The Prodigal Son (A Reverend Curtis Black Novel) (8 page)

M
atthew sat inside his office, gazing into thin air, trying to figure out how all this had happened. He’d made the mistake of having sex before marriage, made the mistake of getting Racquel pregnant, and made the mistake of dropping out of college and getting married to her. But he’d never imagined that things would spin so utterly out of control. It was a new day, but he still couldn’t forget what had occurred less than twenty-four hours ago. Racquel had treated her parents like villains, she’d hauled off and slapped him like a heavyweight champion, and she was still blatantly ignoring her own son. She’d done so again last night when Matthew had brought MJ home, and this morning she hadn’t as much as come out of the bedroom while Matthew was getting him dressed. At first, Matthew had considered saying something to her, asking her why she was treating MJ so badly, but he’d decided against it. On the one hand, he’d thought it might be good to engage her in conversation, thinking that maybe it would help her, but on the other, he realized it might be best just to leave her alone. He also had to admit that he’d worried all night about what she might do next—what she might do to him, or heaven forbid, to poor little MJ. Matthew didn’t want to believe she’d go that far, but as it was, she’d already shown a side of herself he hadn’t counted on, so he needed to be careful. He needed to be much more cautious when it came to Racquel than he had been.

Matthew looked up when he heard his coworker Nicole calling his name.

“Hey, you okay?” she said, smiling but also looking concerned.

Matthew smiled back at her. “I’m good.”

“You sure? Because if so, we have a couple of customers waiting.”

“Oh.”

“One is looking to apply for a car loan, and the other wants to purchase a CD. Any preference?”

He would get a commission either way, but to be honest, he’d rather do the CD because it would likely be quicker. That way, he wouldn’t have to spend much face-to-face time with anyone.

“I’ll do the CD,” he said.

Nicole nodded and walked away.

Matthew tidied up his desk a bit, moving a few folders to the side.

Nicole returned to his office. “Matt, this is Mrs. Downing.”

Matthew stood up. “Please have a seat, Mrs. Downing.”

“Why thank you young man,” the motherly, sixtyish woman said.

She looked familiar to Matthew, but he couldn’t place her. Still, he took a seat, too. “So, ma’am what can I do for you today?”

“Well, yesterday I closed a savings account at my other bank, and I’ve decided to get a one-year CD from you. But if you don’t mind, can I say something?”

“Of course.”

“I really miss you, Matthew,” she said, smiling. “We all miss you.”

Matthew stared at her, sort of clueless about what she meant. Although, if he had to guess…

“I’ve been a member of Deliverance Outreach for years now,” she said, “and although I know it’s not my business, I hate how things turned out between you and your parents.”

Matthew swallowed hard and wasn’t sure what had come over him, but suddenly he felt homesick. Maybe because he missed his parents more than ever before, and also because he could tell this woman had a kind heart and genuinely cared about people. If he could, he would get up, walk around his desk, and hug her, but he knew that would be unprofessional and immature, so he didn’t.

“I can tell from the look in your eyes that you miss your mom and dad, too. Am I right?”

Matthew smiled at her, but he couldn’t will himself to admit the truth to her. His pride and shameful thinking wouldn’t let him. He was also glad he had an office with a door. He hadn’t been assigned one because he held a management position but because the bank wanted to give new customers their privacy and to protect their confidentiality. This was good because he would never want Nicole and her customer to hear all that Mrs. Downing was saying. She wasn’t a loud woman, but she also wasn’t whispering, and Nicole’s office was right next to his.

“Did you know your dad decided to return to the pulpit?”

Matthew could tell she honestly didn’t know whether he’d been told or not, but actually he had. Alicia had called him during his drive to work this morning and casually mentioned it. Normally, she didn’t talk about their father to him, because she knew Matthew never liked it, but he could tell she hadn’t been able to keep this particular news to herself. He’d heard the excitement in his sister’s voice, and deep down, he’d sort of felt happy for his father. He was angry with both his parents, but no matter how many sins his dad had committed, no matter how many times he’d disappointed Matthew, there was no denying that his father was a great pastor. Still, when Alicia had told him the news, he hadn’t commented, because he’d been too upset about his situation with Racquel. Actually, he’d wanted to tell Alicia about everything he was dealing with, specifically about the scary change in Racquel’s personality, but he hadn’t been able to. He’d been too hurt to talk about it, and more important, the reason he hadn’t told her the truth was for the same reason he hadn’t told Aunt Emma. He didn’t want his parents to know. There was no doubt that he could trust Alicia to keep a secret, but the reason he couldn’t trust her with this was because he knew she might think he needed help from his mom and dad and that telling them was the right thing to do.

Matthew realized he’d been in deep thought and that he hadn’t fully been listening to this nice woman because he heard her say, “Son, are you okay? Is everything all right?”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Downing.”

“You know, son…I hope I’m not out of line, but nothing should ever come between a child and his parents. I don’t care how bad things get. It’s no secret that your mom did a terrible thing to you and your wife, and I know your father hasn’t always done the right thing either, but in the end, they are still your parents and they still love you. I can tell you love them, too.”

Matthew swallowed hard again. He wished Mrs. Downing would talk about something else. He wished she would focus on the CD she’d come there to purchase, but she wouldn’t.

“You’ve always been a wonderful young man, Matthew, and though I know you’re hurting, I really do wish you’d call your parents. Or better yet, just get in your car and go see them.”

Tears flowed down Matthew’s face, and although he felt like a gigantic fool, sitting in a place of business, crying, he also felt relieved. His problems hadn’t been fixed, but somehow his tears gave him a much-needed sense of release. It was as if he could breathe easier and wasn’t consumed with as much bottled-up pressure. He also now felt as though he could make it through his work day. His father used to say that God always sent the right people when you really needed them, even if you weren’t expecting them. So, thank God for Mrs. Downing. Thank God for unexpected angels.

I
t was shortly after five, and Matthew was glad to be off work. What a day it had been, as he’d experienced just about every emotion known to mankind. He still wasn’t happy about breaking into tears in front of Mrs. Downing, but even though hours had passed, he felt better than he had before she’d walked into his office. She’d also given him a lot to think about when it came to his parents, and he couldn’t ignore that either.

Now, though, he was in his car and preparing to call Jasmine. He’d sort of been wanting to do so ever since she and Racquel had gone to lunch yesterday, but he hadn’t been sure if Jasmine would feel comfortable telling him any of what Racquel might have said. It was true that she and Jasmine had lost touch over the last few months, but they were still best friends, and Matthew knew who Jasmine’s loyalty rested with.

Matthew dialed her number, repositioned his Bluetooth device, and drove out of the bank’s parking lot. She answered right away.

“Hey Matt.”

“Hey, how’s it goin’?”

“I’m good. You?”

“I could be better, but you know how that is.”

“I was really hoping to talk to you, and the only reason I didn’t call was because I didn’t wanna take a chance on Racquel overhearing our conversation. I also didn’t want to bother you at work.”

“So how did things go yesterday?” he asked.

“Well, to be honest, I’ve never seen Racquel any happier. She went on and on about how free and relieved she is, and how she can’t wait to leave for school this fall.”

“Did she say anything about me or MJ?”

“No, she didn’t, and that’s what I don’t understand. That’s why I know something’s very wrong with her.”

“It’s as if she went to sleep one night and then woke up a totally different person. It’s like she no longer cares about anyone but herself. Which would be fine if she didn’t have a husband and a son. She’s acting like MJ and I don’t even exist.”

“I know, Matt, and I’m really sorry.”

“Actually, her parents and I sat down with her yesterday evening, but it turned into a total disaster. She went off on all three of us.”

Matthew didn’t bother telling her that Racquel had slapped him silly, because he was too ashamed. He just couldn’t bring himself to admit that his twenty-year-old wife had turned abusive.

“What happened?” Jasmine asked. “What did you say to her?”

“We told her we wanted her to see someone, and that’s when she really got mad. She went ballistic. Her parents believe she has postpartum depression, though.”

“Can that happen this long after having a baby?”

“Yeah. My father-in-law confirmed it with one of his colleagues at the hospital.”

“Wow. So I’m guessing she doesn’t think she has a problem at all.”

“She doesn’t. And sadly, we can’t force her to get help if she doesn’t want it.”

“This is crazy, Matt. I know Racquel has been through a lot, but I never would have thought things would turn out so badly.”

“Yeah, well, try to imagine how I’m feeling. I’m basically numb, and I’m not sure how to deal with this. I don’t even feel all that comfortable being in the house with her.”

“You don’t think she’ll try to harm you or MJ?”

“I don’t know. I hope not, but that’s why I’m gonna keep taking him to Aunt Emma’s every morning. I’m actually on my way to pick him up now.”

“I just hate this. I hate what’s happening, and I hate talking about her behind her back.”

“But we’re only doing it because she needs help.”

“I’ll keep talking to her every day,” she said, “and I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“I really appreciate that, Jasmine. A lot.”

“No problem. I’ll talk to ya later.”

Matthew set his phone on the seat, but as soon as he did it rang. He smiled when he saw that it was one of his two best friends, Jonathan. He, Jonathan, and Elijah had been as close as brothers since childhood.

“Hey man, you here?” Matthew asked.

“Yep. Just got home this afternoon. So did Elijah. What’s up with you?”

“Man, you don’t even wanna know.”

“So what’s up?”

Matthew hadn’t spoken to either of his boys in a couple of weeks, mostly because they’d both been studying for finals and partly because he didn’t want to have to tell them that his marriage was falling apart. Jonathan and Elijah both liked Racquel, but they’d never thought he should marry her. He remembered how they’d both shaken their heads at him when he’d told them.

“Jon, man, things are bad,” he said and then told him everything from A to Z—except the part about Racquel slapping him. Jonathan would never understand that or tolerate something like that from anyone.

“So she wants nothin’ to do with little MJ? And she also wants a divorce?”

“That’s pretty much it.”

“Wow, man, we tried to tell you. You never shoulda married her. You coulda stayed at school and still been a father to your son.”

“Yeah, but you know I wanted to do the right thing, and I really do love Racquel.”

“Shoot, maybe. But sometimes love isn’t enough, my friend. Sometimes, mistakes are made and we have to move on and get past them.”

Matthew was quiet. He knew Jonathan was making some good points, but his words weren’t making him feel any better.

“So where’s MJ now?” Jonathan asked.

“At my aunt’s. I’ve been taking him there all this week.”

“You’re still not talkin’ to your mom and dad?”

“Nope.”

“Man, I know you don’t wanna hear this, but life is too short for all this drama. They messed up, we all know that, but I gotta tell you. I can’t imagine not seein’ my parents for more than a year. I can’t even imagine goin’ a whole week without talking to them on the phone.”

“That’s easy to say because you have normal parents who have always tried to do the right thing. They’ve never hurt you or humiliated you.”

“Well, it’s not like they’ve been perfect. Nobody is. But I’m just sayin’, man. Those are your parents, and they really miss you.”

Matthew knew Jonathan still spoke to his parents and that he also went to see them whenever he came home some weekends and holidays, but Jonathan had learned a long time ago not to tell Matthew about it. Elijah visited Curtis and Charlotte, too, whenever he was in town, but he never mentioned his visits to Matthew either.

“Anyway, so when are we gonna get together?” Jonathan said.

“Tomorrow?”

“That’s what’s up. I’ll call you when you get off work.”

“Talk to you then.”

“Later, man, and you hang in there.”

Matthew dropped his phone back on the seat, but when he looked to the right he saw the main street leading to the one his parents lived on. At first he debated, but the next thing he knew, he’d turned down it. He wasn’t sure what had made him do so, although maybe it was the conversation he’d had with Mrs. Downing. Her words had truly gotten to him and touched him in a way he hadn’t planned on, and ever since then, he hadn’t been able to get his parents out of his mind—not to mention the words he’d just heard from Jonathan about them. Matthew also hadn’t seen Curtina in a while because, lately, she hadn’t been over to Aunt Emma’s on any of the days he’d been visiting. He missed his baby sister a lot, though, and he knew she missed him, too.

Matthew drove past the house, peering through the wrought-iron gates and up the driveway. Though a part of him was glad he hadn’t run into his mom or dad, a part of him wished he had. He wouldn’t have stopped to talk to them or anything, but maybe if he’d at least been able to
see
them, he wouldn’t feel as though he missed them so much. Maybe if he saw them, he’d be reminded of all the terrible things they’d done, and he could go back to living his life without them.

As Matthew continued farther down the street and away from the house, he stopped at a red light. He sat there waiting for it to change, but as he did, he spotted a black Escalade SUV that looked exactly like his dad’s. His stomach churned nervously, and he took a deep breath. Strangely enough, though, when the light changed and he accelerated, he realized it wasn’t his father at all…it was his brother, Dillon. They both stared at each other in passing, and Matthew couldn’t help feeling a little jealous, because if Dillon was traveling this close to his parents’ home, he was likely on his way to see them.

Matthew sighed and kept driving. His life was a mess, and he was starting to feel as though the stress was too great to deal with. He had so many unresolved feelings and issues, and he was starting to feel sad again. What he wanted was to be happy and problem-free—what he needed was a miracle.