The Best of Everything

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  “Hello?”

  “Alicia, where have you been?”

  It was never a good sign when he called her Alicia versus his normal “baby girl,” and she knew he was upset.

  “When I left Mom Katherine’s house, I stopped at the mall and then got something to eat.”

  “You know you had me worried, though, right?”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy, but I’ve had a lot on my mind today.”

  “Well, I talked to Phillip earlier and he told me that he asked you to leave his mother’s house and that you and he are having some problems. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No. I’d really rather not.”

  “You do know this isn’t a good time for you and Phillip to be having petty differences, not with his father dying?”

  “Yes. I do know.”

  “You should call him.”

  “I did call him, but he didn’t answer and he still hasn’t called me back.”

  “You should call him again.”

  Sometimes Alicia wondered if it would have been better if she’d married someone her father didn’t like because he was so pro-Phillip all the time. “I will. I’ll call him before I go to bed.”

  “Good. Phillip also told me that the funeral has been confirmed for Saturday.”

  “It has been. We took care of everything today but, Daddy, I’m really not looking forward to seeing Dad Phil lying in some casket. The whole thing is so disheartening and so morbid. Even the funeral home itself was morbid. I hate those places, and I didn’t like having to see your mom lying in a casket, either. I was a lot younger then but for a long time, I remember thinking how cold Granny Pauline must have been with her having to be buried in the ground the way she was. And even after I got older and knew she couldn’t feel a thing, I still hated thinking about her being six feet under.”

  “Death is never easy for any of us, and most of us go our entire lives not really understanding what death really means or how it will feel because there’s just no way to know until you actually die. But the one thing you can be sure of is that if you live your life right and live it according to God’s Word, your soul will be saved and that’s what really counts. Right?”

  “Yep. I remember the first time you told me that. I must have been maybe five years old, and I laughed at you for saying it because even though you told me everybody’s soul could be saved if they wanted it to be, I still thought that the only people who had a chance at going to heaven were the Soul Train dancers and Don Cornelius. Because that’s the only ‘soul’ I understood.”

  Curtis laughed. “Yeah, I remember that, and your mom and I used to laugh about that even years later.”

  “Daddy, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “You promise you won’t get mad at me?”

  “About you asking me a question? No.”

  “Is Charlotte near you?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Because I love Charlotte, and I would never want to hurt her feelings.”

  “What is it?”

  “I just wondered if you ever regret what happened between you and Mom and if you wish that you and she were still together.”

  “Wow, that’s definitely a question.”

  “You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.”

  “Well, let me just say this. The only reason your mom and I are divorced is that she wanted it. But don’t get me wrong. I understand why she wanted it, because you know I had a lot of issues back then. I did some horrible things. But if she’d been able to put up with me, I’d still be with her.”

  “Oh.”

  “Does that still bother you?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “I didn’t realize that, and I hate that I put you through so many changes. I’ll always be sorry for that.”

  “It was the past, though, Daddy, and I forgave you a long time ago. You know that.”

  “I do but that doesn’t dismiss everything that happened.”

  “You’re still my heart, though, no matter what.”

  “And of course, you’re mine.”

  Alicia heard her cell ringing and saw that it was Melanie.

  “Daddy, this is Mel, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Have a good night, and I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Hey, Mel.”

  “Hey, girl, where are you?”

  “Home.”

  “Oh, I was thinking you were staying in Chicago. Is Phillip there with you?”

  “No.”

  “Did you drive over just to get some extra clothes or something?”

  “No, Phillip and I had an argument, and he wanted me to leave.”

  “Come on. Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, what was the argument about?”

  “Nothing major, but it’s a long story.”

  Alicia wanted to tell Melanie but she knew Melanie would never understand, not with the way she already viewed Alicia’s spending habits. She also didn’t want Melanie finding out that when she’d talked to her while sitting in the car waiting for the tow truck she hadn’t been completely honest with her, either, as far as where her car had broken down. She’d hadn’t lied to her, but she hadn’t told her that she was stranded in a mall parking lot.

  “Well, I hope you guys work things out.”

  “We will.”

  “Oh, and I wanted to let you know that I switched my work schedule around so that I’ll be off Friday and Saturday. That way Brad and I can come spend Friday evening with you and Phillip at his mother’s house, and then just come back again on Saturday morning for the funeral.”

  “I really appreciate that, Mel, and it will be good having you there.”

  “No problem, and if you need anything before that, just let me know.”

  “I will.”

  “Well, I guess I should get going so I can get to bed. I have to be at work at six o’clock.”

  “My goodness, that’s early. Too early for me.”

  “Yeah, sometimes it’s hard, but a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do.”

  “I guess.”

  “But the good thing about it is that I have my evenings off, and once I work my four twelves, I’m off for three days.”

  “Yeah, when you don’t pick up extra hours, which you know you always do.”

  “You’re right. More hours mean more money.”

  “Let’s not get started, because you know we could debate that subject for hours.”

  “That’s for sure. But, hey girl, I love you, and I’ll chat with you tomorrow.”

  “I love you, too. Bye.”

  Alicia pressed the End button and thought about how pleasant and down to earth Melanie always was, and Alicia was glad she was her best friend. Melanie was one of the few people Alicia would do anything for, anything at all, and she knew Melanie felt the same way about her. They had each other’s backs in good times as well as when times weren’t so happy.

  Alicia decided she would go ahead and try Phillip’s cell number again, but this time it went straight to voice mail, which meant he’d turned his phone off completely. So she tried his mother’s number instead.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mom Katherine. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. What about you, sweetheart?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “You make it home safely?”

  “Yes, I got here a little while ago.”

  “I’ve been thinking about you and Phillip all evening, and I just wish I could talk some sense into him.”

  “Did he ever come out of the bedroom?”

  “He did. But just for a short while. And mostly he stayed to himself.”

  “I really am sorry, Mom Katherine. I really, really am, but I can’t change what I did.”

  “I know you can’t and eventually Phillip will realize that. I know he will.”

  “I’m not so sure, because he was really upset tod
ay.”

  “Do you want to try to talk to him now?”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Phillip? Honey, pick up the phone. It’s your wife calling.”

  Alicia thought she heard him say he didn’t want to talk to her, but she wasn’t sure.

  “Did he say he didn’t want to talk to me?”

  “I’m truly sorry about this, Alicia.”

  “Please don’t apologize, because this isn’t your fault.”

  “I know, but I don’t like seeing you kids like this. You’re normally so happy with each other.”

  “I know, but I’ll just try to call again tomorrow.”

  “You do that, okay?”

  “I will. Sleep well.”

  “You, too.”

  Phillip’s adamant refusal to speak to her was definitely painful, but at the same time, Alicia didn’t see why she should have to keep begging her own husband. Whatever happened to all that forgiveness he’d talked about in his sermon just a few days ago? So, to her, if he wasn’t planning to ever forgive her for what she’d done, he was nothing more than a hypocrite. He was nothing more than a man who gave great advice but didn’t have the sense to take it. Who was he to criticize her about anything?

  Chapter 18

  The house was jam-packed. From Melanie and Brad to Curtis, Charlotte, and Matthew, to Tanya and James, to loads of people she didn’t even know, everyone was piled into Phillip’s parents’ home. Even Elder Jamison and Elder Dixon, one of the oldest members of Deliverance Outreach, and one of Alicia’s favorite people, had driven over from Mitchell to show their respect. They were all planning to come back for the funeral tomorrow as well, so Alicia thought it was nice of them to be there this evening. Which had turned out to be a real blessing to Mom Katherine because her spirits were way up. People were talking, laughing, eating every kind of food imaginable and just having a very good time, and Alicia could tell this was Mom Katherine’s best day thus far.

  Even Phillip seemed a lot less unhappy and was across the room, laughing with Brad, Curtis, and the two elders. He still wasn’t really speaking to her, though, and while she was trying to be as understanding and as patient as she possibly could, she was starting to get a little fed up with his cold and very mean-spirited attitude toward her. All day yesterday and then again this morning, she’d been begging and pleading with him by phone, at first through voice mail and also when he’d finally decided, in his own precious time, that he was ready to answer her call. She’d told him how sorry she still was, that she was dead wrong, that there was no excuse for what she’d done and that she’d learned her lesson. She’d even told him how, even though she didn’t see anything wrong with buying nice things, she was now more than willing to sit down with him to figure out a monthly budget, both for their general household expenses as well as for her personal spending—if that would make him happy.

  She’d said everything she could in order to make things better between them, but it hadn’t made any difference. He’d listened but then basically told her he had more important things to concern himself with right now and that their problems would simply have to wait. Alicia did understand to a certain extent because they were preparing to bury his father tomorrow and, yes, that was extremely important, but she hadn’t seen where that gave him the right to shut her out in the meantime. Shut her out until he was good and ready to try and fix things. She was still his wife, and regardless of what issues they were at odds about, he owed her a certain amount of respect. Alicia had watched her father demand respect for as long as she could remember, and he’d also raised her to never accept anything less for herself, not under any circumstances. And she wouldn’t. She’d give Phillip the time he needed to deal with his father’s passing, but she wouldn’t grovel or kiss his behind forever—not over something as small as her stopping at a mall for only a couple of hours. She wouldn’t do that, and if Phillip didn’t eventually come to his senses, well, she didn’t want to think about any of that right now. All she knew was that she wouldn’t keep pursuing someone who didn’t want to be bothered.

  Alicia grinned when she saw her brother walking toward her with a plate crammed with three different kinds of cake. “I know you’re not going to eat all of that by yourself.”

  Matthew took a bite of the red velvet cake and spoke with his mouth full. “Watch me.”

  “You crack me up.”

  Alicia loved her little brother so much and was very proud of all of his accomplishments. He was a sophomore in high school, pretty much received all A’s in his classes, and he was Mitchell Prep Academy’s top football star.

  “So, are you still planning to run track again this spring?”

  “Yep. Coach doesn’t want us becoming too idle or getting out of shape, and that’s why he requires us to participate in at least one other sport besides football.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Actually, I like track. I don’t love it as much as I love playing football, but I really like the individual and sometimes one-on-one competitiveness that it offers.”

  “I could see that.”

  Matthew bit into the caramel cake and raised his eyebrows. “Wow. I gotta get some more of this before it’s all gone. I’ll be back.”

  Alicia shook her head at him, and Melanie made her way through the group of ladies who looked to be sampling some of the same cakes Matthew was filling up on. “It’s really wonderful to see so many people dropping by to give Phillip and your mother-in-law so much support.”

  “It really is. I was just standing here thinking the same thing. How this is really good for Mom Katherine. She seems so uplifted.”

  “She does, and I just hope that even after tomorrow is over, people will still come by to see her.”

  “I do, too, but either way, Phillip and I are going to be here for her as much as we can, and Miss Thelma will definitely be here also.”

  “There’s nothing like having family and close friends who care about you, and Miss Thelma is such a sweetheart. She seems like the kind of person who would do anything she could for Mrs. Sullivan.”

  “She’s the best, and she’s been with her every step of the way.”

  “I’m just sorry I had to work the last couple of days and couldn’t be here every day myself.”

  “Girl, please don’t give it another thought. You’ve called me I don’t know how many times, and just hearing your voice has really helped me. And then you took off today and tomorrow from work. Which I know isn’t something you would do for just anybody,” Alicia teased.

  “You’re right about that. But no job is more important than you. Period.”

  “I know that, Mel, and I really appreciate it.”

  Alicia glanced over at Phillip who just so happened to be looking in her direction, but then he quickly turned away from her. He was still upset; however, Alicia simply shook her head and returned her attention to Melanie, who said, “So, you’re spending the night here in Chicago, right?”

  “Yeah. That’s the plan, anyway.”

  Melanie lowered her voice just above a whisper. “Are you and Phillip doing okay?”

  “Not really.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Why won’t you tell me what this is about?”

  “Because I don’t want to burden you with our problems, and to be honest, I’m trying my hardest not to focus on it.”

  “Okay, but when you’re ready to talk about it, I hope you’ll call me.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Alicia looked in Phillip’s direction again, but then she saw Brad smiling and winking at Melanie. Alicia smiled as well and remembered when there was a time Phillip would have shown the same sentiments toward her. He would have shown her the utmost kind of affection and would have never considered treating her in the heartless way he had over the last three days. He had always been such a gentleman, so loving and caring, and so concerned with her happiness and well-being. He hadn’t seemed to concentrate on much else, and that made Alicia love hi
m more every day. She’d been sure that there was no better man and that he was her soul mate. She’d been sure that they were meant to be together.

  But it was amazing how quickly things tended to change and how, no matter how much one wanted to prevent change, a person rarely had control over it. People were who they were and that was just a fact. Phillip had begun complaining about the money she spent more and more, and while she’d had this same thought not long ago, she couldn’t help thinking again how she’d shopped in the same exact manner before she’d met him and while they were dating. She hadn’t tried to deceive him in any way, but maybe Phillip had somehow made himself believe that he would have no problem changing her once they were married. If that were true, then Phillip had deceived himself and he was the one who was wrong for trying to turn her into someone she wasn’t. No one had the right to do that, and her husband was no exception.

  Alicia’s mother walked over and joined Alicia and Melanie. “Sweetie, do you need me to do anything before I go? I just asked Katherine the same thing, but she said everything was in order.”

  “No, Mom, I think we’re fine. But thanks.”

  “I really like it when you wear your hair back in a bun,” Melanie said to Alicia’s mother.

  “Well, thank you. But I have to tell you, I only wear it this way because I’m tired of curling hair and tired of rolling it. This is the lazy woman’s hairdo.”

  The three of them laughed, and then Alicia said, “I get tired of curling hair, too, and that’s why I sometimes wear mine pulled back as well.”

  Melanie agreed. “I do the same thing for the same reason, but it’s just that it really, really becomes your mom,” she said, now looking at Alicia’s mother again. “You should wear it like that all the time.”

  “I appreciate the compliment and now when I feel lazy and want to wear it like this, I won’t feel guilty. I’ll just think about what you said.”

  “I’m glad to be of service,” Mel said, and they all laughed again.

  Her mother really did look nice, Alicia thought, but then it wasn’t like this was something new because she always looked that way. She’d always been just as beautiful as she was today. That was one of the reasons Alicia had never fully understood why her mother hadn’t been enough for her father. She was beautiful, kind, and decent, and she’d loved him completely, so Alicia didn’t see why he’d always had to find comfort in another woman’s bed. She grew up wondering about that all the time but basically had kept her questions to herself. But then he’d done the same thing to Mariah and the same thing to Charlotte, and both of them were noticeably attractive, too. Any man would have wanted either one of them and even now, as Alicia scanned the house and finally spotted Charlotte, the woman looked flawless. Her hair was in place, her makeup was perfect, and the fuchsia turtleneck and matching fuchsia leather jacket she wore screamed class and stylishness.