The Choir Director (26 page)

Just as the two of us were reaching a truce and making plans for some hot makeup sex later that night, a car screeched to a halt next to us, totally ruining the mood. It was Andrew Gotti with that damn perpetual frown on his face. He got out of the car, and his sidekick exited the passenger side.

I sighed in resignation. “What do y’all want now?”

“Weren’t you supposed to meet up with us yesterday?” Gotti
snapped, pointing at his watch. “I told you not to make me come looking for you.”

I pounded my palm against my forehead. “Oh, no! It’s Wednesday! Damn, I totally forgot!”

“Damn right. You ain’t got that much time left. Why do you keep screwing around? Get in the car,” the taller man barked.

The next thing I knew, Simone jumped up in the tall man’s face. “Y’all can’t do this. Who the hell do y’all think you are?” Her professional façade had dropped, and she was total sister-girl, hand on her hip, neck swiveling and finger pointing in the tall guy’s face.

“Simone.” I held out my hand to restrain her. “Let me handle this, okay? I’ll meet you back at your house. We’ll have dinner like you said. Everything will be fine.”

I know she was trying to help, but this girl didn’t have any idea what she was getting into. I hoped she didn’t make matters worse for me.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m cool. They’re cool.”

For a moment Simone looked uncertain, but finally she relented. She slid her door key off her key ring. “Here’s the key. If you get there before me, make yourself at home. I’ll be there later. The meeting’s going to take awhile.”

I nodded as I climbed into the backseat of the gray car. Looked like Simone wouldn’t be the only one with some explaining to do tonight.

“Ah, can I help you, Mr. Mackie?”

I’d just walked into my office and found Aaron placing a Macy’s bag on my desk. I wasn’t at all surprised. I suspected all along that he was the culprit behind all those gifts. Lord have mercy, this boy was bold and disrespectful. Here he was trying to play secret lover, and my husband was right next door in his office.

I thought about how he’d copped a feel the first day we met, and I felt a little guilty. Maybe I’d led Aaron on in some way by not telling T. K. about his advances. But whether I did or didn’t, he had no right to presume I was a loose woman who cheated on her husband. Well, as flattered as I might have been in the beginning, this nonsense was going to stop right here and now.

“Oh, hey, First Lady. I was just leaving you something,” Aaron said nonchalantly. There was a good-natured chirp in his voice, as if he were doing me a favor. “I wanted to surprise you, but I guess giving it to you in person is just as good.” He tried to hand me the Macy’s bag, but I wouldn’t take it.

“Surprise me?” I repeated incredulously. “Look, Aaron, this has got to stop.”

He looked confused. “What has to stop?”

I took a breath and held it for a second before exhaling. “Look, have a seat.”

He sat in the chair in front of my desk, the look of confusion still on his face. This younger guy was good. He sure knew how to lie and play the game. Now it was time for me to let him know that the game hadn’t changed—and that I’d won a match
or two in my day. I didn’t catch the most eligible bachelor in the entire church for nothing.

“Aaron, you can’t keep giving me gifts. They are totally inappropriate and out of line. I am a married woman.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It means you shouldn’t give me such intimate gifts. Like I said, I’m married.”

“You call this intimate?” He laughed this time, placing the bag on my desk.

“I don’t see a damn thing funny, Aaron.” He was really irritating me. This was a serious matter, and yet he was chuckling. “Every time I think about all the bishop has gone through for you, I get mad. And you’ve got the audacity to be flirting with his wife and sending her gifts.” I paused because I was about to lose it on this man. “Not to mention that the first day I met you, you couldn’t keep your damn hands to yourself. Don’t you feel the least bit ashamed?”

“Shame about what, First Lady? You’re the one who’s tripping. Ain’t nothing inappropriate about what I’m giving you,” he pouted, acting like he was the victim here.

I calmed down enough to ask, “Okay, well, why don’t we open the gift and see just how inappropriate it is?”

“Why don’t we?” he challenged.

I reached into the bag and pulled out a long, rectangular box. I was sure it was a piece of jewelry, perhaps a bracelet or a watch. And he didn’t call this inappropriate?

“I don’t know where this is coming from, First Lady. No of-fense—you’re a nice-looking woman and all, but you’re a little old for me.”

His comment hurt my ego, but he’d be eating his words when he had to explain to me and T. K. why he was spending his hard-earned money buying me expensive gifts. I ripped open the paper around the gift.

“I left a matching set for your husband too. I just wanted to show my appreciation for all your support of the choir.”

I lifted the cover off the box and looked down at a black-and-gold pen set. I wanted to shrivel up and die. The darn thing couldn’t have cost more than fifteen dollars.

“You gave one of these to T. K. too?”

“Yep. You, him, Deacon Frye, Tia, and all the members of the choir. Like I said, I just wanted to say thanks for the support.”

I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

Tia walked into my office. “First Lady, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I have to tell you, I went to the mall with Aaron. In fact, I helped him pick out those pen sets for you, the bishop, and the others. He just wanted to show his appreciation. He didn’t mean anything personal by it. I’m the one who suggested he do it. Sorry if you’re offended.”

“Oh my goodness,” I said. “So, let me get this straight. You haven’t been leaving me gifts before now?”

Aaron held his hands up innocently. “I’m sorry about you feeling like that, but no, I haven’t been leaving you gifts. And I never tried to feel your behind. It was an accident. I really did fall. You may have misinterpreted, but I’m not that guy. There’s a lot of things about me that I don’t like, and with God’s help I will one day change them, but I would never flirt with you or give you inappropriate gifts. I respect the bishop too much to do that.”

Usually I go off and then feel embarrassed later, but this time I felt horrible right away. “Aaron, I’m sorry,” I started, but he didn’t give me time to finish. He held up a hand to stop me, then got up and stalked out of the office. He was upset, and understandably so.

“Darn, I guess I put my foot in my mouth this time, didn’t I?” I sighed, looking at Tia.

“You sure did.” Tia nodded. “Big-time.”

I glared at her. “You know what, Tia?”

“What’s that, First Lady?”

“You don’t have to agree with me all the time.”

She half laughed. “I know that, but this time you really are right.”

“He probably hates me right now. You know I wouldn’t have done that if I wasn’t so paranoid about those gifts I keep getting.”

Tia put her hand on my shoulder. “First Lady, I’m sure Aaron will understand if you explain it to him. He’s just a little upset
now. He’ll get over it. He really is a sweet guy,” Tia said as if she knew Aaron inside and out.

“Oh, how would you know?” I asked.

“You’re the one who made me his babysitter, remember? Well, I’ve been babysitting him a lot lately. I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. Surprisingly, he’s a decent guy, a good guy.”

“A decent guy, huh? Sounds like someone’s been doing a little more than babysitting.” She shook her head to deny it. “Give it up, Tia. Are you hiding something from me?”

“No, we’re just friends. He’s cute and all, but I don’t see him that way. I never looked at Aaron in a romantic kind of way. He’s like a good friend or a cousin.”

“Kissing cousins maybe?” I teased.

“Sorry, I’m not about to go down that road.” Tia tossed her head and shrugged. “Mr. Mackie has enough female church members running behind him. I don’t intend to join the harem.”

Now that I thought about it, she was making sense. Simone had already proven that she was willing to do anything to eliminate her competition.

“You know what, Tia? You’re absolutely right.”

“Ladies, I know this session is coming to an end, but I really want to thank you all for coming out every week to share. And even for those of you who just come to listen, I pray that you hear something that helps you further along in your journey to survival. My prayer for you is that someday you feel so free amongst the group that you can openly release all the pain and fear you have bottled up inside. I know it’s hard at first, but it was in this exact type of setting that I first talked about my own rape.”

I believe in making eye contact with those I’m addressing, so I made an effort to look at every member in attendance as I spoke. I needed to make a connection with these women. Until my eyes landed on Aaron after I made my last statement, I’d forgotten that a man was, in fact, in the room. A man who, I might add, knew absolutely nothing about my story until now. That was evident in the expression that fluttered across his face.

Aaron and I had finished manning the phone lines, and I had a rape counseling session scheduled with five women immediately after. It was Aaron’s idea that he sit in on the counseling session, to kind of see me in action. He felt that hearing from the actual rape victims and survivors, he’d be able to better assist some of the women on the hotline. When I explained Aaron’s presence to the women, none of them had an issue with him being there.

“So, ladies, with that being said, I’d like to close out in prayer, and until next time, God bless you all.” I said a prayer, the women and I all hugged, and then we bid our farewells until next time.

“So, Mr. Mackie, what did you think?” I asked Aaron, who hadn’t said a word in the last few minutes. Something was sticking
on his mind. Of course, I had my theory about what it might be, but I’d wait for him to speak on it. My wait wasn’t long.

“Tia, why didn’t you tell me? I had no idea.”

“No idea of what?” I played along. Again, I thought it best for him to speak on it first.

“My God, that you were raped. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

I stared at him for a moment. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. That look right there.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Pity. That look of pity you’re giving me right now. I didn’t want that. I don’t want that. Not from you or anybody else.” I began straightening up the room, taking the few chairs out of the circle we had put them in and putting them back into their usual horizontal rows.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that’s the impression I’m giving.”

“Well, it is.” Anger was creeping in to some degree. I wasn’t angry at Aaron, though. I was angry for letting it slip in front of him that I was once that woman on the other end of the hotline. Now he was going to see me as some weak, fragile girl.

“Hey, slow down.” Aaron walked over to me and gently took my arm. “Listen, that look wasn’t pity. It was awe. I’m in complete awe of you. I would have never known you’ve dealt with such horror. I mean, you are one of the strongest women I know, Tia. I’ve always thought the most of you, but now I think so highly of you that it’s ridiculous. You are an awesome woman, Tia. You really are.”

I was so moved by Aaron’s words, and even more moved when he put his arms around me and embraced me. It caught me off guard—not Aaron’s reaction, but my own. Usually whenever a man tried to get too close, an instant guard went up, kind of like the first time I ever met Aaron. But not this time. This time it felt different. This time it felt good.

Oh God, what was happening here?

I walked into the church’s conference room a little anxious about the meeting I was about to attend. After conducting an internal audit, on my recommendation, Maxwell Frye had called a special finance meeting of the deacons’ board and the board of trustees. Maxwell hadn’t told me what the meeting was about, just that it had to do with the financial health of the church and that all members of both boards needed to be present. I did know he’d spent a lot of time with James the past few days going over numbers and figures.

After about fifteen minutes of pleasantries, I stood up, pounding my gavel on the podium. “Please take a seat. I’d like to get this meeting started so we can get out of here at a reasonable time. My wife made pork chops for dinner, and y’all know how much I love pork chops.”

There was a burst of laughter, and then everyone settled down.

“As most of you know, since Deacon Smith’s passing, Deacon Frye has been elected the new chairman of the deacons’ board, and he asked me to call this meeting. So, I’m going to turn over the floor to him. Deacon Frye.” I turned to my immediate right, where Maxwell was sitting next to me, shuffling through some papers. There was light applause, mostly from the members of the deacons’ board.

Maxwell cleared his throat before he spoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, after visiting with our accountants, the finance committee, and the chairwoman of the board of trustees, I’m sorry to say I have bad news to report.” Maxwell paused to let the impact of his words sink in. “Our church is bankrupt.”

“Excuse me. What did you say?” one of the deacons asked.

“I said our church is bankrupt, and my recommendation is to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.”

A hush fell over the room. To tell the truth, I was too shocked to speak. It felt like a nightmare. Just a year ago, our church was solvent. I knew we were in trouble, but not bankruptcy type of trouble. I would have to talk to Maxwell later about him not clueing me in to this problem before the meeting. I did not appreciate being blindsided like this.

Suddenly, everyone’s eyes shifted suspiciously to Simone; then they looked back at Deacon Frye. Quiet whispers rippled among those in attendance.

“What?”

“How is that possible?”

“What’s going on?”

“Where’s all the money?”