“You sound like Cynthia. That’s all she’s been talking about since Hezekiah’s death.”
Kenneth stood up, sat on the desk and said, “You should listen to her. She’s right.”
“She might be, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that can be done about it now. It’s unlikely the trustees are going to reverse their decision. Once she starts bringing in money, they won’t have any choice but to make it permanent. They’re no match for her. No one is.”
“You underestimate yourself, Percy. Cynthia believes in you. I believe in you, and so do thousands of other members of this congregation. You just have to have faith.”
“I think I’ll need more than faith to go up against Samantha. Right now I’m more concerned about Catherine. She’s talking about leaving.”
“Like I said earlier, Samantha is not stupid. She’ll learn quickly that she can’t run this place without Catherine. I’ll try to talk some sense into her later this week.”
“I don’t think she’ll listen, but it’s worth a try.”
“I think you, Catherine, Naomi, and I should meet. Let’s put our heads together and see if there’s anything we can do about this,” Kenneth said.
Percy looked sharply at him and said, “You seem to have forgotten what happened the last time the four of us put our heads together to solve a problem.” He stood up and walked away from the desk. “It was bribing Lance not to run the story. What were we thinking? It only made matters worse. Now the man’s dead, for Christ sake.”
“It was a good plan, Percy. He just got greedy and wanted more. It would have worked if you hadn’t gotten so angry. We could have offered him more money.”
“We should have never offered him any money at all,” Percy said bitterly.
“You know we had no other choice,” Kenneth rebuked. “A scandal like that would have brought this entire ministry down. At least that crisis was averted.”
“Yes, it was averted, but at what cost? Two men are dead, Kenneth. Was it worth it?”
“How could you ask that? Of course it was worth it. You forget how many millions of people this ministry touches. You forget about all the people whom we’ve led to Christ. Was it worth it?” Kenneth repeated as his voice escalated. “Hell, yes, it was worth it, and deep down I believe you agree.”
“Today my guest is the new pastor of the mega church New Testament Cathedral in Los Angeles and one of my dearest friends, the fabulous Reverend Dr. Samantha Cleaveland.”
The audience of the nationally syndicated Renee Adasen Show was filled with well-dressed, smiling middle-class women who had collectively waited years for tickets to the talk show. The cantilevered seats held a sea of peach, blue, yellow, and spring pastels. Everyone stood to their feet and applauded when they heard Samantha’s name.
Renee raised her voice over the applause and swung her arms in a sweeping motion. “Please help me welcome Pastor, Reverend Dr. Samantha Cleaveland.”
The claps became louder and were accompanied by hoots of approval and gasps of admiration when Samantha walked onto the platform from behind a series of backlit blue panels and screens.
“So, you’re so . . . gosh,” the host said enthusiastically. “You’re such an amazing woman. For those of you who don’t know—I can’t imagine who that would be—Samantha . . . I can call her Samantha because we’re friends.” The comment was greeted with laughs from the audience and a broad smile and a touch of Renee’s hand by Samantha.
Renee continued in a more somber tone. “Anyway, there has been no modern-day tragedy since the King and Kennedy assassinations, at least not one that I can think of, that has moved the country like your story, Samantha. For those in our audience who don’t know this, Samantha’s husband, the Reverend Dr. Hezekiah T. Cleaveland, was brutally assassinated. I don’t know any other way to put it, but he was assassinated in front of you and the entire congregation of New Testament Cathedral in Los Angeles. I mean you literally held him in your arms as he was dying.”
The cameras panned the audience. Women clutched their chests and dabbed tears from their eyes. A closeup of a woman shaking her head, with her hand covering her mouth, filled the screen for a brief moment. The camera cut back to the two beautiful women sitting in modern, comfortable chairs covered in butterscotch-toned leather.
Samantha wore a simply cut black two-piece suit and a white blouse with an oversize collar that revealed only enough cleavage to remind everyone that she was a voluptuous woman. Renee wore an apple red knit dress with a round neckline that dipped slightly to the left, similarly revealing enough flesh to remind viewers that she, too, was a desirable woman.
The women faced each other at a slight angle. Their perfect legs crossed at the knee, with one spiked heel of their handmade Italian shoes planted in the carpet, causing the tip to point graciously toward the audience.
“I know everyone would like to know.... I know I would. What was going through your mind at that moment?” the host asked unapologetically. “When you first heard the gunshots? I can only imagine how terrifying that must have been for you.”
Samantha’s expression, on cue, faded from that of a radiant television personality to grieving widow within seconds. “Renee, let me first tell you how much your support has meant to me through this very difficult time,” she said sincerely.
Renee reached out, held her hand, and said, “That’s what friends are for. I know you would have done the same for me.”
The audience responded with loud yet respectful applause.
“So tell us, Samantha, what was going through you mind that day?”
“Renee, much of it is still a blur. It was a beautiful Sunday morning. Hezekiah and I were always our most happiest on Sundays. I was with him in his office before the service started, and like I always did, I straightened his tie, kissed him, and told him how much I loved him before he went out to the pulpit. I took my seat on the front row, and I remember thinking how lucky I was to be married to such a wonderful man—”
Renee interrupted, “Did you sense anything was wrong or that something bad was about to happen?”
“I had no idea. Everything seemed perfect. Hezekiah was about halfway through his sermon when I heard the first shot. I thought one of the overhead lights had burst.” Samantha put the tip of her freshly manicured finger to her lips and paused before she continued. “Then I saw him lean forward and put his hand on his chest. That’s when we all heard the second shot. There were screams coming from everywhere. It was horrible,” she said with an air of introspection. “Just horrible. I honestly don’t remember anything after that.”
Renee dabbed a tear from her eye. She again reached across and took Samantha’s hand and asked, “Do the police have any clue as to who may have done this?”
Samantha looked even more mournful and said, “So far they don’t have any suspects. They think it might have been someone who had been stalking him for at least a year, but they’re not sure. The Los Angeles Police Department has been wonderful. I have every faith that they will find the person or persons responsible for my husband’s death.”
Renee paused before continuing. “Yeah,” she said, “I mean, for many people Hezekiah was an icon, but for you he was more than that. He was your husband, your partner, your lover. It must be surreal for you. . . . Is it disbelief? It’s hard to believe still? It’s still hard to believe he’s gone?”
Samantha shifted uncomfortably in the chair and said, “It is, Renee. Some nights I turn over in bed and reach for him, only to find that he’s not there. Anyone who’s lost a loved one knows the grief is almost unbearable. It’s as if you’ve lost a part of your own soul. I miss him more than you can imagine.”
Renee pressed on. “Now, the entire thing was caught on tape?”
“Well, yes. It was Sunday morning service. There were cameras everywhere.”
“Unfortunately, the tapes were leaked to the media and have been played . . . seems like nonstop since it happened. How does it feel when you see
it now?”
“I haven’t seen it. I haven’t turned on a television or radio since it happened. I’m too afraid of hearing his name on the news or accidently seeing the footage.”
“Well, unfortunately, I have seen it. I suspect most everyone in the country has seen it,” Renee replied. “And like I said, it’s surreal. I don’t know how you’ve gotten through this with such grace.”
“I can honestly say that I don’t have any hate for the person who did this. My heart goes out to him, and every night I say a prayer for him. Its times like these that your faith is tested, Renee. This has, of course, tested my faith, but I know that God has a plan, and this has only increased my faith in him.”
The last words triggered a round of applause from the audience.
Renee acknowledged the audience with an affirming smile and continued. “Now, this only happened a month ago, right?”
Samantha nodded yes. “It’s been just over a month, and the amount of love I have received has been amazing. Thank you, America, for all the love and kindness you’ve shown me,” Samantha said, smiling warmly past the camera to the audience. “Your love and the love of God are the only things that keep me going.”
More applause erupted from the now entranced audience. Samantha was everything they had dreamt a friend of Renee’s would be.
The host waited for the applause to die down and then continued. “Maybe you’re not in this space yet—it’s been a month since his death—but when you are able to go to the space where you’re able to remember the warmest place and thoughts about your husband, what do you think those thoughts will be?”
Samantha contemplated for a moment and said, “I think what I will remember the most is his kindness. Not only to me, but to everyone he met. When people talked to Hezekiah, he had this uncanny ability to make them feel they were the center of his world. That whatever they were thinking or feeling at the time was important to him, and that he really cared. I loved him deeply, and I believe he also loved me just as much. I’ll miss the feeling of security you get when someone cares so deeply for you and would do anything in the world to make you happy.”
Renee followed another introspective pause with, “Do you remember the last thing you said to him or the last thing he said to you?”
“I love you.”
Renee smiled and said, “I love you. . . . Isn’t that a good thing? I understand that you’ve been selected to replace Hezekiah as the pastor of New Testament Cathedral.”
Samantha feigned shock and quickly replied, “I could never replace Hezekiah. No one could replace him. He was a great man. He was my life. He was my soul mate, my rock, and most importantly, he was my friend. Sometimes I’m not sure if I can go on without him, but inevitably, at those lowest moments someone will say to me, ‘Don’t give up, Samantha. We need you,’ or ‘You can do it, Samantha. Do it for Hezekiah.’ And, Renee, when I hear encouragement like that, I just . . . I get energized. They inspire me to work harder, to move a little faster, and to go on with the work my husband and I began together.”
“You are amazing, girl. Isn’t she amazing?” Renee asked over her shoulder of the audience.
Their unanimous response was given in thunderous applause.
“So what’s next for you, Samantha?” Renee asked.
“I’m glad you asked,” replied Samantha with a playful smile. “New Testament Cathedral is going to be bigger and better than ever.”
The audience responded as if that was just what they wanted to hear.
“We are about to complete the construction of our new campus and twenty-five-thousand-seat cathedral. The television ministry is expanding now to South Africa, Thailand, and Australia. So we want the world to know New Testament Cathedral is very much alive and growing.”
Renee stood up and said, “Wow.” Samantha stood with her, and the two women embraced. The audience stood and clapped, as if to solidify the obvious bond between the two women.
Renee raised Samantha’s hand as if she were a victorious prizefighter and said above the applause, “I said it once and I’ll say it again. You’re an amazing woman.” She then faced the audience, still holding Samantha’s hand in the air, and said, “Pastor Samantha Cleaveland, everyone. Thank you so much for being here with us today and sharing your courageous story. You are an inspiration and a role model to me and to women everywhere.”
Samantha’s and Renee’s skin looked radiant, magnified on the sixty-two-inch flat-screen television that hung on the wall in Cynthia Pryce’s den. Cynthia sat with her feet curled under her in one of two overstuffed black leather chairs that had been positioned at viewing distance in front of the television. A pair of Fendi black suede pumps lay strewn on the floor, and the black jacket of the Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit she wore that day had been tossed casually on the back of the chair.
The curtains were fully drawn and the room was dark except for the piercing glow from the two women on the screen. The room was filled with sleek Scandinavian chairs and a well-cushioned brown leather sofa. The dark stained teak floor offered no assistance in absorbing the crystal clear voices booming from the surround-sound speakers.
The clarity made it impossible for Cynthia to miss any syllable the two women spoke. Her silky hair shifted with every disapproving tilt of her head. As their words reverberated through the room, when they shared a knowing glance, and when the audience gushed, an invisible knife was driven deeper and deeper into Cynthia’s heart.
Cynthia pointed the remote as if it were a gun and pressed the trigger when the credits mercifully began to scroll across the screen. The television went black, and Cynthia was left in silence to contemplate the spectacle she had just witnessed.
Is the American public so gullible that they can’t tell when someone is acting? she questioned silently. How could they not see her for the horrible, conniving bitch she is? she thought, staring at her reflection in the screen.
It had been two days since Scarlett confessed to her husband that Hezekiah was the father of her daughter, Natalie. Two days of David avoiding eye contact when they passed each other in the hall. Two days of sleeping in separate bedrooms, and two days of wondering whether he would leave her life as quickly as he had come. Scarlett loved her husband, but her grief over Hezekiah’s death made it difficult for her to worry about her domestic troubles.
Her sleep had been fitful, and there was no appetite. The little strength she had was used to comb Natalie’s hair before school each morning and to greet her with a smile and a kiss every day after school. There were stretches of time during the two-day period that she didn’t even know if David was in the house. Her thoughts rarely strayed from memories of the brief time she had loved and made love to Hezekiah, or the hurt she had endured at the hand of Samantha after she had learned that Scarlett was pregnant with his child.
David felt betrayed when he learned of the years of deception and lies. The pain was compounded by knowing Hezekiah Cleaveland had shared the secret with the woman he loved. His stomach churned when he thought of all the times he had shaken Hezekiah’s hand after church with Scarlett standing by his side and Natalie in his arms.
“You outdid yourself with that sermon, Pastor,” he had said to Hezekiah on several Sunday mornings. “You’ve made me want to be a better husband to my wife and a better father to our daughter.”
The hurt festered in the silent home. Every time he saw Scarlett standing in the bathroom mirror or sitting and looking out the living room window, he would imagine Hezekiah groping her delicate body or making love to her in some cheap motel room. He could almost hear her gentle moans of ecstasy when he thought of Hezekiah pounding away at the woman he loved.
He wanted Hezekiah to feel the hurt he felt. How do you hurt a dead man? he had thought more than once. If he wasn’t already dead, I think I would kill him.
Scarlett stepped from the marble and glass enclosure after a long hot shower. Beads of warm water rolled from her dripping hair, over the curves of her breasts, around he
r hips, and onto the carpeted floor. The water glimmered on her naked body as she wrapped herself in a plush pink towel. The room was filled with steam, leaving only a ghostly reflection in a wall of mirrors that stood before her.
The bathroom door opened, and David stood in the threshold as she dried her hair. “Does Samantha know about this?” he asked coldly.
Scarlett jerked her head in his direction. “You startled me. Why didn’t you knock?”
“Now you want me to knock when I enter my own bathroom,” he replied with a hint of irony.
“Yes, considering you haven’t said a word to me in two days.”
“Correction, Scarlett. We haven’t spoken to each other in two days. You haven’t answered my question. Does Samantha know about Natalie?”
Scarlett wrapped her damp hair in a towel as she spoke. “I told you she did. David, don’t torture yourself over this. It doesn’t concern you. This is my problem. I’ve handled it alone up until now, and I will continue to do so.”
“What do you mean, it’s your problem? You’re my wife, and Natalie has been like a daughter to me.”
“I appreciate that, David, but now that you know the truth, you don’t have to worry about us anymore.”
David looked confused. “How can you be so cold to me? I love you, and I love Natalie. Do you expect me just to turn off my feelings?”
“I don’t expect you to do anything. I apologize if I’ve hurt you, but you need to understand that I did everything for Natalie, and for that I won’t apologize. If you want to leave, that’s up to you. I love you and I want you to stay, but I will understand if you choose not to.”
“What does Samantha have to say about it?” Scarlett did not respond. She turned her back to David and sat on the edge of the bathtub. The pain that had simmered just beneath her thin veil of confidence began to seep to the surface. She took a deep breath before she spoke. “I’ve already told you how she felt. She tried to force me to have an abortion. She threatened to publicly humiliate me and to say that I had seduced Hezekiah. At the time I was his assistant. She fired me and forbid Hezekiah to have anything to do with the baby.”
When Sunday Comes Again Page 5
