Dr. McManus cleared his throat. “Well, feel free to have the nurse come get me if you have any questions. I’ll be at the hospital a little longer.” He walked away from the couple and went down the hall.
“Danny, I don’t know why you’re acting like this,” Lenora said defensively. She could feel the poisonous darts that his eyes seemed to fling at her. “Labs can make mistakes. I ought to know who my children’s father is, so stop acting like that.” She pulled at his arm.
Daniel wrenched away from Lenora abruptly, nearly causing her to fall. He glared at her with blazing eyes, and his voice was thick like molten lava. “You played me, Lenora. Why? I treated you like a queen. I gave you everything your heart desired, and nearly went broke in the process. I moved into that monstrosity of a house because you wanted to. Then you leave me for a boy nearly young enough to be my grandson. What kind of woman are you?” he roared.
Lenora reached for Daniel’s arm again, and he moved away from her grasp once more. Her voice rose. “Daniel, you’re overreacting. The lab test was wrong. Let’s have another test performed, and you’ll see that I’m right. I’ve done some things in my time, but I would never do anything like that. Let’s just have another test performed, please,” she begged him.
“Oh, we will have another test performed, all right; not only on Darnell, but on all three boys. I’ll make the arrangements myself. I’d like the tests done as soon as possible.” Daniel stomped away from Lenora, heading down the hall.
Lenora put a bright smile on her face and walked into the waiting room. She could see from the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces that they had heard her and Daniel’s conversation, thanks to Daniel’s loud, outraged voice.
“Where is my father?” Sarah asked with rancor in her voice. She looked angrily at her former stepmother. There was loathing in Sarah’s eyes. She and Brian stood up.
Lenora shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know. He looked like he was going toward the elevator.” Brian and Sarah rushed out the door.
Felicia stared at her sister, openmouthed. Her expression wavered between disbelief and disgust.
Reggie tsked and shook his head; Trevor stared at Lenora with calculating eyes. He stood up. “Lenora, I’ve got to go. I had a call from my agent. Let me know when you’re ready to go, and I’ll send the car to pick you up,” he said.
Lenora nodded, and Trevor hurried from the room. Reggie told the sisters he was going outside to get some air and would return shortly.
Felicia stared at her sister for a long time; then she said, “Lenora, what have you done? What in God’s name were you thinking?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded casually, waving her hand in the air. “I’ve not done anything wrong. The lab test is wrong.”
“That’s your story and you’re sticking to it, is that it? This hospital has a state-of-the-art lab, so I doubt very seriously if any mistake was made on their part. Why did you perpetrate the lie? Is Daniel the father of any of the boys?” Lenora turned away from Felicia. Felicia grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. “Do you hear me talking to you?” she asked.
“How dare you ask me that question!” Lenora growled at her sister. “Yes, he’s Damon’s father. But I’m not sure about the twins. I mean, I’m not one hundred percent sure. They were conceived during my clubbing days, and there is a possibility they could be someone else’s.”
“Do you even know who?”
“Of course, I do.” Lenora’s chin jutted up, and she stared at her sister with her catlike eyes.
“So, not only did you leave Daniel with the boys, but you left him to raise boys who might not have even been his? That’s low, Lenora.”
“Look, I was tired of being cooped up in the house with a sick old man. Daniel couldn’t do anything for me. He could barely support me and the lifestyle that I wanted. He didn’t want to go anyplace, and he couldn’t make love to me. After he had his heart attack, Daniel was impotent. I was a young woman, and I didn’t know how to cope with that situation. So I wanted out, and eventually I left. Trevor fulfills all my needs.”
“Why did you marry Daniel? And why didn’t you take the boys with you? You’re their mother. You haven’t called them once since you’ve been gone.” Felicia let Lenora have it.
Lenora didn’t answer immediately. She appeared lost in thought. Finally she said, “I married Daniel because he represented everything I wanted Glenda and Ernest to be to us when we were children. He was a pillar of stability, which we never had growing up. Fee, our parents never even bothered to get married. Let’s keep it real. Ernest is a drunk, who browbeats Momma. I loved Daniel and the normalcy he brought to my life. But after time, love wasn’t enough.”
“You should have toughed it out and made it enough, Nora,” Felicia spat out at her sister. “You had a life most women dream of, and Daniel loved your dirty drawers.”
“It wasn’t enough. After Daniel took to his bed and wouldn’t get up, I started going to the club with a few of my old girlfriends, and I saw Trevor performing. I talked to him after his set. We had a vibe and clicked. Sometimes I’d go on weekend trips with him, and I grew to love him, and I love his traveling lifestyle. I didn’t think that was a good environment for the boys to be in.”
“No, what you mean is that you didn’t want to be bothered with the dirty work that comes with raising children.” Felicia couldn’t keep the disgust she felt for her sister out of her voice. Her hand itched to slap Lenora. “Being a parent is not something you put on hold because you’d rather do something else. It’s a twenty-four-hour, seven-day job, three hundred sixty-five days a year. If you didn’t want the work that came with the territory, why bother to have children, anyway? Daniel was pretty vocal about not wanting any more kids.”
“I was the second wife,” Lenora explained, “and I refused to let Ruth be the only woman that Daniel had children with.”
“You’re sick, you know that.” Felicia looked at her sister with pity in her eyes. “If it wasn’t for my nephew who just had surgery, I’d leave here. But I’ve got to be here for him, because God knows he has a sorry excuse for a mother.” She turned away from Lenora and departed angrily from the room.
Lenora rubbed her temples vigorously. She felt unsettled. Tonight was the first time ever in her life that Felicia had turned her back on her. The sisters had shared some emotional times in their dysfunctional upbringing. Both women were embarrassed about being born out of wedlock. Their father was a drunk, who would hustle anyone, including his own mother. Lenora was still haunted by her high-school teacher being arrested for molesting her. Even though she was a minor, she was a willing participant. Then she set her sights on Daniel. Their union wouldn’t have a fairy-tale ending. Daniel would have to put back the pieces of his and the boys’ lives.
For the first time in her life, Lenora felt alone, and she felt unsettled. She stood motionless for a few minutes, and then she, too, left the room. She decided to go see Darnell. Everything else, including paternity tests, would be dealt with later.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Sarah and Brian went searching for Daniel, and they found him standing listlessly outside in front of the hospital. In her entire life, Sarah had never seen her father look so shell-shocked. He hadn’t reacted that badly when the news was revealed that Naomi had found out the truth about her parents.
When Daniel faced Sarah and Brian, he appeared to be a broken man. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat. “I don’t know what to think. Maybe Lenora is telling the truth.” He looked at the couple, pleading for hope with his eyes.
Sarah shook her head sympathetically at her father. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure Darnell’s blood, as well as yours and Lenora’s, was screened carefully before surgery. I know finding out the truth of Darnell’s paternity must be a low blow to you.”
“‘Low blow’ doesn’t even come close to explaining how I’m feeling. I want test
s done on all three boys, and I want them done immediately. Can you arrange that for me?”
“Of course, I will. I know you don’t want to hear this, but you should be grateful that you and Lenora are divorced. You will only have to deal with her regarding the boys.” Sarah twisted her lips at the inappropriateness of her words. “I’m sorry, you know what I mean.”
“At this point, I don’t know anything. I just want to go, leave here, and never come back,” Daniel said.
“You have to put your feelings aside. There is an injured boy in there”—she pointed to the hospital—“who needs you. We know he can’t depend on Lenora. I know this is a bad situation, but he’s innocent in this. Please don’t let him down. You will never be able to live with yourself if you do,” Sarah begged her father.
“I’m sorry, Sarah, I can’t do it.” Regret shone in Daniel’s eyes as he turned from them and walked down the street to his car.
Sarah and Brian watched him until he was no longer in sight.
“So what do you want to do?” Brian asked Sarah. “It’s getting late. Maybe I should go home and check on the children. The boys can stay with us tonight.”
“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t stay here, at least until Darnell regains consciousness,” Sarah said.
“What a day. Your brothers might not even be related to you. How weird is that?” Brian commented.
The sun had made its descent for the night. The temperature had dropped slightly, and it had become cool. The piercing shrill tone of an ambulance could be heard a few blocks away.
“I believe Damon is Daddy’s son. He has that Wilcox nose. The twins are clones of Lenora. I never saw many traits of Daddy in them. Darnell is light-skinned like Lenora, and David is darker like Daddy. Regardless, they will still be my brothers until they are old enough to learn the truth. Daddy is going to have to pull himself together and put the boys’ feelings before his own. They will never understand this; they’re too young,” Sarah said.
“Okay, then. I’m going to head home and make sure the kids are okay. Give me a call when you’re ready to come home, and I’ll come back and get you. Darnell’s in good hands.” Brian pulled Sarah into his arms. She looked like she was in need of affection. “And don’t let Lenora get to you. Oh, when this latest crisis is over, we need to talk to Maggie again. She just hasn’t been herself lately.”
She rested her head against his chest. “I agree. Something is bothering her. I’ve asked her numerous times, but she says she’s okay. Brian, thanks for being here with me tonight. I know you had your meeting at the church to go to.”
“Not a problem. That’s what spouses are for, to support each other in emotional times. Speaking of church, I hear there’s been some rumbling about your mother and Aron Reynolds. I’m really curious as to the source; because to my knowledge, they have been discreet about their relationship.”
“I heard the same thing. It’s probably some old biddy with nothing but time on her hands. Would you give Nay a call and give her an update? Tell her that I’ll talk to her later.”
“Sure thing. Take care, and call me when you’re ready.” Brian squeezed Sarah’s hand and walked away.
Sarah waved to Brian when he turned to look at her before he was out of view. She pushed her hair off her face, sighed, and went back inside the hospital. Sarah never imagined she would keep vigil at the hospital with Lenora and her family. She never fathomed in her wildest dreams that her young half brothers might not even be related to her. Sarah whispered, “God, help us all” then she walked toward the elevator and back to Darnell.
Chapter Thirty-eight
A week later, Ruth was sitting at her desk in her home office. She had just finished checking the church’s voice mail system. She had listened to the messages June had saved from more than a few church members who expressed their concern about their minister’s love life.
Some of the members were supportive; others didn’t think it was appropriate that Ruth consort with someone who had committed murder. She disconnected the call, then took a cup of tea from the desk and went into the kitchen. She rinsed the cup and put it into the drain, when her doorbell rang.
Ruth opened the door. A beaten-down Daniel stood at her threshold. It was his second visit in as many weeks.
“Daniel, what are you doing here?” she asked warily.
“I need to talk to you, Ruth,” Daniel said morosely. “Please let me come in.”
“This is really not a good time. I was in the middle of working. Can’t this wait until another time?”
“If it could, trust me, I wouldn’t be here. I really need to talk to you. Please, Ruth.”
Ruth allowed Daniel to enter. They sat exactly where they had sat the last time Daniel had visited.
Daniel explained to Ruth what had happened at the hospital regarding Darnell’s paternity. When he finished talking, he asked Ruth what she thought he should do.
“First of all, you should give praises to the Almighty that Darnell pulled through the surgery successfully. Brain surgery is a delicate procedure, and praise God for guiding the surgeon’s hands. As far as the paternity tests are concerned, in the long run, it doesn’t matter. You’ve raised all the boys as your sons, up until this point, and you’re the only father figure they know. You should continue on the path you started.”
“I know that’s your religious mumbo jumbo you’re spouting off, but it doesn’t change the fact that Lenora cheated on me, and she tried to pawn off her kids on me, knowing I might not be the father,” Daniel stated.
“We have all fallen short from time to time, Daniel, and that includes you and me. But it doesn’t change the fact that the boys know you as their father; and from a moral standpoint, you should be there for them,” Ruth advised.
“That’s easy for you to say. Lenora used me, plain and simple, and I don’t feel obligated to do anything for her or her children.” Daniel’s eyes bulged, and the vein in his neck throbbed ominously.
“Calm down.” Ruth held up her hand. “First of all, you’re assuming all the boys aren’t yours, and you don’t know that to be true yet. What if Damon is yours and not the twins? What would you do then?”
Daniel dropped his head. “I—I don’t know,” he stammered.
“Then you need to think the situation through and consider every aspect. If the twins aren’t your biological sons, then you need to think about preserving the family unit. It wouldn’t be fair to separate the boys,” Ruth said.
“That’s easy for you to say!” Daniel shot back.
“You’re right. I’m not walking in your shoes. But I do know right from wrong, and it would be wrong of you to separate them, or make a difference in how you treat them.”
Daniel laughed aloud sarcastically.
Ruth looked at him, confused. “Did I miss something?” she asked.
“I feel like God has played a big joke on me. Here I am again, possibly becoming a daddy to children who aren’t mine, just like I did for Naomi.”
“Maybe God is giving you another chance to get it right, Daniel.” Ruth nodded wisely. “Did you ever consider that? God doesn’t make mistakes. There’s a reason for everything that happens, besides the obvious. Maybe He wants you to take care of those boys and raise them the right way.”
“Ruth, I’m no longer a young man. I don’t know if I have the time or energy for raising three boys at my age.” Daniel exhaled heavily.
“I think you’re selling yourself short. There are many people who have children in their older years, and they say the children help keep them young. You’re going to have to search deep within yourself. God willing, you’ll make the right choice, and get things right this time.”
“I don’t think so. Maybe discovering that the boys are not mine is my way out. Maybe Lenora will take them with her and raise them, and I can get my life back on track. Perhaps this is the Lord’s way of allowing me to right some wrongs, and that includes you, Ruth. I was a fool all those years
ago, but you’ve never been far from my heart and mind. What do you say we try making a go of things again?” Daniel spoke sincerely. The intensity in his eyes seemed to pierce Ruth’s heart.
She wet her lips, shook her head, and spoke candidly. “I think our time has come and gone, Daniel. We fulfilled the destiny God had in store for us. We are the parents of three beautiful children, who’ve grown up to become wonderful adults. We share grandchildren, and I’m sure there will be great-grandchildren down the road. Our time has passed. I know we can be friends, and be there for each other and our children; but as far as getting back together is concerned, no.”
“Is it because of that man?” Daniel asked. He felt hurt that Ruth had chosen a convict over him.
Ruth thought about her answer. “To an extent, it is. But it is also because we’re in different places, and that might have been the problem with our marriage. I’m content with my life, and in this case, content isn’t bad. I’m a minister. Could you see yourself as the first man?”
“Could the con ... I mean that other man be an effective first man? I’m sure I could do better than he can. What will your members think about you dating a person with a criminal past? What if they ask you to step down as minister?”
“I would hope my congregation would understand that a person should be judged by his deeds and spirit. I admit, I went along with the program or agenda we had during our marriage. Because I was the minister’s daughter, I turned a blind eye to your philandering. I knew in my heart that just accepting your actions was wrong. But, you see, it’s not even about me or about you; it’s about putting God first in our lives. He always comes first. When you put Him first, you cannot go wrong. God will always be on my side. As far as my members are concerned, I plan to address their concerns soon.”
“We share a history, Ruth. Did you ever consider that maybe God wants us to get it right this time?” Daniel learned forward on his chair and continued to press his case.
Letting Misery Go Page 29