Wendy didn’t want to hear that. She wanted her baby right that minute. However, deep down she knew her mother was right.
“In the meantime, you need to try and get the best night’s sleep you can, considering the circumstances. Kim, take your sister and make sure she gets ready for bed.”
Kim got up from the table and held her hand out to Wendy. “C’mon.” Kim looked at Marlene and gave her the car keys. “I’m gonna stay the night with her. You can take the car.”
“No, I’ll stay also. I need to call your daddy and let him know what’s going on.” Marlene looked for the kitchen phone and saw it shattered on the floor. She went into the living room to call her husband as Kim and Wendy headed toward the bedroom.
Father, Marlene began to pray silently, trying to step over the spilled popcorn on the living room floor on her way to the phone. Marlene wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. Her heart ached for Wendy. I’m turning her over to You. She’s Your child. Help her to get back on the right path and straighten out this mess she has made.
Marlene filled in a half-asleep Michael on everything that had taken place. He had driven separately to church and had done Marlene a favor by picking up Mr. Wallace, who also attended service. For some reason, Frances didn’t want to come. She was still offended about how things had gone down on Christmas. Her version of the story was quite different from the way things had actually happened that day. After speaking with her husband, Marlene swept the popcorn off the floor and lay on the couch, where she fell asleep.
On January third, Wendy received a phone call from her mother. “Wendy?”
“Yes?”
“Kimberly’s here!” Marlene sounded relieved and cheerful.
“What?” Wendy needed Marlene to repeat herself to confirm that she’d heard right.
“Kimberly’s here. Kevin just dropped her off.”
“How is she? Is she all right?”
“She’s just fine. Do you want me to bring her or are you going to come and get her?”
“Just stay there. I’ll be right over.” Wendy hung up. She was anxious to see her baby and didn’t want to wait for Marlene and her slow driving. Since Kimberly had been gone, Wendy had barricaded herself in the bedroom, coming out only when absolutely necessary. Gwen and Kim had visited several times, trying to get her out of the house, but Wendy had refused to budge. She didn’t want to go anywhere until her baby was home.
Natalie left a few messages wanting to know how her evening with Jaylen had gone. Wendy hadn’t returned any of the phone calls. She didn’t feel like rehashing that horrible night. She also regretted letting Natalie convince her to call Jaylen. At first Wendy was mad at Natalie, but then she realized that she had no reason to be. Natalie hadn’t forced her to do anything she didn’t want to do. Jaylen hadn’t called. Odds were he never would again. At this point in her life, Wendy didn’t care.
She was a little disturbed by the fact that Kevin had taken Kimberly to her mother’s instead of bringing her home. Maybe he thought that he could avoid an argument that way. Wendy tried to call him several times, but he never answered the phone. Luckily, he had brought Kimberly back. She had planned to give him another day, and if she didn’t have her baby or at least hear from him, she was going to call the police no matter what her mother said.
Wendy hurriedly grabbed her car keys and went through the house to the garage. What in the world?
She looked and saw that her BMW sedan was no longer parked inside. In its place was a used two-door Geo Metro. She walked slowly toward the car and looked through the window. There was an envelope on the seat. She opened the door and picked it up. Inside were keys and a letter.
Wendy:
As you can see, I took the car and bought you another one. The car has been thoroughly checked out and is in great condition. Don’t worry about insurance for it—I already have that covered. I know that it is essential for you to have transportation, especially where Kimberly is concerned.
From now on, I will no longer give you money to pay the mortgage, utilities, or anything else. I am having all household bills mailed to me and I will pay them directly. Whatever Kimberly needs, tell me and I’ll buy it.
As far as money for yourself, you’re on your own. I hope you have not drained your savings. You might want to look into getting your old teaching position back for next year. Of course, I’ll cover all of Kimberly’s child-care expenses.
Apparently you didn’t listen to one thing that I tried to tell you in my first letter. You can disregard that letter as I’m sure you already have. Be sure to read this very carefully because I want to make sure that you can hear me now! Just in case you think you have it made, you don’t. Nothing I’m doing is for you, it’s for my daughter. Don’t get too comfortable—these arrangements are only temporary.
—Kevin
You jerk! Wendy threw the letter down on the garage floor and got inside the car. Except for the AM/FM radio and heating/cooling system, it was empty. There was no CD player, sunroof, automatic windows and locks, map navigator, or any of the other luxuries Wendy had gotten used to.
The BMW was paid off; there’s no reason why he had to take it. He’s being spiteful. He’s probably going to give it to his new girlfriend. Wendy’s mind was about to run wild with thoughts of Kevin and Renée until she remembered how sincere he’d looked when he said they hadn’t done anything. So what if he didn’t do anything with her—he did do something with somebody at one point in time,Wendy reminded herself as she backed out of the driveway and headed toward her mother’s house.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ditch of Lies
KIM PULLED INTO HER PARENTS’ DRIVEWAY and sat in the car for a few minutes. She knew that Marlene and Michael had gone to their weekly deaconate board meeting at the church. Kim hadn’t come to see them. She purposely came to speak with her grandmother while they were out.
January had been a hectic month, and Kim was really glad it was almost over. On top of worrying about her sister, she and Terrance had shifted their wedding plans into high gear. Last week they had met with Shelly, the wedding coordinator, to discuss some ideas for their upcoming event. Shelly was highly recommended to Kim by one of her clients at the salon. Kim was immediately impressed with how professional and well organized she was. She was also full of ideas. One of her suggestions was for Terrance and Kim to acknowledge their grandparents during the ceremony.
Unfortunately, both sets of Terrance’s grandparents were dead and Frances was the only living grandparent Kim had left. Shelly thought it would be great to include Frances in the ceremony, but Kim wasn’t so sure about the idea. Shelly didn’t know what a pain Frances was to deal with. Kim and Terrance talked about the suggestion later, and eventually concluded that it wouldn’t hurt to ask Frances to be a part of their wedding.
The worst she can say is no, Kim said to herself before getting out of the car. She didn’t even care if her grandmother attended the wedding, let alone participated in it, but she was trying hard to be the bigger person. Even though it was likely that Frances would decline to participate, at least she wouldn’t be able to say they’d excluded her.
The air was cold on Kim’s face as she ran to the front door with the house key in hand. Although both girls had lived on their own for years, they still kept keys to their parents’ house. It was the house the two of them had grown up in and would always be a place they called home.
Kim walked inside, dusted the snow off of her boots, and placed them near the front door. Maybe I should have called first. She wondered if Frances was sleeping, though she heard the television playing from her room. That wasn’t unusual. Frances would often leave the TV on all day, even if she was doing something else. Before taking off her coat, Kim decided to go upstairs and see if her grandmother was awake. If she was taking one of her afternoon naps, Kim would come back later. A fully awake Frances was cranky enough to deal with, yet was ten times better than a Frances who had been woken unexpectedly.
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As Kim reached the top of the stairs, she heard Frances talking on the phone. Great. With her on the phone I’ll never get out of here, she thought. Whenever Frances was engaged in a phone conversation with one of her buddies, it was guaranteed to last for a while. Kim was on her way back downstairs when something about Frances’s voice caught her attention. It was bizarre. Frances didn’t appear to be having a casual conversation. Kim didn’t hear the loud laughter that usually accompanied Frances’s gossip sessions. Rather, she sounded distraught, almost afraid. Kim crept closer to her grandmother’s bedroom door and peeked through the crack. She observed Frances sitting on the edge of her bed with the phone up to her ear. Frances’s face was covered with her other hand.
“Why are you tryin’ to cause trouble with my family?” Frances said to the caller. “Your mere presence causes trouble. Marlene is happy. If you really care about her happiness and her family, go away and leave them alone!”
Kim’s curiosity got the best of her. She tiptoed into her parents’ bedroom to eavesdrop on Frances’s conversation. As always, Marlene and Michael’s king-sized bed was neatly made with the comforter folded back just enough for the pillows to show. Kim could hear herself breathing as she unplugged the telephone cord from the wall and picked up the receiver. She pressed the mute button before reinserting the cord into the phone jack.
“I’m really not tryin’ to cause trouble, Frances. I do not intend on tellin’ Marlene anything. I just want a chance to get to know her—you stole that from me,” a man responded.
“Please don’t do this, Harold,” Frances pleaded. It was definitely fear that Kim heard in her grandmother’s voice. “It’s too late to change what happened in the past. If you continue to come around, Marlene is bound to find out the truth. Your nephew already knows.”
Kim was even more confused than ever. She’s talking to Mr. Wallace. What truth are they talking about?
“I had to tell Otis so he could quit flirtin’ with them girls,” said the man.
What does Otis have to do with this? Kim wondered.
“I wish you had never come over for Christmas. You’re gonna want to tell her, I know. We’ve been through this before. That’s what caused my husband’s death.”
“Don’t you dare blame Frank’s death on me! He died because you lied to him.” Harold Wallace spoke angrily. “You lied to us all—that’s why we’re in this mess. I said I wasn’t gonna say anything and I’m not. I didn’t think I would ever be able to get over how you handled things, but I did. And now I refuse to be forced out of Marlene’s life a second time.”
“You leave us be. Do you hear me? Leave my daughter and her family alone. Don’t ever call here again!” Frances yelled and slammed down the phone.
Kim held the receiver in her hand, stunned by what she had heard. What is going on? She waited a few minutes, left her parents’ room, and knocked on Frances’s door.
There was no response at first. Through the crack in the door Kim observed Frances wiping her face. Is she crying? No, she can’t be! Frances could be so mean that it was hard to believe she even produced tears. Kim knocked again.
“Who is it?” asked Frances.
She pushed open the door. “It’s me, Gramma.”
“Your mama and daddy ain’t here. They went to some kind of church meeting.”
“Yeah, I know.” Kim stood awkwardly in the doorway. Frances wouldn’t look up at her. She pretended to be searching for something on her dresser. Even if Frances wasn’t pretending, it would be hard to find whatever she was looking for, considering how unorganized her room was. Her dresser was cluttered with books, papers, clothes, and any other thing she could store there. Frances’s room was by far the messiest room in the entire house. “I-I came to talk to you.”
“About what?” Frances said dryly. Kim figured that now was not a good time to talk about the wedding.
“Never mind. It can wait until later. Is everything okay? I thought I heard you yelling on the phone.”
“Yes . . . um, somebody kept calling here with the wrong number.”
Why is she lying to me? Every instinct in Kim’s body told her that Frances was hiding something big. “Since you’re busy, I’ll come back at a later time or I’ll give you a call.”
“Do you want me to tell Marlene you stopped by?”
“No, that’s okay.” She shut Frances’s door and went down the stairs. She thought about calling Mr. Wallace. No, he probably won’t tell me the truth either. . . . Otis! Kim was determined to find out what Frances was hiding. She remembered Harold saying that Otis knew what was going on. She couldn’t guarantee that Otis would tell her anything, but it was worth a try. Kim checked her watch. It was one o’clock. She knew exactly where she could find him. He still worked at the school where Wendy used to teach. Kim put her boots back on, fastened her coat, and headed out the door.
Hearing a knock, Wendy opened her front door slightly to keep the wind from gushing in. “Yes?”
“I have a certified letter for Wendy Phillips,” the mail carrier at the front door announced.
“That’s me.”
“I need you to sign here, please.” He directed her attention to a dotted line.
“Okay.” Wendy was forced to open the door completely. “It is really chilly out here, isn’t it?”
“Yes ma’am, it is.”
It never crossed Wendy’s mind to let the gentleman in the door, so she signed the necessary papers standing in the doorway while the cold air forced its way inside the house.
“We’re all set.” He handed her the mail. “You have a nice day, ma’am.”
“Thanks. You too,” Wendy said, and shut the door. She looked at the return address. It was from a law office. Her heart pounded so heavily against her chest that she forgot about the goose bumps she had gotten from the wind. Kevin had to be behind this letter. The two of them had not said much to each other since the horrible ordeal on New Year’s Eve. He had picked Kimberly up on occasion with no problem from Wendy. During those times, there were barely three sentences exchanged between them.
Wendy checked on Kimberly, who was having a good time in her baby swing. Next, she went into the living room and sat on the couch as she nervously began to open the letter. She had a feeling that she already knew its contents.
Kim had no idea where the maintenance office was located. She didn’t want to wander around the halls for fear of looking suspicious. Instead she went to the front office to ask for help.
“I’ll be with you in just a minute,” a lady said to her.
Kim noticed the nameplate on the lady’s desk. Donna Burchett! Wendy had told her several stories about this nosy woman.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. How can I help you?”
“I need to speak with Otis, please.” Kim couldn’t remember his last name. She didn’t think it was Wallace because Otis was Harold’s nephew by his sister.
“Otis Thornton, the maintenance man?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“One moment. Let me call and see if he’s available. May I tell him your name?”
“Kim, Kimberly Tibbs.”
“Tibbs. By any chance are you related to Wendy Phillips? Her last name was Tibbs before she got married.”
“Yes. Wendy is my sister.”
A huge smile crossed Ms. Burchett’s face. “Oh, she is! I thought you resembled her, but I wasn’t sure. How’s the baby?”
“She’s doing fine. Growing like a weed.”
“I bet. How old is she now?”
“Six months.”
“It’s funny how fast these kids grow up. How’s Wendy’s husband?”
“He’s fine.”
“We didn’t see him much during the last school year. I don’t recall him being here on Mrs. Phillips’s last day, either.” Ms. Burchett scrunched her face and looked toward the ceiling as though she were thinking. “As a matter of fact, I know he wasn’t here because a few of our men helped load some of her hea
vy things into the car.”
Oh no, she ain’t trying to get information from me. “Wendy’s fine, Kevin’s fine, and the baby is fine. Everyone is doing just fine,” Kim said bluntly. “Now can you see if Otis is available, please?” she asked impatiently.
Ms. Burchett looked indifferent as the smile faded from her face. She dialed some numbers on her telephone. “Hi, Otis. This is Donna Burchett in the front office. There’s a Kimberly Tibbs here to see you—Mrs. Phillips’s sister.” There was a pause. “All right, I’ll send her down.” She hung up the phone. “Do you know how to get to his office?”
“No.”
“Okay, go back out of this door. Make a right, then go left down the first hallway. You’ll pass several classrooms. Once you go past the rest rooms, make another right. Go straight down that hall. His office will be the last one on the left.”
“Thanks,” Kim said, and proceeded to follow directions. It didn’t take long to get to Otis’s office from the front office. She gently knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Kim opened the door slowly and let herself in. “Do you want me to shut it?” she asked.
“Sure.” Otis leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. It was as if he knew this day would occur. “So what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure. You tell me.” Kim sat in the empty chair in front of his desk. She was convinced that Otis knew something. She had seen him only on two occasions previously, and this time it was different. He was different. He didn’t have his usual sense of humor or the corny pickup lines. The smile he loved to show off had vanished. He looked serious.
“What am I supposed to tell you?” He removed his hands from his head.
If Kim had been in a different frame of mind, she would have laughed at how he wiped the Jheri Curl oil from his hands on a paper towel sitting on his desk. At least it’s not dry this time was the first thought that crossed her mind. “I don’t have time to play guessing games. I know that you know something about what’s going on between my grandmother and your uncle.”
Soul Matters Page 22
