“You always fall for the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time and sometimes for the most unexpected reason.” Unknown
Dray, along with his brothers, Raul and Jerome, and two of Dray’s closest friends who were going to be groomsmen, met up at the tuxedo rental place to be fitted for their attire for Dray’s upcoming nuptials.
“You sure about this?” Jerome, the younger of his brothers, asked as the sales clerk took their measurements.
“Yep, I’m sure. I love Bethany. Why would you ask me if I’m sure?”
“Yeah, you really ready to turn in your bachelor card, man?” another one of the guys asked, laughing.
“Yeah, I am. Bethany is a good church girl. I believe she’s going to make a good wife. She has my back, you know?”
“I hear you, and yeah, she seems cool, real cool. I’m just saying I don’t know if she’s the girl for you,” his friend Tarik said.
“I agree with Tarik,” Dray’s oldest brother, Raul, added.
“What? Y’all trippin’.”
“Nah, I don’t think so. I say you still got feelings for Chynna,” another of the guys stated. “You and her was stuck together like glue. Don’t get me wrong, she had some wild ways.” His friend laughed hard as did the others. “How many times has ol’ girl gone off on you, bruh? I mean, truth is, she used to do some wild and crazy stuff when she got mad at you.”
Dray smirked and threw his hand to the side. “Man, y’all talk like fools. Chynna is history. We been there done that. I mean, I wish things could have been different, but hey at the end of the day, it is what it is. Things didn’t work out between us and so I moved on. I had to let her and all that craziness go. I couldn’t do it anymore. When I hooked up with Bethany I found out she’s a cool chick. She got it going on and on top of that I got her heart.”
“But what about you?” Jerome asked.
“What about me?” Dray responded.
“We haven’t heard you say anything about being in love with her,” said Jerome.
“Okay, so I love her. How’s that? And what’s not to love about her? Like I said, she’s cool, she’s smart, she got her own, and definitely the girl is fine.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” said Jerome. “Whateva. But the fact remains, ol’ girl proposed to you, not the other way around. I mean, I’m all for women’s rights and I support the Metoo movement and anything else that promotes empowering females, but I don’t know if I can wrap my head around a woman proposing to me. I mean, I can’t see a girl dropping on one knee, pulling out a ring, and asking me to marry her.”
“Me neither,” Raul chimed in, “and especially a church girl like you say Bethany is.”
“That’s ‘cause any female in her right mind would stay away from you, man,” Dray mocked and all the guys laughed, including the sales clerk. “Anyway, I wouldn’t be marrying her if I didn’t love her. Know what I mean?”
“Yea, whateva,” said Raul. “People have married for many reasons other than love, you know.”
“Well, that’s not me,” Dray remarked. “I’m marrying Bethany because I love her. Believe that.”
The fellows continued going back and forth until they were done with their tuxedo fittings. On the way home, Dray replayed much of the conversation in his head. Was he making a mistake by accepting Bethany’s marriage proposal? It felt weird, he had to admit that much, to have a woman propose instead of the other way around. After he got over the initial shock of seeing Bethany get down on one knee at his favorite fine dining restaurant, he answered, “Yes.”
Bethany was different, and Dray was drawn to her because she was the total opposite of a hotheaded, quick to react Chynna. Not yet thirty years old, she already owned two temporary employment agencies. They were quite successful and she had secured several large contracts. Her latest was the one she recently signed with a major manufacturer and included an onsite location as their exclusive temp agency.
“Hi, babe, I’ll meet you at the bakery around five thirty. Is that good?”
“Yeah, five thirty is good. That should give me plenty of time to finish up here at the office, stop by the hospital to see my aunt, and then head that way,” Dray told her.
“How is your aunt?”
“She’s getting better. She just needs to make better choices with her diet. Diabetes is no joke, you know. Going in and out of those diabetic comas, you’d think she would be ready to make a change, but she still wants to eat what she wants to eat.”
“All you can do is pray for her, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. Anyway, I’ve gotta go. I need to get busy and finish these projects if I plan to get out of here on time. Love ya,” he said like he was talking to a sibling or friend and not his fiancé’.
“I love you more, Dray,” she replied and they ended the call.
Bethany was the middle child of a family made up of two brothers and four sisters. She used to feel neglected and forgotten about because she believed a majority of her mother’s time was spent focusing on Bethany’s other siblings and not her. It used to hurt, but Bethany believed it ended up helping her in the long run because she became driven, assertive, and ambitious. She worked hard to gain the slightest bit of her parents’ attention. When her mother and father divorced, she rarely if ever talked to her father except for the times they spent with him during the summer. Granted, he worked long hard hours in an iron mill in a small town in Indiana. The money was good and he did take care of them from that aspect, but Bethany often missed him.
As she grew older, she visited him as often as possible and after graduating from high school, she attended college in Indiana so she could be closer to him. It didn’t matter that he had remarried and had a couple of step kids. Her father’s wife, Lydia, treated Bethany like she was one of her own. She was a lovely, pleasant, and kind woman. Bethany learned a lot about God, life, and how to treat people from Lydia.
The first year of college, Bethany stayed on campus, but when summer rolled in, her stepmother and her father suggested she move in with them. It would save on finances and plus they wanted her around them as much as possible.
She accepted their offer and her remaining college years turned out to be some of the best times of her life. Upon graduation, she returned to Memphis, worked a couple of jobs but then after seeing how the temp services operated, she decided she would dabble in being an entrepreneur and open her own agency with the help of her father’s finances. One agency led to two and now she was considering a third location. The money was good and she felt empowered as a young woman.
“I’m about to leave, Trish. Do you need anything before I go?” Bethany asked her admin.
“No, everything is good. Go, have a good evening. Oh, how are the wedding plans coming along?”
“Good, I’m headed now to taste wedding cakes. I can’t wait. I’m so excited.” Bethany’s face glowed and the smile against her coffee brown skin enhanced her beauty inside and out.
“That does sound like fun.”
“Yeah, it does.” Bethany smiled, hurried past Trish, and dashed out the front door. Once inside her car, she pushed the button on the steering wheel and called her stepmother.
“How are you, sweetie?” Lydia asked.
“I’m good. I’m about to head to the bakery for the cake tasting.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot you said you and Dray had to go there today. Let me know what flavor of cake you decide on. We hadn’t talked much lately, but I wanted to ask you if you’ve been harassed anymore by Dray’s ex-girlfriend?”
Bethany had told her stepmother, and complained to Dray several times, about his ex calling her all times of day and night about her and Dray’s relationship. Chynna had even shown up at her offsite temp agency a few weeks ago when Bethany was out of town on a mini vacation with three of her girlfriends. Her administrative assistant told Bethany Chynna had first come into the agency on the pretense of wanting to sign up for employment with Bethany’s temp agency. After asking the assistant if Bethany was in the office and finding out Bethany was not, Chynna proceeded to bombard the admin with question after question about Bethany and her comings and goings. It became so uncomfortable, especially when she Chynna told the admin that she was Dray’s fiancé and Bethany had ruined their relationship. Trish insisted Chynna leave or she would call the authorities. Chynna reluctantly left, but it disturbed Bethany when her assistant told her what had transpired.
When Bethany told Dray about it, he apologized and promised he would handle Chynna. He convinced Bethany she didn’t have to worry about something like that ever happening again.
“No, thank God. I haven’t heard anything since she showed up at my office. I hope Dray and I have seen and heard the last from that woman. She’s coo-coo. I mean flat-out crazy. I don’t see what Dray ever saw in her.”
“What does he have to say about her?” Lydia inquired.
“Not much. He just says for me not to worry, but you know folks are evil these days. They’ll do some of anything and have no regard for other’s peoples’ lives, not even their own.”
“Yeah, unfortunately, what you say is true.”
“I pray that God will change things around for the better in this city and all over this country. I wish people would realize just how much they need Him.”
“Keep praying and keep the faith. He’s still in control, Bethany. Everything will work out. Just be cautious and cognizant of your surroundings. Besides, Dray is probably right, there’s nothing to worry about. She has to realize that the relationship is over and done between her and Dray. He’s a good guy, Beth.”
“Yeah, he is. I’m blessed. Meeting him that day when I was in his building for a presentation was the best day of my life. God placed me in the right place at the right time.”
Bethany drove along the not too busy street in the direction of the bakery’s mid-town location in the Cooper Young district.
“He sure did. God is like that and that’s why I believe you’re going to be safe and you’re going to have a happy and blessed marriage. I mean, you’ve got the man back in church, too? That was an accomplishment in and of itself.”
“It wasn’t hard. Dray just needed to be reminded of where his blessings come from. It’s not like he wasn’t aware of who God is and how important He is to our lives. We all go astray from time to time, including his ex, in spite of the fact she’s been tormenting him like there’s no tomorrow. She hasn’t bothered me lately but she continues to call, text, and threaten him but again, I know that even she is worthy of God’s forgiveness.”
“I love you. You are such a beautiful person, Bethany, inside and out, but I have told you this before—if she continues to harass you and Dray, you need to think about filing for some kind of protection order.”
Bethany grinned. “I don’t think it’s that serious. She’s just hurting. I think in time she’s going to back off, but thanks for the advice, Lydia.”
“I sure she does, but I do agree with you when you said you can never tell about people these days,” Lydia told her.
“Like you and my parents always say, God is in control. He’s got me and Dray surrounded by His angels of protection. I believe that.”
“You are right, Bethany. Trust God to lead you in this.”
“Well, I’m turning onto the street of the bakery. I’ll talk to you later this evening. Love you, Lydia.”
“Love you too, sweetheart. Buh-bye.”
Bethany turned onto the side street and drove up the steep driveway leading to the bakery. Bethany loved this area of the city because of the artsy, open-air type of neighborhood district it was. There were plenty of places to eat, listen to music, small shops within walking distance, and the homes were large, older, and quaint. She and Dray talked briefly about buying their first home in the Cooper Young district. Bethany had no qualms about it. She would be happy anywhere as long as she was with Dray, the man of her dreams. Dray was the man God brought into her life. Yes, it was strange, even to her, that she proposed to him, but then again this was the 21st century. Women were more outspoken and assertive. She still liked to be pursued but when she fell in love with Dray, he brought out a bold side of her that surprised even her. The night she proposed she was nervous but she was never more sure about anything before in her life. Her spirit told her it was the right thing to do and when he accepted he proposal she had no more misgivings about her decision.
She looked at her phone before getting out of her car.
Dray’s text read:
“Bout 15 minutes before I get there. Stuck in traffic on Union.”
“Ok, I’m pulling up at bakery now. Will wait in car for you. See you in a bit.”
As she was about to pull into a parking space, she gave pause and placed her hand against her chest as its pace picked up. The woman who she’d seen in person just once before was walking out of the bakery and to the parking lot, but there was no doubt it was her. Bethany remained inside her car and watched as none other than Chynna strolled by with a white bakery box in her hand. Bethany kept her eyes glued on Chynna’s movements. As she watched her, she could see why Dray had been so attracted to her. Chynna was beautiful and impeccably dressed. Anyone who wasn’t aware of her evil ways would probably easily think she was a woman of high class, sophisticated, and had it going on. Maybe she was or rather maybe she had been once upon a time, but Bethany believed inside the woman’s mind was a twisted side that caused her to do the foolish things Dray had told her she’d done.
Chynna had not only come to her place of business, but Dray said Chynna had flattened his tires, broken out his car windows, and sent him thousands of text messages. She followed him around town and confronted his friends, brothers, and anyone else she believed interfered in her and Dray’s relationship. She breathed a short sigh of relief that she hadn’t heard anything from Chynna—not until seeing her come out the bakery.
Bethany sat frozen inside her car, hoping Chynna would pass by without noticing her, but then she wondered, What’s she doing here anyway? Is this a coincidence or one of Chynna’s schemes?
While Bethany daydreamed, Chynna approached Bethany’s car and tapped on her window. “Uh, missy, you have me blocked in,” she said, looking up and pointing to her car which, of all cars, Bethany had stopped behind.
“Uhh, little miss Bethany. Is that you? What are you doing here?” Chynna said mockingly.
Bethany was both shocked and livid when she realized the woman was actually Chynna. She imagined her nostrils had spread like a bull’s nostrils before charging. She was furious and scared at the same time. Had Chynna actually followed her to the bakery without her noticing? How would she know that she and Dray were supposed to be here at this time? Surely, it had to be a coincidence.
“I beg your pardon?” Bethany said, acting coyly as her brows seemed to come together. “I can ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?”
Chynna looked around, surveying her surroundings. With outstretched hands, she smiled wickedly. “Last time I heard this is a public place. I didn’t know you owned a stake in it.” Her smile disappeared. She folded her arms with the box of goodies extending out of her hand and stood back on her right leg. Her pink pencil skirt showcased her perfect legs and shapely hips. The white blouse remained tucked neatly inside the skirt and her brownish black hair rested against the top of her collar.
“So are you just going to sit here looking stupid or are you going to move from behind my car?”
Seething, Bethany bit her bottom lip and sped off to a parking space in front of her and closer to the bakery door. In her rearview mirror she cautiously watched Chynna back out of her parking space. Just as she was almost out of it all the way, Bethany saw Dray pulling up. She released a sigh and continued watching, slightly turning around in the car to get a better view.
Dray parked and Bethany watched as Chynna got out of her car and walked toward Dray’s car. Standing on the passenger side, she leaned in. It was apparent Dray had let down the window. Unable to hear the exchange, Bethany could see Dray’s expression. She could tell whatever he was saying was nothing pleasant. He pointed a finger toward Bethany. Chynna laughed, while glancing in Bethany’s direction and then back at Dray.
Bethany, by this time, had let down her window. She strained to hear anything and was rewarded when Chynna yelled out a nasty expletive, displayed a finger sign, followed by placing her hand to her lips and blowing Dray a kiss before sashaying back to her car.
Dray opened the door to his car, got out, and walked toward Bethany’s car while still keeping an eye on Chynna. He could never be certain of what her move might be. She was just that unpredictable.
Chynna sat in the parking spot and appeared to be on the phone.
“Come on, let’s get inside. Did she say anything to you?”
“Not really, I just saw her coming out of the bakery.”
“Anyway, don’t mind her. Okay?” Dray placed an arm around Bethany’s waist and leaned to give her a lingering kiss as he briefly looked over his shoulder at Chynna.
Chynna was furious as she watched Dray’s display of affection toward another woman. How could he keep doing her this way? She waited patiently, watching them carefully as they disappeared inside.
About ten minutes after Dray and Bethany were led to the cake tasting area, in walked two police officers followed by a hysterical woman. The woman was no one other than Chynna. Her hair was splayed over her head, her blouse was half way out of her skirt, and there was what looked like blood on the front of the blouse.
“There she is,” Chynna pointed in Bethany’s direction. “She’s the one that assaulted me.”
“Stay back, ma’am. We’ll go talk to her,” one of the officers instructed.
“I’m telling you, I didn’t lay a hand on her,” Bethany cried as the police approached. “She’s crazy. This woman has been harassing me and my fiancé for weeks.”
“Is that why you slapped her and scratched her on the side of her face?” one of the two male officers asked, looking at Bethany like they didn’t believe a word she said.
“I’m telling you, I didn’t touch her…but I wish I had,” she said bitingly.
Chynna continued crying. “She’s lying. She pulled my hair and she scratched me. See, look at it. I already showed you but look at me. Those long nails of hers hurt like hell. She’s talking about me harassing her but she’s been the one harassing me and so has he,” she said, eyeing Dray with anger-filled eyes. “I just left this bakery and when I came outside she was parked behind my car, blocking me in, and apparently waiting on me. She must have followed me here,” Chynna cried. Her eyes were bloodshot like she’d been drinking all night and hadn’t had any sleep. She kept touching her face. “Aren’t you going to arrest her?”
Fifteen minutes into questioning and going back and forth the police officer said, “Ma’am, turn around and put your hands behind your back. You have the right to remain….”
“What? But, I didn’t do anything. Please, don’t do this.” Bethany’s peripheral vision locked in on people inside the bakery making videos from their phones as they led an embarrassed, frightened Bethany to the police car.
“You’re going to be sorry,” Dray mouthed when Chynna looked at him and gave him a snide grin followed by an air kiss.