The Other Side of Goodness

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

  “I can imagine it hurts. But you shouldn’t take what Dad and William do personal. That’s just Dad being Dad.” Paris put her last piece of potato in her mouth. “He feels like he’s sown much but brought in little to show for it, even after all these years of serving in government. But if it makes you feel any better, Dad is making all of us conform to some kind of image he feels is acceptable. Me, I have to be the good supportive wife who’s using her spare time volunteering to work in soup kitchens.”

  Paris got up, took down a glass, got crushed ice, and poured some soda from the two-liter bottle sitting on the counter. “Then there’s Malachi who has to tone down his womanizing ways, or at least be sure he’s not involved in some kind of dustup the news can use. Mom has to lose weight around this time, even though they go to more eating functions than ever. She has to be the perfect arm candy and keep smiling when she attends all of those stupid functions with all of those phony people that Dad drags her to. And you . . . you, dear little sister, sort of get off easy. You just have to stay out of trouble, which you should be doing regardless of what Dad is doing, and allow Dad to refer to you as Courtney instead of Imani for his campaign junk.”

  Imani laughed. “You’re crazy.”

  “Yeah. That’s probably true. But what do you expect? I’ve had to live this life a lot longer than you. And that, Imani, is why I keep telling you to get a good education and get away from this place as soon as you can. Oh, and try to get a scholarship so you can go to California or somewhere distant like that. Because I’ll tell you right now, if Dad has to pay for your college, you’re going to find yourself right here, just like me and Malachi had to end up doing. And you’ll never escape.”

  “Well, you are an adult now. You have a husband. You could move anywhere you want.”

  Paris took a swallow of soda. “Yeah. And if you believe that, then I have an iPad3 I’d like to sell you for thirty-nine dollars.”

  “There’s no iPad3. There’s not even an iPad2 yet, although there’s talk of it coming in a year or two, most likely in 2011.” Imani went and got a glass, poured herself some soda, and sat back down.

  “Oh, but it’s coming. You see . . . that’s why it’s good to get in while the getting is good. You don’t want to be like folks who earn money, then put their money in a bag with holes in it.”

  “Well, if I take you up on the iPad3 offer, that’s exactly what I’d be doing: putting my money in a bag with holes. And one thing we Simmons girls can’t be accused of and that’s being stupid.” Imani’s cell phone began to sing.

  Paris smiled. “And that’s just why I’m here. Andrew apparently didn’t get that memo. I’m not stupid.” But Imani didn’t hear any of what Paris said, not that Paris had said it for her to hear. Imani had already jumped down from the barstool and was talking excitingly, about what sounded to Paris as a lot to do about nothing, to one of her little girlfriends.

  Chapter 17

  Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

  —Haggai 1:10

  Lawrence and Deidra started walking toward the door leading to the house in the garage. Deidra was giggling like a schoolgirl. Lawrence was acting like a guy who had just taken his best girl out on a date and was hoping to sneak some more time . . . some alone time, to be exact, with her and not get caught by her parents.

  “Shhhh,” Lawrence said. “You’re too loud.”

  Deidra giggled some more. “Lawrence, this is our house. And we have every right to be as loud as we want.”

  “It’s after midnight. I don’t want to wake Imani up.”

  “I doubt very seriously that Imani’s asleep this time of the night. She’s more than likely either on her computer or on her phone.”

  Lawrence opened the door that led into the kitchen and quickly keyed in the numbers to turn off the alarm system. “I thought we told her she couldn’t be on the phone after eleven.”

  “She’s a teenager. If we’re not here and she can get away with it, I’m sure there’s a good chance she may be on the phone.”

  “Well, if she is on the phone, with all of the noise you’re making, I’m sure she’s off now.” Lawrence turned toward his wife and grabbed her around her waist. “I had an amazing time with you tonight, Mrs. Simmons.”

  Deidra gave a coy grin. “I know. Maybe you should consider doing this more often.”

  He smiled. “Yeah. Maybe I should.”

  “And to think, the night is still young.”

  Lawrence leaned back a little and eyed his wife. “You don’t say, pretty lady?”

  “I do say, Mr. Handsome. The night is far from over. And I’m still young . . . at heart.” Deidra laughed.

  “Girl, don’t be starting nothing while we’re down here,” Lawrence said. They made their way to the dark den. Lawrence stopped near the couch and kissed her softly. “What say you and I—”

  “Mom? Dad? Is that you?”

  Lawrence jumped and tried to see who was speaking, but it was too dark to tell. “Who is that?”

  A body lifted up off the couch. “It’s me—Paris.”

  Deidra turned on the lamp next to the couch. “Paris?” Deidra said. “What are you doing here?”

  Lawrence wiped his hand over his face. “And on our couch?” He couldn’t believe the mood had been changed, just like that.

  Paris sat up straight. “I was waiting on you to come home,” she said to Deidra. “I needed to talk to you.”

  Deidra went and sat down next to Paris. “Didn’t Imani tell you where I was?”

  “Yes, she told me. That’s why I decided to wait on you to come back.”

  “Did Imani tell you that your mother and I went on a date?”

  Paris turned to her father. “She did.”

  “So instead of here on our couch, shouldn’t you be home with your husband?” Lawrence said.

  Paris turned back to her mother. “Mom, I really need to talk to you.”

  Deidra tilted her head. “Did something happen between you and Andrew?”

  “Again,” Lawrence added with a touch of sarcasm.

  Deidra gave Lawrence “the look.” Lawrence nodded, but he was a bit upset that such a perfect night with his wife was ending like this.

  “Mom, Andrew and I went to the hospital this evening—”

  “Is Andrew all right?” Deidra asked with a bit of panic lacing her voice.

  “Oh, he’s fine. We just went there to visit a couple of friends’ child. But before we went to see them, we stopped off at the cafeteria. You know, we were thinking they might like something from there. So we decided to stop there first and pick up a cup of coffee or something, you know. Although had Andrew listened to me in the first place, we would have stopped off at a decent place and bought some decent coffee—a nice latte, mocha, or frappe—and maybe a nice fresh pastry to snack on. Not that either of them, as it turns out, were really even coffee drinkers. But then again, they’re more Andrew’s friends than mine.”

  “Would you please get on with it?” Lawrence said. “We really don’t need the full play-by-play account.”

  Paris let out a loud sigh. “I’m getting to it, Daddy. I just needed to set the stage.”

  Deidra was leaning in toward her daughter. “It’s okay, baby. Just finish telling me what happened between you and Andrew that has you upset. It’s getting late.”

  “Anyway, while we were in the cafeteria, we ran into someone I thought I knew. So I went over to speak and to refresh my memory of who it might be.”

  Lawrence was moving his head around, but not saying a word. He was clearly trying to coerce her to finish already without saying anything and having to receive another disapproving look from his wife, who was wearing the heck out of that dress.

  “Mom, you remember that girl that lived with me a few months right after I graduated from high school? The girl whose aunt and uncle put her out on the streets with nowhere to go.”

  “Yeah, I vaguely remember her
. I only met her once, you know. I can’t recall her name though.”

  “It was Gabrielle Booker.”

  Lawrence froze. “Gabrielle Booker?”

  “Yes, although she goes by Gabrielle Mercedes now. How corny is that?” Paris shook her head. “She says she decided to use her middle name for her last.”

  “So you ran into that girl that stayed with you that time?” Lawrence said.

  “Yeah, you should remember her really well, Dad. Because you came over to the apartment and, in the beginning, ordered me to put her out. You said you weren’t paying for that apartment for me to take in every stray cat I might find wandering the streets in need of a home.”

  Lawrence scratched his head. “So, what did she say today when you saw her? Did you talk to her? I mean, she must have said something to get you this riled up and have you over here sleeping on our couch?”

  Deidra squinted as she looked at Lawrence. He knew she was wondering what was going on with him. He hardly ever had any input or comments when Paris brought her drama or problems to their doorstep.

  Deidra patted Paris’s hand. “I do remember now. She’s the young lady you put out of your apartment without even a day’s notice. So, was she still mad at you about that? Did she say something or do something that hurt you?”

  “No. In fact: She couldn’t have been nicer. It was as if what went down between us never happened.”

  “Then why are you here, instead of at home with your husband?” Lawrence asked. Both his hands were in his pants pockets now as he rocked back and forth.

  “I’m here because of what happened when I introduced Gabrielle to Andrew. Or more to the point, what didn’t happen when I introduced them,” Paris said.

  “Baby, can you just get to the real point?” Deidra said. “A point that makes sense.”

  Paris looked down, then back up. “I think the two of them know each other, Andrew and Gabrielle. I don’t think I was introducing either of them to the other.”

  “And what, pray tell, would make you think that?” Lawrence asked. “I mean, you know how you are, Paris. You’ll take something little and—”

  “Lawrence,” was all Deidra said in her that’s-enough tone. He became quiet. “Paris, what makes you think the two of them know each other?”

  “For one, the way Andrew was acting around her. Like he was trying hard not to let on that they knew each other. And she must have picked up on his cue and decided to play along with him. But she slipped up and called him Drew.”

  “Drew?” Lawrence said. “Nobody calls him Drew. Maybe she’s just ignorant and didn’t know how to say Andrew or misstated it. It happens you know. Or even worse: Maybe she knew it would bother you if she pretended to know him on a deeper level. When she was staying with you, she appeared to be a person who might go to any lengths to get what she wanted or to hurt someone she believed had hurt her.”

  “Well, if we’re talking about the same young lady that I met,” Deidra said, “she appeared to be a very sweet young lady. She certainly kept that place clean and she could cook. You told me that much yourself, Paris. I only met her once after we initially found out she was there. But whenever I came to see you, Paris, the apartment was always spotless. I knew you weren’t doing anything to keep it that way, which became quite evident after you put her out.”

  “Mom, I didn’t come over here to be reminded of how deficient I am. I came so you can tell me what I should do,” Paris said.

  “Do about what?”

  “About Andrew lying to me, trying to act like he doesn’t know Gabrielle when it’s obvious that he does,” she said to her mother. She then turned to her father, “And, Dad, for your information, Andrew’s mother calls him Drew. And she’s the only person I’ve ever heard call him that, so it has been used for him.”

  “Maybe Andrew grew up in the same neighborhood with her,” Deidra said.

  “If that’s the case, then why won’t he just tell me that? Why is he going to such lengths to keep this to himself?” Paris stood up. “And when I pressed him on it, he left me.”

  “He left you?” Lawrence said, clearly shocked by this revelation. “What do you mean, he left you? Paris, you know I have this campaign. I don’t need any foolishness—”

  “He didn’t leave me like that, Daddy,” Paris said. “So you don’t have to worry about your precious little reelection campaign. It’s great to see just how much you care about me and my husband when it comes to our marriage.” Paris picked up her purse. “I’m sorry to have burdened y’all with my trivial problems and selfishly interrupted your lovely night. I guess Miss Drama Queen strikes again.”

  “You’re not a drama queen,” Deidra said. “You were just upset.”

  “Well, I’ll just call a taxi to take me home and get out of your hair.” Paris pulled out her cell phone and turned it on.

  “You took a taxi over here? I was wondering where your car was,” Deidra said. “Why didn’t you drive your car?”

  “Truthfully?” Paris said. “I wanted Andrew to be worried. I mean he walked out on me to go get something to eat! So when he came back, I made sure that I wasn’t there. If I had driven my car, he would have figured I was over here and wouldn’t have even checked to make sure. This way, he has to be worried.” She looked at her phone and smiled. “See there. Just as I thought. Twenty-one missed calls, all from my dear little hubby.”

  “Paris, you really shouldn’t be playing games like that,” Deidra said. “What if something was to really happen to you one day? You’d be like the boy who cried wolf. Andrew has no way of knowing you were all right. And your father and I both had our cell phones off for the past few hours.”

  “Yep,” Lawrence said, powering his back on. “It was part of your mother’s deal tonight. No phones; no interruptions.” Once the phone was up totally and he could see calls and messages, he said, “Andrew called me four times.” He continued scrolling to see what other calls he’d missed. William had called three times even though he’d told him he was turning off his phone prior to him going out. It had to be important; Lawrence would need to check in with William as soon as he got a chance. All the others could wait.

  “I think instead of calling a taxi, you need to call your husband, let him know where you are, and tell him to come get you,” Deidra said.

  “If I do that, then Andrew wins,” Paris said with a slight whine at the end.

  Deidra sighed. “This is not a game, Paris. You have a great husband. Unless there’s something you haven’t told your father and I?” Deidra primped her mouth and waited.

  “No, he’s really a good man. It’s just I’m so stressed these days. You know what I told you is going on with me. What if Andrew gets tired of waiting? What if he decides I can’t give him what he wants and he decides to move on elsewhere?”

  “Well, you coming over here and hiding out like this is not going to help the situation,” Lawrence said. “And your mother is absolutely right about playing games. A marriage should be built on t-r-u squared: truth and trust. If you don’t have those as a foundation, your house is built on sinking sand and will not stand when the storms of life come smashing through.”

  Paris nodded. “Okay. I’ll call Andrew and tell him to come pick me up.” Her voice was resigned.

  “Good,” Lawrence said. “And tell Andrew he and I need to talk as soon as he gets a moment.”

  “Dad, I don’t need you getting into my personal affairs,” Paris said.

  “Who said it has anything to do with you or your personal business?” Lawrence said.

  “Nobody.”

  “All right, then. Andrew and I have other things we talk about other than you. I was planning on calling him, but since you’re here, you can deliver the message for me.” Lawrence went over to the couch and pulled Deidra up. He put his arm around her waist. “For now, your mother and I have a date we need to finish. Set the security alarm on your way out and be sure to lock my door.”

  “Daddy!” Paris said wit
h a pretend huff.

  “ ‘Daddy’ nothing! I promised your mother a night she wouldn’t soon forget. And nothing and nobody is going to keep me from making good on that promise.” He kissed Deidra, who was now clearly blushing.

  Deidra gave Paris a hug before Lawrence pulled her away completely. “Call me tomorrow!” Deidra yelled as Lawrence whisked her out of the den. “Or better yet, I may be sleeping in, so I’ll call you!”

  Chapter 18

  And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

  —Zechariah 1:13

  Jessica had gone into the hospital room by herself. She instructed Gabrielle and Zachary to wait outside the door until she came back for them. Gabrielle looked up and said a silent prayer. This was the last thing she ever expected to happen. In a matter of mere minutes, she would be walking through that door and seeing the child she’d given birth to. It was hard to put into words what she was feeling right about now.

  Zachary put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug. “Are you all right?”

  Gabrielle nodded.

  “Are you sure you want to do this now?”

  She nodded again. How was she going to open her mouth to the little girl lying in there without crying when she could barely talk to Zachary without breaking down? But she had to hold it together. She had to. This was not about her; it was about a little girl, in a hospital room, who had been through a lot already. And whatever Gabrielle could do to help her through this, she was going to do it. Lord, please give me strength to do what I need to do. Help me to be a blessing to both Jessica and Jasmine, in Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.