“Father, in heaven,” he began. “Thank you for loving us. Thank you for forgiving us. Father, watch over those who are sick and without homes, Dear Lord. Watch over our families, my mother and my sisters, and Clarye’s mother and sisters. “Help me Lord,” he said, “to be more like you in my heart. Help me, Lord to do everything you want me to do. And please, Lord, let Clarye see and feel how much I do love her. Amen.”
Clarye felt tears of love well up in her eyes. She loved this man with all of her heart and she just couldn’t seem to thank God enough for bringing them together.
They talked to one another several times while Gavin was at work. She would text “I love you” to his phone all during the day or just whenever they were apart for any length of time.
Gavin’s sister was still in town, so he told Clarye that he would probably be going by his mother’s house to visit with her after he left the attorney’s office. He loved his family and he was really excited about his sister being home.
After writing a few hours, Clarye hurried to prepare dinner for the two of them. She still had Thelma to come from time to time but not like she had done in the past. She felt joy in preparing meals herself, for Gavin and her sons. She prepared broiled steak with baked potatoes, fresh tossed green salad with tiny green peas. She fixed a large pot of coffee for Gavin and of course a dinner was not complete without iced tea.
After she had dinner finished, she went and sat in the sunroom awaiting her husband’s return home later that evening. When she heard his key turn in the door, her heart began to race wildly. The love she had for this man was unwavering.
That night they made love passionately and tenderly, consumed by the fires of desire and their unconditional love for each other. Clarye rose to meet his long, hard gentle body and accepted all the love he had to offer. He held her close to him vowing to never let her go. Afterwards, they slept in their love, close to each other’s heart, basking in the pure ecstasy they shared together.
It was Wednesday, May 28th and Clarye had no inkling of an idea, no strange feelings within, no forewarning hint or sign that this was to be the beginning of her end, the beginning of the most devastating attack of Pain in her life.
Before leaving for the store that morning, Gavin kissed his wife and told her just like always, “I love you, girl.”
And as always Clarye’s reply was, “I Love You Back.”
It was one o’clock when the phone rang. Clarye looked over at the caller id. It was Gavin. “Hi, baby,’’ she said. “What’s up with you?”
Gavin’s voice was full of joy and happiness. He had received a call to go to the main office of the realtors and attorney to do the final closing on the superstore.
“Shorty, as soon as I settle some things here at the store, I’m headed that way.”
When Gavin arrived home from the realtor’s he was absolutely elated, glowing with pride and praise.
“Shorty,” he exclaimed. “I signed the papers. It’s a done deal and we’ve closed on the store and property. Building on the store is going to be starting right away. Shorty, what a blessing, what a blessing,” he shouted dancing around in circles. They went into the sunroom and passionately embraced. His kiss was tender and complete as he started to caress her and make love to her right there on the floor of the sunroom.
“When their lips and bodies parted, Clarye looked up into his handsome face.
“Gavin,” she said.
“What is it?
“God has a plan for your life.”
“No, He has a plan for our lives,” he immediately answered. He went on with laughter and love in his voice, “Didn’t I tell you that if I go to the moon I’m going to take you with me, ‘cause I love you, girl,” he laughed and screamed.
Gavin always told Clarye that no matter what he did or what he accomplished, no matter where he went, even if he went to the moon that she would forever be by his side. They passionately embraced once again.
“Shorty, it’s almost three o’clock. I have to go and get EJ. Remember that we’re going to go over to my mom’s to see Rolonda. She’s leaving tomorrow and I might not get the chance to see her if I don’t go today. Plus, I have a lot of paper work and loose ends to tie up at the store. Are you sure you don’t want to come along?” he asked.
“Naw, I’ll probably go by tomorrow and see her off since you won’t be able to. Anyway, I’m planning on going to Bible study a little later. Are you going to make it? Clarye asked.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there. Anyway, I have to hurry. I don’t want to be late getting EJ. I love you.”
“I know. I love you back.”
“Gavin called about an hour later from his mom’s. “Shorty, I went to pick up Kenya on the way to Mom’s. I thought I would see if I could get her to come to Bible study with us, but she said no.” There was a hint of disappointment in his voice.
“I guess I’ll just stay on over here at Mom’s for awhile.”
“Okay, but I guess I’m going to still go,” she told him. “I’ll stop by on my way to the church and get EJ.
Clarye left home, fighting the mad traffic. As usual, she was eager to see Gavin once more. She headed straight to his mom’s house, excited to be going to see him, to see his face. When she quickly drove up in the driveway, he came outside and greeted her with a light kiss on her cheek. They shared their excitement about the superstore with Rolonda. He was so overcome with gratitude and happiness and could hardly believe that he had actually been blessed with such a tremendous opportunity.
“Don’t you know, sis, that this is going to make me the owner of the largest African American grocery chain in the South?
“Bro, you know I’m really proud of you. You know you are something else.” Rolonda reached out and hugged her brother tight. They continued laughing and celebrating until it was time for Clarye and EJ to leave for Bible study.
When Bible study ended, Clarye stopped to talk to Carrie, one of the ladies at church. Clarye had shared the fantastic news of their blessing with Carrie and several members of their church family who were equally as happy for an answered prayer. What she didn’t share with anyone but Carrie was that she still felt somewhat uneasy about everything that had happened. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it. She was happy but yet she also felt something that just didn’t seem right.
“Carrie, something just isn’t allowing me to be completely at rest or totally excited,” Clarye said.
“I’ll keep praying for you and Gavin. But everything is going to be just fine. Satan is just trying to put this uneasiness in your spirit,” she said. “But he’s a liar and he can never win. He can never win,” she repeated.
“You’re right, Carrie.” I guess I’m just a little nervous about everything happening so fast,” she said. Yet the feeling lingered.
Clarye arrived home and not long afterwards, Gavin came home. He had Kenya with him. He had stopped by the house to let her know that he was going to take Kenya home. Clarye wasn’t sure why Gavin just didn’t call her from the car phone. Anyway, she let the curiosity pass.
Clarye proceeded to slowly walk Gavin to the door and went out on the pathway to speak to Kenya since she had refused to come inside. She said it was because she was in a hurry to get home and go out.
“Give Clarye a hug, Kenya,” Gavin told her.
“Gavin, maybe she doesn’t want to hug me,” Clarye immediately interrupted.
But he insisted by repeating himself as if Clarye had said nothing, “Kenya, give Clarye a hug.”
Kenya walked up to her, “Hi, Clarye,” she said and hugged her rather coldly. “Are you coming to my graduation?”
“I guess so, Kenya. Those are me and your daddy’s plans.” The one thing Clarye had never dared tell Gavin was about the uncomfortable feeling she had whenever his daughter was with him. There was such a coldness and detachment about her that prevented Clarye from feeling truly at ease when she was around. She tried, unsuccessfully, to convince herself that it was
all inside her head, yet deep down, somehow, she knew it wasn’t.
Gavin interrupted the conversation between them. He was eager to explain to Clarye what was going on and Clarye was eager to hear. There was such concern in his voice. He was obviously frustrated about something.
“Kenya says she needs some money for graduation. She needs it to pay for some books at school or she won’t be able to graduate, let alone march down the aisle at the ceremony.”
This disturbed Clarye as well. It had become a habit for Kenya to ask Gavin for money under false pretense. Gavin suspected the money she was asking for was not for books but was to help support her mother’s known drug addiction. Gavin had discovered that several times before, when Kenya said she needed money that she was actually giving it to her mother’s drug dealer for the mounting debts her mother made. Gavin had become extremely upset with Kenya since he knew that this was yet another one of her ploys to get money out of him. He would do anything for Kenya and she knew this. However, Gavin as well as Clarye also knew that this time Kenya had taken this a step too far. Clarye witnessed the deep anguish and hurt on his face. He was becoming fed up with Kenya’s elaborate and fabricated tales.
“Kenya,” he said in that fatherly tone, “I do not believe the school can ban you from marching just because you say you don’t have money to pay for books, or invitations or whatever it is you claim to need this money for. I’m going to talk to your mother. I’m going to find out the truth for once and for all. As much money as I give you, Kenya, you have had more than enough to buy whatever you need to and whatever you want. Why would you come to me like this, girl?”
Kenya looked at her father with a look of anger embedded in her eyes. This look sent chills racing through Clarye’s spine.
Kenya’s mother, Gloria, despised Gavin with a passion. She did not want him around their daughter. Clarye often wondered if she was afraid that Gavin would confront her one day about the less than pleasing lifestyle she led in the presence of their daughter. Gavin and Gloria could never come to a peaceable agreement when it came to him seeing his daughter and grandson, nevertheless, Gavin continued to go and pick up Kenya and her little two year old boy. He hated the fact that his daughter was a teenage mom because he did not want to see her go through the same thing that he and Gloria had gone through. But it was too late for that because as soon as Kenya had found out she was pregnant, the baby’s father moved away up North and no one had heard anything else from him.
“Kenya, I am going to confront your mother, whether you like it or not. And if necessary, I’m going to your school as well to get to the bottom of this situation,” he said with firmness in his voice that made even Clarye know that she shouldn’t interfere.
Kenya pleaded with him not to and quickly added, “My mother has already been to the school and they’re adamant about me having the money. There’s no need for you to go again, Daddy. There’s no need for you to talk to Momma either. She’s just going to tell you the same thing I’m telling you.”
Gavin appeared not to hear Kenya. “Clarye, I’ll be back shortly. I’m going to take Kenya home and I’m also going to talk to Gloria,” he said.
“Okay,” she reluctantly told him, and they kissed each other softly on the lips.
When Gavin was preparing to drive off, EJ, who loved to follow his granddaddy wherever he went, asked, “Granddaddy, can I come too?”
“Yea, come on,” Gavin said without hesitation and they climbed into the car. Life would never be the same again. Never be the same.
CHAPTER 24
A couple of hours had gone by and Clarye was becoming rather concerned about Gavin and EJ’s whereabouts. Kenya lived only about ten miles away and so Clarye had expected Gavin and EJ to be home quite some time ago. She tried reaching Gavin on his car phone but there was no answer. She put the message “call home” in his pager, but still she did not receive a call. Clarye also knew that Gloria was going to be obviously upset that Gavin was confronting her about using their daughter to get money for drugs and so that had Clarye concerned more so than usual.
“Everything’s fine,” Clarye tried convincing herself. “Maybe Gavin and EJ stopped over to his friend Kurt’s house.
“After all,” she smiled, “Gavin is always telling me that I’m a chronic worrier, his sexy, old worry wart.” Nonetheless, she began to pray for their safe return, while she tried convincing herself there was nothing unusual about having a desire to pray for their safety.
Clarye was sitting on the edge of the bed watching one of her favorite TV shows. Because of her writing and now her new life, she barely had time to watch TV; so whenever she did, she wanted to make sure it was something that she really enjoyed. She heard a shuffling sound coming down the hall. When she looked up, a smile at seeing Gavin was beginning to etch across her face. That smile immediately turned into fear when she saw her beloved husband standing before her with vast amounts of his blood pouring out all over his one time starched, white shirt. Clarye’s heart was racing, pounding wildly with fear.
Her mind was in a fog. Somewhere in her mind, she heard Gavin screaming out, “Look how they beat me. Why did they do me this way? I didn’t do anything. Why did they do me this way?” he cried out.
She could clearly see a gaping wound in the back of his head, a hole that appeared to be as large as her fist. She was terrified at this sight of her husband. Eric appeared, it seems out of nowhere, as they tried to make sense out of the scene that was playing before their very eyes. Gavin was hysterical. Clarye tried to take hold of him, to calm him down so she could stop the bleeding and see how badly he was wounded.
Like a mad man, a man she never knew, Gavin jerked away from her embrace in a fit of rage. Her mind could not react fast enough with the emotions that were going on inside of her. She couldn’t think, couldn’t reason.
What was happening? Was this a mad nightmare of some kind?”
“Oh, Lord,”she hollered. She felt a billowing scream escape from her throat as Gavin ran out of the house with Eric trailing quickly behind him. Clarye stumbled, trying to lift her unbraced leg on to the floor of the blood stained carpet. She raced as fast as she could behind them. In spite of his serious injury, Gavin jumped back in the car with Eric barely making it in time, scurrying to climb in beside him.
EJ was hysterical, crying and praying to God and his mother, Sandy. “Please, God, don’t let anything happen to my daddy. Don’t let anything happen to my granddaddy. Please, Momma up in heaven. Please, God,” he cried and cried.
Clarye frantically prayed herself, knowing that Gavin was in trouble and seriously wounded. What could she do? She could not think. She could not function. Her mind was in a fit of confusion, fear, hurt, and anger. She was consumed with a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Clarye prayed fervently, pleading with God for Gavin’s protection. Would Eric be able to calm him down and bring him home so they could get him to a hospital? Everything within her was in a blur. All she could see was the blood. Blood that seemed to have an endless flow had poured from the wound on Gavin’s neck and head.
Clarye called Vita and told her what had occurred. Vita rushed over immediately. The two of them set out to find Gavin and Eric. They called from Vita’s car to Gavin’s car. There was no answer. They went to Gavin’s mother’s house, driving down each side street they could possibly think of on the way. They didn’t see them anywhere. When they made it to Gavin’s mother’s house, they spotted Gavin’s car.
“Clarye,” Rolonda screamed. “We were able to get the keys from Gavin. But then he just took off running.” Lawrence, Rolonda’s husband, had a brother who was a lieutenant on the Memphis police force. She called him to get his help. He went out searching for Gavin too. Eric was left behind at Gavin’s mother’s house. Rolonda said, between sobs, that she would take Eric back to the house.
In the meantime, Jean had left to search for her son herself while Clarye and Vita set out once again to look for him. Clarye felt a sense of nothing
ness and numbness beginning to overpower her spirit.
Pain had returned to her life with a fiery madness. It appeared with a camaraderie of its soldiers.
Vita drove at a snail’s pace, carefully, so that they would not miss spotting Gavin. The unusual sight of deserted streets one after another gave an embedded eeriness around Clarye. Vita had been driving what seemed like forever to Clarye, who was still hysterical, when she looked to the right of her and saw a tall, lean, familiar figure running. It was Gavin. She screamed out.
“Vita. Pull over. Clarye ordered. Vita swerved to the curb. They saw Gavin running hard and fast, bleeding profusely. Vita jumped hastily out of her old, burgundy Cadillac. In Clarye’s haste to reach her husband, she forgot all about her crutches. Her only thought and concern was to reach her beloved Gavin and get him to a hospital.
She hobbled over to him, pleading. “Gavin, sweetheart, please get in the car,” she screamed out to him. ‘We need to get you some help. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see. Come on sweetheart.” But Gavin was in a mad frenzied rage. He rushed passed Clarye as if she were invisible, quickly heading for the acres of abysmal groves of trees surrounding an undeveloped lot. Gavin simply vanished from their sight as he went deeper into the mass acres and acres of forest. Clarye and Vita began calling out to him, not knowing if he was able to hear their cries of panic. They waited and waited but there was no sign of him.
“Clarye,” Vita said in tears herself, “I’m going to take you home. Me and Eric will come back out to search for him, plus the police are out here looking too, Clarye.”
Clarye could not give her a reply. Her strength, her faith, everything was being drained with each second Gavin was not with her. When Vita pulled up into the winding drive of their home, Clarye slowly climbed from the car, hobbling down the concrete path leading to their front door. Eric rushed to the door to greet them, hoping to see Gavin standing next to his mother. When he did not see him, he rushed frantically past Clarye, racing to his car to go back out and search for him, leaving Vita to go out by herself.
Always, Now and Forever Love Hurts Page 17
