Church Boyz 1 (Rod of the Wicked)

by H.H. Fowler

Mount Moriah Youth Hall

  “Welcome to the conclusion of our two-part series, ‘Friends with Benefits’,” Tayah stated. She moved her eyes back and forth over the rows and rows of teens and twenty-somethings, who were packed together like sardines in a can. They thundered their applauses at her announcement. She was surprised at how excited they seemed, considering the drama that exploded at last week’s session. Tonight was different, however, in that her usually calm self, was experiencing a major system crash. As the noise level grew, her words began tripping over each other inside her head.

  “Let’s run with it,” Dominic whispered to her. “They’re ready. No introduction. Let’s hit the Q & A right away.”

  Tayah nodded her agreement before turning back to the crowd. “Who has a question?”

  “I do.” A white kid shot up his hand, twiddling his fat fingers in the air.

  Tayah observed him, thinking to herself that he must be someone’s guest. She’d never seen his face before in any of the forums. Then again, Mount Moriah had so many young people in the congregation that it was hard to keep track of who came and who left.

  “One of the rules of the forum is that we require you to stand and speak into the microphone so that everyone can hear you.”

  “I have no problem with public speaking,” he said, walking toward the podium with an air of confidence.

  Tayah could see that. She handed him the microphone, praying she wouldn’t regret giving it to him.

  “Isn’t Friends with Benefits a film with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis where they come to the conclusion that sex shouldn’t come with so much emotional baggage?” The kid pointed at himself. “For me, I agree with them. I believe two friends could have a sexual relationship without being emotionally attached. It’s sort of like casual sex. Casual sex is just that – casual. Meaning, friends or strangers, only ‘do it’ for physical satisfaction. This is my first time here, I was invited by Eric and Sean Paxton. Now, can you guys convince me why I should not hold strongly to my views?”

  A chorus of oohs and aahs erupted from the crowd as the white kid bopped back to his seat between Sean and Eric, high-fiving them. Tayah shot them a warning stare. She should have known her brothers had pushed that poor boy to do the dirty work, which they themselves didn’t have the guts to do. Her brothers were famous for making her sweat. They knew what she stood for, and yet, they chose to challenge her at every round. She wished Abraham were there to help her and Dominic.

  “Okay, settle down everyone, settle down for a sec,” Dominic said, as he moved his hand up and down in front of the crowd. “Let me get a word in…” He glanced at Tayah and gestured with his eyes that he was going to tackle the first question. He made eye contact with the white kid. “Mind if I ask your name?”

  “Garvin!”

  “Garvin?” Dominic wanted to confirm. “I must say, with an opening like that, I was tempted to call the fire engine.”

  The crowd laughed.

  “But, it’s cool. My young peeps here at Mount Moriah know I love a good challenge, and I hope by the end of this forum we’ll leave here with a greater understanding of the subject we are discussing, and not more confused. Last week; Pastor Abraham went over a lot of stuff, but it would be good to do a short recap for those who weren’t here. So let’s just jump into it. No holding back. Tayah and I are excited to hear from you and to share what we know. This question I’m about to ask comes right on the heels of Garvin’s courageous opening.” He paused for a second, taking in their anticipatory expressions. “What do you think is the reasoning behind this growing phenomenon – ‘Friends with Benefits’?”

  Suddenly it got dead quiet in the room; some were twisting their necks to see who would be the first to burst the dam open.

  “C’mon,” Dominic pushed. “Let’s not all talk at once. Several minutes ago, you guys had this place buzzing.”

  “Okay, I have one,” someone said. “Convenience. We mentioned last week that two people don’t have to go through the whole process of getting to know each other, or trying to impress each other, because they are already friends. If they need a ‘fix’, they just pick up the phone and call. Paraphrasing…”

  “That’s good enough,” Dominic said and then added, “In essence, the whole farce of flirting is taken out of the game. They’re friends and have been friends for a long time, which somehow provides that sense of comfort.”

  “Which spells danger,” someone else said. “I don’t want to have sex with someone I’m too comfortable with. They’d be like family to me and that is just gross. That’s incest, I think.”

  “That’s not incest, stupid,” another joined in. “Hypothetically, I certainly would prefer to be comfortable. Saves time.”

  “Man, you guys are missing the real point of all this,” Garvin said, sitting up. “It’s sex with no strings attached. That’s what it’s all about. I said it a few minutes ago. Who cares about being comfortable? People want easy sex without all this emotional crap. Having sex in a car is not comfortable at all.”

  Tayah frowned at how Garvin made light of such a serious issue. She decided to jump in at this point. “But how do you not grow more attached to the person you’re being intimate with? When sex is involved it is near impossible to keep your emotions out of it.”

  “I speak on behalf of ‘us’ men,” Garvin said, grinning, high-fiving Sean and Eric. “We are only focused on the benefits. That’s the arrangement ‘we’ men agreed to…”

  “And it’s obvious ‘we’ women focus more on the friendship,” Tayah said, giving Garvin and her brothers a disapproving look. If she had her way, she would have separated those three, far away from each other. “That’s where a lot of the problems start. It seems as if women always end up getting the bad end of the stick. Maybe because we’re wired differently, and we tend to express ourselves in ways that sometimes don’t make a bit of sense even to us. I admit we are emotional and most of us are crybabies – occasionally challenged by our insecurities and low self-esteem.”

  Several young girls nodded their heads in agreement.

  “On the flip side,” Tayah continued, “most would agree that men are more physically oriented, and highly visual. Their emotions are not easily moved, or at least they are pros at suppressing them. So when a woman becomes intimate with a man, eventually her heart gets involved. She may not expect this to happen at the initial stage of the agreement, but as long as she remains intimate with that man, her emotions are bound to surface.”

  Tayah paused and looked at Dominic, who subtly encouraged her to stay in the flow. She was passionate about what she did and he didn’t see the need to interrupt her at the moment.

  “Now,” Tayah continued, “the statement I’m about to make means no disrespect to men in general, because I believe that a few good, decent men still exist, but only God knows where they are–”

  Smiles materialized on faces across the room at Tayah’s offbeat humor.

  “I’m kidding, of course, I’m married to a great man,” she said. “But seriously, just take a look at our sex-driven culture today. Would most of you agree that it is easy for a guy to take a woman to bed, and then walk away without looking back?”

  “I disagree,” an Oriental-looking boy said. He had a heavy accent and appeared to be no more than twenty years in age. “I think girls are cruel, and mean, and they never know what in the world they want.”

  “That’s a strong statement, buddy,” Dominic said, taking several steps forward on the platform, standing next to Tayah. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Girls never stay with me. They always leave when I wake up. They never call back either.”

  Those lines, irrespective of how grave the confession was, didn’t go over too well and in response, the crowd threw their heads back in laughter.

  “This is no joke,” the young boy spat. “Girls are worse than us!”

  “Impossible! Something’s probably wrong with you, man.” Garvin said, directing his at
tention to the entire audience. “Not even one stayed? All left? Man, I sure wouldn’t like to be your shoes…”

  The crowd laughed even harder, prompting Dominic to take charge of the noise. “Okay, let us be more respectful. We didn’t come here to make fun, or to pick on each other. This is not what this forum is all about–”

  “Dominic’s right,” Tayah interrupted. “I’m a bit disappointed by the way some of you are behaving tonight, taking a very serious issue, and making light of it. Some of you may never see the harm in this, but I simply believe that this ‘Friends with Benefits’ agreement, or arrangement, or whatever you call it is purely a disguise for friends using each other for selfish reasons, which strictly goes against the principles of Christian living. If you are striving to be a Christian, I feel this should be of no interest to you. Your focus should be on trying to please the one you’ve made Lord over your life.”

  “Okay, I get that,” Garvin said, fighting to keep that smirk of his face. “Your opinion applies to those ‘trying’ to be Christians. What about those who don’t care about being Christians? As far as I’m concerned, I don’t see anything wrong with two friends wanting to make whatever agreement they want. It’s their business and no one has the right to tell them what to do. Who cares whether it works or not?”

  “And you know what? I hear you, man,” Dominic said. “But the real world doesn’t always work like that, does it? There has to be a right way and a wrong way of doing something. There are always consequences for our actions, and sometimes we pay dearly if we fail to make good choices with our lives. And no matter which way you spin it, people get hurt in the process. Listen man, I’m no guru on the subject. I am only twenty-four, but I had a difficult childhood and I’ve done some things I’m not proud of. And up to this point in my life, I’m still wrestling with some things that simply don’t make sense to me. I am a Christian, but that doesn’t mean ‘we’ Christians have it all figured out. Man, I still have challenges with thinking the right things sometimes, especially when I see a well-put-together female walk by…”

  A wave of chuckles rose from the crowd.

  “Hey, I’m serious,” Dominic smiled. “But I’m careful to make decisions that will affect my future for the good. I learned the hard way, but I survived and I’m depending on the grace of God to take me throughout the course of my journey. I try not to judge others, but somehow this is still a big problem for me. Matthew Chapter 7 tells me, Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. Words like that would make me think twice. I said all of that to say this; none of us is perfect, but we must strive to make choices to better our lives and not choices that will destroy it. Personally, I think…”

  As Dominic went on, pacifying the crowd with his easy-going style, Tayah took that time to observe him. Her eyes were incessantly drawn to his taste in fashion, loving the way his cyan patterned shirt matched his dark denims. His clothing not only matched, but it also hugged his sturdy frame in all the right places. It was a fleeting assessment, but she’d caught enough and could tell his gym workouts were paying off. Soon she became conscious of her thoughts, which she wasted no time rebuking. I can’t believe I’m lusting at this man’s body. And he’s not even my husband! Lord, please forgive me…stay holy, Tayah, stay holy.

  More importantly, she appreciated Dominic’s ability to stay focused, despite his disappointment with his mentor. Nonetheless, Abraham would have been proud of him tonight. He handled himself well and she would be sure to tell him so, especially pointing out his choice of scripture. That showed he had some level of maturity and that he was still willing to believe the best about Abraham, even though his perception of the man had been severely tested the last couple of days.

  For her, that scored huge points with her heart. She admired a man who had the capacity to think things through, to examine a situation even when the situation didn’t suit his taste. Thankfully, she perceived, none of it seemed to affect Dominic’s out-going spirit.

  “…once you crossed that line,” Dominic was saying while turning to Tayah. “The old dynamic of that friendship is lost. There is no going back. Tayah you want to add something?”

  “And ruin the mood? No way,” she said, flashing a smile at him. “Let’s just stand and say a word of prayer.”

  9:27 p.m.

  Brenda hurried to her station to answer Leroy’s page on the church’s intercom system. She’d slipped away to the coffee machine for a third refill after he announced that tonight was going to be a long night. A group of pastors and their entourage was flying in from the Bahamas tomorrow and last minute preparations were being handled by the Administration office. Leroy had gotten the schedule mixed up, assuming they’d been booked to come the following weekend. Resting her ‘I love you Jesus’ mug on the desk; she pushed down on a red button and spoke with a sense of urgency.

  “Sorry, sir, I had to get a cup of coffee–”

  “Brenda, do me a favor. As soon as the youth forum concludes, have Dominic come into my office.”

  “Most certainly. I will let him know, sir.”

  “And have you gotten a hold of Abraham? He’s not picking up any of his phones.”

  “No sir, but I will keep trying.”

  “Don’t trouble yourself, Brenda. Thank you.”

  9:49 p.m.

  “Come in Dominic and have a seat,” Leroy said. “I’ve been trying to catch up with you since Sunday.”

  Dominic studied Leroy as he pulled out a velvet-covered chair and eased down on it. The last time he sat in Leroy’s office was when he found out he’d been promoted to Youth Advisor to Abraham. Maybe this time he was about to be slapped upside the head with a demotion– his punishment for creating that scene at the organ.

  “I could hear your heart pumping through your chest,” Leroy said. “Relax, man. I don’t intend to keep you long. How have you been?”

  “Busy with classes and everything,” Dominic said, endeavoring to absorb Leroy’s piercing stare. “You know how it is; it’s nearing the end of the semester.”

  “I was once there,” Leroy smiled. “It could become quite a bit of a challenge. When are your exams?”

  “In two weeks. So you know my face is dropping in the books every night.”

  “That’s what’s required, my boy. Hard work. It sets you apart for greatness.”

  “Yes sir, I believe in hard work…”

  “Just look at this edifice we’ve built,” Leroy said, spreading his hands open. “It’s a symbol of dedication and commitment. I never imagined things would have turned out this way. When I inherited the church from my father, its membership staggered within the low hundreds, with a building that couldn’t hold more than five hundred persons. Now, we have to split the congregation into two services.”

  You have Shaniece to thank for that, Dominic thought. “I agree. The membership has exploded since I’ve started coming here.”

  “And you haven’t seen anything yet, my boy. I have great plans in store for this congregation. In short order we’ll be launching our very own school of Theology. I’ll be flying out to Pittsburg soon to ratify the final documents…”

  Why is he telling me this? He’s beating around the bush. Why doesn’t he just come out and say what is really bugging him? “That’s impressive. Mount Moriah is keeping up with the twenty first century.”

  “Yes, we are quickly becoming the church of choice,” Leroy said, gradually giving in to a few seconds of silence. He kept his eyes glued to Dominic in a way that told Dominic he was about to be put up on the stand. “So, tell me, how’s the mentor program going with Pastor Abraham?”

  Bam! There it was. The real reason why he was summoned to Leroy’s office. “It’s working out I guess,” Dominic said, praying his words didn’t reveal his true emotions. “I haven’t been going to the sessions lately; you know, classes and all–”

  “Yes, you said so. Are you certain that’s all there is to it?”

&nbs
p; “Yes…”

  “I saw you jump off the organ on Sunday and it concerned me. Are you sure everything’s well?”

  No, everything’s not well. Your right hand man is sleeping around with prostitutes. “Yes, I’m sure. I had a crazy morning that day, but I’m okay now.”

  “Good, glad to know.” Leroy extended his right hand toward Dominic. “I’m a man of my word. I don’t see the need to keep you any longer. We’re done here.”

  10:10 p.m.

  “Girl, I thought you were gone a long time. What you still hanging around here for?” Dominic said to Tayah as he returned to the auditorium.

  “I thought you were gone too.” Tayah ended the call on her BlackBerry to give Dominic her full attention. “I’m waiting on Phillip to come. And I’ve been trying to reach him, but his phone seems to be off.”

  “What happened to your car?”

  “Phillip has it. His car is down.”

  “Well, I can give you a ride home if you want.”

  “That’s kind of you, Dominic, but Phillip should soon be here.”

  Dominic folded his arms, and shot Tayah one of those sarcastic stares he was famous for.

  “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

  “How long have you been waiting out here?”

  “Not long–”

  “C’mon, girl. Your man shouldn’t have you standing out here in the wind like this. He should have been here twenty minutes early with the AC piping.”

  “You seem hurt.”

  “Of course I am. What do you expect me to say? I outta’ knock some sense into that bastard.”

  Tayah was failing miserably at suppressing her smile. “Must you show your hatred so blatantly for a man who hasn’t done anything to you?”

  He took you from me,” Dominic thought, as he playfully shook his fists at Tayah. “Oooh, I had to ask the Holy Ghost to hold my tongue. Don’t push me, girl. I wanna stay saved. Stay here, I’ll bring my car around and show Phillip how his woman should be treated.”

  Same Time

  Everywhere was dark; as far as their eyes could see. The plan was to make the warehouse, which listlessly sat behind a string of railroad tracks, appear as if it’d been abandoned. They’d cut the power source, and had jogged back to their hiding spot.

  “I don’t know why I allow you to pull me into foolishness,” Dee whispered, stooping down next to Phillip, who was in Tayah’s Champaign-color Nissan Altima. “If I’d known we’d be killed tonight; I would have left my mother a note.”

  “Shhh, stop rambling,” Phillip told her.

  “I’m not rambling. I’m talking sense. Who’s gonna find our bodies way out here behind these railroad tracks? We’re in the back of God’s back.”

  “This is only gonna take a minute. Then we’re on our way to get a drink.”

  “Drink? What I’m gonna do with a bloody drink with a bullet up my forehead?”

  “Shush it, girl! They’re here.”

  Several yards ahead, a black caddy glided by and stopped in front of the warehouse. The neon lights emanating from beneath the car confirmed to Phillip that the man in the car was Vell Gordon, with whom he’d been transacting business over the phone for the last two years; he was one of his largest financiers. Vell Gordon had come for his money.

  “What if they recognize us sitting here?” Dee said, nervously peeking at the scene in front of her.

  “They will if you keep up this crazy yapping,” Phillip spat. “Relax. We’ll be on our way soon.”

  Phillip was right. The black caddy didn’t stay long. No one had even attempted to get out the vehicle, and just as it had glided in front of them, it glided away from them and out of sight into the black night.

  Phillip sat up and spun the engine. “Let’s get the heck out of here. I have a feeling that they will be back.”

  10:30 p.m.

  “Turn up the volume,” Tayah squealed. “This is our theme song for this year’s volunteer banquet.”

  Dominic crinkled his brows as he swerved over to the left lane to enter I-275. “We Are The World? You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re getting wound-up about this song?”

  “Of course, you are so cruel. Who doesn’t love this song? Everybody loves them some Michael.” Her voice hit the first chord way off key, which starkly reminded Dominic of his experience with A’moree. “Come on, turn it up, turn it up…”

  “Okay, only if you promise you won’t sing along with it. Your voice is dreadful.”

  Tayah blinked away her astonishment. “You did not just go there, Mr. Dominic Housten.”

  “Stay in your calling. Trust me; I’m only helping you out.”

  Tayah chuckled. “You bet. You just love being mean to me, that’s all that is.”

  “Mean? I offered you a ride, didn’t I? Without me you would have been standing outside all by your lonesome self.”

  That last line struck a chord with Tayah, so much so that it wiped that toothy smile right off her face.

  “Me and my stupid mouth,” Dominic had an apology written all over his face. “I didn’t mean it how it came out.”

  “I meant to tell you that you were great with the youth tonight,” she said, making an attempt to change the subject. “I thought you showed a sense of maturity in your delivery.”

  “I’m sorry for what I said…”

  “I know you don’t think the world of Abraham right now, but he would have been proud of you.”

  “Tayah…”

  “You handled yourself like a true champ–”

  Dominic turned down the volume on the radio, searching for the right words to say to the woman who was supposed to have been his wife. “C’mon, girl, talk to me. I know something’s messing with your mind.”

  She placed a hand over her face, willing her tears to remain where they were and not embarrass her by rushing down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe her husband had taken her car and left her stranded on the church grounds. He hadn’t a shred of courtesy. At least, he could have called and let her know what was going on.

  “What if something happened to him?” she said finally.

  “I know that’s your husband, but don’t make excuses for him, Tayah.”

  “I’m not making excuses for him–”

  “Yes, you are, and it peeves the heck out of me – because of the way he’s treating you. You don’t deserve this. He must be out of his mind. Any man would kill to have a woman like you.”

  Somehow, Dominic’s words gave her the comfort she sought, and despite her efforts to hold her tears at bay, they trickled through the spaces between her fingers. “Dominic, I love him so much. I truly love my husband. I just don’t understand why he’s doing this to me. Every night, he comes home past midnight and says he’s been working late, but I know he’s not telling me the truth. We get into it and we argue all night. In the morning, he gets up and leaves before I wake…”

  Dominic clenched his teeth as he listened to Tayah pour out her heart to him. How had Tayah gotten herself hitched to a heartless prick like Phillip? She was so not his type. Her life was being wasted over that fool. And sitting, listening to the pain in her voice –the one woman who would have been the right fit for him, was pushing all of the wrong buttons in him. The way he felt at the moment, only the hands of God could stop him from clubbing Phillip upside the head.

  About twenty miles later, he eased his car to a stop in front of a two-story condominium. Everything was nicely manicured. He killed the engine, cracking open the windows. By that time, however, Tayah’s sobs had diminished to quiet sniffling.

  “I am so embarrassed,” she said. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  “This is me, Tayah. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  “You’re a good friend, Dominic, but I shouldn’t have burdened you with my problems like that.” She looked through the window, noticing that the space where she normally parked her car was empty. “He’s not even home.”

  “I
’m not surprised. Do you want me to wait?”

  “Are you crazy? I don’t need to be caught in the middle of anything tonight. You know how Phillip feels about our friendship.”

  “Why did you marry him, Tayah? And I don’t believe it’s because you love him.”

  “What other reason is there? Please, don’t hurt your head over this one, Dominic. I’ll be fine.”

  “Really? Somehow, I don’t believe you.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” Tayah told him.

  As soon as she disappeared behind the walls of her home, Dominic’s phone buzzed, indicating someone had just sent him a text. He didn’t recognize the number, but it was quite obvious who it was after he read the first line –

  Hi, gorgeous. I’m just apologizing for acting like a moron earlier. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I pray you won’t hold this one against me. By the way, I’m a swim instructor. I was thinking, maybe I could make this up to you somehow…call me, boo.

  Boo? Trouble, trouble, trouble. That was the only thing that crossed Dominic’s mind as he joined the light traffic heading north to I-75. Spending time with A’moree was like a disaster waiting to happen. He loved his boy Sanchez, but as long as his sister stayed in his place, Sanchez wouldn’t be seeing much of Dominic.

  Chapter Twenty-One