The Favorite Son

by Tiffany L. Warren

  “Well, God surely transformed you!” Blaine said as he lifted his hands to heaven and muttered in some fake tongues.

  “You are silly!” Kenya said. “But I did work really hard to lose the weight. I run marathons now.”

  “You do?” Dawn asked. “I just started doing 5K races. I want to work my way up to a full marathon.”

  “We should train together, then! I find it’s great for my voice too, because the way your lungs have to work to run a marathon definitely gives you more breath to hit those notes,” Kenya said.

  “Well, y’all don’t have to worry about me running any marathons,” Amber said, “because I’ve got way too much jiggleation going on. I will stand at the finish line with bottles of water, though.”

  Kenya laughed some more. “Jiggleation?”

  “Amber has a whole separate language dedicated to her boobs,” Akil said. “They’re her prized possessions.”

  Amber squeezed her breasts and smiled. “Love thyself! And stop being a hater.”

  “See, women can get away with this type of thing,” Blaine said. “If I went around squeezing my favorite body part all day, then everyone would just think I’m some type of freak.”

  Amber and Dawn gave Blaine straight-faced blank stares.

  “You are some type of freak,” Dawn said.

  “Yeah, but you like it, though.”

  Amber rolled her eyes at them and looked back at Kenya. “Welcome to the group, Kenya. We’ll act all surprised when you sing today on camera. But you betta bring it.”

  “And you know I will! I’ve got to go and line up with the rest of the girls auditioning. Talk to y’all later!”

  When she was gone, Camden asked, “So what do y’all think?”

  “She’s all right,” Dawn said.

  “Don’t hate, Dawn,” Camden said. “Her voice is incredible.”

  Dawn got up from the makeup chair and stormed away from the group. Amber usually followed Dawn when she was having a moment, but not this time. She busied herself with reapplying glitter that had rubbed off during Kenya’s impromptu hugging session.

  “What’s going on with y’all?” Blaine asked. “She’s been tripping all day.”

  “She has? Well, Dawn broke up with me, so I don’t know why she’s tripping. I just agreed to what she wanted.”

  “She broke up with you?” Akil asked. “That’s crazy. Y’all supposed to get married.”

  “Did she say why?” Blaine asked.

  Amber glanced up from her cleavage and raised an eyebrow at Camden.

  “She’s met someone else, apparently. It only took a couple months of me being in Atlanta to decide that she needed to get with someone else.”

  “How does this affect the group, though?” Akil said. “I don’t want us to fall apart.”

  “Who’s falling apart?” Camden said. “I’ve still got a long road ahead of me on Royce’s project, so Blaine and Amber are really going to be at the forefront of the group. I mean, I write the songs. I don’t have to do that from Dallas.”

  “You staying here, bro?” Blaine asked.

  “The only things anchoring me to Dallas were Graceway and Dawn. I’m banned from the church and dumped by the girl. Makes sense to me.”

  “What if Dawn changes her mind?” Akil asked. “You guys have been together a gazillion years. One argument doesn’t have to mean it’s over. Amber, say something!”

  Amber looked up slowly and swallowed. “I support Camden’s decision. Maybe it’s time for a change.”

  Blaine got up from his makeup chair. “As long as we keep it all about the ministry, we can all succeed. I’m trying to live like Royce. That man is like a gospel emperor or something.”

  “I’m trying to get there too,” Camden said. “But people hearing the message is enough for me.”

  “Yeah, well, we want them to hear it and pay for it. Our video from Miami has over two hundred thousand hits on YouTube, but according to our sales, we haven’t even hit fifty thousand on that single,” Blaine said.

  “Royce said those numbers are great for gospel. Almost unheard of.”

  “Still, cheap church folk can go up to the hundred-dollar offering line, buy two-hundred-dollar tickets to a pastor’s gala, and go to the soul food brunch on Sunday, but they can’t pay one dollar to download our song?” Blaine said.

  “People think gospel music should be free,” Dawn said. “They have no guilt about watching us over and over again on YouTube without buying anything.”

  “Maybe that’s what your first sermon should be about,” Akil said, “bootlegging Christians.”

  Blaine cracked up laughing. “Dad would fall out on the floor and need to be resuscitated.”

  “And Delores would run her Spanx-wearing behind over and give him mouth-to-mouth,” Amber said with a chuckle. “Do y’all know she had the audacity to tell me my skirt was too tight a couple weeks ago?”

  “It was too tight,” Akil said. “I thought you were about to explode like one of those cans of biscuits.”

  “Lifetime hater award goes to Akil!” Amber said.

  Camden laughed and enjoyed the banter and jokes that had been the trademark of their friendship for years. No matter what he told everyone else, he hadn’t been sure that So G.I.F.T.E.D would survive his and Dawn’s breakup. But it was clear that everyone wanted to press forward.

  It was ministry over everything. Ministry came before love, broken hearts, and egos. Camden said a short prayer and gave thanks to God for everything—even the pain. It was going to push him closer to his goal.

  Camden also opened his heart to forgiveness. He forgave Dawn for not believing in his manhood; for her doubt. He prayed that she would be happy in spite of it all. He almost finished his prayer, but then thought of one other thing.

  Camden prayed that he would be mature enough to be happy for Dawn—once his love, now his sister in Christ.

  CHAPTER 36

  It was the week after they had returned from Atlanta, and Blaine had called a group meeting and rehearsal at his apartment. So G.I.F.T.E.D was going to sing at the Oklahoma City church the coming Sunday. It was a celebration service leading up to his installation on the first Sunday of September.

  Blaine had invited Dawn to come over a couple hours early. He was concerned that there were still loose strings with them. Dawn had obviously decided to break things off with Camden, but she hadn’t given him an answer on what she wanted to do regarding the baby, or marriage. Pastor Wilson wanted an answer soon.

  Dawn walked into Blaine’s apartment looking completely different. She’d cut her hair very short. It wasn’t unbecoming, but it wasn’t particularly flattering to Dawn’s chubby face.

  “You cut your hair,” Blaine said as Dawn sat down.

  “Yeah. I want to go natural. Amber’s been trying to get me to do it for years, but I haven’t had the nerve. It’s time for a change.”

  “So we’re going to have two Afro chicks in So G.I.F.T.E.D?”

  “Looks like it. You got one glamour girl, though. Kenya’s got that long blow-in-the-wind hair.”

  Blaine could tell there was a bit of jealousy in Dawn’s voice concerning Kenya. It was to be expected. Kenya came in singing her part, and singing her under the table.

  “So, you want to talk about what went down with you and Camden in Atlanta?” Blaine asked, cutting to the chase.

  “No. Not particularly. I broke it off with him.”

  “So, you decided not to try and seduce him and all that? Does that mean you’ve accepted my proposal?”

  “No. It doesn’t mean that. It means that I know it would never work trying to trick Camden, and that I didn’t want to do it anyway. I was stupid to believe Camden might be gay. I let the devil get all up in my head.”

  Blaine didn’t know how to respond. It didn’t seem right to press the marriage issue when she obviously was still in emotional turmoil regarding what had happened between her and Camden. Unfortunately, Blaine needed an answer. It coul
dn’t wait.

  “Pastor Wilson wanted …”

  “He wanted what? To know if I’m gonna go along with y’all scheme to save the Oklahoma City church? I don’t give a damn about that right now. I’m up here trying to figure out if I’m keeping this baby.”

  Blaine felt hopeful again. If Dawn got rid of the baby, all of this could go away. He wouldn’t have to marry Dawn or Regina, and he’d be free to find the queen of his new congregation.

  “I didn’t know that was still on the table. You seemed very much against it at first.”

  “I am still very much against it, Blaine. I just keep thinking how everyone is going to be so disappointed in me. My family, your family. Your mother. My God. She loves me, and now she’s going to hate me for hurting her son.”

  Blaine silently agreed with that sentiment. His mother would probably never embrace Dawn as a daughter after what she’d done to Camden. He wasn’t even sure his mother wouldn’t disown him.

  “And having an abortion would resolve all that? Do you think you’d go back to Camden?”

  Dawn shook her head. “Too many people already know. Do you actually think Amber would never tell Camden about us? She already threatened to tell him if I didn’t break up with him.”

  “She did? Wow. I thought she was your best friend.”

  “She is, but she said that she couldn’t let us do this to Camden. He’s her other best friend.”

  “Do what to Camden? Everybody acts like he’s a saint or something. He had plenty of chicks while we were in college. Did he tell you that? While you were home with your legs snapped shut, he was getting it in. Camden is not a saint.”

  “He cheated on me in college?”

  Blaine laughed. “No one even knew he had a girlfriend. Y’all gave it a good run, and now it’s over. I mean, if you keep the baby, we can do what we do, but if you don’t want to keep it, I’ll back you up. Whatever you need from me, I’ll help you.”

  “Thank you, Blaine. I just … I need to think about it some more. I wish I could pray about it. But I can’t ask God what He thinks about me ending the life of this child. I already know what He thinks.”

  Blaine didn’t give his opinion. He didn’t want her to think he was a horrible, ungodly person. He knew what his father would do. Pastor Wilson would see that she was weak regarding the abortion, and he’d apply just the right amount of pressure. He’d add in the guilt factor about how Camden would be devastated and how her mother would be embarrassed at her loose daughter.

  But Blaine wasn’t his father. Not yet.

  “Do you want something to eat? Are you thirsty?” Blaine asked, wanting to give her something else to think about for a minute.

  “I would love some juice. I haven’t really been able to keep much of anything down.”

  Blaine went to look in his refrigerator. “I’ve got orange juice and apple. Which one?”

  “Apple.”

  Blaine watched Dawn quickly drink the juice like she’d been lost in the desert and that was her first glass of water after being rescued.

  “You want more?” he asked when she handed him back the glass.

  “Yes, please. And a sandwich. Do you have lunch meat?”

  Blaine laughed. “Why don’t you come in here and look for yourself. This is a bachelor’s pad.”

  Dawn walked into the kitchen and rifled through the refrigerator. After a moment, she pulled out a box.

  “Wow,” she said.

  “Wow what? Does the lunch meat have mold on it?”

  She shook her head. Blaine walked over to take the box from her hand. As soon as he saw what it was, he knew why she said “Wow.” It was a box of chocolates that had been left behind by Regina. There was an explicit note on the box telling him where she was keeping a particular piece of chocolate warm.

  Blaine snatched off the note and balled it up. “Sorry.”

  Dawn just shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I need to apologize to myself. I know who you are. Why would I let myself get knocked up by the manwhore of the year?”

  “Well, I’m putting that behind me,” Blaine said. “I can’t keep that up and be a pastor. I’m not stupid. I was just a young man, doing what young men do.”

  “And I’m supposed to think I can satisfy you. I don’t know anything. I wouldn’t know how to melt some chocolate with my body. You’re used to those women.”

  “You were fine, Dawn. I didn’t have any complaints.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “If we end up getting married, I’ll teach you everything you need to know. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  Dawn nodded. “But you’d rather I have the abortion and make this whole situation disappear.”

  “I would rather you make the decision you can live with. But if you were still on the fence about keeping the baby, why did you break up with Camden? You could’ve still made things work.”

  Blaine closed the refrigerator and reached into the cabinet. He pulled out a box of graham crackers and handed it to Dawn. She took it and sat down.

  “I broke up with him because I didn’t think I deserved him after what I’d done with you. But now you’re telling me he was unfaithful in college. Maybe I should’ve just stayed with him. We’d be even.”

  Not quite even, Blaine thought. Camden hadn’t slept with one of Dawn’s sisters. The girls at college didn’t have anything to do with Dawn, and Camden sure hadn’t gotten anyone pregnant. But Blaine kept his thoughts to himself.

  There was a knock on the door, so Dawn took her graham crackers and sat back down on the couch.

  Blaine opened the door and invited Kenya inside. She was wearing a cute powder blue halter and shorts set that flattered her figure. Her long brown hair was pulled away from her face, but hung straight down her back. There was no mistaking it, Kenya was fine. And there was absolutely no hint that she used to be over three hundred pounds. Blaine expected there to be a stretch mark or a pocket of skin or something, but her body had been completely transformed. It was miraculous, and Blaine definitely appreciated the view.

  “I hope I’m not too early. I wasn’t quite sure where you lived and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t late.”

  “You’re fine. Want something to drink? Juice? Tea?”

  “Tea would be fantastic.”

  Kenya sat down on the couch next to Dawn. “Hey, Dawn, how are you? I love your haircut. It’s stunning on you.”

  “Thank you,” Dawn replied with a dry yet polite tone.

  “So is everyone else going to be here soon?” Kenya asked.

  “Yeah, Amber and Akil will probably be here in a few minutes,” Blaine said. “Amber is always on time.”

  “Okay good. The reality show taping was wild, right? So many girls showed up.”

  “And so many of them sounded a hot mess,” Blaine said.

  Kenya laughed. “I know, right? I don’t know what possessed some of them to come. Maybe they heard that they would be on TV. Some people will do anything to get on TV.”

  “Or maybe they’d been told by family and friends that they could sing, and they believed it,” Dawn said. “I could tell that most of them sang in the choir at the churches. Maybe they just didn’t know.”

  Kenya scrunched her nose with skepticism. “Really, Dawn? Some of those girls weren’t even fit to sing in the choir.”

  “Well, I don’t go around judging someone who wants to give their gift to the Lord. The Bible says to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. How do you know that He wasn’t pleased?”

  “I-I don’t,” Kenya said.

  “Well, then maybe you should think before you say such bad things about people.”

  Dawn got up from her seat and disappeared into Blaine’s bathroom. Kenya looked sad, but there was nothing he could do to make Dawn like someone who could possibly take her spot in the group.

  “She doesn’t like me,” Kenya said.

  “Give her some time. She sings soprano too, so you know …”

  Kenya nodd
ed slowly. “That’s what it is. Okay. I was thinking maybe my breath was funky or something. I heard she and Camden were dating. Was he the one who made the decision to add me to the group? Maybe that has something to do with it too.”

  “Oh, well, yeah, she and Camden broke up while we were in Atlanta, so she might just be in a general grumpy mood for a while.”

  Blaine had also heard that pregnant women could be pretty evil, but he didn’t add that part of the explanation.

  “What? Camden is single now? Mmm … I have had a crush on him from afar for years.”

  Blaine laughed. “Well, I suggest that you keep that tidbit of information a secret for now. This definitely wouldn’t be the time to pursue that.”

  “I wouldn’t pursue it anyway. Men chase me, not the other way around.”

  Blaine laughed. “I bet they do. You never sit home on a Saturday night, do you?”

  “I do, but only because I’m picky. I’m only going out with a man who’s worthy of me. My dad always told me that I’m royalty, so I act accordingly.”

  Blaine was shocked to hear those words come out of a woman’s mouth. She sounded like a female version of himself.

  “You keep thinking like that, a king will find you. Like minds think the same.”

  “Huh? Do you mean great minds think alike?”

  Blaine shrugged as there was a knock on the door, signaling Amber and Akil’s arrival. Amber walked in and went straight to the couch and plopped down.

  “It feels like the seventh level of Hades out there,” Amber said. “You need to install some air-conditioning from your parking lot all the way up the path to your door. This heat don’t make no sense.”

  “Yeah, I hope I don’t smell like recess,” Akil said as he took a seat in the armchair opposite the couch where Amber and Kenya were sitting.

  “If you do smell like recess, I’m gonna need you to remove your funky self from my furniture,” Blaine said.

  “Naw. I’m joking. I’m good. Where’s Dawn? I saw her car outside.”