Keithe didn’t know where he was. All he could remember was the fight with Michelle. Reeling his mind backward, Keithe recalled walking in on his wife talking to her lover while his own cell phone still burned in his hand from the call from his doctor, which led to him receiving a fax in his home’s office.
On his way to work and before he could even pull out of the driveway, his doctor’s office called to give him results he had no idea he would get. The call from the doctor confirming his latest burning sensation down below was a quick flash, ending with his hands around her neck.
“Michelle!” he jumped to his feet, losing his balance with no known direction to run in. “Whoa. Where am I?” he squinted his eyes. “Oh God, I killed my wife. I killed her.” he sat back down without looking where his seat would land.
“Keithe.” he heard a raspy voice come from behind him.
“Stoney?” he looked over. “What are you doing here? Ouch!” he grabbed for his head, which he realized, too late, had a bandage on it. “Where am I? Oh God.” it all came back to him now.
The scene replayed slowly in his head. “I’m in Dallas,” he half asked, half stated. “Oh, wait,” he rose to his feet and charged again. “I ran over somebody.” Keithe ran to the door that was only a few feet away.
“Keithe, Keithe,” Stoney yelled out, hoping to stop him from going past the threshold. Seeing what kind of state he was in scared Stoney. “You didn’t run over anyone, remember?” she finally walked over to him, grabbing his hand. “Think, Keithe. Just think.” he touched the bandages on the left side of his head.
It had rained. No, it had poured. And he had traveled in all the wetness the entire drive. His promising day had turned into a nightmare from a simple phone call. The one phone call marinated his thoughts all the way to Dallas from Houston, and left him hitting something, someone.
Stopping in his tracks, Keithe allowed his mind to replay where his thoughts had left off. When he remembered the rain greeting him on his ride into Dallas, his thoughts took him to driving toward Stoney’s apartment complex, then…
“You only thought you ran over someone, Keithe. It was a kid’s bicycle you ran over. Remember now?” Stoney whispered with her eyes heavy from lack of sleep. She stopped short, not wanting her own recounting of her miserable night.
Keithe thought about it. Stoney was right. In the midst of his rage against Michelle the only thing that helped was the chiming of his cell phone from a text Stoney had sent. She had been on the brink of giving up, letting go, and doing away with her own life, he’d read. Without a plan, Keithe only thought to drive out of the city and into Dallas.
With the look of relief brought to his face, Keithe then recalled the details. He did run over something, and he’d even hit his head on his steering wheel. He even tried to pull whatever it was from under his vehicle, only to find a bicycle and helmet minus a child. They had lodged themselves under his car’s frame. Now he remembered.
He sighed. “What a night.” He then looked down sideways at Stoney. Holding in his comments about her shrinking appearance, Keithe thought about Michelle. “I’ve got to call my wife.” he felt around in his empty pockets for his cell phone. Recalling the conclusion of their drama, Keithe recalled choking Michelle until she was close to passing out. When she came to, she had brought vengeance.
“It’s over on the table.” Stoney pointed.
For whatever it was worth, Keithe had to hear Michelle’s voice. No one had to tell him it was over. Michelle had crossed lines and took him with her this time. His anger had peaked to the point of wanting to strangle the life out of her.
It all hit him at once. He had thought about her never mentioning a baby, acting as if she didn’t have a clue who Bishop Perry was with her nonchalant attitude. It all took him over the edge and brought his anger to a whole other level, to the point of him crossing the boundaries from a nice man to a madman.
Watching Keithe try his best to get in contact with Michelle, Stoney psyched herself to believe she had been on Keithe’s agenda. The real truth of the matter was that he was the angel Stoney had reluctantly asked God to send, even if she was the one who made the phone call.
Her world had closed in. It was a definite: no mother, no friends, and no drugs. She couldn’t think of anything else to live for. Two hours before she’d made the call to Keithe, Stoney had let her world, the one she had created, crowd her.
She had stooped to an all-time low. Ever since she had given her body to Dr. Connor for limited gratification of sample medication, her mind had been speeding with guilt intertwined.
Standing, watching Keithe make the call to his wife, Stoney wondered what was next. Stoney gazed at Keithe standing in the middle of her studio apartment, deep in thought. She wondered if she should end the self-torture right then and there by letting him in on her hurtful secret.
“Well, would you like to grab a bite before I go? I have to head right back out. Michelle’s not answering and I need to know how she is.” Keithe pointed to nothing in particular with his thumb. His world had been completely turned upside down by Michelle, yet he couldn’t stop caring. No one in his right mind would do the things he had found himself doing: fighting and driving all over Texas just to get away from what was embedded in his heart.
“Sure.” Stoney decided to keep her secret to herself. Having slept most of his visit away, Stoney didn’t bother trying to start a whole new conversation. Especially since it was Michelle who crowded both of their thinking.
Trying her best to let her quick and growing anger subside, Stoney could not help but think that Keithe was like all the rest: Michelle, Dr. Connor, and now him. Not even mentioning or asking how she was doing, Stoney’s feelings were more than hurt. No one cared enough about her in order to help figure out her problem. No one thought to really care if she needed anything. No one but Mercy, but she wasn’t available. So the next best thing Stoney knew to do was to follow suit.
When Keithe reached for the doorknob and gave Stoney’s appearance another double take, Stoney knew just what he was thinking. She was ashamed at herself for how she had just let herself go since the last time he’d seen her, which had been more than four months earlier. When he didn’t share any comments, turning the door handle to go ahead of Stoney, she was relieved.
After an almost twenty-four-hour stay, they took a quick lunch break at the Olive Garden; Keithe’s main goal was to fill his hunger and to supply food for his mind. No doubt, his life had taken a jerk in the wrong direction, but he knew without uncertainty it was time to really remove himself from Michelle.
“So what really happened? You were going on and on about how you hurt your wife,” Stoney whispered, not wanting anyone to hear about a man hurting a woman in any fashion.
“We had a fight. A fight that has really made a decision for me.” when it looked as though she’d ask for details, Keithe said, “Don’t ask.”
“So you are going back home?” Stoney wanted to bare her heart and soul to Keithe, knowing he could possibly play some sort of role in helping heal her heart. Of course, he was going through his own bout with Michelle. Maybe if she finally let him in on what had been plaguing her for some time, they could help each other.
“I’m heading back as soon as I leave here. Maybe stop by Mike’s, but I’m heading back. I have way too much to take care of.” Just as he rested his fork for a moment, Keithe thought to ask Stoney about herself and what issues were obviously plaguing her. Before he could rest his back against the restaurant chair, Stoney’s own thoughts reached lightning speed and she excused herself.
“I’ll be right back…Ladies’ room.” with her cell phone in tow, Stoney scurried to make sure Mercy was available.
Waiting for her return, Keithe sat eating the last remnants of his meal.
“Deacon Keithe?” Keithe heard the familiar voice. “It is you. How are you, son?” Keithe looked over his shoulder to see who had confirmed his knowledge of him.
“Bishop Perry. Well, I’m…I’m making it,” Keithe lied, and quickly recalled their last conversation via the telephone.
“You sure?” Bishop Perry pointed to the bandage that still lingered on Keithe’s face. “You look as though you’ve seen better days. Michelle?” Bishop Perry asked without asking a full question.
“You don’t even want to know,” Keithe offered.
“I’m sure I already know if it concerns Michelle,” the bishop countered.
Leaning his back against his chair once again, Keithe could not fight his bravery any longer. “I finally brought you up, and of course there was no confirmation either way.” he spoke in circles about Michelle possibly knowing Bishop, and her pregnancy.
“She swore up and down she didn’t know you.” Keithe pondered. “Then she had the nerve to throw it back on me. Play a mind game.” Forgetting he was actually talking to the bishop, Keithe thought aloud. “Cussed me like I was two-bit scum when I asked about a baby.” he finally looked toward Bishop Perry. “Oh, and when I asked about the scar, I guessed it was maybe a C-section scar, she didn’t even flinch in the truth direction.” Keithe shook his head.
“I swear, Keithe! I swear. If you ask me one more time about a baby who doesn’t exist, I will shut you up!” Michelle had put a threat with her promise, gripping the vase that seemed to always be out of place as far as she was concerned.
“Well, what is it then?” Keithe nagged. “What, Michelle? What else could the scar be from? Why else would a man of God just put himself on the line like that for me? Just come clean about it, Michelle.”
With a lift of the vase, Michelle didn’t give it a second glance as she drew back her arm to gain momentum for the throw and release.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Bishop stated, bringing Keithe’s thoughts back to the present.
“It’s okay.” Keithe lied again.
“I really hope you don’t mind me praying for you. I really feel it’s my duty…and it may just be my fault, coming at you with the information I did.”
“I can’t even let you take the blame. I wouldn’t dare do that.” he let a beat pass. “I’m actually headed back home shortly. I’m through.”
Bishop Ky Perry took a vacant seat closest to Keithe. “Counseling. Have you all truly tried it?”
Shaking his head, Keithe let out a chuckle. “We got married so quickly, no counseling was thought of. Throughout the years, she has declined counseling so many times because of her profession. She wouldn’t be caught seen or known of getting any kind of help. Heck, Michelle doesn’t believe she needs any help to begin with. It’s just time for us to part ways.”
With understanding, Bishop Perry shook his head, not wanting to validate Keithe’s divorce. “Well, you know I’m just a phone call away, and I know your pastor is willing and very able to help you through this trial.” Bishop, for the first time, looked toward Stoney’s plate. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t even noticed. You have a guest,” he stated.
Nodding, Keithe exhaled. “Yes. She’s like a…” he didn’t want to lie and say she was like a daughter when he didn’t truly know what his intentions were. “I don’t know. I met her through a mutual friend.” he drew his lips in, shook his head, and hunched his shoulders.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right, Deacon. You know that, I take it?” Bishop Perry raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, sir. You’re right. I do know that,” Keithe agreed.
One hand on his knee, Bishop pushed himself up and walked a step toward Keithe. “Place your petition before the Lord. Fasting and praying is the only way, Deacon. You have to be ready when God tells you in what direction He wants you to go.”
A continued slight nod was all Keithe had strength for as Bishop Perry walked away.
Stoney stayed back long enough to allow Mercy’s dad to leave the premises. Once she had removed herself from the ladies’ room, Stoney halted once she saw him placed at their table.
“How in the world…?” she’d asked herself about Bishop and Keithe knowing each other. It can’t be just a coincidence, she thought. Whatever the case, she didn’t want to make herself known for fear of having to explain how she knew either one of them.
She just waited. The longer she stayed out of sight, the more time she’d gain anyway. Having left the table in order to contact Mercy once Keithe let her know that he would be going back home later that day, her mind raced for an excuse to get to Houston. Mercy was that excuse. As soon as she got to the restroom, her phone was already dialing Mercy’s number.
“Hey, Mercy,” Stoney had greeted her friend via the phone she placed to her ear while behind closed doors.
“Stoney? hi there. I’ve been calling you ever since I’ve been in town. I’m leaving in a bit. Sorry we couldn’t catch up this time.”
“Great,” Stoney returned with a “Just what I want” tone.
“Huh?” Mercy hoped she hadn’t heard her friend correctly. Knowing Stoney had been standoffish, not answering calls or e-mails over the last couple of days, Mercy really wished she knew how to be the help Stoney really needed. Helping her find her mother was one thing. Helping her find herself was another.
Hiding behind a stall and whispering into the phone, Stoney had shaken her head and let out a goofy laugh. “No, what I meant was that I’m glad I caught you before you left. I want to go to Houston with you.”
“You want to go to Houston?” Mercy did a double take when she realized she had raised her voice and piqued her mother’s interest. “Uh. Well, I’m actually just going to take two tests. You know, midterms. What about you? Don’t you have to do the same?”
“I finished early,” she lied, not sharing with Mercy how she had dumped school along with a lot of other things in her life. “Maybe I can drive you so you don’t have to worry about that bulging baby belly being in the way.” She laughed again.
Mercy looked down at her growing abdomen and agreed it had grown quite a bit over the past five months, but not to the point where she couldn’t drive herself. Feeling that her friend would not let up, Mercy agreed to let a persistent Stoney drive her to Houston. Figuring they would only be there for three days, Mercy really didn’t see any harm.
Now, as Stoney waited and watched Bishop Perry maneuver away from their table and pass through the exit doors, Stoney’s thoughts were only on getting away from Keithe and meeting up with Mercy. As long as she knew he’d be over at Brother Mike’s before he left town, Stoney knew how to pick up on his trail.
“Who was that?” she asked Keithe, trying her best to cover up the fact that she knew who the Bishop was.
“Oh, you made it back?” Keithe slightly rose to his feet, not forgetting the manners his mother had taught him. “That was a bishop who visits my church in Houston several times a year. He had noticed me sitting here and came over.” he didn’t know if he should share the conversation he had had with Bishop Perry.
With gathered brows, Stoney said, “Wow. He picked you out of the crowd, eh? I thought you went to a pretty big congregational church.”
“It’s more personal than that.” he pressed a laugh from his abdomen. “I recently found out he used to date my wife…even more than that.” he didn’t share how the bishop had shared the possibility of being his wife’s baby’s father. A baby he had no clue about and a baby Michelle denied. “Way too complicated to share.”
It was as if a ton of bricks had fallen on her head. Stoney replayed what Keithe had just shared. Bishop dated Michelle. Bishop dated my mother. she tried to unscramble the lingering thought.
“Are you okay, Stoney?” Keithe asked.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just drifted off. Daydreaming, you know.” She shifted nervously in her seat.
“Well.” he crossed his knife and fork over one another. “I mean, period; are you okay? You look worn out. Tired. Is it the semester?” he gave her an excuse.
“Yep. Yes. It’s school. Work and school have me beat. But…” she thought of more to add on. “I’m finished up for the rest of the semester, so I’ll get to rest. Look,” she said, sitting up straight, wiggling, showing how restless she was, “not trying to rush, but if we’re finished, can we go?”
“No problem,” he said. “I need to stop by Mike’s before I head out anyway. Want to ride over?”
“No!” Stoney tensed up as she stood up and pushed her seat under the table. “I mean, no. I have plans with my friend later on.”
“Right.” Keithe remembered that Stoney was keeping her distance from Mike. “Uh, Stoney?”
With her neck stretched, Stoney used her gesture to warrant her waiting for a question Keithe had for her.
“Is everything all right with you? I mean, you seem as if some things are bothering you.”
“Fine. I’m fine, Keithe. Thanks for asking. But seriously, I’m good. Can we go now?”
“Sure,” was all Keithe responded with when he saw the eagerness in Stoney’s display.