Secrets of a Sinner

by Yolonda Tonette Sanders

  Sylvia had never spoken about her ex-husband before with Natalie, so her willingness to share details about their marriage indicated to Natalie that she seemed to genuinely be interested in making amends. Whether Natalie truly wanted to give it, Sylvia now had her undivided attention; curiosity about what had happened with Sylvia and her ex took over.

  “Things were great at first, but his true character began to emerge shortly after you and Sharon moved from our house into your own place. I soon learned that my husband had two faces. In public, you’d swear he was a godly man, especially at church. Clarence did everything from serving on the deaconate board, mentoring young boys, and teaching Sunday school classes. But at home...at home he was the incarnate of Satan. Night after night he’d beat and rape me. To make matters even worse, I went to the pastor begging for help, only to be told that my body belonged to Clarence. He even went so far as to suggest that perhaps I wasn’t making myself available enough to him, and that sometimes men must discipline their wives in order to get them back in line.”

  “What!”

  “I know! It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? It took eleven years for me to get the courage to walk away. After that experience I was done with men and church folk—because neither did me any good.” Sylvia paused for a moment and Natalie swore she heard sniffling. “I only said all of that so you would understand that having feelings for Richard was never something I planned. When I finally left, I swore I would never let down my guard for another man. As a result, I’ve only had a few superficial relationships because I was scared to trust.”

  Natalie could certainly relate to the fear of trusting. That seemed to be her story also.

  “With Richard, the trust was already there. I already knew him. I knew he was a good man, and we were friends. I know the circumstances are odd, Natalie, but I do love him, and I know he loves me. I just don’t know if I can live the rest of my life being happy with him, knowing that you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you,” Natalie admitted, hoping there was no evidence of her teary eyes in her voice. “It was just very uncomfortable to see y’all together like that. I’m so used to seeing him with—”

  “Your mother...I know. Getting involved in a relationship with Richard wasn’t easy because of the fact that he and Sharon had spent many years together.”

  “How did it happen?”

  “Honestly, we’re still asking ourselves that question. It seemed like we were always running into each other—at the grocery store, at the gas station, at the bookstore—wherever I would go, it seemed like Richard was there, too. Whenever we saw each other, we would always joke about one of us following the other. Then, one evening I was coming home from work and my car overheated. I pulled over on the side of the freeway. While I was waiting for triple-A to come, another car pulled up behind me and when I looked up, it was Richard.”

  Sylvia was beginning to sound like a schoolgirl with a crush. Though Natalie still wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea, she couldn’t continue protesting their relationship with a clear conscience. Sylvia sounded as if she was genuinely in love, a feeling Natalie wondered if she’d ever experience.

  “That night as he waited for me while the tow truck came, I think we both realized there was something other than a friendly admiration that we felt for each other.”

  “I won’t be upset if you continue going out with Richard,” Natalie finally gave in, wondering if her mother would feel the same way.

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes. It’s going to take some getting used to the idea, but you sound like you’re happy, so who am I to stand in your way?”

  “Oh, Natalie!” Sylvia bubbled with joy. “You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that. I...I know that must’ve taken a lot of courage to say. Please know that I’m not trying to disrespect your mother’s memory in any way. I did love her, Natalie, I swear.”

  “I know.... Listen, I’m going to get off of the phone.” Natalie was starting to feel uncomfortable about the tears she was shedding. She couldn’t explain her tears any more than she could her change of heart and she wanted to end the conversation fast. “Thanks for calling, but everything is fine.”

  “Thanks, Natalie... You have no idea what a relief it is to hear you say. I know it may still be a little awkward, but—”

  “It’s okay, Sylvia. I—I’m fine...really...”

  “Okay...I’ll take your word for it. I meant what I said earlier. I love you, Natalie. If you ever need anything—anything at all—please don’t hesitate to call me.”

  “Thank you,” Natalie replied with sincerity. Despite all that had taken place, Natalie believed that if she ever needed to, she could take Sylvia up on her offer. History had proven that when it mattered most, Sylvia would always be there.

  Chapter 11

  Dark Chocolate

  The following Tuesday Natalie sat at her desk, still thinking about her conversation with Sylvia five days earlier. Although she had more or less given Sylvia her blessing to date Richard, truthfully, she still had mixed feelings about the whole thing. In any event, she knew it would be pointless to discuss it any further. Again, Sylvia had wasted no time calling down to Mississippi. Big Mama had called Natalie over the weekend to verify that all was well.

  “How long do you think it’ll take you to finish the report for the Dillon account?” Alex walked up to Natalie and asked.

  “Actually, I’m done. I was going to bring it by your office later, but I can give it to you now if you want it.” She reached over into her tray of finished projects and handed Alex a manila folder.

  “That’s a cute shirt you have on.”

  “Thanks.” Natalie was wearing a lilac, short-sleeved, satin blouse with a pair of light gray dress pants.

  “I don’t see how you can wear heels like that all day long.”

  Natalie looked down at her open-toe, two-inch-heel sandals. “It’s something I’ve gotten used to over time.”

  “I would probably break my neck if I tried wearing shoes like that,” Alex stated while leafing through the papers in the folder. “I’ll go over this more thoroughly later, but from what I can tell so far, you did a great job.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No—thank you. I’m glad to have you on board.”

  Natalie smiled.

  “Keep up the good work!” Alex commended and began walking away. “Hey, before I forget—would you, by any chance, be interested in going to King’s Island this weekend? If so, let me know. I have some tickets that I’m giving away. They’re only good for this weekend, though, because my husband got some promo deal through his job. We were planning to drive down to Cincinnati Friday and go on Saturday, but something has come up and we can’t make it.”

  “Shoot!” Natalie pounded her fist on her desk.

  “What’s wrong?” Alex looked confused.

  “Sorry, when you mentioned the word ticket it reminded me that I still have a speeding ticket to pay.”

  “For a minute there I thought you’d just really hated the idea of going to King’s Island.” Alex laughed.

  Natalie really didn’t think the comment was funny, but forced a chuckle anyhow.

  “Is it too late to mail your payment in?”

  “Yeah, probably. I got it on Memorial Day and I only had ten days to pay it. I’ll call downtown to the courthouse during lunch and see what time the clerk’s office closes. I hope I can make it after work today or before I come in tomorrow.”

  “Don’t bother calling. I know for a fact it’s open twenty-four hours.” Alex grinned. “I’ve had to make a few visits there myself. Whether you go after work today or before work tomorrow, it’s going to be a bear fighting downtown traffic during rush hour.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Natalie sighed. “Maybe I’ll wait and go later on this evening
if they’re always open.”

  “I tell you what...if you want you can leave a couple of hours early today and go down to the courthouse. It’ll save you from getting home and having to go back out later, but you’ll have to make up your hours sometime this week.”

  “Seriously?” Natalie looked at Alex, surprised by the suggestion.

  “Yes, I’m serious.” Alex smiled. “Technically, employees aren’t eligible to flex their schedules until they’ve passed their probation, but exceptions can be made from time to time.” She winked.

  “Thank you so much!”

  “No problem. Just let me know before you leave today.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Now, about these King’s Island tickets...”

  “Oh, no thank you. I don’t have anyone to go with.”

  “Okay, well, if you change your mind, let me know. I have six tickets, and I’m giving them away on a first-come-first-served basis.”

  * * *

  Natalie left work at two o’clock and headed downtown to the courthouse. The freeway traffic was pretty clear, but there was some congestion near the courthouse. Natalie circled the area several times, hoping to find an empty parking meter on one of the nearby streets. She didn’t want to pay several dollars to park in one of the parking lots when it would only take her a few minutes to run inside and pay the fine.

  “Finally,” Natalie mumbled to herself when she observed a car a few feet ahead of her come out. She pulled into the parking space, noticing there was still eleven minutes left on the meter. She got out of her car and deposited an extra quarter just in case there was a line.

  It only took a few minutes for her to walk down Mound Street and cross over High to the courthouse. Natalie placed her car keys and purse on the conveyer belt and walked through the metal detector, thinking it was ridiculous to have to go through all of this just to pay a doggone speeding ticket. After passing the security check, she went to the glass windows to pay her fine.

  “You have a nice day,” the clerk said, and handed Natalie a receipt.

  “Thanks, you, too.”

  “Hey, Natalie, wait up!” She turned around and saw Richard moving quickly toward her.

  Of all the people that she could’ve seen... There was no need trying to run away from him. The last time she’d tried that she’d ended up flat on her face.

  “What brings you to this neck of the woods?” asked Richard once he’d caught up to her.

  “I came to pay a speeding ticket.”

  “Oh. I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to call you... I—I spoke with Sylvia.”

  Richard stopped for a moment as if he was expecting Natalie to say something. She wasn’t sure what type of response, if any, he was looking for. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that he and Sylvia had likely spoken to each other recently.

  “Thanks, Natalie,” Richard added.

  “For what?”

  “For trying to be understanding of our relationship even if you truly don’t understand it.”

  “You’re both adults. I can’t forbid you to see one another.”

  “That’s a very mature approach to take.” Richard reached out and placed his left hand on her shoulder.

  Natalie fought every instinct in her body to pull away, feeling the extra sentiment was unnecessary.

  “I want to apologize for the harsh things I said to you at Easton. It wasn’t right.”

  From the soft look in Richard’s eyes she could tell that Sylvia had shared with him the details of Natalie’s tumultuous childhood in Mississippi and the reason why she and her mother had moved to Ohio. She was certain that her mother hadn’t disclosed everything to him, despite the number of years they had been dating. Natalie wondered if Richard was apologizing because he truly felt sorry for the angry words he’d spat at her or because he felt sorry for her.

  “No need to apologize, Richard. I said some pretty mean things myself. So let’s just call it even.”

  “Well—”

  “So how’s Columbus’s best prosecuting attorney doing?” A man walked up and butted into their conversation, speaking with a very slight, Southern accent that many people would not have noticed.

  Richard dropped his hand from Natalie’s shoulder and shook the guy’s hand. “Hey there, what’s going on?”

  “The same ol’, same ol’. I’m really supposed to be off today, but I came down to take care of something real quick.” He looked at Natalie. “I’m sorry, did I interrupt the two of you?”

  Natalie shook her head no.

  “Troy, this is a friend of mine, Natalie. Natalie, this is Detective Troy Evans. He’s worked with the prosecutor’s office numerous times over the years.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Troy extended his hand.

  “You, too,” Natalie replied. Her body was incinerated with hot flashes and she tried extremely hard not to gape at the tall, smooth, dark-chocolate, sculpted frame that stood before her in a pair of jeans and a dark gray T-shirt. Immediately when she placed her hand inside his firm grip, a hormonal charge shot through her veins.

  “How’s Mitch?” Richard asked Troy. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  “He was down here the other day. He’s doing good.”

  “Make sure you tell him I said hi.”

  “I will.”

  Richard looked down at his watch. “I better get out of here. I have a three o’clock meeting to get to.” He turned to Natalie. “Thanks again for everything. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay,” Natalie responded, barely comprehending his words. Her eyes glued to Troy’s and his to her.

  “Troy, I’ll see you around, man.”

  “All right, take care.”

  Richard hurried away, leaving the two of them together.

  “Once again, it was nice meeting you.” Troy extended his hand for the second time.

  “Same here.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your last name?”

  “Coleman,” she replied as their hands slowly drifted apart.

  “Is that Mrs. Coleman?” Troy raised an eyebrow.

  Natalie was flattered by the obvious ploy to see whether or not she was married. She smiled, held up her left hand and waved her fingers. “Do you see any rings?”

  Troy laughed. “Well, Ms. Coleman, were you coming or going?”

  “I was going.”

  “Did you drive? Would you mind if I walked you to your car?”

  “Yes, I did drive, and no, I wouldn’t mind, Detective Evans.” She intentionally emphasized the title to his name, flirtatiously.

  “Great! You lead the way.” He gestured.

  It had taken Natalie only minutes to walk from the parking meter to the courthouse when she’d first arrived, but with Troy by her side, she slowed the speed severely. “So, how do you know Richard?” he asked as they stood at the intersection of High and Mound waiting for the crosswalk signal to change.

  “He was a friend of my mother’s.” She felt it was unnecessary to go into detail.

  “I’ve known him for several years now. He’s a good guy. I really like him.”

  “Yeah, I hear he’s a very likable person.” She hoped her sarcasm didn’t come through. Everyone seemed to like Richard...first her mother and now Sylvia...

  “Are you from Columbus?”

  “No, I’m originally from Mississippi.”

  “Uh-uh!” Troy said in disbelief.

  “Seriously, I am,” she answered, disappointed to see the signal to cross the street. Whenever she was in a hurry, crosswalk signals took forever. Now that she wanted to take her time, the wait seemed to have accelerated.

  “But you don’t have an accent.”
<
br />   Natalie laughed. “Most people don’t believe that I’m from the South, but I didn’t move here until I was thirteen.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess my accent faded over time. I know you can’t be from here because you sound like you got a li’l bit of the country in you.” She teased. They neared the spot where her red Camry was parked.

  “Actually, I’m from Texas. I came up here to go to college and never left.”

  “This is my car.” Natalie tried not to sound disappointed.

  “So this is it, huh?” Troy looked down at her license plate. “Q T PIE...very clever...and correct.” He looked at her with such intensity that she got butterflies.

  “Thank you,” she spoke softly.

  “I hope this is not too forward of me, but I would like to call you sometime—if you’d give me your number.”

  “I would like that, too.” She kept her eyes on him while reaching down into her purse for a pen and paper.

  She hoped that giving him her work, home and cell numbers didn’t make her look desperate. Troy didn’t seem to mind. He placed the paper in his back pocket and said, “You’ll be hearing from me...soon.”

  “I hope so.” She deactivated the alarm on her car and Troy quickly stepped over to open the door for her.

  Chapter 12

  The Same Page

  Friday afternoon Natalie stood in front of the vending machine in the break room trying to decide between the granola bar and the chocolate bar. Tonight she and Troy were going on their first date and Natalie couldn’t wait. Though she wasn’t looking to get into a serious relationship, Troy would certainly be a pleasant companion to have until she got ready to move back to New York.