“Did she take your little girl with her when she went on these disappearing trips?” asked Rena, her concern showed on her browed face.
“Thank God, she had the mindset to leave me a note-- well most of the time-- that told me where she’d left our daughter. Sometimes it was with one of the neighbors; other times it was with my mother, my sister, or Karen’s half sister. At first, I’ll admit I tried everything I could to help her, to work things out between us, but it was hard. Soon it became downright impossible. Karen stopped taking care of Isabelle and totally ignored me. There was nothing but mounting turmoil in our marriage, which wasn’t good for our daughter, and it was unhealthy for us and it was scary. We agreed, both Karen and me, that divorce would be better for us.
“Didn’t you try to get some counseling? Did you all do anything to try to salvage your marriage?” Rena asked. She thought of her and Stiles. Could their marriage have been saved? No, was her immediate answer. Not if Audrey Graham had any say about it. And like it or not, Audrey always had something to say.
“I suggested counseling, but Karen refused. It takes two people to make a relationship work. So we divorced when Isabelle was three years old. Shortly after the divorce is when we found out that she was pregnant with our second child.”
Rena’s eyebrows arched upward. “What’s up with that if you all were so at odds with each other?”
“Well, what’s up with that is I kept pursuing Karen. I thought if I could somehow convince her to see a psychiatrist, that we still had a shot at reconciliation. There were times when Karen was as sweet as a Georgia peach, and other times she was mean as the devil’s wife. Needless to say, it was during one of her sweet moments that she got pregnant with Robbie. Believe me, it was a surprise to both of us.” Robert stopped and inhaled.
“You don’t have to talk about it. Believe me, I understand how difficult it can be when you have to see your loved one, especially your mate, disintegrate from sickness,” said Rena, with thoughts of Frankie racing through her mind.
Robert either didn’t hear her, or he needed to talk, to get some of the hurt out rather than hold it all inside. “Our intimate moments were extremely rare, but nevertheless, she got pregnant at a time that turned out to be the end of the end of any hope of reconciling. During the pregnancy, she lived with her half sister, although I tried several times to convince her to come home. Whenever she did let me see her, she was irritable, depressed, and suicidal. She never asked about Isabelle, and she didn’t want to see her. I was still foolish enough to hope that it would all pass over, and that if I gave her the space she said she needed, then once she had the baby, things would be better. She could get back on most of her prescribed medications that she’d been accustomed to receiving.”
Rena spoke up. “I guess she had to stop taking a lot of the meds because of her pregnancy, huh?” she asked in a concerned voice, because she was.
Robert nodded his head and kept talking. “Anyway,” Robert said, sighing and balling up his napkin and pushing his plate away, “I didn’t hear from her or see her again until she gave birth to our son. She called me from the hospital and told me she was in labor. Two days later she and Robbie were discharged from the hospital. We were divorced, but she agreed to go home with me. I thought things were going to go just as I’d predicted. But her battle with post partum depression, along with her lifelong struggle with mental illness pushed her over the edge. Three days after I brought her and Robbie home, Karen disappeared, leaving me with Isabelle and Robbie. The only time I hear about her is through her half sister and her parents who live in Maryland. They love their grandkids, and they’ve visited a couple of times. They told me the last time they heard from Karen she said she was fine and that she was free at last to live her life the way she wanted. That’s been almost nine months ago.” Robert spoke softly but recovered his happy demeanor immediately. “Look, now you know all about me. So let’s say we shift the subject?” asked Robert.
“Sure.”
“Good. Now tell me, Ms. Graham, what can a guy do to get a pretty lady like you to go out on a real date, or am I going to be forced to meet you here every day?” Robert’s eyes roved around the food court. “In this public place with probing eyes and wondering young minds all around us.” He grinned.
“I’ll have to think about it,” replied Rena and giggled.
Rena and Robert finished lunch and exchanged friendly chitchat before he returned to his class and Rena, to the library.
Rena daydreamed on her way to the library. Her subconscious compared Stiles to Robert. She smiled at the thought of having another man interested in her. But on the other hand, she couldn’t understand why it couldn’t have worked for her and Stiles. She arrived at the library and slowly pushed the door to the library while at the same time pushing thoughts of Stiles out of her mind. If only she could push him out of her heart.
Chapter Four
“Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.”
~Mahalia Jackson~
Audrey hummed to one of her favorite gospel tunes as she drove off the church parking lot, after attending the Golden Friends luncheon for seniors. She felt such relief to have been given a chance to have a new beginning that included her two favorite men in all of the world—Pastor and Stiles. As for Francesca, another two weeks had come and gone and still no word from her. Audrey prayed that Francesca would one day accept Christ as her Savior and stop living the lesbian lifestyle to which she was so enamored.
When it came to her ex-daughter-in-law, Audrey had a few choice thoughts as well for Rena, but God would take care of that little lying woman. Audrey’s cell phone rang just as the end of the song played.
“Hello, Clara. I missed you at Golden Friends today.” Audrey listened to Clara’s explanation of why she wasn’t there.
“I’m sorry that you’re not feeling well. I’ll be praying for you. I hope you feel better, and please let me know what I can do to help. Buh-bye, Clara, and God bless you.” Audrey pushed the END button.
When she eyeballed Baskin-Robbins, she pulled in and bought two berry smoothies, one for her and one for Pastor. Pastor loved berry smoothies no matter what time of the year. She made a second stop at the sub shop and bought Pastor a chicken Philly salad before she set off in the direction of Emerald Estates.
She sighed with relief when she turned on to her street. She pushed the remote that was clipped on her visor, pulled into the garage, grabbed her things, and walked inside the kitchen. She placed the salad on the counter and the smoothies inside of the freezer.
“Pastor, I’m home. The meeting was one of those where ladies love to gossip,” she said out loud as she removed her cream colored, waist length jacket.
“Pastor,” she called out again. “You here?” She knew that he had to be since his car was in the garage. He rarely got behind the wheel since the stroke. Audrey surmised that Stiles had probably come by and picked him up. Stiles would do that sometimes, taking Pastor to the church with him or to run errands just to get him out of the house.
It was fall and it was quite cool inside of the house. Audrey checked the thermostat and set it to seventy. Why did Stiles have to take Pastor out in all of this cool, unpredictable Memphis weather, especially knowing that Pastor still had not completely recovered?
Audrey huffed at the thought. She suddenly felt agitated. A hot bath might do her good, she decided. She went into their master bedroom and stepped out of her skirt, folded it in the walk-in closet, and as neat as she was, she stepped out of her high heels and placed them directly in the hole that the shoes went in.
Audrey still grew enraged every time she thought how Francesca and Rena almost sent her dear beloved Pastor to an early grave with their nasty, sick affair. And Rena, her ex-daughter-in-law from hell, was nothing more than a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing that had destroyed Stiles’s life. “Thank God Stiles had sense enough to kick Rena to the curb and divorce her. Lord, I tell you, children can
be the death of you. Always lying, trying to play one parent against another. Got Pastor all mad at me,” she continued to rant. Without missing a beat, Audrey began humming, “Amazing Grace,” as she completely undressed and walked into the oversized master bathroom.
Indescribable screams emanated from the depths of her belly, up and out into the empty house at the sight of what lay before her when she stepped inside the bathroom. The thin, frail body and the pool of blood petrified her.
Audrey hollered in a voice so loud it could have shaken the earth. “Ohh, nooo, Pastor.” She knelt beside him. Her screams of panic grew louder if that were possible. Pastor’s body lay on the marble tiled bathroom floor like a block of ice and stiff as a wooden board.
Audrey shook her head and bolted upright as the bad dream awakened her. She looked confused, especially when she saw that she was still in the bathtub. The water in the tub had turned cool so she must have been in there for some time. She was frightened upon the realization that she had fallen asleep in the bathtub—again. It was something Audrey found herself doing more of lately, falling asleep while taking a bath, watching television, or reading. There were other times she seemed to forget the simplest of things that had once been routine for her. For instance, she always prepared sandwiches and something to drink for her and Pastor to watch their favorite TV shows, starting with Judge Mathis. Lately, she not only forgot to prepare the sandwiches, but she darn right forgot about the Judge Mathis show completely.
Audrey blamed it on being overly consumed with everything that had happened the past few months with Pastor’s stroke, the shameful scene involving Rena and Francesca, followed by Stiles’s divorce. It had all been too hard on her. Everything happened so fast. During the months that followed, her blood pressure meds were increased by her primary care doctor.
Audrey reached on the edge of her Jacuzzi style tub for her face cloth. She wet it, wrung it out with both hands, and used it to dab her forehead. She felt flush and somewhat confused. It took a few seconds for her to determine whether what just passed before her was a dream or reality. When she realized she had been dreaming, Audrey whispered, “Thank you, Lord. I couldn’t take it if I lost Pastor.” She completed her bath in the almost frigid water and stepped out of the bathroom and into an empty bedroom. She reached for her terry cloth robe hanging on the hook on the bathroom door. Audrey remained confused and thought it would be better for her to sit down until she could collect her thoughts. She walked over to the bathroom chair and sat there until she heard familiar footsteps.
It was Pastor. “Audrey, honey,” he called.
“I’m in the bedroom,” she answered in as normal of a voice as she could. She stood up just as he stepped into the bedroom.
“Oh, you just got out of the tub, huh?” he remarked. He walked over to his wife and kissed her on the lips.
“Where were you? With Stiles?” she asked.
“No, I was next door talking to Thomas. We hadn’t talked in awhile, so I thought since I was moping around, that I would go over there and see how he was getting along.”
“That was thoughtful. He’s a good neighbor,” commented Audrey.
“And you, my love, have always been the perfect wife.” He kissed her again.
Audrey returned his kiss with deep passion. The dream had frightened her to the point that she was terrified. She didn’t want to be by herself like Thomas was since his wife’s recent death.
Pastor and Audrey embraced. He loosened Audrey’s robe and smiled at the sight before him.
Audrey knew what he wanted and she wanted the same. She never denied Pastor. She unbuttoned his shirt. Her anxious feelings had passed. All that was on her mind was pleasing her husband.
Chapter Five
“Family quarrels are bitter things. They don ’t go according to any rules. They’re not like aches or wounds; they’re more like splits in the skin that won ’t heal because there ’s not enough material.”
~Anonymous~
Stiles became troubled again in the middle of reading a book by one of his favorite Pastors, Joel Osteen. He set his chocolate brown leather briefcase to the side. As if on auto pilot, he rushed to the kitchen, grabbed his car keys, and within minutes, he was on I-240 driving in the direction of Emerald Estates. He felt an urge in his spirit like he hadn’t experienced in a long time. It was time for him to do what he’d put off long enough—confront his mother and tell his father everything about what led to the break-up of his marriage and caused the rift in the Graham family. Part of it had come out when Pastor had his stroke, but Audrey had managed to smooth things over by taking advantage of Pastor’s weak mind and short-term memory loss he endured after his stroke.
Stiles loosened his striped tie and moved his neck from side to side. He steered the coral blue Infiniti with his free hand. He spoke out loud while he headed to Emerald Estates. “Should I call and let them know I’m coming? Should I tell Mother what I’m planning to do? Lord, I need you to guide me.” He gritted his teeth and tucked his bottom lip. “The truth must be told. I can’t allow Francesca to go on living a life of self-condemnation. Not when I know the truth. I don’t want to hurt Audrey either, but she was wrong for not telling anyone about Francesca’s molestation. Why didn’t she tell Pastor? Mother, what were you thinking?” He hit the steering wheel with an open palm.
Stiles didn’t want to be the one to remind his father of the truth, the whole truth at that, but Rena was gone, plus there was no telling where Frankie was, and it was time for the truth to be told. No more hiding, his spirit pressed him.
Stiles thought about the conversation he’d had with Pastor after Rena left town and Frankie disappeared to only God knows where.
“I’m going to make you a promise right here and right now, Pastor,” he had said. “I’m going to do what I can to find out what happened to Frankie. I don’t know what the outcome will be, but whatever I find out might tear this family even further apart. And if what Fonda said about mother turns out to be true, we both have a lot to think about.”
Unfortunately, Stiles’s suspicions had been right. When he went to Chattanooga and confronted Fonda about Francesca’s allegations, Fonda reluctantly broke down and confessed to her horrible acts. She admitted that Audrey knew about it, just like Francesca said that she did.
Stiles’s thoughts about his family, particularly Francesca, flooded his mind like a tidal wave. “God,” he said. “How could Audrey have turned her back on her little girl; her own flesh and blood? And then for Francesca to be raped by Pastor Travis a couple of years later, what was it all for, God? Why didn’t I see that something was wrong? Was I that busy with my own life that I missed what was happening to my sister? God, please forgive me. Why couldn’t I have talked to her more, or spent more time with her? Maybe then, she would have known she had someone to talk to. But I was too busy doing my own thing. I didn’t want to be bothered with her. I was wrapped up in being the popular guy around school and church. But my baby sister wasn’t safe at home or at church. It doesn’t make sense.” He cried out to God bitterly. Salty tears rested on Stiles’s upper lips as he shook his head in anguish over what laid ahead.
Stiles continued to drive in the direction of Emerald Estates. Once he finished confronting Audrey and Pastor with the truth, he had plans to find his sister to let her know that she was free to move on with living the life God designed for her to live. He pushed the button on the steering wheel and audibly said to the car, “Parents.” The phone automatically dialed the number.
“Hello, sweetheart,” the voice on the other end said politely.
“Hi, Mother. How are you this afternoon?”
“I’m fine, darling. Where are you?”
“I was calling to make sure you and Pastor were at home. I wanted to stop by and talk to the two of you about something.”
“Why, of course, honey. You know our doors are always open to you.”
“Yes, I know, Mom. Look, I’ll be there in about ten minutes or so. D
o you need me to bring anything? Something to eat? Ice cream and cookies? Anything?” offered Stiles.
“No, we’re fine. You just bring yourself on over here. Pastor is going to be glad to see you. It’s been almost two weeks since you came to visit. Seems like we only get the chance to see you at Sunday worship services or mid-week Bible class.”
Stiles apologized. “I’m sorry about that, Mother. It’s a hectic life. Being pastor of a growing church like Holy Rock keeps me busy. There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to accomplish all of the tasks that need to be taken care of.”
“Is that so?” Audrey sounded somewhat perturbed. “So that’s what Pastor and I amount to now, one of your tasks?”
“Mother, please. You know I didn’t mean it like that. I was just saying that I’m still in transition mode. Pastor left large shoes to fill. He made it all seem too easy, but really and truly it is a tough, demanding responsibility. Being the leader of a church, responsible for teaching, preaching, and leading others to Christ, plus managing the day to day operations of a church . . .” Stiles paused and wiggled in his seat. He was uncomfortable with Audrey’s way of grilling him.
“Enough said,” Audrey stopped him, sounding like she was satisfied with the response Stiles had given her. “We’ll see you in a minute. Bye, baby.”
“Bye, Mother.” Stiles hit the button to disconnect the phone. “Father, guide my tongue. This is not an easy thing for me to do, but I know you want me to bring it out of the closet, Lord. I can’t do it without you. I pray that Pastor and Mother will listen with open ears and a non-condemning spirit. I pray that my mother will open up her heart and admit her wrongs. Help me, Father. Help your servant. In your name I pray. Amen.”
My Son's Ex-Wife: The Aftermath Page 3
