In Times of Trouble (19 page)

“No, you love people with titles and money.” Callie's eyes burned with fire. “Those are the only people worthy of your attention.”

Realizing now was not the time to defend her honor, Lisa said to her sister, “I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, but I'm here now. If you want to talk about this tonight, we can. I know you are hurting, but I promise you that no matter what it feels like God has not forsaken you. The Bible says—”

“Don't you dare get all sanctified on me now,” Callie hissed. “Go back to your room and sulk over your own problems like you always do. I can deal with mine.” Callie pushed Lisa out of the room with so much force that she almost fell to the ground.

Lisa heard her sister lock the door. “Cal, please talk to me. Don't shut me out. I want to help you.”

Callie gave no response. Lisa waited outside her door, hoping for an invitation back in. When Callie remained silent, Lisa went to her room and collapsed on her knees and began praying.

L
isa prayed and cried, cried and prayed for hours about her sister's revelation of being HIV-positive. She couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around the pain that Callie had to be feeling. She was drenched with guilt. Callie had been with her for two months and, instead of taking the time to really find out what was going on with her, Lisa had written her sister's behavior off as depression. Odds were that Callie was depressed. Who wouldn't be, under such circumstances? Still, Lisa wished she had made more of an effort to show Callie how much she cared about her well-being.

It was well into the early morning when Lisa finally drifted off to sleep. She'd been awake long enough to witness the sunrise. The shrilling sound of her phone woke her up Sunday afternoon. “Hey Liv,” she said as if medicated with Novocain.

“What's going on? I saw Eric at church and he said you'd had a rough night. He said that I should call you.”

“Girl, if you only knew.” Lisa gave her friend a very quick recap of the situation with her parents and the fight with her daughter. “Chanelle is more than welcome to come back home if she's willing to apologize and act like she has some sense from now on,
but I'm not about to chase her down. Chanelle knows how to get in touch with me if she wants to. I love my daughter with all my heart, but I refuse to let her run things around here. If she wants to be grown, she needs to be out there on her own.”

“I'm so sorry to hear all of this happened last night. I wonder what was going on with Chanelle. She seemed fine yesterday. She and Justin ran back and forth between the hotel and the house every time I needed something else for the party. Do you think she somehow found out about your dad being here?”

“It's possible, but I doubt she would be as mad as I am about it. She was happy to see him at the graduation party. Chanelle started trippin' because she didn't get her way. It all seems so crazy.”

“No wonder Eric was concerned about you.”

“Girl, he doesn't even know the drama that unfolded after he left.”

“There's
more?
”

“Yeah, Callie and I got into it.”

“Well, she had no business calling RJ.”

“I know, but I'm really not even mad at her about that anymore. I found out about some things going on with her and I really need to speak with her further.”

“Is she okay?”

“Honestly, I don't think so.” Lisa's phone beeped. “Liv, let me answer this call. I'll talk to you later,” she said and clicked over.

“Why didn't you tell me that Chanelle has gone missing?”

“Mama, you act like she's been kidnapped.”

“Well, RJ has been looking for her all night and he still hasn't found her.”

“Apparently she doesn't want to be found.”

“I don't see why you won't call the police.”

“There's no reason to. She hasn't been abducted. She left on her own free will. I'm not wasting their time or mine.”

“I would've never done you like this.”

“And I would've never been crazy enough to call you out of your name. Bye, Mama. . .I'm not in the mood to talk to you about this. I need to talk to Callie.”

“You done ran her off just like you did Chanelle,” her mother accused.

“What are you talking about?”

“Callie has gone back home.”

“No, she hasn't!” Lisa ran into the guest room to disprove her mother's theory. She flung the door open and found the room empty with no trace that Callie had ever occupied it. Lisa was gripped with disbelief. “When did she leave and why didn't she say anything to me?”

“RJ said he dropped her off at the airport sometime this morning. You gon' tell me what you did to her?”

“Why are you assuming that I did something? I didn't do anything to her.”

“Well, she sure left in a hurry and no one knows why. At least we know she's going home, though. No one knows where Chanelle is and everyone is worried about her, but you.”

Lisa wanted to retaliate and tell her mother that she needed to worry about not getting her behind beat again, but she held her tongue from being disrespectful and instead said, “Mama, I have to go.” She hung up and called RJ. “You got your nerve, coming to my house to get my sister and not saying anything to me.”

“Lisa, shut up! I've been up all night long and you want to call me talking stupid. You didn't have the decency to call me about my daughter and now you want me to explain why I didn't say anything to you when I picked up your sister. I don't have time for this.”

Lisa couldn't believe the harsh way RJ spoke to her and she was
even more astonished when he hung up. She was the one who normally indulged in such privileges. Cautiously, she called back and, with a softer tone, asked, “Did Callie at least tell you why she was leaving?”

“No,” he answered roughly.

Lisa sighed. “I'm really worried about her. She revealed some things about Marvin's death last night and I was hoping to talk to her this morning.”

“Well, I can't help you; she's gone. Now if you don't mind, I'm about to go.”

“RJ. . .” Lisa swallowed her pride. She wasn't used to him getting angry with her and she realized that she'd really messed up. “I'm sorry that I didn't call you last night.” She hoped to appease his anger, though not really certain why she cared. “The whole thing happened so quickly. First, I was upset about Mama and Daddy and then, the next thing I know, Chanelle was calling me out of my name because I refused to let her go pick up her friend. Maybe I did overreact. I don't know, but I do know she crossed the line. And for that, I'm allowing her to deal with the consequences of her actions. It's not that I don't care. . .” Her throat tightened, forcing her to stop speaking.

“I know, and you're right; Chanelle was wrong. I don't blame you for being upset with her. As parents, sometimes we have to apply tough love. Just don't be mad at me because I want to help her. Lisa, I let both you and Chanelle down before. It's too late for me to make things up to you, but it's not too late for me to be there for my baby girl. Promise me that if you hear from her, you'll let me know.”

“I promise,” she swore.

Lisa took the next few days off of work to clear her mind. By Thursday, she hadn't heard from either her sister or Chanelle. Callie had called RJ and their mother to say she'd made it home safely, but she had yet to return any of Lisa's pleading messages. Lisa honestly didn't know which person worried her more: Callie or Chanelle. Being her daughter, Chanelle definitely pulled on her heartstrings, but Callie had a tight grip as well.

Lisa hadn't shared Callie's secret with anyone, not even Eric or Olivia. She did ask them to pray for her, though. At least she knew where Callie was; Chanelle's whereabouts were yet to be determined. She hadn't even showed up for her shifts at the center. Lisa wasn't sure how long she'd be able to hold on to this “tough love.” It seemed to be harder on her than it was on Chanelle.

Her parents had come by earlier in the day to check on her. Seeing the two of them together was still a sore sight but in light of the events that unfolded after their reconciliation was uncovered, Lisa tried not to focus too much on them. Though it was clear that her father was bending over backward to show her that he had changed, Lisa wasn't convinced and continued praying for her mother's safety. Her parents' marital trouble was the last thing she needed to deal with right now.

Not expecting company, Lisa ran to the door the minute the bell rang. Flashbacks of the night Chanelle came home drunk haunted her as she recalled the gut-wrenching feeling she had when she saw the police lights twirling through the window. That night all the anger she'd built up about Chanelle missing curfew had been temporarily pushed aside as concern for her daughter's safety took its place. Likewise, the more time passed with Chanelle missing in action, the less concerned she was about being right and the more she wanted to find her baby.

“I'm sorry. . .I know I should've called first.” RJ stood at the door.

“That's okay; come in.”

“I won't stay long. I came by to let you know that I heard from Chanelle.”

Hope poured into Lisa's spirit. “Is she okay?”

“As far as I can tell. I didn't talk to her on the phone. She sent me a text message.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing much; just that she was fine and didn't want to talk to anyone.”

“How can you be sure it's her? What if something happened and someone took her phone? Anyone could have sent that message.”

“I think it was her.”

“The only way to be sure is to send her a message asking a question that only she would know. Give me your phone,” she ordered. RJ obliged and Lisa typed: What's the last name of your mother's sister?

A few minutes later a correct response came back.

Lisa immediately tried calling Chanelle from RJ's cell phone. No answer.

“Where are you?” she texted.

“I'm fine.”

“It's Mom. Dad's here; please come home.”

“Tell Dad I'll talk to him later. Don't want to talk to you.”

Those words pierced Lisa's heart. She tried sending other messages and no longer received replies.

“Well, I'm glad to know she's okay,” she said defeatedly.

When RJ pulled her close to his chest, she didn't resist. “When she contacts me again, I'll try and convince her to call you.” He bent down and kissed her forehead and Lisa surprised herself when she didn't withdraw. She took in every whiff of his cologne as she listened to his heartbeat. There was a familiarity about
being in RJ's arms that felt good, scarily good. Wondering what Eric would think if he walked in and saw this, Lisa quickly put space between them. “Um. . .thanks for stopping by.”

“I love you,” RJ blurted.

Lisa stood speechless. She could tell by the sincerity of his eyes that he meant every word. She cared for RJ as her child's father and her ex-husband, but she
loved
Eric.

“It's okay; I don't expect you to say anything. I just want you to know that I love you. Pardon me if I'm overstepping my bounds due to your situation and all, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. Anyhow, I'll let you know when I hear from Chanelle again.”

He left Lisa paralyzed in speech and walked out.

L
isa sat at her desk, trying to work, despite her mind being millions of miles away. Over six weeks had passed and Chanelle still had not contacted her. The joy Lisa felt the night of her engagement party had been replaced by the memories of having a fistfight with her daughter. Liv had emailed her tons of pictures from the day of the party and Lisa would often stare at them, wondering why Chanelle seemed to have such a dramatic shift in her mood.