Sinful Too (17 page)

Spending Friday afternoon with Rose, philosophizing on the topics of love and life over coffee and pound cake, seemed like such a waste then. In a playful manner, Nadeen had allowed herself to theorize about the kind of woman Richard could have been drawn to. Later, she comprised a mental list of potential church hoochies low enough to invite him into their beds while smiling in her face. There was Tina Williams, a single sister with lots of baggage. Tina had four abortions by three different men, none of whom were inclined to take a paternity test to narrow the candidates for fatherhood. Next was Rosalyn Bates. She was nearing forty, never married, and rumored to flip onto her back easier than a flapjack. Patience Jackson was also a likely contender because she would do anything to get a man and just about anything to keep him, including occasional threesomes with his friends. Nadeen laughed when Rose’s list far exceeded hers, then they both decided to let it alone for the time being. As it turned out, they were merely wasting time. Dior happened to be a devil she didn’t know.

Sixteen

Run Tell That

F
or those of you still shaking off your nightclub buzz,” Richard huffed when he noticed people in the audience dozing in their seats, “let me say it again. Lack of faith will fail you. Lack of faith will burden you down and numb you to the power of the Lord.” After a round of applause, Richard raised his right hand as if taking an oath. “With God as my witness, my voice mailbox overflowed last week with church members asking for prayer. Jobs are hard to get. Friendships are hard to maintain. Families are splitting up every which way you turn. I know you’re heavy-laden, downtrodden, and doggone tired, but we still need to remain faithful to our calling. If you thought it possible to get up when the clock struck, climb out of bed, step out of last night’s lust and last night’s lies without God’s help, you are what they call ‘some new kind of fool.’ How else did you get here, considering all of the things you’ve been through? People, you’d better listen and hear me well. Without a goodly amount of faith, Satan will have his way with you. He’ll get you crossed up, tripped up, and that’s jacked up. Y’all aren’t used to Brotha Pastor taking it to the street, but tough times call for tougher measures. Faith is a necessary key into the Kingdom of Heaven. How else would you get into your own home? God’s house is no different. Some of us are tried and tempted, thinking we’re making out just fine without the Lord’s help. That’s a lie you shouldn’t be telling yourselves.” Richard paused to wipe his forehead with a white cotton handkerchief. When returning it to his inside breast pocket, he caught a glimpse of Dior hanging on to each syllable. He was upset that she’d crashed his party without mentioning it beforehand, but it also excited him. He relished the idea of having a dirty little secret so close to home base. It didn’t hurt that she was a head-turning stunner.

Richard beamed when he hopped back atop his soapbox. “If you believe in your heart that God promised deliverance and salvation and that He has the power and intentions to save you from yourselves, your dilemmas, and your sins, then you’ve come to the right place, because this house was built on those promises. Now then, if you are not a believer nor have any good intentions for yourselves or anyone else, then you’d better check yourself. I’ll just be honest with you: People who brought Satan in with them this morning, those who’ve come into God’s house looking to do harm and take advantage of our tempted and tried, you should get up right now and get out! You heard me. Go to hell, without running through the church on your way there. I mean it, get your fake behinds out of here because we came to be about Godly faith this morning!” Richard absorbed a thick shower of cheerful affirmation. Nadeen’s pensive expression stood out like a sore thumb. Richard was slightly concerned, failing to understand the magnitude of Dior’s presence around his wife. He shrugged off what he’d determined to be nothing worth worrying over, then quickly marched to the left side of the stage, waving an open Bible above his head. “Since nobody stood up and bolted for the door, I’d have to guess we all came here for the same reason: to share in His Word and seek His Kingdom. Faith is vitally important but faith alone won’t open the door. In the book of James, chapter two, starting at verse number fourteen, it reads a little something like this,” he said, reciting the scripture from memory.
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go I wish you well, keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
The crowd applauded at his recollection of the passage. Many shouted with affection. Still, Nadeen appeared unmoved. Clearly her mind had taken a trip to some other place, where Richard’s showmanship paled by comparison. “Let me finish, let me get back to it,” he yelled above the excitement. “Verse eighteen furthers the point.
But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that, and tremble.’
Mark it down, church. You’ve got to walk the walk when you talk the talk. Amen?” Richard stormed to the other side of the vast pulpit as the auditorium erupted. Men and women leaped to their feet. The organist chimed in on the heels of a stirring message. She played along masterfully, wringing emotion from the congregation while the pastor brought his sermon to a close. “Just like a body without a spirit is dead, faith without actions to validate it is too. The doors of the church are open.” Richard sat behind the podium in a chair fit for a king. It was hand-carved from deep rosewood and decorated with dark crimson fabric. Someone brought him a gold-plated chalice filled with water and another handkerchief to dry his face.

What a gift
, Dior thought, clapping excitedly.

“What a mess,” Nadeen said under her breath.

Strangely enough, they were both right. Richard had undoubtedly utilized his talents to help restore faith to many enduring tumultuous times. On the other hand, he boldly directed his life toward disaster. Assisting others to find peace in the midst of prickly predicaments was one thing. Locating some of it for himself wouldn’t be nearly so easy to orchestrate.

After the church service ended, Nadeen played the minister’s wife although her heart wasn’t in it. She assumed others had witnessed what she did: the cute little pink thing openly flirting with the pastor. It was difficult to imagine otherwise. Her ego had taken such a beating. She excused herself, then shot off like a rocket toward the pastor’s chambers. Nadeen was fuming, pacing back and forth in Richard’s office. She couldn’t wait to question him about his viperous visitor and whether she was the inspiration for his drawer full of new underwear, the hours he reported having been at the fitness center, and a host of disappearing acts. She also questioned the discussion turned debate from earlier that day when Richard reacted like a defiant toddler. He pouted and hissed after Nadeen laid out a collection of the red neckties, which had traditionally been his preference for previous pastor’s day services. His adamant determination to wear pink annoyed her then but now she was infuriated.
How could I have been so stupid?
she thought.
Richard said he wanted to step out of the box he’s been living in. Had me listening to all of that nonsense about it taking a real man to wear pink. He must think new kinds of fools are born every day. Wait until I see him. Just wait.

Nadeen waited in Richard’s chambers for as long as she could stand to. When he didn’t show up, she set out looking for him. Zooming past members without batting an eye or raising her voice to acknowledge them, Nadeen trekked down the sidewalk from the business offices to the main auditorium entrance. She had blinders on until something caught her eye. She recognized a pink dress and wide-brimmed hat heading her way. Disregarding the horde of people milling about, Nadeen guarded the pathway with her arms folded. As Dior drew closer, Nadeen began tapping the toe of her shoe against the cement. Dior stopped less than three feet from the woman blocking her way. “I don’t think we’ve had the chance to meet,” said Nadeen, definitive and daring.

“I
know
for a fact we haven’t,” answered Dior in the same tone she’d received. “I surely would have remembered you.”

“Then let me make it plain. I’m Mrs. Richard Allamay.”

That’s a silly name for a girl
, Dior wanted to say. “Okay, is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“Look, little girl. I don’t know who you think you are,” Nadeen challenged, unaware of Dior’s street pedigree.

“Ma’am, I haven’t been any kind of girl for a long while now. And as for who I am, you’d have to ask
Mr.
Richard Allamay where I fit in with him. And a word to the wise: You might want to get your business straight before stepping to me again.”

“Just in case you don’t know, the pastor of this church is married, happily married, with two adorable daughters. You’re not welcome to come back here.”

Dior tilted her head to shield her eyes from the midday sun. She wanted to see Nadeen’s face when it cracked. “I came here to worship, not be driven out by some insecure female with her butt on her shoulders. I thought Christians were supposed to invite people into God’s house?” Dior asked with a questioning expression that ruffled her adversary. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those fake-baked ones pretending to be a holy roller?”

Utterly appalled by what she viewed as disrespect, Nadeen looked around to see if anyone heard Dior’s verbal assault. “I’m as real as my wedding vows. Maybe we should get Richard out here and see if that wipes the cheesy little smirk off your face.”

“I don’t answer to you or him, lady, and unless you got something real to get off your chest, best move to the left.” Nadeen observed passersby taking notice. She relaxed her stance then eased over slightly so Dior could squeak by without creating an outright incident. They parted ways, both upset at how the introduction played out.

A month ago, Nadeen would have thought it was inconceivable that a woman would stand up to her when confronted about moving in on her husband. Meeting Dior was extremely unsettling. Richard had a lot of explaining to do.

After Nadeen caught her breath, she stomped into the office building wearing a plastic grin to hide her real emotions while aggravated beneath it. When she rounded the corner past the third-floor elevator, Richard’s voice poured out of his open office. Nadeen flew in with both barrels blazing. “What do you think you’re doing? Huh? I talked to your lady friend, that pink thing, who just had to sit down front. Yeah, I saw the looks between y’all. Now you’re going to tell me what all of that is supposed to be about.” Richard glared at his wife for raising her voice at him when others could have easily overheard her rants. Calmly, he collected his keys and wallet from the desk drawer.

“Mahalia, Roxy, I need to talk to your mother,” he said with a manufactured smile on his face. “Why don’t y’all meet us downstairs by the car in a few minutes.” Nadeen was so full of fury she didn’t see her own daughters standing between her husband and her wrath. Both girls quickly exited the office as instructed. Nadeen slammed the door so hard the walls shook.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself,” she spat. “It takes real nerve flaunting your backdoor woman around your wife and friends, Richard.”

“Watch your mouth, Nadeen!” he shouted with measured restraint. “You’re in the Lord’s house.”

“You cannot expect me to stand here and listen to you lecture me about respecting the Lord’s house after half the church is probably wondering the same thing I am.”

Richard sat on the corner of his desk with both arms folded across his chest. “Ahh-hhh. I’m not concerned with what’s on the minds of half the church, but I would like to know what’s got you acting like this at my office and in front of our children.”

Nadeen stared him down. She was highly upset that he would even try and flip the script so easily. “That’s just like you, Richard, massaging the issue until it benefits you. Not this time. I know what I saw and it sickened me. The woman all but confirmed what’s going on but I want to hear it from you. No lies and no double-talk. Just shoot it to me straight up so I’ll know what to tell the divorce attorney.”

Richard shrugged his shoulders, stared at his wife of eighteen years, then offered her the truth, his truth. Richard wasn’t stupid. On the contrary, he was treacherous. He was lucky enough to catch the interaction between Nadeen and Dior from his office window. Although he couldn’t hear a word of it, their body language told him everything he needed to call the outcome correctly. He could tell that Nadeen approached Dior on a fact finding mission. Dior confirmed that she knew him but under what circumstances was still unclear. She must have said something to send Nadeen reeling because she threw her hands on her hips to protest it. When they didn’t come to blows, Richard was sure that Dior held her own while getting a few digs in somehow, leaving Nadeen with a bad taste in her mouth and a full quill of ruffled feathers. “I’m almost afraid to ask how badly you embarrassed me, yourself, and the church, for that matter.”

“See, there you go,” Nadeen hissed. “Negro, please. Unless you’re coming clean, you can save all that for somebody who hasn’t been sleeping by herself and waiting up for you to find your way home.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you but one thing has nothing to do with the other, Nadeen,” Richard said casually. “Dior is a lost lamb. She sold me this suit and threw in this necktie. I’ve seen her do a lot more for other customers. That’s right, you just insulted a harmless salesperson who said almost a month ago, ‘I don’t do church.’ Thanks to you, she may never
do church
again. I did what I was supposed to. I got her here and was really looking forward to introducing the two of you,” he lied to save face. “She could use a seasoned mentor to help get her feet wet in the Lord. However, based on your actions, I wouldn’t blame her for running in the other direction and never thinking of reentering another church of any kind. Look, you need to take your sneaky suspicions and that un-Christian attitude to God and seek forgiveness for what you’ve done. I’m through.” He breathed a long labored breath then stood up. Nadeen replayed her conversation with Dior, thought on it some more, then wiped a tear from her eye.