by Pat Simmons
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Karyn said softly and disconnected the call.
CHAPTER 49
Rossi didn’t practice lying to people, himself, or God. He was in Chicago to see Nalani for various reasons, and Levi’s name would not dominate their conversation.
What was a forty-five-minute flight on a Wednesday afternoon to see a beautiful woman on Valentine’s Day? Rossi enjoyed Nalani’s sense of humor and energy. Too bad they were on opposing teams—Tolliver vs. Wallace.
Rossi knocked, carrying a dozen red roses in hand and a miniature box of chocolate-covered strawberries. When Nalani opened the door, his mouth dropped. The dress was wow, and a gold choker graced her neck. Nalani’s earrings reminded him of teardrops, and her smile was contagious. Rossi suddenly wondered how the beauty of God’s angels would compare to her. “Good evening.”
“Minister Rossi.” Her eyes sparkled as she gave him a sweeping inspection.
“Nalani.” He nodded. “Although God’s ministry is always with me, the title is in church. Please call me Rossi. I’m the fourth one in my family.”
“As you wish. Let me get my cape.”
As the driver stood outside the limo waiting for the couple, Rossi waited outside her door. Temptation was on the other side. He wasn’t about to cross over.
In the limo during the ride to Sixteen, one of Chicago’s most elegant dining establishments located in the Trump International Hotel & Tower, they exchanged small talk. Both steered away from mentioning their relatives.
Once they were seated at the restaurant, Rossi looked out the window and admired the exceptional view of Lake Michigan. They decided on the Valentine’s Day buffet and chatted throughout their meal. His dinner companion was charming, beautiful… and scheming. Rossi had just swallowed his last bite of cheesecake, which Nalani insisted they share, then their conversation turned to Jet’s inference with the Crowning Glory proposal. “So what exactly are you saying?” he asked her.
“Do you know who I am?” She lifted a smooth brow.
“You’re Nalani Wallace, or do you have a secret identity I should know about?”
She snickered and tapped a shimmery red polished fingernail on their white tablecloth. “No, I don’t have a criminal record if that idea is floating in your head. Karyn and I—” she patted her chest—“come from a long generation of political families, which means, despite my father’s death, I still have some connections with senators who enjoy the role of my godfathers.”
“Again, what are you saying? I like things plain and simple. I don’t care for reading between the lines.”
“Fine. I don’t care about Levi backing out of a verbal offer to my sister in your new development. I also don’t care about Jet’s rejection of a good proposal because she’s evil. Any bank would accept Karyn’s plan, but I happen to want Jet to make the sole decision to reverse her decision. It could mean her job or the bank’s reputation.”
Rossi couldn’t believe it. Nalani was calling Jet evil, which was true sometimes, but the pretty creature sitting across from him seemed as if she could pull evil tricks out of her bag, too.
“Ah. The cat’s got the minister’s tongue. It’s simple, Ross,” she said, having the nerve to shorten his name. “Either you talk—or pray if you want—but it’s in Jet’s best interest to reverse her decision on that proposal, or I’ll ask one of my godfathers to launch an investigation into the bank’s dealings with minorities. You know, discrimination is bad for business. Whether the allegations would prove to be true or not, the publicity would be costly.”
“More mango Sprite-lemonade?” their waiter asked, approaching the table. When they didn’t respond, he walked away.
When Rossi leaned forward, Nalani met him halfway. “This battle is not yours or mine, it’s the Lord’s.” He summoned the waiter back with his hand. “Check, please.”
***
“You’ll never guess who called me,” Karyn said as she and Nalani left the bookstore. It was days after Valentine’s Day. Nalani tried to make it a habit of coming to Fairview Heights every weekend, especially since Buttercup had moved and Karyn was no longer dating Levi.
“President Obama,” Nalani guessed.
“Yeah, right.” Karyn laughed as they sprinted across the parking lot until Nalani sped ahead in an impromptu race.
Seconds later, Karyn bumped the side of the car as if they were playing a game of tag. “How did you beat me in those stilettos? Levi.” She panted as Nalani deactivated the car alarm.
They jumped in and Nalani turned the ignition. “Hmmm.”
“We spoke for a few minutes and he invited me to dinner. Thank God I couldn’t go because it was last minute. I can’t bear to see the look of disgust again that flashed on his face last month.” Karyn glanced out the window. “I prepared myself for society’s rejection. That’s a piece of cake compared to Levi’s.”
The true blessing in her life was restoring her relationship with her sister. Once her parole was finished, she could freely fellowship with Halo and Buttercup without waiting for Sunday service.
“At least I can look forward to starting a new job.” Karyn played with her gloved fingers, something Levi would not allow if she was in his car. She took a deep breath to shake the memories.
“Are the three of you giving up on Crowning Glory?”
Karyn shook her head. “We just agreed to hold off before we submit it somewhere else.”
“I don’t know. Maybe things may turn around with First Freedom Bank.”
Grunting, Karyn twisted her lips as she turned down the interior heat. “I doubt it with Jet at the helm of business loans.” She had to keep praying for Jet, whether Levi was in her life or not, because God said Jet was one of His lost sheep.
“Stranger things have happened. Now back to Levi. He’s had time to think about what he’s giving up. The ball is in his court. Will he run or pass?”
“Those options don’t seem to be a win-win situation for me.”
“Good point. I’ll think of another analogy.”
CHAPTER 50
As the days skipped on, Levi’s mind had a will of its own. When he tried to focus on family or work, his traitorous thoughts returned to memories of Karyn. To make his life more miserable, Tia purposely wasn’t speaking to him, Dori’s behavior had become increasingly rebellious, and Rossi would just shake his head when he looked at him. His parents hadn’t said much, leaving him to speculate on what they were thinking. Questions were swirling in his head like an annoying mosquito.
“What’s the matter, Daddy? Are you sad because you miss Miss Karyn, too?”
It was more complicated than a yes or no. At the moment, it wasn’t good that Dori was a perceptive child. “I’ll be happy when we finish your homework. This is hard, but you’re really smart because these are all right.”
She beamed, looking so much like Diane. Levi’s heart pricked again. Life was a gamble, and he had yet to have a winning hand. He had to wonder if God had taken His eye off what was going on in his life. Did He not have mercy?
Hours later, Dori was asleep in her bed when Levi checked his watch. It was almost ten o’clock and his Cinderella had to be in. At 10:05, he closed his bedroom door. Levi had to talk to her. “Okay, Tolliver. Just do it.” And he did. She answered before the call transferred to voicemail. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“Hello, Levi.” Her greeting was soft and tentative.
“Karyn.” He used his professional voice, as if he were speaking with a client. Forget it. It was too much work to act detached. Silence.
“I expected you to disconnect this phone. That was nice of you that you didn’t.”
Well, if that didn’t make him feel like a jerk. “Thank you for answering it. It was a gift for you. It used to be our life line.” Once he decided their ties were permanently severed, Levi had planned to turn off the phone service.
“After we broke up, Nalani bought me a smartphone.” She paused. “I was afraid to use
this phone, knowing your disconnection was more about us than the phone.”
She was right. “Listen, I know we parted on bad terms...” He waited for her to agree, but she left him hanging.
“Levi, I’m sorry to use this phone again, but I lost my battery charger for mine and I plan to buy another one when I get paid.”
Still frugal despite the money her father left behind. He doubted Karyn would ever live beyond her means in her lifetime. “I have so many questions.”
“And I have answers,” she said softly, “if only you had asked.”
“You never gave me the opportunity,” Levi scolded, but at least he was getting somewhere. He laid on top of the bed. “I can’t imagine you in prison, but I can’t imagine you doing what you said you did.”
She sighed. “Prison is like living in outer space. No surprises, sunrises, or sunsets. The correctional officers are the alarm clocks. Up at seven, beds made at eight. When we bless our food and say, ‘For the nourishment of our bodies’ it’s not an understatement. The food is tasteless and sometimes room temperature before it hits your mouth.”
If he was confined, he would probably die of starvation. For Levi, a warm meal was a phone call away for delivery or less than thirty minutes to his parents’ house. “How did you fill your days?”
“Work or school. Federal law requires all inmates without a high school education to study for their G.E.D. Otherwise you work.”
“Hard labor?”
“Not really,” Karyn said. “I had to cook, clean, or whatever they ordered under the watchful eyes of armed correctional officers. Sometimes they were the biggest threat if you made them mad. We earned anywhere between thirty and ninety cents a day.”
“What?” Levi’s mouth dropped in shock. “Dori’s allowance is more than that. What could you do with that pittance?”
“If I stretched it, I’d buy necessities like deodorant, socks, toothpaste, and other personal items, but the church ministry helped a lot.”
Levi closed his eyes. He couldn’t visualize Karyn in a lineup or posing for a mug shot. “Were you scared, baby?” Levi released the compassion.
“At first, yes. Inmates, whether male or female, usually try and sometimes they succeed in retaliating for the death of a child. Crimes have a tier system in prison. Violence against children isn’t cool among criminals. I side with them although I was a violator of such an act. Some of the older inmates took pity on me adopted me as part of their family. That gave me some protection. Because of my size, I was their baby girl. I had a mother, father, aunties, and sisters.”
He didn’t want to think about her participating in homosexual activities. “Were you…you know…ever raped?”
“Oh, no. Those women were like extended families. They became my play momma, play aunties. You know how everybody in the neighborhood was your cousin growing up? That cluster combatted the isolation from the outside. Even God said man should not be alone. Prison is lonely. That didn’t mean there weren’t some scary people in there. One lady was a cannibal. Thank God I didn’t share a cell with her.”
Levi shivered. I guess it wasn’t a picnic for her and others. He had lived emotionally secluded for four years until Karyn filled his life.
“One unspoken rule was to never say you’re innocent—which I wasn’t—because everybody in there insists they were framed. The golden rule is to keep your mouth shut.” She explained the ten o’clock curfew at the women’s transitional housing. “It doesn’t take much to violate parole. My whereabouts have to be accounted for every minute. Changes of plans are frowned upon. I could have lost privileges or been sent back to jail every time I asked to go somewhere with you.”
“The phone calls in the bathroom,” he stated.
“Yes, but I had fallen in love with you and I wanted to be with you. I’m sorry…hold on,” she said, covering up the phone. “Jay, I’m in here.”
“Oh, sorry,” Levi heard a muffled voice in the background.
“Who was that?”
“My new roommate, Jay. She did petty theft until she mastered picking locks, then she progressed to burglaries, home invasions, and other stuff. One house rule is to stay out of the other people’s bedrooms and not borrow anything. This little freedom is going to her head. Some ex-offenders can’t handle making choices because they’ve been institutionalized for so long. Plus, she’s missed a few curfews.”
“Maybe she should. Evidently, she’s back to her old tricks. Has she taken anything of yours—the gifts I bought you?”
“Nothing important. My shampoo or some fingernail polish Buttercup left me. Except for the maximum number of outfits allowed, Nalani took everything back to Chicago with her. When she comes to visit on the weekends, I tell her what to bring. The music box I take with me everywhere.”
The music box. He remembered purchasing it. The globe with a woman dressed in African garb, balancing a container on her head. When twisted, the figure began a circular dance to the music of “A Ribbon in the Sky.” She touched his soft spot for the second time during the conversation. Now, it was time for him to get real answers.
“Levi, I wouldn’t wish prison on anybody.”
He grunted. “Well, I do. Anytime a person brutally murders or takes a life, they’ll never change.”
“I’ve changed,” she argued, raising her voice. “Some of us make mistakes—bad ones. People think because we’re confined, we get state or government financed room and board, a free education—”
“I’m sorry, Karyn, but some folks should never get out.”
“Let me break it down for you,” she snapped. “Prison is not a country club. Being released is not a hotel guest checking out as if nothing ever happened. My sin did happen, and for the rest of my life, authorities and society will monitor me until the day I die because of it. Ex-offenders have to prove we’re worthy of forgiveness with man. Praise God, He’s more gracious.”
They had never argued, but that was before he knew her history. It would always be a sore spot between them. Levi leaped up in bed. No, she was not putting him in his place. “I think victims of crime have a right to ask for forgiveness, restitution, and anything else. To hear you practically defend criminals makes me regret—”
“What?”
“You’re like a beautiful vampire who sucked all the life out of me and left me to die. You’re killing me with this righteous-victim attitude. Did you or do you have any remorse?” Levi couldn’t believe he had stooped that low to ask that. She didn’t have to respond for him to know his words had hurt her.
“Yes, yes, I did, but I’m not going to keep apologizing for something God already forgave me for. I’m a new creature. People can accept that or reject it. Either way I’m free.”
“I’ll be in touch.” Gritting his teeth, Levi ended the call to keep from exploding. Karyn was going to make him run to Walgreens and buy a high blood pressure monitor.
***
“I’m fine, Jay,” Karyn explained after Jay had picked her locked bedroom door to check on her. Once she backed out, Karyn rolled over and sobbed into the pillow. He who the Son sets free is free indeed. The devil was a lie. She had been set free.
March first was Karyn’s last shift at Bookshelves Unlimited. Throughout the day, she had taken deep breaths to inhale the aroma of new books, and took liberty with the free refills of the café’s lattes. She teared at the upcoming new phase in her life. The job had given her a second chance. Crowns for Christ had given her the first then helped her stay focused. Levi was her third chance—proof that she could love again. Karyn’s ultimate goal was to be a productive citizen as well a productive saint of God.
By late afternoon, Karyn grew concerned as she kept watching the door for her last glimpse at her favorite customer—Mrs. Harris. As the crowd thinned, she patrolled the aisles, admiring the kids’ section where she had entertained many children with story time and met the man who she didn’t deserve, but he didn’t deserve her either.
The staff had
given her a going-away party. Patrice, who had been out sick, feigning she hurt her back while lifting a heavy crate of books—a task she left for others—sent a card that said she would miss her. Patrice often never said what she meant, so even in leaving, Karyn wondered at the truth behind her remarks.
Karyn was about to clock out for lunch when Mrs. Harris teetered through the door with the aid of her cane. She wore a bright smile and a church hat, of course. The elderly customer had made her day. She was about to assist her when her skin tingled.
“Do you want to have children again?”
The voice was unmistakable. Karyn’s heart crashed against her chest, her breathing missed a beat, and she trembled as she pivoted on her heel. Levi. He had the glasses, the mustache, the dimples, and a tortured expression. She inhaled his fresh scent. Since that disastrous day, she had tried to be strong and not harp on things she couldn’t have. Looking into his brown eyes made her wish for them anyway.
“Of course I want children,” she whispered. But only with you, she thought.
“Good. Go out with me, Karyn,” he said without breaking eye contact. “Tonight,” he demanded with an eerie calm.
Karyn squinted. “If I were to go, will we be on opposing teams?”
“No. I have other plans.”
What plans? Karyn searched his face for clues, but couldn’t read between the lines. She missed him so much. The center’s director already had every woman’s schedule set in stone for a week. “You’ll have to change them.”
CHAPTER 51
“Mom, Dad, how do you feel about Karyn re-entering my life, knowing that she committed a horrible act?” Levi needed their validation he wasn’t making a bad decision.
“Son, I have to tell you, the news disturbed me. I can’t imagine that sweet young lady doing something like that, but it appears that she has reconciled with her past.” His father paused. “The question is can you handle her past.”