Delilah's Daughters

by Angela Benson

  Everything in its time. Was she making these decisions too difficult? Her father had always likened walking along God’s path to driving on the highway. There was the main roadway, the path God wanted us to follow, and on either side there were the shoulders, the sin that we should avoid at all costs. The key to following God was to stay on the road and off the shoulders. So what was the road and what were the shoulders in her life now? She sighed deeply.

  “What are you sighing about?” Tia asked. “I thought you were asleep.”

  “Just thinking,” Veronica said.

  “Well, don’t think too hard,” Tia told her. “This meeting with Mr. Washington is very important. The thing that needs to be foremost in your mind is how much you want the career that Legends is offering you.”

  Veronica sat up. “Why are you always questioning whether I want this? I want it,” she said, knowing her frustration sounded in her voice. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want it.”

  Dexter put a hand on her knee. “Calm down. Tia didn’t mean anything by her comments.”

  She pushed Dexter’s hand away. “Why do you have to speak for Tia? She’s sitting right here.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by it,” Tia said. “I’m only doing my job.”

  Veronica rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help it. “Then let’s make a deal. Unless you see me do or say something that specifically indicates that I don’t want to be here, let’s drop that question and any related ones. I’m here. I’m in the game. Case closed.”

  “Okay, diva,” Tia said. “Just don’t get to Myrtle Beach and start telling Mr. Washington what you will and will not do. You’ll find yourself back in Birmingham so quick you won’t even believe you were ever here.”

  Veronica took a deep breath. “I’m not an idiot, Tia, so you don’t have to repeat everything you tell me fifty times. I signed with Legends because I believed they could help me achieve the career I wanted. Why would I work against them now?”

  “That’s the question I keep asking,” Tia said.

  “Well, don’t ask it anymore,” Veronica said. “This is my career, not a redo of yours. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate your advice and the special insight you have because of what you’ve experienced, but you’re my personal assistant, not my boss. We need to get our boundaries clear.”

  “Tia’s only trying to help,” Dexter said.

  Veronica cut a glare at him. “Just once,” she said to her husband, “I wish you’d side with me instead of Tia.”

  Dexter was about to respond, but Tia started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Veronica asked.

  “It’s only been a week and you’ve officially turned into a diva.”

  Veronica had no idea what Tia was talking about, but if standing up for herself was being a diva, then she guessed she was a diva. She didn’t really care what Tia thought because the morning’s sermon had given her some clarity. God had put her on this road, and she would stay on it. She’d do what Legends wanted of her as long as it didn’t send her off the road and onto the shoulders.

  Chapter 31

  Since receiving the checks from Veronica in the mail the day before, Delilah couldn’t get her mind off her middle daughter. She’d started praying for Veronica during morning church service, and she was still praying for her now as she prepared dinner. She wanted the best for all her girls, so she would never agree with Veronica’s decision to sign with Legends, but she still loved her. Lord, keep her safe, physically and spiritually.

  As she pulled a pan of cornbread out of the oven, she heard the front door open and Alisha call out, “I’m home.”

  “I’m in the kitchen,” Delilah called back as she cut the cornbread into squares and placed the squares on a platter. “Welcome back,” she said to her youngest daughter when she entered the kitchen. “How was the conference?”

  “Fantastic,” Alisha said, kissing her mother’s cheek. “Hey, what are you cooking? It smells good in here.”

  Delilah slapped Alisha’s hand when she reached for a cornbread square.

  Alisha laughed. “I’m hungry, Momma, I’ve had a long day.” She picked up a cornbread square, broke it into two pieces, and popped one of the pieces into her mouth. “This is delicious,” she said. “It’s so warm. All I need is some butter.”

  “No, you don’t,” Delilah said. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. You’ll live until then.”

  Alisha leaned back and rested against the counter next to the sink. “If I faint from hunger, Momma, it’ll be your fault.”

  Delilah chuckled. The things Alisha came up with. “I’m sure you’ll live, sweetheart,” she said. “Now tell me about your conference.”

  “It was wonderful, Momma,” Alisha said. “I signed up for this mentor program, and you’ll never guess who chose me as his mentee. I couldn’t believe it myself. I still can’t believe it. You’ll never guess.”

  Delilah’s heart filled with joy at Alisha’s childlike excitement. After everything that had gone on with the contest and Veronica leaving, she realized how much her youngest child needed something for herself. She was disappointed in herself as a mother because she hadn’t recognized the need sooner. She rested a palm on her daughter’s cheek. “It’s good to see you so happy, Alisha.” Dropping her hand, she added, “Now tell me who your mentor is.”

  Alisha hopped up on the counter, shaking her head. “You’ll have to guess, but you’ll never guess.”

  Delilah laughed. “If I’ll never guess, why are you making me guess?” She went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl of potato salad, Alisha’s favorite. “Tell me,” Delilah said, “or I won’t feed you.”

  “I’ll fight you for that potato salad,” Alisha said, hopping down off the counter. She picked up a spoon. “I’ll tell you,” she said, “but I need a test taste to ready myself.”

  Laughing, Delilah pushed the bowl toward Alisha. “Tell me while you scoop.”

  Alisha dug her spoon into the bowl of potato salad. With a big scoop on her spoon, she closed her eyes. “Morgan Sampson chose to be my mentor.” Then she put the spoon in her mouth. After she swallowed, she opened her eyes. “Morgan Sampson chose me,” she repeated. “I still can’t believe it.”

  Delilah couldn’t believe it either. She didn’t want to believe it.

  “He said he saw Delilah’s Daughters on TV and thought we should have won,” Alisha continued. She proceeded to tell Delilah about her conversation with Mr. Sampson.

  Delilah busied herself with clearing the stove while she listened to Alisha’s excited chatter, relieved that no immediate feedback was required from her. She needed the time to compose herself. “It sounds like you’re happy with Mr. Sampson.”

  “Happy? Momma, happy doesn’t come close.” She stood and spread her arms. “I’m ecstatic. Morgan Sampson gave me his stamp of approval. He thinks I have what it takes to make it in this business. I still can’t believe it. I hope this is not a dream. If it is, I don’t want to wake up.”

  Alisha’s pure joy forced Delilah to put her concerns on hold. If meeting Morgan made Alisha this happy, then Delilah would be happy too. For now. She reached out and pinched her daughter’s cheek.

  “Ouch,” Alisha said, rubbing her cheek. “Why did you do that?”

  Delilah laughed. “So you’ll know what happened was not a dream.”

  Alisha laughed, and then she kissed her mother. “You’re the best, Momma. You really are. I love you so much. I’m so grateful for what you and Daddy did for us with Delilah’s Daughters and all. I’m so grateful for that contest even though we lost. If we hadn’t been on, Mr. Sampson probably wouldn’t have chosen me to mentor.”

  Delilah tried to keep a straight face. The contest might have played a role in Morgan’s decision to become Alisha’s mentor, but she was sure it wasn’t the most important factor. “Mr. Sampson knows talent when he sees it.”

  “That’s an understatement, given his track record. He’s worked with the biggest star
s in gospel music. And I told him all about our plans to rebrand Delilah’s Daughters with you as a member. He was all for that idea.”

  I’ll bet he was, Delilah thought with a tinge of sarcasm. “Will you help me get these serving bowls and trays to the dining room?” she said.

  “Will do.” Alisha picked up the bread platter and the potato salad bowl. “It’s just the two of us?”

  Delilah added ice to a pitcher of tea. “Roxanne was supposed to be here, but she accepted a schedule change, so now she won’t get in until Wednesday. She told me to tell you that she’s going to want the lowdown on the conference.”

  “I’ll give it to her,” Alisha said, heading out of the kitchen. “I hope she’ll be as encouraged as I am when she hears what Mr. Sampson had to say. We both have been due for some good news, and we’ve finally gotten some. You know, this may be crazy, but a part of me was hoping that Veronica would be here too. I’d like to share our good news with her.”

  Delilah walked into the dining room behind her daughter. “It’s not crazy,” she said. “You’ve been thinking about Veronica too?” When Alisha nodded, she said, “That makes two of us. The checks she promised to send arrived in the mail yesterday. She’s been on my mind since they came. I’ve been praying for her.”

  Alisha put the platter and bowl on the table. “I need the money, but I’m not sure how I feel about taking the check now. The meeting with Mr. Sampson opened my eyes and my heart in a lot of ways. I think I was unfair to Veronica. Maybe we all were.”

  “We all could have handled the situation differently, me included,” Delilah said.

  “I’m surprised you haven’t called her by now,” Alisha said.

  “Believe me, I’ve thought about it. In fact, I’ve picked up the phone a couple of times to do just that.”

  “Why haven’t you?”

  Delilah pulled out a dining room chair and took a seat. “It’s such a difficult situation for all of us,” she said. “I want to call and find out what she’s doing, but I’m not ready to give her the encouragement she needs to see her new commitment through. If I can’t encourage her, I’m only going to hurt her, and I don’t want to do that.”

  She said grace as soon as Alisha was seated in the chair across from her.

  “I called her during my layover in the Atlanta airport today,” Alisha said, popping another cornbread square into her mouth. “You know, when Veronica took the Legends contract and Magic City withdrew the other one, I was a bit lost. Now that I have some direction and feel positive about where my career is going, I can be happy for Veronica. I called to tell her that, and I wanted her to be happy about our plans for restarting Delilah’s Daughters. I miss her, Momma. I think I even miss Dexter.”

  Delilah spooned some potato salad onto her plate. “I understand, darling. What you’re feeling is only natural. How is Veronica doing?”

  Alisha shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t get to speak with her, so I left a message. She hasn’t called back, though. I’m not sure what that means. Maybe she’s still upset with us? What if those checks are her last communication with us?”

  “Don’t read so much into it. I’m sure she has a full schedule. She probably didn’t return your call because she’s busy.”

  “Too busy for family? That’s not very encouraging, especially since she seems to have time for clubbing.”

  “What are you talking about?” Delilah asked.

  Alisha dabbed at her mouth and then got up from the table. “Hold on a minute.” When she returned to the room, she had a newspaper in her hand. “Look what I picked up at the Atlanta airport during my layover.” She opened the Sunday edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to the front page of the entertainment section and held it out for Delilah to see.

  “That’s Veronica,” Delilah said, leaning close to get a good look at the picture of her daughter flanked by three handsome young men. The background suggested they were in a nightclub.

  “It’s her and the three Thompson brothers,” Alisha said.

  Delilah looked over at her youngest daughter. “Thompson brothers? Who are they?”

  Alisha sat back down. “Apparently, their family owns one of the largest real estate companies in the Southeast. They own a lot of commercial properties in cities like Atlanta and Charlotte, but they made a killing with the beachfront property they scooped up along the Atlantic coast.” She inclined her head toward the picture. “That picture was taken at a midtown Atlanta nightclub on Saturday night. Anything the brothers do is big news in Atlanta. This was a coup for Veronica and her handlers. Some people would kill for this kind of exposure. Read the caption.”

  “Real estate moguls welcome rising Legends superstar, Veronica Y, to the Atlanta club scene,” Delilah read. “Ms. Y might be familiar to Sing for America fans. She was one of three sisters comprising the second-place group, Delilah’s Daughters. Veronica Y seems to be flying solo these days.”

  “So, she’s not that busy,” Alisha said. “Maybe we should try calling her again?”

  Delilah studied her middle daughter’s face. She looked happy and safe, like she was thriving in her new world. “Let’s not push it. You’ve already called. She’ll call back when she’s ready.” She pushed the newspaper aside.

  “But—”

  “That picture tells us that she’s fine. We’ll have to accept that for now. Besides, that’s enough about Veronica for now. What else did Mr. Sampson say about the group?”

  Alisha shrugged. “That was about it. He did encourage us to get in the studio and get the demo done. Mr. Tommy will help us out with that, won’t he?”

  “He’ll welcome the chance to do it.”

  “Then you’ll set up a meeting with him?”

  Delilah already had plans to meet with Tommy. They had a lot to discuss. “I’m meeting with him first thing Monday morning. I’ll put the meeting on his schedule then.”

  “Great,” Alisha said. “We need to get started sooner rather than later. I’m free anytime, but it’ll have to be after Roxanne gets back. I think we all should be there.”

  Though Delilah had a mounting concern about Morgan’s involvement, she was happy to see her daughter’s excitement return. “That conference lit a fire under you, didn’t it?”

  Alisha nodded. “I don’t feel left out anymore,” she explained. “I feel I have purpose and possibilities ahead of me. When Legends chose Veronica and not me and Roxanne, I felt that we were lacking something. After speaking with Mr. Sampson, I realized that we were just not what Legends was looking for. It wasn’t about a lack in either of us. The group was not a good match for what Legends wanted to do. It was as simple as that.”

  “Exactly,” Delilah said. “That’s all I was trying to get you girls to see. Bigger doesn’t always mean better. Just because a door is open doesn’t mean you should go through it. Unfortunately, I failed to make Veronica realize that.”

  Alisha met her mom’s eyes. “Is it possible, Momma, that Veronica chose the path for her? Maybe it wasn’t the path for the three of us. Maybe God always meant for the three of us—you, me, and Roxanne—to sing together. If Veronica hadn’t left, you never would have agreed to join the group, and we wouldn’t be on this new path.”

  Chapter 32

  Veronica couldn’t muster very much excitement at the tour Tia was giving her and Dexter of Charles Washington’s Myrtle Beach estate. The A&R rep’s flight had been delayed in Chicago due to weather, so the three of them had eaten and were now exploring the grounds of the estate. At least, that’s what they were supposed to be doing, but all Veronica could think about was her sisters and her mom. That sermon had only made her miss them more.

  Dexter nudged her in the side. “Earth to Veronica,” he said.

  “Stop nudging me,” she snapped.

  Tia propped her hands on her hips. “This is what I was talking about in the car. What’s this attitude about all of a sudden? You ought to be grateful to be here.”

  Veronica knew Tia
was right, but that didn’t mean she liked hearing what the woman had to say. “Let’s not go there again, Tia.”

  Tia shook her head. “Hey, I’m doing my job. You need to do yours.”

  “Don’t you understand English?” Veronica asked.

  “I understand Diva when I hear it. And it’s much too soon for you to even start thinking like a diva.” Tia snapped her fingers. “Right now, you are nothing but a plan on a piece of paper. You better watch yourself. Papers can get lost.”

  “Maybe that was your experience,” Veronica said, wanting to land a blow on the almighty Tia. “You may have flamed out before you started, but that doesn’t mean I will.”

  Tia leaned toward Veronica. “You—”

  Dexter cut her off when he stepped between the two women. “Both of you need to calm down. I’m pretty sure Mr. Washington wouldn’t be pleased to see you two going at it.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Tia said. “Mr. Washington hired both of us to do a job, and he wants that job done.”

  “I’m doing my part,” Veronica said to Tia. “But it seems to me that you don’t understand your role. You work for me.”

  Tia lifted her chin. “I work for Legends,” she said. “We both work for Legends. You’d better get that clear in that little diva-pea-brain of yours.”

  “That’s enough, Tia,” Dexter said, taking up for Veronica finally. “I’m sure your job doesn’t require you to insult the talent. That’s not professional.”

  Tia looked from Dexter to Veronica and back again. “You know what? I’m done with this tour. You two can stand here like lumps on a log until Mr. Washington arrives. They don’t pay me enough to put up with you.”

  “She has some nerve,” Veronica said as she watched Tia stalk back to the house.

  Dexter put a hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on with you?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” she said, knowing Dexter wouldn’t understand how much she missed her mother and sisters.

  “Come on,” he coaxed, pulling her close. “You can tell me. You’ve been off-kilter since we left the church. Tell me what’s going on.”