My Time in the Sun

by Naleighna Kai

  “I’m not leaving until Kari’s mother says it’s all right for me to leave her here with you. Alone.”

  “This is none of your business,” he countered, still keeping his gaze on Ms. Mason.

  “Any man worth his salt would make it his business.”

  “She did all right for herself,” Ms. Mason said in a breathy whisper, glancing at the photo in her hand, then back to Tony as though her husband wasn’t losing a little of his mind. She closed her eyes, but the regret that had flashed in them wasn’t hard to place. “All these years, I let you and that judgmental church of yours rule my entire life.”

  “We go by the Bible,” he said, but the conviction in his tone was a lot less forceful than it had been when he first laid claim to be such a God-fearing family and claiming his daughter was a heathen. “She wouldn’t heed God’s word.”

  “God wouldn’t sanction some of that mess you all let on,” she ground out, then she bypassed the corner of the sofa and went directly onto a cushion. “I’ve alienated my entire family to let you and that minister of yours dominate my whole life.” She waited a few beats. “I noticed only the women are judged so harshly. The men get a pass as long as they come before the church and repent. Women are excommunicated before we can even wrap our lips around the words ‘I have sinned’.” She unwound her limbs and got to her feet. “What kind of message does that send? That we are never forgiven? That we are worthless?”

  Mr. Mason swallowed hard, shifted a quick gaze to Tony, then back to his wife. “We’ll continue this discussion after he leaves.”

  Tony didn’t make a move. He kept his focus on Kari’s mother who seemed as though she’d grown a few feet taller in the short time he’d been there. “Ms. Mason, I’d really like it if you would come to hear Kari.” He gestured to the items she held, and she rifled through the photos until she came to a glossy promo card detailing the upcoming event where Kari planned to share her story with the world.

  “A man is supposed to do everything in his power to make his wife happy,” Tony said, moving so he was close enough to place his hand over hers. “Seeing you again would do that. There’s a hole in her heart only you can fill.”

  Ms. Mason inhaled, letting her breath out slowly before she gave him a resigned smile.

  “If you leave this house to go to that girl, don’t come back to me,” Mr. Mason warned, his tone as dark and forbidding as the scowl on his face. Two pairs of eyes snapped to Mr. Mason who added, “You will have nothing.”

  Tony tightened his hold on her hand and said, “You know, I wasn’t going to say this—”

  “Then don’t.” Mr. Mason folded his arms over his broad chest, frowning at the physical contact Tony had made with his wife.

  “But it’s easy for you to ask her to give up her daughter and expect the stepchildren to fill the void,” Tony finished.

  Mrs. Mason’s face went red.

  Mr. Mason’s turned a ghostly shade of white; which was amazing seeing that his coloring was closer to Tony’s than it was to his wife’s.

  Tony had never witnessed anything like it.

  “Stepchildren?” she ventured with a sad shake of her head. “We don’t have any stepchildren. Kari is the only child we have. Either of us.”

  Tony’s gaze slowly shifted to Mr. Mason and held that man’s anxiety-filled gaze for a few moments. He pursed his lips, itching to correct the woman with the information he found out when he’d hired a private investigator to track Kari’s parents. The search took a lot longer than anticipated with what little information Tony had gleaned from his wife over the years.

  “Let me explain … ” Mr. Mason began and his voice was shaky, almost fearful.

  Those three words condemned the man more than Tony’s silence ever could.

  “You knew I didn’t know,” Mrs. Mason said to Tony.

  “The fact that there are no pictures of children of any kind around this place told its own story,” Tony admitted.

  “So, you don’t mind hurting me to make your point,” she replied.

  Only a twinge of guilt entered Tony’s heart at those words, “No, ma’am. I wasn’t trying to hurt you in any way. Just giving you a little ammunition so you don’t walk away with … nothing.”

  Understanding dawned in those dark-brown orbs and after several moments, she smiled. “You really love her.”

  “With my whole heart.”

  She reclaimed her seat, crossed one skirt-clad leg over the other. “You hear that, dear? This man loves our daughter so much he’s willing to hang his hat on the fact that I’d be the person who would have enough common sense to know how much of a blessing this is.” Her smile vanished as fast as it appeared. “I have some decisions to make. I’m going to need you to leave.”

  “I understand,” Tony said with a nod but threw a glance at Mr. Mason. “But I’m going to need him to say it’s safe for me to leave him here with you.”

  Mr. Mason’s expression went dark and he laughed as he replied, “I’m not afraid of her.”

  His wife’s neck snapped around to him so fast it was like it was attached to a mannequin instead of a flesh-and-blood woman. Her eyes were filled with a kind of anger that was years in the making. Only then did a flash of fear enter in her husband’s eyes.

  “So, you just happen to have all that information about me?” Mr. Mason asked Tony.

  “I made it my business to understand exactly what I’m dealing with,” Tony replied, unmoved by the man’s harsh tone. “If you hadn’t been so bull-headed about your wife seeing her daughter, there wouldn’t have been any reason to mention anything. I’d rather that both of you see my wife, but since that’s not looking too good, your wife is right. I had my bets on her mother.”

  “And you’re supposed to be a pastor?” he snarled, fists balled at his side. “A man of God wouldn’t stoop to what you’re doing today.”

  “I came here as my wife’s husband,” Tony countered. “I wasn’t always a pastor.”

  Tony gave one last look at Ms. Mason who might be enjoying a little rebellion right now, but if she’d been under this man’s thumb all these years, there was no telling if she’d actually follow through with being strong enough to defy him.

  Mr. Mason’s solemn expression and the fact that his gaze was shifting, landing on everything but the other two people in the room, meant he was already hooking up his next set of explanations.

  With an affirming nod from Ms. Mason, Tony didn’t wait around to hear them.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Nice of you to join us,” Terrence said, not bothering to hide his sarcasm as Tony moseyed up the center aisle.

  Tony didn’t miss the fact that the newly self-appointed pastor wore a custom-tailored pinstriped suit that reeked of money. A fresh haircut and goatee trim tightened up the look he was going for—prosperous preacher man.

  “Do you have what we asked for?” Terrence asked.

  Tony gestured to the boxes each of his advisors held. He gave Aridell a warning look, a pointed reminder about their conversation in the parking lot for her to remain silent. She complied, but the flash of defiance in her dark-brown eyes said she wasn’t happy. But it was Kari who spoke to the congregation. “These boxes contain flash drives, and each contains an individual member’s records from this church. Each person will get his or her own records tonight. We only ask that you sign one of these releases, verifying that you’ve received them. Once you get your records, if you choose to give them to someone else, that is certainly your right.”

  “That’s not how it works,” Terrence yelled, rushing forward to block them. “That’s not what the agreement was.”

  “I didn’t agree to anything with you,” Tony replied, turning a hard gaze on the man. “You sent the police to retrieve them, I sent back a message that I’d release them on Sunday. I didn’t say who I’d release them to.” He lifted up a single drive with Terrence’s name written in silver marker and slapped it into his clammy palm. “All the officia
l church records, minutes, and finances are on this one. Everyone else will get a drive containing a record of their contributions, and notes from any counseling I may have done with them. They can do with it what they will and can see that everything was above board.”

  Some nodded, others verbally consented. None of it sat well with Terrence.

  “I need to know exactly how much each member’s supposed to be paying in tithes,” Terrence protested. “Ten percent off the top before taxes, along with some for the pastor’s fund and building fund, too.”

  Murmurs of discontent ripped through the church. Only the board and deacons seemed unbothered.

  This was only a taste of what would come. Ministers like Terrence were not waiting for their cut any longer. Some even withheld help from members if their tithes weren’t current.

  “Well, that’s well and fine,” Tony said, gesturing for Kari and his advisors to span out in front of the area leading to the pulpit. Each one held a sign that showed a range of letter from the alphabet.

  Kari perched on the edge of the front pew, and gave a batch of papers and pens to the choir members who spread out over the rows behind her. “Take one and pass it back.” She walked over to the other side and gave a stack to Sister Margaret, who slid one off the top, then passed the rest to the next person.

  Kari said to everyone, “Please come and stand in front of the person who has the card that identifies the first letter of your last name.”

  “You can’t just come in here and do this,” Brother Phillip growled, his bald head gleaming under the church lights. “Give them to us, and we’ll give them to the members—”

  “After we’ve made the copies we need for our files,” Brother Samuel added, holding up an index finger.

  “No,” Sister Tracey said, shaking her head as she maneuvered around him to get in line. “I don’t want y’all to have my information. I think Pastor Baltimore’s way is best.”

  Several people agreed with her and soon the majority of the congregation was voicing their thoughts on the matter.

  The first few people finished their forms, handed them to one of the advisors at the front of the church and accepted their flash drives, pocketing them and walking right past Terrence.

  “How do we know that he doesn’t have copies himself?” Brother Lawrence, one of the board members asked, though his dentures had a hard time keeping up with his lips and words.

  “All my backups on the computer and in the cloud were erased the moment we pulled these off,” Tony shot back. “I’m starting my ministry from square one and building from there. I don’t need these records. You do.”

  “You needed to be gone. First you were going to make us targets for the gangs. Then you were aiming to turn this church into a social center,” Terrence taunted, his gaze narrowed on the people in line as though making a mental note of the names.

  “Why shouldn’t it be?” Tony asked. “There was a time when everything centered around the church. There was something for everyone, almost every night of the week. Maybe it should be that way again.”

  “Bid whist for couples?” Terrence scoffed with a dismissive wave. “Stepping lessons for singles?”

  “If people want to live a little, have some fun, why can’t the church provide a clean, safe environment for them to do so?” Tony countered, gazing at Kari before looking back at Terrence, who frowned at the lines of people getting their flash drives and still managing to step by him without brushing too close.

  “I’m not going to be the kind of minister who’s stuck in the old ways,” Tony continued, leaning in to draw up the white covering from the communion table and shuddering at the fermented grape juice and stale crackers underneath. “This has been here all week? Nobody thought to … never mind.” He allowed the sheet to slip out of his fingers and float back into place.

  Terrence glowered angrily at his wife, flicking his hand so she hurried forward to remove the silver trays.

  “I’m not focusing on doctrine religion,” Tony continued, causing a few heads to turn his way as they waited for their drives. “Jesus ticked folks off because he didn’t do that either. He focused on the needs of the people and that’s what brought them to God. I don’t get caught up in that whole letter of the Biblical law thing—that was a Pharisee thing. I’m more about being in the Spirit of God. That’s a Jesus thing. That dude right there, was radical.”

  Tony moved up the aisle, all eyes on him. “There’s a church on every street in Chicago, sometimes three on one block. Yet there’s more crime, teen pregnancy, divorces, and poverty than ever. We can’t expect the government to take care of these problems. We have to do it for ourselves. And with God watching over us, that’s exactly what we,”—he gestured to his people—“are going to do.” He turned to face Terrence once again. “We have to believe in a God that’s more powerful than what’s out there in the streets. Either you believe and bring all you’ve got, or stay on the sidelines and out of our way.”

  “Sidelines sound about right,” Deacon John grumbled, and the few people nearest him gave him the side-eye. He quickly shifted a few feet toward Terrence.

  “Do you realize there’s more people outside of church than in?” Tony said, incensed at the man’s callous disregard for what was happening in today’s world. “People are so holy up in here, so self-righteous and judgmental, the un-churched would rather take their chances with the other side. Not because they don’t want to believe in God, but because they don’t want to walk through your brand of fire and brimstone in here to get to Him. We should feel some kind of way about that.”

  Minutes had passed and Terrence realized that none of those drives were coming in his direction. He didn’t bother to respond to Tony. Instead, he let loose with a rant that would have caused a few more commandments on Moses’ tablets. In the end, only the board, the deacons, and the majority of the Henderson family handed him their flash drives.

  All except one.

  Tee gave him a slow smile when he glared at her. “Well, here’s one thing I can keep closed,” she said, curling her hand around the flash drive.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Tee stood in the center of the aisle and shocked everyone by changing course and securely placing her flash drive in Tony’s hand.

  “What?!!” Terrence shrieked, nearly having a conniption, shaking body and all. “You’re breaking rank like that?”

  “Enough,” Tee said, pivoting to face him. “People are seeing you for exactly who you are. You’re not going to get everything you want. Deal with it.”

  Nearly everyone who was related to Terrence came forward, but it was Cathy who said, “You don’t go against family.”

  “You do when they’re wrong,” Tee shot back, and her voice was strong and sure. “Auntie Aridell taught me that. She’s teaching me a lot of things. Things I should’ve learned from you. Things my mother should’ve told me.”

  Cathy glowered at Aridell. “You’re trying to take my child from me,” she said through her teeth, causing Leesa to take a few steps forward and flank the right side.

  “That child is a grown woman,” Aridell snapped back, all eyes shifting between the two women in the center of the aisle. “And yes, you would be angry because you can’t use her no more.”

  “Uh oh, here we go again,” said a weave-wearing woman sitting near the front pew. “Can’t you people air your dirty laundry somewhere else?”

  “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Cathy snapped, ignoring the woman and also Terrence’s gestures for her to shut it down.

  “You’ve already dragged my name and social security number through the dirt,” Tee confessed. “What else do you want from me?”

  “I did—I did no such—” Cathy shot a look to Tee, whose eyebrow shot up.

  “You let money cloud your judgment and now she has to live with the consequences,” Aridell continued, planting herself so she blocked Cathy’s view of Tee, whose words had caused murmurs from people nearby.
“She didn’t deserve that. And if you can’t let her go so she can live her own life, that says more about you than it ever says about that man you let slither into her life. You sold out for money.”

  “I never sold her to anyone,” Cathy spat, covering her chest with a shaky hand. She swept a cautious look over the congregation that suddenly shifted with the uneasy tension and the weight of the accusations being levied.

  “That’s a load of bull—” Aridell clamped down on the rest before she let it slip from her lips, but Lord, did the word travel through her mind.

  “What d’you call taking money from the thirty-year-old man who was sleeping with your twelve-year-old daughter,” Tee shrieked, tears streaming down her face.

  “I need some popcorn for all this madness,” a man in the back row said, causing his wife to nudge him into silence, and a few members of the congregation to admonish him.

  “What?” he asked, shrugging her off and glaring at them. “I’m just saying we need to sit a little closer to the front next Sunday and—”

  “I wasn’t going to put it out there like that, but since the door’s open,” Aridell thundered as tears pooled in her eyes. “None of y’all looked out for her. Y’all looked the other way because that man plopped down enough cash to make your life easy.”

  Not a single family member said anything to refute those words. How could they? What happened to Tee was the world’s worst kept secret. Everyone knew Aridell spoke the truth and it was the main reason Aridell had been on the outside of any family gatherings—always the last to know anything that mattered. She’d called the police to protect Tee and it didn’t end the way she had hoped.

  The family rallied around Cathy instead of insisting that Tee tell the truth about that grown man who was somehow “smitten” with a child who looked more like a nine year old than the twelve years she hit when she met him. The nurse, on the other hand, carried much more weight and couldn’t be bought off. Nor was the case, this time, given to a person within an agency that was overloaded and didn’t much care what happened to little Black girls. Tee was sent to live with another family member for a while and later Cathy completed some sort of parenting classes that facilited the little girl’s return home.