Vexed

by Honey

  Clive tapped a pen on top of his cluttered desk and looked at Zach, then Dex. “I need any documents you have for Jill. Did she bring a birth certificate or school records with her? Maybe she brought her driver’s license or a government-issued ID from Jamaica. Anything you have will be helpful.”

  “Jay has everything. All I have are her school records. Her boss has her dance profile and some pictures. We’re gonna go see her as soon as we’re done here. Clive, what can you do to get Jill back here, and how long will it take? I want her in Atlanta for Christmas.”

  “I’m not sure, Zach. I’m really not sure. Jay made some pretty serious accusations. The government is cracking down on illegal aliens, so they aren’t blinking at anything. This is gonna be a tough one to turn around.” Clive leaned forward and placed both elbows on his desk. “What aren’t you telling me, Zach? Something isn’t adding up here.”

  After Zach gave Clive the inside scoop, he and Dex went to Umoja Academy and spoke with Mrs. Scott. She was sad to hear about Jill’s woes with the immigration department and promised to do all she could to help get her back to Atlanta. She then gave Jill’s dance profile to Zach. There were more pictures in it than before. The one of Jill doing an instructional performance almost brought Zach to tears. Dex removed everything from his hands and guided his buddy out of the school.

  Aunt Jackie’s house was the next stop on their agenda. She was dressed in a brown jogging suit and was sitting in the den and watching Jerry Springer when Zach and Dex arrived.

  “I never thought I’d see the day when you and Jay would be at odds. I raised y’all to love one another and always have each other’s back. Now Jay says she hates you, and she’s mad at me. All this foolishness is because of a woman. Zach, you were wrong to touch Jill.”

  “Auntie, I didn’t mean—”

  “I don’t care, Zachary King. Jill was Jay’s lover. You should’ve resisted all urges.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I know. You’re right. Why is Jay upset with you?”

  “She blames me for making it possible for you and Jill to travel to Jamaica together. Remember, it was I who left Jay’s suite with that passport. Your sister accused me of knowing you’d be going to the island with Jill. Of course I didn’t, and I told Jay that, but she didn’t believe me. Then she had the gall to tell me I knew all along you were sleeping with Jill. That heifer called me a liar and a hypocrite. That’s when I gave her a piece of my mind. I’m praying for that girl, and I’m praying for you too, Zach. This mess ain’t over. I’ve got a feeling Jay is just getting started on you and Jill.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  “Zachary, I am unable to eat or sleep. I am very weary. I now know what it means to be lovesick. It is terribly painful. Oliver is sleeping in the bed with me. He sang songs to cheer me up until he fell asleep. He would hate to know that his songs were of no assistance to me. I will never tell him, though. The boy admires you, Zachary. Although he loves having me home, he’d much rather I return to America to be with you. He says my broken heart makes him sad, and only you can repair it.”

  Zach lay flat on his back and stared into the darkness while he listened to Jill. She had summarized her meeting at the immigration department in Jamaica, where Roy had taken her to apply for a new passport. The official had told her it would be six weeks before she’d be granted a hearing in front of the council. Her voice was weak and scratchy, as if she’d been crying for hours. Zach was determined to be strong for her. He did an excellent job keeping his emotions at bay. But silent tears escaped from the corners of his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. They dampened the pillowcase he’d vowed not to wash again until Jill came home. It was covered with the scent of ginger and lilac.

  He refused to tell Jill that things weren’t going well with the immigration department in Atlanta. Jay had submitted an affidavit reiterating her original claim. She’d also given the officials a copy of her rental contract from the Seven Seas, insinuating she’d been living there since moving to Atlanta. Jill was listed as her domestic partner, whom she had brought to America to live with her. Jay claimed Jill had abandoned their hotel suite, without warning, several weeks ago. She swore she’d had no idea where Jill was until Zach came to the hotel after his trip to Jamaica and confessed that she had been living with him. Jay went on to tell the official at the immigration department that Jill had only used her to get to Atlanta so she could study and teach dance. She reported that she had recently learned that Jill had been working at Umoja Academy before leaving Atlanta to visit her family. Mrs. Scott was now under investigation for employing an illegal immigrant.

  Even if Zach had wanted to tell Jill what was happening on his end, he didn’t think he’d be able to repeat all the lies and garbage Jay had alleged. How could anyone be so wicked and deceptive? Right now, he just wanted Jill to know that he and Dex were working hard to get her back on American soil and that he loved her.

  “You’ll be in my arms by Christmas. Dex and I are busting our asses to make that happen. I’m sorry you won’t be able to perform at Umoja Academy’s big production, but Mrs. Scott and your class miss you. They all can’t wait for you to come back.”

  “I miss them too, but I can live without them. It’s you I can’t live without. I’m going insane, Zachary! Please do something. I won’t make it much longer here. I need you.”

  “Hold on, Jill. I’m trying. Close your eyes and think about me. Reflect on all the good times we’ve shared. Do you see us at Chuck E. Cheese’s with Nahima? You ate two pork chops the first time I took you to dinner at Aunt Jackie’s house.” Zach wiped his eyes and nose with the back of his hand. He rolled over onto his side and inhaled the pillowcase. “Think about that night we danced until the morning at the reggae club in Buckhead. You wore panties,” he said and laughed through his tears. “We made love that night like it was our final day on the planet. Jill? Jill? Are you still there, baby?”

  Zach became quiet and lay perfectly still. He could hear Jill’s soft breathing on the other end. She had fallen asleep to precious memories. He wished he could do the same. He pressed the phone’s power button, turning it off. He buried his face in the pillow and inhaled Jill’s scent. He imagined her lying in his arms. The phone rang, shattering his vision. Zach answered it quickly.

  “Son, it’s Wallace. You were on my mind. Something told me you needed to talk. Please tell me what’s wrong. I’d like to help if I can.”

  * * *

  Zach’s depression over being separated from Jill spilled over into every aspect of life. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s had all passed with only one appearance from him among his family and friends. He had hoped against hope to fly to Jamaica for a few days after Christmas with Nahima, but the twenty-one days he’d taken off in June and the additional days in November had canceled out his leave request. Plus, nurses with families got first dibs at holiday leave, and Zach was without chick or child. So he’d spent most of his time locked up in his house with his sorrows. Nahima had been the lone soul he’d allowed inside his world of solitude, and he hadn’t been able to fool her.

  Zach ran his fingers through Nahima’s Shirley Temple curls and adjusted her big purple bow. He choked up at the memory of how hard she had tried to cheer him up on Christmas Eve. A very wise and attentive child, she had sensed that Zach was quite melancholy without Ms. Jill. Nahima had danced, sung, and told cute little jokes in her attempt to make her uncle feel better.

  “Uncle Z, how do I look? Am I pretty yet?”

  “You’re always pretty to me, pumpkin.” Zach handed her the white satin handbasket filled with purple and gold flower petals. “You’re gonna be the most beautiful flower girl ever today in your mommy’s wedding.”

  “And I’m gonna be a beautiful princess flower girl in your wedding when you marry Ms. Jill.”

  “Who said anything about me getting married to Ms. Jill?”

  Nahima made a cute little “duh” face at Zach and put her hand on her hip. “I did, silly! You
love Ms. Jill, and Ms. Jill loves you. So, you gotta get married, like Mommy and Daddy Charles.”

  Zach pulled the child by her hand and led her to the holding area outside the chapel. Janice, her mom’s best friend and the matron of honor, was sitting with Charles’s best man. They both made a fuss over how beautiful Nahima looked in her purple velvet and lace gown. Nahima blushed, to Zach’s surprise, at Janice’s and Ernest’s compliments. The organist started playing softly inside the tiny chapel. The nervous wedding coordinator burst into the room, carrying a clipboard.

  “Five minutes to showtime!” she said firmly.

  Zach got down on one knee to meet Nahima face-to-face. “Pumpkin, Uncle Z is about to go take his seat. Don’t forget to smile and sprinkle the petals. You gotta smile and sprinkle just like you did at rehearsal last night, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  * * *

  The ceremony had been short and sweet. Zach was happy for Venus and Charles, and he had wished them the best. But at one point during the wedding, he had felt like wailing like a mourner at a funeral. His emotions had betrayed him as he’d sat on the pew, witnessing the union of one of his closest friends and her soul mate. Zach had thought he was losing his mind right there in the middle of the nuptials. He welcomed the stiff drink he was now nursing at the reception. It was his fifth whiskey sour. Instead of sitting at the table he’d been assigned to, he had settled his depressed ass at the bar.

  Janice, who was six months pregnant, waddled over to the bar and took a seat on the stool next to Zach. “I’m gonna drive you and Nahima home, and Ernest is gonna follow me in your car. We will hang around until the little princess falls asleep and will make sure you’re both all right. You’re a wonderful man, Zach. I know what you’re going through. It’s gonna get better, my friend. Before you know it, Jill will be back in Atlanta, and you’ll be planning your wedding. Now, get your drunk ass up so you can go home and sleep it off. These twins are kicking my ass.”

  * * *

  No one seemed to recognize Wallace at his old church after twenty-eight years. His appearance had changed drastically. He was completely bald now and fifty pounds heavier. No one in Atlanta had ever seen him wear a beard before, and the one he was sporting now was white as snow against his caramel skin. It had been a smart idea for him to wait several minutes inside the SUV before he entered the sanctuary alone to sit in the back of the church. Sitting with Zach and Nahima on their pew near the front would’ve blown his cover for sure. Refuge Pentecostal Temple wasn’t the same church Wallace had pastored all those years ago. The address hadn’t changed, but the building was a lot bigger, and the membership had grown. The fundraiser he’d launched by pledging the first five hundred dollars had obviously been successful. Those pesky gravel stones they used to park on were gone. A smooth and even parking lot was now in its place.

  One thing was still just as Wallace remembered. Refuge still had an awesome choir, with Jackie—Leland and Betty Dudley’s baby girl—singing lead with her golden soprano voice. She hadn’t lost her touch. Wallace fought hard to stay in his seat, to avoid being noticed, but Jackie was putting it in. The spirit was high, and the saints were up on their feet all over the sanctuary, clapping, jumping, and dancing to the heavenly sound of the choir. Wallace soon gave up the fight and joined in the praise along with the other energetic worshippers. To him, it was just like old times at the church he had once called home.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  “I told you no one would recognize you.” Zach handed Wallace a bottle of Texas Pete hot sauce and sat down at the table next to him. “I don’t think I could’ve picked you out of a lineup after all this time.”

  “It has been a while. There were times when I thought I would never see you or your sister again. When I was in prison, I used to sit and imagine what the two of you looked like. Until you sent those pictures last year, my vision of Jayla was still that of a bright-eyed toddler sucking her thumb. She blossomed into a beautiful woman. You’re not so bad looking either, son.” Wallace smiled and turned affectionate eyes on his only grandchild. “And this precious angel is a blessing. Thank you, Zach, for allowing me to meet her, and please thank her mother for me. Will you?”

  Zach nodded. “Venus is a good woman. She never would’ve denied Nahima the opportunity to meet her grandfather. You’re the only living grandparent she has.”

  Zach and Wallace continued eating their Sunday take-out meal over light banter. They mostly talked about the changes in Atlanta over the past two decades and politics. Once in a while they’d pull Nahima into their conversation, asking her about school and her Heritage World doll collection. She described all twelve of her friends in detail while she pushed green beans back and forth across her plate. When Zach realized what she was doing, he gave her permission to leave the table. Wallace followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight.

  “She’s the spitting image of Jayla. I can’t understand why she doesn’t wish to be a part of Nahima’s life. You and your sister were all I could think about over the years. I prayed to God every day for a chance to see my children again. It was painful not being able to watch you grow up. I knew you were in good hands with Jackie, but I wanted so desperately to be there. I wanted to teach you about girls, how to shave and drive. I was supposed to have tucked Jayla in every night and taught her to pray. I robbed the two of you of your mother, and I cheated myself. My crime cost me the opportunity to do all the things with my children that Jayla has refused to do with Nahima.”

  “Jay is Jay. There ain’t much more I can say about my sister that I haven’t already told you. She’s more selfish and superficial than ever. She’s heartless.”

  “That’s my fault,” Wallace said. “She never got to know Belva Jane. Her daddy was in jail for murdering the mother whose love she never experienced. It must’ve been hard growing up under such circumstances.”

  “That’s not an excuse, Wallace. I made it. Don’t you think it was difficult for me too? It was actually worse because I did know my mama. I remember the sound of her voice, her flowery scent, and her smile. She used to sing “You Are My Sunshine” to me every night before I went to sleep. I have memories of the good times you and I shared too. I remember us washing that old green Buick Regal and playing hide-and-seek. I would stand outside your office door and listen to you practice your sermons on Saturday evenings. I suffered more for what you did than anybody else, but I ain’t a victim anymore. I used to run from love and commitment, because I didn’t wanna be like you. And now I’m in love for the first time in my life because of you.”

  Wallace got up from his seat at the table and enfolded Zach in his arms as his son released twenty-eight years of pain and frustration. He had wondered a million times how it would feel to hold his son again. To Wallace, at that moment, it felt like heaven had opened its gates and let him in. As he had done many times when Zach was a boy, he rocked him. “It’s okay, son. It’s okay.”

  “I finally let my guard down and opened up my heart,” Zach said, sniffling. “I had to give love a fair chance. I wanted to know how it felt to love a woman to death, and now I know. I’ll probably never use my gun, and I don’t believe Jill would ever be unfaithful to me. But right now, I’m willing to move heaven and earth to get her back to Atlanta, where she belongs. I’d lay down my life for her, Wallace. I swear I would.”

  “I’m gonna keep praying, son, and you continue to work with the folks at the immigration department. Harass them if you have to. Jill is coming back. Believe that.”

  * * *

  Ida Bell’s gossip had hit the bull’s-eye once again. Jay had to leave the senior member of the marketing team in charge for the remainder of the day after she received a disturbing phone call from Ayla. She went back to her suite and sobbed as she threw back a full bottle of Disaronno while standing on the terrace. It was a chilly day in mid-February, but she needed the fresh air to clear her head of homicidal thoughts. Based on what Ayla had overheard, Wallace had been i
n town over the weekend, visiting Zach and Nahima. That Negro had had the nerve to take his ass to church and had sat like a spy among the people he had once pastored. He’d executed great discretion, according to Sister Juanita Grant, the lead usher on third Sundays.

  Ida Bell had told her gossip partners that evangelist Mary T. Tucker had gotten a phone call from Sister Priscilla Hall after she left Lizzie’s Soul Food Café Sunday afternoon. Deacon Freddie Collins, the second oldest member of the church, and his son Freddie Junior had been there and had told the church’s musicians that they saw Wallace in service. Freddie Junior had spotted him first. He used to play baseball with Wallace when they were children, and he’d claimed he’d recognize him anywhere. That bald head and gray beard hadn’t fooled him. To confirm their suspicions, Deacon Collins had asked Freddie Junior to put him and his wheelchair in the car several minutes before the benediction. Together, father and son had scouted the parking lot like a pair of private investigators. Wallace had been the first person to emerge from the church’s double doors, five minutes ahead of everybody else. He had hurried to Zach’s SUV with a key and had waited inside for him and Nahima.

  Evangelist Tucker had called Brother Bonner, who had told his wife, Marvella. She had called her best friend, Gigi, who worked the night shift at Chauncey’s Storage and Thrift with Sister Grant. Sister Grant had broken the news to Ida Bell. The rumor had spread like hot lava around Refuge Pentecostal Temple, and its members couldn’t get enough of it. While they were still burning holes in each other’s ears and blowing up their phones, Jay was having an emotional meltdown. She was angry, sad, and confused. She wondered why Zach had allowed Wallace to come to Atlanta to visit him and how long had they been in contact. Didn’t her brother remember what the man had done?

  “You’re so damn evil, Zach!” Jay spiked the empty bottle on the concrete floor of the terrace. Glass and drops of liquor splattered everywhere. She staggered back inside the suite and slumped down to the thick beige carpet. “I hate you, Zach! I hate you!”