Be Careful What You Pray For

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  JT closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair but didn’t speak.

  “Yeah, that’s right. He’s been following you all over town, even to your other woman’s house. Some chick named Carmen Wilson. He saw you going in and out of her building all this week and part of last week, so finally he followed you up to the floor she lives on to see what apartment you were going into. After that, he found a couple of her neighbors who were happy to confirm that you’d been visiting her for years. Interestingly enough, though, they didn’t seem to know your name or that you were a pastor.”

  JT had no idea how he was going to recover from this one but said what any man would say in this kind of situation: “Baby, I can explain.”

  “No. But I’ll tell you what you can do. You can give me back my money. Every single dime of it.”

  “Baby, please let me come by and explain this to you.”

  Diana ignored his pleas. “I want my money just as soon as you can get it back to me. Preferably today.”

  “I don’t have it,” he said, lying, because now that she wasn’t going to give him the extra hundred for his media campaign, he’d have to use the hundred he had to pay off his blackmailers.

  “What do you mean you don’t have it?”

  “I just don’t.”

  “JT, I’m warning you. I want my hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and I want it now.”

  “And I keep trying to tell you, I don’t have it.”

  Diana paused for a couple of seconds and then called him everything but a child of God. She cursed him in ways he’d never heard before and sounded more like a woman of the streets than she did a millionaire’s wife.

  Still, JT tried saving face. “Look. I’m really sorry about this, and I promise I’ll pay you back. I can’t say when—” he said, but Diana interrupted him with another string of obscenities.

  Then she hung up.

  He finally laid his phone down, too. What a mess this had turned out to be, because without that other hundred thousand, he had to make a huge decision. Either pay for his radio and TV ads and push his ministry to brand-new heights or pay Weaver and Barb what they were commanding. If he did the former, Barb and Weaver would try to ruin him publicly, and if he did the latter he could forget about ever getting his name out to the masses the way he’d been dreaming about.

  JT weighed all the advantages and disadvantages for both scenarios, and then it came to him. Pastors dealt with scandals all the time, and as long as they didn’t each occur all at once, most ministers were able to work through them, regain the trust of their supporters, and move on. His father-in-law certainly had. Not to mention, JT’s pimping days were long over, and actually, his congregation would probably have even more respect for him once they heard how terrible a sinner he’d been but had now turned his life completely around for the Lord. People loved hearing how sinners had bottomed out and had finally turned to God, and his members would feel the same way about him. Then, as far as Barb’s baby sister and how he’d convinced her to have an abortion, well, he would deny that part of the story until death. There was no proof that he’d been the father anyway, so most everyone would chalk that one up to mere hearsay.

  There was this issue with Carmen, though, but he had that figured out, too. He would go to her, apologize profusely, and tell her he couldn’t wait for their baby to be born. She would, of course, go on and on about his leaving Alicia and marrying her, but he would find some new way to put off their wedding. He’d been doing it for four years, anyhow, so what was another one or two of them? Then, if at some point Carmen finally decided to reveal their secret, enough time would have lapsed between that particular scandal and the one Weaver and Barb were surely going to initiate any day now.

  So, his decision was made.

  “Hello?” JT’s media rep said, answering his phone.

  “Jonathan, it’s Pastor Valentine.”

  “Yes, Pastor.”

  “I know we’re all set for the spots to begin airing on Monday, but I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be sending over the check by courier in a couple of hours.”

  “Our agency has ongoing credit accounts with all the stations you’re buying from, so we’re good to go, anyway.”

  “That’s all I wanted to hear. And, Jonathan, thanks for all the time you’ve put in on this.”

  “It was my pleasure, and I think you’re going to be very surprised when you see how successful this campaign is going to be for you.”

  “I hope so, because at this point, failing isn’t an option.”

  Chapter 39

  One could never really go wrong when choosing a Four Seasons hotel, and it was the reason JT rarely stayed anywhere else. He loved The Ritz-Carlton, too, and a few other posh establishments he could think of, but when in Dallas, it was this particular brand he tended to enjoy the most. Not to mention, he certainly enjoyed the more extravagant suites, like the one he and Veda were relaxing in now, and he was thankful for Vineyard Christian Center’s generous hospitality. There had been a slight change on his agenda, however, because while JT’s original plan had been for him and Veda to come straight to the hotel right after their plane landed around ten thirty A.M. and not leave again, Pastor Braeden had scheduled lunch for the two of them, VCC’s two head elders, and one of the assistant pastors. JT was excited to spend time with every one of these men, but by the time they’d eaten, laughed, and talked, he hadn’t gotten back to the hotel until around four. Veda had been patiently waiting in bed for him, though, with nothing on, and now they’d just finished taking a shower together and were sitting in two complimentary bathrobes in the living room area, dining. JT had ordered steak and lobster, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and Veda had gone with the same vegetable selections but had chosen crab-stuffed salmon for her entrée.

  “I’m so glad you could make the trip,” he said, drinking some ice water.

  “I am, too, and actually it’s a wonderful relief just to be here with you.”

  “So, it’s that bad at home, huh?”

  “The worst.”

  “I know you’d talked about wanting to wait until your son graduated, but have you now thought more about filing for a divorce?”

  “I have, but I also want to make sure he’s situated in college this fall because I don’t want to cause him any unnecessary stress before then. It’s bad enough that I’m stressed out all the time myself because of how miserable I am.”

  “I really hate hearing that.”

  “It’s tough. I mean, as of late, I’ve been experiencing everything you can think of. From tension headaches to insomnia to heart palpitations. You name it, I’m having it.”

  JT shook his head. “All because you’re in a miserable marriage.”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much what it is.”

  “I couldn’t do it.”

  “What?”

  “Be miserable all the time. I could never be in an unhappy household situation.”

  “Then why are you still with your wife?”

  “Because for the most part, I’m very happy with her.”

  Veda looked at him, obviously questioning what he’d just said, but kept eating.

  “Believe it or not, my wife is a very good wife. She also understands what it’s like to have a husband in the ministry, and my congregation loves her.”

  “Do you love her?” Veda asked, breaking a dinner roll in two.

  “Yes…I do.”

  “Then why are you here with me?”

  “Because I can’t help the way I feel and because I’ve never been one to believe that anyone should deny themselves when it comes to having something they really want.”

  “I’m not sure your wife would agree with that, though, right?”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t, but you know that old adage—what you don’t know won’t hurt you,” he said, thinking how careful he always was when he was with any of his women and even how today when they’d arrived at the airport, the
y’d taken separate car services to the hotel and Veda had shopped around in the hotel’s gift shop until JT had checked in and called her on her cell phone. He’d had her wait in the lobby for a short and inconspicuous period of time, just to be on the safe side, and then a while ago, he’d also had her close the bedroom door when their room service order was being delivered.

  They ate in silence for about a minute and then Veda asked, “So, tell me, what made you decide to become a minister?”

  “Well, to be honest, I really didn’t have a choice.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I didn’t have a choice because I didn’t want to go against God’s wishes. I didn’t want to ignore the job He had for me to do.”

  “Oh, okay,” she said, but JT couldn’t tell whether she was impressed with what he’d said or not.

  “So, does my being a pastor still bother you?”

  “Sort of.”

  “Well, hopefully that’ll change at some point, because overall, I’m no different than any other man.”

  “This is true, but I guess I would feel a lot better if you weren’t married or if I could see you a lot more often.”

  JT wiped his mouth with his napkin and then set it down. “I know this isn’t the most ideal situation for you, but I also think I need to be very clear on something. I really do care about you, and of course, I’m going to see you as often as I can, but I also need to make sure you understand that I’m not planning to leave my wife. Not now or in the future. I know this probably isn’t what you’re wanting to hear, but I also don’t want to give you any false hopes about the two of us ever getting married.”

  “I totally understand that, and unlike most other women who see married men, I accept our relationship for what it is. All I want is to be treated well and with the utmost respect, and I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, because not every woman who sleeps with a married man can deal with the reality. They always end up wanting more, and when they don’t get it, they practically lose their minds.”

  “You sound like you’ve already experienced something like that.”

  “I have,” he said, thinking about Carmen.

  “Well, you certainly won’t have those kinds of issues with me, but I also hope you’re not expecting to be the only man in my life either. Specifically, once I’m divorced.”

  Interestingly enough, JT didn’t like the idea of her sleeping with any man besides him, but he knew he wasn’t in any position to complain or object. So he jokingly said, “That’s fine. But I still wanna go on record saying I’m totally against it.”

  They both laughed and ate more of their dinner. When they finished, they chatted awhile longer but then JT gestured with his forefinger for her to come around the table. But when she got up, the hotel phone rang.

  “Come and sit down,” he said, patting his lap and ignoring whomever was calling—although he knew it was Pastor Braeden, because he’d told JT he would call around seven, making sure he had everything he needed.

  Finally, the ringing stopped, and JT untied Veda’s robe and slipped it down her shoulders. He admired her nakedness and was planning to enjoy every inch of her for the rest of the evening and all day tomorrow. Then, on Sunday morning, he would get up early, work on his sermon for a few hours, and go deliver his message.

  He would do an outstanding job, return to the hotel, and make love to Veda again.

  He would spend the entire weekend doing exactly what he loved: having incredible sex and speaking to thousands of people.

  Chapter 40

  So, how are you?” Alicia asked Carmen as she drove onto the freeway, heading downtown to do a little shopping.

  “I’m fine. What about you?”

  “Hmmph. Worse than ever.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I think JT is in Dallas with another woman.”

  “When did he go out there?” Carmen asked in a slightly edgy tone, and Alicia thought it was interesting how Carmen was more concerned about JT’s whereabouts than she was about his having an affair—which meant JT definitely hadn’t told her where he was going.

  “Yesterday morning. He went early so he could prepare for a sermon he’s doing there on Sunday.”

  “But why do you think he’s there messing around?”

  “Because he wanted to take the trip by himself, and that’s how I know he’s up to something. He gave what I’m sure he thought was a legitimate reason, but what he doesn’t realize is that I heard my father tell lies like this all the time. When he was married to my mom, I was too young to know he was lying, but by the time he married his second wife and then Charlotte, I was completely onto him. Even when his wives weren’t.”

  “So, what are you going to do about it?” Carmen asked, acting as though she couldn’t care less about what Alicia had just told her. This was also the reason Alicia gave her the answer she wanted to hear.

  “I’m going to leave him.”

  “I don’t blame you, girl,” she declared. “Because if I thought my husband was sleeping around, I would do the same exact thing.”

  “So, you don’t think I’m acting too hastily?”

  “Not at all, and especially if you really feel in your heart that he’s cheating on you.”

  “I do.”

  “Then there’s nothing else to consider.”

  “Still, though. I can’t believe JT would do this to me, and so soon after we were married. My father never trusted him, and with each day that passes, I’m more and more sorry that I didn’t listen. Then, of course, there’s the congregation. They’ve been so wonderful to me. So, I feel bad about having to divorce JT because it feels like I’m actually abandoning them. My mom talked about that all the time when she and my dad separated, and now I know how she felt. But what I think I’m going to do is ask JT for what will hopefully be an amicable and quiet divorce and then go to church with him next Sunday to say my good-byes.”

  “Gosh, girl, that’s really nice of you and very diplomatic, because if it were me, I’d never tell them anything. I would leave both JT and his congregation and never look back.”

  Obviously. “I just think it’s the right thing to do, and if you don’t mind, I’d really like for you to be there. It’s going to be a very tough time for me, and I’m really going to need the support of a good friend.”

  “Of course. I’m glad to do anything for you, and you already know that.”

  “I really appreciate it, Carmen,” Alicia said, pulling her black Versace shades from the top of her head and down over her eyes. “More than you could possibly know.”

  Chapter 41

  As soon as the choir finished singing, JT got up and went into the pulpit. He’d been sitting on the end of one of the front pews next to Alicia, and Carmen was sitting on the other side of her.

  “This is the day the Lord hath made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it,” he said, and most of the members nodded or spoke in agreement. “I first want to say how thrilled and overjoyed I am to see so many new faces here at New Life Christian Center, because it has been a long time since every single seat was filled. This has happened in the past whenever we have special services, such as the time when my father-in-law came to speak, but never on a normal Sunday morning. So, I just want to thank everyone for being here.”

  Alicia looked at Carmen and smiled and then looked back at JT.

  “The other thing I wanted to share with you is how wonderful a time I had out in Dallas last weekend. Pastor Braeden is truly an awesome man of God, and his ministry is on a level like most of us have never seen before. So, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time with him at his church. My only regret, however, is that my beautiful wife wasn’t able to make the trip with me, but you can be sure I’ll be taking her with me next time around.”

  Carmen leaned over and whispered in Alicia’s ear. “So, you didn’t tell him yet?”

  Alicia knew she was referring to their conversation
last Saturday and wondering if Alicia had asked JT for a divorce the way she’d said she was going to, and so Alicia was pleased to say, “No. But I will.”

  “Are you still planning to address the church?”

  Alicia nodded her head yes but kept her eyes and attention on JT, purposely not looking back in Carmen’s direction.

  JT made a few other observations and then said, “Before we continue on with the service, my wife would like to come and say a few words. I’m not sure what about exactly, but what I do know is that all this week, she’s been going on and on about some women-only retreat down in Florida for the ladies of NLCC. So, if I had to guess,” he said, chuckling, “I’m sure that’s what she’s going to be discussing…so, men, please, please bear with her.”

  Everyone laughed, and Alicia pulled out a set of documents and went to the podium. JT kissed her on the cheek and took his seat back on the pew next to Carmen.

  Alicia scanned the huge audience and smiled. Over the last seven days, JT had run countless radio and TV commercials, and his timing couldn’t have been more perfect. She hadn’t even planned on him doing such a massive media blitz, but the more people who were there the better.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning,” everyone responded.

  “I want to begin by saying how honored I am to have served as your first lady and that I don’t believe I’ve ever felt more welcomed by so many people in such a genuine way…which is why I am very sad to say this will be my last time seeing you.”

  Soft chatter flooded the room, and Alicia looked at JT, who was undeniably mortified. Carmen, however, seemed delighted beyond explanation.

  “It is with great hesitation but also with a strong sense of duty that I also be completely honest with you about your pastor and my husband—my husband who has been sleeping with at least three different women since I married him.”