Samson recalled hearing Regis and some of his friends brag about their younger days. Regis claimed to have calmed down when he met and married Samson’s mother. Samson trembled. It sickened him to even think about his parents being intimate. He wouldn’t dare talk to his father about the real problem within his and Julia’s relationship. “We’ll be all right, but thanks for your concern.”
“Kelly wants to speak with you.”
“Tell her I’ll call her back,” Samson said.
“Too late. She’s on the phone,” Regis responded.
His mother couldn’t see him, but he automatically removed his feet from the desk and sat up. “Hi, Mom.”
“You need to take care of your wife soon, son,” Kelly stated.
“Excuse me?” Samson said in a high-pitched voice.
“Don’t take that tone with me. You’re not too old for me to knock you down a peg or two.”
“What did Julia tell you?”
“Julia didn’t tell me anything. I overheard her talking on the phone to one of her friends when she was at our house. You know there’s medicine for your problem.”
Samson, infuriated, held back his temper. “Look, Mom. I’ve heard enough. I’ve got to go.”
“Remember what I said. Get you some medicine.”
“I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but this is an issue between me and my wife.”
“Well, if you want to keep your wife happy, you better get you some help.”
“Good night, Mama.” Samson slammed the phone down on the desk.
Steam seeped through Samson’s pours. He paced the floor a few times. “One, two, three…” he counted out loud. He did his best to calm down as he went in search of Julia.
Samson stood in the doorway and watched Julia for a few minutes. Julia, oblivious to Samson’s mood, moved her head up and down as she listened to the music coming from her headphones.
Samson walked up to her and snatched them from her ears.
“Hey, what’s your problem?” Julia asked.
“I can’t believe you,” Samson yelled.
Julia, used to seeing a calm and mellow Samson, blinked a few times. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Lying will only get you in deeper.” Samson stood with folded arms. “Why were you discussing our bedroom issue with your friend and at my mom’s of all places?”
“So what if your mom heard me talking to Cookie. She’s a woman. She’s got needs too.”
“I didn’t know I married a sex fiend.”
“I didn’t know I married a hypocrite either.”
The evening went nothing like Samson had planned. For now they were at a standstill. He’s a preacher. He shouldn’t be having these types of problems. Two people were in love, but sex stood in the way of them being happy.
While in bed that night, Julia wouldn’t allow him to touch her. She moved her body close to the edge of her side of the bed. Samson, frustrated, lay on his back and closed his eyes. He went to sleep wondering if marrying Julia was a good idea.
Chapter 29
Delilah eased her car into the tight parking space in front of Keisha’s hair salon and went inside. Every chair in the salon seemed to be filled. “What’s up, Ms. Thing?” the receptionist said when Delilah entered.
“Is Keisha available? I need something done with this mess.” Delilah ran her hands through her hair.
“I’ll check.” The receptionist yelled on the intercom. “Keisha, Ms. Thing is here.” She looked at Delilah. “Just kidding.” She spoke back into the intercom. “I mean Ms. Delilah.”
Delilah was in a jovial mood, so she ignored the receptionist. The phone at the desk rang. The receptionist looked up at Delilah. “She said come on back.”
Delilah spoke as she passed the stylists and went toward the back of the salon where she found Keisha styling someone’s hair.
“You might as well have a seat and relax. You’re my last client today so don’t trip if we’re here all night,” Keisha told her.
Delilah hated coming in the evening for that very reason. She liked to be at the beauty shop for only two hours max, but because she and Keisha were friends and she did her hair pro bono, she came whenever Keisha could fit her into her busy schedule.
Delilah picked up a recent issue of a fashion magazine. She marveled at how dowdy some of the clothes looked for such extravagant prices. She was no fashion guru, but she did have a sense of style, and some of the things critics claimed were the in thing for the season shouldn’t be seen anywhere in public, in her opinion.
Keisha dished out advice to some of her patrons. One woman was dealing with a cheating husband. Marsha, one of Keisha’s regular customers who was now on her third husband, said, “Now ladies, don’t get into a frenzy with what I’m about to say because you know I’m usually like, if he cheats, he’ll cheat again so leave him. But, Cassandra, in your case, your husband has done everything you’ve asked of him, so why not give him another chance?”
Cassandra responded, “Because I’m just tired. He claimed he cheated one time, but I don’t believe him. I’ve resorted to doing sneaky stuff like checking his phone records and car mileage. I even cracked the code to his voice mail, and I call his phone all day just to check it.”
“How did you get his password?” Keisha asked as she curled Cassandra’s hair with the curling iron.
“Put it like this: Most men like to keep their passwords simple. He used one of our kids’ birthdays.”
“Wow. So did you discover anything?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean anything. All I know is I can’t keep living like this. Divorcing him would give me peace of mind.”
“Stay with him and cheat on him if that’ll make you feel better,” one of the other beauticians said.
“Two wrongs don’t make it right,” Keisha said. “Peace of mind is priceless, and if you have to leave him to get it, do you, sister.”
“I know that’s right,” several of the women near them said.
An elderly woman interjected her opinion. “Back in my day, we didn’t divorce our men. If he wanted to act up, let him. He has to answer to God for everything that he’s doing.”
“But, Mrs. Pearl, why should she stay with him just because? Adultery is grounds for divorce,” Keisha said.
“Young lady, I think I know more about relationships, seeing how I’m seventy-two years old,” Mrs. Pearl snapped.
Keisha stopped curling Cassandra’s hair. “Yes, ma’am. I was just saying.”
Delilah listened but didn’t interject her thoughts. From the discussions going on in the beauty shop, whether young or old, she wasn’t the only woman dealing with her share of drama.
Two hours later, Delilah sat in Keisha’s chair. “I’m glad you let me clip your ends,” Keisha said.
It was late, and the beauty shop had cleared out. There were only a few other stylists and clients remaining in the shop. Delilah removed the picture of the model with the hair style she wanted from her purse and handed it to Keisha. “I want it just like this.”
Keisha viewed the picture. “I can do that.” She turned on the crimp iron and waited for it to warm up. “So have you thought about what I said?”
Delilah looked around. No one appeared to be paying attention to their conversation. “I have a confession to make. I think he and his wife are having problems.”
“Delilah, you know you like to exaggerate, and why would he confide in you about his relationship with his wife anyway?”
“He didn’t actually verbalize it. I can just tell.”
“We need to find you another man so you can stop bugging about Samson.”
Delilah gave Keisha an “I’m innocent” look. “What?” she asked. “Don’t nobody up in here know him, so what if I said his name.”
“Just in case, let’s keep his name out of it.”
“See, now you know you must not be doing something right if you have to keep it all hush-hush.”
“D
on’t trip just because I don’t like my business all out in the streets,” Delilah snapped.
“Testy.” Keisha held up the crimp iron. “One piece of advice—never piss off your mailman or the lady who is about to do your hair.”
Delilah looked up and saw Keisha’s facial expression in the mirror. Keisha burst out laughing. Delilah said, “Girl, I was about to hop out the chair. You weren’t going to touch me with that attitude.”
Keisha swiveled the chair around. “You know I was just playing with you. But seriously though, if you want to get your mail, don’t piss your mailman off.”
They both laughed. Keisha had just applied the holding spray when Delilah’s phone rang. One of Yolanda Adams’ songs played as the ring tone. Delilah picked up the call right before it went to voice mail.
“It’s about time you answered your phone. I’ve left several messages,” Luther, the guy she met at Samson and Julia’s wedding reception, said.
“Apparently, I haven’t felt like talking,” Delilah responded.
Keisha stood to the side with her hands on her hip.
“Look, I’m getting my hair done. I’ll call you back later.” Delilah hit the end button on her phone and placed it back in her purse.
“Who was that?” Keisha asked as soon as Delilah got off the phone.
“Nobody important. Just a bugaboo.”
Keisha fixed a few stray strands on Delilah’s head. “Anyway, back to you-know-who. If that man ever found out you were setting him up, do you think he would have anything to do with you?”
“I can handle my man,” Delilah said, deluding herself. Delilah hoped Samson never found out her original mission for befriending him. She didn’t want to give him a reason to cut all ties with her. She was not prepared to live without Samson in her life, even if his only role was as her pastor.
Chapter 30
Regis waved his hand in the air to get Samson’s attention. Samson walked past several tables in the country club restaurant before reaching his dad’s table. “Glad you could make it, son,” Regis said as Samson took a seat.
“I only came here today because you bribed me with breakfast.” Samson smiled.
“I learned that trick from your mama. Fill a man up and he’s liable to be open to hear whatever you have to say is her way of thinking.”
Samson eyed the food on the buffet. “Dad, I promise to listen to whatever you have to say after I fill my empty stomach.”
Fifteen minutes later, Samson and Regis were each enjoying a full plate of breakfast. A waiter placed a pitcher of orange juice on their table. Regis said, “Your mother shared with me last night some personal things about you and Julia.”
Samson held his hand up. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Look, I’m not here to ridicule you. I’m here to help.”
Samson couldn’t believe Julia’s lack of secrecy had him discussing with his dad what should have been private between the two of them. He had never been so embarrassed. “Let’s pretend like you never brought it up,” Samson said as he took a bite out of his toast.
“Son, I don’t have to tell you that I was surprised when your mother told me.”
Samson didn’t have a problem having sex. He just had a problem having it with Julia. The guilt of sleeping with Delilah before they were married marred their relationship. Samson wanted to confess to someone. Maybe releasing some of the burden would help improve things between him and Julia.
“Dad, before Julia and I married, I slept with someone. There I said it.” Samson held his head down.
“Are you still sleeping with the woman?”
“No, I’m not. I swear on two stacks of Bibles.” Regis had Samson feeling like a teenage boy being chastised by his father.
“Now, son, you can lie to me. You can lie to your mom and your wife. But you can’t lie to God.”
“I’ve been tempted, but no. I’m no longer sleeping with the woman.”
“I don’t have to tell you how important your wedding vows are, do I? You vowed before God to honor, cherish, and be faithful to her.”
Samson felt at this point he had nothing to lose. Since his dad wanted to be blunt about things, Samson asked him a question that had been lingering in his mind. “Have you ever cheated on Mom?”
Regis placed his fork down. “My relationship with your mom has nothing to do with your situation, so don’t go trying to change the subject.”
“Julia and I will be fine. She needs to keep everybody out of our business, but otherwise we’ll be all right.”
“I saw how Delilah was looking at you at church Sunday. Don’t let that woman mess up everything you’ve tried to build.”
Samson wouldn’t disagree with him. Delilah was a handful, but manageable. As long as he counseled her, he could keep her under control. She was beginning to open up to him more and more, and that would help him determine his next move. Samson’s mission for the church and his wife would not be destroyed; he would protect it at all costs.
“Marriage is sacred. Please don’t allow anyone, and specifically Delilah, to destroy it,” Regis said.
Samson was disappointed that his father didn’t have faith in him. But on another note, Samson insisted on getting an answer to his original question. “Dad, I know it’s really none of my business, but I need to know if you ever stepped out on Mom.”
“The answer to your question is no. Was I tempted? Many times. More than I can count.”
“How did you get past the temptation?” Samson asked.
“Prayer, meditation, and not allowing myself to be alone with a woman I knew would cause me to sin.”
“But there are times, as pastor, that you have to counsel people. You can’t always be in control of every situation.”
“Son, you’re always in control of your actions.” Regis refilled his orange juice.
“So did Mom ever know of these women?”
Regis laughed. “Now you know I can never get anything past that woman. She knew a woman’s intention before I did. One way we stopped some of the madness was if a woman needed counseling, Kelly would be the one they spoke with or one of the other ministers’ wives.”
“I can see that happening with Julia later, but right now I think it’s too early on in our marriage for her to be taking on that role,” Samson said. The truth was, until things were right in their household, it was best that Samson and Julia kept their work lives separately.
“The Lord has led me to share this with you.” Regis had a solemn look on his face. “Samson, you have been obedient most of the days of your life. You’ve come too far to allow the world to seep into your life and destroy all that has been built.”
“Dad, it’s not even that serious. The problem with Julia and me, it’s temporary. It’ll get handled.”
Regis ignored him and continued to say, “You may feel that you’re untouchable because of the special relationship you have with the Lord, but be warned. The enemy knows your weakness and will feed it. Stay focused on God’s agenda. Don’t succumb to the ways of the world.”
Samson stayed in a solemn mood the rest of the time with his dad. He wasn’t upset with him, but Samson felt like his father was judging him. His dad was one of God’s messengers, so was it possible he was relaying a message from God? If so, Samson had decisions to make, decisions that could affect his walk with the Lord.
Chapter 31
Delilah sat in her car and contemplated whether to stay or leave the restaurant parking lot. She should have never agreed to meet Luther for lunch when he called earlier. He caught her at a vulnerable moment. She wasn’t getting the attention she desired from Samson, so she agreed to meet Luther to give her ego a much-needed boost.
Delilah glanced at the clock on the dashboard. If Luther was already inside the restaurant, he could wait a few more minutes; Delilah was in no rush. She called Keisha but got no answer, so she left a voice message. “Keisha, please call me back. I need your advice about something.”
&nbs
p; She threw her cell phone in her purse and exited the car. Her long, curly hair bounced when she walked. She walked inside feeling confident. Men and women took notice as she strode past tables as if she owned the world.
“Glad you made it,” Luther said. He stood up and pulled out her chair.
A gentleman, Delilah noted. She didn’t expect that. “You’ve been blowing up my phone since the reception, so the least I could do was bless you with my presence.”
Luther laughed. “You’re more beautiful today than you were the day we met.”
“Compliments might get you somewhere,” Delilah said.
They chatted over lunch. “So what is a woman like you doing single?” Luther asked.
“I keep running into men like you.” Delilah took a sip of her drink.
“So my brother-in-law tells me you have the hots for your pastor.”
Delilah almost spit out her drink. “Calvin needs to mind his own business.”
“Well, do you? You wouldn’t be the first to be enticed with the man of God.”
“In case you forgot, my pastor is now a married man.”
“Maybe you need to remind yourself of that fact more than me.” Luther winked his eye and continued to eat.
Delilah enjoyed the meal, but Luther was a little too cocky for her. He thought he had her pegged, but he was wrong. Yes, she was attracted to Samson, but her feelings ran deeper than anything physical. Men like Luther wouldn’t understand.
He spent the rest of the lunch talking about himself, himself, and his favorite subject, himself. Delilah originally planned on spending more time with Luther, but after lunch, he could lose her number for all she cared.
“Look, lunch was good, but I have a few appointments this evening, so I’m out of here.” Delilah picked up her purse.
“What about your half of lunch?” Luther asked.
Delilah looked down at her plate that still had half of her meal on it. “I’m full. If you want it, you can have it.”
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