Drama in the Church Saga (17 page)

“Fuck that. If he can't get someone to come and get it, then he's going to have to come himself. We ain't no delivery boys,” T.J. yelled.

“I'll take it to him,” Payce said.

“Man, you know the rules. We don't transport drugs for nobody,” T.J. shot back.

“I know, but it's this one time. I'll have a talk with him when I get there.” Payce grabbed the package of drugs and jumped into his car. He got no farther than five hundred feet away from the hub when the cops surrounded him and aimed their guns. He was charged with possession, intent to distribute, and carrying a controlled substance in a drug-free school zone.

Since it was his first offense, he got only eighteen months in lockup, but that was enough for him.

“I got it, man.” Payce also pulled out his wad of bills.

T.J. looked at the money and put his arm around Payce's shoulder. “My man must have stashed some loot before he went away,” he said.

“Yeah, I managed to save a little something.” Payce called a waitress over to their table and threw her five one hundred dollar bills. “Cristal, please.”

Payce walked over to the balcony and looked out over the mob of dancers on the dance floor. He saw John grinding on some girl. She was shoving her exposed breasts in his face. Payce took a sip from his glass. He watched all the hot girls with their short skirts and low-cut blouses. It had been such a long time since he had been in the club. When he was locked up, he dreamed about hanging out at the club until three o'clock in the morning. He knew he could never take his freedom for granted again.

He was about to walk away when he spotted a girl leaning against the far wall staring at him. At least he thought she was staring at him. He wasn't sure until she waved. He called her over and she slowly made her way through the crowd.

“Hey, shorty, what's your name?”

“Kai,” she said. The young woman was dressed in a sequined, backless, pink shirt and a pair of black low-rise pants. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

“Are you here by yourself?” he asked.

“No, my friends are around here somewhere.”

“Why were you staring at me?” he asked.

“The way you stood on the ledge watching everyone made you look powerful. That turned me on.”

Payce liked her. She was aggressive and she obviously wanted him.

“What are you doing after you leave here?” he asked.

“Probably going home? Why, what's up?”

“I don't know. I thought maybe we could hang out for a while. It's my friend's birthday and he rented a hotel room. I was hoping you and your friends could follow us back there and help us celebrate.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“Good, meet me out front after the club closes.”

She tempted him with her eyes, and left to find her friends.

“Yo, T.J., did you get that hotel room?” he yelled.

“Yeah, what's up?”

“I just invited a few friends over.” He smiled.

When Payce walked out of the club he found Kai and her girlfriends waiting for him just like he told her. Payce pulled Kai to the side. “Listen, go get your car and pull up in front of the club. I'm going to go get my car and you can follow me back to the hotel.”

 

 

T.J. had reserved the penthouse suite at the Marriott, and it was huge. It had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. There was a living room and dining room area and a huge flat-screen television with a wall full of DVDs. Payce was not surprised by T.J.'s expensive taste.

T.J. was known for always reserving only the very best. “Everyone make yourself at home,” T.J. yelled from the kitchen.

 

Payce pulled Kai closer to him. He didn't want anyone pushing up on her. She was his for the night. T.J. came out with glasses full of Hennessy. “What's your name?” he asked one girl.

“Delilah,” she replied.

“As in Delilah and Sampson?” T.J. asked.

She smiled and shook her head yes. He looked at her naturally curly, shoulder-length hair. She was pretty. A little shy, but pretty. “Delilah, can you do me a favor and pass out the rest of these drinks? I need to go get some ice.”

When T.J. returned, he called Delilah over to him. He whispered in her ear and made her laugh while Darshon and John talked with the remaining two girls.

“So what made you call me over?” Kai asked Payce.

“When I saw you staring at me I thought to myself, that girl is hot.”

“Do you still think I'm hot?” she asked. She pressed against his pelvis with her body. His cell phone vibrated against his hip. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Tressie. He hit the ignore button and turned his attention back to Kai.

“From what I can see, you are more than hot.” He sat his drink down. “Why don't we go into one of the bedrooms for some privacy?”

He grabbed her hand and yelled out to the girls, “Don't worry about her. I'll make sure she gets home in the morning.”

Elise got up from bed and walked into the kitchen. She quietly poured herself a glass of water and wiped the perspiration from her head. Weeks had passed since Miles had discovered her affair, but her mind kept replaying the scene of Miles stepping from behind the stairs and catching her in Sheridan's arms. She repeatedly heard those words fall from his lips: “Do you love him?”

That night she saw Miles's spirit crumble and his six-foot frame shrink right before her eyes. Ordinarily, her husband's presence dominated any arena, but that night her infidelities left him a weak and defeated man. The man she vowed to love for life walked away from her, his marriage, and their happiness, so she could fulfill her dream of having a family.

Her self-indulgent behavior over the past few months disappointed her. “How did I get here?” she wept.

Awakened by her cries, Sheridan rushed to her side. Hugging her tightly, he said, “Everything is going to be all right. Why don't you go lie down in the bedroom and try to get some sleep?” he offered.

“No, I'm all right,” she lied. She broke away from his loving embrace.

He knew her mind held lingering memories of the night Miles had confronted them. Elise had withdrawn from their relationship. Her body was with him, but her mind was with Miles. When they talked she became easily distracted and responded back to him with one word answers. A number of times he had caught her vacantly staring into space.

“Sheridan, I'm all right. I just need to be alone. You can go back to bed.”

Unsure if he should abide by her wishes, he hesitated.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him in the direction of his bedroom. “Really, I'm fine.”

Convinced, he slowly went back to bed.

Elise lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Lately she had been reminded of the day she married Miles. The church was elegantly decorated in all white. Pink and lavender roses adorned the end of each pew. Her Vera Wang gown, unlike the traditional Cinderella wedding dress, gracefully fell to the ground and cascaded around her feet. That day Miles had surprised her with vows he had written himself.

Elise tried to think through the situation in her head. She couldn't understand why or how she had gotten into this predicament. Being an individual who always held high moral standards, was a member of the church, and a woman who never stumbled in her Christian walk, she thought that the sins of the world were beneath her.

But it was becoming clear to her that the same lessons she preached to her Bible Study group were the same lessons she failed to apply to her own life. She often lectured the young adults of First Nazareth on the importance of allowing God to have complete control over your life and not just the parts you want him to have.

Elise was guilty of believing she could withstand the temptations of Satan by herself. Now that her life was spinning out of control, she wanted to call on God. She knew he was the only one who could fix everything.

She wanted to fall to her knees and repent, but she was ashamed and embarrassed to bow before God and admit the wrong she had done.

Elise closed her eyes and dreamt that Miles had found her with Sheridan again. Only this time, he pointed a gun at the two of them. Elise begged him to put the gun down, but before he could the gun went off and the scene turned black. She couldn't see anything. Suddenly a ray of light shone down on Miles in the distance. He lay on the ground, unconscious.

“Miles!” Elise cried. “Wake up.” She felt his hand for a pulse but couldn't find one. She searched his body for a gunshot wound, but found nothing.

“Dial 9-1-1!” She screamed from the couch. “Someone please dial 9-1-1.”

Sheridan raced in from the bedroom and shook her lightly. “Elise, wake up. You're having a bad dream.”

Frightened from her dream, she looked at him, panic-stricken.

Her nightgown was drenched in sweat.

“Here, drink this.” Sheridan handed her the glass of water that sat on the coffee table. “You must have been having a nightmare. I heard you screaming,” he yelled. “Are you all right?”

She thought about her dream, and instantly she realized the importance of trying to save her marriage. She knew it was not going to be easy, but she had to try. She just hoped that Miles would listen to her once she got there.

“I need to go.” Elise grabbed her shoes, purse, and coat.

“Elise, where are you going?” Sheridan asked.

“Home.” And she walked out the door.

Elise walked into her house and a cold breeze wrapped itself around her.

“Miles!” she screamed. “Miles?” He did not answer. “He has got to be here. His car is in the garage.”

She walked into the dark kitchen and the only noise she heard came from the water left running in the kitchen sink. She moved her way over to the faucet to turn it off. When she turned to her left she discovered blood splattered across the kitchen counter.

“Oh God!” she screamed. “What is going on? Miles!” She yelled. A butcher knife lay in a puddle of blood. She quickly pulled her cell phone out of her purse and attempted to call the police, but before she did her home phone rang. Startled by the ringing sound, she was scared to answer it, but she reluctantly lifted the receiver. “Hello.”

“Hi, can I speak with Mrs. Lewis?”

She heard the official tone in the caller's voice.
Please God,
she silently prayed.
Allow my husband to be all right. He is such a good man. He doesn't deserve to be harmed in any way.

“This is she,” she replied.

“Mrs. Lewis, this is Nurse Frazier from Albert Einstein Hospital. Your husband was brought in here a little over an hour ago.”

“Is he all right?” she asked.

“Yes, he's going to be fine. He apparently called 9-1-1 and told the operator that he had amputated his penis.”

Elise thought for a moment she misunderstood the nurse. “Excuse me, can you repeat that?” she asked.

“Your husband dismembered his own penis,” she stated.

Elise looked over at the blood drying on her counter. “I'm on my way.”

 

 

Elise rushed to the nurse's station. “Hi, I'm looking for a Miles Lewis.”

“Are you his wife?” the nurse asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“Dr. Bancroft has been waiting for you. He asked me to page him when you arrived. You can have a seat in the waiting room.”

Minutes later, Dr. Bancroft approached her. “Mrs. Lewis, thanks for coming so quickly. Before you see your husband I wanted to speak with you about his condition.” He took a seat in a chair next to hers. “I don't have to tell you how highly unusual it is for a man to cut off his own penis. The EMT's who brought your husband in this evening managed to find his penis, and I was able to reattach it. In approximately three weeks he should have normal urinary function back and it will probably be a total of seven to eight months before it completely recovers. My biggest concern about your husband's case is his mental state. When he was brought in I had to heavily sedate him. Sometimes under sedation, patients say some crazy things, but he insisted that he did not want his penis. He said it did nothing but cause him heartache.”

Elise held her head down in shame.

“Can you explain his behavior? If I'm aware of what's going on, perhaps I can help.”

“Doctor, my husband and I have been going through a few problems. He has been experiencing some impotency problems.”

The doctor nodded his head to express his understanding. “Has he seen a doctor?”

“Yes, he's been going to a doctor for months. Plus he's been seeing a therapist once a week, but nothing they've suggested has helped.”

“If you don't mind, can you give me the name of his therapist? I would like to request that Miles start seeing his therapist five times a week. He needs intense treatment. I want to make sure that this doesn't happen again. The next time he might do something more damaging.”

Elise closed her eyes to hold back the tears. Dr. Bancroft stood up. “If you need anything you can contact me here at the hospital,” the doctor offered. “If you'd like to see your husband now, I'll walk you to his room.”

Elise watched Miles sleep soundly in his bed. She held on to his hand, praying that once he woke up he would be happy to see her.

Hours later he slowly opened his eyes. “What are you doing here?” he asked groggily, surprised to see Elise sitting at his bedside.

“I was at the house when the hospital called to tell me what had happened.”

He turned his head away.

“Did I do this to you?” she asked. “Am I responsible for driving you to do this?”

Tears welled up in his eyes. “Elise, after I left you, I went home to an empty house. Everywhere I looked I saw reminders of you. It drove me insane. I sat in the den and realized the reason this was happening was because I couldn't satisfy you. This impotency has destroyed my life and took the one thing from me worth living for—you. Before I knew it, I had laid it down on the cutting board in the kitchen and picked up the butcher knife. If the doctors couldn't help me, then I knew no one could.”

She grabbed Miles's hand. “Listen, you amputating your penis is not going to make things any better. We . . .”

“We?” he interrupted her.

“Yes,
we
are going to battle this together. God brought us together and we can not allow any man or woman . . .” She pointed to herself, “. . . tear us apart.” She leaned over and gently kissed him on the lips, “ 'Til death do us part.” She smiled. “Let's pray, and God will handle the rest.”

 

 

 

“Man, she was a freak. I'm telling you. You name it, she did it,” Payce told Darshon as he jumped behind the steering wheel of his car. They had just finished shopping at the mall.

“Well, I wish the rest of her girls were like her. Those other two girls wouldn't separate for the world. It was as if they made a pact that night not to leave one another's side. I was better off going home after the club.”

Payce's cell phone vibrated. It was Kai, calling him again. She had been calling him nonstop since the night they were together. He sent her call to voicemail. It had been a month since they met, but he didn't want anything serious with her. He had already decided to hit it a couple more times, and then let her go. He couldn't manage to keep both Tressie and Kai.

“The easy girls are always attracted to you. Like this girl Najah you met in the mall,” Darshon said, pulling a slip of paper off the dashboard.

“Man, can you put that number away? I have to pick up Tressie. If she sees that number I'll never hear the end of it.”

“Sorry, man.”

They pulled up to the corner of Broad and Cecil B. Moore. Darshon opened the door for Tressie, and he climbed into the backseat.

“Hey, baby,” she said to Payce. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the mouth. “Guess what I learned in school today?” Without giving him a chance to guess, she continued, “I learned that dogs have the same IQ as a four-year-old child. So do you know what that means?”

He looked interested in what she was saying, but he could feel his phone vibrating on his hip. He didn't want to answer it in front of Tressie because he knew it was Kai. Payce turned up the radio to drown out the vibration sound.

“Why are you turning up the radio when I'm talking?” she asked.

“Sorry, baby. Darshon likes this song.”

Tressie turned around to look at Darshon. He was asleep. She turned the volume back down and continued.

“As I was saying, those mutts at your parents' house can fully understand what I'm saying when I tell them to get away from me. Every time I walk in the house they sit in my face and stare.”

“Maybe they're mesmerized by your beauty,” Payce replied. “You better start being nicer to them or the next time you come over they're going to have you for dinner,” he laughed.

 

 

Weeks of watching Daneesha's house had finally paid off for Murray. At long last, Bryant had returned to the house. Like a long lost relative he strolled onto the porch and greeted Kobe as if they were old friends. He talked with the black Lab for a moment before entering the home.

Murray thought about calling Olivia and giving her an update, but quickly decided against it. He didn't want to get her hopes up. Just because he had found Bryant didn't mean he was going to find Bryce, especially since Bryant had arrived at Daneesha's alone.

Bryant's first week with Daneesha and the children consisted of many family outings. They dined out, went to the movies, and Bryant even took the kids to see Sesame Street on Ice. Murray tailed Bryant the entire time, never letting him out of his sight.

Murray also paid close attention to Daneesha and Bryant's relationship. It was obvious that she loved Bryant very much. The look in her eyes said forever, but the look in his eyes said never. Every time she grabbed for Bryant's hand, his response to her affection appeared forced and phony. Any displays of public affection initiated by him never seemed sincere.

The funny thing about Bryant was his attitude toward the children. The love and attention he showed toward Marquita and Marquise came straight from the heart. Murray was trained to read people's body language and he could clearly see that Bryant genuinely cared for those children as if they were his own.