Flawfully Wedded Wives (22 page)

 

“So you've finally stopped avoiding me, I see,” Mark commented as Reginell joined him at their restaurant table after finally agreeing to meet with him following two weeks of dodging him.

“I couldn't face you,” she admitted. “The only reason I'm doing it now is that I miss you so freakin' much. I had to see you, even if it's for you to say good-bye.”

“I've missed you too, probably more than you realize.”

“Mark, baby, I'm so sorry. I should've told you I'd started back dancing. Better yet, I shouldn't have done it at all. I know that now. I hope that you can forgive me.”

He reached for her hand. “Reggie, tell me why you started back stripping. Why didn't you think you could tell me about it?”

“I started back for the most obvious reason. I needed the money.”

“I would've helped you out with the bills if you'd asked me to.”

“I know, but I didn't want your money. I wanted to be able to pull my own weight in this relationship, not depend on you for everything.”

“It's not about what's yours and what's mine. We're supposed to be a team.”

She looked down. “The money wasn't the only thing, though. Mark, do you remember that night when we went to that retirement banquet?”

“Yeah.”

“I felt so out of place there. I've never felt like that before, and I never want to feel that way again.”

“Reggie, I told you not to worry about what those women had to say.”

“But it wasn't about them. This was about me not accomplishing anything in my life worth talking about. One thing I do know is that I'm a good stripper. Dancing makes me feel like at least I've accomplished something. It might not be much in anybody else's eyes, but it's all I've got. It's the only time people pay me any attention.”

“You've got your singing.”

“Have you been to open mic night, Mark? Nobody is paying much attention to that, either.”

“Your time will come, babe.”

“I know, but it won't if I don't start making some changes first. When I was stripping back in the day, it really didn't bother me too much . . . didn't bother my conscience, I mean. This time was different.”

“What do you mean?”

“It just felt like it was beneath me, like I can do better than that. I don't want to have to strip or wait tables or live below my potential. I need to get out and make something of myself. My career in music may take off. It may not. I've got to have something else to fall back on. I think I should start by going back to school. I applied to college today.”

“That's awesome, Reggie. I'm proud of you.”

“I said I
applied.
That doesn't mean I'm going to get in,” she pointed out.

“Yes, you will. I know it.”

Reginell smiled. “You've always had more confidence in me than I have in myself.”

“That's because I see what the rest of the world doesn't. Reggie, you've got potential you haven't even dreamed about. You just have to go for yours and not let anybody, including yourself, stop you.”

“You're right. Before, I didn't understand why Lawson told Garrett no the first time he proposed. She kept saying she needed to find Lawson before she could be Mrs. Banks. I think I get it now. You have to be whole alone before you can become someone's other half.”

“Those are some wise words, Miss Kerry, and I'm not saying that because I'm madly in love with you.”

“After all this, you still love me?”

“I will always love you, Reggie.”

“I love you too, Mark. I love you enough to want to be a better person for you.” She slipped off the princess-cut solitaire engagement ring Mark had given her. “I should give this back to you until I'm ready to be a wife and until I can present myself as the kind of woman you deserve and can be proud of.”

“Reggie, that's your ring.”

“Oh, I know!” she stated. “I'm just letting you hold it until I'm really ready for it.”

“So you're not breaking up with me, then?”

“Not unless you're breaking up with me.”

Mark leaned across the table to kiss her. “Not a chance, woman, but I want you to be happy with yourself. If this is what it takes, this is how it'll be for a while.”

Reginell checked the time on her cell phone. “Well, you still have about an hour of the old Reginell left. What do you want to do with her?”

Mark grinned. “I can show you better than I can tell you! Let's go.”

—
Sullivan Webb

 

“Oh, that's perfect!” Sullivan remarked to her professional tree decorator. It was costing her two hundred dollars to have the florist do what she could've done with minimal effort and ingenuity, but tonight had to be perfect, from the food to the professionally decorated tree.

Sullivan sauntered around the house, making sure every bow and bough of holly was in place. It was going to be the first holiday party she and her father had ever shared together, and the first time he brought Marti into their home. Sullivan suspected that this would be the night that Samuel introduced her to the world as his daughter.

At six o'clock that evening, Sullivan, decked out in a strapless red peplum gown, began receiving their guests. Within the hour, the house was overflowing with guests. Sullivan checked the time and watched the door. Her father had yet to arrive.

“He'll be here,” Lawson assured her, sensing Sullivan's uneasiness.

“I know. He's probably held up in traffic or something.”

“But if he doesn't show, it'll be all right.”

Sullivan forced a smile. “Don't be silly, Lawson. He's going to show up. He wouldn't let me down, not again.” Her heart leapt when she heard the doorbell ring. “See? That's probably him.”

Sullivan hurried to the door, disappointed to find a couple from the church.

“He'll be here,” Sullivan insisted, dashing past Lawson. “I'll be back. I'm going to check on the food.”

Sullivan found a quiet corner and silently prayed,
Lord, please let him show up.

Sullivanwas relieved when she returned and found Charles greeting Samuel and Marti at the door. She joined the three of them.

“Pastor Sullivan, it's good to see you and your lovely wife again. Thank you for taking the time to come and fellowship with us tonight,” said Charles.

“We wouldn't have missed it,” replied Samuel. “We would've been here sooner, but we had to check into our hotel first.”

“It's not a problem.” Sullivan extended her hands to them. “Please, come in and make yourselves at home.”

Sullivan rushed to find Lawson, who was eating hors d'oeuvres with Angel and Reginell. She pointed at Samuel, across the room. “I told you he was coming!”

“He's a nice-looking man,” observed Angel. “When do we get to meet him?”

“I'll introduce you before the party is over.”

“Sullivan, you've really outdone yourself this year,” said Lawson. “Everything is beautiful.”

“Thanks. I had to. I wanted it to be perfect, because I think my dad is going to make an announcement.”

Reginell mishandled the fennel slaw on her crostini. “About what?”

Sullivan showed off a wide smile. “I think he's going to tell everyone that I'm his daughter.”

“Sullivan, he hasn't even told his wife,” Lawson pointed out. “What makes you think he's going to announce it to a room full of strangers?”

“It's just a feeling I have,” Sullivan said. “Call it women's intuition.”

They were interrupted by the loud sounds of a commotion coming from the foyer.

“What's going on?” Sullivan made her way to the uproar. “Oh, no,” she groaned, mortified.

Disheveled, Vera staggered across the foyer, knocking over decorations, visibly inebriated. Because she was drunk, it also meant she had the potential to be volatile.

Sullivan angrily approached her. “Vera, what are you doing here?”

“Hey,” crowed Vera, sloppily kissing Sullivan on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, baby!”

“What are you doing here?” Sullivan repeated. “I've been living here ten years, and you pick today, of all days, to show up?”

Vera cackled. “You know I'm never one to miss a party, Sullivan.”

Sullivan yanked Vera's arm and started shoving her out the front door. “You need to leave
now!
” she demanded through clenched teeth.

Vera began to get louder. “Oh, I can't come to your Christmas party? I ain't invited?”

“No, you're not!”

Vera broke away from Sullivan. “So you 'shamed of me, right? You got all your fancy, high-saditty friends around you, so you're gonna act like you don't know nobody.”

“Vera, don't make a scene! Please don't do this,” Sullivan pleaded, hoping to calm or at least quiet her mother.

“Don't do what?” Vera's eyes settled on Samuel. “Oh, now I see why you don't want me here.” She pushed Sullivan away and marched straight toward her ex-lover. “I bet I'm the last person you expected to see, ain't I?”

Samuel stiffened and clung to his wife.

“You gon' act like you don't know me, Sammy? Huh?” charged Vera.

Samuel whispered to Marti, “I think we should leave now.”

“Oh, no, don't leave on my account, not before introducing me to your lovely wife,” Vera said, slurring.

“Samuel, do you know this woman?” asked Marti.

“
This woman?
” Vera repeated with indignation and clamped her hands on her hips. “I got a name!”

“I'm calling the police,” Sullivan uttered, looking around. “Where's Charles?”

“He went upstairs to check on the baby,” answered one of the deacons. “He's coming, Sister Webb.”

“You gon' do that? You gon' call security on your mama?” Vera turned to Samuel. “You gon' let her call the police on your baby's mama?”

“What?” gasped Marti.

Vera stared Marti down. “That's right. I'm Samuel's baby's mama, or didn't he tell you we have a child together?”

Marti whirled around, facing her husband. “Sam, what is she talking about?”

“This heifer is going to stop talking about me like I ain't in the room!” Vera spewed in a raised voice. She positioned herself in between Samuel and Marti. “You might think you know this man, but you don't half know him at all. Go on. Tell her, Sammy. Tell her about all the years you were taking care of my bills, my home, my lifestyle, and my child. You were Mrs. Samuel Sullivan on paper, but
I
was Mrs. Samuel Sullivan in every way that mattered. He might've been married to you, but I was his wife for eight years.”

“Is this true?”

“Marti, I . . .”

“What's going on here” Charles demanded, rushing to the side of his humiliated wife.

“We're having a li'l revelation party, Pastor. The Bible says, ‘Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.' I bet you didn't think I remembered that, did you, Sammy?” Vera crossed her arms in front of her, pleased with herself. “Yeah, I remember every single thing you did, everything you said, every promise you ever broke, and every lie that came out of your mouth. I remember it all.”

Charles intervened. “Vera, this isn't the time or the place for this.”

“Naw, preacher, this is
exactly
the time for it. Now you and everybody else can see that Sister Sullivan here didn't just get all her whore-mongering ways from me. The good pastor's hands are just as dirty. Matter of fact, his hands are dirtier than mine, because they got blood on them!” Vera's face contorted, and her lips trembled. “They got blood on them, don't they, Sammy? Because you killed my baby, and I know you killed her! Sullivan wasn't our only child, was she? You remember Amber and how you drove your car through a tree so you could kill her. You would've killed me too if the devil had let you!” She began crying hysterically. “You're a baby-killing, lying, son of a witch! I hope that lightning strikes you dead!”

“That's enough, Vera. Let's go,” said Charles. He ushered her out of the living room as quickly as possible.

Sullivan locked eyes with her father and Marti, not knowing what to say.

“Come on. Let's get out of here,” Samuel muttered to Marti, practically dragging her out of the house to spare her any further disgrace.

Lawson rushed to Sullivan's side. “Are you all right?”

Sullivan was in a daze. “Sure. It wouldn't be Christmas without Vera ruining it for me, though I must say, she's gotten more creative in her tactics.” Sullivan stepped forward to speak over the murmuring. “Please, everyone, carry on. Continue to enjoy the food and fellowship.” She signaled to the waitstaff to serve more food and drinks. People gradually began socializing again.

Sullivan hurried away from the questions and the stares and stomped down the hall, looking for Vera. She met Charles as he was coming out of one of the guest bedrooms. He barred Sullivan from going in.

“Let her sleep it off, sweetheart.”

“Don't worry. She'll be able to sleep for all of eternity when I get through with her!”

Charles grabbed Sullivan's hands. “Sullivan, there ain't no point in you charging in there like a banshee. Let it go.”

“You can't be serious! Did you see what she did and hear the things she said about my father? Look how she humiliated him and his wife!”

“It was no more than he's humiliated her. By no means do I condone what Vera did, but she didn't say anything about the man that wasn't true. Your mother has been deeply wounded by that man, and she's been carrying that hurt around for over thirty years.”

“Admit it, Charles.” Sullivan folded her arms. “You don't like him, do you?”

“Sullivan, don't turn this around and make it about your father and me.”

“I knew from the moment I brought him back into my life, you had an issue with it. The fact that you'd go so far as to defend Vera, of all people, shows how little you care about him or his having a relationship with me.”

“I'm sorry, but I don't respect the man,” admitted Charles. “I'm not saying the man has to be perfect, but being up in that pulpit requires a certain a degree of principles and morals. I can't say for sure he has any. When a man falls short—and we all do—he should own it, especially if he's a man of God. You can't be up there, leading God's people, while living the kind of life he does.”

“You don't know anything about him, Charles. You met him what? Twice? I've spent time with him. I know his heart.”

“You're right, Sully. I may not know him as well as you do, but I know that First Timothy five, eight says, ‘If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.' You don't abandon your child or her mother for your own reputation and self-preservation. I've seen firsthand how much it's scarred you and your mother. I can't respect somebody who'd do that.”

“Well, Charles, you can stay right here with your self-righteousness and your drunken, wounded mother-in-law. He's my father, and he's welcome in this house and in this family, certainly more than Vera. Now I'm going to find my father and try to fix this.”

Charles stopped her. “Wait a minute, Sullivan. What you're not going to do is let that man's problems become
our
problem. No joker you've known two minutes is going to come in here and cause a rift between us. I don't care who he is.”

The urgency in Charles's voice let her know that he meant business. Sullivan backed down. “I don't want him to think I tried to set him up by having Vera show up and show out.”

Charles wrapped his arms around Sullivan and pulled her into a hug. “I'm sure he knows better than that.”

“Charles, I just got him back in my life. I don't want to lose him again.”