Lady Elect

by Nikita Lynnette Nichols

  “You can’t chew that. But I’ll be sure and let you know how good it is,” Monique teased. She and Adonis were at the stove preparing their plates.

  Arykah almost called Monique the “B” word. “You don’t tell me what I can or can’t chew. I’m not gonna sit here and slurp soup and watch the three of you chew like southern hillbillies.”

  “I’ll have soup with you, Cheeks,” Lance tried to comfort her.

  Arykah didn’t say a word. She slowly rose from the table and went to the cabinet next to the refrigerator, where she pulled out her blender and set it on the counter next to the stove.

  “What are you going to do with that blender?” Monique asked her.

  “Why are you in my business? You fix your plate, and I’m gonna fix mine.”

  Lance, Monique, and Adonis stopped what they were doing. They watched in amazement as Arykah cut three slices of the Cornish hen and put them in the blender. With a large silver spoon, she scooped three helpings of the macaroni and cheese and dropped them in the blender. They were absolutely stunned when Arykah went to the refrigerator and pulled out a gallon of milk and poured a fourth of a cup into the blender.

  “I know you are not gonna do what I think you’re gonna do,” Lance said to her.

  Without a response, Arykah placed the top on the blender and pressed the puree button.

  “You are out of your mind,” Monique said.

  Adonis turned his nose up at Arykah’s creation. “That ain’t gonna taste good.”

  When her meal was turned into a liquid, Arykah removed the top from the blender and poured the mixture into a glass. She took the glass and placed it in the microwave and heated it for thirty seconds.

  “You are nuts,” Lance said to her.

  Refusing to speak to any of them, Arykah removed the glass from the microwave and brought it up to her mouth. With one swallow she gagged. “Yuk. This is gross.”

  Adonis chuckled. “I told you. That’s like blending a cheeseburger. It ain’t gonna taste like a cheeseburger. It’s gonna be nasty.”

  “What are you gonna do now?” Monique asked Arykah.

  “I guess I’ll have the soup.”

  Lance laughed. “Sit down, Cheeks. I’ll get it for you.”

  Arykah sat at the kitchen table and saw Diva coming her way sniffing everything in sight. “There’s my Diva.” Arykah called for the puppy to come to her.

  After Adonis put his plate of food on the table, he scooped Diva up and gave her to Arykah. “She’s as light as a feather,” he said.

  Arykah brought Diva to her face. “You’re so cute. And Mommy’s gonna buy you so many cute clothes.”

  “Oh boy,” Lance exhaled. He set Arykah’s bowl of soup on the table in front of her. “How about a glass of sweet tea, Cheeks?”

  “Tea would be great, babe. Thanks.”

  Lance returned Diva to the kitchen floor and was on his way to get Arykah’s glass of tea when his cellular telephone rang. He pulled it from its holder that was attached to his belt loop. “It’s Detective Rogers,” he announced after he recognized the number.

  Lance pressed the talk button and brought the telephone to his ear. “Hello, Detective Rogers.”

  Monique brought her plate of food to the table and sat next to Adonis.

  Arykah filled them in on why the detective may be calling. “Detective Rogers said that she would call when she got the results from the fingerprints on the doorbell.”

  “You have a positive ID on the fingerprints?” Lance’s voice rose. He looked at Arykah as he listened to the detective speak into his ear. “Arykah’s rape kit?”

  Arykah slowly stood holding her side.

  “The semen sample matched whoever rang the doorbell,” Lance told Arykah.

  Arykah’s heart started to race.

  Lance told Detective Rogers that he was gonna put her on speaker. “Arykah is here, Detective. And so are our friends, Monique and Adonis. We can all hear you.” Lance lay the telephone on the center island. “Go ahead, Detective.”

  “The semen collected from the rape kit, the skin cells that were scraped from beneath Arykah’s nails, and the print from your doorbell all matched a guy who has a rap sheet a mile long.”

  Adonis and Monique stood from the table and came to the center island to hear Detective Rogers better.

  “His name is Clyde Trumbull. He lives on the south side of Chicago.”

  “Clyde Trumbull,” Lance repeated the name. “I don’t know anyone with that name.”

  “How about you, Arykah?” Detective Rogers asked. “Does Clyde Trumbull sound familiar to you?”

  Detective Rogers couldn’t see Arykah shaking her head from side to side. “No. I don’t know anyone by that name.”

  “Well, he certainly knows both of you. You should thank your best friend, Arykah. She hit the nail right on the head.”

  Arykah frowned, and so did Monique. “What do you mean?” Arykah asked Detective Rogers.

  “Clyde Trumbull is the nephew of Ms. Pansie Bowak.”

  Arykah gasped so loudly that it caused her ribs to ache. She quickly consoled her aching side with her hand.

  “I knew it!” Monique yelled out. “I knew it.”

  Lance and Adonis couldn’t speak. They were in shock and remained silent.

  “Ms. Bowak has been Clyde’s legal guardian since he was sixteen years old. He’s her late sister’s only son. Clyde is thirty-nine years old but has been in and out jail since the age of twenty-three. You name it, Clyde has done it. Robbery, auto theft, breaking and entering, marijuana possession, and now sexual assault. He’s bipolar and schizophrenic. I mean this guy is a real monster.”

  “Detective Rogers,” Lance was finally able to speak.

  “Please call me Cortney.”

  “Cortney, I am blown away at what you just laid on us. What happens now?”

  “I have a warrant for Clyde’s arrest. He’ll be picked up tonight.”

  “What about Mother Pansie?” Monique asked. “We all know she’s the mastermind behind Arykah’s attack.”

  “Oh, I’m all over that, Monique. Don’t you worry about Ms. Bowak. Once I get Clyde to sing—and I will make him sing—she’ll be arrested too.”

  “My Lord, my Lord,” Lance murmured.

  “Seems like Clyde was Ms. Bowak’s secret that she kept hidden from the outside world,” Detective Rogers said. “According to a neighbor, Ms. Bowak didn’t allow Clyde outside the home often. The few times she did expose him to the outside world was when he’d gotten into trouble.”

  “Well, that explains why she never brought him to church,” Lance said. “This is so crazy. Mother Pansie darn near raised me in the church, and I never even knew she had a sister, let alone a nephew.”

  “Come on in ... where the feast of the Lord is going on.” The sanctuary choir at Freedom Temple was in high praise. “At the table. At the table ... where the feast of the Lord is going on.”

  Lance sat in the pulpit. He was calm. He was cool. And he was collected. In his peripheral vision, he saw Minister Week’s knees shaking.

  Lance leaned over to him. “I shouldn’t have told you anything, Weeks. You’re a wreck.”

  Carlton took his handkerchief from his interior suit jacket and wiped sweat from his brow. “I can’t believe it, Bishop. I just can’t believe it.”

  Lance glanced at his wristwatch. It was all going down soon. He looked at Mother Pansie sitting on the second pew behind Monique and Myrtle. She was singing and rocking along with the choir, unaware that her world was about to crash. Lance wished that Arykah had been well enough to attend church and see justice get served.

  He remembered Mother Gussie and Mother Pansie storming into his office after church. “Bishop, she’s not first-lady material.” Lance recalled the red ink they poured in Arykah’s chair. He could still see the tears Arykah shed the night Mother Gussie lied about the time that Arykah was supposed to meet the Cartwright family for prayer. Lance had defended Mother Gussie. He t
hought back to the day when the photo of Arykah and her client having dinner had mysteriously shown up at church. And then there was the infamous suit jacket at the dry cleaner fiasco.

  Lance realized that the mothers had spent a huge amount of energy in trying to oust his wife. They caused her grief and embarrassment. Therefore, he didn’t feel the least bit guilty when he asked Detective Rogers to wait until Sunday morning, after Mother Pansie had left for church, to arrest Clyde Trumbull.

  Lance’s cellular telephone vibrated. He was expecting a text message. He nonchalantly read it.

  We’re coming in the church now.

  Lance returned the telephone to the holder on his belt. He looked at Myrtle and Monique and winked his eye. Then he glanced at Adonis sitting behind the organ and winked his eye. Adonis had been instructed to continue to play throughout the chaos.

  Lastly, Lance leaned over to Carlton again. “It’s going down now.”

  Carlton’s knees shook faster.

  The doors of the church opened. Lance and Carlton saw Detective Rogers step to a female usher and flash her badge. The two women exchanged words; then the usher escorted Detective Rogers and two other policewomen down the center aisle. The usher brought them to Mother Pansie’s row. Lance saw the usher point to Mother Pansie and say something to Detective Rogers.

  The choir lost focus on what they were singing about. They stopped immediately, but Adonis kept playing. The entire church saw Detective Rogers gently grab Mother Pansie by her elbow and stand her up.

  The look on Mother Pansie’s face was horrifying when she realized what was happening. Detective Rogers read Mother Pansie her Miranda rights, then instructed the policewomen to place her in handcuffs. Mother Pansie’s nephew, Clyde, was already at the police station. And although Detective Rogers hadn’t question Mother Pansie yet, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that Mother Pansie had sent her nephew to attack Arykah. He was incompetent and a nutcase.

  Detective Rogers was sure that Clyde did not wake up the morning of Arykah’s rape and choose her randomly to attack. He knew where she and Lance lived, knew to sneak past the guard on duty, and he knew that Lance was a bishop. Clyde had never been to Freedom Temple, and he’d never met Arykah. So Detective Rogers put two and two together and came to the conclusion that the only reason Clyde came to Arykah’s house and assaulted her was because he had been told to do so. Told by someone who hated Arykah.

  Mother Pansie looked toward the pulpit into Lance’s eyes. She wasn’t remorseful; she wasn’t sorry. When her eyes locked on Lance’s, he saw pure evil.

  Mother Pansie didn’t put up a fight. She held her head high as Detective Rogers escorted her out of Freedom Temple.

  Lance stood from his chair and approached the podium. “At the table where the feast of the Lord is going on,” he sang.

  Adonis raised the volume on the organ. Slowly the choir began to sing along with their pastor. The mood at the church was a somber one. Everyone wanted to know why their beloved Mother Pansie had just been arrested. Lance didn’t stop the service to give an explanation. He kept singing until the entire congregation joined in.

  After praise and worship, he excused himself from the pulpit and left the church.

  On cue, Minister Weeks stepped to the podium and took over the service.

  When Lance arrived home, he found Arykah and Diva snuggled up on the sofa in the great room. Arykah was watching a movie on the Lifetime Movie Network Channel. He placed a large bouquet of roses on the table next to the sofa.

  “Those are beautiful, babe.”

  “Yes, they are, but they’re not from me. When I signed in at the gate, Dwight asked that I give the roses to you.”

  “You had to sign in?”

  “Because of what happened to you, the home owners association has new rules. Residents must sign in and out of the complex, plus we gotta show our ID’s. The guard on duty can never leave the post unattended for any reason. And visitors are required to show identification as well. They’re only allowed past the gate if the resident they’re visiting calls and gives permission to allow the visitor through.”

  “Wow. Talk about being on lockdown.”

  “What happened to you, Cheeks, could’ve been avoided. It shouldn’t have taken a crime to happen for the new rules to be implemented. As much as we paid for our homes, you, me, and all of our neighbors should never have to worry about the safety of our families. Dwight sent the flowers because he knows he messed up. He wanted me to tell you that he is very sorry for what happened to you.”

  “Aw, Dwight is a good guy,” Arykah said. “When I’m better, I’ll go and speak with him.” She repositioned herself on the sofa. “So, how did it go at church?”

  Lance sat down on the sofa and laid his head on Arykah’s lap. “Everything went according to plan.”

  “She didn’t put up a fight?”

  “Nope. Satan’s sister is guilty.”

  “What about Mother Gussie?”

  Lance sat up and looked at Arykah. “She called me when I left the church. Gossip travels fast. I left right after praise and worship was over. But just as I was getting into my car, Mother Gussie was blowing up my cell phone. First thing she said was, ‘I didn’t have anything to do with it, Bishop.’”

  Arykah cocked her head to the side. “Oh really? Well, it’s obvious that she knew what Mother Pansie was up to if she claimed she wasn’t involved.”

  “Exactly. Someone had to have called Mother Gussie to tell her that her best friend was arrested at church. When she blurted out that she didn’t have anything to do with it, I knew she was aware of Mother Pansie’s plan. When I asked Mother Gussie what she was talking about, she paused.”

  “Uh-huh. She paused because she realized that neither of you had discussed Mother Pansie’s arrest. And for her to call you and say that she was innocent, Mother Gussie inadvertently told on herself because she knew about my assault before it happened.”

  “She never answered my question when I asked her what she was talking about. But the fact that Mother Gussie knew what Mother Pansie had been planning and didn’t tell me about it left a sour taste in my mouth. She knew what was going to happen to you, but she said absolutely nothing. I can’t get past that, Cheeks. I told Mother Gussie that she was no longer welcomed at Freedom Temple.”

  Arykah’s eyes grew large. “Wow. Was that a first for you? Dismissing someone from the church? It couldn’t have been easy.”

  “It was very easy,” Lance said. “When it comes to my wife, I don’t play around. I have zero tolerance as far as you’re concerned. Dismissing Mother Gussie from Freedom Temple was a first for me, but it won’t be the last if I get wind of anyone else trying to harm you.”

  “You are the bestest husband on this side of heaven, Bishop. And you look kinda sexy when you put your foot down.” Arykah ran her finger along Lance’s goatee. “You’re looking real sexy right about now.”

  “Don’t start anything that you can’t finish, Cheeks.”

  “Who says that I can’t finish?”

  “Your doctor, that’s who. He told you to not overextend yourself. No strenuous exercises.”

  “My grandmother use to always say, ‘Never let the weatherman stop your plans. So what if it rains?’”

  Lance frowned. “What in the world does that mean?”

  Arykah took her time to stand. She untied the knot of her robe, slipped it from her shoulders, and let it fall to the floor. She turned from Lance and started walking toward their bedroom. Seductively, she looked over her shoulder and said, “I can show you what it means better than I can tell you.”

  It had been awhile, and Lance was craving his wife. “What about the beach towel you’re sitting on?”

  “Don’t concern yourself with the towel. There are ways around the towel. I’m a pro at what I do. You know that.”

  Arykah was telling the absolute truth. She was a master at loving Lance. She shined in the bedroom and was skilled beyond belief.


  Lance rose from the sofa and followed Arykah to their bedroom.

  Book Club Discussion Questions

  1. After vacationing in Jamaica, Bishop Lance Howell returned to Freedom Temple with a wife in tow. What affect did Lance’s actions have on the church?

  2. Being a pastor’s wife, do you think that Arykah should have toned down her dress code? Is it okay for a pastor’s wife to wear skinny jeans, plenty of bling, and stilettos?

  3. Was Mother Pansie right or wrong for taking Miranda from the choir because she was pregnant? Was Arykah right or wrong for fighting on Miranda’s behalf to get her back in the choir? Lance was caught in the middle, but he ultimately sided with his wife. Did he make the right decision when he escorted Miranda to the choir?

  4. Arykah didn’t bite her tongue when she confronted the young lady who was having an affair with a married man. Arykah basically told the young girl that she was a whore. Was Arykah too tough, or should she have been more diplomatic?

  5. Why do you think Mother Pansie and Mother Gussie had such a strong dislike for Arykah?

  6. Was Arykah’s character too bold, bossy, and outspoken? How would you have written her character differently?

  7. When Arykah realized that Mother Gussie was behind the suit jacket at the dry cleaner fiasco, she drove to Freedom Temple and confronted her. Was it wrong for Arykah to have threatened Mother Gussie? If so, how should she have handled that situation differently?

  8. At first, Lance didn’t believe that Mother Gussie had set Arykah up to fail when she’d given Arykah the wrong time to be at Brother Cartwright’s house. Was Lance wrong for not automatically supporting his wife?

  9. At dinner, Arykah shared with Gladys, Darlita, and Chelsea that she role-played in the bedroom. As a pastor’s wife, should she have revealed that information?

  10. As a pastor, was it wrong for Lance to ask Detective Rogers to arrest Mother Pansie at church? Why do you think Lance wanted to embarrass her in front of the entire congregation?

  Coming Soon