Delilah (10 page)

Samson sighed when Delilah left instead of standing in the receiving line like some of the other patrons. He pretended not to see her wave at him. He smiled at his wife who was going to make a good first lady. They attempted to thank everyone personally as they made their way through the line.

Calvin and Michelle walked up to the couple. “I guess we'll be seeing a Samson Junior running around here in about nine months,” Calvin said.

Julia's smile vanished. Michelle said, “Calvin, you need to shut up sometimes.”

Samson attempted to diffuse the situation. “Man, give us some time to ourselves. We have plenty of time for kids. Right, baby?” He placed his arm around Julia and pulled her to him.

“Right,” she responded. Her smile seemed forced.

Samson and Julia retreated to his office. He removed his robe. “That went well, don't you think?” he asked as he hung up his robe.

“I guess.” Julia walked to the window. People could be seen talking and getting into their cars.

Samson walked up behind her. “Service was good. Michael's doing an outstanding job. I won't be surprised if someone doesn't call him to pastor his own church soon.”

“Why didn't you wave back at her?” Julia asked.

Samson pretended not to know the identity of “her.” “Baby, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about.”

“You didn't see Delilah when she waved at you?”

“No,” he lied.

Julia rolled her eyes and turned away. “I thought after we married, I wouldn't have to worry about her. Man, was I wrong.”

“You're the only one fixated on her. I told you there wasn't and never will be anything going on between Delilah and me.”

Julia turned and faced Samson. “That's what your mouth says, but your body says something totally different.”

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. “Come in,” Samson yelled.

“There goes my favorite couple,” Kelly said as she entered. She hugged the newlyweds.

“Ms. Kelly,” Julia stated.

“It's Mom now,” Kelly corrected her. “Will I be seeing y'all for dinner?”

“Mom, I think we'll pass on dinner today. Samson and I want more alone time.”

“Oh, I get it.” Kelly winked her right eye. “Julia, call me so we can catch up later this week.”

“I took a short leave of absence from my job, so we'll talk later,” Julia responded. As soon as Kelly was out of the door, Julia said, “Samson, I'm supposed to be this happy, glowing bride, but look at me.”

“Baby, we can get through this. Tonight. Watch.”

Julia laughed. “I heard that for an entire week. I waited two years.” She held up two fingers. “Two years to marry the man of my dreams, and he couldn't get it up. Do you know how that makes me feel?”

Samson started to reach for her but stopped when she wrapped her arms around herself. “I'm sorry. I prayed and…” his words trailed off.

“And what, Samson? You prayed to God that you would be able to perform for your wife? This is embarrassing.”

“Nobody has to know but us.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “Come on. Let's go. I don't want to talk to anyone else.”

Samson followed Julia out of his office. Julia plastered on a fake smile while they greeted a few people who were hanging around the church as they made it to their car. Her smile left her face as soon as they were seated behind the tinted windows of Samson's SUV. Julia looked out the window the entire trip home. Samson, left with his own thoughts, felt bad. They had been married a week and one day, but due to his impotence, they had not consummated their marriage.

The silence between them remained after they got home. Samson spoke first and asked, “What do you want for dinner?”

“Whatever you want. I'm going to take a nap. Just wake me up when you get back from wherever you decide to go.”

Samson tried to be understanding about Julia's frustrations, but she didn't have to be so cold toward him. He changed into a pair of jeans and a button-down starched shirt. He thumbed through the flyers from different dining spots he had in his kitchen drawer. He decided to drive to the other side of town and get some barbeque from Uncle Buck's.

“Isn't that your pastor?” he heard someone say from behind him as he stood in line at Uncle Buck's and placed his order.

“Hey, Pastor,” Delilah said.

Samson bit his bottom lip. He turned around and greeted Delilah and the woman with vibrant red hair.

Delilah said, “This is my best friend Keisha.”

“I've heard so much about you,” Keisha took the liberty of saying.

“All good I hope,” he responded.

Keisha looked at Delilah and smiled. “Where's your bride?” Delilah asked.

Samson had no business talking to Delilah, but he answered, “At home taking a nap.” The line was getting longer behind them. “Ladies, I'll let you place your orders. Looks like we're holding up the line.”

Samson took a seat in the back corner as he waited on his food. He pulled out his cell phone and started playing a game. “I'm surprised she let you out of her sights,” Delilah said as she slipped in the chair at his table. Keisha sat at another table.

“We're married, not in bondage.”

“Mmhmm. So how was the Bahamas? Or did you stay in the room the whole week and not get a chance to take in the sights?” Delilah's perfume filled his nostrils to the point of being overpowering.

“My relationship is not up for discussion,” Samson said.

“Sort of testy. You would think that after a week of consummating your marriage, you wouldn't be so tense.” Delilah seemed to be teasing him.

“Pastor Judges, your order is ready,” the cashier yelled over the noise.

Samson slid out from his chair. His leg grazed against Delilah's thigh as he tried to get by her. “See you.”

He grabbed his food and sped home. Julia was still sleeping when he arrived. He woke her up and, although she still was a little reserved with him, they talked as they ate dinner. Afterward, they cuddled and watched a couple of movies.

Later that night, back in the bedroom, Samson disappointed Julia again. Frustrated, Julia turned her back to Samson. When he reached for her, she moved closer to the edge of her side of the bed. Samson couldn't believe how things were turning out. He closed his eyes and thoughts of seeing Delilah earlier that day filled his head. He felt his body begin to respond to the thoughts. He screamed internally,
Noooo
. Was his body was trying to tell him something again?

Delilah squeezed her pillow. The dreams of Samson soon turned to nightmares as she fought the evil witch of the south—Julia. In her dreams, Julia got to walk away with the grand prize. Delilah held a consolation prize: a box that made an annoying buzzing noise. The sound of the phone ringing jolted Delilah out of her sleep. “I'm coming,” Delilah yelled, as she reached over to answer the phone. “Hello,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“Rise and shine, sweetheart,” William said.

She stretched and sat up in bed. “What time is it?”

“It's time for phase two. Now get your butt out of bed and start earning the money I paid you.”

Delilah's eyes adjusted to the daylight. She glanced at the clock. “William, it's just seven in the morning. There's nothing I can do this early.”

“I saw your boy on TV, so I know he's back from his honeymoon. I'm giving you two weeks to get something on him that I can use.”

Delilah attempted to go back to sleep after hanging up with William, but sleep evaded her. She tossed the comforter to the side and started her morning ritual. She put her coffee on, showered, and then ate her breakfast while reading the
Shreveport Times
. Out of habit, she checked the obituaries. She never knew her father, but her mother had given her his name. She checked the paper every day to see if his name was listed.

A part of her blamed her deadbeat dad for the life she'd led. If he hadn't abandoned her mother when she was born, they might not have been forced to live in the projects. Her mom worked for a wealthy white family and cleaned their house for lackluster pay. Her mom literally worked herself to death. The day the police stopped by the apartment with a social worker to tell Delilah the news is the day something inside her died. At that point, the ten-year-old girl felt like she had no reason to live. Placed in foster care, Delilah got moved from house to house due to her bad-girl ways.

No one heard the cries when some of her foster parents took advantage of her physically and abused her mentally. The last time she tried to seek help from an adult, her foster parent beat her into silence. When she turned sixteen, she ran away and lived on the streets. An elderly woman with bluish gray hair found her stealing food from her garage. Ms. Shadows took Delilah in, fed her, and clothed her. She was thrilled when Ms. Shadows worked it out with the state and became her foster parent. For a year, Delilah felt happy. Ms. Shadows didn't have much, but the little she had she freely shared with Delilah. Ms. Shadows dressed her up and took her to church weekly, and rarely would she find the woman without her Bible.

She lost hope again the day she walked home from school and found Ms. Shadows permanently asleep in her rocking chair. The paramedics had to pry Delilah away from the woman's body as she hugged her tight, refusing to let go. “
Don't leave me too, Ms. Shadows
,” Delilah had said.

No one cared about the skinny teenager with thick wavy hair. She was now seventeen—too old for the system and not old enough to be the head of household on her own case file. With no one to support her and a need to survive, Delilah got a fake ID and started dancing at an area strip club when she overheard some women brag about how much money they made.

At first she didn't make much money, but when Mercedes, one of the highest paid strippers in the club, took her under her wings, it didn't take Delilah long to learn the tricks of the trade. She made enough money to rent out Ms. Shadows' house from her surviving relatives, and she lived there until Ms. Shadows' nephews decided to sell the house.

As she got older, Delilah realized she wouldn't be able to make money with her body for the rest of her life, so, like Mercedes, she enrolled at one of the local colleges. That's when she ran into Keisha. Keisha remembered her from her old neighborhood, and their friendship rekindled.

She had to credit Keisha for getting her away from the nightlife because she didn't have the courage to leave it on her own. Keisha not only encouraged her, she helped Delilah get a regular job. The pay was far less than what she was accustomed to making, but the benefits outweighed the pay. She no longer had to deal with men who fawned over her like she was a piece of meat.

Delilah would never admit to Keisha that with stripping she offered other services on the side. Those services were the ones that William had found out about. How, she didn't know. She never mentioned any of it when she applied for a job at Trusts Enterprise. Making twenty dollars an hour at a regular job was a dream come true for her; little did she know that it would come with a price.

The water in the shower turned lukewarm, bringing Delilah back to the present. Through most of her twenties, Delilah lived the fast life filled with men, money, and booze. Whenever Delilah felt she'd turned her life around for the better, something evil lurked and attempted to draw her back in. Her life always seemed to spiral out of control. This time, though, she had come too far to lose it all. She had lost Samson. Could she afford to lose her soul as well?

Samson and Julia's honeymoon ended before it ever got started. Only two days back from their trip to the Bahamas and Julia was giving him the cold shoulder. Disappointed in how his married life had started, Samson headed to the altar as soon as he got to church Monday morning.

“Father God, I come to you with a humble heart.” Samson prayed for the sick and shut-in. He ended his prayer on a personal note. “I know my actions before I got married were not pleasing to you. I don't want my wife to pay for the sin I committed. Please restore me physically so that I can please my wife in every way possible.”

Samson ended his prayer and slowly made his way toward his office.

Elaine, sitting at her desk, greeted him when he entered. “Pastor Judges, William Trusts called.”

William was the last person Samson wanted to talk with. “If he calls again, don't take a message.”

Samson sat in front of his computer and got caught up with his e-mails. Many of them were congratulatory messages from other ministers and people he knew who were unable to come to the wedding.

Elaine stepped in his office. “I have a doctor's appointment at one o'clock, so I probably won't be back today. Is there something you want me to do before I leave?”

“Just leave the door open. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Trusts called again, so you might want to look at the caller ID before answering the phones.”

“I'll let the calls go to voice mail, and you can check them tomorrow.”

“I'm out,” Elaine said before closing the door behind her.

“What in the world?” Samson said as he clicked on an e-mail in his inbox. A video of Delilah swinging around a pole played. At the bottom of the e-mail, the note read, “Can your wife do this?”

The e-mailer with the name of “Deedancer” sent him an instant message. “I see you got my e-mail.”

“Delilah, anybody could have checked my mail.”

Delilah responded: “But they didn't. Do you miss me yet?”

Samson typed, “Unless it's church-related, I suggest you don't e-mail me.”

“You never did answer my question.”

Samson hated to admit it, but he did miss Delilah. He missed how her back arched when they made love. He was tempted to watch the video she sent again.

“How have you been?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.

“As well as can be expected after losing the man I love,” she responded.

Samson hated that he had to hurt Delilah, but he didn't love her. He was now married, and she would have to move on. “Other than that, how have you been?”

“Do you really want to know?” she asked.

“I sincerely want you to be okay, Delilah.”

“Well, I've been having nightmares lately. I've tried to forget my past, but the dreams won't let me.”

“Set up an appointment, and I'll have one of the associate pastors talk with you about it.”

“Can you do it?”

“Now, Delilah, you know our track record.”

“I promise I won't try anything.”

Samson wasn't worried about Delilah. He was more concerned about how his wife would react if she found out he was counseling Delilah, especially in light of the problems they were having in the bedroom. “Delilah, I won't be able to do it.”

“Please,” she wrote, adding a few frowning faces for effect.

Samson felt torn between his pastoral duties and his responsibility as a husband. He had prayed about Delilah and felt he was strong. He would not allow the devil to win. “I have an opening this evening at four, but I have to be out of here by five,” he typed.

“I'll be there.”

“Hi, hubbie,” Julia said. She entered his office holding two brown bags.

“What a surprise.” Samson remained sitting as he determined Julia's mood. Julia shortened the distance between them.

Julia removed two plastic containers from the bag and placed one in front of him. “I know I haven't been the nicest person to live with, so this is a peace offering.”

Samson turned the monitor off. “My favorites.”

“I know how you love my mama's macaroni and greens, so I bribed her into cooking it for you.”

“I'll have to call my mother-in-law to thank her.”

“She put you some peach cobbler in there too.”

“I married the wrong Rivers.”

“Watch it now,” Julia said.

For the first time in days, they were actually laughing again.

“I left my phone in the car. Can I use your computer to check my e-mail?” Julia asked.

“Uh, well I was in the middle of doing something. Can it wait?” he asked.

“It'll only take a minute.”

Samson had to think fast. He felt around on the floor for the plug. Julia moved the mouse around. The screen remained blank. Samson's heart rate increased. His foot hit the button on the power plug at the same time Julia hit the power button on the monitor.

“What's wrong with your computer?” she asked.

“It has a mind of its own sometimes.” Samson used his foot to turn the power back on. The computer beeped. “See. It's working now.”

“I'll check them later. I told your mom I would meet her.”

“You sure? Because it's not going to take long to log back on.”

“I'm sure. I'll see you tonight at home,” Julia said. She kissed him and left his office.

Samson didn't exhale until Julia had left his office. He logged back on to his account. Delilah had logged off. He sent her an e-mail canceling their four o'clock session. He didn't know what he was thinking making plans to see Delilah without anyone else being in the office. The two of them alone equaled trouble.