Mattie's Call (18 page)

A
lice wiped off her desk and took the last of the books and snacks she'd left at the library.

“This resignation feels funny.”

“I could have brought the box to your house.”

“I've been missing you, Syn. I haven't warmed up to anybody in years and I wish we could go back to the way things were before I went back home.”

Synaria gave Alice a warm bear hug. “We're all waiting for you to come back. The library is different now that you're gone.” She'd tread the waters lightly. After the night Alice chose to stay with her husband, she immersed herself in reading about domestic violence. She wanted to show support by not blaming Alice or pushing her away. She wouldn't mention Joshua, either.

Alice's face blanched. “You all haven't missed me.” She avoided eye contact with Synaria.

She lifted her chin. “We have. Especially Sabir Martin.”

“The genealogy buff?”

“Of course. You always assisted him with research. I was a little offended when he wouldn't accept my help.”

Alice chuckled. “I forgot about him.”

“Don't forget Mrs. Martha Wide. You're the only one who could calm those rowdy grandchildren of hers during story time. She credits you for lighting the spark that now makes her oldest granddaughter read voraciously.”

“That wasn't me; that was Harry Potter for Melissa. Remember how the baby girl, Marta, fell in love with Virginia Hamilton's stories?”

“Don't be so modest. You are a valuable member of the team.”

Alice sighed and placed a watch in her box. They'd planned to get a replacement battery at the mall on their lunch break a few weeks ago. They never went. She picked up her belongings and headed toward the exit with Synaria. A sense of longing gnawed at her as she watched patrons check out books, job hunt on computers, and sit in study groups. The library was her escape; being home didn't compare.

Synaria snapped her out of the daze. “How did you get here? Is Beryl waiting outside for you?”

She hesitated. “I drove.”

“Really?” Synaria didn't realize how loud she'd gotten until someone shushed her. She lowered her voice. “Since when have you started driving places in the family car?”

“I've been doing lots of new things.”

Synaria swallowed hard in an attempt to mask her skepticism. “If this is what you want, I'll support you.” She stopped short of offering her house again.

“Synaria, I know you and my family aren't happy about my decision, but Beryl is changing.”
So am I.

“It's your life, Alice.”
I don't want to see you dead on the six-o'clock news.

“I have to get to my two-o'clock appointment, so I'll be going now.”

Synaria walked her to the car. “Keep in touch. We need to do lunch like old times.”

“I will. As a matter of fact, I'll have you over for lunch at my house, so we don't have to spend any money.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. I'll even make my legendary strawberry cake for you.”

She waited until Synaria went back inside the library and drove off. Excitement and electricity filled her body. She knew they all thought she was pitiful, but she wasn't poor Alice anymore. Beryl was so caught up in their “kiss and make-up” honeymoon phase, he hadn't noticed the subtle changes in her. His indiscretion with muskrat Davina had given her unbelievable leverage. He handed over the car keys, took her out to dinner, and hinted at getting a Cialis prescription. She blushed at his advances outwardly, but inside her master plan was underway. By day, she logged on to Savannah State's website with the laptop Beryl had purchased for her and took classes toward her degree. No longer did he dole out thirty dollars a pop to her; he gave her his credit card and asked her to get her hair and nails done. He complimented her and told her it took almost losing her to realize how much he loved her, how important their marriage was to him.

Humph. I'll show you love.
Her phone rang as she took the Statesboro exit. When his name flashed, she answered.

“Are you near?” he asked.

“Yes. Harvey's parking lot, correct?”

“Yes.” A few seconds passed. “See you soon.”

She ended their call and drove a few more miles. She saw his Infiniti parked in the grocery store lot. She pulled up in the space next to him, waved, and waited. When he cast nervous eyes on her, she instructed him to let his window down. “Do you want me to get in your car?”

“Sure.” He eyed people walking in and out of Harvey's.

She slid into his car and wondered if Gigi met men in parking lots. He was more handsome than she remembered when they attended church.

“I'll make this quick. I have to get back home soon and I want to know if you're going to help me.”

“Did you bring the evidence?”

“Not so fast. Are you in?”

“Depends on what you have in mind.”

“Robert, I didn't want to do this. I was in the dark about everything, too.”

“I never thought Davina would cheat. I thought I provided a good life for her.”

“Is that why you introduced us to that charlatan who took our money?”

Robert caressed the steering wheel. He'd become a pariah in Savannah since the Ponzi scheme. He arrived at church a few Sundays ago to changed locks and scowling faces. His members no longer trusted his leadership and put him out. He had been fleeced along with his congregation and lost a significant amount of money. Davina promised she'd be by his side, but she'd grown as distant as his flock. When Alice called him to say she'd caught Davina with Beryl, he didn't want to believe her. Curiosity got the better of him when she said she had evidence.

“I apologize for what happened. I thought I was doing everyone a favor. I'd seen other churches flourish and I wanted my members to prosper as well.”

She wanted him to offer a better explanation. When he didn't, she asked, “What's going on with the investigation?”

“He's still in hiding.”

“I had a bad feeling about him the moment he set foot in the pulpit.”

Robert shook away the thought and returned to the reason for the meeting. “About Davina. What evidence do you have?”

Alice opened her purse and removed a small plastic bag. She gave Robert the wedding band and engraved bracelet. His face fell as he touched the ring.

“She took them off upstairs. I scared them, so she forgot to pick them up. You hadn't noticed it was missing?”

“I've bought her lots of sets over the years. This one was the most special, though. I gave her this set after my father died. She'd been so helpful toward him as he transitioned. I wanted to show her how much she meant to me. The rings, trips, and gifts over the years were my way of letting her know her barren state didn't bother me.”

“She can't have children?”

“Nope. She also has a glandular issue, hence the odor.”

“You've been with her through all that?”

“I'm no saint, but yes. I love Davina. She put up with my philandering in the beginning of our marriage. When I said for better or worse, I meant it.”

Alice sat back in her seat. She wasn't into breaking up marriages. A part of her wanted Robert to hurt as badly as she'd been. Looking at his face now, she felt regret. She shouldn't have called him. She touched his arm.

“I feel like I've ruined your life and your marriage, Robert.”

“I've had a hand in both. Don't apologize. I felt Davina was tipping out. I just wasn't sure who it was. You've endured a lot, too.”

“How so?”

“I'm not blind. I saw the bruises when you attended church. Sometimes I wondered if you were wearing shades to be fashionable or if something else happened behind closed doors.”

Alice looked away from Robert. “I had no idea anyone noticed.”

He cupped her face and turned her head to face him. “Maybe it's time we both moved on. I'll broach the subject when I get home since I'm moving out.”

“Don't say anything yet.”

“Why'd you call me here?”

“We can help each other, Robert. We're both in a position to have a fresh start.”

He gazed into her eyes. “What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

“Robert Crenshaw, one hand washes the other. Let's lather up!”

 28

“T
here has to be another approach, Joshua. I don't agree with the way you showed up unannounced, but he is your son.”

“Gigi, that's why I've extended my leave. I can't concentrate on work right now.”

“Deborah won't answer your calls at all?”

“Text messages or emails, either.”

“Damn, lil' Bro. It's like she's fallen off the face of the earth again.”

She removed the last of the dishes from the dishwasher and put them in the cabinet. The morning's breakfast was her best attempt yet at Mattie's blueberry waffles. She'd gotten a stash of her mother's handwritten recipes from the house and had tried a few new ones the past two weeks. She and Joshua had grown closer since Alice's decision to remain with Beryl was cemented. When she got ready to sign the lease on a new apartment, he insisted she stay at his house until she saved more money. She needed the extra time since she hadn't saved much, but she didn't want to impose on him. Their conversations were awkward initially, but soon they swapped tales about Target, relationships, and their parents. His melancholy state about his son wasn't lost on her; she cleaned, cooked meals, and tried to ease the desire he expressed to see his son. Langston filled their discussions each day.

“Do you know how hard it was to look at him without fessing up?” Joshua wiped down the cabinets and the stove.

“I'm glad you didn't. He would've been traumatized.”

“I want my son to know I exist.”

“He will when the time is right. We'll come up with a way to smooth things over with Deborah and Ennis.”

“I'm not begging them for anything.”

“Josh, I didn't say beg. There's a solution. Give me some more time to think.”

“Speaking of traumatized, have you talked to that
dumb
sister of ours?”

“Josh!”

“She is!”

“Don't talk about her. She's a victim.”

“Victims don't have a way out, Gigi. Our sister had a job, a place to stay with her friend, and a new support system to help her transition. And what did she do?”

“Victims go back to their abusers up to seven times.”

“She can stay with him.”

“We have to get Alice out of the situation.”

“I'm done with her. Change the subject!”

Gabrielle pursed her lips. “You brought her up. No need to be so testy!”

Joshua sat at the kitchen table and massaged his temples. “Everything is so different now that Mama and Daddy are gone. I never imagined I'd be this distant from Alice. I never imagined I would have gotten closer to you. It's like the universe is playing tricks on us.”

Gabrielle joined him at the table. “Every night I dream of them. Sometimes I hear Mama's voice. Other times I see Daddy calling us inside from jumping on the trampoline or running through the sprinklers.”

“He called
us
in. You were too cute to play with us.”

“Touch
é
.”

They laughed. Gabrielle's cell phone interrupted their trip down memory lane. Herb's name flashed on the screen.

“Hi, Herb.”

Joshua watched as they chatted briefly. She nodded, shrugged, sighed, then eyed her watch. She stood, still speaking with an exasperated look on her face.

“I can be there by two, Herb.”

She ended the call.

“What's wrong?”

“Katisha called in again.”

“The Ghetto Bird?”

“I never called her that, Joshua.”

“You didn't have to. Burgundy hair. Glodean White fingernails.” Joshua snapped his neck and repeated the phrase she'd shared. “No hell I won't!”

Gabrielle tried to hold in her laughter, but she couldn't. She quickly regained her composure. “I'm going in to do this job in the hopes she pulls things together. Nanette says her job's on the chopping block, and I pray this isn't the last straw.”

Joshua turned serious. “Gigi, you can't justify the kind of action you told me about. If she's missing days, being reprimanded, and doing subpar work, she doesn't deserve a job.”

“I know. Everything you've said is true except for the subpar work. She's been improving since being in the women's department with me.”

“I like the sound of you being a good influence on someone.”

“You don't have to tease me, Josh.”

“I'm being sincere, Gigi.”