Chapter 9
Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people.
—Habakkuk 2:5
Lawrence went home after his lunch with William.
“Hi, honey,” Deidra Simmons said with a puzzled look on her face as soon as he cleared the doorway. “What are you doing home so early?”
Lawrence smiled, then kissed his wife on her cheek. “Can’t a man come home early to be with his beautiful wife?”
She tilted her head, almost looking at him sideways. “Yes, a man can, but you hardly ever do.”
He grinned a bit. “I can see I’ve really fallen off my duties. It’s obvious that I have a lot of work to do. When my wife starts to give me the third degree about coming home early, I must be really bad off.”
“No, now, don’t go get it twisted. It’s not that you can’t come home like this. It’s just . . . it’s been a long time since you’ve been home so early in the day. That’s all I’m saying. In fact, it’s generally pretty late in the evening.” Deidra ran one hand down the left side of her smooth, slicked-down, just-tinted, auburn brown hair.
“I see you got your hair done today,” Lawrence said.
Deidra pulled back slightly, then grinned. “You noticed?”
“Of course, I noticed.” He laughed. “Wow, I’m not believing you today. So what’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. I was thinking about asking you the same thing. It’s just . . .”
“Just what?” He came over to her and grabbed her around her waist, rocking her from side to side.
She smiled. “It’s just you never ever notice when I get my hair done.”
Lawrence smiled. “Oh, I notice. I just don’t always say anything. But it looks nice, really nice.” He took a hand and smoothed down the side she had been playing with a minute ago. “I mean . . . really nice.”
She was grinning now. “So, you still haven’t told me.”
His kissed her softly on her lips. “Told you what?”
She sucked in her bottom lip as though she was tasting it before she spoke. “Told me what brings you home at this time of the day.”
He grinned big. “Oh, I’m looking at the reason right now,” he said. “I was thinking about you and just how much you actually put up with because of me and who I am in this state. And the next thing I knew, I just had to come home and wrap my arms around you. So sue me.”
Deidra blushed, her light skin showing patches of glowing red. “Is that right?”
“That’s right, Mrs. Deidra Jean Long Simmons.”
“You don’t have to say my whole name.”
He raised his eyebrows several times in a playfully flirty way as he smiled. “I know. I just love having your name on my lips. Deidra Jean Simmons, my wife. My beautiful, loving wife Deidra Jean . . . my Dee.”
Deidra pulled away. “Okay, did something happen today? Are we in financial trouble and you’re trying to figure out how to tell us that things are about to get rough around here?”
He grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms. “Nothing happened except it hit me just how much I love you and how little I’ve shown you of late.”
“Okay,” she said with a touch of skepticism. “But, Lawrence, you know that I know you. And usually when you start acting like this, it’s because of some function you want me to go to with a lot of stupid stuff that tends to come along with it. And I’m telling you right now: I’m not about to squeeze into some dress you’ve decided I have to wear that’s way too small for me just because you want to impress some big donor with deep pockets—”
Lawrence broke away and turned from Deidra. It had been the word “donor” that had affected him. When he’d said and heard the word “donor” before now, it had always been in the context of money. His world revolved around obtaining donors. But today, his past had walked boldly back in the door. And his past had brought with her the word “donor” on her lips, only for a completely different cause.
“Honey,” Deidra said with a frown on her face. “What’s the matter?”
He snapped out of his daze and forced a smile. “Nothing’s the matter.”
“Well, you were starting to look sick there for a minute. Are you having problems finding donors?”
He kissed her on her lips again. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with. Whatever problem I have with donors is my problem and mine alone.”
Deidra laughed. “Your problems are never yours and yours alone.”
“I know: You and I are in this together—”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about me this time. I was referring to William. You and William are practically joined at the hip. Lately, I’ve thought about finding a doctor who can surgically separate you two. William knows more about what’s going on with you than I do.”
“That’s not true,” Lawrence said.
“Yes . . . it is true. But you know what: We’ve had this discussion too many times, and I already know that nothing I say or do will make any difference. So I’m resigning myself to keeping my nose out of that side of things and stick with our home and our children.”
“That’s the only job that really matters to me anyway,” Lawrence said. “So, where would you like to go tonight?”
“Say what? Go tonight?”
“Yes, where would you like to go?”
“You mean as in me and you? Alone? Together?”
He laughed. “Yes, me and you . . . alone . . . together. You know: like a date.”
Deidra laughed as well. “Oh, it’s been so long since you and I have done anything that wasn’t for show, I don’t even know if I even remember how to act with just me and you alone and nobody gawking at or scrutinizing us.”
“Again, I can see that I have much work to do here at home. So you decide where you want to go. And wherever and whatever it is, it’s you and me tonight.”
“Okay.” Deidra smiled, but with a hesitancy. “Lawrence, are you sure everything is all right? Are you sure? You’re not keeping anything from me that I need to know, are you? This isn’t the calm before the storm is it? Because if it is, I’d rather know now so I can be prepared. I don’t want you wining and dining me tonight, and tomorrow the levee breaks and washes me out. You know this would not be the first time . . .”
“I know. And I told you that I was sorry about that time after it happened. I hated you had to go through all of that, but you also know that I have a huge target on my back, more so now that folks think I’m a sellout, a traitor to my race, just because I decided to become a Republican. It’s open season on me; there are folks out there who want to take me down. Folks will be fabricating all kinds of lies. And you of all people know how hard it is to disprove a negative . . . something that’s not true.”
Lawrence took Deidra’s hand. “Deidra, I’ve told you: You’re the only woman for me. Those other women who come after me or claim that I was with them or that I did something inappropriate: They’re lying and they’re jealous, plain and simple. They want what you have, and they’ll go to whatever lengths they have to in trying to take what you have away from you. Well, we’re stronger than anything out there that might try and come against us. What’s the scripture that we stand on as a family?”
“ ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper,’ ” Deidra said. “I hear what you’re saying, Lawrence. But it doesn’t help watching you flirt with all of those women like you do.”
“Those women don’t have anything I want other than their votes, spreading the word to others about my political platform, and possibly their money. That’s it! What they give to my campaign becomes ours. Yes, I may want their money; I’m not going to lie. But you, my dearest, have my heart. You always have and you always will own my heart. And no lying female is going to come between us; I don’t care how compelling her story might be. I don’t care what kind of proof she claims she is able to produce. I don’t care how much she may bark that I wined and dined her, then misled her into thinking there was more to us. I just need for you to stick by me no matter what folks may say or put out there. No matter what lies you hear, you have to promise me that you’ll always hear me out before you believe what you hear. Okay?”
Deidra nodded.
“I keep telling you, Dee. We’re going somewhere. You know we’re doing a great work in the community and for our state. My next move is going to be a run for our nation’s Congress where I can really have an impact. But you know what they say: To whom much is given, much is required. People think that only means that once you get, you have a greater responsibility to give back and do. But you and I know that before some things are given, much is required. I’ve been in politics for almost twelve years now. You and I both know how things work around here. Folks will build you up just to take you down. The media will sensationalize anything just to have something to fill up their twenty-four-seven so-called news channels that have become mostly entertainment chatter. We know the deal. I’m just saying that things are likely going to intensify even more so now. I’ll dare not tell you that a storm isn’t in the forecast. I’m just telling you that should it hit where we live, we’re going to ride the storm out together—you and I.” He grinned and began to sing the chorus of Rick James’s song “You and I.”
Deidra nodded again, but this time with a huge grin. “I love you, Lawrence.”
He smiled back. “And I love you, Mrs. Lawrence.”