Kay studied her. She really did look like she was telling the truth. But Gloria probably had learned to master the art of lying over the years.
“Kay, I know you have a bitterness toward us. I know you hate us. I know you wish this had never happened. I wish it had never happened. But it did. I promise you, though, it would serve me no purpose by selling this story. We built a good life and all we want is to return to that life. Me letting the public know you’re Jamal’s mother wouldn’t do anything but hurt us.”
“I’m not his mother,” Kay countered. She’d stopped being his mother the day she gave him up for adoption.
“Okay, fine. I wouldn’t let anyone know that you gave birth to him,” Gloria corrected. “That wouldn’t serve anyone any good.”
“You’re doggone right about that,” she said.
Gloria took a step toward her. “I’m sorry you feel like I’m somehow responsible for this getting out, but I assure you, you need to be looking elsewhere because I didn’t have anything to do with this. You’ve got to believe me.”
Now Kay didn’t know what to believe. On her way here, she had been so sure that Gloria had been the one behind this, but now she simply didn’t know. But if Gloria wasn’t the one who gave her story to Marty, who was? And why? She had no ties to her past. There was no way anyone could have just figured this out.
“You might want to check your circle,” Gloria said. “But you can cross me off the list. I’m guilty of a lot of things, but that’s not one of them.
They stood in a silent face-off before Kay said, “Forgive me, if I don’t trust you. Been there, tried that. I trusted you more than my own mother and you repaid me by telling your friends I was a whore.”
The grimace on Gloria’s face told Kay that those words opened the door to some painful memories. But Kay didn’t care. The pain couldn’t be worse than what she had felt.
Gloria’s eyes were downcast as she said, “I want to apologize. That day you saw me at Wal-Mart, the day you overheard me say that . . .” Her words trailed off.
Kay remembered that day well. It had been ingrained in her heart for years. She hadn’t intended to address that memory, but she couldn’t help it. “The day I overheard you telling your friends about the young whore that threw herself at your husband.”
Gloria’s eyes misted. “I-I was just trying to defuse some of the gossip.”
“At my expense,” Kay snapped. “It was bad enough how utterly vile my parents treated me. It was painfully disgusting how your husband forced himself on me, taking away my virginity, but I don’t think anything hurt as much as hearing you say the stuff you did. You, a woman I adored and respected, who I helped at Sunday school, who I actually wished was my mother instead of my real mother. Do you have any idea what it did to me to hear you utter those words?”
“I-I was just . . . I’m so sorry, Kayla, I mean, Kay. I’m just so sorry.” Gloria was in full-blown crying mode now.
“Keep your apologies, Madame First Lady,” Kay spat. “I needed them then. I don’t need them now. Just know that if I ever find out you had anything to do with this conspiracy with Marty, all the hate I’ve held on to all these years will rear its ugly head. And you will regret the day you ever met me.”
Kay didn’t give Gloria a chance to respond as she turned and raced back to her car. She hadn’t known why she felt compelled to see Gloria but as she sped toward the freeway she decided she didn’t need to understand why. All she needed to do was forget the day she’d ever met Elton and Gloria Jones.
42
* * *
* * *
Gloria had hoped the drive to Jasper would calm her nerves. She’d been a basket case when she went back inside after talking to Kayla last night. Luckily, Gloria’s mother had dozed off so Gloria didn’t have to answer any questions.
She’d left early this morning so that she could get home, get some more clothes, and get back to Houston in time to visit with Jamal.
Elton had called yesterday morning and agreed to come with her to visit Jamal. That was part of the reason she went ahead and came home first. If she left it up to Elton to drive up, he’d concoct some excuse, yet Jamal needed to see his father.
But Gloria was surprised to find Elton sitting at his desk, still in his pajamas.
“Why aren’t you dressed?” she asked.
“Hello to you, too,” he casually replied.
“Hello. But why aren’t you dressed? I told you we needed to get back up to the jail by four.”
“We still have time.” He gave her his undivided attention. “But I need to know about Kayla.” Gloria had still been upset this morning when Elton called and she’d made the mistake of telling him Kayla had come to see her. He wanted her to tell him what they talked about then, but she told him she’d talk about it when she got home. Now she really didn’t want to go into it.
Watching her husband sit there, for a fleeting moment, she wondered if he had anything to do with the blackmail. But she shook away that thought. No, Elton wanted to stay as far away from Kay as possible.
“It’s nothing,” she said.
“Gloria, can we stop with all the lying? Please?” he said.
“She wanted to ask me if I was behind blackmailing her, or rather playing a part in providing information to her opponent in the mayoral race. He’s using the information about Jamal to blackmail her.”
Elton gasped. “You mean someone knows?” he asked.
“Apparently the guy she’s running against for mayor approached her about it. He wanted her to step down or he was going to take it public.”
Elton fell back in his seat. “Oh, my God.”
“Needless to say she wasn’t happy. She thought maybe I had something to do with it, which of course is crazy. I told her I didn’t. Neither of us did.” She narrowed her gaze at her husband. “Did we?”
“What?” he said, then it dawned on him what she was saying. “Absolutely not. Why would I want to help anyone blackmail her?”
“That’s what I told her. So she caught me off guard yesterday. I wanted it to be very clear. I don’t want her taking anything out on Jamal.”
“Great,” Elton mumbled, “this is exactly what we need. More negative publicity.”
“I can’t argue with you today,” she huffed. “Can you just go get dressed so we can go?”
Elton busied himself with some papers on his desk. “I’m not going today.”
“What? You had me come back here to get you.”
“I wanted you home.” He looked up at her. “You need to be home.”
That she was not about to do. “Elton, get dressed.”
“I’m not going,” he repeated. “Besides, I have a meeting at the church.”
“Hold on.” She moved closer to his desk. “You are seriously talking crazy. This is our son we’re talking about. He’s been up there for three weeks and you haven’t bothered to see him.”
“You’re there every day,” Elton snapped. “Neglecting home to baby him.”
“Are you serious?” she asked, dumbfounded. Then, determined not to fight, she added, “Just please come. He’s always asking about you,” she lied. Jamal had asked once where Elton was. Now he didn’t bother.
“I have a meeting at the church,” he said, dismissing her.
“That church needs to take a backseat.”
“Why? Because our son decided to get wrapped up in some foolishness? Now I’m supposed to neglect my duties as pastor?”
“Damn your duties!” she snapped. Her outburst obviously horrified him because his eyes widened in disbelief.
She couldn’t take it. The stress of Jamal, the frustrations of everything, she was simply fed up with Elton Jones. The fact that in the midst of all they were going through, all he kept talking about was negative attention pushed her over the edge.
“You know, Elton,” Gloria began, “you’re mad at the world behind all of this. Like no one can be forgiven. And you’re the biggest transgressor of us all.”
“Excuse me?” he said.
Years of pent-up emotion reached a boiling point. “I didn’t stutter,” she snapped. “You sit there so self-righteous and acting like you can do no wrong. But in reality you’re at the root of what’s wrong with this family.”
“Woman, you better watch it and tread lightly,” he warned.
“Or what?” She didn’t back down. “I’m tired of biting my tongue. You raped that child and instead of owning up to what you did, you blame everyone but yourself.”
He was so angry he was shivering. “I atoned for my sins. I was forgiven.”
“By God, yeah. But I’m not sure if you’ve ever forgiven yourself. If you had, you wouldn’t be so mean and resentful to a son that didn’t ask to be brought into this world.”
“I am not resentful.” He didn’t sound like he even believed that.
“Tell that to someone who doesn’t know you,” Gloria said. “Jamal ruined your picture-perfect existence. He reminded you of your great sin and you have hated him for it.”
“Don’t turn our son’s crime around on me.”
“Don’t you get it, Elton?” she cried. “Your resentment of your son is why you turned him in in the first place.”
“That is not true!”
“Whatever, Elton. But there is a wall between the two of you built by you and your contempt. And I’m just tired. Tired of the lies. Tired of pretending you’re this perfect infallible man. Tired of being the only one on earth who has any love for that boy.”
“I-I love my son.”
“You tolerate your son. I don’t know if you even know what love is.”
“You will not make this about me!” he bellowed. “I lost one church behind that boy, I’m not about to lose another,” he said with conviction.
And just like that, every piece of contempt she’d had for her husband recently returned. In that very moment, she knew it was over. Any feelings she had left for Elton Jones left with that one statement.
“So, that’s what this is all about. You lost a church.”
“N-no. I didn’t mean it like that,” he stammered.
“Whatever. I can’t do this with you.” She walked back into the bedroom. She had planned to just grab a few things but Gloria reached up onto the top shelf and pulled down her luggage.
She opened her drawers and just started snatching out clothes and stuffing them into the suitcase. After emptying several drawers, she repeated the process in the closet, until there was no more room in her suitcase. After grabbing a few toiletries, she wheeled her suitcase back into the living room.
“I’m leaving,” she muttered. Elton had sat back down and returned to working.
“Fine.” He released an exasperated sigh and looked up at her. “When are you coming back?”
She stood in silence for a moment. Then she said, “I’m not.” Uttering those words, which she had never truly considered, felt freeing.
He had the nerve to chuckle. “Oh, so you’re really leaving me?”
She nodded. “I’m doing what I should’ve done a long time ago. I’m leaving. I’m going to stop putting you and your feelings first. Right now, I’m doing what’s best for my son. And once I help him get out of this situation, then me and my son will figure out what we’re going to do next.”
“Wait. You’re serious?”
“More serious than I’ve ever been about anything in my life. Take care of yourself, Elton.”
Gloria headed out the door, ignoring the sounds of her husband screaming her name.
43
* * *
* * *
It was time to face her past. Marty knew and since she was not dropping out of the race, it was just a matter of time before everyone else knew as well. Phillip would be devastated if he turned on the television and got this news. She couldn’t wait another day to come clean.
Kay pulled into the garage and parked next to Phillip’s white Range Rover, one of the few luxuries he afforded himself, and even that had been a battle to get him to purchase. He wanted something “more efficient” but Kay told him as hard as he worked, he needed to get him something he really wanted.
She walked into the house to see her husband’s head leaning back against the sofa. Files surrounded him on the coffee table, on the floor, on the sofa next to him. Like her, he had thrown himself into his work. She fought the urge to take a peek as she picked up the folders to move them to the side. She never would violate his trust like that. He trusted you to be truthful. Those words came out of nowhere. But Kay knew the little voice nudging her ahead was telling the truth.
“Hey, honey,” she said gently, shaking Phillip’s leg.
He stretched, then yawned, and slowly opened his eyes. “Oh, hey. Sorry, babe. I sat up here and dozed off.”
“Where are the kids?”
“Selena got them to bed,” he said. He sat up and tried to get himself together.
“Oh, okay, well, umm, I see you’ve been at it.” She fidgeted in front of him.
He looked at his watch. “Wow, it’s ten o’clock. Didn’t realize it was that late. I guess you’ve been at it, too, since you’re just getting home.”
She nodded, but didn’t reply.
“Sorry about all this,” he said when he noticed the mess he had made. He began picking up files.
“Well, I was, um, I was wondering if I can, umm . . . talk to you a little bit?”
“Yeah,” he said, frowning as he stood. “Of course. Is something wrong?”
She sighed, then swallowed the lump in her throat. They had built their relationship on honesty, and now she was about to tell him that their foundation was a lie. “Can we just go in our room and talk?”
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I mean, it’s late. But Selena left a plate for you in the refrigirator.”
“Nah,” she replied. “I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Okay, now you’re worrying me. I hadn’t heard from you all evening and now you’re acting real cryptic.” His hand went to her forehead.
“No, I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you,” she said. She led him into the bedroom and then as he eased down on the bed, she sat next to him. “I have something to tell you.” She took a deep breath and willed her strength to come forward. “I haven’t been completely honest about my past.”
He moved his hand back, which only made this more difficult, yet she forged ahead.
“Okay, now you’re really scaring me,” he said.
“Let me back up.” She took a deep breath. “You know that I’m from Baton Rouge?”
“Yeah.” His reply was slow and drawn out. He knew she was orphaned and often talked of his desire to have met her folks. Every time he mentioned it, she wanted to come clean. But she hadn’t. Now here she was.
Kay continued, “Well, when I was fifteen, something terrible happened.”
Once again, Kay took a journey back to the place she’d spent all of her life trying to forget. When she was finished—when she told him all about being pregnant and giving the baby up for adoption, and how the pastor and his wife had taken that child and raised him—Phillip sat in stunned disbelief.
“I’m—I’m very confused,” Phillip finally said. “So you have a child?”
She nodded. “Technically, I gave birth, gave him up, and then I just tried to block it out of my head.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell me something like that?”
“I don’t know. Ashamed. Trying to pretend it never happened.” She lowered her head in shame.
“Wow.” He paced back and forth across the room. “Did you think I wouldn’t accept your child? You accepted Ryan.”
“No, I never
thought that. The only thing I knew is that I wanted to forget it ever happened. And I think that’s what I tried to do.”
“So, why now? Why are you telling me now?”
This was the hard part. She inhaled. Then exhaled. “Because my past has resurfaced.”
“What? You’ve had contact with your son?”
She didn’t know quite how to word it. Finally she just said it. “I haven’t had contact with him.” She paused. “But you have.”
“Kay, you need to stop beating around the bush and tell me what you’re talking about.” He was getting very irritated, so Kay knew she just needed to say it.
“Jamal Jones is my son,” she blurted.
Phillip’s mouth dropped open. “My client, Jamal Jones?”
She nodded as the tears she’d been fighting back finally escaped.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” he yelled.
She wanted to tell him to lower his voice so that he didn’t wake the children. But she simply replied, “I wish I was.”
“So when did you find this out? How could you let me represent him?” He started hurling question after question at her as he sped up his pacing.
“Wait, wait. I’ll answer everything, Phillip,” she said, trying to stop him before he got too worked up. “I didn’t let you represent him. I didn’t know you were going to represent him, remember? And then, when you told me, I didn’t know he was my son. I gave him up at birth. I never named him.”
“But you . . .” His words trailed off as he stopped. His mind looked as if it was racing. “So is that what your outburst in Judge Raymond’s chambers was about?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “So, you lied to me and told me you were sick? But in reality, you were scared because the people who adopted your child showed up?”
“It’s much deeper than that,” she protested.
“So, there’s more?”
She hesitated, then said, “The reason they adopted the child was because it was Elton Jones’s son.”
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