Drama in the Church Saga (21 page)

He flipped open the phone. “Hello.”

“Payce, what's up? I'm glad I finally caught you.”

“Look, Kai, I can't talk right now. I have a lot of shit going on right now. I'll have to get back with you when I have some time.”

“I read about your problems in the paper, but that's not why I'm calling. I have something important I need to talk to you about and it can't wait.”

“What is it, Kai?”

“Can't we meet someplace and I can explain then?”

“No,” he replied. “If you want to talk, then do it now while you have me on the line. I don't know when the next time is that I'll be able to speak with you again.”

She sighed. “I guess I don't have no choice but to tell you over the phone. I had a baby.”

“Congratulations.” He wondered why she was telling him that.

“And I think you're the father.”

“What?” He jumped from his seat and walked into the kitchen. “How do you think I'm the father? Kai, I haven't seen you in months,” he wailed.

“I know. I thought someone else was his father, but the paternity test results said he wasn't the father. The only other person I was with was you.”

“You waited all this time to tell me?”

“I've been calling you for weeks. You wouldn't return my calls.”

Payce's head began to pound. He couldn't believe this was happening to him now. “What do you want?” he asked.

“I need you to go down to the child support office and take a DNA test.”

“Fine, make the arrangements and call me with the details.”

Payce slammed his phone shut and sighed deeply.

“What's up?” Darshon asked.

“Man, I might be a father.”

Tressie ran down the subway steps and squeezed through the subway doors just before they closed. She carried her heavy book bag through the crowded train in search of an empty seat. She found a window seat next to a four-year-old boy who was coloring pages in a book.

Tressie sat by the window and watched the scenery turn from row homes to single family homes. The train suddenly made a sharp turn and forced the boy's hand to run straight across the page.

“Damn, I messed up again,” he said out loud. Tressie was shocked by the youngster's choice of words.

“Qua, didn't I tell you to color inside the lines?” a teenage girl who sat on the right side of him shouted out. Annoyed, she turned her back toward him and continued her conversation on her cell phone.

“Do you want to see the picture I did today in school?” he asked Tressie.

“I sure do.” He pointed to a page in his book and she smiled at the child's creative drawing. “That's beautiful!” she exclaimed. “Are you going home to show your mommy?”

“I am his mother,” the young girl shouted at Tressie.

Embarrassed, Tressie criticized herself for assuming the young mother was his sister. Tressie heard her cell phone ringing in her book bag and was grateful for the distraction. She dug around in her bag before she found it. “Hello?”

“Hey, Tressie.”

Tressie closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. The person she despised the most was calling her.

“It's Payne,” the caller said.

“I know who it is,” Tressie snapped. “What do you want, Payne?”

“Why are you being so rude?” he asked.

She realized that she was being short with him. “Forgive me. I'm sorry. What can I do for you?” she asked.

“As I was saying before your rudeness stepped in, I've scheduled a mandatory meeting for Saturday in Harrisburg.”

“Since when have meetings with you been mandatory?” she screamed.

“Since I've been conference president,” he responded.

“I can't come.” She refused to argue with him. “I don't have to attend. You should have listed this on the schedule.”

“Tressie, you have to come. I have some important items on my agenda that I need to discuss about the next annual conference meeting. I've been working on changing a few things and I need to assign projects to certain individuals, and that includes you. Tressie, please come.”

He had used the word “please.” That caught her off guard. She couldn't believe he was actually being polite. This meeting must really be important to him. She hadn't made any plans for the weekend, so she could attend.

“Payne, don't do this again,” she berated him. “I'll be there, but don't schedule impromptu meetings and expect everyone to rearrange their schedules to accommodate you.”

He sighed heavily into the phone, irritated by her complaints. “The meeting starts at three o'clock. Don't be late.” He hung up on her.

She placed her phone back in her bag. She couldn't believe she had agreed to attend an unscheduled mandatory meeting for Payne. Tressie looked around the train for the adolescent mother and her son. They must have reached their stop. Only a small handful of passengers remained on the train. Tressie laid back her head and rested until her stop.

Saturday morning Tressie pulled her car into the First District Diamond Center parking lot. It was five minutes past three and there were no other cars in the lot. She couldn't believe Payne wasn't there. He was such a fanatic about everyone attending his meetings on time. Lateness annoyed him.

Tressie tried calling Mariah before she left Philly to see if they could ride up together, but she couldn't reach her.

“Hello,” Tressie called out as she entered the center. Her voice echoed against the hollow walls. “I better not be the only person who showed up. If so, I'm going to personally kill Payne.” She walked down the hall to the office where their meetings were usually held. She opened the door. Inside a dozen roses and a card with her name on it lay on the table. She picked up the roses and read the card.

Tressie heard someone walk in behind her. She twisted herself around and Payce stood in the doorway.

She ran to him. “This was so sweet. Did your brother tell you I was going to be here?”

“No, I arranged this meeting to get you out of town. I had to pay Payne to call you and arrange this bogus meeting. It wasn't easy asking Payne to do me a favor. He drove me up here early this morning and opened the center for me. He kept reminding me how much I owe him for doing this.”

“You did all this for me?” Her eyes danced.

“I knew you were still mad with me for getting arrested. I needed to make things right between us. Do you like the roses?”

“I love them . . . and the card.”

“I meant what I said. No one in this world can measure up to you. I don't think I could live my life without you in it.” They hugged. “Let's get out of here. I made us reservations at a nearby restaurant.”

They left the church conference center and went to a nearby park.

“I thought we were going to eat,” she said.

“We are. The restaurant is down that trail. It overlooks the river.” They held hands through Riverfront Park, and once they arrived at the restaurant, they were seated in an enclosed balcony that revealed a magnificent view of the sun setting behind the river. The red and yellow colors from the sun sparkled against the water.

Three scented candles provided light for their table. While they waited on their order, Tressie stared at the stars in the sky.

“Oh my! Did you see that shooting star?”

“No, I missed it. Did you make a wish?”

“I wished that you would have told me you were working at The Dollhouse.”

“I know I messed up. But I promised myself that I would never hurt you again.” He stroked the side of her face. “I should have trusted you enough to tell you the truth. From now on I'm going to be completely honest with you at all times,” Payce promised.

They finished their dinner and it was time for them to head back to Philadelphia. Payce sat in the driver's seat and adjusted his seatbelt.

“I love you,” Tressie purred.

“I love you, too,” Payce replied.

He leaned over to kiss her and just before his lips reached hers, Tressie asked, “What's that?”

“What?” he asked.

“That. Inside your jacket.”

“Oh! Nothing. Just something I had to pick up for T.J.”

“If it's nothing, then show it to me. Didn't we just get done talking about trust?” she asked.

He reluctantly reached inside his jacket and pulled out a Ziploc bag full of cocaine. Before she could say anything, he tried to explain. “Don't be mad. I told T.J. that I would pick this up for him today while I was out here.”

“So this trip wasn't about us. It was about drugs.”

“No! I had already made arrangements to meet you when I mentioned it to T.J. He was going to come himself, but since I was already making the trip, he asked me if I would mind doing him a favor.”

“And you just couldn't tell him no?”

“Tressie, he's done so many things for me in the past. What was I supposed to do?”

“Tell him no! You are out on bail!” she yelled. “You already have charges pending. What happens if you get caught with that on you?”

“Tressie, ain't nothing going to happen. When I get back to Philly, I'm taking this stuff straight to T.J.”

“Didn't you just get done telling me that you would never hurt me again?” she asked.

Payce got quiet and stared straight in front of him.

“When did you have time to pick this stuff up? I've been with you all day.”

“I met with the guy earlier this morning.”

Tressie held her head to control her anger.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“We don't have any choice but to go home with the drugs. But promise me that as soon as we get back to Philly, you will take those drugs straight to T.J.”

“I promise.” Payce started the car. “Trust me. We'll be fine.”

 

 

Payce was on his way to Temple's main campus to pick up Tressie from school like he did every Thursday, but first he had to get rid of Kai and the baby.

“Kai, don't do this no more,” he reprimanded her.

“Do what?” she asked innocently.

“You know what. You can't call me last minute and ask me to come pick you and the baby up.”

“I had to take Cayden to the doctor's office and I thought that since you had only come to see him once since the paternity results proved you were the father, you'd be anxious to see your son.”

“I told you I've been busy.”

“Too busy to come and see your son?” she asked with an attitude.

“I told you I'll be over later this week to spend some time with him.” He pulled up to the bus stop. “I'll call you tomorrow.”

“You're dropping us off at the bus stop?” she screamed.

“That is how you got out here, isn't it?”

“I thought you were taking us home,” Kai yelled, not budging from her seat.

“I would have, but you called me last minute. There is someplace I have to be. The next time the baby has a doctor's appointment, make sure you let me know and I will come and get the two of you myself, but today I have something to do,” he explained. The baby let out a loud burp. Payce turned around to get a good look at him. He still couldn't believe that the beautiful baby was a part of him.

Payce's cell phone rang.

“I guess that's your someplace calling you,” Kai replied.

Payce knew it was Tressie calling to find out where he was. “I have to go,” Payce said out loud.

Kai continued to sit in the front seat, pouting.

“What are you waiting on?” he urged.

“I need some money,” she shouted. “You haven't even asked me did the baby need anything.”

He turned his eyes down in shame. He had forgotten to offer to buy anything.

“I need to get diapers and formula,” she screamed at him.

“What happened to WIC? Can't they help you out?” he asked as he dug into his pocket.

“The last time I looked, WIC isn't the one who fathered our son,” she replied sarcastically.

“Here.” He shoved forty dollars in her face.

“Forty dollars! This isn't going to last long,” Kai complained.

“Kai, you know my situation. You know I'm not working. I'll bring you some more money when I come over there later this week.”

Kai got out and pulled the baby from the backseat while Payce grabbed the baby's carriage from the trunk.

Meanwhile, Tressie stood on the corner of Broad and Diamond searching for Payce's car.
He's usually never this late
, she thought. She looked at her watch and called him again, but got no answer.

“He must be stuck in traffic,” she said out loud. She stood on the corner for another five minutes before a light rain began to fall on her head. She had forgotten to grab her umbrella before she left the house that morning. If Payce didn't show up soon, she would be soaking wet.

The raindrops got heavier and heavier, and Tressie couldn't wait any longer. She hailed down a cab.

“Can you take me to the Gallery Mall, please?” she asked the driver.

She didn't know where Payce was, but once she got to the mall she would call and leave him a message to pick her up there.

Tressie looked out the window at each passing car, hoping she would see Payce's car. The cabbie drove south down Broad Street and stopped at a red light. Waiting for the light to change, Tressie looked out the window and was shocked to see Payce with a girl and her baby. She watched as Payce kissed the baby and handed the baby carrier back to the girl. The light turned green and the cabbie pulled off.

“Wait!” she screamed. “Turn around! You have to turn around.”

“You told me you wanted to go to the Gallery.” His strong Middle Eastern accent slurred his words.

“I know, but I changed my mind. I need for you to follow that car.” She pointed in the opposite direction.

The cabbie made a U-turn in the middle of Broad Street, changing his course from south to north.

“Go faster!” she commanded. “I know you can go faster than this. I've seen you cab drivers drive like you were in the Indy 500.”

She looked ahead until she spotted Payce's car. He made a right turn onto Diamond Street. She pointed. “There he goes. Follow that Lexus.”

The yellow taxi sped up and trailed Payce's car.

“Blow your horn, flash your lights,” she demanded.

The cab driver followed her orders. Payce finally noticed the taxi and pulled over. Tressie jumped out of the back of the taxi and ran over to his side of the car.

“Who were you just with?” she hollered.

“Hey baby, I'm sorry I was late . . .”

“I saw why you were late. I saw you with that girl and her baby. Who is she?” Tressie yelled. The rain poured down on her head. She pulled her wet hair out of her face.

Payce watched black mascara roll down her face. The cab driver pulled up alongside Tressie.