Savannah softened her defensive stance. “I guess it does mean that.”
“And in the interest of the child, we all should find a way to get along,” Eva continued.
Savannah dropped her arms. She seemed relieved. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Eva slowly reached in her purse and pulled out a small, white plastic CVS pharmacy bag. “And therefore, I’m hoping you’ll understand when we ask you to take this.” She thrust the bag toward Savannah.
Savannah looked down at the bag, then back up at Eva. “What is that?”
“A pregnancy test,” Dorothy Mae replied. “Just so that we’re all sure you’re really with child.”
Savannah looked at them like they were crazy. She’d totally had enough. “You know what? I don’t need y’all old behinds to be sure about nothing. This is between me and my baby’s daddy.”
Eva nearly had a heart attack at the mention of Terrance as a “baby daddy.”
“So you can take your stupid test and your meddling behinds out of my house,” Savannah continued.
They were interrupted by the sound of knocking on the front door. Savannah turned to the door, irritated that someone else had come to disturb her quiet afternoon.
“That would be Terrance,” Eva said, when Savannah didn’t move. “I asked him to come here.”
Savannah cut her eyes at Eva. “I don’t believe you all,” she mumbled as she stomped over to the door.
“Savannah,” Terrance said, rushing in the apartment. “What’s going on? My aunt Eva said I needed to get over here immediately.” He stopped when he noticed all three of his aunts in the living room.
“What’s going on here?” he asked again, this time looking at each woman.
Savannah slammed her door. “Your aunts are here once again, messing with me.”
He stared at the three women. “For the last time, does somebody want to tell me what’s going on?”
Eva stepped forward. “All we’ve done is asked Savannah to take a pregnancy test to prove she’s really pregnant. That way, we can welcome her into the family.”
“Or show her for the lying, no-good floozy she is,” Mamie mumbled.
“Aunt Mamie!” Terrance admonished before turning back to Eva. “This is insane. First of all, how did you find out about the pregnancy? And secondly, what gives you the right to come over here trying to confirm it?”
“It doesn’t matter how we found out,” Eva replied. “And we want to confirm it because we love you and we want to make sure she is on the up-and-up.”
“It’s not your place to determine who is on the up-and-up for me!” Terrance shouted, anger registering all across his face.
Savannah smirked and Eva wished she could slap her right then. Instead she took a step toward Terrance and calmly said, “I’m sorry you don’t agree with us, baby, but if she really is pregnant, what is the harm in taking the test and proving it to everyone? That way, we can eliminate that doubt—and if you really think about it, you have to have some doubt, too—and we can move forward with welcoming that sweet baby into the world.”
Savannah wanted to throw up at the way Eva was trying to pour it on.
Terrance pushed Eva’s hands away. “It’s not your place to do this!” he yelled. “It’s not your business at all.”
Savannah finally sighed, walked over, and snatched the test out of Eva’s hand. “Forget it, Terrance. It’s not even worth all this. I’ll take the stupid test and once again prove them wrong,” she snapped. “Maybe then, they’ll leave me the hell alone.”
Terrance reached out and grabbed her arm. “Savannah, you don’t have to do this.”
Savannah calmed herself down and forced a smile. “I want to, Terrance. I’m tired of this and I just want them once and for all to let this vendetta against me go.”
She gently removed his hand from her arm. “Just give me a minute.” She glared at Eva, Mamie, and Dorothy Mae one last time before heading to the bathroom.
Terrance sighed as he began pacing back and forth across the room. “I just don’t believe this. I really don’t.”
“I don’t believe you were sleeping with her. And without protection?” Eva snarled.
“It’s none of your business who I’m sleeping with,” Terrance snapped.
“Terrance,” Dorothy Mae said, stepping toward him, her voice calm. “We love you to death. It will always be our business.”
He let out a groan as he buried his face in his hands. He didn’t know what to do about them, but this was the last straw. Silence blanketed the room for the next few minutes until Savannah returned with the pregnancy test and a smirk across her face. “You wanted proof, there’s your proof.” She flung the test at Eva. It hit Eva in the chest and fell to the floor.
Eva slowly reached down and used the tips of her finger to pick up the test. She almost passed out when she saw the two red lines.
Mamie and Dorothy Mae, who were looking over Eva’s shoulder, looked dumbfounded as well.
“Well, what does it say?” Terrance challenged.
None of the women replied.
“It says exactly what I told you it would say,” Savannah replied triumphantly. “I’m pregnant. Now, I know the next issue will be if Terrance is really the father. And I gladly welcome a DNA test.” Words couldn’t describe the way Savannah felt as she took in the astonished looks on their faces.
Mamie snatched the test out of Eva’s hands. “Let me see that.” She stared closer at the little stick. “I think I’m going to be sick. Where’s your restroom?”
Savannah, still wearing her triumphant smile, pointed toward her bedroom.
As Mamie rushed to the restroom, Terrance faced Eva and Dorothy Mae. His voice was remarkably calm. “This was your last time. Your last time harassing my girlfriend.” Eva grimaced at the sound of that. Dorothy Mae rolled her eyes, and Savannah grinned widely. She loved having him refer to her as his girlfriend.
Terrance continued, “As God is my witness, if you don’t stay out of my business, I will have no choice but to put you out of my life.” Anger filled his face.
Eva looked at him in disbelief. “Terrance, you would turn your back on your own family?”
Terrance held his ground. “If family can’t respect my wishes, then yes.” He took Savannah’s hand. “How Savannah and I handle this situation is our business and our business only. Do you understand?”
Eva, whose eyes seemed to be filling with tears, slowly nodded.
“I am so disgusted and disappointed in your behavior, I don’t know what to do,” Terrance added. “I think you owe Savannah an apology.”
Eva had just opened her mouth when Mamie came bursting out of the bedroom. “Don’t apologize! She’s a liar. I knew it, I knew it. She’s a stone-cold liar. Just like we thought!”
Everyone turned toward Mamie, including Savannah, who no longer wore the smirk across her face.
Mamie held up the pregnancy test in one hand and a red pen in the other. “She drew the line!”
“What?” Eva said, stepping forward.
“That’s right,” Mamie excitedly replied. “On pregnancy tests the second line is always lighter than or the same color as the test line. I thought something was fishy because the second line was so dang dark. I went in her bathroom, and lo and behold, this was laying on her bathroom counter.” She shook the red pen.
“You’re insane,” Savannah muttered.
“That’s ridiculous,” Terrance replied. “Haven’t you all caused enough trouble? A pen doesn’t mean she doctored a pregnancy test.”
“Maybe not, but a real positive result wouldn’t smear when you run water over it!” Mamie held the test up to Terrance’s face.
The second window no longer had two lines, but instead one solid test line and blurred red ink in the place of the second line.
“Oh my God.” Dorothy Mae laughed.
“You forget, I used to be a nurse,” Mamie triumphantly said. “I know a fake test when I see one.”
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“Gimme that,” Savannah said, snatching the test. “Get out of my house. I’ve had enough.”
Terrance suddenly looked like he didn’t know what to believe. He stared at the test, which was tightly clutched in Savannah’s hand.
“Terrance, I know you’re not going to believe this nonsense,” Savannah pleaded. “They’re trying everything under the sun to get you to leave me.”
Terrance looked down into her hand. “Let me see that.”
Savannah moved the test behind her back. “Terrance, don’t do this. Your aunt altered the test.”
“We do have another one if you’d like her to take it again,” Eva said. This time, she was the one smirking. “And one of us could stand watch to make sure she doesn’t doctor the test this time.”
Savannah could no longer hold it in. She spun on Eva. “Would you shut up? I’ve never done anything to any of you. Why are you harassing me? I wish all of you would just leave me alone!”
Eva got in her face. “It’s such a shame that you have to stoop so low to try and snag a man.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to stoop to anything if you’d keep your nose out of our business and let Terrance be with who he wants to be.”
Mamie stepped up to Savannah as well. “So you are saying you did stoop to trying to trick him into thinking you were pregnant.”
Savannah looked flustered. “That’s not what I’m saying. I was trying to say…” She stopped and shook her head. “Get out! Get out now!”
Terrance ignored his aunts and stared at Savannah. “Savannah,” he said, his voice firm. “Tell me the truth. Are you or are you not pregnant?”
“Terrance, can we have this conversation after they leave?” Savannah now had tears in her eyes. Everything she’d worked so hard for was crumbling right before her.
“Are you or aren’t you?” Terrance bellowed, catching everyone off guard because it was a tone they seldom heard.
Savannah lost it and burst into tears. “I’m sorry. I…I thought I was…And when I found out I wasn’t, you were talking about plans for our future and I…I couldn’t bring myself to tell you the truth.”
She wanted to kick herself. Why did she let her guard down? Why didn’t she keep her lie going? “Please understand,” she sniffed as she stepped toward him.
Terrance stepped back so she wouldn’t touch him. “You lied? You tricked me?”
He backed up toward the door. Eva eased toward him. “Come on, baby. Better you found out now than later,” she soothingly said. Terrance snatched away from her as well.
“Leave me alone,” he said with a force that frightened her. “All of you, leave me alone.” He looked around the room at all four women. “All of you disgust me.”
Terrance turned and swung the door open, ignoring the calls of each woman as they begged him to come back.
chapter 34
“It’s killing me to not talk to Terrance,” Mamie said, her voice laced with sadness. She, Eva, and Dorothy Mae were at Denny’s having their regular Wednesday-morning coffee.
“Yeah, it’s been almost a week. How long do you think he’s going to stay mad at us?” Dorothy Mae said as she added two teaspoons of sugar to her coffee.
Eva shrugged. “I have no idea. Every time I’ve tried to call or go by his office, he won’t even talk to me. Raquel said to just give him some time. That’s the only good thing in all of this. Him and Raquel seem to be growing closer.”
“You think something’s going on?” Mamie asked.
“Well, I heard through the grapevine that they’ve been spending a whole lot of time together. And truth be told, I think they make the perfect couple. But I wouldn’t know if something is really going on. She’s very protective of him and I can’t get anything out of her, and I dang sure can’t get any information about their relationship.” Eva sipped her coffee. “Ladies, I think we might have really gone too far this time. I’ve never seen Terrance like this.”
“Well, we’ll just have to pray he comes around,” Mamie said.
“We’re still his family, so he will eventually come around. Besides, we have another issue to worry about,” Dorothy Mae added.
“What?” Mamie asked.
“We’re just a few weeks away from the Christmas celebration, and I overheard that same old tired argument from the deacons,” Dorothy Mae said.
“You sure do a lot of overhearing,” Eva snapped.
“Well, it seems to be the only way to find out anything these days,” Dorothy Mae retorted.
“Well, what were they talking about?” Mamie asked.
“The usual. Getting rid of Terrance.”
“This is just crazy. Terrance is good for this church and they want to get rid of him because he’s single,” Eva groaned.
“You know most of them are just old school. They think if you’re thirty and single, something’s wrong. Dang down-low brothers got everybody paranoid,” Mamie said.
“So what are we gonna do?” Dorothy Mae asked, looking at Eva.
“Why do you all always think I have all the answers?”
“Because you usually do,” Mamie replied.
“Well, I don’t this time. I don’t know that I can stop them from getting rid of Terrance. Just like I couldn’t stop him from being with Savannah.” Eva sighed dejectedly.
“Oh, but you did stop him from being with Savannah,” Dorothy Mae said. “He may be mad at us now, but eventually, he’ll thank us for showing Savannah’s true colors.”
“I hope you’re right, little sister,” Eva remarked. “Lord knows, I hope you’re right.”
Savannah took a deep breath. She was standing outside Terrance’s office. She felt like a stalker. She’d sat outside, parked across the street, until she saw that his car was the only one left in the church parking lot.
Terrance wouldn’t take her calls since the disaster at her house last week. He wouldn’t even give her a chance to explain her side of the story.
Savannah was just about to knock on his office door when she heard voices. Who else is in there? she grumbled to herself. Somebody was always in his face. That’s why they couldn’t ever work on their relationship because they were always surrounded by people.
Savannah paused and looked through the cracked door. She didn’t see anyone but Terrance. He was facing the door, on his knees in the middle of the room. His Bible was clutched in his hands and his eyes were closed. He was deep in prayer.
Savannah stepped back. She felt guilty spying on him as he was praying. But something about the intense look across his face drew her back to the door. She strained to hear. Maybe he was asking God for guidance on what to do about her. Please, God, guide him back to me, Savannah silently mumbled.
“…and, Father, I know I come to you almost daily with this, but I need you to deliver me from my guilt,” Terrance prayed.
Deliver him from his guilt. Okay, now he definitely had her interest piqued. She leaned in some more and listened to the rest of his prayer, hoping that no one walked by and caught her eavesdropping.
As Savannah listened, she had to grab on to the doorknob and steady herself. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Terrance? Carrying something like that? Never in a million years would she have thought he was capable of something like that.
She heard him wrapping up his prayer and she quickly walked away from the door. Now she was torn. Should she go in and let him know what she’d heard or wait a few minutes and act like she’d just arrived.
“No, I need to process all of this,” she muttered to herself. “I might be able to use this bombshell to my advantage.”
Savannah quickly tiptoed back out the door, her mind racing. She couldn’t believe what she’d just overheard. Maybe this was God’s way of answering her prayers. She nodded, convinced that it was. And for the first time since Terrance walked out of her life, Savannah felt like they might actually have a chance of working everything out.
chapter 35
Savannah brushed down t
he waist of her chocolate brown wrap dress, then adjusted the opening so that it would show just enough cleavage to let Terrance know what he was missing, but not enough to be trashy.
She’d stored that little bombshell she overheard two days ago in the “last resort” file and was trying everything to win him back fair and square. He hadn’t spoken to her since the whole pregnancy fiasco, other than to reiterate that they were finished.
This was her last attempt to be reasonable with him. He was probably going to be upset with her stopping by his place on a Saturday evening, but this was the only time she knew she could catch him at home. He always dedicated the hours between five and seven to prepare for his Sunday sermon. She’d waited around closer to seven, just to give him time to wrap up. Now that it was just a few minutes before the hour, she was on his doorstep, saying a silent prayer that everything would work out.
Savannah reached up and rang the doorbell. She waited with anticipation as she heard him fumbling toward the door.
The look across his face when he opened the door was exactly what she was hoping he wouldn’t have.
“Savannah, what are you doing here?”
She tried her best to smile. “Hoping you’d found forgiveness in your heart. You know, the forgiveness you preach that we should have for one another.”
“I forgive you,” he said stoically. “I just don’t think it’s going to work between us.”
“Terrance, you have to understand,” she said, beginning the speech she’d rehearsed a thousand times. “I was desperate for you to give me a fair chance, and I knew with all the negativity you were surrounded with, that just wouldn’t happen.”
He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. “So you just decided to lie?”
She lowered her eyes but didn’t respond.
“Look, Savannah,” Terrance huffed in frustration. “What’s done is done. There is no need to rehash all of this.”
She looked him directly in the eyes. “Can I please come in and talk for a moment?”
The Pastor’s Wife Page 13
