Flawfully Wedded Wives (26 page)

—
Sullivan Webb

 

She looked at the address to make sure it matched what Vera had given her. “Thank God for GPS,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan stared up at the large white farmhouse located on the outskirts of Metter, Georgia, far from the beaten path. Its scalloped trim and wraparound porch were reminiscent of houses she'd seen in old pictures and movies.

“Yep, this is it.” She held on to Charity's hand as the two of them walked up the wooden stairs leading to the front door. The front door was open, but the entry was blocked by a screen door. Sullivan raised her fist and knocked on the screen door.

“Pearlie Mae, is that you?” called a voice from inside.

“No, it's Sullivan,” she answered back. “My name is Sullivan Webb.”

“Who?” asked the woman.

Sullivan began to wonder if she'd set herself up for yet another rejection. She scolded herself for trusting Vera's word. Since when had it done her any good?

Sullivan could hear footsteps shuffling along the wooden floor. The closer the steps got, the faster her heart raced.

A small, frail woman appeared at the door. Her wrinkled face was hidden behind large glasses, and soft gray curls covered her head. She walked with the aid of a cane. “What did you say your name was, baby?”

“My name is Sullivan Webb. Do you know who I am?”

The woman opened the screen door and studied Sullivan's face. “I know who you are. Do you know who I am?”

“Are you Luella Sullivan?”

The woman raised her trembling hand toward Sullivan's face. Sullivan jerked back, fearing the woman was going to slap her.

“I ain't gonna hurt you, child.” She cupped her hand around Sullivan's face. “Why would I want to hurt my own grandbaby?” Sullivan closed her eyes, relieved. “I've been wanting to touch you again since you were two weeks old.”

“You really are Luella Sullivan.” Sullivan dissolved into tears. “You're my grandmother.”

“Aw, hush now.” She hugged Sullivan. “This is a happy, happy day.”

“I didn't know if I should come. I was afraid you'd throw me away like my daddy.”

She shook her head. “You have to forgive him, child. He's got too much of his daddy's pride and stubbornness in him.” Charity reached for Luella's cane. “Who's this pretty little thing over here?”

Sullivan smiled. “This is my daughter, Charity. She's your great-granddaughter.”

“I've got two pretty babies.” Luella held Charity's face for a moment. “Come on in. I'll put on some tea.”

Luella led Sullivan and Charity into the parlor. “I love this house,” said Sullivan. “It has so much charm and personality.”

“There's a story behind this old house. It used to belong to my daddy. They called it the Big House.”

“What was your father's name?”

“Percy Johnson. My granddaddy, John Johnson, was born right at the end of slavery. He and his family lived in a little shanty down the road. He used to work all this land around here for a white man named Mr. Henry. Mr. Henry liked my granddaddy, and he allowed him to buy up all this land, including the house. It's been in our family ever since.”

Sullivan sat down and plopped Charity onto her lap. “Wow! I would love to hear all about Percy and John and anything else you can tell me about the family.”

“Well, you and that baby sit down there while I make this tea, and I'll tell you all about it.”

Sullivan was in awe. Her grandmother, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather had all lived there. Twenty minutes ago she hadn't known these people existed. Now she was sitting in their parlor.

“I bet you're wondering why I never said anything to you before now,” said Luella as she and Sullivan sipped hot tea.

“I've gotten bits and pieces of the story from both my mom and dad.”

“Well, Sammy was courting the mayor's daughter, Martina. She was a sweet girl, and we all loved her dearly. She was a good fit with the family, and we wanted Sammy to marry her. Then he met Vera, and for whatever reason, he was smitten with her. Your mama was kind of a wild girl. She wasn't the kind of woman parents want for their son, especially if he's the only child, but she had a powerful hold over him. He just couldn't stay away from her no matter how much we pressured him.

“When Vera came up pregnant, Sammy denied it at first. I think your mama named you Sullivan out of spite. She was going to prove you were Sammy's child one way or another. We all had our doubts at first, but once I saw you, I knew you were his baby.” She shook her head. “Sammy's daddy never accepted it, though. He said that whore's baby would never be welcomed in our home or our family. It wasn't much I could do after that. Times were different then from how they are now. Even though Sammy went on to marry Martina, and they gave me two beautiful grandsons, I never forgot about you, Sullivan. I've always loved you from a distance. You never left my thoughts and my prayers.”

“You have no idea what that means to me,” confessed Sullivan. “My whole life I've felt like nobody in my family wanted me. I didn't have a daddy. I didn't really have a mother, either. I had no relatives to step up and claim me as their own on either side of the family. I didn't know where I came from or where I belonged. I felt like an unloved, unwanted mistake. Knowing that you were covering me with your prayers and your love all that time is like having a miracle.”

Luella squeezed Sullivan's hand. “I've got something I want to show you.” She went into another room and returned with three large photo albums. “I want you to know who your people are. I want you to know your family.” She handed the books to Sullivan. “There's about one hundred years of family history in these pages.”

“Wow . . .” Sullivan opened to the first page. “This is amazing.”

Luella pointed to a man in a black-and-white photograph, wearing a navy uniform. “That's your granddaddy and my late husband, Jessie Sullivan.”

“He was handsome.”

Luella flipped the page. “Here we are on our wedding day. That was sixty-five years ago.”

“You were so beautiful,” Sullivan said, gushing.

“Oh, I was a catch in my day, honey! My friends were all jealous because I was the pretty one.”

Sullivan brought her hand to her mouth, touched. “I have the same problem!”

Luella pulled a tattered envelope from the back of the album. “Your mama used to send me these.” She passed the envelope to Sullivan.

Sullivan opened it and found dozens of pictures of her as a child. She began shuffling through them. “My mother took these?” There were pictures of her as an infant and on her very first day of school, and pictures taken during various holidays.

Luella gave Sullivan another envelope. “I took these myself.” Sullivan found a dog-eared picture of her dressed as a peach for the third grade play and pictures of her marching in the Christmas parade as a majorette with her high school's band and later at graduation. Finally, there were pictures of her smiling with Charles on their wedding day.

“I stopped taking pictures after that,” said Luella. “I knew he'd take good care of you, and you didn't need me watching over you anymore.”

“Vera said you were always there in the shadows.”

“Now I can love you out in the open.” Luella smiled down at Charity. “And this baby too.”

“This has been one of the most memorable days of my life,” said Sullivan, tearing up. “I can't even put into words what I'm feeling right now.”

“It's a good day for both of us.”

Sullivan reached over and hugged her. She caught a whiff of Luella's perfume. “That smells wonderful. What fragrance is that?”

“Oh, baby, I don't wear nothing but Chanel.”

Sullivan broke into laughter. “You really
are
my grandmother!”

As Sullivan spent that afternoon getting to know her grandmother, she realized that family didn't always look the way one expected it to, and that life seldom turned out according to plan. She also thanked God for adding one more person to an already wonderful and blessed life.

 

It was not the grand opening she'd been preparing for.

Kina stood in the middle of a virtually empty store, stacked with crisp T-shirts that would never be worn or would end up in somebody's donation pile. Ki-Ki's Tees was officially a dream deferred.

“The important thing is that you tried,” Lawson said, consoling her.

“Is it?” snapped Kina.

“Yes, you had a dream and had the guts to go after it. Not everyone is brave enough to do that.”

Kina looked around at the relics of a broken dream. “It doesn't matter how much money I have or how many times people see my face on TV. No matter what I do, I'm still a loser. I'm still the one people like to kick around.”

Sullivan rolled her eyes. “Is this a private pity party, or can anybody come?”

“Kina, there ain't a single one of us who doesn't get kicked around by life at least once, but those whippings make for some powerful testimonies.”

“That was deep, Lawson,” replied Kina. “Maybe you should be the one with a reality show, seeing as how all the interest in mine has dried up. Apparently, the TV execs think I'm polarizing and insincere.”

Lawson nudged her. “Aw, what do they know?”

Sullivan pressed one of the shirts against her body. “Kina, did you find out what happened to your missing money?”

Kina nodded. “I know where the money is.”

“Well, where is it?” asked Lawson.

“Calin has it.”

Sullivan frowned. “Who?”

“Cut' Em Cali.”

Lawson was flabbergasted. “How in the world did he get his hands on your money?”

“He stole a check out of my checkbook and forged a check for fifteen thousand dollars.”

“Why would he do that?” questioned Sullivan. “Doesn't he have money?”

“Apparently, not enough to cover his drug habit and lavish lifestyle,” answered Kina.

Lawson shook her head. “I don't understand. How did he even have access to your checkbook?”

“He must've gone through my purse when I was in the shower,” concluded Kina.

Lawson blinked. “Excuse me?”

Kina sighed. “It was one night after an event. Calin invited me up to his hotel room and—”

“You slept with him?” Lawson interrupted. “Oh, Kina . . .”

“Of course, if I press charges, the police are gonna want a statement. I'll have to tell them everything that happened. Once that gets out, what's left of my reputation will be ruined.”

“For fifteen thousand dollars, I'd have to take that chance,” said Sullivan. “You can buy another reputation after you get your money back.”

“Kina, you have to file charges! You can't let him get away with that,” protested Lawson.

“I know, but how am I going to explain myself, Lawson? First, there was Reggie's exposé, then Joan's lesbian confessions, and now this. My God, where is the bottom?”

“You're a public figure now, honey. It comes with the territory.”

“I've got Uncle Sam coming after me for taxes on the show money. People thinking I'm a drug-addict lesbian nympho. Ki-Ki's Tees is a flop, and I've alienated almost everyone I care about. That show has turned out to be the worst thing that's ever happened to me,” lamented Kina.

“Kina,
Lose Big
wasn't the cause of this. That television show was a blessing to you in so many ways. You had the chance to live like very few people ever get a chance to . . . at least you did for a while, anyway. The problem wasn't fame or the money. The problem was that you forgot who made it all happen.”

“I forgot about God,” admitted Kina.

Lawson put her arm around Kina. “We've all been guilty of that, Ki. Whether it's Sullivan having an affair or Angel getting an abortion or me screwing up my marriage or Reggie backin' it up in the strip club. No one gets it right all the time. That's why we have an everlasting supply of God's grace. It's always available for the taking.”

Sullivan continued taking inventory of the store. “Maybe all hope isn't lost, Kina. With a little retooling, the right investors, and my artistic touch on these T-shirts, you might be able to turn this ship around.”

“You really think so?”

Sullivan cracked a smile. “Stranger things have happened.”

 

“Something smells good over here!” said Lawson, joining Garrett at the grill for Namon's graduation cookout six months later.

“And something looks good right here.” Garrett leaned over and kissed his wife. “I guess we have to do this all over again for your graduation next week.”

“Of course, except at mine, I don't want you wearing this apron!”

They both laughed. “Okay, but tonight I don't want you wearing nothing but this apron! Maybe a pair of heels too.” Garrett kissed her again. They were both happy to have found love and fulfillment in their marriage again.

Sullivan eyed Charles suspiciously. “Don't be looking over there, getting any ideas, mister.” She rubbed her protruding belly, round from six months of pregnancy. “That's how we got this one on the way!”

Charles kissed his wife's stomach. “Your grandmother needed another great-grandbaby to spoil.”

“As long as you know this is it!” Sullivan stressed. “I'm closing shop after this one.”

Charles looked concerned. “What if it's another girl?”

“Charles, you have an inside connection with the man upstairs. I suggest you use it!”

“There goes the graduate!” sang Lawson, stretching out her arms to Namon, still draped in his cap and gown. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“Dang, Mama, how many times are you going to cry?”

“As many times as I want! Now, get over here and hug your mama.”

Namon complied and reached over and hugged Garrett too.

“Will you look at those two?” asked Sullivan, watching Reginell grinding on Mark as they danced. She shook her head. “You can take the stripper out of the club . . .”

“Oh, hush, Sully. They're in love,” said Angel. “I say, God bless them for it.”

“
Love?
Please!” Sullivan squinted her eyes. “I know lust when I see it. At least she's finagled her way into somebody's college. Hopefully, having an education will class her up some.”

Angel laughed. “I come off suspension next week. I've been officially declared sane.”

“Good for you!” cheered Kina.

“I thought the definition of
insanity
was doing the same thing and expecting a different result,” Sullivan reminded her.

“Yes, Duke and I have decided that we're giving it another shot, but we're both approaching it as very different people than we were before. He's not grieving over Reese, and I'm not trying to live up to any unrealistic expectations. We're good. Besides, fourth time is the charm, right?”

“How does
Lose Big, Dream Bigger
sound?” asked Kina, hammering out a working title for her new book. Her notoriety didn't land her a reality show, but it did garner her a book deal.

“It sounds very apropos,” said Angel.

As they enjoyed the late spring afternoon in Lawson's backyard, the ladies knew there would be problems ahead, just as there would be praise reports. They'd fight some more and test each other's patience, then forget what they were mad about after one or two drinks. It was all a part of the ebb and flow of life. Through it all, they thanked God for sending them friends who allowed them to be free to be who and what they really were: flawed and fabulous.