The Best-Kept Secret

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  “I’m giving you one more chance to leave him,” Aaron said.

  This was it. Charlotte was going to put a stop to this once and for all. She would call the police as soon as she hung up on this maniac.

  “Aaron, this is the last phone conversation that you and I will ever have. I don’t want you, I don’t love you, and I never did. So will you please stop calling here?”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Trust me. I meant every single word.”

  “Don’t do this, Charlotte. I’m warning you.”

  “I’m calling the police, Aaron.”

  “If I were you, I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Well, I am.”

  “Fine. Have it your way,” he said and hung up.

  Charlotte dialed the police immediately.

  Curtis parked in front of the convenience store and walked inside. He went down the last aisle, pulled open one of the refrigerator doors, and pulled out a twenty-ounce bottle of Sprite.

  “That’s all?” he heard a woman say. “A bottle of soda?”

  Curtis turned to look at her and couldn’t help smiling. It was the woman he had been exchanging seductive stares with during service a few weeks ago.

  “So how are you?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. Shocked to see you, though.”

  “I guess we both are.”

  “Do you always hang out in stores like this?”

  “No. Not especially, but since I was thirsty, I stopped at the first place I saw.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Well, it’s good seeing you.”

  She looked at him as though she wanted to have sex with him right where they were standing. Her big brown eyes and perfect body were driving him crazy. He was having those ungodly thoughts again. But what did he care?

  Curtis followed her up to the cashier, where two teenagers stood in front of them. When it was her turn, the woman placed two bottles of water and a bag of cashews on the counter and paid for them. Right after, Curtis did the same and noticed that she was waiting at the door. When he started toward her, she walked outside.

  As luck would have it, they were parked right next to each other.

  Curtis leaned against his Escalade. “So what’s your name?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Well, yeah. I think it does. It’s not like I make a habit of standing in store parking lots on Friday nights talking to strange women.”

  “But you’ve seen me at your church a couple of times, so technically, I’m not a stranger.”

  Curtis would never admit it, but he sort of liked the idea of not knowing who she was. Mystery was sometimes a good thing—kept life a lot more interesting.

  “Are you married?”

  She showed him a bare ring finger.

  Curtis laughed. “Is that supposed to mean something? For all I know, you could have left it at home or dropped it inside your purse.”

  “What if I am?” she said.

  “Then I guess you just are.”

  “But I do know that you’re married, right?”

  “Yeah. But I’m not denying it either.”

  “So are you headed home to your wife right now?”

  “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “You and whether you have something more exciting for me to do.”

  “Well, that was pretty straightforward.”

  “I meant for it to be. I’ve had a very long and frustrating day, so why talk in circles?”

  “I hear you.”

  “So do you wanna go somewhere?”

  “Where’d you have in mind?”

  “If you’re game, then just follow me.”

  “Whatever you say,” she said and hopped in her Mercedes 500. There was definitely some major money involved here. She looked good in her Versace jeans and white T-shirt, but he could tell she wasn’t the corporate type. If he’d been a betting man, he’d bet his money on her having a wealthy husband. But it wasn’t his place to worry about it.

  Curtis pulled onto the street and heard his car phone ringing.

  “Hello?”

  “Didn’t I tell you and Charlotte what was going to happen if you didn’t listen to me?” Aaron said. “Didn’t I?”

  “Your ass is mine, Aaron, the next time I see you.”

  “Really? Well, if I were you, I’d come see me right now, standing in front of your house. As a matter of fact, I would get here as fast as I could.”

  “Negro, what have you done?”

  “I’m telling you,” he sang. “You’d better come see about the little wifey.”

  Curtis hit the off button and pulled to the side of the road. He ran back to the Mercedes 500 and told the woman he had an emergency. He never even waited for her response. He jumped back into his SUV and drove well over the speed limit. He didn’t feel good about that call from Aaron. He hung corners like a professional race car driver. When he pulled in front of his house, he was glad he had. His home was in flames.

  He jumped out, leaving the door open, and ran toward the house. Neighbors had already formed a crowd, and sirens were screaming in the not too far distance. Curtis forced his way through the crowd and up to the front door. He was sure that Charlotte and Matthew were still in there.

  “Hey, Curtis, man,” Aaron said. “Did I do good or did I do good?”

  Curtis punched Aaron with his right fist and shoved him to the ground. Then he slid his key inside the lock.

  “Oh my God, I don’t think you should go in there,” he heard someone say.

  “That poor woman and child,” spoke another.

  Curtis forced the door open and braced himself when the smoke hit him in his face. He held one of his hands across his nose and mouth and ran upstairs. He didn’t see Matthew, but Charlotte was lying just outside of their bedroom. He picked her up and struggled back downstairs, coughing and choking. A fireman met him and helped carry her out.

  “I don’t know where my son is,” Curtis said, preparing to go back in.

  “Sir, please. Let us handle this. We’ve got other men in there right now, and if your son is in there, they’ll find him.”

  Curtis prayed that Matthew wasn’t in the house. He tried paying attention to Charlotte and to what the paramedics were doing, but he couldn’t stop looking toward the doorway of the house. When he saw one of the firemen come back out and shake his head, he pulled out his cell phone and called Charlotte’s aunt.

  “Aunt Emma, this is Curtis. Is Matthew with you?”

  “Yes. He’s been here all evening. Why? Where is Charlotte?”

  “Our house is on fire, and we’re heading over to the hospital. I’ll call you from the ambulance to let you know which one.”

  “Oh dear God,” she said. “I’ll get Matthew ready right now. And you make sure you call me.”

  “I will.”

  Curtis silently thanked God. Matthew was safe and in good care. Curtis watched the medics start an IV on Charlotte, and they’d started oxygen before that.

  “Will my wife be okay?”

  “She’s unconscious, and we really need to get her to the hospital.”

  Curtis followed the stretcher toward the ambulance and then saw Aaron lurking in the crowd. He wanted to kill him with his bare hands. The satisfaction he would gain would be worth serving a life sentence. Aaron had officially ruined his life in every respect. But Curtis had a son, daughter, and wife who needed him, so it was better to let the police handle Aaron.

  “Officers,” Curtis said. “That’s the man who set our home on fire.” Four police officers rushed toward Aaron and forced him to the ground. They handcuffed him and then pulled him back to his feet. Without hesitation, they dragged him to one of the squad cars while reading him his rights.

  “Officers,” Aaron said. “You’re arresting the wrong man. You want that guy over there.” He nodded his head toward Curtis. “He’s the one who slept with my wife and tried to take my son, Matthew, from me. And wait a minute, where are they tak
ing Charlotte? Where are they taking my wife?”

  The medical personnel lifted Charlotte into the ambulance, and Curtis hopped inside with her. As they drove away, he watched the firefighters working. Hopefully, the fire wouldn’t destroy the entire residence, but he could already tell that the smoke damage was going to be horrendous. The entire house was filled with thick black clouds. But that was the least of his worries now. He’d been angry and hurt and wanted to leave Charlotte, but at this very moment, he couldn’t deny that he still loved her. Maybe not in the way he once had, but he did care about her. He couldn’t deny that even she deserved to be forgiven the same as Tanya had told him. Regardless of what that DNA test had determined, she was the mother of his son, and it was time he started acting like it. He was sorry for the episode with Anise and sorry for what he had been planning to do with that woman in the 500. He was ashamed to think what he would have done with her if Aaron hadn’t called him.

  Curtis watched his wife all the way to the hospital and prayed that she would be fine.

  Chapter 28

  AS SOON AS THE PARAMEDICS HAD ANNOUNCED WHICH HOSPITAL THAT they were headed to, Curtis had called Aunt Emma again. Now, they were rushing Charlotte through the emergency entrance, and Curtis followed alongside her. He followed until one of the staff members politely stopped him and told him that he would have to wait outside. He wasn’t too happy about it, but he understood. He paced the hallway for maybe ten minutes until one of the registration clerks asked him to sign a few documents. They asked him general questions about insurance and Charlotte’s medical history and then made a copy of his insurance card. He was glad they’d purchased a health-care policy that covered hospital stays in their entirety because at times like these it was worth it.

  When he finished, he took a seat in the waiting room and scanned the area. For a Friday evening, the emergency department wasn’t all that full, and Curtis was relieved. He wasn’t really in the mood for a group of strangers. He was worried to death about Charlotte, he was still thinking about Matthew, and he needed some quiet time for meditation. He prayed silently for a few minutes and then realized he hadn’t called Charlotte’s parents. He dialed the number and waited.

  “Hello?” his mother-in-law answered.

  “Hey, Noreen, it’s Curtis.”

  “Hi, Curtis. How are you?”

  “Not good. We just brought Charlotte into the emergency room.”

  “For what? Is she okay?”

  “We don’t know yet. She was still unconscious when we got here, but they’re in there working on her now.”

  “Oh my God. What happened?”

  “Somebody set our house on fire, and she was there when it happened.”

  “What? And where’s Matthew?”

  “He was at your sister’s house.”

  “Joe and I are on our way.”

  “We’re at Mitchell Memorial.”

  “We’ll call for the directions to the hospital when we get there.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “You call me on my cell phone if she gets worse.”

  “I will.”

  “We’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  Curtis leaned his head back and breathed deeply. He glanced at the doorway and then closed his eyes. He knew they’d just gotten started with Charlotte, but to him, minutes were starting to feel like hours. What if something happened to her? How would he explain any of it to Matthew? But Curtis knew this wasn’t the way for him to be thinking. It was better for him to execute his faith and hope for the best.

  He walked over to the doorway, the one that they’d wheeled Charlotte through, but he couldn’t see anything. He was so anxious to know what was going on and his nerves were getting the best of him. Guilt was eating at him even more so. He couldn’t help wondering if his latest actions were the reason God had allowed another tragedy to evolve. Maybe if he’d willfully forgiven Charlotte, this wouldn’t be happening. Maybe if he hadn’t tried to get with Anise or the woman he’d connected with a few hours ago, Charlotte would be home safe and sound. But he knew there were no answers to his questions or theories.

  “Dad,” Matthew said, running toward him. “Where’s Mom? I wanna see Mom.”

  “She’s in there with the doctors, son, and they haven’t come out yet.”

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Our house caught on fire and she got hurt.”

  “I want to see her.” Tears rolled down Matthew’s face.

  “I know, son. I want to see her, too, but we have to wait.”

  “No word yet?” Aunt Emma asked, rubbing Curtis’s back.

  “No. Nothing.”

  “Well, we’ll hear something soon. And don’t you worry, God is running this.”

  Curtis smiled and hoped she was right. He knew that God was in control, but the human side of him wasn’t too sure how this would work out. He needed one of those doctors to explain Charlotte’s condition.

  Shortly after, Anise and Monica arrived.

  “Curtis, I am so sorry,” Anise said, hugging him.

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m sorry, too,” Monica added.

  “Thanks for coming,” Curtis said.

  “Why don’t we all go sit down?” Aunt Emma suggested.

  They each found a seat.

  “What do you think started the fire?” Anise asked.

  “We don’t know yet,” he lied. He would certainly tell them, but he didn’t want to discuss anything in front of Matthew.

  “Is our house burned down to the ground, Dad?”

  “I don’t think so. But I’m not sure, because I rushed over here with your mom.”

  “Where will we live if it did?”

  “I don’t know. But we’re going to be okay. I promise you.”

  “But what about Mom?” he asked, sobbing again.

  Curtis wanted to cry with him, but he didn’t.

  “Your mom is going to be just fine.”

  Matthew leaned his head against his father’s shoulder, and Curtis placed his arm around him. He held him and knew that he could never leave Matthew the way he’d contemplated. During the ride over in the ambulance, he’d decided that he wouldn’t leave him or Charlotte, but watching and holding his son confirmed his decision. He could never live without Matthew under any circumstances.

  The waiting game continued for another half hour, and then finally someone came out to speak to them.

  “Mr. Black?” said a late fortysomething man.

  “Yes?” Curtis said, standing and shaking his hand.

  “I’m Dr. Rivers.”

  “How’s my wife?”

  “Well, she’s a tough young lady, and it’s a good thing she got here when she did. There were no burns, but she did have smoke inhalation. It was very minor, but it still knocked the wind out of her.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  “It will take a few days for her to gain her strength, but she should be fine after that.”

  “Thank you, Lord,” Aunt Emma commented.

  “Can I go see her?” Matthew asked.

  “Not for a while,” Dr. Rivers said, smiling. “But I’ll make sure to tell her about the young man who’s dying to see her.”

  “She’s my mom, and my name is Matthew.”

  “Well, Matthew, I know she can’t wait to see you, too.”

  “How long will it be?” Curtis asked.

  “We want to do a few more tests, monitor her vitals, and then get her admitted to a room. After that, you should be able to look in on her for a few minutes.”

  “How long do you think she’ll be here?”

  “Depending on how she does tomorrow, we should be able to release her the day after. But I definitely want to follow up with your family physician tonight, so hopefully he’s on call.”

  “Is she awake?”

  “As a matter of fact, she came to a short while ago, but now she’s out again. The medicine we’re giving her will keep her slightly sedated
for the rest of the evening. But this is a good thing because it will allow her to get the rest that she needs.”

  “So now, I guess, all we can do is wait, right?” Curtis said, mostly for Matthew’s benefit.

  “Pretty much. But before I go, are there any questions?”

  Curtis looked at Anise, Monica, and Aunt Emma, but they shook their heads no.

  “I don’t think so,” Curtis told him.

  “Well, if you do, be sure to let us know. And it was good meeting all of you.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” the adults spoke together.

  “Thank you,” Matthew added.

  Dr. Rivers turned back around. “You’re quite welcome, Matthew. And don’t you worry about your mom, we’re going to take very good care of her.”

  Matthew’s face lit up, and Curtis was glad to see it.

  They all sat and talked distractedly until Charlotte’s parents walked in. They’d phoned Curtis about twenty minutes before, saying they’d made it to town.

  “Noreen, Joe,” Curtis said, standing up to greet them.

  “Have you heard anything else?” Noreen asked.

  “No, not since you called me for the directions. I know you’re worried, but she really is going to be fine. The doctor seemed to be sure of it.”

  “I hope so,” Noreen said sadly.

  “She will.”

  “So how is everyone else?” Noreen said.

  “We’re fine, Aunt Noreen,” Anise said, hugging her. Then she hugged Charlotte’s father.

  “How are you, Emma?” Noreen asked her sister.

  “I’m fine, Noreen. You?”

  “I’m okay.”

  Curtis listened and realized that there was still tension between his wife’s mother and her aunt. He’d known about Noreen sleeping with Aunt Emma’s future husband, but after all these years, he was shocked that they still weren’t past it. Aunt Emma was a wonderfully kind and gentle woman, but she still hadn’t forgiven her sister—or at least it didn’t seem like it to him. But who was he to criticize anyone?

  “And you, Joe?” Aunt Emma said.

  “I’m well, Emma, and it’s good to see you.”

  “This is my best friend, Monica,” Anise told them.