Dillon listened and watched, and although his father had been right about his rarely spending any time reading the Bible, this was the one chapter Dillon had paid attention to. He remembered last year, the first time he’d heard his dad speak about the prodigal son, how upset he’d gotten. Like a sick puppy, his father had delivered part of his message in tears, all because he missed his precious Matthew, and this had persuaded Dillon to read this story multiple times on his own.
Curtis looked across the congregation. “As most of you know, I sometimes read scripture from the King James version, the New Living Translation, and also from the New International Version. Today, I’ll be reading from the NIV, and it reads as follows:
11Jesus continued: There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them.
13Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” 20So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
22But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.
25Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27“Your brother has come,” he replied, “and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.”
28The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”
31“My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
Dillon watched his father walking back and forth in the pulpit, and he had to admit, he did tend to like the very last part of what his father read; particularly the line that stated, “and everything I have is yours.” Dillon liked it because he believed his father was saying that, since Dillon was the eldest of his two sons and he had never left Curtis, it would be Dillon who would inherit Curtis’s final fortune. After all, just last year, his father had already proven that he considered him to be an important heir, right when he’d given him that large sum of money. His father had felt bad about the way he’d disowned Dillon for nearly thirty years, and recognizing Dillon as his primary heir was likely Curtis’s generous way of making things up to him.
So as it had turned out, hearing his father read from Luke 15 had ended up being a blessing, and Dillon felt a lot better. Things hadn’t gone well between him and his father over the last week, but maybe the reason his dad had chosen this topic was because he felt guilty about their last meeting. Maybe his dad was sorry for doubting his call to the ministry.
Curtis spoke for another forty minutes, and although he was just about finished with his sermon, suddenly the tone and meaning of his message changed drastically. So much so that Dillon thought he would pass out when he heard him say, “So as I prepare to close, I just want to say how enlightening this story has always been for me. More so now than before, though, because it represents what happened between my son Matthew and me. The only difference is that Matthew never went out and squandered my money or slept with prostitutes, and he’s still just as much of an heir to my estate as the rest of my children. Actually, because of all the problems his mother and I have caused him over the years, I feel like we owe him even more.”
Dillon didn’t like what he was hearing, and his heart pumped a little faster.
“As a matter of fact,” Curtis said, reaching his hand out to Matthew, “son, why don’t you bring my beautiful little grandson up here so everyone can see him. Let ’em see that he’s just as good-lookin’ as his grandfather.”
Everyone laughed, and when Matthew walked up the steps and passed MJ over to Curtis, they applauded. Even MJ seemed tickled by all the commotion, but Dillon wanted to tear Matthew’s head off.
Dillon tried to calm his nerves and mask his anger, but as soon as Matthew and MJ took their seat, things got worse.
“I would also like to ask all of you to pray for my other son, Dillon. On Memorial Day, he shared with us that God has called him to minister.”
There was loud applause again, and this time folks stood up. Had his father not just made it clear that Matthew was still his golden boy and also the son he loved more, all this attention from the church would have made Dillon feel special. But the most he could do was force a phony smile onto his face, pretending to be happy.
“Dillon has assured me that God has given him confirmation, but I’ve asked him to go into deep prayer. I want him to be totally and completely sure about this.”
Lots of amens filled the sanctuary.
But Dillon had never been more humiliated. Whether his father realized it or not, what he was doing was telling everyone that he didn’t believe his own son. He was telling a church full of people that his son was a big liar.
Dillon couldn’t imagine anything worse happening than that, at least not today. But sadly it did.
“And then if you’ll allow me to keep you just a little longer,” Curtis said, smiling and beckoning for Phillip to join him. “I have one final announcement.”
Dillon looked down the row at Alicia. She seemed just as curious as he did.
“First, I just wanna say what a happy day this is for me,” Curtis continued. “A few years ago, Phillip married my daughter, and although they’re divorced now, I’ve never stopped loving him. I know he was my son-in-law, but I never saw him that way. I’ve always loved and respected him like a biological son. Anyway, he and I had a long talk yesterday, and he has something he wants to say to all of you.”
Phillip hugged Curtis, and Dillon cringed. Didn’t he have his own father? Although, now that Dillon thought about it, he remembered hearing something about Phillip’s father being dead. Still, as far as Dillon was concerned, Phillip needed to go find someone else’s father to latch on to, because Curtis had enough of his own children to worry about.
“First of all,” Phillip began. “I just wanna say how much I still love every one of you. When I served as an assistant pastor here at Deliverance Outreach a few years back, those were some of the best days of my life, and it is because of my love for this church that I’ve decided to accept my former father-in-law’s offer. I’ve done a lot of praying and soul searching, and I know coming back here to serve is the right decision. I know this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Practically every parishioner got to their feet again, smiling and applauding in a way that
Dillon had never seen them do before.
But Dillon couldn’t understand why there was so much excitement, and his heart thumped so hard he felt it against his chest. He couldn’t believe his father would betray him this way. How could he ask Phillip to come back to the church but then totally disregard Dillon’s calling to the ministry? Dillon had decided to forget about being a minister, anyway, but his dad didn’t know that. So, to Dillon, his father should have been doing everything he could to support him, and it should have been him his father was offering that assistant pastor position to.
“Thank you all so much,” Phillip said, smiling. “Thank you for everything.”
Dillon glared at Phillip, wishing he could do bad things to him. He’d never cared for his tagalong behind, anyway, but now he hated him.
“And that’s not my only news,” Phillip said, looking directly at Alicia. “Baby, I know our marriage didn’t end well, but for three years now, you’ve gone completely out of your way to prove just how much you love me. You’ve shown me time after time how committed you are, so baby…will you marry me? Will you be my wife again?”
Alicia covered her mouth, as tears flowed down her face. “Oh my God,” she said. “Yes, yes, yes.”
She left her seat, and Phillip walked down the steps and hugged her. They held each other for what seemed like a century, and Dillon wanted to hurt somebody. He was so taken aback by all of these newsflashes that his body went numb. I’m the one who’s been here for my father, yet he wasted a whole freakin’ sermon on Matthew? I’m the one who told my dad that God has called me to preach, yet he’s giving Phillip a full-time pastor position? Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he just told everyone here that Phillip has always been more a son to him than a son-in-law?
Dillon broke into a cold sweat and wondered if he was dreaming. He must have been, because there was no way he could make himself believe his father would dismiss him and ignore him so publicly. He was reminded again of Aunt Susan’s words when she’d told him that his father simply couldn’t love him the way he loved his other children. It was the most painful reality, one he now had to accept, and he wished he’d never moved to Illinois. He wished he’d never gotten to know his dad at all, and since his father had done him so dirty, he was now glad his father’s ex-wife, Mariah, had gotten two thugs to beat him nearly to death. Dillon was also happy that he’d exposed his father’s sinful little secret on local television last year—by telling that awful story about his mom and the way his dad had treated her. To Dillon, this had been the ultimate payback, but he would pay his father back again, too. Curtis was great at quoting scriptures, but there was one in particular that Dillon loved. He wasn’t sure where it was located in the Bible, but it went something like, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Dillon tossed those words back and forth in his mind, and then he got up and walked out of the church. He had tried with all his might to love his father and build a relationship with him. But now Dillon knew Curtis didn’t care a thing about him, which meant Dillon didn’t have any choice but to get even—and he would use that scripture he loved to help him. He knew these were God’s words, but in this case, vengeance belonged to Dillon…and vengeance he would get—against his father and anyone else who had wronged him.
Chapter 39
As soon as Dillon left the church, he called Racquel, asking her to meet him at their usual hotel outside of Chicago. It was only a fifty-minute drive, and though that wasn’t just around the corner, he was glad Racquel didn’t mind taking it. He’d come to enjoy her company a great deal, but today he didn’t just want her, he needed her—he needed someone to hold him, comfort him, and assure him that everything would be fine.
“You have no idea how hurt I am,” he said after partially filling her in on what he’d experienced at church earlier. “My father treated me like I was nothing, and I’m done with him.”
Racquel held him and caressed the back of his head. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
“All this time, I’d thought my father was a better man than this, but he’s just as selfish as that witch, Charlotte. They deserve each other.”
“I’m a little shocked about Pastor Black, too, because he always stood up for me when it came to Charlotte. He never treated me badly.”
“Well, he certainly treated me badly. But that’s okay, because he’ll never get a chance to hurt me again.”
“I hear you, and maybe we can work together to get what we want from them.”
“I agree. I hate things turned out like this, but I’m not leaving here until I get some sort of satisfaction.”
“Well, I already tried to work things out with Matthew, but since he wants nothing to do with me, I want my son back, I want child support, and I want alimony. He doesn’t talk about it much, but I know he has a trust fund.”
“Tomorrow, I’m gonna file to have my last name changed to Black. I don’t plan to have anything else to do with my father, but I deserve to have his name just like the rest of his children. Then, since I haven’t been able to destroy Charlotte the way I wanted, I’ve decided to take my dad for everything he has. Or at least most of it. That way, I’ll be ruining Charlotte at the same time.”
“At this point, they deserve whatever they get.”
Dillon leaned back on the bed, and Racquel curled up next to him. He still couldn’t get over the way his father had boasted about Matthew and MJ and also Phillip to the entire church. He’d even invited all three of them up to the pulpit with him, but not Dillon.
Dillon tossed out one thought after another, sighing deeply, and Racquel hugged him tightly.
“I know this is hard,” she said. “But this too shall pass. You won’t always feel so hurt.”
Dillon lay there but didn’t say anything. Still, he thought about his aunt, and his pain turned to rage. His dad was the reason he hadn’t been there for her the way he should have been. He’d thought about this before, but now the reality of it all was almost too much to bear. Dillon had left his aunt behind and moved to Mitchell, hoping he’d have the best relationship ever with his father, but it hadn’t happened. Needless to say, Dillon was furious and someone would have to pay.
Racquel grabbed both sides of Dillon’s face and kissed him. It was amazing how awesome she made him feel, and not ever would he have thought any woman could satisfy and console him the way Racquel was doing. He was even to the point where he didn’t want to be without her. She did have a bit of a drinking problem—he’d smelled alcohol on her breath again as soon as she’d entered the room—but she understood him, she never judged him, and she seemed to care about him. They also both had it in for Charlotte and Matthew, and he liked that, too. She didn’t have anything against his dad, but she also didn’t seem to mind that Dillon was planning to take him to the cleaners.
Maybe once they ruined all of them and Racquel got her divorce from Matthew, she would move to Atlanta with him. They might even be able to get married someday, something Dillon had never considered doing with any woman. When it came to Racquel, though, it was just that they connected so well and they had so much in common. Dillon wasn’t sure if she felt the same way as he did or not, but he guessed time would tell. Deep down, he hoped for the best.
It was after midnight, and Dillon almost hated coming home anymore. Mainly because he didn’t want to deal with Melissa, but of course, here she was standing and waiting for him as soon as he walked inside the condo.
“Baby, where have you been?”
Her tone sounded a little curt, and Dillon raised his eyebrows. “You must be losing your mind. Have to be if you’re questioning me about anything.”
“Why didn’t you come home after church? That was hours ago.”
Dillon pushed past her, but like a rodent he couldn’t get rid of, she followed him upstairs.
“Are you seeing someone?” she asked, looking pitiful.
Dillon removed his blazer. “Look. If you know what’s good for you, yo
u’ll leave me alone.”
“Baby, I just wanna know what’s wrong. Why you’re doing this. Why you haven’t been the same lately.”
Dillon unbuttoned his shirt and ignored her.
She leaned against the dresser. “You know how much I love you. You know I’ll do anything for you, so why isn’t that enough?”
Dillon shook his head at her, removed the rest of his clothing, and slipped into his pajama bottoms. He climbed into bed and relaxed against two pillows, turned on the television, and pretended she wasn’t there.
Still, she wouldn’t go away, and instead, she sat down next to him on the bed.
“Let me make love to you,” she said. “Let me make things right.”
Dillon gazed at her, completely sickened by all her groveling, and went off.
“Didn’t I ask you to leave me alone? Didn’t I?” he yelled. “I don’t love you, Melissa. I never have, and you know why? Because you’re worthless. You’re one of the most naïve, spineless women I’ve ever met, and the only reason I started dating you when we lived down in Atlanta was because you gave me money. You paid my car note, and bought me clothes. You did whatever I wanted. You were a total doormat, and nothing’s changed.”
Tears streamed down Melissa’s face, but Dillon had no sympathy for her.
“Look, Melissa, this isn’t working. It hasn’t worked for a very long time, and I want you outta here by the end of the month. Today is the second, and I want you gone by June thirtieth.”
Melissa sniffled, seemingly in shock. “You don’t mean that.”
“When have you ever known me to say anything I don’t mean? And if you don’t have all your junk out of my house by the thirtieth, it’ll be tossed in the street.”
Melissa wiped her tears but finally got up and walked away.
The Prodigal Son (A Reverend Curtis Black Novel) Page 20
