by Sammie Ward
The large engagement ring caught his eye. “Nice ring,” he said and continued walking.
Trinity nonchalantly fell in step with him. “This isn’t easy for me.”
Garrett turned to face her. “Do you think it has been easy for me? I know you are only marrying him because of what happened between us,” he said as they walked through the double doors of the sanctuary and into the foyer. “You don’t love him. Marrying him isn’t going to change anything.”
“What do you want from me, Garrett? You are tied to Imani.” She put a hand to her chest. “What am I suppose to do? Put my life on hold for you?” She lifted her head up toward heaven, as if looking for an answer, then her eyes locked with his. “Lord knows I do love you, Garrett. I wish things would have turned out differently, but they didn’t, and I’m going to marry Darius.” Without another word, she walked back into the church without a backward glance.
* * *
An upset Garrett paced the length of his bedroom. He could just kick himself. He was out of line to tell Trinity she couldn’t marry Darius, but he had to let her know she was making a huge mistake. That was stupid! Disgusted with himself, he ran a hand over his head.
“Headache?” a voice inquired.
Garrett looked up and spotted his father standing in the doorway. “Yes.”
“Your mother has aspirin in the medicine cabinet,” Pastor Martindale said, coming further into the room.
“Thanks.”
“I had an interesting conversation with Trinity this evening.”
Garrett frowned. “She’s getting married. They asked me to sing at the wedding.”
Pastor Martindale arched an eyebrow. He cleared his throat. “How do you feel about that?”
“I said I would.”
“That’s not what I asked. I asked how do you feel about it?”
“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Garrett finally answered.
“I thought you loved her.”
“I do love her.”
“What happened? Why is she marrying Darius? And you’re singing at her wedding?”
Garrett was irritated. He took a couple of deep breaths. He knew his father wasn’t going to like becoming a grandfather out of wedlock for the second time.
“Imani is pregnant,” Garrett blurted out. He wasn’t prepared for his father’s cool demeanor.
“Pregnant?”
“Yes, sir.” Garrett felt like a schoolboy in trouble.
“What are you going to do about it?”
“She wants to get married.”
“I asked what are you going to do about it?”
“I will take care of my responsibility.”
“Money isn’t everything. What about Imani? Being a family?”
“You think I should marry her?” Garrett inquired.
“I think you should do the right thing for the mother and child. That is what is wrong with young folks today. They are not willing to take responsibility for their actions. The child didn’t ask to be here.”
Pastor Martindale was right, but he wasn’t about to be stuck in a loveless marriage. He saw what happened to Tamara. He wasn’t going down the same road. “It’s true the child didn’t ask to be here, but I won’t add to the situation by being in a loveless marriage.”
“You should have thought about that before,” Pastor Martindale scolded him.
Garrett ran his hand down his face in frustration. “I know that, Dad. But can you for once not preach to me, please?” he begged. “Just talk to me as a father. Can you do that?”
“All right. Let’s talk. Let me ask you a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Did you ever love Imani?”
“No.” Garrett didn’t miss a beat. He knew where the conversation was headed. If he hadn’t led Imani on, he wouldn’t be in this predicament. “We were friends. I enjoyed her company. I do care about her, but not enough to build a marriage on.”
“A friend,” Pastor Martindale repeated. He was more open-minded than Garrett gave him credit for. It didn’t take a genius to know what his son meant by the word “friend.” It was nothing more than a sexual relationship.
“She’s in love with me.”
Pastor Martindale sat on the edge of the bed. “She knows you don’t love her and still wants to be with you.”
Garrett took the space next to him. “Now that’s there’s a child, I think she’s hoping that my feelings will change toward her. But my heart belongs to Trinity.”
“Trinity is marrying someone else. You need to move on with your life.”
“You mean marry Imani?”
Pastor Martindale came to his feet. He had said all he was going to say. Garrett was a grown man. He would have to make his own decision about Imani. “That’s up to you. I just hope you make the right decision.”
“I don’t know if I can stand there and watch you marry Trinity to Darius.”
“Son, if that is who she chooses to marry, there is nothing you can do about it.” Pastor Martindale turned to leave the room.
“Dad,” Garrett called after him. Pastor Martindale turned around. “Thanks for the talk.”
Pastor Martindale smiled. “Anytime. Don’t forget to take something for that headache.”
* * *
“You’re going back to your husband?” Nina spun around to face Tamara. Nina was in the kitchen, standing at the counter preparing dinner.
Tamara wanted Nina to know that she had decided to work things out with Brian. “I have to do what’s best for Taj.”
“Just because you have a son with him doesn’t mean you have to be trapped in an unhappy marriage.”
“I love Brian. You know that, Nina. I’ve never denied that.”
Nina flew from around the counter. She still held the knife in her hand. “But you are in love with me, Tamara. Admit it. Accept it. You’re gay.”
“I know what I am,” Tamara threw back, “but this isn’t about me. This isn’t about you. This is about the welfare of my son.”
“You think you’re helping Taj by staying with Brian?” Nina threw her head back and roared with laughter.
Tamara looked at her like had she lost her mind. “What is so funny?”
“You are,” Nina said nastily. “One minute you’re heterosexual, the next you’re a lesbian. How long are you going to play this game?”
“I’m not playing games. I know what I want.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nina challenged. “What do you want?”
“Right now, I want to go and work this out with Brian.” Tamara turned to walk off. Nina halted her, gripping her wrist like iron.
“Just like that?” Nina’s curt voice lashed out at her. “What about me? I’m just supposed to sit here, waiting to see if you’re going to come back?”
Tamara removed her hand. “I’m not asking you to wait for me. I just know that, right now, I have to do this.” She headed into the bedroom, removing a suitcase from the closet. Nina was hot on her trail. She was fuming.
Nina walked further into the room, knife still in hand. “Then I will tell the pastor about his daughter. I’m sure he’d love to know how I turned his daughter out.”
Tamara inhaled a deep breath. She was trying her best to compose herself. She knew Nina was upset and being spiteful, but she’d already told her family. As far as she knew, her father may already know the truth. If that was the case, she was ready to face the music.
“Go ahead. I’ve already told my family.” She watched as Nina’s eyes widened in disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. “I’m sure my father knows by now.” Tamara returned to the closet, removing more pieces of clothing, and a couple pairs of shoes. “It will be tough, but we will work through it.”
Nina placed the knife on the bed and began removing Tamara’s clothing from the suitcase.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Nina said.
“Give me that.” Tamara threw the clothing back into the suitcase.
&nb
sp; “You’re not leaving.” Nina grabbed hold of a white blouse. Tamara jerked it from her hand. Nina pushed her hard onto the bed.
Tamara looked at her in bewilderment. “What’s wrong with you?” She attempted to get up, but Nina pushed her back on the bed again.
“I said you’re not leaving,” she said through clenched teeth. When Tamara tried to get up, Nina straddled her to prevent her from moving.
Tamara managed to push Nina off of her. As she attempted to get out of bed, Nina grabbed her by the shoulder and the two women began to struggle. Nina got the best of her, striking her repeatedly in the face. Tamara covered up as best she could. She reached out and dug through her opened suitcase and until she found one of her high heels. She began striking Nina alongside the head.
This time it was Nina covering up. She fell back on the bed, giving Tamara the opportunity to escape. She made a beeline out of the bedroom and bolted down the hallway. The front door was only a few feet away. She placed a hand on the knob but was unable to turn it. She couldn’t. The pain in her back was unbearable. She slumped to the floor.
* * *
Sitting across the room at her house, Trinity watched as Darius sat in front of the television. He was acting like she wasn’t even in the room. He’d been quiet since they returned from church. He didn’t speak to her on the drive home.
“What’s going on, Darius?” Trinity asked. She noticed he didn’t turn to acknowledge her. “Darius?” she called again. “I know you hear me talking to you.” She was irritated. He knew ignoring her got under her skin.
Darius’s head slowly turned. “You know what’s wrong.”
“If I knew what was wrong, I wouldn’t ask. So why don’t you tell me?”
“You tell me.” Darius turned all the way around in the chair, facing her. “You’re the one keeping secrets.”
Trinity snapped her mouth shut, stunned by his statement. She had no idea what Darius was referring to. “What secret?”
Darius jumped to his feet. “I overheard you and Garrett talking tonight in the church foyer. How you confessed your love for him. Garrett said you are marrying me because of what happened between you two. So tell me, Trinity. What is he talking about?”
Trinity slowly stood. Her heart was thumping in her chest. “Darius, it’s not what you think.”
“I think you lied to me. You said there was never anything between you, even when the media said there was. I believed you, when you said you were just friends.”
“We are friends.”
He stepped closer to her. “What kind of friends?”
Trinity blinked. The meaning of his words sunk in. “There is nothing between us.”
“What happened, Trinity? What was Garrett talking about? And don’t lie.”
“Imani is pregnant,” Trinity admitted.
“So now you come running back to me when the preacher’s son decides to do the right thing?”
Trinity’s voice was low. “Let me explain.”
Darius raised a hand to halt further words. “I can’t trust anything you say. I should have known better. I see the way you look at him, the way you react when he’s around.”
Startled by his observation, Trinity was speechless.
“Tell me the truth, Trinity. Did you sleep with him?” Darius asked.
Her chest felt as if it would burst. “Darius,” she said softly, not knowing what else to say.
“I just got my answer.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to, Trinity. I can see it in your eyes.”
Trinity sucked in a deep breath. She let it out slowly. “Darius, Garrett is going to marry Imani. It’s over between us.”
Darius shook his head. “Don’t change the subject. Are you in love with him?”
Trinity didn’t know how her engagement with Darius would be affected by her honesty, but he had to know the truth.
Darius let out a soft chuckle. “Ain’t this a bitch.”
“I’m being honest with you now. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“You are only being honest now because you’re busted. I don’t like being second best.”
Trinity looked past Darius to the television screen. The local news was showing the James Martindale Church. A moment later, a female reporter was standing in front of the Washington Hospital Center in D.C. Trinity rushed past a puzzled-looking Darius and turned up the volume.
“Our top story is the stabbing of the sister of R & B singer Garrett Martindale,” the reporter announced. A photo of Garrett and Tamara appeared on the screen. “She was rushed to hospital following a stab wound to the back earlier this evening.”
Trinity stood frozen. Her breath caught in her lungs. “Jesus,” she finally said. All she could think about was Garrett and what his family was going through. She glanced up to find Darius gawking at her.
“Go ahead. Go to him,” he finally said.
Trinity removed the engagement ring from her finger and handed it to Darius.
Darius headed toward the door. Before he closed the door behind him, he turned and said, “I hope his sister is all right.”
* * *
“Your wife is very lucky,” Dr. Angela Wheeler relayed to Brian and the rest of the family. “The knife punctured a lung, causing a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung,” she explained. “But we managed to treat the wound, and she’s resting comfortably.”
“Praise God,” Ginger said, raising a hand toward heaven. Pastor Martindale reached out, closing her in his embrace.
“We’re going to be moving her to a room upstairs in a few minutes,” Dr. Wheeler said. “You can go in and see her. But only for a few minutes,” she stressed to Brian. “She’s been through a lot and needs to rest.”
“Thank you, Dr. Wheeler. I’ll follow you in,” Brian said, hurrying off toward the recovery room.
“What happened?” Ginger whined. She was beside herself. Pastor Martindale escorted her to a nearby chair.
“I hope the police will be able to tell us something,” Garrett added. He was at his parents’ house when Brian phoned. The police informed him that Tamara had been injured and was en route to the hospital. That was all they knew at the moment.
“Martindale family?” a short, Hispanic man dressed in a police officer’s uniform asked. “I’m Officer Vasquez.”
“Yes, Officer Vasquez,” Pastor Martindale answered. “I’m Pastor Martindale. This is my wife, Ginger, and my son, Garrett Martindale. Her husband is in with her now.”
Officer Vasquez shook everyone’s hand. “I know I may have sounded pretty vague when I spoke with the husband, but at the time we didn’t have very much to go on.”
“What can you tell us?” Garrett inquired.
The officer opened a black notepad. “Tamara was stabbed by her roommate, Nina Wilson. She was at the scene when we arrived. She admits to the stabbing. We have her in custody.”
Ginger sat hard in the chair. “No,” she said aloud.
Garrett’s face frowned in confusion. “Why?”
“Miss Wilson says they got into an argument. It became physical. Your sister was going to move out, and Miss Wilson stabbed her,” Officer Vasquez answered.
Garrett gave his mother a knowing look. His mind was running to and fro. Was Tamara going back to Brian? Nina attacked her to stop her from leaving.
“I’m going to take a statement from your daughter. I wanted you to know where we were with the case. With Miss Wilson’s admission, it’s an open-and-shut case. I will keep you posted.” Officer Vasquez pulled out his wallet, removing a card. He handed it to Pastor Martindale. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me.”
Pastor Martindale reached for the card. “Thank you, Officer Vasquez.”
“I wish all lovers’ quarrels were this easy,” Officer Vasquez said before walking away.
Pastor Martindale’s mouth dropped open. “What did you say?” he asked, strolling behind the policeman for an explanation.<
br />
Ginger stood on wobbly legs. She moved to stand next to Garrett for encouragement. Garrett grabbed her hand. She watched the two men engrossed in a deep conversation. A moment later, Pastor Martindale walked toward his family, looking like a truck had hit him.
“Nina was her lover?” Pastor Martindale said in disbelief. “I don’t believe it.”
Ginger touched her husband’s shoulder. “It’s true,” she said. “Tamara told me.”
Pastor Martindale glared at his wife. “You knew? And you didn’t tell me?” he asked, his voice raised. The hospital staff members looked in their direction.
“I wanted to,” she confessed. She vigorously shook her head from side to side. “I didn’t know how.”
Garrett came to his mother’s defense. He was just as guilty. “Don’t blame Mother. I also knew about Nina. We wanted to tell you. We didn’t know how you would react.”
Pastor Martindale looked from his wife to son, then back to his wife. “So you two were in this together? What about Brian? Does he know?”
“Yes, he knows. No one was in on anything,” Ginger exclaimed. Her eyes clouded with tears. “Right now, I couldn’t care less about who knows what, or about her sexual preference,” she said, her voice shaking. “ My baby was almost taken from us. I’m grateful to God she’s alive.” Tears slowly found their way down her cheeks.
Pastor Martindale stepped forward, enclosing her in his arms again.
“You’re right.” He patted her on the back. “She is alive. That is the most important thing at the moment.”
After a prayer session, Garrett again thought about what Officer Vasquez said. “Tamara was moving out. I’m thinking she was going back to Brian.”
“Or she was coming home for good,” Ginger chimed in.
“We will soon know the answer,” Pastor Martindale added.
Brian came from Tamara’s room. “She’s asleep. She’s on quite a few medications that are making her groggy. You might want to go home and come back tomorrow.”
“What about you?” Garrett asked. “You look wiped out.”
Brian ran the back of his hand across his eyes and groaned. “I’m going to stay a little longer, then head on home.”
They all said goodbye to Brian before heading home. Garrett decided to spend the night at his parents’. Once on the road, Garrett phoned Imani to let her know about Tamara. The media had already picked up on the story.
