Let the Church Say Amen Read online

  “Yeah, right.”

  “I was. Anyway, don’t you want to know how your son is doing? You haven’t even called to check on him.”

  “Rachel, I can’t deal with you today.”

  Rachel leaned against the phone booth and started twirling the metal phone cord. “Jordan asked about you.”

  Bobby let out an exasperated sigh. “How is he?”

  “He misses his daddy,” Rachel purred.

  “I miss him, too.”

  Rachel could tell she was getting to him. If Bobby had a soft spot for anyone, it was for his son.

  “He asked me would you come see him.”

  Bobby hesitated again. “Can you drop him off at my mother’s?”

  Rachel bit down on her lip. She had to keep her cool. “I can’t. My car broke down,” she said, lying. “I can’t make it over there. You can come over to my place, though.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Bobby, you can come see your son. I promise I won’t bite you.”

  “Rachel, I don’t want no drama.”

  “You won’t have any. I promise,” Rachel said in the most sincere voice she could muster.

  “All right. I’ll see you in about thirty minutes. Bye.”

  Rachel said good-bye and placed the phone back on the hook. She was smiling uncontrollably. She glanced at her watch and figured out how long it would take her to change and get cute. Luckily, she had just left the beauty shop, so her hair was looking good. She just needed to change into something sexy. She was determined to seduce Bobby and get him back into her life.

  Rachel raced home. The kids were still asleep. David was asleep on the sofa as well. He’d been there since yesterday, when his girlfriend kicked him out of the apartment. Rachel almost didn’t let him stay with her, but the bottom line was he was still her brother.

  Rachel hated leaving her children with David, but she thought it would be okay since she was just running to use the phone. Now, however, with Bobby coming over, David had to go.

  “Hey!” Rachel shook her brother trying to wake him up. “David! Wake up. You gots to go.”

  “Huh? Wha … what’s going on?” David wiped his face trying to wake up.

  Rachel turned her nose up at her brother’s putrid smell. His white Nike T-shirt was now a dingy yellow and splattered with food stains. It looked like he hadn’t changed clothes in a week. His hair was in desperate need of cutting. No wonder Tawny put him out. But then, judging from the one time Rachel had met her, she didn’t look much better.

  Rachel didn’t feel like fighting her brother either way, so she thought quickly. “Uh, I just talked with your girlfriend’s cousin. She told me Tawny has already moved somebody else in y’alls’ apartment.”

  “What?” David jumped up. “You lying!”

  “For real. You better get over there and handle your business.”

  “That’s why she put me out.” David muttered. “She claimed it was because I was broke and she was tired of buying all the um …” David caught himself and looked at Rachel, “… of buying everything,” he continued. “And all this time it was just so she could move somebody else in!”

  “You better go check it out,” Rachel said as she started straightening up the sofa. David lived on the other side of town, so he’d be gone awhile. If she got lucky with Bobby, she just wouldn’t answer the door when he got back.

  David jumped up and slipped on his gym shoes. He grabbed the keys to his rickety old truck and raced out of the apartment without saying good-bye.

  Rachel closed and locked the door, looked in on the kids in the back bedroom they shared, then walked into her bathroom. She popped in her favorite CD, turned the shower on, jumped in and lathered down with Peaches-n-Cream shower gel. A few minutes later, she was standing in her walk-in closet, trying to find something to wear. She decided on a red Tommy Hilfiger skirt and a black sleeveless sweater that showed off her ample bosom. Rachel sprayed on Bobby’s favorite perfume, Trésor, then went to switch the Tupac CD for something romantic.

  More than an hour passed and Rachel was starting to get irritated; that’s when she heard a car pull up out front. She excitedly raced to the window and looked out. She didn’t recognize the black Ford Expedition, but saw that it was definitely Bobby behind the wheel. Since when did he get a new truck? Rachel closed the blind she had been peeking out of and moved toward the door. She gave Bobby time to knock.

  “Who is it?” she seductively called.

  “It’s me.”

  Rachel leaned against the door and smiled. “Me who?”

  “Stop playing games and open the door.”

  Rachel put the chain on the door and cracked it open.

  “Bobby, oh, I didn’t know if you were still coming, it being so late and all.”

  “Well, I’m here now. Where’s Jordan?”

  Rachel scanned his body. He looked so good in a tan shirt that fit snugly on his muscle-filled chest and crisply starched blue jeans. Her eyes made their way down to the key chain in his hand. “You got a new car?”

  Bobby huffed. “Just go get Jordan.”

  Rachel straightened up and smiled. “Why can’t you answer my question? You think I’m going to try to put you on child support just because you seem to be rolling in dough?”

  “I am not rolling in dough. If you must know, the truck belongs to a friend.”

  The smile left Rachel’s face. “A friend? Who?”

  “Rachel, just go get Jordan.” Bobby had a look across his face like he regretted coming to Rachel’s in the first place.

  Rachel stood on her toes and looked down at the truck. The license plate on the front said “Miss S.”

  Her eyebrows narrowed and she felt her blood starting to boil. “I know you did not come over in her truck.”

  “Rachel. Don’t do this. I just want to see Jordan.”

  “Is that Shante’s truck?” Rachel screamed through the cracked door. Bobby didn’t respond. “Answer me!” she yelled.

  “Rachel, my car is in the shop. I didn’t have any other way over here. Now please …”

  Rachel didn’t let him finish. She slammed the door in his face.

  Bobby started pounding on the door. “Rachel! Jordan! Jordan, it’s Daddy.”

  “Go to hell!” Rachel shouted through the closed door.

  “I thought you said I could see Jordan,” Bobby said in a calm voice.

  “I changed my mind; now beat it before I call the cops!”

  She heard Bobby curse, then kick the door. The kick was so hard she thought the door would cave in. She almost expected him to knock it down, he was just that mad, but she didn’t care. How dare he come over to her house in another woman’s vehicle? She peeked out the window. He had gotten back in the truck and was speeding off.

  “Bastard,” Rachel muttered. “You’ll be sorry.”

  12

  JONATHAN FOUGHT BACK TEARS. He was a grown man and he was determined not to cry about this.

  “So, is it somebody else?” he asked. Jonathan had just returned from a brief visit with Tracy at Houston Intercontinental Airport. Tracy was on the way to Los Angeles to visit family, and they agreed to meet at the airport during a two-hour layover. Although things started off fine, in the end, their visit hadn’t gone too well and Jonathan had stormed out, leaving Tracy standing alone in the terminal. As soon as Jonathan had set foot in the house, he’d called Tracy’s cell phone so they could finish the conversation.

  “Answer me!” Jonathan demanded when Tracy didn’t respond.

  “Yes,” Tracy softly responded. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. It’s just I didn’t know what was going to happen with us. When you left Atlanta, I thought it was over.”

  Jonathan cupped the cordless phone between his head and shoulder and began pacing back and forth in his room. He knew Tracy was upset about him leaving Atlanta and moving back home. They had agreed that once Jonathan graduated, he would try to find a job there and they’d live happily ever aft
er. But this was no fairy tale. When the time came, Jonathan said he was just too confused and bolted back to Houston to “get his head together.” Granted, that was a few months ago, but he never thought Tracy would turn to someone else. “So this is how you solve an argument? By running into someone else’s arms? You throw away everything we had, just like that?”

  Tracy sighed heavily. “Look, they’re calling for my plane. But Jon, you have to realize you threw us away when you left. I’m sorry. It’s just I’m so tired of being with you the way we’ve been. Sometimes you act like I mean the world to you. Other times you treat me like I don’t even exist. I can’t keep going through that. You have been promising to tell your family about us and that has yet to happen.”

  “Is that what this is about? I told you that would come in time!”

  “So you said, Jonathan. You’ve been telling me that for the last year. I told you from jump, I’m not ashamed of being gay and I just can’t be with someone who is.”

  Jonathan had met Tracy at an off-campus party three years ago. They had immediately clicked and began hanging out. Jonathan knew from the start that Tracy was gay, but he found himself drawn to him. Eventually, Tracy implied that they should take their friendship to the next level, something Jonathan seemed open to trying. And things had worked out great, for a while. But then, Tracy wanted everyone to know that they were a couple, and that was something Jonathan wasn’t ready for.

  “Now, Tracy, you know that’s not it.”

  “No, I don’t know anything,” Tracy calmly responded. “Except I’m tired and for the first time in almost a year, I feel happy. I owe it to myself to be happy, Jonathan. And yes, I’m sorry, but Martin makes me happy.”

  Why don’t you just stick the knife in further and turn it a little bit more? Jonathan didn’t know what to do. The love of his life was slipping through his fingers. Part of him wanted to cry and beg Tracy not to give up on them. But the other part was telling him to have some dignity and let it go. “Fine. I won’t bother you again. Be happy!” Jonathan didn’t give Tracy time to respond. He slammed the phone down and once again tried to fight back the tears.

  Jonathan fell down across the bed in his room. He had converted the attic into his bedroom when he was a freshman in high school and his parents seldom ventured up there, giving him the privacy he desired. His parents had left everything just as he had it when he was in high school. From the TLC poster on the wall to the honor society achievement certificate resting in a frame on his dresser, everything was just as it had been.

  Jonathan glanced at the yellow church program lying on his nightstand. Sister Hicks’s granddaughter, Veronica, had written her number on it after church last Sunday. Jonathan hadn’t planned to use it, but now, that didn’t seem like a bad idea. He knew that wasn’t the way to solve his problems, but at this point he didn’t care. He was starting to feel like Tracy had been a big mistake and maybe this was his way to make things right.

  Jonathan gazed at the sexy young female sitting across from him. She had to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her shoulder-length tresses framed her delicate honey complexion perfectly. Her smile was seductive and sensuous. Still, Jonathan couldn’t get his mind off Tracy.

  “Hel-lo. Is anyone home?” Veronica waved her hands in front of Jonathan’s face.

  He smiled. “I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”

  Veronica leaned back and seductively crossed her long, sultry legs. “Wow, I must be pretty boring, because from the look on your face, you weren’t thinking about me.”

  Jonathan began toying with his napkin. “Veronica, I’m sorry. I have to be honest with you. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated. I’ve been in a relationship for three years.”

  “So, is that relationship over?”

  Jonathan tried to shake the look of melancholy from his face.

  “Yeah. It’s over.”

  “Tell me about her.”

  Jonathan twiddled with his drink next, swishing the ice around. Veronica had been receptive to his call, agreeing to meet him immediately. But now that he was actually here, he wasn’t exactly comfortable, although he was trying hard to relax. “You know what? Why don’t we change the subject? I’m not out with a beautiful lady to talk about my past. That’s something that never should’ve happened.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  They continued eating dinner and making small talk. As they were finishing their raspberry soufflé, Jonathan said, “Why don’t we go back to your place?”

  “What? Is the preacher’s son propositioning me on the first date?”

  Jonathan didn’t know what he was doing. All he knew was he had to get Tracy off his mind.

  “Veronica, I don’t normally do this. It’s just, I was in this relationship for so long. I was faithful. But the last few months were pretty bad. We barely even spoke. And, let me just say, it’s been a long time since I’ve …” Jonathan’s voice trailed off. He couldn’t believe what he was doing, but he needed to find a release and this beautiful woman sitting in front of him had to be just what the doctor ordered.

  Veronica didn’t take her eyes off him. “I think that’s what I need,” Jonathan finally continued. “In no way do I want to use you. I think you’re attractive, lovely, and very, very sexy. And I think spending time with a woman like you is just what I need to make me forget my troubles.”

  Veronica looked like she was taking it all in. She smiled. “Jonathan. I appreciate your honesty. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about my reputation. I’ve heard them, too. Some of them are rumors and some are the truth. I like sex. I especially like sex with fine men. And you are a fine man. So, I’m down.” She leaned in, making sure her breasts were resting on the table. “Let Veronica make you forget all about your ex. I promise you, when I’m done, you won’t even remember her name.”

  Jonathan smiled. That’s just what he wanted to hear. Maybe he needed to return to his so-called ho days. He glanced at the check, pulled out three twenty-dollar bills from his wallet, laid them across the table, and reached out for Veronica’s hand. Veronica took it and eased out of the chair.

  She wet her lips before turning to walk in front of Jonathan. His eyes made their way down her back and to her behind, where the skirt hugged her full hips. He noticed other men in the restaurant checking her out, too. The way her body swayed as she walked out the door was enough to get a rise out of any man.

  Jonathan looked down to the crotch of his pants. Nothing. “Come on, fella,” he whispered to himself. “I need you like I never needed you before. Forget Tracy. That’s not what’s meant for you. This is.”

  Veronica paused in the doorway, turned, and waited for Jonathan to catch up. “Would you come on? We got some business to handle.” She giggled and sashayed out to the white Ford Mustang Jonathan got his senior year in high school.

  Jonathan moved his jacket in front of his body and began discreetly massaging himself as he walked out of the restaurant. Part of Veronica’s reputation included her bragging on her sexual prowess, so he was determined to give her something to brag about with him.

  It took nearly thirty minutes to get back to Veronica’s apartment. She spent the entire drive nibbling his ear, singing seductive songs, and massaging Jonathan between his legs. All that, and he was still limp as a wet rag.

  “You’ll have to excuse the mess,” Veronica said once they were inside her apartment. “I’ve been busy and haven’t had a chance to clean up. Make yourself at home. I’m going to grab us some wine.”

  Veronica disappeared into the kitchen and left Jonathan standing in the cluttered living room. He picked up a pair of thong underwear off the sofa and dropped them to the floor. He wondered, had she left them there after having sex with someone else.

  “What am I doing?” He sat down and muttered to himself. As soon as the thought entered his mind, he heard Tracy’s voice telling him it was over. He imagined what this Martin person looked like and what they were prob
ably doing right now.

  “Forget this,” he mumbled. “I’m here with one of the sexiest women in the church and I’m thinking about that sorry, good-for-nothing …”

  “Here’s your wine.” Veronica reached over Jonathan’s shoulder and handed him a glass. He didn’t normally drink, but maybe the wine would help ease his mind. He took the glass, stood up, and turned around. Veronica was standing there in her bra and panties, a brown lace set that looked like it was sculpted for her. Jonathan’s eyes scanned her body. He would have to be a fool not to be turned on by this gorgeous woman. She sipped her wine, then set the glass down.

  “Bad news, baby. I got a visit from my monthly friend. I know it doesn’t bother some people, but I don’t get off like that.”

  Jonathan stared at her with the glass in his hand. He didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. He really wanted to try to have sex with her. He needed to have sex with her. But if he couldn’t perform, he would never have been able to forgive himself. Maybe this was a blessing.

  “But, I’m not one to tease and leave,” she continued. She took Jonathan’s glass, sipped some wine, set the glass down, then pushed Jonathan down on the sofa. Veronica began unfastening Jonathan’s pants. She eased her hands inside his underwear.

  Jonathan watched Veronica at work, unsure of what to do. He took a deep breath, grabbed his glass, and gulped down the remaining wine. He closed his eyes just as Veronica’s head lowered into his lap.

  A small smile crossed his lips as he felt himself becoming erect. Veronica’s head rhythmically bobbed up and down. Jonathan’s smile grew as he felt his hormones flare. This confirmed it. He wasn’t gay. He could still be turned on by a woman. Maybe what he felt for Tracy hadn’t been real, a youthful experiment. “Yes, baby. Like that,” Jonathan whispered.

  Jonathan moaned, groaned, and grunted. He felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, he exploded and Veronica laughed as she savored his juices.

  “I knew it,” he whispered as he gently rubbed her hair.