“And like I told you last year, I misplaced them, but I still knew about every dollar I spent. I kept track of everything mentally, and I had no reason to lie about it.”
“Which is why we went ahead and paid you what you asked for.” Sister Mason was no longer smiling. There had been a lot of talk about Sister Simmons and the way she connived and schemed when it came to money. She was always involved with every event and program the church sponsored, but she never had all of the receipts to prove what expenses she’d incurred. Five or ten dollars was one thing, but fifty and seventy-five were another.
“Well, it sounded to me like you were trying to insinuate that I was lying.”
“Well, I wasn’t. But just so everyone here is on the same page, any expenses over twenty dollars will not be paid without a valid receipt. Pastor Black wanted me to share that with all of you, so that there won’t be any misunderstandings when the picnic is over.”
“Hmmph,” Sister Simmons grunted. “Whatever.”
Charlotte always wondered how Sister Simmons could do so much passing out in the aisle every Sunday, claiming to be filled with the Holy Spirit and then be so rebellious on every other day of the week. Charlotte knew she wasn’t perfect herself, but she never walked around acting holier than thou either.
Sister Mason turned her attention to Aaron. “So, Brother Malone, are we all set with the audio equipment?”
“We are. The guy we hired is planning to arrive hours ahead of time to get everything hooked up.”
“Good, good. You know, I really want to thank all of you for being so cooperative and so diligent with your efforts. Chairing a committee of any kind can be trying but not when you have so many wonderful people helping. You made a commitment and you stuck by it. So God bless all of you.”
“I think I speak for all of us, Sister Mason, when I say that you are quite welcome,” Aaron said. “And I know for me, a commitment means exactly that. We should all do what we say we’re going to do and it will eliminate so much confusion. In some cases, it will eliminate a lot of unnecessary trouble. Isn’t that right, Sister Black?”
“Yes, it is,” she answered reluctantly. Aaron was definitely going too far. He was actually sitting there, taunting her right in front of everyone. She could tell that some of the members were wondering why he’d geared his lesson on philosophy toward her. He’d tried to make it sound like general information, but that question he’d specifically asked her at the end was enough to make people talk. It was enough to start rumors floating throughout the congregation. Aaron knew exactly what he was doing, and Charlotte was starting to hate him.
They discussed a few more items over the next half hour and then adjourned the meeting. Most of them talked among themselves and were planning to stay for Bible study, but Charlotte excused herself immediately. She headed straight out the church and over to her car. Unfortunately, Aaron followed behind.
“Sister Black, hold up,” he said when he saw Brother Sanders, another committee member, walking out to the parking lot. “I need to talk to you for a minute.”
Charlotte wanted to get in her car and speed off, but she knew it wouldn’t look right to Brother Sanders if she did. She was trapped and that was all there was to it.
They both waved at Brother Sanders when he drove by them.
“Baby, I need to see you,” he said.
“Aaron, I won’t do this. Not here, not anywhere. You and I are over. Do you hear me? We’re over for good.”
“I’m asking you nicely.”
“Look, I have to go.”
“You think I’m playing with you.”
“I don’t think anything. But unless you have something important to say, I’m leaving.”
“Oh, so now you’re trying to play the tough role, huh? Well, let me tell you something. You know that clock I warned you about yesterday? Well, it’s still ticking. It’s ticking louder and louder all the time, and if I were you, I’d pay attention to it.”
Charlotte opened her car door.
“You and I weren’t just lovers, baby, we were also close friends,” he said. “So don’t think for one minute that our affair is the only thing I’m going to tell Curtis about. I thought I’d made myself clear yesterday. I’m telling every single thing I know.”
Charlotte got in her car and closed the door. Aaron stepped back and waved good-bye to her when she drove away. He smiled at her the way lovers smile at each other when things are great between them.
But Charlotte was a nervous wreck. She was mortified at the thought of Curtis finding out anything he didn’t already know about her. She was sorry she’d ever trusted Aaron so willingly.
And what was she going to do if she was pregnant? For two weeks now, she’d tried to tell herself that this just wasn’t possible. But as of today, her period still hadn’t shown up. At work, she’d visited the restroom at least a dozen times, hoping for the smallest sign. But there hadn’t been any. There hadn’t been any sign of anything that would clear her conscience. She’d chosen to be in denial, but the reality of it all was now staring her straight in the face. It was time she owned up to what just might be. Time she realized that the walls were closing in on her very rapidly.
It was time she realized the worst of all nightmares.
That Aaron had never once used a condom when they were together.
After leaving the church, Charlotte drove about thirty miles to a small pharmacy in a rural area to purchase a pregnancy test. She didn’t want to chance running into someone from the church. Once home, she removed the white tube from the package. At first, she debated whether she should wait until tomorrow, but with Curtis teaching Bible study tonight, she figured it was better to get this over with. It was better to find out what was what as soon as possible.
She pulled out the instructions, read them, and then saturated the feltlike tip with urine for five seconds. It would take only three minutes to see the result, but her stomach was already stirring. Her hands had been shaking during the whole process, and she’d almost dropped the tube in the toilet.
Charlotte leaned against the bathroom vanity with her eyes closed, praying that she wasn’t pregnant. She hadn’t seriously prayed about much of anything in a long while, but now she had no other alternative. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in God, because she did. But she just didn’t see a reason to pray all day every day the way a lot of people she knew did. The way her mother and Aunt Emma had done for years. When Charlotte was a child and was adamant about things she didn’t feel were necessary, her grandmother would say, “Chile, just keep on livin’. If you do, you’ll end up seein’ and doin’ a whole lot of things you never thought you would. I’ll be gone on to glory, but one day you’ll realize what I mean.”
And how right her grandmother had been. Before marrying Curtis, she’d sworn she would never commit adultery. But she had. Before marrying Curtis, she’d sworn that she would never lie to the man she married. But she had.
Before today, she’d sworn that she would never have an abortion.
But now, she would go back on her word again. She would do so because the end of that test tube was as pink as pink could be. She was definitely pregnant, and there was no way she could have a baby. Not when she couldn’t guarantee who the father was. Not when there had been many weeks when she’d had sex with Aaron more than with her own husband. And she could blame only herself, because the reason she hadn’t wanted Aaron to use any protection was that she’d wanted to feel the real him inside her. She hadn’t wanted anything getting in the way of that. She’d wanted to feel him skin to skin in the most natural way possible. Plus, she hadn’t been worried because she’d been taking the pill ever since Matthew was born. Sometimes she missed one here and there, but she always made up for it the following day. Her mother had told her that being careless would eventually catch up with her, but Charlotte hadn’t thought it was a big deal. She hadn’t thought she would ever get pregnant again. How wrong she had been though, and now she was su
ffering the consequences.
Feeling sorry for herself, Charlotte threw on her gym clothes and stepped onto the treadmill. She was in the habit of working out at the health club at least three days per week, but sometimes she exercised at home, too. Walking always energized her, and it made her feel better when she was having personal difficulty, even more so when she felt on edge like she was now. About a year ago, she’d read an article about sadness and depression and had learned that working out could help alleviate those emotions. It enhanced the production and release of endorphins, an important stress hormone.
But after walking briskly for forty-five minutes, she wasn’t feeling any happier, so she turned off the machine and walked through the house, trying to cool down. When she entered the kitchen, preparing to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, she heard the doorbell ringing.
She cringed when she saw that it was Aaron at the door. Her first thought was to walk away, ignoring him, but somehow she knew he would never leave if she did. So she opened it.
“Hi, baby,” he said, forcibly brushing past her.
“Aaron, what are you doing here?”
“Because I want to be.”
“Do you want Curtis to kill us both?”
“Please. I just left him at the church, and he’s the one who told me to meet him here in an hour. But you know me,” he said, grabbing her and pulling her close to him. “I decided to show up a little early.”
“Stop it,” she said, pushing against his chest.
But it did no good. Aaron slipped both his hands inside her athletic pants and underwear, caressing her butt and kissing her neck. She fought him as hard as she could, but she wasn’t strong enough to escape him. She screamed when he moved his hand to her vaginal area and groped her roughly. But that only made him angrier. He slammed her onto the living room sofa and then pulled her down to the floor.
“Aaron, don’t,” she yelled.
“I told you I wanted you,” he said, breathing heavily. “But you wouldn’t listen. No, what you did was cut me off.”
Charlotte continued fighting until she saw a light flash through the window.
“Oh God, it’s Curtis.”
Aaron looked up and saw the SUV waiting to enter the garage.
“Lucky for you, but this isn’t the end of this,” he said, standing up.
Charlotte got up and ran. She went upstairs and did everything she could to keep from crying. She had to or otherwise Curtis would know something was wrong. He’d start questioning her and doubting her again, and she couldn’t have that. But maybe telling him the truth was the only way out of this. She would never tell him about the pregnancy, but maybe it was time she came clean the way that talk-show host had suggested to one of her callers. What she would do was take Curtis to dinner, so they could officially celebrate his new publishing deals. They would enjoy themselves and then she would tell him everything as soon as they were back at home. She would explain things to him and ask him to forgive her. She’d pray for his understanding and hope that his love for her would outweigh any possibility of divorce.
But regardless of what the outcome was going to be, she couldn’t go on like this. She couldn’t allow Aaron to keep blackmailing her and torturing her the way he was. Tonight, he’d almost succeeded at raping her.
She would never allow something like that to happen again. Not under any circumstances.
Chapter 17
GIRL, HE ACTUALLY TRIED TO RAPE ME IN MY OWN HOUSE.”
“He what?” Anise said.
“Yes. He was supposed to meet Curtis after church, but before Curtis got there, he tried to rape me. And if Curtis hadn’t come home when he did, I’m telling you, he would have hurt me. He would have done whatever he wanted to do.”
“So what happened after Curtis came into the house?”
“He came upstairs to let me know he was home, and then he and Aaron sat around in the family room for another hour or so going over some new ideas for the church. And Aaron was laughing and talking like normal.”
“He’s insane, Charlotte, and if I were you, I’d tell Curtis everything. Because if you don’t, things are only going to get worse.”
“I am. Right after dinner. I’m taking him to Antonio’s, and then I’m going to tell him the truth.”
“You have to.”
“I know, but it’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. And I’m so afraid that he’ll try to leave me. Especially since I was the one who told him I would never accept him messing around with other women. I made that very clear before we got married, and now I’m the one who ended up having the affair.”
“It’s unfortunate, but at this point, you have to take care of this no matter what Curtis decides to do.”
Charlotte sighed. “I just can’t believe I allowed this to happen.”
“It was definitely a huge mistake, because like I told you the other night, you have a good man. A man who loves you dearly.”
“I know. And even though I was angry at you for saying that, I know you were right.”
“Well, the only thing you can do now is pray for the best.”
“Actually, I’ve been doing that since Wednesday. And since Aaron didn’t try to contact me yesterday and hasn’t tried to call me here at work this morning, maybe my prayers have been answered. Maybe he’s through with all of this for good.”
“Anything is possible, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable with that. Because the Aaron I heard on the phone that night sounded like a madman. He sounded like he was capable of doing anything to anybody.”
Charlotte leaned back in her office chair and closed her eyes. She’d tried to think just the opposite of what Anise was saying, but in all honesty, she agreed with her completely. Over the last week, Charlotte had seen a side of Aaron that she hadn’t even known existed, and she could tell he was someone to be afraid of. She was starting to realize that when she was alone, she needed to be more cautious. At the office, at home, and anywhere else she could think of.
“I hear what you’re saying, and I’m definitely planning to be careful.”
“That’s good, because you never know what people like Aaron will do. You never know what to expect.”
“This is true. And hey, thanks for listening to me and for not writing me off.”
“You’re my cousin, girl, and I love you. I don’t agree with what you did, but that doesn’t change our relationship. So know that I’m here for you if you need me.”
“I love you, too. And Anise, please, please don’t tell Aunt Emma. She would be so disappointed, and I would never be able to face her again if she found out about this.”
“I understand, and I won’t.”
“I mean it, Anise. Because I know you and Aunt Emma share just about everything.”
“But if you don’t want me to tell her, then I won’t. I promise. It wouldn’t be good anyway because she’d be worrying herself to death about you.”
“I know, and that’s why I’m not going to tell my parents either. They would do the exact same thing. And you know Daddy would get in his car and drive over here.”
“You know he would. And you couldn’t blame him because this is serious. People get killed by lovers all the time.”
“I know. Look at what that Adrienne chick did to Curtis, and then she killed herself.”
“Exactly. So just hang in there, girl. But call me if you need me, no matter what time it is.”
“I will. I love you, cousin.”
“I love you, too.”
Curtis slipped on the new Ralph Lauren polo undershirt and briefs that Charlotte had surprised him with. When he’d gotten home from the church, he’d found a huge box wrapped in beautiful silver paper with a black satin bow. Inside was everything he needed to go with his suit, the one she’d bought for him just a week ago. Underwear, socks, a dress shirt, a tie, and platinum cuff links. She’d gone on another one of her spending sprees, but he just couldn’t be upset with her tonight because they were
still so happy with each other and had been for days now. She’d even made reservations for dinner at the best Italian restaurant in the area so that they could celebrate his new career accomplishments. And he had to admit, it was nice being able to dress in fine clothing. The suit alone brought back a lot of great memories. He still wore expensive suits, but they were mostly suits he’d owned for a few years. Which was more than acceptable, though, because the suits he owned never went out of style, not the ones that he’d paid at least a thousand dollars for.
He was pulling on his socks and then his dress shirt when Charlotte walked out of the bathroom.
“Baby, can you button this for me?” she asked.
“You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
Curtis couldn’t tell if Charlotte was wearing it or if it was wearing her, but she had on the most beautiful black dress he’d seen in a while. It was sleeveless, had a yoke that dropped toward her back, and the length stopped just above her knees. It fit perfectly. She looked exceptionally elegant, the way he liked her to. When they were first married, she’d dressed “okay,” but her taste had been no different than the average twenty-yearold, which she couldn’t help because she’d only been twenty-three at the time. But now, two years later, she’d grown up in a lot of ways, and Curtis was happy about that.
“You need to get your suit on so we can get out of here,” she said. “The reservation is for six thirty.”
“I’ll be ready before you know it.”
Charlotte turned to go back into the bathroom and the phone rang. Curtis walked over and picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, son. How are you?”
“I’m good. What about you and Mom?”
“We’re fine. Just getting ready to go to dinner.”
“Oh. Grandma and Grandpa and I had cheeseburgers and fries from that restaurant down the street.”
“Really? And they liked that?”
“Yep. They like anything.”
Curtis laughed because he knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. But he also knew his in-laws would do anything to make Matthew happy. They allowed him to run their entire household whenever he visited. Whatever he wanted to do they did with no questions asked.
The Best-Kept Secret Page 13
