My Son's Wife

by Shelia E. Bell

  Stiles waited until he saw the light in her bedroom come on before driving away.

  Rena fell backwards on her bed and sighed. A smile spread on her face as she thought of Stiles’s kiss. Kicking off her shoes and clothes and slipping into her PJs, she crawled in bed. Saying her prayers in the bed, she prayed for Frankie to come around and accept her relationship with Stiles. She was so exhausted until she didn’t hear the key turn in the front door.

  The next morning, Rena woke up to the blare of her alarm clock. Stretching and yawning loudly, she ambled to the bathroom and started her daily ritual. Stepping underneath a warm spray of water awakened her. As she lathered her body, she became transfixed with thoughts of her wedding day. It was the chance for a new beginning. She wondered how it would be to be with a man for the first time. Technically, she was still a virgin, or was she? She often wondered about that. Did living a life of homosexuality mean that she was no longer the innocent woman she wanted Stiles to believe she was? The more she thought about it, the harder she scrubbed her delicate flesh. With each thought of the sickening acts she’d committed with Frankie, the harder she scrubbed. Her skin turned redder with each stroke of the washcloth against it. She tried desperately to scrub the stench of sin off of her. Maybe she could scrub until every thing that dishonored God was washed away. Tears streamed from her eyes. Her body heaved at the thought of all she’d done wrong throughout her young life. “God,” she cried out. “Forgive me.”

  A thunderous crash caused Rena to stand dead still underneath the streaming water. The deafening sound of a second thud almost caused her to lose her balance. Oh my God, someone has broken into my apartment. She was terrified. She turned off the shower but remained inside the stall and listened. It sounded like someone throwing things around in the living room. Then Rena heard someone cursing. As she listened, too petrified to move, she began to recognize the voice. Round after round of expletives freely poured from Frankie’s mouth.

  Rena didn’t know what to do. She quietly and quickly stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and began drying off. She slowly tip-toed into her bedroom, only to be met by Frankie’s evil stare.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Rena, trying to conceal her fear.

  “Don’t I get a hug, a how you doin’, baby, or something?”

  Rena continued putting on her clothes. She wanted to be prepared to make a run for it just in case Frankie tried to do her harm.

  “Don’t look so stunned. I do have a key, remember?”

  Rena chewed on her lower lip. Without responding, she walked slowly past Frankie and into the living room. “What is wrong with you?” Rena yelled, turning to look at Frankie. Look at this place. You trashed my living room and kitchen. “Why did you do this?” she asked with disbelief in the tone of her voice.

  “What you gonna do bout it? Call the police? Go on. Do whatcha gotta do.” Frankie’s face was a glowering mask of rage. “You didn’t even have the decency to call me and say, hello Frankie. I’m glad you home, Frankie. No, you send your boy to my apartment talkin’ ‘bout taking me out to dinner. B, you have me messed up. Don’t try and pretend like what you doing is all good, because it ain’t.”

  “Frankie, please don’t do this to me.” Rena pleaded with her. “My life will be ruined if anyone finds out about me and you.”

  “Is that all you’re concerned about? Yourself? You’re just like Audrey. All she ever thinks about is what the church folk are sayin’ or what sista so and so thinks about her. Some First Lady, not to mention mother, she is, huh? I don’t know why I didn’t see if before. You don’t care ‘bout me. All you care about is yoself, just like Audrey. You’re selfish and cruel. I hate the day I ever met you.” With that being said, Frankie turned abruptly and stormed out of the apartment, leaving the door wide open.

  Rena rushed behind her, closing and locking the door just in case Frankie had second thoughts about coming back. She ran to the picture window just in time to spot Frankie getting into a blue Mustang. Rena watched until the car was no longer in sight. Returning to check the locks again, she slid against the door, slowly crumbling to the floor as she tearfully surveyed her trashed apartment. With her head resting in her hands, they caught the tears as they fell. She crawled over some of the trash until she reached the phone. Picking it up, she called in to work to let them know she wouldn’t be coming in.

  Rena searched the yellow pages for a cleaning service. There was no way she would be able to get the apartment back to normal without help. She found an agency that could send some one over within the hour. Rena lay across the sofa and sobbed. What if Frankie was on her way to tell Stiles and his family about them? What was she going to do? Her hands trembled, sweat formed on her brow and inside the palms of her hands. She decided to call Stiles.

  No answer.

  The clock in the kitchen was torn from the wall so Rena went into her bedroom and looked at the alarm clock. It was already after nine. Stiles was teaching his Old Testament class at the University. Rena then called Audrey. When she answered, Rena signed in relief.

  “Good morning, Audrey. How are you?”

  “Honey, I’m blessed and highly favored,” replied Audrey, her southern drawl kicking in.

  “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  “Yes, ma’am. But I…I’m not feeling very well this morning. I think I’m coming down with a cold or something. I’m going to stay home,” lied Rena.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. Have you heard from Frankie?”

  “Heaven’s no. Why? Has she gone and done something else? The child just got out of jail. I tell you, if she’s already gotten in trouble again, I am not going to let Pastor run to her aid this time. I just won’t do it.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. I wanted to tell you that Frankie’s not going to be my maid of honor. She said she can’t see herself in anyone’s wedding, even if it is mine, so I’m going to ask my co-worker, Irma.”

  “I hope you see for yourself what I’m talking about. That child is so stupid and selfish,” Audrey said in a bitter tone. “Anyway, I think asking your co-worker is a good idea. Of course, she’ll have to get measured for her dress right away. We don’t have much time, you know. If she can’t do it, you shouldn’t worry about it. I’ve attended many weddings, and some had a maid of honor and matron of honor, and some only had one or the other. As a matter of fact, when Pastor and I got married, my sister, Lucille, stood as my maid of honor, and I had one bridesmaid.” Audrey laughed lightly into the phone.

  Rena chuckled. “That’s good to know. Well, look, I’m not going to hold you.”

  “Okay, darling. Take care of that cold, and call me if you need me.”

  Contrary to what Rena expected, she hadn’t seen or heard from Frankie since the morning of her rampage. Rena was relieved on one hand and worried on the other. She called Frankie’s apartment several times, but there was never an answer. Surveying her own apartment, Rena couldn’t tell that a couple of weeks ago, it looked like Hurricane Katrina swept through it. She was thankful that the cleaning service performed such a spectacular job. The items that Frankie broke could be replaced over time; she couldn’t say the same about Frankie’s heart.

  No news is good news for some people, but when it came to Frankie, any news coming from her, could mean the beginning of the end for Rena.

  19

  I never felt true love until I was with you, and I never felt true sadness until you left me. Anonymous

  “Hey, sweetheart,” Stiles said tenderly. “Do you want to see your fiancé’ this evening after work?”

  “I do, but unfortunately I can’t. I have a staff meeting. By the time we finish, it’ll be late and I still need to go home and work on the wedding.”

  Stiles pretended to pout over the phone by talking in a whiny voice. “But I want to see my lovely bride-to-be,” he said in a little boy’s voice.

  “I want to see you too. What if I make i
t up to you tomorrow, after midweek Bible study? I’ll take you downtown to Cheesecake Corner,” offered Rena.

  “You got yourself a deal. I’ve wanted to go back to that spot for the longest time. That guy can whip up a mean cheesecake. Can I get the chocolate chip cheesecake this time?” he asked, the child’s voice returning.

  Answering him in a loving, motherly tone, Rena told him, “You sure can. But only if you’ll a good boy and let Mommy get off this phone and get back to work,” she played along with him.

  “You got it. Love you.”

  “Love you too. Bye now,” Rena hung up the phone.

  The next evening, at Wednesday night service, Pastor taught from Matthew chapter 28. “People, you’d better get your lives in order. No one knows the day or hour when God is going to return. But rest assured, Jesus is coming back. You might be able to fool the person sitting next to you. You might be able to fool me. But you can’t fool God. Matthew 23 verse 28 talks about hypocrites. The Pharisees, you see, strutted around the city like they were so special. They wanted every one to believe that they were pure and holy. Some of you do the same thing today. The Bible says, ‘In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.’ I’m telling you, God sees inside your closet,” Pastor said as he moved back and forth across the long span of the pulpit.

  On the front row, sitting next to Audrey, Rena twitched in her seat, consumed by Pastor’s words and her own thoughts. How can I blame Frankie for being wrong when I’m just as much to blame? She isn’t afraid to own up to who she is. She doesn’t care what people say or think about her. Here I am, sitting in here pretending to be righteous when I’m really a hypocrite.

  Members of the congregation shouted, “Amen” and “Praise God.” Others stood on their feet and waved their hands in the air. Stiles stood in the pulpit behind his father and patted him on the back as a show of agreement.

  Just like she promised him, after midweek service, Rena took Stiles to Cheesecake Corner. They enjoyed a hefty slice of chocolate chip cheesecake and a cup of piping hot coffee.

  “Stiles, I can’t wait to become your wife.” Rena watched him as he took another bite of the scrumptious delicacy. “I’m going to be the best wife I can be,” she said and grinned.

  “I believe you.” Stiles reached across the small, octagon table and squeezed the tips of Rena’s slender fingers. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much you mean to me.” Stiles wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  “Stiles?”

  Stuffing another piece of the cheesecake in his mouth, he responded, “Huh.”

  “Frankie doesn’t want to be in the wedding, so I asked my sister if she would be my maid of honor.

  “Honey, that’s understandable. You can’t keep holding out just in case Frankie decides she wants to drop the attitude and be in the wedding. As much as I hate the fact that she refuses to be part of our day, there’s nothing either of us can do to change that. Only Frankie can do that. And right now, she’s somewhere that only God knows.”

  “I just wish she wasn’t so bitter, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, me too. But I know I haven’t done anything to make her feel the way she does, neither have my parents and you most definitely haven’t. Whatever issues Francesca’s dealing with is between her and God. Until she wants help, there’s not a single thing we can do. So stop worrying about her. She’s taken care of herself all this time. And, trust me; she’ll keep on doing it. All you have to worry about is taking care of me.”

  Smiling back at him, love flowed through her veins for Stiles Graham. How she lived the kind of life she’d lived before Stiles, she didn’t comprehend, but no way would she ever walk along that destructive path again. Watching him closely, Rena vowed to herself, from this moment on, it will be me and Stiles. No one will ever come between us, not even you, Francesca Graham. Not ever.

  Pastor sat in the family room overlooking the kitchen, while Audrey made him a steaming cup of peach tea. A warm cup of tea seemed to soothe his voice after he preached. Reaching for the remote, he surfed the cable channels.

  “Pastor, Rena is going to make a lovely bride. That girl knows she loves our son. I can tell.”

  “I agree with you,” Pastor said with an expression of satisfaction in his eyes. “All I want is for them to be happy, to love each other and spend the rest of their lives as one. I had a talk with him; he assured me this is what he wants. He loves her.” Pastor commented and flipped the subject as hurriedly as he did the channels. “By the way, have you heard from Francesca? I’m really worried about her.” Leaning forward, he put the remote on the coffee table, looked at his wife and sighed heavily.

  Audrey rubbed her hands on a paper towel. “Believe me. She’s fine. I didn’t say anything to you or anyone else because I was too mad.”

  Pastor walked into the kitchen, and planted himself at the marble top island. “Mad about what? Have you seen her?”

  Audrey put the cup of tea in his hands. “No, but I did go by her apartment day before yesterday. I knocked on the door and some manly looking woman answered. It was so disgusting, Pastor.” Audrey’s lips turned up and she threw the back of her hand on her tilted head in a fainting motion.

  Pastor dispelled the diva antics that his wife loved to portray. “What did the woman say?”

  “Well, I asked her who she was and she had the nerve to ask me who I was? Can you believe the nerve of some folk? She needed to be in somebody’s church trying to get saved, and then maybe then she wouldn’t be parading around as something she’s not. People like her are going to hell in a hand basket.”

  “Audrey, please. What did the woman say?” Pastor asked again, this time with a pinch of aggravation in his voice.

  “I asked her if Frankie was there and she told me that Frankie had rode to St. Louis for a couple of days with one of their mutual friends. I tried to step inside and look around, but she wouldn’t budge. She told me she would tell Frankie that I came by. Before I could say anything else, she closed the door in my face. You see the kind of people our daughter deals with? As much time as we spent raising her in the church, telling her about God, and look what she does. She’s made us the laughing stock of the church. People everywhere know about Pastor Graham and First Lady Graham’s wayward gay daughter. Pastor, I can’t take it. I just can’t take it anymore. That’s why my blood pressure is always up. That child is worrying me to death.”

  Pastor walked up to his wife, pulled her toward him, and kissed her full on her thin lips. Using his hands, he explored the familiar curvatures of her body. Placing a cavalcade of kisses along her neck line and shoulders, he used his hands to knead her sensitive points. Verbal conversation between them was a thing of the past as Audrey gave way to her husband’s passion. Pastor was an expert lover who would do anything to please his First Lady.

  “Let’s go to our room. You’re all mine tonight,” said Pastor as a gasp pierced Audrey’s lips. Holding on to her waist, he led her to their private sanctuary.

  The woman who Audrey saw at Frankie’s apartment was named, Kansas. Frankie met her one night at Incognito, a club frequented by gays and lesbians. Like Frankie, Kansas was an outcast. She had two children who she lost custody of due to neglect. Her parents were raising the kids and Kansas was awarded limited supervised visitation rights. Without a stable to live, she slept at Frankie’s from time to time.

  “What did my mother want?” asked Frankie.

  “I don’t know. She didn’t say,” remarked Kansas with a frown. “I see what you mean about her. She come here trippin’, tryna push her way up in here. But I stood my ground and didn’t move a muscle.”

  “That’s the way she is.” Frankie pulled a soda from the fridge and popped the top. “Always tryin’ to be up in my business. I’ve told her, more than once, to stay outta my life,” Frankie said angrily. “It’s like she can’t rest, less she’s making my life mis’ra
ble.” Frankie pranced to and fro across the barren tiled floor, smokin’ a joint, laced with cocaine. “This is what I’m worried ‘bout,” Frankie said to Kansas as she sucked on the joint. “This is the bomb.”

  “Gimme some of that,” Kansas reached for the joint and took a hard pull on it and started coughing like she was choking to death.

  Frankie took the joint back and started talking about Audrey again. “Always tryin’ to tell me my I’m going down a road of destruction.” She inhaled. “If it is,” Frankie laughed loudly, “I tell you what, I ain’t ready to get off.

  Kansas turned and walked toward the door. “You somethin’ else, girl,” she said. “I’m outta here for minute. I’ll be back later.” She closed the door behind her.

  Early Saturday morning, Audrey and Rena went shopping for food, supplies and decorations for the annual Independence Day barbeque Audrey hosted for her church family and neighborhood friends. They had exactly one week to finalize what Audrey considered to be, the event of the year. This year’s barbeque, however, was going to be a little bit different from the previous ones. Audrey planned to couple Independence Day with a wedding shower. Meryl would be arriving to help arrange things too. Rena was so excited. She and Audrey were going to the airport later that evening to meet her mother’s flight.

  The two ladies spent hours going from store to store. Audrey insisted on decorating in the wedding colors of pearl white and sage green rather than traditional red, white and blue. The lanai at Emerald Estates was large enough for several round tables that Audrey planned to cover with sage green tabletops and a blume box filled with colorful fresh flowers to match. By the time they’d completed their shopping excursions, and ordered the blume boxes from the florist, they barely had time to drop off their collection of goodies at Audrey’s house before striking out for the airport.