“So, you’re going to leave me, just like that? I thought we had something, Stephanie. I thought this was more than a way to pass the time for you.”
“It was, Kelvin. I’m devastated to have to leave you. But family comes first. And I don’t want you waiting around for me when it can be months, or even years, before everything gets sorted out. I also know I can’t ask you to drop everything and move to the island. I mean, it is paradise, but I realize it would be a lot to ask.”
“But you didn’t ask, did you?”
“Should I have? Really, Kelvin, would you consider—”
“No.”
“I figured as much.”
“So tell me something, Stephanie. Would you have been so quick to run back to Daddy if I was healthy, if I was still the starting superstar for the Suns?”
Stephanie was taken aback by his obvious insinuation, so much so that she could think of nothing else that had to be said between them. “Good-bye, Kelvin.”
She hung up on me! Kelvin held the phone in his hand for a long moment before flipping it shut. He dropped the massage balls and adjusted his bed to a semiupright position. He stared at the ceiling for answers to the myriad of questions forming in his mind. Why did this happen to me? He’d been totally healthy before the accident, for the first time in months. He’d been prepared to celebrate his return to the starting lineup, ready to reclaim his crown. Instead, he was lying up in the home of his father and stepmother, reconciling the fact that he’d just been abandoned by the woman he’d planned to make a more permanent fixture in his life. He’d planned to ask Stephanie to move in with him when he returned to Phoenix.
“Damn.” Kelvin rang the buzzer for his nurse. Stephanie’s news had aggravated his leg, or perhaps that’s just how it seemed. He just knew that suddenly he’d become extremely uncomfortable. The nurse came in at once, rearranged his pillows, and left to prepare a mild sedative so that he could go to sleep. Minutes later, he was feeling more comfortable and knew that sleep wasn’t far away. As he closed his heavy lids, welcoming slumber’s escape, it wasn’t Stephanie’s face that appeared in his consciousness. It was Princess.
Lord, please heal Kelvin’s body and let him know that You are in control of his life. These are the words that Princess had uttered, that had pierced his unconsciousness during her hospital visit and resonated somewhere in his heart. When he’d awakened, she was gone. But she’d been there. Princess still cared about him. But did she care enough to let him back into her life?
39
We Need to Talk
Mama Max smiled as she opened the door. “Well! To what do I owe this pleasure? My world-traveling son and his busy first lady stopping by to see me is good news indeed. Come on in, y’all!”
Tai Brook and King, her husband and Mama Max’s son, entered the living room.
“Y’all hungry? I just made a batch of fresh rolls, and there’s some homemade strawberry jam to go with it. Beef stew will be done in about thirty minutes. You thirsty? I’ve got some Kool-Aid in there, though I know y’all say you don’t drink it no more, as if you didn’t have it almost every day of your lives growing up. Why are y’all standing there like a couple of strangers?” For the first time since opening the door, Mama Max stopped and really looked at her son and daughter-in-law. That’s when she noticed they weren’t smiling. “Well, what in the world? Who died?”
King stepped forward and hugged his mother. “Mama, we need to talk.”
Tai gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek as well. “Why don’t we go into the living room?”
Mama Max put a hand on her ample hip and stood her ground. “We don’t have to go anywhere. Whatever news y’all got can be delivered right here in this foyer. Now, what’s going on?”
“Calm down, Mama,” King said, his tone quiet but stern. “We want to talk to you about you and Daddy and this divorce situation. Now, can we go into the living room?”
“Don’t know what there is to talk about. But, yeah, y’all come on in.”
King and Tai sat on the couch while Mama Max sat on the love seat opposite them. “So, out with it. What do y’all think you can tell me about my marriage that I don’t already know?”
Tai looked at King, who took a deep breath and began. “I talked to Daddy this morning.”
Mama Max’s eyebrows rose into a look of righteous indignation. “And?”
“And he said he left a message for you last week that he’d…cleaned the house.”
“Unh-huh.”
“Mama, Daddy misses you. Now, I know you’ve said you don’t want to talk about what happened that caused you to move back here—”
“That’s right, I don’t. Did your daddy tell you why I left Texas and why I filed for divorce?”
King rubbed his eyes. Unfortunately, his father had told him everything, more information than a child would ever want to know about one’s parent. He’d been surprised for sure. He knew his father wasn’t perfect and remembered incidents from his childhood that suggested his father wasn’t always faithful. But a sex doll? If a million dollars were on the line, he’d never had guessed that was what plagued his parents’ marriage. Having this knowledge, however, didn’t deter him from the goal of today’s visit: to keep his parents together. If he and Tai could withstand his multiple affairs with real women, surely his staunchly Christian parents could withstand one with a doll.
“He told me about the doll, Mama.”
“He did?”
“Yes,” Tai answered.
“And have you ever imagined a nastier piece of filth in all your life?”
“I admit we were shocked, Mama, but—”
“Shocked? I hope you were appalled, repulsed, and disgusted! Who knows how long your daddy cheated on me with that…fake floozy.”
King looked at Tai as if to say, “Your turn.”
Tai rose from the sofa and joined Mama Max on the couch. “Mama Max, you know I completely understand how you feel. Finding out that there’s another woman doesn’t feel good, even if the other woman is…well…rubber.” Tai fought to maintain her composure, because suddenly the entire situation seemed extremely amusing. Reverend Doctor O? Tai simply couldn’t imagine, nor did she want to. “But you came to me many times when I was ready to leave your son, and you gave me very sound reasons for staying in my marriage. Now, I’d like you to consider those reasons for staying in your own.”
“Daddy misses you, Mama,” King added, feeling that Tai had gained some leverage. After all, they were a perfect example that there could still be marital life after affairs. “You know he can’t cook, and he hates fast food. I think he’s losing weight, not to mention sleep.”
“Oh, so he didn’t tell you that he’s not lonely for company?”
Tai and King looked at each other with confused expressions.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you everything, I see. Well, he’s not alone down there in Texas. I have it on good authority that a real-life floozy has been making herself available since I’ve been gone, that she’s been over to my house at least twice. And I haven’t heard anything about him not letting her in. So, children, your daddy might have gotten rid of the doll, but there’s still trash around the house.”
“You don’t know that, Mama,” King pressed. “It’s probably just some member coming by on church business. Or maybe it’s one of the mothers dropping off food.”
“She’s a mutha all right.”
King’s eyes widened. His mother had always been feisty, but he’d never seen her act quite so stubborn. He decided that he and Tai had done enough for one visit and decided to leave her with some food for thought.
“You’ve been married a long time,” he said, rising from the couch and going to stand directly in front of his mother. “And you’ve weathered everything from relocations to sicknesses to drama from your children. I don’t think you’re the kind of woman who’s going to let a little trash drive you from your own home. You run things, Mama, always have. And you know good
and well you don’t want to divorce Daddy. It’s time for you to start acting like the mother who raised me, the one with some sense.”
Mama Max was stunned into speechlessness. How dare her son talk to her any kind of way. But by the time she’d gotten her mouth to working again, Tai and King had given her hugs and made a quick exit. Mama Max stood with hands on hips, watching her son and daughter-in-law get into their car and drive away. Finally, as she watched the taillights turn the corner, she found her voice and asked her question to an empty room. “Just who do you think you’re talking to?”
40
Love You Good
“I’m coming over there.” Dorothea stood and reached for her purse.
“Now, don’t come giving me no sass, woman! I said I was fine, and I mean it. Besides, I can get Nettie or one of the other church members to come over if I need anything.”
“Oh, only a Gospel Truth Christian can help you now? Where was Nettie or one of your members when you were trying to sneak that life-sized sex doll out your house, huh? Where was one of your deacons, one of your church mothers then?”
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your helping me with that, Dorothea.”
“You can show me, Obadiah. I need you.”
“You’ve got Jenkins,” Obadiah retorted. “And I’m trying to keep my wife. Don’t come over here, Dorothea.”
Dorothea slammed down the phone, frustrated beyond belief at how things were progressing with her long-time lover. More accurately, she was frustrated because things were not moving forward at all. Dorothea had been beside herself when she learned that Maxine had left Texas. Obadiah had this strange notion about not fooling around in the same town that his wife stayed, and Dorothea hadn’t been able to talk him out of it, hadn’t been able to get him to join her at a hotel, and hadn’t been able to talk him into taking a trip to Dallas, where they’d have less chance of being seen by prying eyes. She’d thought marrying Jenkins would be advantageous to her financially, and she thought it would be the perfect cover for an ongoing relationship with Obadiah, with both of them living in Palestine.
Dorothea went to check on her husband. He was sleeping, as usual, the remote dangling from his limp hand. Instead of him watching the television, the television was watching him. She walked into the den, put the remote on the table, and placed a cashmere throw over his legs. You’re a good man, Reginald Jenkins. I wish I loved you more.
Tea always seemed to calm Dorothea’s nerves, but thirty minutes later, as she sat sipping her honey-lemon concoction, she was just as wound up as when she’d finished talking with the reverend doctor. She tried to tell herself it was ridiculous, that after all these years she had no right to be besotted with a married man. But Dorothea Noble Bates Jenkins knew the truth of the matter—Obadiah Brook was the love of her life, and she’d never love another man like she did him. She sat back in her chair and remembered when it happened, the night she fell in love.
“Ruthanne, why are you rushing me so?” Dorothea asked her younger sister. “It’s not like there won’t be any seats left when we get there!”
“You’re only saying that because you haven’t seen what I’ve seen or know what I know!”
“And what’s that?” Dorothea rushed behind her sister, who was making a beeline to her new car: a shiny, red, brand-new 1961 Corvair.
“Only the finest man in Texas,” Ruthanne said, shutting her car door and turning the key at the same time. “His name is Obadiah Brook. He pastors a small church near Wichita Falls.”
“Country preacher?” Dorothea was aghast. Even now she could have rivaled Jackie O for the title of style icon, her powder-blue knit suit with fabric-covered buttons fitting her slender frame like a glove. Her thick black hair was pulled back into a chignon so that her white pillbox hat could perch at a perfect angle. Dorothea had been pestering her sister and friends to move from Texas. She wanted to relocate to either Harlem, Chicago, or Los Angeles and snag her a rich, sophisticated city man.
Ruthanne cast Dorothea a sideways glance. “Let’s put this conversation on hold until after church—see how you’re talking about this country preacher then.”
Ruthanne didn’t see Dorothea after church that night. That’s because shortly after the service, Dorothea found herself at the host pastor’s home, along with several other invited guests. The Noble sisters were known for their stunning good looks, beautiful voices, and refined manners. They were often invited to social functions and provided added décor to anyone’s table. That’s how she’d gotten invited to the host pastor’s home. The fact that she ended up sitting next to Obadiah had been strictly her doing.
“Enjoyed your sermon,” she said politely as she took a dainty bite of fried chicken. She was the only person at the table cutting the meat with a knife and fork.
“Uh-huh.”
Obadiah said nothing further, but his dark, almost black pupils bore into her light hazel-green ones, causing a spiral of heat that began around her neck and flowed down to her stomach and beyond. She knew she was blushing but couldn’t help it. Ruthanne had been right: Obadiah was the finest Black man she’d ever seen. What was it about him that made him so desirable? Dorothea pondered this question as Obadiah held court with the other ministers and deacons at the table. His voice was like butter, smooth and silky, its bass quality like a fur wrapped around one’s shoulders. His lips were heart-shaped, cushiony, framed by a tidy mustache on an otherwise smooth, dark-brown face. His brows were thick, and tightly curled lashes framed his dark bedroom eyes. His hair was conked, like Jackie Wilson’s, straight and as shiny as a patent leather shoe. Obadiah wore it slicked back on the sides, higher on top. He could have easily been an R&B star or given Sidney Poitier competition on the Broadway stage.
Dorothea said little throughout the dinner. Obadiah virtually ignored her, and along with everything else she noticed about him, she also noticed the simple gold band he wore on the third finger of his left hand. Seeing Obadiah made Dorothea more determined than ever to leave the South and head to the big city. She was sure that’s where she’d have to go to find somebody to even come close to what she was sitting next to.
As they gathered in the living room, Obadiah appeared at her side. “Sister Noble, correct?”
“Yes, Reverend.”
“Would you be so kind as to give me a ride home?”
“Well, I would love to, Reverend, except I didn’t drive tonight. I rode with Brother Smith over there. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind having you ride with us.”
“Uh-huh.” Obadiah’s eyes continued to bore into Dorothea.
“I…might be able to get us a taxi,” Dorothea offered. Her hazel greens didn’t blink as she looked at Obadiah. “Would only take five minutes for a cab to get here.”
“I have a wife and three children at home,” Obadiah continued, changing the subject abruptly. “I’m not looking for another wife. And I won’t leave the one I have. I can love you good, but I can’t love you long.”
Dorothea stared at him a long moment, then spoke softly. “I’ll call a cab.”
They made love all night. Dorothea had never felt anything like it. Not only was his penis long and thick, but Obadiah also knew how to use it. He knew how to use his mouth as well. Dorothea almost climbed the walls with pleasure. He’d screwed her every which way but loose, and when the sun peeked over the horizon in the early morning hours, she was still longing for more.
And not just the loving. In between the lovemaking, while they rested, Obadiah shared his hopes and dreams for a large ministry, one that would clothe the naked and feed the hungry. He listened as she told of her plans to pursue a singing career in either Harlem or Chicago and offered his advice and encouragement. In the span of a few hours, Obadiah had shown more care and concern for her than other men had in a lifetime of living. In the years to come, he became her everything: her counselor, her teacher, her therapist…everything but her husband.
From that first meeting on, Dorothea saw Obad
iah every few months, often traveling to wherever he was preaching an anniversary or conducting a revival. The loving continued to be stellar, the best she’d ever had, and aside from the fact that he was married, Obadiah was all the man she’d ever wanted. She convinced herself that the physical pleasure was enough. And for two years, it was. But then came 1963 and a convention in Dallas, Texas, where something got in the way of her good loving—something named Maxine Brook. The confrontation was ugly. Fortunately for Obadiah, the fallout was minimal, but Maxine knowing about Dorothea devastated their affair. Something else devastated their relationship that year, but Dorothea kept that truth locked away deep in her heart.
It was an entire year before she was with Obadiah again, and then the time apart lengthened to two, then three, and then five years following a cancer scare that had landed Maxine in the hospital for two weeks. During this time, Dorothea moved to Harlem and sang in nightclubs. That’s where she met George Bates, a hardworking man who loved her deeply. They married, and she loved him as best she could, until he died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm at fifty-three. She relocated back to Texas, settled in Dallas, and entered another long-term relationship. A conversation with Reginald Jenkins, who she’d reconnected with when he traveled to Dallas for a preaching engagement, was how she’d ended up back in Palestine. That and a conversation she’d had with Obadiah shortly after seeing Reginald. The conversation where she found out that he’d be moving to Palestine as well.
Dorothea rose, moved to the sink, and poured out the remainder of her now-cold tea. I can love you good, but I can’t love you long. Dorothea was wondering if Obadiah Brook would ever “love her good” again.
41
Back to Normal
Luke Wilkes looked around the conference table at the Cathedral, one of the finest, most influential churches in Detroit. He was pleased with what he saw. He’d been able to assemble a fine group of advisors, and as a result, his ministry and outreach efforts were poised to go to a higher level in the coming years. His biggest coup had been getting prominent politician Bryce Covington to join this prestigious board. Bryce was known for being extremely intelligent, deceptively shrewd, and highly connected. Luke had wanted to work with him for a long time, and now Bryce was fully on board.
Heaven Forbid Page 18
