Love Like Hallelujah (11 page)

Darius knew it was too late to act as though he hadn’t seen her. They were in the same aisle at Best Buy, both looking at flat screens.

“Hey, cutie,” Stacy said, approaching Darius with a big smile.

“Hey, yourself,” Darius responded easily. He liked Stacy, thought she was a fine, intelligent woman. Just not for him.

“Looking for flat screens, huh?” she asked.

“They’re nice, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, still so expensive, though. But I’m doing some redecorating, want to update some things. I’ll invite you over for dinner when I get everything done.”

Darius had no plans to ever visit Stacy’s home, for any reason. “Sure, just let me know.”

This was the closest Stacy had come to Darius actually agreeing to get together with her, privately, datelike. She wasn’t going to squander the opportunity.

“Look, Darius, we don’t have to wait until I redecorate. You know I like you. And I’d really like to get to know you better, even as friends, if that’s what you want. I mean, we’ve known each other for a couple of years, working together at church. We’re both single, why can’t we just hang out?”

Because I’m in love with Bo!
“We can, it’s just, you know how busy my schedule is, between work at the church, touring, and my music projects.”

“All the more reason you should take time to relax,” Stacy said, standing her ground. “Why don’t we set a date right now, just something casual? You come over, I fix burgers, dogs, or something. Watch a movie, play some games. I’ve got the latest Xbox, and can probably kick yo’ behind a time or two.”

Actually, Stacy wasn’t much into video games. Her brother had purchased the system when he stayed with her briefly, before getting called back to Iraq for army duty. She’d played a few times but couldn’t get into what her brother liked, all the shooting, killing, and violence. She couldn’t get into him going to Iraq for the real deal regarding violence and killing, either, but that was another story. She relayed none of this to Darius, however. She knew if anything could act as an incentive to join her for dinner, the new Xbox could.

Darius considered his options. Stacy had been after him for a while. Maybe if he went out with her, gave her a little attention, it would be better for everybody. Some of the other females might back off if they thought Stacy was his woman, and that would quiet some of the rumors he’d heard cropping up in the music world. He made a snap decision. “Oh, you’ve got the latest version? You know how to get me, don’t you?”

Stacy laughed. “I sure hope so.”

“Okay, when?”

Stacy would forever be indebted to Darius’s sister, Tanya, who’d given her a Best Buy gift card for her birthday. That’s the only reason she was in the store. “Next Friday night?”

The more Darius thought about it, the more he believed that this setup might work. If he and Stacy could become good, platonic buddies, this might not be so bad.

“Naw, I’m going out of town the next two weekends. It’ll have to be the Friday after that,” Darius answered.

Stacy didn’t want to wait, but at least she had a date she could circle on the calendar. “Okay, week after next.”

Darius nodded. “I look forward to it.”

Stacy smiled coyly. “Me, too. Hey, let’s trade numbers, just in case.”

Darius felt just a twinge of something—was it guilt?—as he exchanged telephone numbers with Stacy. As if he’d conjured him up, his phone rang—Bo.

“Alright then,” he said, walking away from Stacy. “Next Friday.” Then into the phone, his voice lowered, “I just did something stupid.”

“What?”

“Made a date with Stacy.”

“Stop playing.” Bo thought Darius could be so silly at times.

“It seemed like a good idea when I was saying it.” There was no humor in Darius’s voice.

“Okay, back up. You serious?”

“Wait,” Darius said, walking toward the exit. He didn’t want to be overheard. Once outside, he stated his position. “Remember how we were just talking about Smooth trying to out me so I’ll go out with him?”

“Yeah, but what’s that got to do with Stacy?”

“I’m thinking if I can be with her in the minds of the public, the men and the women trying to swing on my jock will leave me alone.”

No comment from the other end.

“Bo, you there?”

Still silent.

“Bo?”

“I don’t like it. I don’t like this shit at all.”

“Baby, baby, don’t act like that. You know you’re the only one for me. I’m going to stop on the way home and get your favorite ice cream. Do you want a quart or a pint?”

“A gallon,” Bo said, a pout in his voice.

Darius laughed. “Baby, I’ll bring you the five-gallon drum. I’ll bring you the store!”

“I didn’t ask for all that. Just bring me you.”

It reminded her of Kingdom Citizens’ Christian Center. Not the surroundings, the surroundings were, blessedly, totally different. But the camaraderie, the warmth, the shared laughter and sense of belonging—Millicent felt all these things as she sat in Leah Chandler’s living room, along with a dozen other women from Open Arms. It hadn’t been easy for Leah to convince Millicent to come to her Saturday tea. But slowly, since the morning she had sat next to her at the harp concert, Leah had gently but continually encouraged Millicent to become a part of their congregation and more specifically, the women’s group. And on this bright, beautiful Saturday afternoon, surrounded by the scent of herbal drinks and platters of tea sandwiches and scones, Millicent was glad she’d ignored her initial reluctance and accepted Leah’s invitation.

Millicent had visited Open Arms several times since stumbling into the unconventional worship facility located in a strip mall. Pastor Jack—which Millicent insisted on calling him though many members used his first name—had made attending services a refreshing experience. The membership was small and, indeed, casual. Most times Pastor Jack wore jeans, mirroring the congregation. His were more talks than sermons, and he often used popular culture, commercials, or news headlines to illustrate scripture. And since going to the church, her dreams about Cy had ceased.

Seeing how casually Pastor Jack interacted with the other members caused Millicent to loosen up. He was jovial and friendly with everyone, genuinely concerned with each person’s well-being. While not seeking her out, he always made a point to speak to her when she attended, with light, general conversation. The intimate size of the Sunday congregation made this easy to do. That and the fact that at least a dozen people usually stopped Millicent to chat, comment on an outfit, or make some other friendly remark. A couple times she’d been invited to brunch, but declined. So today was significant; she was back in a church group, and once again in the nurturing company of sisters.

“I was not aggressive. I was assertive,” Leah said with a laugh, responding to a comment from one of the ladies who claimed to have seen her push another customer to get to the last roasted chicken at their favorite deli. “Besides, after working a ten-hour day, there was no way I was cooking when I got home!”

“My goodness, Leah,” Debbi responded. Debbi was the one who’d witnessed the incident firsthand. “It’s not like there wasn’t a KFC down the street.”

“But have you tasted Fred’s chicken?” Leah said in mock amazement. “The colonel can’t compare to Fred!”

“I haven’t tasted Fred’s chicken,” Millicent chimed in easily. “But this chicken salad is delicious.”

“Point made,” Leah replied, nodding at Millicent and giving an I-told-you-so look to Debbi. “
That
is Fred’s chicken!”

The ladies laughed and reached for more sandwich slices simultaneously. Leah turned to Millicent. “I want to hear more about the women’s group you were a part of, Sisterhood or something?”

Millicent finished the bite of sandwich she was eating before responding. “The group was Ladies First, a group of pastor’s wives. I helped coordinate a conference called S.O.S., the Sanctity of Sisterhood.”

“Well, Open Arms doesn’t even have a first lady; so that will obviously not be our group’s makeup.” Leah had shared with Millicent that Jack had lost his wife to breast cancer and was raising two children alone. “But doesn’t that sound good, y’all; our meeting once a month in order to tackle various women’s issues?”

Some of the women nodded, others listened for more information. “What kind of issues did the group address?” Debbi, who was sitting next to Millicent, asked.

Millicent shared the S.O.S. topics, from Spiritually Speaking to Sanctified Sex.

“Wow,” Debbi said, after Millicent had finished. “That sounds like some summit, very timely though. Have you guys watched MTV and some of the other cable shows? I’ve already got parental control, but I think my kids know how to unblock it. As much as I’d miss the variety, I’m seriously thinking about going back to local channels only!”

“The thing is,” Leah said, “we can’t shield our children from all the sex and violence that’s out there. That’s a fact. These ladies had the right idea. We have to counter what they see with what we know. We’ve all been where they are now.”

“Gosh, but it’s so much more graphic now,” Debbi said. “Sure, it was out there in our time but you had to look for it a little bit, had to sneak the adult magazines or racy novels or whatever. Today, we’ve got
Girls Gone Wild
being advertised as spring break fun! It’s all so typical these days, so accepted.”

Leah looked at Millicent. “Do you think you could help us do some type of seminar for our teens, our girls?”

Millicent wasn’t surprised at the request. A part of her welcomed it, relished the chance to get back in a spiritually supportive environment, and the organizational work she so enjoyed. She had all the materials from S.O.S. It would be easy to put an afternoon agenda together out of the work that had spanned four Saturdays.

Millicent felt this was something she wanted, no, needed to do. “I’d have to work it into a rather busy schedule, but I’d love to.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Leah gushed. She reached over and hugged Millicent. “So that’s it, ladies, we have our next project. A sex seminar for our girls.”

“I’m not sure we should describe it like that exactly,” Millicent said.

“I don’t know why not,” Leah countered, her voice chipper. “If we put out a flyer advertising a sex seminar, I’m sure we’d get a full house.”

“But who would be in the house is the question,” one of the women said.

“Probably pervs, molesters, dominatrix fans, just the folk we need to talk to.”

“Oh my goodness,” Millicent responded with a smile. “Then we’d really better be specific. Because I know I can’t teach what the crowd you’ve listed would want to know. The only thing I’m dominating right now is the rower machine at my gym.”

“Oh, who wants to hear about your tight abs,” Leah said with feigned disgust. To further bring home the point she went into the kitchen and brought out a tray. “Chocolate cake, anyone?”

Later, Millicent enjoyed Leah’s quiet camaraderie as they cleaned the kitchen. Socializing had been nice, and Millicent wasn’t ready for her home’s solitude. She walked over to the table. “I think I’ll have a slice of this cake now. Do you mind if I stay a minute? I mean do you have plans?”

Leah rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? I haven’t had plans for Saturday night since John Travolta wore the white suit.”

“Well, in that case…” Teasing, Millicent made an exaggerated move to take the whole cake. Instead, she cut a small slice. “Um, this is good.”

“I try.”

“You made this?”

“Yes. I’m a closet baker. That’s my passion, but the travel agency pays the mortgage.”

“You work for a travel agency?”

“Yes, Exquisite Journeys.”

“I’ve heard of you guys! You have clients from all over the world. I’m told the packages you guys put together are amazing.”

“They are, and the rub is I could never afford to go on the very vacations I create for others. You have to be rolling in the dough to go Exquisite.”

“I bet your clientele list is stunning.”

“It’s confidential but, yeah, we do alright. Just last week we received a request from a man in Los Angeles, an investor I think, who wants to take his new bride on a special holiday, to this exclusive part of Mexico. Even as great as the dollar is in that country, with the type of accommodations and plans he’s making, he’ll easily spend six figures.”

Millicent hadn’t heard much past LA, investor, and new bride. She tried to remain calm, thinking there was no way…or was there? “Funny,” she said, trying to be casual and cutting another piece of cake just for something to do. “A friend of mine’s cousin just got married. He works in investments and lives in LA. But, no, I’m sure it’s not him. His name is Cy.”

“You’re kidding. That’s—” Leah caught herself before she exposed her confidential client.

Millicent pounced. “Cy? Are you making plans for Cy and his new wife?”

Leah told Millicent she couldn’t reveal names. But the red creeping up from her neck and fanning out over her cheeks told Millicent all she needed to know. Mexico, around the holidays.
Hmm, I wonder
…Even as warning bells, and her therapist’s voice, rang in her ears, and months of therapy went out the window, Millicent’s mind was racing with how to get her hands on the information she needed, so she could plan her trip.

“How do?” Mama Max queried as she stepped into Tai’s SUV. Mama Max looked younger than her sixty-plus years in bright red warm-ups and white Nikes. Her perfectly coiffed hair was in a tidy bun on top of her head and bright red nail polish glistened off manicured fingers. She threw a bag with towel and water bottle in the backseat and climbed in front.

“So what do you feel like today, the bikes or the treadmill?”

“Uh-huh,” Mama Max said slowly, staring out the window.

“That was an either-or question. Mama, which one?”

“Oh, treadmill I guess.”

Tai glanced at her mother-in-law. “Everything all right?”

That’s what Mama Max wanted to know. And she wasn’t sure how to go about finding out. But something had been bugging her ever since she’d talked with Tootie a few days ago. She’d tried to let it pass but there it was, sticking in her craw. And when things stuck in Mama’s craw, there was usually a reason.

“Mama,” Tai said, sounding concerned, “what is it?”

“Oh, nothing really,” Mama answered. “I was just talking to Nancy when you pulled up. Guess I’m worried about her.” Mama Max wasn’t ready to tell her that Miss Smith’s daughter was really the one on her mind.

“How is Miss Smith? She’s back home now, right?”

“Yes, she’s out of the hospital again, but she’s still a sick woman.” There’d been complications about a month after Miss Smith’s open-heart surgery. A second surgery had been necessary to remove a buildup of fluids from around her heart. “Thank God for Tootie. Those sons of Nancy’s live right there in St. Louis and barely been up at all. She die, they’ll cry the loudest.”

“Something about daughters,” Tai said. “We’re the caretakers.”

“Uh-huh.” Mama Max hummed softly, looking out the window. She recalled when Tootie first came back, almost six months ago. They’d talked off and on, briefly, whenever they ran into each other at the hospital. It hadn’t been a problem. Mama Max had known Tootie since she was born, and had forgiven her for the affair she’d had with King. She’d felt even more comfortable after meeting Hans, Tootie’s husband, and the two youngest kids when they came over. It seemed Tootie had done well for herself.

Mama Max had met the children and thought they were adorable. She’d been surprised, however, to learn there was a third, older child. She’d seen Tootie when she’d returned briefly to the states about fifteen years ago, and there had been no mention of a son. But the boy had been a year old then.

Then Mama Max had asked to see a picture of him. Tootie had hesitated and then said she didn’t have one. That’s when the “thing” first pricked. What mother doesn’t have pictures of all her kids? She’d asked the child’s age and that’s when the “prick” became a “stick.” The child was sixteen, the same age as Princess. It was just about sixteen years ago that the affair happened, and Tootie had disappeared shortly after it ended. Everyone knew she’d wanted to sing, and hearing about her career, everyone assumed that is what kept her away. Miss Smith went to Germany every summer, so there really was no reason for Tootie to come home. So why couldn’t Mama leave this alone? It wasn’t her business who the daddy was. Lord knows Tootie used to get around. But Mama Max couldn’t stop the thoughts. She knew how hot and heavy Tootie and King were, for years. She sure hoped…

“Oh, Lord,” Mama Max said heavily.

Tai reached over and gently squeezed Mama Max’s arm. “God is able, Mama,” she said softly. “Miss Smith is well on the road to recovery. She’ll be okay.”

“In the name of Jesus, she’ll be okay,” Mama Max repeated.
But will you?