The Future of My Past

by Veronica Faye

  “I know you, Dr. Earls. You don’t like the fact that people care more about making money than helping the less fortunate. Especially a couple who are supposed to be helping others as well as spreading God’s word.”

  “From what I can tell,” Dr. Earls replied, “they are lining their pockets. That outreach program they have appears to only help people they know. I have been told by some of the members who attend that getting help from them is like pulling hens’ teeth. There are a lot of stories about long-time members not receiving help to pay a utility bill because their offerings were not current. If they could afford to give on Sundays, they wouldn’t be asking for help. The Days and their inner circle of deacons and trustees will take trips to Africa and the Caribbean, supposedly to help the poor in what they call their outreach programs to the third world. To those who don’t know Christ. What about the people in this city, in their own community? There are many who don’t have a spiritual conviction, who could use their help. The men who leave prison to start a new life on the outside are some of the people who need this help. I am sick and tired of seeing these religious corporations—and that is what they are—taking advantage of the poor and those who seek spirituality and guidance from those who claim to have been called. My question is, who exactly called them? From what I hear, Satan also has a direct line to mankind.”

  “I see that you still have very strong opinions about religion, Dr. Earls.”

  “I find,” he responded, “that religious people tend to follow the messenger, and spiritual people tend to follow the message.”

  “May I ask why you are willing to extend the olive branch to the church, feeling the way you do about them? Is it a chance to work with Tabitha Day? Do you still have feelings for her?”

  “That is the Gemini that I know and love. You don’t pull any punches. The answer to that is no, those feelings for her died long ago when I found out that she was shallow and filled with blind ambition. She would have sold her soul to get where she is now. That is why I called off the engagement.”

  “But the papers stated that she called off the engagement and married the pastor six months later.”

  “To save face, she told people and the press that she ended the relationship, and I never stated anything differently. Tabitha is a very vain woman; she couldn’t let anyone know that I ‘dumped’ her. The pastor was waiting in the wings—he’d always been in love with her, and his father, Du’Marcus Day Sr., was supportive of the match. Her parents were wealthy and contributed a large sum of money to the church for years until they died. Tabitha saw a chance to become rich and famous, and the pastor’s son was her ticket. I don’t think she ever loved him; I don’t think she is capable of loving anyone. She started making plans for my future before we were engaged. She is very controlling and vindictive and has an unforgiving spirit. I think that the fight I am having with them stems from her hatred of me. She has never forgiven me for ending the engagement. I did love her very much, but I came to the realization that there would be no future for us. I wasn’t as ambitious as she wanted me to be. She made plans for the wedding. I was going to work for her father’s cousin Stanley Coleman, the real estate mogul, become a vice president in the company, and when the old man retired, I would become president. Mr. Coleman never had children, and her plan was to have me become his successor. The trouble started when she found out that her plans were not my plans. I never wanted that world, and I told her that many times. But she had her own plans, and it didn’t matter what I said.”

  “How long ago was that?” Gemini asked.

  “Two years before I met Aurelia Christine.”

  “How is Miss Aurelia Christine? Why didn’t she join us? I would have loved to have seen her.”

  “She is fine. Right now she is over in Africa, helping to start a clinic in one of the villages in Ghana. I was supposed to join her next week, but those plans have changed now that I have this fight on my hands.”

  “Sounds as if you have your work cut out for you, and the need for an attorney is long overdue. I checked around and was told that Sidney Ingram is the best.” Gemini reached in her purse and handed her mentor a card with the name and contact information of the attorney. “Tell him that I suggested you consult with him. And if you need help financially, please don’t hesitate to ask. I owe you my life, so this is the least that I can do.”

  “The only thing you can do for me is to answer the question I asked you years ago: What is the future of your past?”

  “I don’t know, Dr. Earls…I honestly don’t know at this point. But I can tell you this: The waitress is coming to the table with our food. I know the future of my meal! I hope you enjoy.”

  The two continued to talk about old times while they were enjoying the seafood gumbo, the wicked chicken salad, and the peach cobbler for dessert. For a moment, Gemini forgot about her troubles and enjoyed the company of the man who “saved her life.”

  chapter four

  Tabitha Day entered Lakeshore Hotel, as she did every Wednesday, dreading the afternoon. But this is the arrangement that Councilman Cedric White had made, assuring her that she would get what she wanted. Of course, she would be getting the land to build her studio, but more importantly, she was finally going to get even with Rodney Earls—the man she hated more than anyone or anything in life. Her stupid pious husband, “Dee,” as she called him, was next on her list.

  She couldn’t stand her husband, the honorable pastor Du’Marcus Damon Day, but he was rich, powerful, and had one of the most-watched television evangelistic programs on the air. He’d been content for years preaching to his home flock, but under her influence had gotten into the media. She couldn’t stand her in-laws either, but she’d been putting up a good front all these years, and her in-laws adored her. They were just as naïve and stupid as her husband, but they were rich and had been grateful for the success of their son. They, too, had been content with preaching to small-town suckers.

  She walked past the hotel desk and took the elevator to the tenth floor for her afternoon “chore.” She couldn’t stand the thought of spending the afternoon with this fat, greasy man who smelled of ribs and collard greens. But he was going to give her what she wanted, and that was worth the two months she had to endure his lovemaking, if you wanted to call it that.

  While he was on top of her pumping away, she would think about the man she really wanted. They were going to build a movie empire together. It was agreed that they would divorce their mates, and then her dream would finally become a reality. She would wait until her father-in-law and his business associates invested in her movie studio before she dumped her idiot husband. She tried to wait until both of his parents died, and her husband, being an only child, would inherit everything. But they appeared to be in good health and who knows how long they had left. She wasn’t going to wait any further; she couldn’t stand them, and she could only hold in her contempt for so long.

  She had never known a man like the one she was in love with. He was exciting, handsome, and talented. The kind of man that had vision, and she was going to harness that vision to build her empire. She would never be as small as the Church of Divine Favor. This was the church that her mother dragged her to for the purpose of meeting the young, up-and-coming pastor who eventually became her husband.

  Her breakup with Rodney Earls had been painful, and Tabitha vowed she would never give her heart to anyone again. Her father wanted to have him severely beaten for the breakup, but she had other plans for Rodney Earls; she was going to make him suffer, but she would bide her time.

  Her mother’s plan from the beginning was for Tabitha to meet the young minister, because she wanted her husband all to herself. Well the laugh was on her, because Tabitha’s father suffered a heart attack and died shortly after she and Pastor Day were married. So, the old fool didn’t get her man to herself after all. What made matters worse was that he left most of the insurance money to
Tabitha. Her mother was left with the house, both cars, and the boat that her father had purchased shortly before he died. He had two insurance policies—one for Tabitha, and one for her mother, but Tabitha’s was the largest.

  She remembered the day the insurance man presented them with their checks. Tabitha received $100,000, and her mother received $25,000. That severely damaged their relationship, but that didn’t bother Tabitha at all. She never liked her mother and never understood what her father saw in her, until an aunt told her that her mother had become pregnant with Tabitha, and the family forced her father to marry her. It was said that Tabitha’s maternal grandfather was just as notorious, if not more, than her father. That is why he married her mother; he knew a real threat when he heard it. It was a loveless marriage, and her mother embraced the church for comfort.

  She found herself sitting next to her mother in church and caught the young Pastor Day staring at her. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy; in fact, he was sort of cute. She decided to stare back and winked her eye at him. She laughed to herself when he jumped in his seat. It was obvious that he was attracted to her.

  She listened to the choir yell and holler three songs. Then Pastor Day got up to preach. She had to admit that he was electrifying on the podium. He had the whole church shouting, and it appeared that he was sincere about what he was saying.

  People were up shouting, dancing, stomping, the organ was banging, and if she didn’t know she was at church, she would think she was in a nightclub. Then something happened quite unexpectedly; he ran down from the pulpit and walked directly in front of her. He kept preaching, but he was looking directly at her as if he wanted to show her what he was all about. And she knew that if she wanted him, she could have him.

  And when she saw how much money the church collected after he finished his sermon, she knew she would marry him. She hadn’t been touched by a divine spirit; she had been touched by all the money they were going to make. The hurt and pain of her breakup with Rodney had been placed on hold. She had a purpose, and that purpose was to be rich!

  They were married six months later at the Church of Divine Favor. Six months after she became Mrs. Du’Marcus Day, the senior pastor was fired after it was rumored that he had seduced a young woman. Of course, the thousand dollars Tabitha paid the young woman to come forward helped her cause a lot. The church appointed her husband as the new pastor, and Tabitha began to work her plan.

  Five years later, the Church of Divine Favor was the most successful church in the area, with over two thousand members blindly devoted to her husband. This was exactly want she wanted. She was their beloved first lady, and she had nothing but contempt for them. If they only knew what big fools she thought they were. But religion was big business, and she was getting richer and richer. Her poor, naïve husband loved the congregation and worked long hours with his ministry. She worked the business side of the church and had gained the respect of most of the deacons and trustees. Truth be told, they were as ambitious and greedy as she was. She had come to terms with her greed long ago, a lesson taught to her by her father. “There are suckers around every corner just waiting to be sucked dry,” he once told her. At her insistence, the church was renamed The Fishers of Men Community Church. It had a more inclusive ring to it.

  Tabitha’s mother came to live with them last year. It was her husband’s idea. He felt they were responsible for the care of the elderly. Tabitha could care less; after all, her mother didn’t give a rat’s behind about her. She was jealous because Tabitha had been the center of her father’s universe, and she took advantage of it every time she got the chance. She did insist that her mother sell the house and deed the boat to them. The cars weren’t in good condition by the time her mother came to live with them, so they were “donated” to the church and were used by some of the staff.

  Pastor Day’s radio and TV ministries were gaining popularity among those who preferred to stay at home and receive the anointing of the Lord. The money that came into their church from mail alone was enough to build their new house and buy the summer home in Wisconsin. Her father owned land there, and she did her mother a favor and bought it from her. It was below the asking price, of course, but her mother was struggling on her fixed income and jumped at the chance for more money.

  “I have never met a woman like you, Tabitha. I really enjoy our Wednesday afternoons,” Councilman White said, lying next to her, sweating like a pig.

  Tabitha hated this man, but if she had to sleep with all the councilmen in the city of Gary to get what she wanted, she would.

  “I’m glad you are pleased. I like it when we both get what we want,” Tabitha replied. She then reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her purse. Inside was an envelope that she took out and gave to the councilman. The envelope contained the five thousand dollars they had agreed upon to get his vote at the next city council meeting.

  “I trust this will end our Wednesday afternoon visits, Cedrick,” she said as she handed him the envelope.

  “Aww, I thought you were enjoying this as much as I am,” the councilman replied. “I like this arrangement and I think it should continue.”

  Did he think he was going to blackmail her into continuing this farce? She was sick of him, and it was time for her to show him just who he was dealing with.

  “I don’t think Mrs. White would appreciate your cheating. And the photos of you would certainly give her grounds for a divorce. What would that do to your re-election efforts in November?” Her statement caused the councilman to sweat more. His face also turned red, and as he jumped out of the bed, Tabitha thought he looked like a piggy bank she had as a child. It made her laugh.

  “What photos, Tabitha? I know you didn’t take photos of us—when did you have time? I would know, since we are the only ones who know about this.”

  “You better check all of the contents of that envelope before you start mouthing off to me,” Tabitha replied.

  Inside the envelope, besides the five thousand dollars, were pictures of the councilman naked as the day he was born, in a bed that his wife would recognize as theirs. There was an unidentified woman lying next to him. Tabitha wasn’t the only woman who was giving him favors. The detective she’d hired had done a great job getting those pictures. The five hundred dollars she’d paid for the photos was worth the money.

  “Why, Cedrick, you’ve been cheating on me, and I don’t like it one bit. Being the understanding woman that I am, I’m going to overlook this. But I’m afraid the time has come for us to move on. And by the way, I’ll hang on to the negatives until after the vote.”

  “What the hell are you paying me five thousand dollars for if you are going to keep the negatives until after the council meeting?”

  “For your campaign, of course. Wouldn’t want to lose your support,” Tabitha said, as she dressed to leave. “Now if I were you, I would take some of that money and buy that wife of yours a present. Maybe take her on a trip to a fat farm. The two of you can go as a couple!”

  And with that, Tabitha Day walked out of the hotel room, leaving the councilman naked and speechless.

  She didn’t notice that she was being watched as she walked towards her car, got in, and drove off. The surveillance continued until she made it back to the church.

  ---

  Gemini

  I spent most of the evening with Dr. Rodney, and I felt good about things for the first time in weeks. We agreed to meet again, mainly because being with him was therapeutic to me, and I think my presence helped him as well.

  I was still thinking about the fight that he was having with the Days, and I felt very uneasy about it. I have never met them, but the pictures that I have seen show a man that appears to be sincere in his mission for God. However, I didn’t get the same impression about the first lady. I had the feeling that this fight was for revenge on her part, and that if the pastor and Dr. Rodney were to talk one-on-one, they would
find that they were in agreement over what should be done with the land across from the church.

  I somehow felt that Tabitha Day is the one behind this fight, and that it is personal because she never got over the fact that Dr. Rodney ended their relationship. She must have really loved him, but she wanted her way as far as how he was going to spend his future.

  Charlie was waiting for me, as were three phone messages. I gave Charlie his toy and opened the back door for him to go to the backyard to play. I then retrieved my messages.

  The first one was from Enoch, asking me to meet him. He would get back with me as soon as the arrangements could be made for the meeting. As he didn’t leave a number, I would just have to wait.

  The second call was from Nathan St. James, asking me to meet him at Club Escapades. He was extending the olive branch to me. It had been a while since I last saw him, and I must admit I did not miss him. Whatever attraction I had for him was vanishing, and I was glad about that. He was married and was never going to leave his wife. Not that I wanted him to. I don’t think I could live with the knowledge that I’d come between a husband and wife. I know there are some who wouldn’t bat an eye about it, but I am not one of those women.

  The third call came from Quinn, asking me to come into the office. He needed to speak with me about a possible date for my return. He also informed me that Bookie was leaving the firm at the end of the month. He would explain when I came in.

  I stared at the phone for sometime after Quinn hung up. I was in shock and felt a sense of guilt at the same time. I was sure that Bookie was leaving because of me and my craziness. I love Bookie, but I know there is no future for us. The difference in our ages is an issue for me. Bookie is young enough to want and have children, while I was told I could never have another child. My emotional issues may not be a problem now, but in the long run, my constant meltdowns would be an issue. The stress of my career makes me vulnerable for meltdowns. I wouldn’t want that burden on anyone that I cared about. I had to admit that this is the main reason why I have remained alone. If I were to enter a relationship, it would have to be with a man who has a great amount of patience and understanding. Someone who has traveled the same road.