Chapter Ten
Zack gently kissed his newborn daughter on the forehead before placing her into Charlene’s waiting arms. Sitting in a white wicker rocking chair in their newly decorated nursery, Charlene began to gently rock her back and forth.
“She’s beautiful, Mommy,” her son Luther said.
“No, she’s not. Babies are smelly,” his twin Martin interjected. “But I love her anyway,” he said with a shy smile.
Charlene and Zack both laughed. Zack had just brought Charlene home from the hospital with their newest family addition. Zack did not want the boys to visit the hospital because he felt it was no place for children, so this was their first introduction to their little sister. They were delighted that both boys seemed very excited to meet her.
Although Zack tried to brush him off, Bishop Snow had been right when he questioned whether Charlene’s labor pains were false the night of the premiere. While the audience cheered and enjoyed the show, Charlene sat wincing with pain and praying that the evening would end as soon as possible. After the show, Zack posed for several cast photos while she sat down on a plush sofa and tried to remember the breathing exercises she’d learned in birthing class. When that didn’t work, she tried walking around since she’d once been told that false contractions could be subsided that way. It didn’t help at all and actually seemed to increase her discomfort. Just when she felt she couldn’t take anymore and was on her way to drag Zack out of the room, he told her he was ready to go. Once inside their car, she finally began to relax.
Zack was ecstatic about the premiere and the audience’s reaction to the show. In his excitement he chattered on in the car about how many influential contacts he’d made and how many new parishioners he was expecting as a result. While he talked Charlene smiled and nodded and thanked God that the pains had finally subsided.
Just as they entered their house, Charlene felt a gush of wetness down her legs as her water broke. “Oh my God!” she screamed.
Zack turned around and looked at the water trickling through the entryway. “Don’t panic, honey. I’ll grab your bag, and we can call the doctor in the car on the way to the hospital.”
While holding her belly, she waddled toward the stairs and began to protest. “No, I need to change clothes first. I can’t walk into the maternity ward in a ball gown. A completely ruined ball gown!” she shrieked.
“There’s a pair of leggings and a T-shirt in your bag. Change in the bathroom down here, and I’ll let the nanny know what’s going on.” He dug inside the bag and pulled out the clothing, then handed it to her before trotting swiftly up the stairs.
Charlene barely had time to remove her gown and pantyhose before Zack was standing in the bathroom ready to help her. “The boys are asleep. I told Sierra we’d call her as soon as possible.”
He took the T-shirt from her and began to dress her the way one would dress a child. Carefully, he put the shirt over her head, then straightened the hem around her stomach. Next, he sat her on the commode while he placed her legs inside the leggings, and then stood her up and helped her pull them up over her hips. Last, he placed socks and sneakers on her feet and tied the shoestrings.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Charlene said. Smiling, she relished in his pampering.
Less than three hours after they arrived at the hospital, little Coretta Morton came screeching into the world with a head full of jet-black hair, pudgy round cheeks, her father’s wide nose, and Charlene’s brown eyes. It had been a fairly easy delivery, and Charlene fully expected to be discharged the next day. But Coretta began to run a low-grade fever and the pediatrician recommended that they remain another day.
Staring into her daughter’s precious face, Charlene felt grateful to finally be home.
“Can I hold her, Mommy?” Martin asked.
“We have to wait until she’s a little older,” Charlene answered. “But I want both of you to learn how to help take care of your sister.”
Luther’s eyebrows went up. “We won’t have to change any poopy diapers, will we?”
“You might. As a matter of fact, you can help me with that right now if you want,” Charlene teased.
Martin grabbed his brother by the arm. “Let’s go, man. I don’t want to hang around for that.”
Charlene and Zack laughed at them again as the two of them left the room.
Since the boys were gone, Charlene decided it would be the perfect opportunity to breast-feed Coretta. Zack sat in a nearby chair and just stared at the two of them.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Charlene said.
“Like what?” he asked. He tilted his head and smiled at her.
Charlene blushed and giggled. “Like you have stars in your eyes or something.”
Zack grinned. “I can’t help it. I love you both so much.”
Charlene blushed again and giggled even more.
When Coretta was done nursing, Charlene continued rocking her until she noticed that she’d fallen asleep in her arms.
“Do you want me to put her in the crib?” Zack offered.
“I’ll do it. You’ve been with us all day. Shouldn’t you be at the church?” Slowly, Charlene stood up and walked over to Coretta’s crib that was decorated in bedding with Disney’s the Princess and the Frog imprinted all over it.
“I want to be here with you and the baby. Church business can wait.”
Although she loved it when her husband was attentive, Charlene felt that he was wasting his time watching the two of them. “She’s asleep, and to be honest, I’d like to take a nap also. It’s okay if you leave for a few hours.”
Zack wrapped his arms around her from behind and stared lovingly into the crib. “Are you sure? I won’t leave if you need me.”
“I’m sure.”
Instead of leaving immediately, Zack walked with Charlene to their bedroom. He fluffed the pillows on their king-sized bed and helped her put on her favorite pajamas. After she was comfortable on the bed, he covered her with a lightweight blanket. “Do you need anything while I’m out?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine.” She leaned forward to kiss him. When their lips parted she lay back on the bed.
Curled up in a ball with her head resting on the pillows, Charlene thought that sleep would come quickly. It had been impossible to get a good night’s sleep at the hospital. Even with the baby in the nursery, the nurses seemed to wait until the moment she dozed off to rush in and check her blood pressure, temperature, or just to ask if she was okay. All she thought about was finally returning home to her own comfortable bed.
Now that she was in it, she tossed and turned, unable to stop her mind from wandering. Maybe it was nothing, like Zack said, but the exchange she’d witnessed at the hospital was still bothering her.
The morning after Coretta was born, Zack had returned home to do his two-hour workout and to check on things at the house. Charlene wasn’t surprised by this as he’d done the same thing when the twins were born. Zack never missed his workout. Even when they were on vacation, he’d make sure that wherever they were staying had a full gym, and that he could have it closed while he had his private workout time.
While he was away, a hospital employee brought Charlene her breakfast. The middle-aged black woman peeped into the bassinette and complimented Charlene on her new baby. Then she spent another ten minutes telling Charlene about her son and grandchildren.
They were still chatting when Zack returned. His nose immediately sneered up as he smelled the hospital breakfast sitting on the tray. “Ugh. I brought you some grits and eggs from that restaurant you like so much,” he said.
Barely noticing the woman, he removed the hospital breakfast tray and set it on the other side of the room. Then he put the take-out plate on the serving table, and opened it for Charlene.
“Zack Morton, as I live and breathe,” the woman said unexpectedly.
The look on his face as he turned and studied the woman worried Charlene. She was sure he recognized her, but his face was contorted as he stared at her. The only time she could remember her husband’s face turning that shade of red and twisting in such a manner was when he’d been constipated.
“Do I know you?” he asked.
“It’s me, Mabel Joe Stevens. I used to live right next door to you and your grandmother.”
Zack gave her a strained smile. “Um . . . how are you?”
“I’m just fine. I’ve been seeing you on TV and stuff preaching at that big megachurch. Your granny would be so proud. I always told her that you was gonna do big things for the Lord one day.” She pointed at Charlene. “Is this lady one of your church members?”
Charlene stared at him waiting for him to introduce her, but he seemed to be suspended in another dimension, unable to move or speak. “I’m his wife,” she answered for him.
Mabel Joe grinned. “I always knew you’d marry a sista. She’s beautiful, and so is your new baby.”
“Um, thank you,” Zack said. He was still staring at the woman as if he’d just seen a ghost.
“Aren’t you on that new TV show, Revelations?”
Zack nodded. “Yes . . . but we didn’t want them filming the baby’s birth.”
“I’m glad you didn’t bring the cameras into the hospital. A family moment like this should be private. Well, I better go. I have a lot more folks on this floor to feed.” Mabel Joe grabbed the discarded food tray and headed toward the door. “By the way, I love the new look. It’s different, but I like it.”
After she left, Zack suddenly snapped out of his trance and began arranging Charlene’s food as if nothing had happened.
“What was that?” Charlene asked.
Feigning innocence, he tore the wrapper off of her fork and began stirring salt into her grits. “What was what?”
“That woman said she lived next door to your grandmother. You told me your grandparents died before you were born.”
“So she must be mistaken.” He held a forkful of grits up. “Here, taste this. I may have put too much salt in it.”
Charlene opened her mouth and took in the food. “It’s fine.” She took the fork from him and ate her breakfast while he picked up Coretta and held her.
As she ate, the woman, the look on his face, and the conversation kept playing over and over again in her mind. “What did she mean by she likes ‘the new look’?”
“Huh?” he asked. He looked up from cooing at Coretta.
“That woman said she liked your new look. What did she mean by that?”
Zack sighed. “How am I supposed to know? You’ve known me for twelve years. Has my look changed?”
“Well, no, but the whole exchange was really weird.”
“Honey, people see me preaching on TV, and in their minds, they know me. That’s going to happen a lot more now that we’re doing the new show. But I don’t want it to upset you. Trust me, it was nothing.”
Lying in her bed, Charlene knew that it most certainly was something. She just didn’t know what.
At the church Zack paced back and forth in his office. He’d told the camera crew that he was just going to write a sermon so there was no reason for them to turn the cameras on. That was his plan, but there was no way he could accomplish it. Instead, he paced back and forth and to and fro and round and around his office until he was exhausted. Inside his head, he heard his late grandmother’s voice. You are who you are, Zack Morton. That’s who you were when you were born, and that’s who you gone be until the day you die. God help you if you try to be someone else.”
Zack suddenly wished he’d understood her words back then. Now it was too late. He sincerely wished he could turn back the clock, but he knew that he couldn’t. Feeling defeated, Zack lay his head on his desk and prayed.
“Father, I thank you for my wife and my new daughter. Thank you for my strong and beautiful sons. You have blessed me so much that I have no right to ask for more. My love for Charlene is surpassed only by my love for you. If I lost her, I would lose myself. I know I don’t deserve her, but she loves me, Father. Things are closing in on me, and I don’t know what to do. Dear God, I beg of you, help me . . . please help me.”
When he was done praying, Zack picked up the phone book and searched through the pages. He stopped when he located the phone number for the hospital where his daughter had been born. “I’m trying to get in touch with one of your employees,” he said to the operator. “Her name is Mabel Joe Stevens . . . Yes, I’ll hold.” Impatiently, his fingernails tapped against the desk as he waited. After almost five minutes on hold, she finally picked up the line.
“This is Mabel Joe. Make it quick, I’m on the clock.”
“Hello, Mrs. Stevens, this is Zack Morton.”
“Well, well. I haven’t seen or heard from you in years, and now I get the pleasure twice in one week. What can I do for ya, Zack?”
He hesitated before speaking. “It was such a surprise seeing you. I was hoping we could get together and talk about old times.”
“Ain’t that a blip? I’d like that, but I won’t have a day off until next week. How about I come to the church? I’ve been dying to see that new building you put up. I heard it’s spectacular.”
“It is, and I’d love for you to see it someday, but it’s not a good meeting place. There’s so much going on, there would be constant interruptions. I have a better idea. Let’s meet for lunch somewhere downtown. It would be my treat.”
Mabel Joe smiled broadly. “That would be really nice. Thank you so much for inviting me.”
After choosing a restaurant and a time, Zack hung up the phone and continued his pacing. Over and over he repeated in his head as he paced, It’s the best thing for my family. It’s the best thing for my family.
Soon, Zack realized that he wasn’t going to get anything done, so he decided to leave his office and return home. He was just getting into his car when his phone rang. “Hello,” he answered.
“Good afternoon, Apostle Morton. This is Jacob Robins. I called to let you know that your necklace is ready. You can pick it up this afternoon if you’d like.”
Seeing Mabel Joe again had rattled Zack so deeply that he’d completely forgotten about his wife’s gift. While he was away from the hospital the morning following Coretta’s birth, he’d stopped by the jeweler’s and ordered Charlene a platinum baby’s foot pendant hanging from a platinum chain. It also had a flawless emerald stone, which was Coretta’s birthstone, encrusted in the big toe.
“Thank you, Jacob. Can you have it gift wrapped for me. I will be stopping by within the hour.”
“Certainly, it will be ready when you arrive.”
Filled with excitement, Zack yelled out Charlene’s name as soon as he entered the house and bounded up the stairs. He ran so fast the cameraman had trouble keeping up with him. First he went into their bedroom, and when she wasn’t there, he rushed to the nursery, still yelling loudly. Charlene was leaning over the crib, as she laid Coretta down.
“Charlene, I have a surprise for you,” he said. His voice boomed with enthusiasm.
“Shhh,” she put her index finger up to her lips. “She just dozed off.”
“I’m sorry,” Zack whispered. “Come here. I have something for you.”
Grinning, Charlene rushed over to where he stood. “What is it?” she asked excitedly. Charlene had begun to think that she wasn’t going to receive anything. Seven years earlier, after she had given birth to the twins, Zack had surprised her at the hospital with a charm bracelet. The bracelet contained two charms in the shape of little boys with Martin and Luther’s birthstone on their chests. The stones were cheap glass, the gold was plated, and it looked as if he’d purchased it at Kmart, but she loved it just the same. Now that their financial outlook was better, Charlene had expected a gift to celebrate Coretta’s birth, but Zack returned to the hospital that morning with only grits and eggs. Until he showed up with the gift she had not realized how disappointed that had made her.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
“No, just give it to me,” she squealed.
Zack reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the package. Charlene snatched it from his hands and started ripping the ribbons and wrapping. Finally, she reached the center and pulled out the velvet jewelry box. She looked at him and grinned before opening it. “Oh, Zack, it’s beautiful,” she exclaimed.
“Do you really like it?” he asked.
“I love it,” she gushed. “Put it on for me.”
Turning around, Charlene held on to her ponytail while Zack placed the pendant around her neck. Lovingly, he kissed the nape of her neck when he was done.
Spinning around to face him, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his lips. “Thank you, sweetie.”
Zack held her tightly in his arms. He realized he wasn’t the easiest man to live with considering his oddities and idiosyncrasies. But Charlene did it with a smile on her face. She’d given up a lucrative medical practice and a spacious condo to move into his tiny two-bedroom apartment after their marriage. Family was very important to Charlene, yet she didn’t listen to her family or friends when they warned her not to marry a white man. “I fell in love with a man, not a color,” she’d told them. Nothing they said affected her feelings about Zack. Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew that she loved him completely and unconditionally. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for her. It’s the best thing for our family.