When Perfection Fails (16 page)

Lenora rolled her head from side to side. Her eyes were still closed, but she could tell she was not in the king-size bed she shared with Jonathan. She slowly opened her eyes, but shut them tight as the bright lights caused tears to form. Her throat was dry and scratchy. She placed her hands over her parched lips and coughed over and over again.

“Lenora, take it easy. I'll get the nurse to come back in.”

Nurse?
Recognizing Jonathan's voice in the midst of her disorientation, she peeled her eyes open. Lenora focused on Jonathan's face. She opened her mouth to speak, but her vocal cords were unwilling to cooperate. Lenora struggled to sit up.

“No, stay put. You're very sick right now. I'm glad Mother found you. You had a very high fever.”

She remembered being warm and lightheaded. They were at Charmayne's funeral. Lenora sank back against the pillows. Now she was starting to remember.

A nurse entered the room. “Mrs. Freeman, how are you? It's so good to see we got that fever down for you.”

Her dry, parched throat allowed her voice to break through. “I'm thirsty.”

The nurse nodded. “You were pretty dehydrated.” She poured water from a plastic pitcher on the side table and handed the paper cup to Lenora.

Lenora began to gulp, but the nurse said, “Take sips. Easy, there you go. The doctor administered some heavy-duty antibiotics to help you clear up the rest of that nasty bacterial infection.”

Lenora nodded and handed her cup back to the nurse. “Thank you.”

When the nurse left, she looked over at Jonathan who sat quietly. He eyed her, and then stated, “I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to slow down for a while.”

“I can't—,” she began to argue.

He held up his hand. “Sometimes we don't have a choice when God wants us to sit still. I know it's a busy time for you, but you do have employees who can step in and help. Right now, you have a lot on your plate. I think you're taking Charmayne's death harder than you're willing to admit.”

At the mention of her friend's name, Lenora's eyes watered. “That's because she shouldn't have left us so soon. Certainly not
that
way.”

Jonathan leaned over and grabbed her hand. “I'm sorry. If I could change the events of these past few days I would. Right now, we can do something about making sure you get back to being 100 percent. Take care of you. You're not going to be good for anyone if you aren't well.”

She knew Jonathan was right. Ever since Charmayne's death, Lenora had pushed herself so she didn't have to deal with the stark reality.

After getting the doctor's okay, Lenora was discharged from the hospital. As she walked into her home with Jonathan holding her elbow, she felt grateful. Grateful to see the photos of her family on the wall. She hadn't had time to jump into her annual spring cleaning, but their home was still welcoming and a safe haven.

“Let's get you upstairs. Straight to bed for rest.” Jonathan guided her toward the stairs.

“Mom, you're home!”

Lenora turned around to see Michael and Keith both get up from the living room to walk toward her. She smiled, proud of her almost grown men. “I'm home. Need to get some rest, especially according to Dr. Jonathan Freeman here.” She eyed Jonathan, who nodded.

After she entered her bedroom, she slipped into an old favorite, her light blue cotton nightgown. It wasn't the most attractive attire she had for sleepwear, but the long flowing fabric was what she needed to wrap up in under the covers.

“Do you need anything before I go?” Jonathan had come in the room. He placed her bag on the chair by her side of the bed.

The nightgown was not one of his favorites although she couldn't tell by his face. All she saw was concern. Lenora pulled the covers up underneath her neck. “Where are you going?”

“Tonight's Thursday. You know it's a busy night at Victory Gospel. Choir practice and other meetings. Members like to know I'm around.”

Lenora nodded. “Sure. Just don't catch what I have.”

He laughed. “I will keep that in mind. I don't think any of us want what you have. You're a real trooper, though.” Before he walked out the door, he turned around. “Mother is still here. She will be happy to help, so don't hesitate to reach out.”

Lenora sank down under the covers. She felt a bit ashamed knowing her illness was a long-awaited wake-up call for her. She hadn't been feeling well for a few days, but she was used to working through stress headaches. A superwoman she was not, and right now, her eyes were having a tug-of-war. Lenora finally let sleep win. Her dreams were fitful. She was standing inside the sanctuary of Greater Heights Church.

Charmayne was standing up front with her hands on her hips, waving her finger. Lenora tried to interpret what she was saying. All of a sudden, Lenora heard someone calling her name. She stared at Charmayne who now had her hands on the side of her face. Her mouth was opened in an “o” shape, and her eyes were wide. What was she trying to tell her? Lenora spun around and saw a dark figure coming toward her.

Before the person reached her, a persistent knocking snatched her away from the dream. Lenora sat up. Someone was knocking on the bedroom door. She peered over at the clock and realized she had fallen asleep for a few hours. She yelled, “Come in.”

Eliza swung the door open. “Girl, you were starting to worry us. In a few minutes, I was just going to break the door down. We need to get some food in you. You've been sleeping too long.”

Lenora sat up as Eliza shuffled in the room with Michael behind her. Her son brought her a tray. As he came closer, she saw a bowl of soup with crackers to the side. “Eliza, you didn't have to do this.”

“Oh yes, I did. You need to keep your strength up. Girl, we can't have you go downhill like that again. I don't think I've ever seen you that sick before.”

“Yeah, Mom. I hope you feel better soon.” Michael set the tray over her lap. The steam from the soup rose up to her nostrils. She inhaled the chicken noodle soup.

Lenora caught her son's hand. “Thanks, honey. I'm doing exactly what I've been told. Rest.”

“Good, well, I need to head out.”

Lenora frowned. “You're going out on a school night.”

“Study session. Don't worry, I'll be back on time.”

“Okay.” Lenora wasn't familiar with Michael having any friends in a study group, but she didn't always keep up with him like she used to do when he was younger. Back then, she knew every playmate and friend her sons had in their lives.

“You need to eat now.” Eliza pointed to the soup.

“Yes, ma'am.” Lenora wasn't used to Eliza being quite so motherly toward her either. She was sick and out of commission for twenty-four hours, and it seemed like everyone was acting out of character. Or maybe she just always took care of everything.

She took the soup spoon lying on the side and scooped up a few noodles and pieces of chicken. After she blew on the soup, she chewed and swallowed the hot, salty broth. Lenora looked up to see Eliza watching her closely.

“Eliza, I'm okay. I'm not going to fall completely apart.”

“That's good to hear because I wasn't sure. No, I shouldn't say that. You're a strong woman and a woman of faith. Always have been.”

Did her mother-in-law just compliment her? Lenora swallowed a few more spoonfuls of soup. “You sound like you're worried about me.”

“You just lost a friend in a pretty horrible way.”

Lenora let the spoon fall in the soup. She stared down at the soup in silence.

Eliza continued, “You know, Charmayne was strong-willed, very much her dad's daughter. Now her mother, Mrs. Valerie Hudson, was very meek. Poor thing.”

Lenora eyed her mother-in-law, wondering where the story was going.

Eliza sat on the edge of the bed. “At least I used to think that. One day I saw Bishop Hudson raise his hand and strike Valerie across her face. The way he did it, I doubt it was the first time. I confronted her about it, and she said she could take him. She just didn't want him to ever take anything out on Charmayne.”

Lenora responded. “She protected her daughter.”

“Valerie was the referee, sometimes taking not just licks from him, but being the brunt of Charmayne's lashes too.”

“Why are you telling me this, Eliza? Is this supposed to make me feel better?”

The old woman let out a deep sigh. “I don't know. I guess what I'm trying to say is when Valerie died, I regretted that I didn't stick up for her more. You know? You stuck by Charmayne through some thick and thin. I just don't want you to feel any guilt.”

Lenora shook her head. “I don't. Guilt is not what I feel. I feel confused.”

Eliza tilted her head. “Why? Because she took her own life?”

“It wasn't something she would ever do.”

“Honey, we don't know what goes on inside of other people's minds.”

“I'm tired. I appreciate you coming in here to help comfort me, but I've known Charmayne all my life. She could be a mental case sometimes. She would be quick to knock back a bottle of wine, but she didn't do this.”

Eliza stared at her. “Well, if she didn't kill herself, what are you saying, Lenora? Are you sure this isn't just denial?”

Realizing she probably said too much, Lenora thrust the tray forward. She knew Jonathan hadn't shared with his mother anything she'd told him last Friday in front of Detective Jackson. She needed it to stay that way until she could figure out some things. “Maybe I am. I need time to process.”

“It's okay. Anyone can understand, and you need to grieve.” Eliza reached for the tray.

“No, you don't need to carry this back downstairs. Michael can come for it later.”

“I'm sorry, Lenora. I really am. I hope God gives you some peace.”

Lenora nodded and looked away. When the door had closed behind her mother-in-law, she grabbed the tray and set it on the floor beside the bed. She struggled until her foot hit the floor, and then she wobbled over to where she saw Jonathan place her bag.

Now that she had time on her hands, she was going to figure out exactly what was going on. She knew people wanted her to believe Charmayne took her life, but they simply didn't know what she knew. Lenora pulled out her phone and her daytimer. With a pen in hand she climbed back in bed.

She used to use her day-timer to jot down appointments. Now, since she was using the calendar on her smartphone more regularly, she had plenty of empty pages in the day-timer. She jotted down the first time she received a text, Keith's accident, the second time she received a text, Charmayne's visit to the salon, and finally, events leading up to Charmayne's death.

What about the man with the pale green eyes? She vaguely remembered talking to him, but Lenora couldn't recall any of the conversation.

Darnell had kept the copy of the crumpled article that had been left rolled up in her car windshield wipers. He did say he would process prints, but she knew enough from cop shows that there may not be viable prints. She'd touched the paper herself.

That didn't matter. What mattered is she needed to find out who else knew. She jotted down Charmayne and the bishop's name. Then her name.

So who else knew what happened that night? Lenora wrote down “The Victim” and circled the words. Detective Darnell told her he would look into what happened to the man who was struck that night. Was it really him doing this? Did he even see their faces in the dark that night so long ago? Did the injured man catch a glimpse of the license plate?

If he found out who had hit him, why didn't he come forward back then? For what purpose did it serve a person to sit on information for this many years?

Jonathan welcomed Wes and Angel into his office. He had an early start. This couple's session was one of many appointments he had on his plate. Somehow, his Monday morning had been overbooked. Ironically, he had been scolding Lenora for not resting and being overly busy.

His wife seemed to be making a full recovery, but it was hard to tell what was going on in her mind. Lenora wasn't used to being still. He was pretty sure once the lingering effects of her illness vanished, she would be right back to her routine. But he knew deep down something had changed about Lenora since Charmayne's death.

Jonathan focused on the couple in front of him. “Have a seat. I'm so happy you were finally able to make it. I need to apologize to both of you, though. It seems like I have been overbooked a bit, so this session is not going to be as long as the others. I want to mainly meet and answer any questions you might have.”

Angel held up her hand like she was in a classroom.

Jonathan said, “Yes, Angel.”

“I hope it's okay before we start if I can ask how's Lenora doing.”

He nodded. “Certainly. She's resting, or she should be resting.”

As he sat down, Wes looked at Angel, and then back at Jonathan. “Well, we weren't sure if we should cancel the appointment or not. We were so worried about Mrs. Freeman.”

Jonathan nodded. “She is out of the woods. Apparently she caught a bug and tried to work her way through the illness until her body gave out on her. Plus, losing a friend in the past few days hasn't been easy either.”

Angel said, “I'm so sorry for her loss. I remember the day Ms. Hudson came in the boutique. She looked really upset and like she needed to talk to Lenora.”

“It's a shame about Charmayne. Lenora is taking it pretty hard. We can only pray time will heal those wounds.” Jonathan pointed his index fingers at both of them. “Right now, let's talk about you two lovebirds. How are the plans for the wedding date coming?”

Wes grinned. “We have a date now.”

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. “This is good news.”

Angel giggled. “I know, I know. Everyone was waiting for the big announcement. We've decided to have a New Year's Eve wedding.”

“That is going to be very different. I know Lenora is going to be really excited to work with you on the details of your wedding,” Jonathan responded.

“I know, I can't wait, but—” Angel stopped and looked over at Wes.

Wes finished by saying, “We know there are some issues we need to work on, which is why we are here with you for our first premarital counseling session.”

“There are a lot of issues we will certainly discuss in the next few sessions. Some of the major ones that lead to the breakdown of a marriage are finances, starting a family, finding time to be intimate, and a real big one is communication. You two are off to a good start by understanding you need to begin this marriage by first getting an understanding of each other.”

Wes nodded. “I know I have a tendency to move full speed ahead.”

“And I like to take my time and be cautious,” Angel added.

Jonathan smiled. “There is some truth that opposites do attract. In your case, it sounds like you two certainly complement each other. Now what you may need to learn, and this is a lifelong process, is the art of listening. It's real easy to want to get our point of view across, but we must have a listening ear to what the other partner needs.”

He opened a folder on his desk. “Let's start this session off with this questionnaire. I want both of you to take a copy and fill it out individually. We will go over the answers with each other at our next session.”

Wes and Angel both took the stapled documents from him.

Jonathan stood. “I look forward to the next four sessions with you so we can make sure to get you married by New Year's Eve.”

“Thank you, Pastor,” Wes and Angel said together.

Jonathan laughed. “I like the unity already.”

As he walked the couple to the door, he added, “I do want you to keep something in the back of your mind. In this society, it's real easy to throw in the towel when life hits you hard. You are walking into a covenant relationship that includes God. Divorce is not an option.”

As Jonathan closed the door behind the couple, he thought about some of the issues he brought up to them. Some of those were relevant to his marriage right now. How had the communication between him and Lenora gotten so far off? Of course, he knew the answer to that. In some ways, they almost led separate lives whenever they left the house. He had to admit he hadn't been there for Lenora like he should.

Jonathan picked up his cell phone from the desk. Lenora was doing well about staying away from the boutique, but he doubted she was truly resting. He dialed their home number. The phone kept ringing. He ended the call and looked at the time. It was 12:30 p.m. Keith had finally returned to UNC. He thought his mother mentioned she would be with some old friends that afternoon. Michael was still in school.

He dialed Lenora's cell phone this time. Still no answer. Where was Lenora? She was supposed to be resting at home. Jonathan sighed and said out loud, “Woman, please don't tell me you've decided to go to the boutique. It's Monday.” He clicked over to his favorite contact list and dialed the bridal boutique's number.

“Hello, this is Lenora's Bridal Boutique.”

Jonathan frowned. “Hello, Sarah, this is Reverend Freeman. You didn't open the boutique today? If so, I was wondering if you have seen or heard from Lenora today?”

“Hi, Pastor Freeman, I haven't seen her or talked to her on the phone today. I actually came in thinking she would be anxious about this weekend.”

“Really? So she hasn't called to check in.”

Sarah said, “I know, right? That's pretty unusual. Is Lenora okay? She sounded almost like herself last Friday. I hope she hasn't relapsed or anything.”

“I certainly hope not. She has been slowly getting better. I hope she is just getting some rest. It's almost lunchtime so I'm going to go by the house to check on her.”

“Okay, well, let her know everything is just fine. I have triple-checked.”

“Will do. Thanks for holding down the fort for her, Sarah.”

Jonathan ended the call. Something didn't feel right to him. He didn't know why, but Lenora's illness and collapse, plus the untimely way that Charmayne died, had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. He'd tried not to bother Lenora as she grieved in her own way for Charmayne, but the threats and the situation from years ago bothered him.

He looked at the clock and his calendar. Jonathan grabbed the calendar and headed out to the secretary's desk. He hated to make changes at the last minute, but he felt a strong urge to go home and check on his wife.

She was his priority at the moment.