“I thought you dropped out.” Dorothy frowned.
“Well, you thought wrong.” Delilah found an available seat and sat down around the table with the rest of the women.
“Humph,” Delilah heard someone say.
Delilah ignored her and retrieved her notepad and pen from her purse.
“Ladies, we only have an hour, so let’s get straight to business,” Michelle said.
Dorothy stopped rolling her eyes at Delilah and looked back at her notes. “As we all know, the pastor’s anniversary is coming up, and unfortunately a few people can’t participate in the program because of other commitments.” Dorothy read off what roles were still needed to complete the program.
Delilah raised her hand along with the other women. Each was called on. Delilah was ignored. Delilah raised her hand again. No one else did. Dorothy had no choice but to acknowledge her. “I would like to recommend Keisha Green to do one of the solos. She’s a great soloist. If you’ve ever been to First Baptist, then you’ve heard her sing.”
Some of the ladies knew of Keisha and added, “She brings the Spirit with her. Not only can she sing, she can play the piano too.”
Dorothy asked, “How do you know this Keisha?”
Delilah contemplated whether to reveal their friendship or keep it a secret. Since the other ladies could vouch for Keisha, she was proud to say, “She’s one of my friends.”
Marie said, “I say why not see if Keisha can do it. I mean, we did need one more soloist, and she is good.”
To Dorothy’s dismay, they voted to ask Keisha to perform a solo.
Delilah left and went into the hallway to call Keisha. “Guess what? I got you on to sing a solo at our pastor’s anniversary program. Please tell me you can do it.”
“When is it? Because I’m supposed to sing at this church down in Grand Cane in June on the second Sunday.”
“It’ll be the following week,” Delilah assured her.
“I’ll do it,” Keisha responded.
Delighted, Delilah said, “Thank you, girl. I owe you one.”
“And I will be collecting.”
Delilah caught the tail end of Dorothy’s speech when she re-entered the room. “Since nobody else is going to say it, I will. In light of how Delilah treats the first lady, I don’t think she should be a part of Pastor’s Aide.”
Delilah looked Dorothy in the eyes. “I’m not resigning from the Pastor’s Aide committee, so you might as well get used to it.”
Dorothy said, “We all know you don’t like First Lady Julia, so why do you want to be on the committee responsible for celebrating our pastor and his wife?”
“Has anyone in here ever heard me say that I disliked our first lady?” Delilah scanned the room. No one responded. Some dropped their heads. “Exactly. So please don’t speculate. Now, we have less than an hour before Bible Study starts, so if we want our meeting to be over by then, I suggest we get back to it.”
Delilah walked back to the table and took a seat. Dorothy looked annoyed, but didn’t say anything else concerning Julia. The meeting continued until it was time to adjourn for Wednesday night Bible Study.
Chapter 38
Julia surprised Samson by bringing him dinner. “I knew today was one of your long days, so I wanted to bring you some food.”
Julia was now acting like the woman he knew before he got married. “Thank you, baby,” Samson said.
“I’m going out there to talk to Elaine for a minute, so eat up.”
Samson watched Julia walk out of his office. His entire day up until this point had been rough. He couldn’t concentrate because he kept remembering his actions the night before. He had been so busy putting out little fires, he didn’t have time to meditate. Julia stopping by early with dinner was the only bright spot of his day.
“Elaine said it was okay to come in,” Michael said, peeking his head in the door.
“I was just eating this good food my wife brought me. Have a seat.”
“Oh, I’m not staying long. Just wanted to let you know that I am leaving early. My wife’s sister got admitted to the hospital, and I didn’t want her driving herself to the hospital.”
“Oh no, is there anything I can do?” Samson asked.
“Just pray for her, please.”
“Call me later and give me an update.” Samson stared at the doorway after Michael left his office.
Thirty minutes later, Samson and Julia entered the sanctuary to start Bible Study. The pews were not filled, but there was a big crowd for a Wednesday night. After one of the deacons led the congregation in prayer, Samson stood up to start teaching. “Tonight we’re going to be talking about ‘A Thorn in the Flesh.’”
Samson scanned the room. His eyes locked with Delilah’s. She was seated on the third row to his right. She smiled. He didn’t. He dropped his head and looked at his Bible. “Turn your Bibles to Second Corinthians, twelfth chapter. Is Paul talking about a physical ailment or is he talking about a stronghold? Let’s discuss.”
Samson took questions from members of the congregation during his lecture. “I hope our discussion tonight will help you on your daily walk with the Lord. Remember, you can’t do it by yourself. You must put on the full armor of God each and every day. Let us pray.”
When Bible Study ended, members of the congregation crowded around Samson. Delilah walked in his direction. Samson turned his back to her, hoping she would go the other way. He felt a tap on his shoulder. Samson took a deep breath ready to face Delilah. “Give me one minute,” he said without looking over his shoulder.
“Oh, I just wanted to tell you I’ll meet you at home,” Julia said.
Samson, relieved, responded, “If you’ll wait, I’ll follow you.”
“There’s no need to,” Julia assured him.
Julia and Samson hugged. With opened eyes, Samson saw Delilah standing near the front door. Their eyes met once again. She turned and walked out. Julia was the first to push away. “Wow. You act like I’m going away for a long time. I’ll see you at home, okay?”
“I love you so much,” Samson responded.
“I love you too. See you later.” Julia walked away.
Samson remained behind to talk to some of the church members. An hour later, Samson pulled up in front of his house. The lights were off, and soft music greeted him as he made his way up the stairs. A floral fragrance filled the air in the candlelit room. He could hear the shower running, so he assumed Julia was in the shower.
Knowing Julia would expect another attempt tonight, Samson opened up his briefcase and removed a Viagra pill from the bottle and hid the container back in his briefcase. Samson headed to one of the other bathrooms to freshen up. He popped the pill in his mouth and prayed it worked. Julia was still in the bathroom when he entered the bedroom. He lay across the bed and waited for her. If he could sleep with Julia, it would erase the image of Delilah in his head.
Julia, a vision of loveliness, seemed to be gliding to the bed. “I see you made it.” Her words purred with each enunciation.
“The only person missing from the party is you.”
“Let’s get this party started.”
Samson and Julia kissed. The pill hadn’t kicked in, but Samson was determined to make something happen tonight. He would not disappoint Julia again. Delilah’s naked body popped in his head. He shook his head several times, attempting to make those images disappear. They wouldn’t. Julia increased the intensity of her kiss. Samson’s body responded; he couldn’t honestly tell if it was due to Julia, the pill, or images of Delilah.
Regardless, the time they both had been waiting for was at hand. He whispered in Julia’s ear, “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Julia answered, not trying to mask her excitement.
Their union was more than Samson could have imagined. Samson erased any thoughts of Delilah. For the first time he and his wife were together, he finally knew what it meant to make love. If he were writing a book, he would describe it as a miraculous, e
arth-shattering union of two souls.
Samson smiled as he saw the satisfied look on the face of his now-sleeping wife. “Thank you, Lord,” he said before drifting into a sound sleep.
Chapter 39
“Just my luck.” Delilah turned her back toward the oncoming car as she pumped gas into her car.
“Oh, you can’t answer a brother’s calls now?” Luther yelled out his car window.
“We have nothing to discuss,” Delilah said, wishing the gas would flow into her car faster.
“You wrong for leaving me with the bill.”
Delilah laughed as she continued to pump her gas. “Man, you need to get over yourself and move on.”
“My sister tried to warn me about you, but I wouldn’t listen.”
Delilah placed the pump back on the lever and retrieved her receipt. She walked closer to Luther’s car and said, “Don’t get mad because the player got played. Find yourself another victim because I’m not the one.”
“You better be glad you look good or else I would have to regulate.”
“I have two best friends, Smith and Wesson, and they won’t let anyone bother me.”
“Ooh, you’re a bad woman.”
“No, I’m a player squasher, and I suggest you remember that before you step to me again.” Delilah twisted as she walked away and got in her car.
Delilah heard Luther call her everything but a child of God. She didn’t care. She peeped Luther’s game the moment she met him. He was a user, and she wasn’t the one. He could find another victim because she was not going to be played with.
“Fooling around with him is about to make me late,” Delilah said as she rushed to make her Thursday session with Samson.
Elaine wasn’t at her desk when Delilah entered the office, so she walked right in. The back of Samson’s chair was facing the window. “Sorry, I’m late. I got caught up in traffic on West Seventieth Street,” Delilah said as she placed her keys on top of the desk.
The chair swiveled around. “Samson had another appointment, so he asked me to step in his place.” Michael stared at her.
The smile on Delilah’s face changed to a frown. She had not planned on talking to the associate minister. “I don’t think I should be talking to you about my problems.”
He tapped his pen on the desk. “You can just reschedule then because I’m all you’ve got.” Michael flashed his pearly white teeth.
One thing about Peaceful Rest, the ministers were above-average-looking men. Michael, however, was not Delilah’s type. He was too smug in her opinion. She didn’t appreciate the judgmental tone he seemed to use whenever they held a conversation. It would be a cold day in hell before she revealed anything of her past to the likes of him.
“Tell Samson, I mean Pastor Judges, I’ll call him to reschedule,” Delilah said.
“Whatever suits you,” Michael said. He dismissed her without saying a word. He looked down at a book and never looked back up.
Delilah left the room disappointed she wouldn’t be seeing Samson. She had been looking forward to their visit all day. She didn’t realize she’d left her keys on Samson’s desk until she got outside.
She rushed back inside. Delilah heard voices when she got near Samson’s office. She stopped outside the door.
“Thanks for covering for me, man,” she heard Samson say.
Michael responded, “She didn’t seem too thrilled, but at least for now you don’t have to worry about her.”
Delilah was pissed. Samson had deliberately avoided her. He could have called to cancel, and she would have saved her time and energy. She took steps toward the office until she heard Julia’s name.
“Only a woman could put a smile like that on your face,” Michael said.
“Yes, Julia, man. I didn’t know it could be that good being married.”
“That’s good to hear. I was worried about you for a minute. You seemed so tense.”
“It’s been an adjustment, but believe me, Julia and I are adjusting just fine.”
“That’s good to hear. We don’t want y’all to be a statistic. We’re relationship-builders, not destroyers.”
Samson agreed. “I like that. You should talk about that at our next conference.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Let me get to my wife before she has a fit. Her car’s not working, and if I’m late picking her up from work, I’ll have to hear it all night.”
“Well, you better go. We can’t have that.”
Delilah slipped out of the room and into one of the other offices. She peered around the corner and caught the sight of Michael’s back as he walked down the hallway. She ran back to Samson’s office. Elaine was still nowhere around. She walked in his office and slammed the door.
“Samson, we have a problem,” Delilah said.
Samson stuttered, “I thought you were gone.”
Delilah walked to where he sat. “I bet you did.”
“What are you doing?”
Delilah sat on his desk and hiked her skirt up. “I don’t like what I heard. So you and Ms. Prim and Proper are finally adjusting, huh?”
Samson pushed her leg out of the way. “What goes on between me and my wife is our business?”
“Aren’t you curious about how I know you two are having problems in the bedroom?”
“Delilah, I’m warning you.”
She leaned down. “Because, Samson, I saw the bottle of Viagra. You’re only thirty and never—and I repeat, never—had a problem getting it up for me.” Delilah leaned back and laughed. “So did you sleep with her to try to forget about me?”
“She’s my wife, and I will not have you disrespect her anymore.”
“You weren’t concerned about your wife when you were lying in my bed.”
Delilah’s body shook from anger.
“What we did should have never happened. It was a mistake.”
Delilah picked up the first thing she could and threw it at him. Samson ducked. “I can’t believe you. You took advantage of my weakness, and now you’re saying it’s a mistake.”
“Delilah, calm down.”
“I see why some women snap now—because of men like you.”
“What’s going on here?” Elaine asked with one hand still on the doorknob.
“Ask him,” Delilah said, as she whisked out the door.
Elaine shut the door behind Delilah and stood in front of Samson’s desk with both arms folded. “I’ve sat back and watched that woman prance in and out of this office.”
Samson held his hand up in protest. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what, Pastor? Have you forgotten you’re not only a pastor but a married man? Delilah’s up to no good, and you’re too blind to see it.”
“You mind your business and let me take care of mine.” Samson hit his fist on his desk.
“Julia will be hearing about this.”
Samson needed to do some damage control. Elaine had gotten beside herself. He stood up. “What goes on in our office is confidential, and if I hear about you telling my wife anything about Delilah or any other person—male or female—who needs counseling, you can hand in your resignation because you will be let go.”
Elaine gasped. “I can’t believe you’re threatening to fire me.”
Samson sat back down. “Look, I know you don’t like Delilah, but that’s something you’ll have to ask the Lord to help you with. She can rub folks the wrong way, and as you heard she was rubbing me the wrong way.”
“Samson—and yes I called you by your first name because you’re not acting like a man of God right now. Delilah is going to be the death of you if you don’t watch it.”
“I got everything under control.”
“It doesn’t look like it to me.”
“Elaine, we’ve known each other a long time. I love having you work for me, but I mean it—if I ever hear about anything that goes on in this office from Julia or anyone else, you can look for a new job.”
“You’re the boss.” Elaine saluted hi
m.
“It’s not even like that. Every time you mention Delilah to Julia, I have to listen to her whine. My house is a happy home right now, and I don’t need anyone from the outside trying to ruin it.”
“Then I suggest you keep Delilah out of your personal space.”
Samson couldn’t win when it came to Elaine. “When—or if—she decides to reschedule her appointment, you will be cordial to her. Understood?” Samson couldn’t let on that he and Delilah had something more personal going on.
“Whatever you say. I’m out for the day.”
Samson hated to be harsh with Elaine, but he had to ensure she kept her mouth shut. He wasn’t sure how much she’d overheard. He could not risk her calling Julia about his and Delilah’s verbal altercation. Things at home were finally looking up, and he’d meant what he’d said—he would not let anyone destroy it.
Chapter 40
Now that Elaine was out of his office, Samson had another problem to deal with—Delilah. She flew out of there before they could iron out their differences. Samson thought of a quote by the poet and playwright William Congreve: “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned. Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”
He turned off his computer and grabbed his briefcase. The phone rang as he exited the door. He debated whether to answer it or let it go. He opted to answer. He needed to redeem himself. It could be someone in need. Julia’s voice rang from the other end of the phone. “Where are you?” she asked.
“I’m on my way home now,” he snapped. He didn’t mean to snap, but it came out that way before he could catch himself.
His call with Julia ended, and he left his office. On the way home, he stopped at an area grocery store and purchased a floral bouquet. Julia was in the den watching television when he got home. “Hi, sweetheart. Sorry about what happened earlier.” Samson handed her the bouquet of flowers.
“These are beautiful.” She greeted him with a kiss. “Thank you.”
“I was thinking, why don’t you put the food up you cooked today and we go out tonight for dinner instead?”
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