“Well I was married but now I’m divorced. But yes.”
They hug. Sage and Lynda attended a business school together in Philadelphia but lost contact with one another after the graduation. Lynda stood at 5’10” tall, but with heels, about the same height as Sage. Her eyes are green with long beautiful brown hair that stopped at the middle of her back. Her figure was flawless while wearing gray sweatpants and a tee shirt that stopped just above the navel to show off her tight stomach and navel-piercing.
“Sage you look real good. You still have that baby face along with that Philly walk. That is why I was able to recognize you. But your eyes, I don’t remember your eyes looking so intense.”
“I know. They have changed over a period of time. You look good as well Lynda.”
Lynda gives a very wide smile while batting her eyes and grabbing his arm and asked, “What in the world are you doing down here? I thought you were operating a few tailor stores in Philly?”
“I am. I’m here to handle some personal business. Why are you here, on a seminar trip?”
“No, actually I live here in this boring town, but it’s quiet.”
“Linda, I have to buy some clothes. This child accidently spilled soda all over me and I did not bring a change of suitable clothes.”
“Well are you changing here in the mall?”
“Now that you mention it Lynda, I need to wash up. I’m beginning to feel sticky.”
“That’s not a problem, you can do that at my place, and I can introduce you to my son.”
“You have a son? How old is he?”
“He’ll be nine months next week.”
“Congratulations!”
“Thank you. He is with his grandmother now. But they should be at my place by the time we get there.”
Lynda sees the ring on his finger.
“Someone had a lasso strong enough to tie you down? What is the lucky woman’s name?”
“Her name is Deva and I just tied the knot a few days ago.”
“Is Deva here with you?”
“No…My wife is home.”
“Why aren’t you on your honeymoon? I apologize. I’m getting a little too personal. Look, find something comfortable, and we can get back to my place.”
“Yes, because I wanted to be back on the road by noon and it seems as though that’s not going to happen.”
Sage located a nice suit, shirt, and tie. He met her by the entrance of the mall.
“Do you have everything that you need Sage?”
“I hope so. If not, oh well.” Sage gets into his car and follows Lynda to her home. When he got out of his car she says, “We have to walk through this breezeway to the next block over. They are doing construction in my area of the neighborhood and I don’t want you to get any debris on your nice clean black car.” He smiles as he follows her. They walk up to her place and
Lynda notices that the front door is closed. “They must be over by the playground.” After opening the door Lynda shows him in. “Your home is beautiful.”
“Thank you Sage. It’s coming along okay. I haven’t been here long. The bathroom is upstairs and to the left.”
“I really appreciate this Lynda. I have to make sure we exchange information before I leave.”
“Okay.” He carries his things upstairs into the bathroom. Lynda brought him a washcloth and towel. Sage felt a little uncomfortable even though he has known her for quite some time. So he washed and changed his clothes very quickly.
Lynda yells, “Sage, I’m going to walk over to the playground and get them. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, I’m not going anywhere.”
A few minutes later Sage stepped out of the bathroom with his new clothes on and ready to go. He started thinking about a tactful idea to contact Skye, in order to meet with her. He did not know if this was a direct home number or to her cell phone. “Nine times out of ten this is her home number. If her husband answers, then I will tell him that I am a messenger service, with an urgent message for Mrs. Skye Roles. I have to make sure that I’m professional and not intimidating. I simply have to keep it short and to the point.”
Sage removes his phone from his hip as he walks down the steps. He searched for the programmed number, took a deep breath and pressed the send button. The strangest thing occurred. As the phone number he dialed rang, the telephone in Lynda’s house rang. It startled him as he quickly turned around. The number he dialed rang again on his phone, while the house phone rang. Sage became very nervous as he listened to the rings follow one another. He followed the sound of her phone, which led him into her kitchen area. Sage walked over to the house phone and noticed it was a cordless phone with the number of the incoming call displayed. As he looked closer, his eyes widened with bewilderment and his jaw dropped. The number that was displayed on the house phone was his cell phone number.
Sage jumped as he yelled, “What the…” He started to pay more attention to her home. He noticed a picture with Lynda standing next to a man. Sage looked closer and recognized the man in the picture was Perry. Sage placed a hand on his forehead in disbelief as he backed into her souvenir cabinet. There was a vase on top that fell over. Just when it was about to hit the floor, he caught it. He placed it back just as the front door opened.
“We’re back!” Sage walked around towards the front door in awe. He saw a woman walk inside with her head looking down while leading a stroller inside. When the woman raised her head, Sage’s eyes felt as if they were about to fill with tears. It was Momma Strong.
“Oh my God Sage, is that you?”
“I’m not feeling well.” Sage became so stunned that he passed out onto the floor. He was out for about two minutes. Lynda was placing a towel on Sage’s forehead as Momma Strong was calling a doctor when he had awakened.
“What happened?”
“You passed out, that’s what happened. Did you eat anything today?”
“I had some fruit a few hours ago.”
“You scared me the way you hit your head on the floor that way.”
“I’ll be okay, but I need to ask you, why did you change your name?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what is your full name.”
“It was Lynda Skye Jordan until I married but when I divorced, I kept my married name…Roles.”
“Oh, please accept my humble apology. I never meant for my words to come out so, so…” Lynda finishes his statement. “Aggressively?”
“I was going to say asinine, but your word is better.”
Lynda laughs. “The baby…Is it Perry’s?”
Lynda paused for a moment. “Yes, Perry is the father.”
“But you never told him.” Sage sat up while taking and drinking the glass of water Lynda hands to him.
“Why?”
“Momma S told me that it would be wise that we did not mention it to him because it could make matters worse for his cancer condition. The fact that he was terminally ill and not being able to care for his son would have devastated him. I’m sorry Sage, but that’s the decision that I’m willing to live with.”
“I have one more question.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“How are you and the baby’s health?”
“We are just fine. The baby may have a cold from time to time but other than that, we are perfectly fine. Besides, since my teenage years I’ve always been a worrywart. I constantly go to the doctors for checkups and blood tests. You know, you can never be too careful.”
“I agree.”
“Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious. That’s a question I always ask mothers when they have a child.” Sage picked himself up from off the floor and sat on the sofa. He watches Lynda and her son. “Say hi to Uncle Sage. While you were lying there, Momma S told me that you and Perry were as close as brothers, so I figure that would be appropriate.”
“What’s his name?”
“His name is Perry Skye Strong, considering that his
father did not have a middle name.” Momma Strong enters the room.
“Sage, are you okay baby? The paramedics are on their way.”
“Well you can call them back because I’m fine now.” “Okay, I’ll call them back.” Momma Strong walks back to the kitchen. He stares at little Perry.
“Do you want to hold him?”
“Well I’ve…it’s just that I never held a baby before.”
“Well I’m sure you will have your own someday so we’ll just consider this as practice.”
Lynda preps his arms and places little Perry in them.
“Little P, you have your father’s eyes and his nose.” The baby laughs. “He likes you Sage.”
“He must see my angels that protect me.”
“Or he may see you as one.” He looks up at her and smiles. “Lynda, why is he frowning all of a sudden?” Lynda leans over to look at him.
“He’s pooping in his diaper.”
“Oh, okay. Back to mommy you go. You are beginning to smell like your father’s farts.”
Lynda laughs while carrying the baby upstairs. Sage smiles as he puts on his glasses and steps outside to get some air. He looks at his cell phone and notices that the charge is becoming weak. He turns it off. Momma Strong steps outside.
“Sage? Why are you here?”
“I was here to take care of some business…Why did you keep Perry’s son away from him?” Momma Strong pauses for a moment.
“Because he is or should I say was my son, and I would do anything to protect him.”
“Is that why you never said anything about his actual cause of death?”
“What do you mean? He died and he was buried, that’s all that needed to be said and done.” He faces her.
“Momma Strong, I’m talking about his AIDS virus. You never said anything to anyone. Not to Lynda or to any other woman that he may have infected.”
“Sage, is that why you are here? To tell Skye what my son has done?”
“I don’t think she is infected, but yes, that is why I am here. If he tried to give it to her, divine intervention played an intricate role…. I understand that now. Her doctors would have told her as well.”
“I did not know what my son was doing in all of his travels and to whom. Mya and I thought it was just business.” He stood there unmoving, but his emotions within were fighting hard to get out and express how he really felt, because at that moment, just about all of his questions were answered. All but one. And only one person could answer it.
“Momma S, I have to go home to my wife.”
“Oh my! The two of you got married and I missed it! Oh baby congratulations!” Momma Strong hugs him but his returning embrace was not his normal one. It was less than average.
“I have to grab my bags from inside.” He goes back inside and up the steps to look for Lynda and to pick up his travel bag and sees Lynda standing in her bedroom doorway with her arms crossed and crying. Sage noticed the curtains behind her, which draped her window and began to move from the moderate wind.
“You heard everything?”
“That and your phone number on my caller I.D. I called back the number and heard your voice. I heard enough to know Perry wanted to kill me when there was not a damn thing I did to him to deserve it. He knew that I was divorced and lonely when we met. He stayed at my place for a week. Sage, the man prepared my meals each day he was there. My breakfast before I went to work, and once I arrived home, dinner was ready. He’d feed me, bathe me and make love to me just long enough for me to have rested for the next workday.” Sage watches Lynda rub her inner thighs. “I have no problem admitting that I was whipped. He made me feel so strange that he could kiss me so overpoweringly in a movie theatre and I’d have an orgasm. He made me feel like he was created for me. His passing is the reason I left North Carolina. Those memories are still fresh in my mind. Do you think he had at least a little amount of love for me?”
“I don’t know Lynda. I do know that God has spared your life and the life of your child. If you want to hold onto the past to keep you going, you are not going to get far.
Sage caresses her face. “I’m not some extreme spiritualist. I’m just an average man. But, I have grown to a level of wisdom to know that God is our present and future. I began to remind myself of this 3 years after my parents died. To this day, I remain mindful of God in each and everything I do. For you and your child’s sake, you must do the same.” Lynda continues to cry again as he hugs her.
“I am truly sorry that you had to hear the truth about Perry this way.”
“If I haven’t heard the two of you talking, were you going to tell me?”
“I could not leave until you were aware. Now that you are aware, it’s time for me to leave. You have my number and I have yours. I don’t care how great or small your problem may be, call me when you need assistance. Are you okay financially?”
“Yes, Momma Strong made sure of it.”
“Good.” He picked up his bag and walked towards the steps. “Sage?”
“Yes”. He turns around and she softy kissed the corner of his mouth. “Drive carefully getting home to your wife.” They walked down the steps towards the front door. Momma Strong was sitting in the living room. “I packed a sandwich and also some fruit for you.” As Momma Strong struggles to get up, he rushed over to assist.
“Sage you are the true definition of a man, confident, determined, and supportive. You bring balance in your mind and it shows in your actions. Someone, who refuses to walk away from life’s responsibilities. You understand that what God has for you, is for you.”
“Thank you for your words Momma S. I love you.” They hug.
“I’m going to walk him to his car Momma Strong. The baby is asleep.”
“No problem, I was just about to go upstairs.” Lynda grabs Sage by the hand and leads him outside.
“Do you think I’m flirting with you Sage?”
“No, not really. You are just very happy and this is just a way for you to show it. And rightly so!” Lynda giggles.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m happy. I’m actually scared. But for these few moments before you leave, I feel so safe, as if your fundamental nature is the blanket of comfort.”
“Umm, Lynda I like that.”
“I’m a single parent raising a son. I don’t want him to be a momma’s boy.”
“Well there will be problems raising him, and he will do things that you just won’t understand. But just remember that you can call me, and I will help you. You don’t have to go through this alone.” They stop at his car. He grabs her hands and says, “Look, I know that it will be difficult to love again, but you will love again. And make sure you cover him up instead of the other way around as an extra precaution. It’s not good to compromise a few hours of orgasmic moments for death from a realistic perspective. I’m not trying to lecture you. You are a grown woman. It’s just that my recent experiences have been so informative that I have to share this. Lynda, if a man wants your heart and soul, he would not mind taking blood tests without any doubt to ensure the both of you will be fine before you give him your body. If he doesn’t want to, then you know that he is not looking out for your best interests or your son’s.” Lynda kisses him on the cheek as they hug. “Remove your glasses.” Sage takes off his glasses. “Your eyes appear as if you can see deep into my spiritual realm. They are beautiful. Are they contacts?”
“Thank you and no. I guess you could say that they came with the job.” He puts his glasses back on.
“I wish you could have stayed a little longer and just talked. I want to know more about Perry. The man you knew and grew up with.”
“Don’t worry, I will tell you many stories about him as a child and throughout his teenage years, so when Little P does things out of the ordinary, you will know why.” He gets into his car and starts it.
“Call to let us know that you arrived home safely.”
“I will.” Lynda waves as he pulls off. “God, please grant me
safe passage to my home.” He says this aloud while entering the highway.
D.S. THE FAMILY
ɸ ɸ ɸ
Sage called Deva. “Hello.”
“Hi baby, please tell me that you are on your way home.”
“I am on my way home.”
“So much has happened within the past few days, and I will just feel very comfortable when you are here.
“What’s going on Deva?”
“Well a man has been by the stores asking for you.”
“Did he leave a name?”
“No, but they say he’s kind of weird. He hasn’t done anything that warrants the police to be notified. He just sits around in the area.”
“So, why so much concern about him? Lots of people ask for me.”
“Well, it’s not really him. The truth is my spirit is feeling disturbed and uneasy and that’s not good baby. I’m beginning to have lapses of insomnia. I need my 9 to10 hours and I’m not getting it.”
“I agree. It’s not good. I feel a little uneasy as well. Everything is going to be just fine. I will be home sometime in the morning. I won’t stop to get any sleep just to fill the tank only.”
“Sage, will that be safe? Maybe you could stop at a motel and sleep for a few hours.”
“No, I will be all right. Besides, I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to. I’ll call you when I reach the D.C. area. I love you.”
“I love you too. And Sage, please drive carefully.” Sage hangs up the phone and pushes the accelerator past 90 while checking his radar and C.B. radio to make sure they are on. He listens for indications of Highway Patrol as he speeds in excess of 100 mph. His thoughts begin to come into play.
My wife is bothered by my travels, but I have to do this. I have to make things right if no one will help me. So many lives destroyed by one man’s rage. Why most marriages are not honored the way that they are supposed to be, I will never understand it. The strength of values, let alone morals, can’t hold water in many households. Will my wife do the same to me? Does Satan’s hand of temptations stroke the fibers of my wife’s psyche, the way it picked at Lynda while flirting with me while aware that I am married? Or was it male attention being sought? Thinking, I could give it to her regardless as to whether it was conditional or not? I love my wife. And I can only pray that Deva has the same attitude that I have. This is why faith is the foundation. If you have a strong foundation, it is because of the strong faith. If you have a weak faith, you have a weak foundation because of the ills of this world. My parents’ relationship was fortified. There is no reason why my wife and I can’t have that same type of relationship. When the evil accidents of time calls upon me, I’d rather it be while we are together. I can’t imagine myself without her and don’t want to. As I think about this, the world scares me. I may be fighting a losing battle, but I will not stop until God gives me the sign to do so. Lord, I truly need your help with this. Speaking of help, Perry’s hands were not alone. And it makes me sick just to think about it.
D.S. the Messenger Page 17
