The dimpled left cheek, the big brown eyes, the smile that turned up at one corner the same as Elliott's.
She was still holding the phone when it rang. She peeked at the Caller ID and picked up on the first ring.
"Hi, Ms. Gregory," she said and smiled, as if Charlotte could see her. "How are you?"
When Erika had finally moved out of Naomi's Nest, she had taken the most special things with her: a worn pair of pink slippers to always remind her of what she had endured and survived while living in the D.C. shelter; the phone number and address of her roommate, Kathy; and Charlotte Gregory's heart.
Charlotte had been the assistant director and Bible study leader at Naomi's Nest for longer than she could remember. She served as a mother figure to many of the young women who sought safety there, but she and Erika had formed a special bond. Charlotte often teased Erika by reminding her that God worked that way.
"He knew you needed a mother, and I guess my four children weren't handful enough for me," she'd say jokingly. "He decided I needed a petite little thing named Erika that I could pick up and put in my pocket!"
Charlotte made her laugh, but she also held her when she cried. She had taught Erika to pray, and to believe that she could become an interior designer if she wanted it badly enough. Charlotte had been by her side helping her push Aaron into the world.
Now that Erika had settled in Richmond, the two of them didn't talk as frequently. But their friendship was like the mother- daughter relationship Erika had always longed to have with her birth mother - one that they could resume with a phone call or face-to-face meeting as if they'd never been apart.
They chatted for a few minutes before Charlotte announced that she'd been promoted to director of Naomi's Nest.
"Audrey is retiring at the end of the month. They're having a farewell bash for her and a congratulatory reception for me on the same night. You have to come."
Erika promised to be there. She put Aaron on the phone to say hello to Aunt Charlotte, who shared godmother duties with Serena. After he had filled her in on his week at preschool and the latest excitement with his pet fish, he dashed off to his room to play with his trucks.
"I'll get you a snack in a few minutes," Erika called after him before returning her attention to Charlotte. They were chatting about who else was coming to the shelter party when Erika's phone beeped. Her eyes widened when she checked the Caller ID panel and saw Elliott's home number, the one that had once been hers too.
"Charlotte, I'm sorry. Can I put you on hold?"
Erika clicked over to answer the new call. "Hello?"
"Hi there." Elliott's silky smooth tenor caressed the words as if he were singing them.
Erika forced herself to sound nonchalant. "Hi, what's up?"
"Just wanted to chat with you about the request I made a few weeks ago, you know, about the divorce?"
Erika's breath caught in her throat. He was serious. "Hold on a minute, Elliott. Let me get someone off the other line."
She clicked back over to Charlotte. "I've got to take this call from Elliott, Charlotte, but I'll call you back in a little bit."
"Everything okay?"
"He wants a divorce."
"Is that surprising?"
Erika sighed. "I don't know; I guess I'm a little confused. I'll call you back so we can talk about it."
"Okay, baby," Charlotte said soothingly. "Just don't do anything foolish. People can say all the things they think you want to hear, but that doesn't mean they're being honest. Remember that, and be careful."
Erika's mind was already back on Elliott and what this complication meant. She bade Charlotte goodbye and promised to call her in a few days.
"I got your note about getting remarried," she told Elliott a few seconds later.
When he didn't respond, she continued.
"Who is she? When did this come about?"
Elliott chuckled. Erika pictured him sitting at the kitchen table grinning and stroking his chin. She knew he was eating this up, and she was playing right along.
"Why don't we discuss this in person, Erika? Wouldn't that be better, given all that's gone on between us?"
Funny how they were on the same page about meeting. Erika looked at the clock. Kami would arrive in another twenty minutes.
She wasn't crazy enough to invite him into her home, but she had to talk to him, to figure this all out.
They agreed upon a time and place and ended their call.
Erika was rifling through her closet, searching for an appropriate outfit, when it struck her that Elliott hadn't bothered to ask about their son. He hadn't seen or spoken to Aaron since their last supervised visit two weeks earlier. He didn't know that the boy was recovering from a virus or that he was sad because his best friend was moving away.
Erika selected a dress and tried to dismiss a troubling question: Did Elliott care about his son, or was Aaron just another avenue to get close to her?
18
Serena and Micah strolled the path that snaked along the James River.
The night was clear and stars blanketed the sky. Somehow they always found themselves at Brown's Island, at the place where their journey together had begun.
They drew near the restaurant where Micah had proposed seven years ago, and he grabbed her hand. He pulled it to his lips and kissed her palm.
"I love you as much as I did when I asked, you know?"
Serena thought about the paper in her purse that bore Bethany's cryptic message and did not respond.
The restaurant would be open until 1:00 a.m., but it wasn't crowded tonight. Serena was glad. She wanted to talk to her husband as privately as possible.
When the waitress offered them a table for two in the center of the dining area, Serena requested a booth. Micah shrugged and followed.
He ordered Diet Cokes with lemon for both of them, but Serena stopped the waitress before she turned to leave. "Can you bring me water with lemon instead?"
Micah looked around frantically, as if searching for something. "Who are you? Where did Serena go?"
She gave him a wry smile but remained silent. She wanted to get the necessities out of the way before launching into what she really had on her mind.
"Want to split a dessert or order separately so we can try two different ones?" she asked.
"Let's do that," Micah said, referring to the latter.
He chose a towering goblet of apple pie, and she, of course, opted for something with chocolate, fudge, and ice cream. When the food arrived, they traded thoughts about the movie they'd just seen and fed each other bites of the other's selection.
To look at us, no one would guess this might he the end of our marriage as we've known it, Serena thought.
But this was the first time they had been out in months without the children, and despite herself she was enjoying it.
I am the potter, you are the clay.
Serena took the hint. She should know better by now than to go trying to forecast the future.
"It's 10:30. You think Tawana has the boys in bed?"
Serena took a bite of pie and nodded. "Oh, yeah. She's a pro. It was nice of her to give us a date night."
Micah smiled. "Maybe that will happen more often this summer, with her and Misha around. They're good kids."
Serena laughed. "Don't let Tawana hear you call her a kid. Those are fighting words to a woman who's also a mother and a bright law school student."
Micah sat back and wiped his mouth. He pushed the goblet of pie toward Serena. "You want the rest of this monster? Go for it."
Serena shook her head and pushed hers away too. "It's not like I need any of it."
Micah studied her. "What's on your mind? You've been pretty quiet."
Serena looked at him and sighed. Where should she start?
"A lot."
She pulled out the note she'd found in his sock drawer earlier in the week and slid it across the table.
"What is this?" she asked.
Micah co
ncentrated on the paper.
"And this?" She had found the letter Bethany mailed two weeks ago in the trash. It hadn't contained anything explicit, but again, Bethany had requested to see him.
Micah looked at his wife and shook his head. "It is what it is, Serena. I'm not going to lie."
Her heart skipped a beat. Was he going to admit it that easily?
"You need to speak plain English to me, Micah," she said slowly. "I'm not understanding."
He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Yes, Bethany is flirting with me. She was crazy enough to send this letter through the mail, and she stuck that scrap of paper in my pocket at our cookout last month."
"And you didn't tell me? You held on to it?" Serena didn't try to hide her anger.
"To be honest, I thought I'd thrown both of them away."
Lord, please don't let me act a fool in here.
Serena mustered every ounce of restraint she possessed to keep from smacking her husband across his pensive face.
"Talk to me, Micah."
He locked eyes with his wife. "I don't know what's racing through your mind right now, Serena, but I meant every word I said to you before we walked into this restaurant. I love you. Yes, Bethany is beautiful, but so are you. You are the mother of my children and nothing she does can make me stop loving you."
Tears filled her eyes. Serena wanted to believe him so badly. But how many cheating men used similar speeches on their desperate wives? Even preachers?
What had Deacon Melvin Gates told his wife about his affair with her mother all those years ago? The fact that he was Serena's father hadn't been acknowledged until she graduated from college, but Serena knew that the disconnect in both of her parents' marriages had begun at a juncture similar to this point in her relationship. Serena wasn't having it.
"Micah, you know who you are dealing with," she said calmly. "You know my family's history. I'm not Melvin's wife nor my mother. I don't have time for games from you or Bethany. I need you to respect our marriage and tell me what's going on."
Micah sighed. "I'm not a professional therapist, sworn by law to keep a client's confidentiality, but as a minister, I have a similar policy of ethics with people I counsel. You know that."
Serena interrupted him. "So Bethany's been coming to visit you under the pretense of needing counseling?"
Micah shook his head. He looked uncomfortable. "No,
Serena, she hasn't. But she has sent more than these two notes, asking to meet with me. The first time I did meet with her, at a local Starbucks, because she said she wanted to plan a surprise birthday party for Ian."
Serena rolled her eyes. "Miss Socialite needs you to help her plan a party like Donald Trump needs me to manage his assets."
Micah nodded. "Exactly. But that has been the premise under which she keeps sending these notes. I've ignored them.
"The one I've been counseling is Ian. All those hours on the golf course haven't just been for pleasure. He and Bethany are in trouble. He's torn about what to do, and she's scrambling however she can to keep him under her control."
Serena exhaled. She wouldn't have to murder the father of her children after all. "She thinks by flirting with you, Ian will get nervous and start paying attention to her?"
Micah shrugged. "For all I know, she's serious with her advances, Serena. But Ian and I go way back. If I were going to be stupid enough to step out on you, I don't think I'd kill my marriage and one of my deepest friendships too."
His hesitation let Serena know he didn't know how much more to say, how much of Ian's confidences to break.
"Look, Bethany's got issues that you wouldn't believe. She's wrapped in a pretty package and she acts as if she's better than everyone else on earth, but underneath all that glitz and glamour are things she doesn't want you or anybody else to know. Ian is trying to be a good husband and father. I'll just leave it at that."
Serena squeezed his hands. "I'm glad you are trying to do right by your friend, Micah. But I have to tell you, when I saw those notes, I was scared."
He frowned. "Do you really think I'd do something like that to us, Serena, after all we've been through together?"
She looked squarely at her husband. Micah had never given her a reason to doubt him, but he was human. He was a man of God, but he was still a man.
"She is gorgeous Micah, and she's not overweight or always distracted by two busy little boys. And those notes were pretty bold."
"You know her, love. She's a bold person. If nothing else, we need to pray for her."
Serena sat back. "That's good and fine. I'll ask God to give me the strength to do that. But you also need to tell her to back off, Micah. I'm not having her disrespecting my house like this. If you don't want to tell her, I will."
Her voice softened. "And I need you to understand that the way you've handled this hasn't been the best for our relationship. I remember you telling me when you entered the ministry that one of your mentors advised you to put God first, family second, and then ministerial duties. I know Ian is your best friend, but you shouldn't be keeping me in the dark about anything that could come between us, not even for him."
Micah gazed out of the window at the river. He was silent for a long time, and when he finally stirred and looked at her, Serena could tell he had been praying.
"No weapon formed against us shall prosper, Serena," he said. "Don't ever think I would hurt you like that, you hear me?"
She was startled by his solemnness.
"I haven't said anything because with everything else going on, I didn't want Ian to know that Bethany was going behind his back doing this too," Micah said. "But I get it—I've got to do what's best for us. And I will."
The knot of tension in Serena's chest unfurled. Preacher or not, Micah wasn't perfect. But as she watched him tonight and listened to him, her heart and her spirit told her he was still the Micah she knew. He was telling her the truth.
She had shared her fears with her father last night, and he advised her with the wisdom of firsthand experience.
"This will be difficult, Serena, but don't turn your ears off to protect your heart," Melvin said. "If you're really listening, and praying for clarity, you'll know whether Micah's feeding you a line or being authentic. Althea knew; your mother's husband knew; and yet they chose to turn the other way rather than confront us.
"I'm not blaming them—your mother and I decided to sin against God and have an affair," he said. "But Herman Jasper and my wife knew that your mother and I didn't need as much time as we took each Sunday to count the weekly offering. Althea told me so years later. She stayed with me and let things run their course because we had a young family."
Serena had sat on her bed with the light off, clutching the phone to her ear and listening to Melvin. How had he known she needed to hear from him? How had he found the courage to have this conversation with the daughter he had once denied?
He offered to talk to Micah, man to man, if she felt comfortable.
"For now, though, take care of yourself," Melvin advised. "Tell Micah how you feel. Tell him to check this lady and to do what he needs to do to honor your marriage."
Serena had chuckled. "How about get home early enough to handle bathtime more often?"
Melvin's voice rumbled with laughter. "That's 'new school' stuff, daughter," he said. "I can't help you with that. But I can tell you that your husband loves you; he's just focused in one direction right now. You know men can't multitask."
Tonight, over dessert, Serena was glad for that. She looked into Micah's eyes and didn't doubt what they revealed. Cast your burdens on me. I will give you rest. And Ian, too.
God's whisper reassured her. Then Serena giggled.
Micah looked surprised.
"I am so glad I don't have to clean my house anymore when Miss Diva comes over. I've been delivered!"
Micah laughed with her and slid out of his booth.
"Where are you going?"
Before she had completed
the question, he was seated next to her, with his hand on her thigh.
He leaned into her and kissed her lips.
"Reverend McDaniels, we are in a public place," Serena whispered. "Some of your church members could be in here; this isn't appropriate."
Micah looked around at the sparsely populated restaurant. The few people there seemed engrossed in their conversations and food.
"I'm wearing a ring and so are you," Micah said mischievously. "Let them watch and see how exciting marriage can be."
He kissed her again.
Serena smiled. She had no idea how she was going to manage in the coming months, but if they were in this together, she would survive.
"Slow down, babe. I'm already pregnant."
19
Erika decided she had lost her mind.
When Kami arrived to babysit, she asked the girl to watch Aaron for most of the evening. With college just months away, Kami was building a stash for miscellaneous spending as quickly as she could. She'd been unable to work much during her senior year of high school; so today she readily agreed and joined Aaron on the sofa to watch Brother Bear.
Two hours later, Erika was sitting in Lemaire, at the Jefferson Hotel, perusing the menu.
How did I let Elliott talk me into this? she asked herself.
You wanted to come.
Erika wished she had an off and on switch to that inner voice sometimes. She was learning that God's guidance was gentle, yet unrelenting once one invited a relationship with him. Instead of balking, she decided to listen.
Show me what I need to know, Lord. Show me whether to stay or go.
Not that she really had options, now that Elliott had a fiancée. Still, she had come prepared to remind him of what he was losing.
Her elegant black dress accentuated her slender frame, and every piece of her close-cropped hair was in place. The diamond studs in her ears sparkled, and her makeup was flawless. The double takes from men at nearby tables told her she'd scored a victory.
Elliott returned from the men's room and seemed surprised to find her still considering what to order. "Decided yet?"
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