CURTIS WALKED OUT TO HIS SECRETARY’S DESK, DISCUSSED A FEW items that he needed her to handle, and then walked back into his office and closed the door behind him. He’d been trying to concentrate on the writing of his column and the writing of his next sermon, but his mind kept wandering elsewhere. He’d been thinking about Charlotte and the problems they’d been having. When he wasn’t thinking about that, he thought about the woman he’d seen during the church service. The one he was obviously attracted to and who couldn’t seem to keep her eyes away from him either. He’d had to pray about the lustful thoughts he’d been having ever since that day. At one point, he’d even told himself that he had to have this woman and would. But he’d prayed about that, too, asking God to remove his sinful yearning. Sometimes, though, that yearning was strong and overbearing. It was almost uncontrollable. He knew Satan was on him like never before.
After relaxing and meditating for just over twenty minutes, Curtis picked up the phone and dialed Aaron’s work number.
“Aaron Malone,” he answered.
“Hey, man, how’s it going?”
“I’m good, man, just trying to finish up this monthly report.”
“I hear ya. I’m trying to get some work finished myself, so I can get out of here and go spend some time with Alicia.”
“Now, how long did she say she was here for?”
“Just this week, and now it’s already Wednesday and she’ll be leaving on Sunday.”
“Time flies.”
“That it does. And hey, one of the reasons I’m calling is to see if you can teach Bible study for me tonight. This is my week to do it, but I’d really like to do something with Alicia and Matthew. Charlotte took them shopping yesterday, but I’d like to do something with them this evening. Maybe take them to that new arcade and then out for pizza. I tried calling each of the associate ministers, but all four of them have other commitments.”
“No problem. I’ll be glad to.”
“I really appreciate it.”
“So, how are things with you and Charlotte?”
“Better. Although we did have words last night because of all the money she spent shopping. But as they say, ‘I’m not mad at her’ because she definitely made up for it. She did some things to me that I won’t even repeat to you,” Curtis said, reminiscing.
“Really? Well, that’s good to hear, man.”
“Yeah, it is. Things aren’t all the way back to normal but definitely better.”
“I told you everything would work out.”
“That you did. But these problems between Charlotte and me have really tested my faith.”
“I can understand that.”
“But the thing that has kept me in control is the fact that I love her. Regardless of what I say, what I think, or what I do, I really do love Charlotte and there’s no way I can deny that.”
“I hear you.”
Curtis wondered why Aaron sounded sort of distant, but maybe he was concentrating on the report he said he was working on.
“Well, man, I guess I’d better let you go,” Curtis said. “And thanks again for taking my spot at Bible study.”
“Hey, that’s what I’m here for. To support you in any way I can.”
“You’re a good friend, Aaron. You accepted me for who I was as soon as we moved here, and I have definitely come to depend on our friendship. It’s not every day that a man can find a friend he can trust his life with.”
“I feel the same way about you. You’re a good man, Curtis, and a great pastor.”
“Okay, now, I think we should end this before we both start crying like little babies,” Curtis said, and they both laughed.
“I’ll give you a ring tomorrow,” Aaron said.
“Take care.”
Curtis didn’t have any other real friends he could think of. He’d bonded with a few ministers while in Chicago, but they were never the kind of friends he could trust the way he trusted Aaron. Once upon a time, he’d thought that Tyler, Cletus, and Malcolm were the closest friends he’d ever have, but now he looked at them a lot differently. Curtis had turned his life around, but the three of them were still running their massive churches in a corrupt way, and Curtis didn’t have much to do with them. Occasionally, they spoke by phone, but for the most part, his connection with them was limited.
Then there was the estranged relationship he had with his family. He hadn’t spoken to his mother or sister in over twenty-two years. He loved both of them, but the summer before he’d entered Morehouse, he’d stopped communicating with them completely. He’d explained to his mother that there were too many unpleasant memories regarding his childhood and that the only way he could be happy was to distance himself from anything or anyone who reminded him of it. His mother had begged and pleaded with him not to do it, but he’d purposely ignored her wishes. He’d even ignored the weekly letters she’d sent to him at school, by asking the postal service to return them. Then, during his sophomore year, his sister had called, saying that she wanted him to attend her high school graduation, but he’d told her in no uncertain terms that he couldn’t make it. She’d promised him that she would never forgive him for as long as she lived.
Curtis wasn’t proud of the way he’d turned his back on his family, but he hadn’t seen any other way to block out his younger years. His father, his father’s women, the way his father had mistreated Curtis, the way his father had allowed them to live—the way he had spent his money on his women. It had been a horrific time in Curtis’s life, and he’d told himself that if he ever got a chance to leave home, he would never look back. He would pretend as though that period in his life never happened. He would work hard at building a life for himself, the kind every human being deserved.
But at least his mother had deposited every single check he’d mailed to her for Mother’s Day for the last ten years. When he and Tanya had moved back to Chicago, Curtis had hired a private investigator to find out where she lived and had begun mailing her an annual check of a thousand dollars. He’d even had the PI locate his sister, who was married and had two beautiful children. But he still hadn’t found the nerve to contact either of them. He thought about it from time to time but always settled on leaving well enough alone. Somehow, he truly believed it was better this way. And maybe his mother’s feelings were mutual, because she’d never tried to contact him either, even though he always made sure to include his return address, just in case she wanted to.
Curtis finished the last paragraph of his column and leaned back in his chair. He sat there for a few minutes debating whether he should e-mail it to his editor now or read through it a couple of more times this evening. He glanced at his watch just as his phone rang.
“Pastor?” Lana said.
“Yes?”
“Your editor is on the line.”
“Thanks. Put him through.”
“Richard. How are you?”
“I’m wonderful, Curtis. And you’ll feel even better than me once I tell you the news.”
“Which is?”
“Your column is going into syndication. TBC News Service just made an offer for a frequency of three times per week.”
“Richard, man, this is great news. When did you hear?”
“Just got off the phone with them about ten minutes ago. They wanted me to present the offer to you and then call them back with you on the line.
“Is it a good one?”
“A very good one.”
“Which is?”
“They’re starting you out in fifty cities and only with the top newspapers. They haven’t discussed dollars and cents, but TBC is the best-known syndicate, so I’m sure the money will be what we want it to be.”
“I’ve been waiting for this to happen, but now that it has, it seems unreal.”
“Well, believe me when I say that this is only the beginning, because the subject of your book came up, too.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I told TBC that you were finished with it and how once it’s published, you’ll be able to cross-promote. The book will turn readers on to the column, and the column will do the same for the book.”
“And?”
“They agreed wholeheartedly, and Maxwell, the vice president, gave me the name of a top agent there in New York. He’s going to call and make the introduction for you this afternoon and wants you to FedEx a copy of the manuscript to her for tomorrow morning’s delivery. And Curtis, it sounds like this woman has connections with every major house there is. She used to run one of them herself before becoming an agent, so she definitely knows how to make things happen. As a matter of fact, Maxwell couldn’t go on enough about how respected she is in the publishing community.”
“I’m speechless.”
“As you should be,” Richard said, laughing.
“But I will say this, I’m not surprised. Because the one thing I know is that God is always true to His Word. Ask and ye shall receive. So my prayers have been answered.”
“Congratulations, Curtis.”
“Thanks. Thanks be to God.”
“Hey, I need to get moving here, but if you can, I need you to come down to my office so we can make a conference call to your new syndicate.”
“I’ll be there as soon as Lana prints out a copy of the manuscript. Shouldn’t take me more than an hour or two,” Curtis said.
“See you then.”
“Oh, and Richard? What’s the agent’s name and address?”
“Geez. I guess I’m so excited, I can’t even think straight.”
Richard recited the information and Curtis jotted it down.
“I’ll see you when I get there.”
Curtis couldn’t stop smiling if he wanted to. He couldn’t stop praising God if someone asked him to. This was by far one of the happiest days of his life, and he couldn’t wait to tell Charlotte. He couldn’t wait to hear the happiness in her voice. Especially when she learned that his income would be increasing.
“Girl, can you believe Curtis’s column is going to be syndicated?” Charlotte spoke excitedly to Anise. They were lounging at Anise’s condo in the upstairs den.
“I know. It’s a dream come true. I am so happy for you guys.”
“I mean, it’s only been a few hours since he told me, but it still doesn’t seem real.”
“I can only imagine, but you know Curtis believed in his column from day one and that just goes to show what can happen when you have faith. Mom says that all the time, and Curtis is living proof of it.”
“And to think I doubted that any of this would happen. I feel so bad about not supporting him, but I just couldn’t see any of this evolving. And now he might even be getting his book published.”
“It’s all such a huge blessing.”
“I know. And I’m so thankful.”
“And if I were you, I’d be out celebrating with my husband instead of sitting here pigging out on burritos.”
“He asked me to come with them, but since he’d already planned to spend the night out with Alicia and Matthew, I told them to go ahead. He’s been wanting to do something with just the three of them, and he definitely doesn’t get very many opportunities. Plus, Alicia is leaving in a few days.”
“That’s true.”
“Anyway, did I tell you that his cut will be almost a hundred thousand dollars per year?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yep. And he’ll earn even more if the column is successful and more papers start buying it.”
“That’s a lot of money. Shoot. Maybe I need to come up with my own column idea,” Anise said, and they both laughed.
“I know that’s right. I wish I could come up with one, too.”
“Before you know it, Curtis will be earning the same as Dave Barry, and I’m sure he’s made hundreds of thousands of dollars and probably even millions from his column.”
“Wouldn’t that be a riot? And I would probably have a heart attack!”
“I’m sure you would, girl, as much as you love money.”
“I admit it. I do. I don’t know why, but I definitely love spending it, too. It makes life so much easier and so much more comfortable.”
“But I keep telling you, it’s not everything. We all like money to a certain extent and we all need a certain amount of it, but it is still the root of all evil. Especially if you become obsessed with it.”
“Maybe. But I am who I am, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“You crack me up.”
“I know. But you still love me, though,” Charlotte said, leaning her head against Anise’s shoulder.
“You’re a trip. But yes, I do love you like a sister, and I would do anything for you. Including letting you use my address for all those credit card bills you get every month.”
“Oops. Let’s not even talk about that.”
“Well, somebody needs to talk about it, because you’ve got a lot of ’em coming here. How much do you owe on all those, anyway?”
“I’m ashamed to even say. But with Curtis’s new income, I’ll be able to pay off everything in no time. And I’m going to close them out as soon as I do.”
“I sure hope so, because if you keep this up, you’re going to end up in bankruptcy.”
“Not hardly. I owe more than I should, but it’s nothing like that.”
“If you say so.”
“Really. I’m serious. It’s not as bad as you think.”
“Are you paying more than the minimum payments?”
“Anise, come on now. Of course I am,” Charlotte lied.
“Good, because otherwise, you won’t ever pay off any of those balances, and the interest will keep accruing for years to come.”
“Okay, that’s enough about money. Let’s talk about you and your love life.”
“That’s easy enough. I don’t have one.”
“That’s sad, girl.”
“Although I did get a call from Frank two nights ago.”
“And?”
“He called to see how I was doing, but that was about it.”
“He didn’t ask you out or anything?”
“He hinted around, but I’m not interested. I told you, he hurt me, and I won’t ever allow him to do that again. I am not a believer in second chances once someone has violated me. When people show me their true colors, I pay attention.”
“I guess. But people do change.”
“Maybe. But like I said, I’m not interested. I’ll be friends with Frank, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”
“Then we’ll find you someone else.”
“That would be nice, but it’s not that easy. The pickings around here are very slim.”
“There’s someone for everybody.”
“Supposedly, but we’ll see.”
Charlotte looked inside her purse when she heard her cell phone ringing. She tried to stay calm when she saw that it was Aaron.
“Hello,” she said, decreasing the volume with her forefinger so Anise couldn’t hear what he was saying.
“Where are you?”
“Oh, hi, William. I’m well. Is everything okay?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think I left it somewhere near the right side of my desk.”
“I know you’re not with Curtis, because I called him as soon as I finished teaching Bible study.”
“Did you find it?”
“Why are you playing these games with me, Charlotte?” he asked.
“I’m visiting with my cousin, but just call if you need to locate anything else. Otherwise I’ll see you in the morning.”
“No, I wanna hear from you tonight.”
“Bye,” Charlotte said, trying to keep her composure. “That was one of the partners, looking for a document we’ve been working on,” she told Anise.
“Oh. Work never ends, does it?”
“No. It never does.”
Charlotte prayed that her heart rate would return to normal.