Love & Lies

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  “Charlotte, I’m going to ask you again. Have you lost your mind or what?”

  “No. But before we get into that, let me tell you about Marissa’s appointment with the psychiatrist.”

  “That’s right. I wondered how that went,” I said, eating some sweet-and-sour shrimp.

  “Well, of course she wasn’t happy about going, but once she met the doctor, she seemed fine. I was able to watch the entire session through a window they have set up, and all I could do was shake my head when I watched her in action. She did the same thing she always does with us. Answered every question with all the right answers.”

  “So did you speak to the doctor afterward?”

  “Yes. We spoke privately and she told me that there was some indication that Marissa might be a slight bit unstable, but that she would know more once she had the opportunity to see her a few more times.”

  “I really hate to hear that.”

  “Imagine how I feel. And I’m still outraged with Tracy.”

  “I’m sure, but I can sort of understand why she was afraid to say anything,” I said, because Charlotte had told me the whole story about Tracy’s previous employer.

  “I don’t care. She still should have told me what happened.”

  I didn’t say anything more because I could tell Charlotte had already made up her mind about Tracy and wasn’t planning to change it anytime soon.

  “Well, at least you’re getting Marissa the help she needs, and that’s what’s most important.”

  “It is and I just pray this doctor can help her.”

  “What does Curtis think about all this?”

  “Not much. Because, as you can see, he didn’t rush right home once I told him everything. Although he’s probably too busy lying up in his hotel with some woman.”

  “Excuse me?” I said. I was confused, but when she told me about the private investigator and the information he’d called to report to her last night, I understood why she felt the way she did.

  “Wow.”

  “So from here on out, I’m going to do whatever makes me happy, including having Larry over to visit the children. They adore him, so why shouldn’t they be able to see him whenever they want to?”

  “I hear what you’re saying but I still think you’re making a huge mistake. Because what are you going to do if Curtis finds out about this? What if Marissa or Matthew tells him that Larry’s been over here?”

  “That’s exactly what I want them to do. Curtis can’t stand Larry, and it’ll kill him to know that Larry was here in his house for hours with his family.”

  “I know you’re upset, but I really wish you would rethink what you’re doing. I mean maybe you should wait until this P.I. guy finds out who this woman really is.”

  “Who she is doesn’t matter. All I needed to know was whether he was having an affair, and now I know my suspicions were right all along. But enough about Curtis and enough about me. How are you?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “Have you heard from Antonio again?”

  “Not since I told you about him calling the other night, but I did speak with the prosecutor’s office today and of course they want me to testify.”

  “Are you comfortable with that?”

  “Not really, but it’s not like I really have a choice.”

  “It’ll be fine. You’ll testify, Antonio and his friends will be convicted and locked away, and that’ll be that.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  “And this is our lower level,” Matthew said, coming down the stairs. Marissa was right behind and apparently they were showing Larry around the house. I could tell Charlotte didn’t see one problem with this, but I cringed at the whole idea of it.

  “Charlotte, you and Curtis really have a beautiful home.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I mean, the two of you have really arrived.”

  “You think so, huh?”

  “No doubt. Curtis is a very, very lucky man.”

  I didn’t like the way he was eyeing Charlotte, and I was glad the children hadn’t noticed it.

  “Can I get you anything?” Charlotte asked him.

  “No, Matt and Rissa are taking very good care of me, so actually I’m good.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “You two enjoy your chat,” he said to both of us, and then the three of them went back upstairs.

  “He’s known Matthew and Marissa how long? And he’s already given them nicknames? And did you see the way he looked at you?”

  “J, please. Girl, you’re reading way too much into all of this. Larry was only being polite. Nothing more.”

  “So, as gorgeous and charming as he is, are you trying to say you’re not attracted to him?”

  “No. I’m not.”

  “Well, he’s definitely attracted to you.”

  “I don’t think so, and you are really cracking me up.”

  “Laugh if you want to, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  “You worry too much,” she said, dismissing my theory.

  But the reason I was so worried was because I knew Larry was interested in a whole lot more than just getting to know the children.

  And if Charlotte thought otherwise, she was in for a rude awakening.

  Chapter 19

  CHARLOTTE

  I wasn’t sure why Janine was so concerned about Larry because, whether she believed me or not, I wasn’t attracted to him. At least not in the way she was thinking. Yes, he looked good, but it wasn’t like I wanted to sleep with him. I simply liked him as a person, and I had to admit that knowing how much Curtis despised him made him all that more appealing to me. He was all the revenge I needed, and I’d already begun this whole reprisal process this morning when I’d gone to the bank and withdrawn some money and then had him come by the house to get it—that is, without the children seeing him. Larry had mentioned last night that he needed transportation to get to and from his job and that he’d found a buy-here-pay-here car lot willing to accept a thousand dollars as a down payment. And since I just couldn’t imagine him walking and catching the bus the way he was, not with winter fast approaching, I’d seen no choice but to help him. Then I’d decided to give him another thousand to pay his rent for the next few weeks, eat, and do whatever else was necessary.

  I couldn’t wait for Curtis to find out, and it was the reason I’d purposely taken the money from an account he checked regularly. He would die once he learned that I was planning to give Larry more money as time went on. I also couldn’t wait for Marissa to squeal because I knew she’d be the one to tell him about Larry’s visit. Curtis hadn’t called yet, but chances were he would before the day was over. If not, he would definitely be calling to speak with her and Matthew tomorrow or Monday.

  Now, though, we were pulling into my parents’ driveway and I was really looking forward to seeing them. It had been at least a month since we’d driven over to the Chicago area and I definitely missed them.

  “Mom, can you open the trunk?” Matthew said, and stepped out of the vehicle.

  “Sure.”

  “Get my stuff, too, Matthew, okay?” Marissa added. She was already putting on the “good girl” persona for my parents, fooling them the same as usual.

  As Matthew prepared to ring the bell, my father opened the door before he could do so.

  “Boy, come on in here,” he said, hugging Matthew. “And how’s my sweet little granddaughter?” he said, grabbing hold of Marissa. “It’s so good to see both of you.”

  “I’m fine, Grandpa. How are you?”

  “For an old man, I’m doing very well.”

  “Hi, Daddy,” I said when the children continued into the house.

  “Hi, sweetheart. It’s good to see you, too.”

  “Hey, how’re my babies?” Mom said when she saw the children.

  “Hi, Grandma.” They were both beaming, and just knowing how much love existed between my parents and my children gave my heart a warm feeling.

/>   “Hey, sweetie,” she said to me, and we hugged for longer than usual. I guess I didn’t want to let go because I’d suddenly begun thinking about Marissa and her problems. I’d tried not to dwell on it, but I couldn’t seem to push the whole idea of it from my mind—what was going to happen to her, and if Aaron was her father. I played both questions constantly and I was hoping for a quick and permanent solution. In a perfect world, Marissa would become the normal child she was supposed to be and Aaron would remain locked up forever, never contacting us again. I knew my thinking was total fantasy, but I still hoped for this nonetheless.

  “Have the three of you eaten yet?” Mom asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Matthew answered. “We stopped at White Castle on the way here.”

  “For the life of me, I don’t know how you children can eat at these fast-food places.”

  “All I had was French fries and some lemonade,” Marissa said.

  “Well, at least that’s better than eating those little burgers they sell. Because you have to eat five of them just to get full.”

  We all laughed and then sat down in the great room.

  “Matthew and Marissa, I’ve got a surprise for you in the kitchen.”

  “What is it, Grandma?” Marissa asked.

  “Yeah, what, Grandma?” Matthew said.

  “Oh…just a German chocolate cake I made a couple of hours ago.”

  “Can we have some now?” Matthew said, standing up.

  “Anytime you get ready.”

  “I believe I’ll join you,” Daddy said, and they all left Mom and me sitting on the sofa.

  “So how’s Marissa?” Mom spoke softly.

  “Pretty much the same. She’s not acting any different than she always does, and of course she’s always happy to be here with you and Daddy so I’m sure you won’t notice any changes either.”

  “I feel so sorry for her because it’s not like she can help the way she is.”

  “I know, but I’m still hoping her doctor can do something because we can’t have any more of those school incidents.”

  “Maybe getting suspended was enough to stop her from playing with matches ever again.”

  “Mom, I really hope so because this whole thing is worrying me to death.”

  “She’ll be fine. We just have to trust, believe, and stay prayerful.”

  “You’re right.”

  “So how’s Curtis?” she asked, and I wanted to tell her everything.

  “He’s good. He left New York today and flew down to Dallas, but he’ll be home on Monday.”

  “I can’t imagine doing all that traveling he does, but I’m still very proud of him. After all this time, I still tell anyone who will listen that the Reverend Curtis Black is my son-in-law, and even your daddy does the same thing.”

  I listened with a smile on my face, but the more Mom spoke about Curtis, the more I wanted to slander him. I wanted to tell Mom, Dad, and all of America that Curtis was the grand master of hypocrisy. I wanted to tell Mom how he was committing adultery on her daughter and that she should stop boasting about how great a man he was.

  But instead I did more listening and smiling and pretended that life with my philandering husband was just peachy. I did what I was sure thousands of pastor and celebrity wives did daily just to keep up certain appearances for the public.

  After chatting with my parents for another couple of hours, I kissed the children good-bye, told them to be good, and headed back to Mitchell. Traffic had been almost unbearable, something I hadn’t expected on a Saturday evening, so the drive had taken me about a half hour longer than usual. Now, though, I was exiting I-90 and was only ten minutes from home.

  I changed the radio dial from some talk station to Soul 106.3 and smiled when I heard Luther’s one-in-a-million voice playing across the airway. He was crooning my absolute favorite, “A House Is Not a Home,” and while at first I sang along with him, it wasn’t long before my eyes filled with tears. I still couldn’t believe he was gone, and though I’d only seen him in concert and had never met him personally, I missed him. I missed seeing him perform at award shows on television and seeing him do interviews. I missed the extraordinary music he would no longer be able to offer us, his loyal fans who supported and loved him.

  When I turned onto my street, I wondered why a strange car was parked on the side opposite our house, but since I didn’t recognize it, I pressed the garage door remote controller and drove inside. I’d stopped at Target right after leaving my parents, so I grabbed the bags from the backseat, walked up to the door leading to the kitchen, and went in. As soon as I did, the doorbell rang, and my first reaction was fear because now I wondered if someone had been sitting in the vehicle I’d seen, waiting for me to get home. I also wondered if the person knew no one was here with me and this caused my hesitation to escalate. But then the doorbell rang three more times and I decided to see who it was. I’d also decided I wouldn’t let any strangers in for any reason.

  “Who is it?”

  “Larry.”

  I frowned because we hadn’t talked about his coming over, and as a matter of fact, he knew the children were going to be away at my parents’ and that he wouldn’t be able to see them again until sometime next week. So this surprise visit of his made me a bit nervous.

  “Hi,” I said, opening the door halfway.

  “So you made it back?”

  “Yeah, just now.”

  “I know, that was me sitting in my car,” he said, pointing out to the street.

  “Oh, so you already picked it up?”

  “Yes, and I can’t thank you enough. Having my own ride makes a huge difference and I wanted to tell you in person.”

  “I’m glad everything worked out for you,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

  “You know, it’s not exactly eighty degrees out here, so aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  “Well, actually, I need to get a few things done around here and then get to bed because I’m planning to go to church in the morning.”

  “I promise I won’t keep you long. Really.”

  “Okay, but only for a few minutes.”

  “You are truly an angel, Charlotte,” he said, entering the house and taking a seat in the living room. “And I just hope Curtis knows how blessed he is. I hope he knows any man would be happy to have you.”

  “That’s very nice of you to say.”

  “I mean it. And I also hope he’s not taking you for granted.”

  “He doesn’t,” I hurried to say, even though I didn’t believe my own response.

  “Well, that’s good to know, but I gotta tell you, it’s hard for me to believe Curtis has changed for the better.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well, for one thing, the Curtis I always knew never thought twice about messing around with a ton of beautiful women. He slept around on Tanya all the time and I can even remember him telling me point-blank that he just couldn’t help it. He just couldn’t see himself sleeping with only one woman. He wanted to, but he used to say that his desire for sex was much too strong.”

  I wanted to comment, but given the fact that I was one of those women he was talking about, I chose not to say anything. I still felt guilty for sleeping with someone else’s husband, and I’d finally gotten my chance to apologize to Tanya about a year ago. I hadn’t known how she was going to respond, but unlike Anise, Tanya had told me that she’d forgiven me and that I shouldn’t worry about it.

  “Umph, umph, umph,” he said, laughing and pulling out of his coat jacket what looked to be a can of beer. “Good ole Curtis.”

  “Larry, have you been drinking and driving at the same time?”

  “Not exactly. I mean, unless you call beer a real drink.”

  “You really ought to be more careful.”

  “Oh, I’ll be fine,” he said, his voice slurred.

  Oh my God, he was suddenly sounding tipsy, and now I knew I wanted him out of here.

  “Larry, I h
ate to cut our visit short, but I really need to get busy.”

  “It’s still early. You’ve got plenty of time.”

  “I know but if you don’t mind—”

  “As a matter of fact, I do mind,” he said, moving over to the love seat where I was sitting and breathing directly in my face.

  I scooted away from him. “Larry, please.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m way out of line, but can I help it that I’ve wanted you since the first day I laid eyes on you? And I gotta tell you, these feelings I have are driving me insane. You know what I mean, baby?”

  Baby?

  “So how about it?”

  “How about what?”

  “You and me. How about we waltz our little behinds right on upstairs and take care of each other? Because I can promise you Curtis is definitely getting his needs fulfilled.”

  “Larry, you’re drunk and I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” I said, getting to my feet.

  “No, I think I’d rather stay. Besides, I just got here and it wouldn’t be polite for you to kick me out this soon. Right?”

  I stared at him dumbfounded and wondered what I’d gotten myself into.

  “Okay, look. If you don’t want to be with me, that’s fine, but I do need a favor.”

  “What kind of favor?”

  “I need a little more money.”

  “How much? And for what?”

  “Another couple thousand.”

  “I don’t have that kind of money around here.”

  “Well, then just give me what you do have and I’ll get the rest on Monday when the bank opens.”

  “Larry, I can’t, okay? Curtis is already going to scream bloody murder about you being over here.”

  He turned up his beer can again, slurping in a filthy manner. “Oh really? Then why did you invite me over last night? Because you’d been saying over and over that Curtis didn’t want me here. So tell me, Charlotte. Why’d you do it?”

  “So that you could spend time with the children.”

  “Right.”

  “Larry, please. You really have to go now, so let me walk you to the door.”

  “See, what I think is that you decided to use me as a pawn. Maybe you wanted to make Curtis jealous or maybe just piss him off. I don’t know. But either way, I’m okay with it. The only thing is, I expect to be paid for my services.”