The Night Before (10 page)

Ms. Walters tracked them down the hall on slippers with broken backs. She was having trouble keeping up as Joe, Nicole and Malikah made their getaway, but she managed, propelled by a rising ire.

“You don't need to be doing this,” she fumed. “I can take care of any trouble. You hear me?” Joe hustled Malikah and Nicole ahead of him. “I heard you, yes, ma'am.” The woman was losing her temper. “This ain't a hotel. You know I got to call Reverend Callum. He ain't going to like it one bit.”

Joe said, “I'll explain it.” They had reached the street door. “Thank you for your courtesy.”

He hurried Malikah and Nicole out into the cold night. Mrs. Walters's lips were drawn tight as she closed the door hard behind them. The clack of the lock echoed down the empty street.

Nicole let Malikah lead the way back to the van. She took a moment to draw close to Joe, drop her voice, and say, “You better not be up to something.”

He stopped and looked at her. “Like what?”

Her eyes slid his way. “You know what I mean.”

“I'm not up to anything,” he said. “I'm taking you back to the reverend's church. Okay?”

Though her mother's face remained closed, Malikah's eyes were bright again as she clambered into the van. “Where are we going?” she said.

“Someplace nice,” Joe told her. “It's called ‘The Light of the World.'”

He cranked the engine and made a u-turn in the middle of the street. The vents sent out a blast of heat and Nicole loosened her coat. Joe saw that her face was softer in the blue of the dashboard lights.

He said, “Don't worry, it's going to be fine,” and she nodded.

A lonely tree with a few thin strings of lights glowed from a window of a house they were passing. Joe glanced in the mirror and said, “Malikah? Do you know any Christmas songs?” The child cocked her head. “Mama does.”

“Mama does?” He looked over at Nicole, who shook her head slightly and gave up a small smile.

“And she sings good, too,” Malikah said. “Sing, mama.”

“No…”

Joe said, “Come on. I'd like to hear.”

Nicole waved the two of them off with a shy hand and fixed her gaze on something above the rooftops. Joe had just about given up when she began, starting low then rolling up to fill the van with a sweet contralto.

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
Oh night divine, O night, O night divine…

By the fourth note, Joe had lifted his foot from the gas and turned to gape in wonder over the sounds from her slender throat. The tones were honeyed and while there was something anguished about the way the song poured out of her, there was also no denying that it was lifted on hope. When the last echo died, she noticed the astonishment on his face and said, “I sang in the choir back home.”

She turned away and began to croon the melody. Joe listened, feeling an ache in his chest. Miles away, his house sat warm and quiet, with the lights from the tree filling the front window. The kids would be in their beds by now, though he knew Christian would have a hard time settling down.

He wondered if they had asked their mother why he wasn't home and imagined Mariel trying to put on a front. She'd have to lie, of course. Could she get away with it? The kids were sharp, his daughter especially. She'd know something was wrong and would worry. He went back to cursing his wife for the betrayal, the act itself and the stupidity of letting herself get caught. On Christmas Eve, no less. She was—

“Hey.”

The final hummed note had faded and they were idling at an intersection. Joe looked at Nicole and then peered into the mirror. Mother and child were regarding him with matching vexed expressions. Something had gone terribly wrong in their lives, too. Indeed, compared to what had befallen them, his drama seemed a frivolous thing. They had been tossed from a rude home onto a cold street with nowhere to go. He pondered the odd set of turns that had brought them together on this night, amidst the first Christmas Eve snowfall in seven years.

“Something wrong with the van?” Nicole said.

He returned to the moment. “No, it's okay. I just…” They rolled forward. “It's down the next street.”

Reverend Callum opened the door. His liquid eyes were cool but he said nothing as Nicole, Malikah, and Joe filed inside.

Joe made the stuttering introductions. No seemed to know what to do next and before it got strange, he said, “Reverend, do you have anything in your office that a seven-year-old girl might enjoy?”

The cheap ploy worked. The reverend pulled his gaze off Joe and pursing his lips and furrowing his forehead in a clownish arc, he fixed wide eyes on Malikah.

“I don't guess you mean cookies and milk,” he said. “Naw. You don't like cookies, do you?” Malikah nodded gravely. “You do? Well, all right, then. Come on this way.”

He ushered the three of them into his office. The radio gurgled sweetly as he went about opening a box of Oreos and producing a carton of milk from the refrigerator. Joe drew a cup of coffee from the pot on the side table for Nicole.

He dropped his voice to say, “Can you wait in the chapel while we talk?”

Nicole said, “Malikah, come with mama.” They walked out of the office and Joe closed the door behind them.

Reverend Callum was abrupt. “What's this about? I got a phone call from Mrs. Walters. She wasn't happy. You abused her hospitality. Why'd you do that?”

“I'm sorry, I didn't -” Joe said. “I couldn't -”

“Couldn't what?”

“I didn't want to leave them in that place. Not tonight.”

“It's a shelter,” the reverend said. “What it's there for.”

“I know. I just…” He caught a breath and told him about the house on Grant Street, the boyfriend and her mother, and the dreary space at the church, the nasty woman on the next cot.

Reverend Callum listened, then shook his head. “Should have left them there anyway,” he said. “Now what are you going to do? They can't stay here.”

“I know, I know,” Joe said. “I'll find them a hotel, I guess.”

“And then what?”

“Then what?”

The reverend's face darkened. “You one of these damn do-gooders, sir?” His rumbling tone turned harsh. “You stick yourself in someone else's business and then get all proud ‘cause you did them some little favor? So you can feel good at Christmas time? ‘Course, the rest of the year, you ain't nowhere to be found. You one of them?”

Joe felt his face burning. “No, I - nothing like that.”

Callum regarded him with a faint contempt. “You think you were just going to dump them on me, now that you played the hero? Why you want to do something like this?” He stretched his arm and pointed a heavy finger in the direction of the chapel. “That's a child out there.”

“I'm going to deal with it,” Joe said.

Reverend Callum tilted his head, as solemn as a judge. “That's right, you are,” he said. “Cause you ain't got a choice now. Not if you're any kind of a man.”

The arm came down. Joe dropped his head, mortified at his foolishness. After a moment, Reverend Callum's gaze calmed, along with his tone. “Ain't like I ain't seen it before, son. Seen people do like this, I mean.”

“Yes, sir, I understand.” Joe felt the guilt settling on him. “I'm sorry.”

“I'm sure you are,” the reverend said.

“I wanted to…”

“To what?”

“Get my mind off what happened. Before, I mean.”

Now the reverend treated him to an inquisitive look. “And what did happen?”

“Something at home. With my wife.” Joe hoped that he wouldn't have to explain.

“Well, whatever it was, I'm sorry,” the reverend said. “But it don't matter. What matters is that woman and her baby.”

Joe said, “I'll take care of them. I will.” The reverend's face remained passive. “I'm going to go talk to her. We'll figure something out.”

He had only gone a few steps when Reverend Callum said, “Son?” Joe stopped. “You can dump them on me if you need to. Just don't make it worse.”

“I won't,” Joe said. “And I won't.”

When he opened the door to the chapel, what he saw caught and held him there. Nicole was sitting in the front pew, holding a sleeping Malikah across her lap. The light was low and had a golden cast that seemed to envelop them. It was a sweet picture. He thought the mother was also asleep until he stepped closer and she raised her head. He sat down next to her and they both watched Malikah doze. The child's face was angelic.

“I remember my kids when they were that age,” he said.

“How old are they now?” Nicole said.

“Nine and ten.”

“Where they at?”

“At home with their mom.” He paused, pushing aside the images that seeped into his mind.

“I want you to know I'm going to help you out here. Find a place for you to stay, I mean.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because… because I'm the one who came and got you. And I took you out of the shelter. So I think I should. I want to.”

Nicole didn't speak, studying him closely, and he figured she was waiting for the catch.

He said, “I'm guessing you can't go back to your house.”

“Won't,” she said, and swallowed. “Don't want to.”

Joe turned slightly to face her. “What were you doing with him?”

She took a long moment before saying, “I met him in rehab. I had a drug problem. Me and him both did. He was funny. Always made me laugh. So after we got out, I saw him some more.” She paused. “I lost our apartment and so we moved into the house with him and his mama. It would have been fine. If it wasn't for her. And his dope.” She sighed. “Anyway, we ain't goin' back. You heard that old bitch.” She shook her head. “He wouldn't ever stand up to her. But he cared for Malikah. He sure did. When he could.”

They were quiet for a few moments. Joe said, “So do you still…?”

“Have the drug problem? I'll always have that. I'm an addict.” She raised her chin. “But I'm clean eleven months now. And I'm staying that way.” She gazed down at her sleeping child again. “I have to.”

She fixed him with a speculative eye and said, “What about you? What are you doing out tonight? Y'all Jewish?”

“We're not anything,” Joe said. “I, uh… she…” He paused to collect himself. “Something really amazing happened to me in the last couple weeks,” he said.” I got some money I wasn't expecting. Not a lot, but not a little, either. And so I wanted to surprise them with it. My wife and the kids. For Christmas. For once.”

“What's her name?”

“Mariel.” It sounded odd to his ear, as if he was talking about a stranger. “Anyway, I went out and bought presents for the kids and I found something that she wanted a long time ago. Back when we were first married.”

“What kind of something?”

He patted his pockets until he located the zebrawood box, then opened it and drew out the jewel on its thin chain. “It's called an Epiphany Star.”

Nicole studied the multi-colored gems. “It's pretty. Looks old.”

“Itis.”

“Cost you a lot, huh?”

“It wasn't—” He paused. She was regarding him wisely. “Okay, so you bought it for her,” she said.

“And I carried it home. With the bank statement, showing the money we had now. I was going to make this big surprise.” He entertained the strange notion that Nicole knew what was coming. “And when I got to the house, I found her with another man.”

Nicole stopped and stared. “Uh-oh. What other man?”

“Our next-door neighbor.”

“Were they… “

“Oh, yes,” Joe said. “In your bed?”

“In the dining room.”

“The
dining room?

Joe nodded. “Over the table.” He chased the image with a shake of his head. “Well, damn. What'd you do?”

“I left. Wandered half the night. Ran into Reverend Callum. And ended up here.”

Malikah sighed in her sleep. Nicole smiled down at her in a kindly absent way. “That's some story,” she said. “Christmas Eve, too.” She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. “So what are you gonna do now?”

Joe slumped against the back of the pew. “I have no idea.”

“Your kids gonna be waiting for you.”

He said, “Yeah. I know.”

Nicole's voice dropped another notch. “I missed last Christmas with her, ‘cause I was so sick,” she said. “I ain't ever going to let that happen again.” She raised her eyes from her sleeping child to gaze at him. “You shouldn't ever do that. Not if you can help it.”

He left them in the chapel and stepped into the office. Reverend Callum had relaxed in his old chair, his eyes closed and hands folded across his middle, at peace as he listened to the music from the radio.

Joe said, “Reverend?”

“I'm sorry I went to barking like that,” the reverend murmured. “I don't know you. You're a good man, far as I can tell.”

“Not good enough,” Joe said.

“Well, who can't say that?” Callum opened his eyes and tilted his head to the chapel. “What about those two now?”

Joe said, “I'm going to take them home with me. To my house.”

“That be all right with your family?”

“It'll be fine. They'll be welcome.” The reverend looked dubious, but didn't comment further. Joe said, “I'm not trying to be noble, sir. Or make a point or anything.”

Reverend Callum nodded. “Good. Nobody needs that.” He pushed the telephone across the desk. “I guess you want to call a cab, then.”

Joe said, “I was hoping we could take the van.”

The reverend frowned. “Where'd you say you lived? By the college? That's a long drive up and back. It's late. And I'm tired.”