Flaws and All

by Shana Burton

  “So, you were just going to spring it on him in the middle of dinner? When had you planned to talk to us about it?” interrogated Garrett.

  Mark bestowed a cool glance on Garrett. “I hadn’t planned to talk to you about it at all. No disrespect, but this is between Lawson and me.”

  “If it involves Lawson, then it involves me too,” Garrett fired back.

  “My beef is not with you, man, but if you try to interfere with me having a relationship with my son, it will be,” warned Mark.

  Garrett’s voice deepened. “I don’t take too kindly to idle threats, player.”

  “Neither do I, nor do I give idle threats, player. Now, I already told you that this is between Lawson and me. I’m not dealing with you, period.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” said Garrett.

  Mark abruptly pushed Garrett in his chest. “Yo, man, what’s your problem? She ain’t your wife yet.”

  “You’ve got one more time to put your hands on me,” cautioned Garrett.

  Mark surrendered his hands. “Or what?”

  Lawson tried to calm Garrett. “Baby, he’s just trying to upset you.”

  “Are you upset, Garrett?” taunted Mark. “You upset because I was the first one to hit that? Are you trippin’ off her having my seed instead of yours?”

  Blind with fury, Garrett lunged and swung wildly at Mark. “You better not ever let me hear you say anything else to disrespect my woman!” he roared.

  Lawson held Garrett back as he moved to strike. “Forget him! He’s not worth it!”

  Mark threw up his fists, ready to retaliate. “What kind of punk lets his woman fight for him? Is that what you’ve been teaching my son?” Mark went after him again.

  Lawson lodged in between the two of them, and shoved Mark with all the strength she could muster. “That’s it, Mark! Get out right now! The next time I catch you lurking around here, I won’t hesitate to slap you with a restraining order. You got that?”

  “You will not keep him from me,” panted Mark, catching his breath.

  Lawson marched to the door and flung it open. “Get out! Go! Now, Mark!”

  Mark took a few deep breaths. “I don’t care what I have to do, I will be a part of my son’s life whether you or your boyfriend here like it or not.”

  “You can get out, or I can throw you out,” Garrett warned him.

  Mark ignored Garrett and held up his finger. “One week, Lawson. I’m giving you one week to tell Namon I’m his father, or I’ll do it for you,” Mark vowed and slammed the door behind him.

  Chapter 33

  “E’Bell is my husband and my problem.”

  —Kina Battle

  “Mark has completely lost his mind!” wailed Lawson through the phone the next day while Reginell perused the snack food section of the grocery store.

  “I’m sure by the time you go back to work tomorrow, Mark will have calmed down,” Reginell assured Lawson as she wavered between Oreos and Chips Ahoy cookies. “You should’ve listened when Kina and I told you to be honest with both him and Namon.”

  “I know. I was trying to protect my son.”

  “No, you were trying to protect yourself, and now you’ve created a monster in Mark. I don’t think you’re going to be able to stop him from seeing Namon. You saw what he did yesterday.”

  “He’s not going to get away with pulling a stunt like that,” warned Lawson. “He just doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”

  Reginell finished her shopping and was still thinking about her sister and nephew when she heard voices erupting from the parking lot as she walked out to her car. Both voices sounded familiar, and she jogged in the direction of the sound. She soon spied E’Bell and Kina.

  Before Reginell could confront them, she witnessed E’Bell hit Kina. Kina crumbled to her knees as blood trickled from her nose.

  “Kina!” Reginell cried and rushed to her aid. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll be in the car,” mumbled E’Bell. He didn’t so much as glance at Reginell.

  Reginell dropped her shopping bags and helped Kina to her feet. “Kina, what in the world is going on here?”

  Kina covered her nose, not wanting Reginell to see the damage. “I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not! Your husband just hit you!” Reginell pulled out her cell phone. “We need to call the police.”

  Kina snatched the phone. “Don’t!” she insisted and blotted her nose with her shirt. “Reggie, E’Bell is my husband and my problem.”

  “Problem is the operative word here. How long has E’Bell been hitting you?”

  Kina lied. “This is the first time he’s ever done anything like this. I brought it on myself, really. I said something to him that I shouldn’t have, and he got upset.”

  “E’Bell got more than upset, Kina; he got violent. Where’s Kenny?”

  “He’s at Lawson’s house with Namon.”

  “All right, we’ll just swing by and get Kenny, and the two of you can come home with me. E’Bell doesn’t know where I’m living now. Both of you will be safe there.”

  Kina shook her head. “I can’t impose on you like that.”

  “It’s no imposition. You’re family, and I can’t have that fool hitting on you whenever he gets a notion.”

  “Reggie, that’s sweet of you, but I’ve got this under control. Soon as we get home, E’Bell will apologize, and we can act like this whole thing never happened.”

  “Are you serious?” Reginell asked incredulously. “He can’t just hit you and act like nothing happened! And if he hit you once, he’ll do it again, Kina.”

  Kina looked back at E’Bell. “You remember the other day, how you were saying you want to run your own life without everybody butting in?”

  “So, what about it?”

  “Well, I want the same thing,” declared Kina. “You need to trust me to handle this on my own.”

  “At least talk to Lawson. She’s more than your cousin; she’s your best friend.”

  Kina shook her head. “Lawson wouldn’t understand.”

  “Kina, come on!” yelled E’Bell from the car.

  “Look, Reggie, I’ve got to go, but you’ll keep this between the two of us, right?”

  Reggie touched Kina’s nose, which was starting to swell. “I wish you could see your face,” she said softly. “You can’t let him do this to you.”

  “Just promise me you won’t say anything. Please, Reggie!”

  E’Bell blared the horn. Reginell waved her hand dismissively. “Fine. I won’t say anything this time, but if he ever puts his hands on you again . . .”

  “Thank you, cuz.” Kina gave her a quick hug. “I gotta go.”

  Reginell shook her head as she watched Kina jump into her car with E’Bell. He glared out the window as they rolled by. Reginell was not one who spent much time praying for herself, but with tears in her heart, she stopped right there in the parking lot and prayed for her cousins. Her spirit urged her to call Lawson, but before she could dial all seven numbers, she put her cell phone away. Reginell had her secrets, and she supposed that Kina was entitled to a few of her own.

  Chapter 34

  “Cast the First Stone.”

  —Sullivan Webb

  “She’s what?” gasped Lawson. Angel choked on her tea and Kina’s jaw dropped to the floor following Sullivan’s revelation as they gathered around Lawson’s table for Sunday dinner the next day. The men had excused themselves to catch the game.

  “That’s right,” confirmed Sullivan. “Stripping! An unnamed source saw her taking it all off at some seedy strip club last night, and I mean taking off all of it!”

  “Reggie, how could you?” asked Kina, disappointed.

  “I don’t know why you all are acting so shocked,” stated Sullivan. “The only surprise to me was that she didn’t start sooner.”

  “Reggie, don’t you know you’re held accountable when you lure people into sin?” Angel reminded her.

  “You’re talking as
if the Lord hasn’t punished me enough already,” spat Reginell.

  “The Lord isn’t punishing you,” argued Lawson. “You’re doing this to yourself. And for what—a little money? Some attention? That little change you’re making is not worth your soul and your self-respect, Reggie.”

  “The wealth you get from sin robs you of your life,” quoted Kina.

  “Reg, you’re too beautiful and talented to waste your life this way,” said Angel.

  “I don’t need any of you judging me,” shot back Reginell. “I didn’t ask for your permission or your approval on how to govern my life. I’m proud of my body and of what I do, and I don’t care what none of you have to say about it!”

  “If you’re so proud, Reggie, why are we just now hearing about it?” asked Sullivan. “Why haven’t you told anybody who’ll listen, like with your stupid demo?”

  “I’m doing this for my career,” insisted Reginell. “Do you know how many famous people come through the club? All it takes is me getting noticed one time and being featured in one video, and I’ll be set. I don’t know anybody in the music industry. How else am I supposed to have a shot at fame?”

  “Reggie, how do you expect anyone to take you seriously as a singer if your claim to fame is the ability to drop it like it’s hot on a stripper pole?” posed Sullivan.

  Reginell glared at her. “I can’t stand you, you know that? I just wish that somebody would come along and bash you upside the head with a brick and put an end to your miserable life.”

  “You’re taking it off for pocket change, and you’re calling my life miserable?” questioned Sullivan. “You’re pathetic, Reggie, and now the whole world knows it.”

  “Says the tramp who’s slutting around with Vaughn,” hissed Reginell. “Call me what you want, Sully, but cheating is ten times worse than stripping!”

  “Are you two really going to fight over who’s the biggest whore?” asked Lawson. “Mama is probably rolling over in her grave right now.”

  “Come on,” said Kina, taking Lawson and Reginell by their hands. “Let’s pray.”

  Reginell snatched her hand away. “Pray? Pray for what? What has prayer gotten you besides a man whipping your behind? If that’s what your praying can do for me, you can forget about it!” The ladies all froze with horror. All eyes turned to Kina.

  “Kina, is that true?” asked Lawson. Kina hung her head.

  “Kina, if E’Bell is hitting you or your son, I can get you some help,” insisted Angel. “You and Kenny can move in with me. You don’t have to stay there.”

  Sullivan began dialing on her cell phone. “I’m calling Charles. His brother is a lawyer. We can see about getting that punk locked up right now!”

  Kina grabbed the phone. “Guys, don’t listen to Reggie. My marriage is just fine. She just thinks she saw something, that’s all.”

  “So, it wasn’t you who E’Bell gave a bloody nose to in the parking lot?” pursued Reginell. “It wasn’t you who begged me not to say anything about it?”

  Kina became flustered. “He wasn’t trying to hurt me.”

  “But he did hit you?” interrogated Sullivan in a tone of both concern and outrage.

  “Just look at her face,” said Reginell. “Look at how red her nose is.”

  “He was drunk, all right? He was drunk, and we were arguing,” admitted Kina.

  “Don’t make excuses for him!” ordered Sullivan.

  “I’m not. In fact, I don’t . . . I don’t owe any of you any explanation at all,” she professed quickly. “What goes on in my house is my business.”

  “Not if he’s hurting you or my godson,” spoke up Angel. “What he’s doing is against the law, which makes it all of our business.”

  Kina rose. “He’s never laid a finger on Kenny. I won’t let him.”

  “So, you just let him use you as his punching bag instead,” filled in Sullivan.

  “My God, what’s happening to us?” Lawson wondered aloud. “Sullivan is sexing up some grease monkey. Reggie is letting strangers disrespect her in ways I can’t even imagine. And you, Kina, you’re getting slapped around by your no-good husband, and instead of being outraged by it, you’re defending him! What’s wrong with you people?”

  “Let she who is without sin cast the first stone!” dared Sullivan. “Are you going to stand here and berate us when you have your own mess going on with Mark?” Lawson didn’t say anything. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Angel turned to Kina. “Kina, we can help protect you. You don’t have to go through this alone. I’m a nurse, and I’ve seen and heard it all. Believe me—you don’t want to know how much worse this can get.”

  “Kina, think about your son,” implored Lawson. “Have you even considered what this is doing to him?”

  “Kenny is fine, and so are E’Bell and me,” said Kina. “There isn’t anything in the Bible that says I have to put my friends or cousins ahead of my husband. I know you mean well, and I love all of you for it, but there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Kina, what kind of friends would we be if we didn’t get involved?” asked Angel.

  “The kind Mrs. Carswell warned me about. She said that the devil would try to use people closest to me to destroy my marriage, and I see she was right.”

  “What?” exclaimed Sullivan. “Who is the idiot who told you that mess?”

  “Mrs. Carswell is a spiritual woman of God. Obviously, you wouldn’t know anything about that,” snarled Kina.

  “This back and forth bickering isn’t getting us anywhere,” said Angel. “All of your lives seem to be spinning totally out of control. Where is God in all of this? Which one of you has sought Him in the midst of all this drama? Sullivan, you’re the wife of a pastor. Your husband needs you to be his helpmeet, to be praying for him and supporting him and his ministry daily. Do you know what kind of demons he has to face every day? He needs his wife to have his back, not laying on hers with some mechanic young enough to be his son. I don’t even know how you can stand to look at yourself in the mirror.”

  “It’s quite easy when you look this good,” replied Sullivan. “Then again, you don’t seem to having any trouble looking into yours either, despite the fact that you’re scheming on another woman’s husband.”

  “I’m not scheming on Duke!” cried Angel.

  “Not yet,” weighed in Sullivan. “But we all know you want to.”

  Lawson turned to Reginell. “And don’t think you’re off the hook, little sister! You’ve been lying to us for weeks about having some fabulous new job, knowing all the while that you’re just one trick away from prostitution. Those men may be giving you their money, but they don’t respect you. Most of them probably have wives and families. How would you feel if some whore was trying to tempt your husband? Is this all you think of yourself? Don’t you have any self-respect left, or did you leave it all on the floor at the strip club last night?”

  “I’m grown, Lawson,” contended Reginell. “As much as you like to pretend you are, you’re not my mother. I don’t have to answer to you or anyone else.”

  “Does that include the Lord too?” asked Angel.

  Reginell rolled her eyes and pulled out a cigarette. “It includes you!”

  “Well, excuse me,” said Angel, slighted. “Kina, I love you, but you’re an adult; you’re supposed to be able to take care of yourself. But Kenny? He’s just a kid. You’re hurting your son and doing it in the name of Jesus. Kina, that’s sick!”

  Lawson took over. “You have a man beating you, but you called us the enemy. I’m starting to think you’re about as screwed up as he is!”

  Sullivan jumped in. “Lawson, try not to fall off that high horse you’re riding on. What gives you the right to sit here like self-righteous Sally and condemn us when your own ledger ain’t that clean? Where was all this sanctimony when you were keeping Namon from his dad and lying to Mark?” Lawson was forced into silence once again. “Yeah, you’re quiet now, huh? Shoot, I’ll admit I’m a
heathen and a liar and an adulterer, but at least I’m not a hypocrite like you! I don’t go around judging my friends and putting myself on a pedestal that I never belonged on in the first place.”

  “Judge not lest ye shall be judged also,” recited Kina.

  Lawson shook her head and breathed heavily. “I’m not trying to judge anybody. You guys are my family, and I love you. It hurts me to see you ruining your lives.”

  Kina touched Lawson’s hand. “They’re our lives to ruin, Lawson, not yours.”

  Sullivan cleared her throat. “Well, thank you, ladies, for a lovely dinner. Next time, please warn me ahead of time if condemnation is going to be served with the potato salad and cornbread.” She flung her napkin on the table and marched off.

  Kina pushed her plate away. “Sullivan’s right. Now, if you don’t mind, my husband is waiting for me. E’Bell has always said I spend too much time with y’all, and I’m starting to see his point.” With that, she excused herself and left.

  Reginell shook her head and quickly backed away from the table. “Uh-uh, I’m not about to be the only degenerate at the table for all of Lawson’s spiritual venom to be directed at me. I’ll see y’all later.” Reginell made her exit as quickly as the others.

  “Dang, girl, you sure know how to clear a table,” observed Angel, looking around at all of the now empty seats.

  “Aren’t you going to leave too?” asked Lawson.

  “Nope.” Angel rose and sat down in Reginell’s vacant seat next to Lawson. “We’re going to sit here and do what we know to do.”

  “I don’t think I even have the strength to pray right now, Angel.”

  “Then I’ll pray. You just touch and agree.” She grabbed Lawson’s hand and closed her eyes.

  “God, we come to you in the name of Jesus, giving you the honor that you so richly deserve. You are our strength in times of weakness, our comfort in times of strife, and our fortress in times of trouble. Lord, I come asking forgiveness for not only my sins, but the sins of those around me who love you but who have lost their way. My friends are all confused right now, Lord, but we know that that is not of you, because you came to bring about peace, and it is the devil who is the author of confusion. Help them to heed your instruction and discern your voice from that of the enemy’s. Help them to turn from their ways and come back to you. Amen.”