Mama B: A Time to Speak (9 page)

Chapter 16

After all that nonsense with Henrietta and Mother Powell, I really didn’t feel like having the book club meeting at my house. The church “theft investigation” was complete, according to Dustin. We were innocent, of course. Now, it was just a matter of the usual estimating and processing and whatnot before they cut the check. Might take the bank a day or two to release the funds.

My thinking was to postpone the book club meeting until they could take it back to Dukes territory. But when I told Libby a little about my feelings, she recommended I didn’t change things. “Now, B, remember you don’t want to be the cause of strife and revenge. God ain’t in that.”

I followed her advice and kept my word about hosting.

Nikki could hardly wait to start the meeting. Much as her nose had been buried between the pages of
No Ways Tired
, I knew she would have a lot to say. She had her library copy sitting front and center on the coffee table like a centerpiece when the ladies arrived.

Seem like Cynthia had calmed down. She hugged me and kissed me when she walked in, thanked me again for allowing them to meet. I was glad, too. Last thing I wanted was another hostile situation in my home.

Not as many people came to the book club meeting as the “Bible study.” Too bad, though, ‘cause I sure put my foot in that potato salad.

“Mama B, I have not had potato salad this good since my family reunion two years ago,” one of the girls from the other congregation praised. “You must give me the recipe.”

“Honey, I don’t have no recipe. You’ll have to come watch me make it one of these days.”

Karen hummed, “Mmmm mmm. That’s the best kind of cooking.”

This time, Karen opened up the group with the prayer. Then she shuffled through her giant purse for a second, finally putting her hand on her book. “Okay. Y’all, this book was soooo good. I could not stop reading it!”

“Me, either,” Nikki cooed. “I have never read anything so real. I mean, this is how black people act, for real!”

I sat back in the love seat, pleased to hear my granddaughter gushin’ over a book. I knew the more she read, the more Cameron would read. Kids don’t do what you say, they do what you
do
.

Since I hadn’t been able to pry the book out of Nikki’s hands, I planned to listen to the conversation and decide if I wanted to read it for myself later on.

“I was caught up in the first chapter.” Karen smiled and flipped a few pages while everyone else followed suit. She ran her finger along the side of a page and started readin’ out loud. “If my husband knew what I knew, he wouldn’t spend so many hours at the gym trying to get buff. He wouldn’t spend so much time at the office trying to get rich. In fact, if he had a clue about what I do while he’s trying to keep up with the Jones’s, he’d bring his behind home. But I wouldn’t want him home because then he’d keep me from Pastor Flexner. I got to have me some Pastor Flexner at least three times a week.”

“Oooh wee!” Jada Sutton nearly screamed. “When I read that part, I was like—man! She’s sleeping with the pastor?”

The air left my chest. “Lord, have mercy.”

All of ‘em laughed at me like my reaction was just so funny.

“Well, it does happen,” Karen said, dipping her chin in Jada’s direction. “Pastors
do
cheat on their wives.”

“My cousin is a pastor,” Cynthia added, “and he had two or three children by other women.”

“Did his wife ever leave him?” one of the ladies wanted to know.

“Never. He made too much money.”

Nikki fanned through her copy. “I think that’s why Maxine stayed. She must have known Pastor Flexner was cheating, but she didn’t want to give up her lifestyle. Right here, on page two-hundred and thirteen, she says, all men cheat. So you might as well pick one with some money because no matter what, you’re going to get played.”

I tell you, my head was going side to side like I’m watching a tennis match. They talked about one crazy scene after another. And the more they talked, the more I wondered about this here book. I had to ask, “Well, did the pastor ever repent?”

“No!” They all said in unison.

Karen explained, “By the end of the book, his wife left him, but he’s still preaching and looking for a new wife. He has not learned his lesson yet. That’s why we have to read the next one.”

Another young lady smiled. “I can hardly wait until part three comes out.”

They got to talking about some of the other stuff going on in the book—all the folks the pastor was sleeping with, how he paid off the elders of the church to stay quiet, how one of the teens in the church was pregnant by the pastor but his wife paid for the girl to have an abortion, but the girl kept the money and she still pregnant. All that, I supposed, would get discussed in book three.

“But this was my favorite part,” Jada spoke again. “When Maxine finally walked in on Pastor Flexner and her hairdresser.” She found a spot in the book and read off a tell-everything love-making scene followed by a whole bunch of choice words I can’t even repeat.

Look like they done made up some new cussword-matches, ‘cause some of them combinations I hadn’t never heard before that night.

Guess I got the church book club to thank for adding those to my vocabulary.

Chapter 17

Just like the last time, all I could do was steal away from the meeting and make myself busy with something else in the kitchen. Nobody really invited me to the club anyway, no rule saying I had to stay and sit up and listen to them talk about a man of God—even if he wasn’t real. Dangerous territory, if you ask me. God don’t like folks makin’ a joke about His kids any more than you want folks to paint a likeness of your kids and start talkin’ bad about ‘em. Even if they is wrong.

I know it was just a make-believe book. But still. Kind of like I thought the Bible study was supposed to be upliftin’ and pointing toward godly things, looked like the same thing was goin’ on with the “church” book club.

After I nit-picked all the little cleaning jobs in my kitchen and dusted from my room to the front parlor, the meeting was over. Apparently, the women liked that book so much, they decided to read six more books from that same author. Said they was gonna focus on her the rest of the year.

Karen closed the gathering in prayer, and most of them left in one big swoop. Only Karen, Cynthia, Nikki, and I were left.

“Mama B, you can read my copy now,” Nikki said as she put the last of my magazines back in place.

“That’s alright, Nikki-Nik. You can take it back to the library tomorrow.” God is my witness, that’s all I said. This is a free country. Folks free to read whatever they want.

Promise to God, I was planning on keeping my mouth shut and ridin’ it out ‘til Pastor Phillips came back. That’s what me and Ophelia agreed to. Plus, since God hadn’t said too much to me about this whole church situation in a while, I figured all this with Rev. Dukes and book clubs was just meant to show that the Mothers and I needed to spend more time with the younger women in the church.

Then Cynthia—almost out the door, had her foot on the silver part between my wood and the porch—stopped and asked me, “You didn’t like the book?”

I shrugged my shoulders real quick and sort. “Don’t sound like something I would be interested in.”

She drug her foot back inside and let the screen door close. “Mama B, forgive me, but I really thought this book club would be an opportunity to make up for our misunderstanding last time.”

I’m not the one with the misunderstanding.
Before I said another word, I had to think:
am I mad?
A little. Sad probably a better word, though. Took my mind a second to push aside the mad thoughts and decide on words to bring us toward a solution.

I walked over toward the doorway, Nikki and Karen behind me at that point. “Cynthia, I know you’re trying to reach the church women, trying to encourage them to do more with their lives, to read—”

“You’re exactly right. So why did you walk out of the room with a frown on your face during the book discussion? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to undermine everything I do. Are you jealous? Upset because I can get the women do get together but you can’t?”

Karen’s hand come into my side-vision. She touched Cynthia’s arm. “Sister, don’t.”

Cynthia pulled away. “No, I’m tired of this. What is the problem, Mama B?”

“Well, right now, my problem is you disrespecting me in my own house.” I warned her with my eyes she that better watch her mouth.

She clicked her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

I could see a little pool forming in her eyes. “Apology accepted.”

She blinked a few times. “What’s wrong with church women meeting up, spending social time together? If the world can do it, so can we.”

“I got no problem with church women meeting up. God
started
the idea of fellowship when he created Adam, so the world is copyin’
us
. And I’m sure God don’t mind seein’ his daughters get together.”

In a tiny voice, Karen asked, “So what’s the issue? We want to know what you think we’re doing wrong. I mean, it
is
a Christian book.” She stood next to Cynthia.

Nikki must have stayed in her place because I didn’t hear her feet move.

Even though Cynthia didn’t seem like she wanted an explanation, Karen did. So, for her sake, I continued, “You think maybe y’all could have picked a book with a little less cussin’ or maybe with some kind of hope and encouragement for the people of God? This book sound like it come straight from the world. Just ‘cause they slapped a gospel song title and a preacher on the cover don’t make it
Christian
.”

Cynthia pushed her bangs off her eyebrow. “We read books that keep it
real
, not fairytales. And besides, we try to support black authors.”

“Cynthia, I got one question for you. In all this business-meetin’ you doin’ with church folk, and all this book-readin’ you got going on with the church ladies, where is Jesus?”

She looked at me like I had a tree growing out of my head. “He’s here, with
us
, when we meet. The Bible says where two or three are gathered, He’s in the midst.”

I shook my head. “Bible says where two or three are gathered together
in My name
. Big difference between gathering for His glory and gathering together for something else. You think Jesus would have enjoyed being in the midst tonight, listening to all that bad language y’all was readin’? All those strong love-making scenes the single girls got to try to forget about the next time they out on a date? You think Jesus would have enjoyed listening to y’all laugh about how bad pastors can be? Wonder if He thinks it’s funny for His body to be in such bad shape?”

Karen’s jaw dropped open. Light bulb must have went off in her head.

Nikki piped up, “Mama B, I mean, seriously, it’s a
novel
.” She walked over and stood on the other side of Cynthia, facing me now. “It’s only
entertainment
. They’re just words on a page. Just words.”

“That’s precisely what the enemy
wants
you to think.”

Karen said, almost in a whisper, “Thank you for bringing this to mind. And thanks, again, for letting us meet here.” She tapped Cynthia’s shoulder.

Cynthia unfroze and they both walked out.

Nikki shut the door behind them and stomped off to her temporary bedroom.