’s side and let her out. I decided to get out and have a word with him.

  “Aaron, I just want to thank you for what you said back there. You know, about using your share of the winnings to help save the church.”

  “It’s no big deal, Bishop,” he said nonchalantly. “And I mean every word.”

  “I know you do, son. But this is a lot for one man to rest on his shoulders. I don’t want you to think you have to win to save the church. This is not your problem.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Bishop. This is my church just as much as it is yours. I worship here and I make my living here. Anything that affects this church affects me.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “So, don’t worry. I’m not going to let you or the church down. We’re going to win that competition and the money.”

  “Thanks, Mackie, for everything.” I returned to the driver’s seat while he and Tia went on their way.

  I pulled off, and it wasn’t five seconds before I spoke. “So, am I the only one in the congregation who didn’t know about you and Maxwell?”

  Monique instantly burst into tears. I didn’t say a word to comfort her. I just waited for her to calm down. A few minutes later, she wiped her tears. Just as she fixed her lips to speak, my cell phone rang.

  “Aren’t you going to get that?” I could tell she was stalling.

  “No.” I always answered my phone, but I just didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

  “Okay, then,” she said with a sigh when the phone stopped ringing. “Well—”

  My phone started up again. I wanted to hear everything she had to say without interruption, but whoever it was must have felt it was urgent.

  “Hold on a second. Let me just get this person off the phone.”

  “Hello.”

  “Is this Bishop T. K. Wilson?”

  “This is,” I confirmed.

  “Bishop, this is Dr. Whitehead from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I was told to give you a call if there was any change in Mr. Black’s condition.”

  I did not like where this was going. This was the same man who’d called when James’s lung had collapsed.

  “Is James okay?” Given how agitated James was when we left him, I braced myself for bad news.

  “Bishop Wilson, I’m sorry to say, Mr. Black—”

  “No, no, no,” I began repeating before the doctor could even finish his sentence. I was not ready for what this man was about to say.

  “Mr. Black passed away about fifteen minutes ago.”

  I struggled to focus on the road as my eyes filled with tears.

  “T. K., baby, what is it? What’s wrong?” Monique sensed something was wrong, but I ignored her.

  “Doctor, I’ll be right there,” I said before hanging up the phone.

  “T. K., what is it? Is James okay?”

  I wiped my eyes, trying to collect my thoughts, but it didn’t work. I was an emotional wreck. I loved James Black like a brother. Now that Maxwell was exposed, James was the only real friend I had left, and now he was gone. I hadn’t felt that alone since my first wife passed away.

  “No,” I told her. “James passed away.”

  “Oh my God. Are you okay?”

  She reached out for me and I pulled away. “Don’t touch me. Just don’t touch me, okay? Not now.”

  Aaron

  54

  It was late, probably sometime after midnight. I was seated at the piano in the choir practice room, diligently practicing “Blessings,” a song I’d written for the choir to sing for nationals. I’d never worked so hard on anything in my entire life. I just had to win, because, as the bishop put it the other night, th
e fate of the church rested squarely on my shoulders. I’d told him confidently that we would win this thing. I’d meant it at the time, but as each day passed, I could feel the pressure increasing every time a church member wished me well or told me how much they were counting on me. I wasn’t about to let anyone down, and I was not going to be defeated. Especially not by that bitch Simone.

  Speaking of Simone, that wench continued to blow up my phone on not only a daily basis, but on an hourly one as well. Can you believe the nerve? Simone was like an apple with a worm in it. She looked good on the outside, and was pretty sweet as long as you didn’t get too deep into her, but she was purely rotten on the inside. I just wished she would leave me the hell alone. You’d think that after everything that had happened between us, she’d get the hint, but she didn’t.

  Tia, on the other hand, was everything that Simone was not. Hearing from her always brightened my mood, which was why I was happy to hear her ringtone. “Hey there, beautiful,” I answered.

  “Hey, babe. I just wanted to say good night.”

  “You’re so sweet, you know that?” I pressed a couple of keys on the piano.

  “You still at the church?”

  “Yeah, I’m trying to get it together.”

  “You already have it together, Mr. Mackie. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

  “I won’t. Good night.”

  “’Night, babe.” She kissed into the phone, and I did it back before hanging up.

  “Well, isn’t that cute? You’re all kissy face with that black bitch on the phone, but you won’t even answer my calls.”

  My back was to the door, but I’d know that voice anywhere. I turned to look at Simone, and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck—not just because I didn’t want her there, breathing the same air as me, but because of what she was wearing, which was practically nothing. Say whatever you want about her, but you could never take away the fact that Simone was one of the sexiest women on the planet.