Chapter 14
On Friday morning, Arykah walked into her office and smelled the roses before she arrived at her desk. The beautiful bouquet consisted of four red roses, four yellow roses, and four orange roses. The vase sat in the middle of her desk. A small white envelope, with her name written on it was propped up against it. She knew the roses were from Lance, and her smile couldn’t have been wider as she tore open the envelope.
Thank you for a lovely evening. I had a wonderful time. I’m looking forward to Sunday morning. Lance
Arykah placed the card into the envelope and sniffed the roses before sitting down. She reached inside her purse for the church’s business card Lance had given her. She dialed the number to the church with a huge smile on her face. Thanks to Lance, Arykah was no longer ashamed of her gap.
“Freedom Temple, may I help you?” the secretary greeted.
“Yes, is Lan . . . uh, Pastor Howell available?”
There was a pause before the secretary spoke. “Who is this?”
Whatever happened to ‘May I ask who’s calling? ’ Arykah thought. There was a definite attitude in the woman’s voice. Arykah could’ve sworn she was talking to a jealous wife. “My name is Arykah Miles.”
“Is the pastor expecting your call?”
“No, but I—”
“Well, he’s in a marital counseling session and can’t be disturbed.”
“Oh, I don’t want to disturb him. May I leave a message for him?”
“What’s the message?”
Clearly the woman was hot and bothered by her telephone call. But Arykah was from the old school. Of course she could have easily ‘gone there’ with the woman and told her to thank Lance for the roses he sent and to tell him that she had a wonderful time last night. However, as much as Arykah wanted to be messy, she opted to behave like an adult and do the right thing. “Will you please ask him to call me when he becomes avail—”
“Is this for a counseling session?”
“No, I just—”
“Well, what’s the reason for your call?”
Arykah was itching to read this woman, but she remembered what Monique had said to her just last night. “Arykah, if you’re gonna be spending time with this man, you gotta watch your mouth.”
“The reason I’m calling is to speak—”
“Are you a member of this church?”
“No, I’m a friend.” Finally, Arykah was able to give a complete answer.
“What kind of friend?” the secretary asked nastily.
Arykah lost the battle. She allowed the enemy to take over her emotions. I’m sorry, Monique. “A very close and personal friend. Please tell Lance that I’ve received my roses, and they’re beautiful. On second thought, I’d rather tell him that myself. Have Lance call me on my private line. He has the number, thank you.”
“You just had to go there, didn’t you?” Monique asked when Arykah called to inform her about the call with the church’s secretary.
“You should’ve heard her, Monique. She was all up in my business.”
“Well, you better get used to it. Lance is a pastor, and you know how women in the church are. They will speak to the man of God and won’t even acknowledge the woman on his arm. You need to learn how to deal with that in a decent, not ghetto, manner. There’s a way of putting folks in their places nicely, and when you walk away, they’ll be like, ‘Did she just check me?’And you know women don’t like it when their single pastor brings a woman from outside of the church in to become his wife. So my advice to you is to put on the whole armor of God, and get ready to deal with the women.”
“Humph, if anything, those broads better get ready to deal with me.”
“What did I tell you about your mouth, Arykah?”
“I forgot. Tell me again.”
“Look, sis, obviously Lance sees something in you that he likes and you have to respect his status. He represents righteousness, and the moment you step foot in his church as his guest, every area of your life will be under scrutiny. People will remember your face. You’ve got to be careful in everything you do from the places you hang out at, to the people you associate with and definitely your conversations. First ladies carry heavy burdens. Women in churches confide private and very personal information in their pastor’s wife. They’re going to be depending on you for counseling and support. It’s your job to convince them you’re trustworthy.”
“I understand all of that, Monique, but I’m not gonna let anyone walk over me or disrespect me.”
“Arykah, disrespect comes with the territory you are about to tread on, but it’s how you handle the disrespect that makes all the difference. I haven’t met Lance, but from what you tell me about him, he sounds like a down to earth guy. Chances are if someone belittles you, especially in his presence, you won’t have to open your mouth. Lance will put them in their places.”
“You think I should tell him about the call with his secretary?” Arykah asked.
“What are you gonna tell him? That she tried to find out who you were and why you called? Actually, there’s nothing to tell. Single pastors must be careful of the women who call them. Do you know how many ministers get into trouble counseling women in a one on one session? Often it’s a trap that women set. Next thing you know, it’s their word against his that something inappropriate was said or done. It’s a secretary’s job to cross-examine every call that comes in for the pastor. Maybe a man’s call would have been sent through to Lance with no problem. Who’s to say? But you can’t fault his secretary for doing her job. She did exactly what she was suppose to do.”
“What about her nasty attitude, Monique? She wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise.”
“Her attitude could be based on a lot of things. Maybe she’s having a bad day or maybe she’s got a crush on Lance. Whatever her issue was, you shouldn’t have made it your issue. You were out of line telling her that Lance sent you roses because it was none of her business. He may not have wanted her or anyone else to know, and you can best believe the whole church will know before this day is over. First ladies or women who date ministers shouldn’t discuss their relationships with anyone. What you and Lance do is y’all’s business, always remember that. Lance needs to be assured that the time you and he spend together is private. He should know that he can let his hair down, kick back and act a fool with you, and his congregation won’t find out about it. Do you understand what I’m saying, Arykah?”
Arykah exhaled loudly. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Look, sweetie, dating a minister is serious business, and not everyone can deal with it. You have a choice. You can go into this knowing that in the beginning you may only be received by a handful of people and accept that, or you can tell Lance that a relationship with him isn’t something you want to pursue right now. If you choose the latter, understand that you may be giving up the man and life God intended for you to have. If you choose to be with Lance, there will be times you may feel like you’re walking through a lion’s den. But know that you’re not walking through it alone. I’ll walk with you, and I’m sure Lance will too. And remember one very important thing. Always, always address him as Pastor when you’re in the presence of others. Never disagree with him in public, and no one should ever know that the two of you are angry with one another, because people will use that to come between you.”
Arykah ran her fingers through her hair frustratingly. “You know, the more I think about this, the more I’m convinced I can’t do this.”
“Why? Because you don’t want to face the challenge? You wanna give up on the relationship before it gets started?”
“I can’t deal with the pressure.”
“What pressure, Arykah? The hardest thing you’re gonna have to deal with is keeping your legs closed and controlling your mouth. If you can master those two things, everything else will fall into place.”
Just then Theresa stormed into Monique’s office. “Adonis is on line three, and he’s upset.”
Monique looked at her. “Upset?”
“Yes, and he’s yelling.”
She spoke into her cellular telephone. “Hold on a minute, Arykah.” Monique picked up the third line. “Adonis?”
He was hysterical. “He didn’t see it, Monique! He didn’t see it!”
She didn’t have a clue what Adonis was talking about. “Who didn’t see what?”
“His work boots were untied and he tripped. He tried not to fall on it, but he couldn’t help it.”
Without knowing it, Monique became hysterical too. “Who?”
Adonis yelled into the telephone. “Boris. He fell on six hundred volts! The ambulance is taking him to Christ Hospital! I’m on my way to get Aunt Myrtle!”
Monique didn’t respond. She quickly slammed down the telephone, then spoke into her cellular phone. “Boris was electrocuted. I’m going to Christ Hospital.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Arykah said.
When Monique rushed into the emergency waiting area, she saw Myrtle on her knees praying. Adonis stood from a chair, and Monique hurried into his arms. She saw that his eyes were puffy and red.
“How is he?” she asked.
“We don’t know anything yet. He was unconscious when the ambulance left the job site.”
Monique released Adonis and knelt next to the only real mother she’d ever known.
“Boris is strong, Gravy. He’s gonna be all right.” She stood Myrtle up and sat her in a chair. Adonis sat next to Monique.
“How did it happen?” she asked him.
“He tripped on his boot lace. Thank God he wasn’t wearing steel toes. His partner, Paul, said he was walking ahead of Boris when he heard him fall. When Paul turned around, he saw Boris lying on the third rail. He was moving like he was having a seizure. Paul was able to kick Boris off the rail with the rubber sole on his boot. Had Boris been grounded, Paul wouldn’t have been able to help him.”
“Grounded?” Monique asked.
“You’re grounded when you wear earrings, chains or watches. The metal feeds the electricity and it fries you.”
“What about Paul? How is he?”
“Paul’s cool. His rubber sole insulated him. He’s still at work.”
Arykah rushed into the waiting room and sat next to Myrtle, then kissed her cheek. “What happened?”
Adonis told the story again for Arykah’s benefit.
“What did the doctor say?” Arykah asked.
“We don’t know anything yet,” Myrtle answered sadly.
The four of them witnessed a doctor approach a man and his young son who were also in the emergency waiting room. Adonis and Myrtle overheard minutes before Monique arrived that the man’s wife was eating breakfast with friends when she choked on a piece of bread and stopped breathing. The doctor shook his head from side to side and patted the husband’s shoulder with compassion. The son yelled to the top of his lungs. The father grabbed and held him while trying to fight back his own tears. The doctor and a nurse led them behind two double doors.
Myrtle placed her face in her hands and cried. “Sweet Jesus, please let my baby be all right.”
For the next ten minutes, Monique and Arykah held Myrtle’s hands. Adonis was silently praying when Boris’s doctor came to them. He stood directly in front of Myrtle. “Ms. Cortland?”
Myrtle searched his face. He wasn’t smiling or frowning. “Yes?”
“Boris is conscious, and he’s very lucky.”
Myrtle cried a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord.”
Adonis, Monique and Arykah wiped tears from their eyes. The doctor allowed Myrtle and Adonis to see Boris. Twenty minutes later, Adonis came and told Monique that Boris wanted to see her, and Monique hurried to be by Boris’s bedside.
She pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. Three machines were hooked up to Boris’s body. Monique saw IV’s dripping in both of his wrists. With Myrtle out of the room, Boris opened up to her. “I’m sorry.” It was a struggle for Boris to speak.
Monique saw tears running from the corners of his eyes to his ears. “Shhh, save your strength.”
“No, I need to say this to you. I know I caused you a lot of pain, and I’m sorry. I was shocked when Momma said you were here.”
Monique placed her hand in his. Seeing Boris in that vulnerable state reminded her of the reason she had fallen in love with him two years ago. “Of course I would be here, Boris. I don’t hate you, I’m just sick of the way you treat me.”
“Monique, if you give me one more chance, I swear to God I won’t mess up again.”
“Boris, now is not the time to talk about this. Let’s get you well first.”
“Please, Monique. Come back to me, baby. Please. I’m miserable, and I can’t make it without you. I may as well be dead without you in my life.”
“Don’t talk like that, Boris. That’s morbid.”
“Whatever I gotta do to get you back, baby, I’ll do it. I love you more than I love myself. I need you Monique, I swear I do.”
A nurse came in and demanded that Boris rest. Monique stood and kissed his forehead lightly. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you later.”
In the waiting room, Monique told Myrtle, Adonis, and Arykah that Boris was resting. Arykah stood and placed her purse strap on her shoulder. “I gotta get back to the office. Momma Cortland, call me if you need anything.”
“Yeah, I gotta get back to work too. Auntie, you want a ride home?” Adonis asked.
“No, I’m gonna stay awhile. I’ll catch a cab home later.”
“I’ll stay with Boris, Gravy. Let Adonis take you home,” Monique said.
The three of them stood in shock looking at Monique.
“Are you sure?” Myrtle asked her.
Monique didn’t look into Adonis or Arykah’s eyes. She knew what they were thinking. She focused on Myrtle. “Yeah, I’m gonna stay the night with Boris.”
Adonis wanted to repeat Myrtle’s question, but decided not to do it in the presence of his aunt and Arykah.
“I need you to find a house for me as soon as possible,” Adonis said to Arykah in the hospital parking lot, on the way to their cars.
“She’s not going back to him,” Myrtle said.
“Yes she is, Auntie, I know she is.”
Later that evening, Monique sat at Boris’s side, feeding him applesauce. With each swallow he took, she wiped the corners of his mouth with a paper napkin. It wasn’t until that very moment when Boris truly realized what he had given up. There was absolutely no comparison between Monique and Kita. As a matter of fact, no woman could measure up to Monique.
“Thanks for staying,” he said to her.
“Gravy wanted to stay, but I figured you wouldn’t want your mother helping you to the bathroom and bathing you. I’m sure Adonis would’ve stayed if he could have, but he had to get back to work. Oh, Arykah was here too, so make sure to thank her.”
“I bet I’m the last person Arykah wants to hear from.”
“I wouldn’t say the last person. She did drop everything to come see about you.”
“She probably wanted to see for herself that I was dead.”
“I’ll have you to know that Arykah’s ways are slowly but surely changing. She happens to be dating a pastor.”
“Have you met him?” Boris asked.
“Not yet.”
“That’s because he doesn’t exist. Arykah hates men, and she definitely wouldn’t get with a pastor. She’s got too many demons inside of her.”
“Be that as it may, I can vouch for her and say that one by one, the demons are coming out. She knows she has to give up a lot if she wants to be with the man.”
“Yeah, but how do you go from being a witch to being a pastor’s wife?”
“Ooh Boris, don’t call Arykah a witch.”
“She is a witch and she casts evil spells on people. If this pastor does exist, and personally I think he doesn’t, because a man of the cloth should be able to spot a witch from a mile away, but if he’s hooking up with Arykah, he needs to be warned.”
When the nurse on the third shift came to check Boris’s vitals, Monique went to the pay-phone in the lounge area to call Arykah. Because of the rules of the hospital, she couldn’t use her cellular phone. “Hey, what are you up to?”
“That’s what I want to ask you,” Arykah said.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean, Monique. Why didn’t you let Mother Cortland stay with Boris?”
“Because she would’ve had to bathe him and stuff. I knew he wouldn’t be comfortable with that.”
“Why not? She’s his mother. And besides, there are professional nurses who get paid to do that stuff for patients. How do you think it made Adonis feel to hear you say that you’d spend the night with Boris?”
Monique closed her eyes. “I don’t even wanna know, Arykah.”
“He thinks you’re going back to Boris.”
“Why would he think that? That’s crazy.”
“Is it?” Arykah asked.
“Yes, it is. Boris’s accident doesn’t change anything.”
“Well, you could’ve fooled me. By the way, how is he?”
“He’s good. The doctor said Boris may be released as early as tomorrow.”
“Have you talked to Adonis?”
“I’m afraid to call him.”
“You’re gonna have to face him sooner or later, Monique. You may as well get it over with.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is, Arykah. Adonis and I are only friends.”
“If you and Adonis are only friends, why are you so defensive?”
“Because I shouldn’t have to explain what I do. Adonis ain’t my man, and he knows that.”
“You think he does, but actually he doesn’t. Do you remember the conversation we had in my living room the night you found out about the lump in my breast? I told you to end things with Adonis because he was serious, and he would end up getting hurt when you go back to Boris.”
Monique became upset. “What are you talking about, Arykah? I haven’t gone back to Boris. Is it wrong for me to be by his side after a near death experience?”
“That’s for Boris’s mother to do. It’s one thing to rush to the hospital to see about him, and it’s another to bathe him and spend the night with him, Monique. You two don’t even live together anymore, or has that changed?”
Monique didn’t answer Arykah.
“Oh my God. Monique, please tell me you’re not moving back home.”
“It’s only temporary, Arykah. Someone’s gotta be there to take care of him.”
“And you’re the only person who can do that, right? You think you can take care of Boris better than his mother could? What the heck is wrong with you, Monique?”
“I know it will be awkward with Adonis living there, but we’ll just have to work it out.”
“That’s one thing you ain’t gotta worry about, because Adonis won’t be there.”
“Why?”
“Somehow, he knew you were gonna have a change of heart. He said he saw it in your face. When we left the hospital, he told me to find a house for him. It just so happens that a three bedroom in Chatham was put on the market this morning. Adonis decided to take the rest of the afternoon off. I took him and Mother Cortland to see it.”
“And?”
“He bought it.”
Saturday afternoon, Monique made Boris comfortable in their bed. She dressed him in his silk, black pajamas and propped his pillows against the headboard before giving him the remote control to the television. In the kitchen, she sat a pot of water on top of the stove in preparation for homemade soup. While she waited for the water to boil, Monique couldn’t resist going downstairs to the basement. Everything Adonis owned was gone. She heard the telephone in the kitchen ringing and ran upstairs to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Baby Girl.”
“How are you doing, Gravy?”
“I’m fine, how’s Boris?”
“He’s okay. He’s lying down. You wanna talk to him?”
“No, I’ll let him rest. Do you need any help with him?”
“Nah, I don’t think so. I’m making chicken noodle soup for him right now. The Bishop called Boris this morning and prayed for him over the telephone.”
“That’s good. I’m glad the Bishop took time away from his out of town engagement to bless Boris. How long will he be off from work?”
“His doctor has him off for the next two weeks.”
“Well, I guess I’ll come over every morning and sit with him.”
“You don’t have to do that, Gravy. I had scheduled two weeks of vacation for the wedding but I’ll just take them now. So I’ll be here with Boris.”
“Baby Girl, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Monique spoke softly into the telephone. “I love him, Gravy.”
“Humph, well that’s all I needed to hear.”
“You think I’m doing the wrong thing, don’t you?”
“You’re gonna be my daughter in-law whether you’re with Boris or Adonis. It’s a win-win situation for me. My concern is you. Do you wanna go back to the way things were with Boris?”
“I don’t think it will be like that this time, Gravy. Boris almost died, and I think that experience has got him lookin’ at life differently. In the hospital, we sat up all night talking. And we prayed together, Gravy. That was a first for us. Boris said some things to me that he’d never said before. He held my hand and apologized at least twenty times, then he repented to God openly. I’ve never seen him cry that way before. But I’m concerned about Adonis. I haven’t spoken with him. Arykah told me he bought a house.”
“Yeah, he did. It’s a nice house too. And it’s best he moved out. His heart is broken, but Adonis will get through this. He’s staying with me until he can move in the house. Listen, after church tomorrow, I’m gonna come by there and cook Boris’s favorite meal.”
“I’m sure he’ll love that, Gravy. My water is boiling; I gotta dice the vegetables. I’ll give you a call later on.”
An hour later, Monique served Boris a bowl of chicken noodle soup on a small tray. “I need to tell you something, Boris. It’s about Adonis.”
“What about him?”
“He bought a house yesterday, and he moved out of the basement.”
“Yeah, I know,” Boris said.
Monique was stunned. “You know?”
“I forgot to tell you that he called the hospital yesterday while you were at the nurses’ station getting my release papers. He told me he had a feeling you were moving back home, and he wanted to give us our space.”
“That’s all he said?”
“I told him I was gonna do everything in my power to make things right between us. He asked if I wanted him to take some time off to stay here with me, but I told him that you were taking some vacation time.”
“What did he say about that?”
“He reminded me how special you are and wished us well. Adonis is my cousin, but he’s closer to me than any real brother could ever be.”
Boris was asleep when Arykah called Monique’s house. “Hey, you ready to go to the mall?”
“I’ve completely forgotten about that.”
“That’s okay, the mall doesn’t close until six thirty. I’m on my way to get you.”
“Arykah, I can’t leave Boris. He just got home from the hospital.”
Arykah’s voice rose. “So doggone what? Boris ain’t handicapped. He can’t do without you for a few hours?”
“He’s very weak, and I need to be here when he wakes up.”
“So, what are you doing, sitting on the edge of the bed listening to him snore? I bet every now and then you put a small mirror beneath his nose just to make sure he’s breathing, don’t you?”
“That’s not funny, Arykah.”
“I ain’t trying to be funny. I wanna know why Boris can’t manage without you for a little while.”
“Because he may need my help getting to the bathroom.”
“Does he need your help aiming in the toilet too?”
“That’s not fair, and you know it.”
“Whatever Monique, I’ll talk to you later.”
Saturday night, Adonis ran hot water in the bathtub for his aunt. Myrtle was asleep in the living room rocker in front of the television, when Adonis tapped her knee. “Auntie, your bath is ready.”
Myrtle opened her eyes and looked at him. “Thank you, sugar. I’m gonna do the dishes first, because after my bath, I wanna get right in the bed.”
Adonis helped her to stand. “I washed the dishes already, Auntie. And I washed the outside of all the windows while you were asleep. So you can stop bugging me about that.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up to help you?”
“Because I knew I could get it done faster without you breathing down my neck telling me I missed a spot.”
“Did you put Epsom salt in the bathwater?”
“Nah, I didn’t know how much to put in.”
Myrtle held on to Adonis’s arm for support as she walked slowly to the bathroom. “Seems like my arthritis is getting worse. These old knees of mine ain’t worth two cents.” She got the carton of Epsom salt from beneath the bathroom sink and poured about three tablespoons in the bathwater.
Adonis left Myrtle to her bath and went into his bedroom and lay across the bed. He thought about Monique and wondered what she was doing at that moment. He should’ve seen the sign long ago that she wasn’t serious about leaving Boris. The fact that she didn’t take off her engagement ring was a dead give-away. From his wallet he removed the picture they had taken at the Buckingham Fountain.
Adonis looked at Monique’s smile. Truly, she spread the sunshine in his life. What would he do now? He placed the photo back in his wallet, then stretched his arms behind his head. “Lord, how did You let this happen? I asked You, no I didn’t ask, I begged You not to allow me to fall in love with Monique. Don’t You remember me taking all of that money to the altar? I paid You good money not to let this happen, and You didn’t keep up Your end of the bargain. So what am I supposed to do now, Lord, huh? What am I supposed to do?”
After her bath, Myrtle poked her head into Adonis’s room to say goodnight. She saw him lying on his back with his hands extended behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Myrtle walked in and sat on the bed next to him and saw tears streaming from his eyes to his ears.
“Love hurts, doesn’t it, son?” she asked.
Adonis sniffed, but didn’t answer Myrtle’s question.
“You wanna talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Auntie. I put myself out there when I knew she was my cousin’s fiancé. But I didn’t care about that. Monique didn’t come to me, I approached her. And I can’t get angry with her because she never confessed to me that she ended things with Boris. But that’s not even the point, Auntie. It was wrong for me to even go there with Monique. Boris and I are blood. I should’ve known better.”
Myrtle wondered why Monique hadn’t told Adonis that she’d called off the wedding.
“Adonis, if I ask you a question, will you tell your Aunt Myrtle the truth?” He looked at her. “Yeah, Auntie, I’ll always tell you the truth.”
“I know we joked about this the other day, but I need to know. Just how close were you and Baby Girl?”
He knew what Myrtle was really asking him. “We haven’t slept together, Auntie. I have too much respect for Monique to let that happen.”
“The way you talk about her and the way your eyes light up at the mention of her name is the way a person behaves when there is a soul tie between them and someone they love.”
“You know what, Auntie? Monique and I are meant to be together, I know it. We connect in every way. I wake up thinking about her. I go to bed thinking about her. I smell her perfume in the air at work, and I stop what I’m doing and look around for her face. She’s got my nose open so wide, I can smell things that are a mile away.”
Myrtle ran her hand along Adonis’s arm for comfort. “I hate to see you going through this because you’re a good man. I just hope and pray that Boris gets himself together and realizes what he’s got. Sometimes it takes for us to get the heck literally knocked out of us before we say ‘Yes, Lord.’ Maybe this experience was a wake up call for him.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Adonis said.
Arykah sat in the middle of her bed watching the Lifetime Movie Network channel and eating a pint of Baskin And Robbins chocolate chip ice cream. After talking with Monique, she was so angry that she decided not to go shopping for something new to wear to Lance’s church. In her closet was a brand new fuchsia two-piece linen suit she recently purchased at Neiman Marcus. She’d wear it with her brand new fuchsia satin sling back pumps. The telephone on her nightstand rang, and she answered on the first ring.
“Hello, Arykah. Did I wake you?”
A huge grin appeared on her face. “No, but it wouldn’t matter if you did. You’re the only one who can do that.”
“Oh, really?” Lance asked.
“Yes. How was your day?”
“Busy. It’s summer, and everyone wants to get married. So my days are filled with marital counseling.”
The mention of marital counseling brought back yesterday’s conversation with his secretary to Arykah’s mind. “I called you yesterday. Did you get my message?”
“No, I didn’t. What time did you call?”
“I called the church when I got to work and saw the roses you sent. I wanted to thank you. They are beautiful, Lance.”
“Pretty flowers for a pretty lady.”
“You may not think I’m so pretty when I confess to you what I’ve done.”
“I don’t understand.”
Arykah slowly inhaled and let the air out of her lungs. “When I called the church yesterday, your secretary wasn’t pleased.”
“Let me guess. She was real short and nasty to you, right?”
“Yes, she was, but how did you know?”
“Sister Gussie Hughes is an old timer. She’s a charter member that never let me forget that she changed my diapers when I was a baby. She, along with the other mothers of the church, have a hard time accepting the fact that lil’ Lance is now thirty-five years old. Mother Hughes has been the church clerk for as long as I can remember, but I think it’s time for her to retire because you’re not the only one she hassles that calls. She also makes it known that as soon as her granddaughter, Sharonda, gets out of jail and delivers her third child, she and I will get married. Mother Hughes jumps down the throat of every woman who smiles at me. I apologize that she was out of line with you.”
“I wish I’d known all of this before I did what I did yesterday,” Arykah said.
“What did you do?”
“Well, I kinda got angry at the way she was talking to me and purposely let it slip that you sent roses to me.”
Lance chuckled. “That explains why the cup of coffee almost spilled when she slammed the mug on my desk.”
“I’m sorry, Lance. I let her get the best of me, and I shouldn’t have. Are you worried about the church finding out about us?”
“Arykah, I’m a grown man. I’m entitled to a private life. Mother Hughes and everyone else will have to accept that. If they choose not to, I will encourage them to worship at one of the many churches they pass on the way to Freedom Temple.”
Boris turned onto his side and wrapped his arm around Monique’s waist. She removed his hand. “No, Boris.”
“Why not? It’s been awhile.”
“I don’t care. I’m not in the mood.”
Boris put his arm back around her waist. “I can fix that.”
Monique sat up on the bed. “I said no. And if you love me, you’ll respect that.”
“Okay, Baby, chill out. We don’t have to have sex tonight.”
“Not tonight or any other night, Boris,” she said sternly.
Boris couldn’t believe the words coming out of Monique’s mouth. “What?”
“No more sex.”
“Why are you keeping yourself from me?”
“Because things have changed. I won’t have sex again ‘til I’m married. And if you have the strength for sex, you have the strength to go to work.” Monique got out of bed and retrieved a blanket from the linen closet. She took it, along with her pillow, and slept on the living room sofa. She had vowed to become celibate, and she was going to stay that way. Monique had finally learned her lesson. Sex before marriage was taboo. She was living proof of it.