while there are some who don’t mind discussing their personal
situations at the meetings, I’m not one of them. Jeremy and I
are private people and....”
I had to stop when Cecily snickered. But what was worse,
Sonya did, too.
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Cecily said, “Private? If your husband was so private, then
his business wouldn’t be all over the streets.”
I found myself once again in a dilemma. My first thought
was to get up, walk out and never return to anything that had
to do with the First Ladies Council. But that wouldn’t have
been smart. They knew something and I needed to know what
they knew.
Sonya said, “Cecily, please.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “It’s just
that, Ginger, you sit in judgment of us so much.”
“No, I don’t. I’ve never said anything about anyone in
our meetings. I don’t participate when you’re gossiping and
bringing someone down....”
“See, that right there.” She pointed her finger at me.
“That’s what I mean,” Cecily said. “You’re always sitting back, always acting so self-righteous. We can all see the judgment
in your eyes, we can all hear it in your voice. But we’re not
gossiping, we’re simply trying to help each other out because
none of us are immune.” She stopped and sat back as if she’d
just dropped the mic. But then, she added, “Including you.”
Really, I just wanted to walk out, but I couldn’t without
finding out what they knew. Looking straight at Cecily, I said,
“If you,” then, I turned to Sonya, “or you have something to
say, I wish you would just say it rather than going through
all of this.”
“All right.” I guess Sonya was designated to be the
spokeswoman because Cecily sat back and nodded. “But first,
My Word | 207
I want you to know that what Jeremy has done has nothing
to do with you. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”
At this moment, I knew how Katrina felt the day I stood
in front of her. I wasn’t going to confirm or deny a thing.
It was shocking to hear all of this, though. Jeremy had
kept his affair from me, but the women on the First Ladies
Council knew?
I’d always hated that cliché—the wife is the last one to
know. I never believed it. Always thought that if a wife was in tune with her husband, nothing could be hidden from either
of them. I guess I was dead wrong.
I sat waiting with my arms folded and glaring at the both
of them.
Sonya continued, “As big as the DMV is, at the same time,
it’s a small community, so it wasn’t surprising when we found
out a while back and....”
“Wait!” I held up my hand. “Hold up. A while back and
you’re just saying something to me now?”
“It wasn’t our place to tell you,” Sonya said.
“Hmph, I wanted to say something.” I glared at Cecily,
but that didn’t bother her. She continued. “I wanted to have
your back and make sure you knew.”
“But, like I told Cecily when I’d first heard about
Jeremy....”
This was a shocker. Cecily was the one who always carried
the tales, not Sonya. That made me shift in my seat. Cecily
would talk just to be gossiping, but Sonya...she was different.
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“I told her,” Sonya kept on, “not to say a word. I knew God
would reveal it all because whatever is done in the dark will
always come to the light.”
“Wow,” I said, shaking my head. “So, what changed,
Sonya? Why’re you telling me now?”
“Once I realized that you’d found out....”
I tilted my head.
“When you were at my place,” she said as if that had
been obvious. “I could tell when you read the text on Jeremy’s phone...the way you reacted, I knew then that you’d found
out.”Really? I hadn’t said a word and she’d read all of that from my reaction?
As if she were reading my mind, she said, “I’ve been in
enough of these situations. Too many of them, really.” She
shook her head. “So I knew when I saw the look on your face
as you read the text. I knew when you looked into my eyes
and held back your tears, but not your shock. I knew by the
way you wouldn’t look at Jeremy once he came back into the
room with Charles.”
For a moment, I was taken away from the pain of this
revelation and just sat in wonder of Sonya. This woman didn’t
need to be a First Lady. She needed to be part of the CIA’s
psychological intelligence division.
“So knowing that you’d found out,” Sonya said, “I wanted
to make sure you had the support you needed.”
I was quiet for a moment, then said the only words that
came to my mind. “I feel like such an idiot.”
My Word | 209
“Why?” Cecily said. “You didn’t do anything. And if
Jeremy hadn’t gotten careless with that call or text or whatever it was, you wouldn’t have known.”
“And that would’ve been fine with you? That everyone in
DC knew my husband was having an affair, but I was in the
dark?”
“Like I said, it was going to come to light. It’s happened
too many times to too many of us and it always does,” Sonya
said. Cecily picked up. “So it wasn’t like anyone was judging
you or talking about you behind your back before you found
out.” Before I could accuse her of being a liar, Cecily added,
“Plus, I know Sonya believes that these things will always
come to light, but I was hoping that you would never find
out. Once Jeremy took care of his business and just paid the
girl off, I figured she’d get rid of the baby and that slate would be wiped clean.”
Her words had made it to my ears, but not to the
understanding part of my brain. “Excuse me?” I said, sounding
like I was accusing her of something.
“Don’t go all Christian on me now,” Cecily said. “I’m not
saying that he should pay her to have an abortion, I just mean pay her off so that she’d give the baby up for adoption. Or
maybe just pay her to take the baby and disappear, like that
pastor did over in Arlington. That woman never showed up
again. And his wife told me that he was so sorry, he’s been
nothing but faithful ever since.”
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“Baby?”
Cecily studied me for a moment, then, her eyes widened.
“Oh my, Lord.” She lowered her eyes, looking away from me.
Through squinted eyes, Sonya said, “Ginger.” She paused.
“You didn’t know about the baby?”
“What...baby?” I stammered.
Cecily pinched her lips together as if she never planned
to speak another word again. So this was the moment she
chose to get righteous? “Oh, hell no,” I said, my voice raising an octave above the appropriate inside level. It was the heat
of stares from patrons around me that made me take a breath
and lower my voice, though my temperature continued to rise.
&nb
sp; “You both started this,” I said, my eyes on fire with my fury.
“So you better finish it.”
Sonya and Cecily exchanged glances as if now, all of a
sudden, they weren’t sure if they should continue.
“It’s too late,” I said. And then, because I was desperate,
I said, “Please. Tell me what you know about Jeremy and
Katrina having a baby.”
“Katrina?” Sonya and Cecily said at the same time.
Then, Cecily said, “Who’s Katrina?”
I blinked. “But you said....”
“We,” Cecily pointed between her and Sonya, “didn’t say
anything about Katrina. I hadn’t heard that rumor.”
Oh, my God. I pressed my hand over my mouth as
Sonya said, “No, her name wasn’t Katrina. It was Sharonne. I
remember because I thought her name was so unusual.”
My Word | 211
Sharonne. My head filled with a monument of moments:
In New Orleans: In the bathroom with First Lady Blake.
Sharonne waltzing in. First Lady Blake’s words, “She’s one of those wolves who wants what you have.”
Then in DC: At the District Winery. The woman
sauntering past me, staring at me, then finally speaking to me.
“I’m just in town to handle some...personal business. Take care of yourself now...Oh, and tell that fine husband of yours, I said hello. ”
“I take it that you recognize that name.” I had to shake my
head to bring myself back to the present and when I focused,
I saw the concern in Sonya’s eyes.
Pressing my fingers against my lips, I whispered, “If he
has a baby...”
My words trailed off, but Sonya picked up my sentence.
“He doesn’t have a baby. She’s pregnant, and now what you
have to do is help him face this head on. I’m not sure how far along she is, but there is still time for you to handle this—one way or another.”
Cecily leaned toward me. “That’s exactly what you will do.
You will make sure that baby situation is taken care of and
then, you will continue to walk in your place as the First Lady of New Kingdom Temple. You will walk with your head up,
shoulders back as you always have and show every woman that
no one can come for you. Jeremy Williams is your husband.”
“What?” Both of them sounded as if they were talking
gibberish. Before they could respond, I said, “If he has gotten another woman pregnant....”
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Again, Sonya didn’t let me finish. She added, “You will
make him pay.”
That was exactly what they’d told Rena. It had been
ridiculous then, it was beyond ridiculous now.
“I do not want a stupid car or a new coat. And I will not
stand by my man.” I shook my head. “Not when he’s not
standing by me.” Never!
“What are you talking about?” Sonya frowned. “I’ve seen
you with Jeremy. Your husband adores you.”
Cecily piped in. “And, I’ve only seen you together once,
when my husband was speaking at your church and Reverend
Williams was singing your praises. I agree with Sonya. Your
husband loves you. There is no need to go anywhere just
because of this incident.”
“This is not an incident. You said he’s gotten someone
pregnant.”
“And besides that,” Sonya continued, once again ignoring
me, “there is so much at stake. You and Jeremy are poised for
great things. From your church, to the TV show, and then,
Jeremy called my husband to get his advice on this Amazon
deal. The two of you are about to sign a deal for million dollars or more. You can’t throw all of that away. You can’t walk away.
For a baby?”
“You say that as if it’s no big thing,” I said incredulously. “I would walk away from all of this if Jeremy were just cheating
on me. But to bring a baby into our lives.” I shook my head.
“It’s. Not. Going. To. Happen.”
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“Here’s your lunch,” the waitress said at the exact moment
when I bounced up from my chair. I grabbed my purse, glared
at the women, then stomped out of the restaurant.
It wasn’t until I was outside that I realized I hadn’t left
money for my food. That was okay; I hadn’t eaten a thing.
And after the way Sonya and Cecily had ambushed me, they
could pay for that meal.
Once outside, I slowed my roll, though. A baby? Jeremy
was about to have another child? With Sharonne? Was that
why she was here in D.C.?
I let those thoughts play through my head a couple of
times. No, something didn’t feel right to me. But I needed
help to figure it out.
Pulling my cell phone from my purse, I tapped on the
screen, then dialed. When the cal was answered, al I said
was, “Can you meet me? This is an emergency.”
d
“A baby?” Dru leaned back on the bench at the edge of
the wharf and stared out at the Potomac. “Jeremy is having
a baby?”
Her tone was as shocked as mine had been. The truth was,
I was still stunned. That was why I’d told Dru to meet me
down here. The pedestrian traffic on the wharf was Tuesday
afternoon light, which was a blessing. I couldn’t deal with any crowds. I couldn’t be closed in, not in anyway. I needed the air
214 | Gizel e Bryant
to breathe, I needed the space to think. I had to make sense
out of what Sonya and Cecily were trying to get me to believe.
Dru twisted on the bench, facing me now. “Sonya and
Cecily told you this?”
I nodded. “Yeah, can you believe it?”
“I can’t. What about you?” She paused as if she hesitated
asking me the question. “Do you believe them?”
It took a few moments for all the thoughts I’d had since
I’d left Georgia Brown’s and driven the three or four miles
over here to go through my mind. Finally, I said, “I did believe them.” I nodded again. “I believed them at first, but once I had a chance to think about it, now I’m not so sure.”
She blew out a long breath as if she was a bit relieved by
my words. “What made you change your mind?”
I wasn’t looking at Dru when I said, “The woman that
Jeremy has allegedly gotten pregnant.” I paused. “I know her.”
“What?” Dru shrieked as she popped up from the bench
as if her hearing had failed her because she was sitting down.
“You’ve GOT TO BE kidding me.” She lowered herself
back to the bench slowly. “This is getting more bizarre by the moment. You know this trick? Do I know her? I better not know her.”
“Wait, Dru. Calm down. Let me explain.” Both of us took
a couple of deep breaths. “I met her years ago at Pilgrim’s
Rest.” And then, I remembered. That was Dru’s home church.
“Yeah,” I said, with a bit more energy. “I met her back when
we were there. But here’s the thing. I just saw her a few weeks ago.”
My Word | 215
“Where?”
“Right here. In D.C..”
“Shut up, Ginger!” Dru stared at me with wide, stunned
eyes as if I were telling her some kind of horror story.
Still, I continued, “Yeah, talk about bizarre that her name
would come up now.” I paused, thinking about what I’d just
said. “Or maybe not. Anyway, she was at the restaurant where
Jada and I had lunch and she just walked in. It was crazy,
Dru. At first, she didn’t say anything to me. I thought she
looked familiar, but you know, I meet so many people, so I
kept talking to Jada. It was so uncomfortable, though, because she kept staring at me. She was having lunch by herself, but it was like all she did was keep her focus on me. But when she
got up to leave, she stopped at our table and spoke to me like we were friends or something.”
“Okay, so you know that would be crazy if she were
sleeping with your man and she walked over to talk to you.”
“I know. But then again, chicks these days...”
“True, but I’m already beginning to doubt Sonya and
Cecily. Anyway, what did this chick say?”
I squinted, trying to conjure up her words in my mind.
“All I remember is something about how she still lived in New
Orleans and she was in D.C. for business, I think.” I waved
my hand because I couldn’t recall.
“And you weren’t friends before in New Orleans?”
I shook my head. “No. You couldn’t even call us
acquaintances,” I said. “I’m telling you, I met Sharonne once
in the Pilgrim’s Rest’s bathroom....”
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“Stop.”
“What?”
“Sharonne?”
I nodded, then my eyes got big. “Don’t tell me you know
her.” I hadn’t even thought to ask Dru if she knew her from
church. These churches were like small towns, so that was
never my first thought.
Dru held out her hands in a motion that let me know she
wasn’t sure. “Is her name Sharonne Phillips?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know her last name. I never asked.
I’m telling you, I don’t think I’ve exchanged twenty words in
my life with her.”
“I went to school with a Sharonne Phillips.”
“Really?” Now, it was my turn twist toward Dru. “So does
she still live in New Orleans or is she here in D.C.? Do you
think she’s the one seeing Jeremy and....”
Dru held up her hands like a stop sign. “Wait with the
twenty questions. I don’t know her like that,” she shook her
head, “but I know her well enough. We were acquaintances
back in high school. We were cheerleaders and hung out a
few times.”
“Dang.” I leaned forward and looked across the Potomac
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