When Solomon Sings (7 page)
Read When Solomon Sings Online
Authors: Kendra Norman-Bellamy
“He done already told me that he wants chicken fingers from Zaxby's,” she replied. Then she looked at Chase. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma'am.” He bounced with excitement.
Shaylynn's legs quickly found their strength and stability, and she rose to her feet, looking from one of them to the other. Ready? Ready for what? Where were they going? She was totally lost. Had she missed something? “Wait a minute. You're leaving?” She reached for Chase's arm.
“It's okay, Shay.” Neil's voice was soothing. “Please let him go with Ms. Ella Mae. I'm sorry I didn't ask earlier, but my plans ... I mean, the dinner ... it's just for the two of us. I'll drive over to her house and get him and bring him back here to you once we're done. It'll only be a couple of hours. I promise.”
This would be groundbreaking in their relationship. If Ella and Chase left, it would leave only the two of them. Neil had to know that she wouldn't have agreed to this had he mentioned it when he first asked her to come over for dinner. Of course he knew. That was probably why he didn't mention it. Shaylynn didn't like being put on the spot like this, but she liked the man who had put her on the spot far too much to deny him. Something in Neil's voice and eyes was pleading, and Shaylynn couldn't stop the nodding of her head that granted the permission that he requested. She could visibly see his body relax as he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” Neil said.
Shaylynn quietly hugged Chase and again kissed his forehead, all the while praying that God would help her to keep her vow and her virtue tonight. “You behave yourself, you hear me?” She knew Chase wouldn't misbehave. That charge was more to herself than her son.
“Yes, maâam.” The glee could be heard in his voice when he turned to Ella and said, “Give me just a minute. I'ma be right back. I gotta go get my coat and my backpack.” Chase's fast legs already had him at the top of the stairwell before he finished the last sentence.
“He'll be fine, baby,” Ella said, giving Shaylynn's arm a reassuring touch. “Chase don't never give me no trouble. Don't you worry your pretty head none.”
Shaylynn nodded again and watched in silence as Chase bounded back downstairs wearing the Falcons jacket that Neil had purchased for him. Her silence reigned as she watched Neil help his mother into her coat before walking them both outside. She heard the garage door open, heard Ella crank up her car, and heard the fading sound of the car's motor as she drove away. Shaylynn hadn't moved. Her feet remained planted in the exact same place when Neil returned, closing the door behind his reentrance. When he turned the deadbolt, the sound of it locking into place seemed to bounce off the walls of his home.
Neil turned to face her, and then cupped his hands to his mouth and blew several lungfuls of warm breath into them. Apparently satisfied, he took several steps that brought him within inches of Shaylynn. “It's okay, suga,” he whispered. “I just feel very selfish tonight, and I need to have you all to myself so we can ... talk. You aren't mad, are you?”
Like a deaf woman, Shaylynn watched the movement of his lips as he spoke. Then like a blind woman, she reached up with both hands and used her fingers to trace his face. His skin was always smooth and clean-cut, just the way she liked it. He closed his eyes momentarily, released a pleasurable moan, and then reopened them. How could she be mad at eyes like those? Like a mute woman, she finally answered his question with a slow shake of her head.
“Thank you.” He followed that with, “I love you,” and then brushed his lips softly against each of her cheeks before finding her lips and parting them for a deep kiss that seemed to last an eternity.
Lord, help me
. Shaylynn hoped that God heard the prayers of blind deaf-mutes.
. Shaylynn hoped that God heard the prayers of blind deaf-mutes.
SIX
He went to Jared.
Twice.
Once on Monday to purchase the ring, and again on Wednesday to return it.
Neil hadn't seen or spoken to Shaylynn since they parted ways on Tuesday night. He was lying on the sofa with his back to her as she left. He'd had to settle for a good night kiss that she planted on his right cheek, but he didn't care. By then, all he wanted was for the evening to end.
On most days, Neil had no problem keeping his personal and business lives separate. If something went awry at work, he knew how to leave it behind when he clocked out for the day. By the same token, if anything got off track in Neil's personal life, he knew how to leave that at home. But his growing dissatisfaction with this Shaylynn thing was getting harder to mask these days. And as keen a gift she had for sniffing out trouble, it was no real surprise when Margaret strolled into Neil's office during the lunch hour on Thursday with her famous frames resting on the end of her nose.
“Okay, Dr. Taylor. I've tried to mind my own business for the last two days, but I can't hold my tongue any longer.”
“I really wish you would, Ms. Dasher.” Neil knew where this was headed, and he really wasn't in the mood. He removed the reading glasses he sometimes wore when he did paperwork, and then he stood and filed away the folder he'd just completed.
“Well you can wish all you might; it's not gonna happen. Not today.”
“Yeah. As if it happens any other day.” Neil mumbled the words under his breath, but Margaret must have been wearing her hearing aid today.
“Look. Don't be taking the anger you got for
Mrs
. Ford out on me.”
Mrs
. Ford out on me.”
Neil's movements froze. For her information, he wasn't angry, he was annoyed. And furthermore, Shaylynn wasn't
Mrs
. Ford, she was Ms. Ford. Neil didn't verbalize any of that, but when he slammed shut the file drawer, and then turned and glared at Margaret, she heard his thoughts loud and clear. Her hearing aid must have been set on supersonic.
Mrs
. Ford, she was Ms. Ford. Neil didn't verbalize any of that, but when he slammed shut the file drawer, and then turned and glared at Margaret, she heard his thoughts loud and clear. Her hearing aid must have been set on supersonic.
“Sorry,” she said, holding up both her hands in surrender.
“Oh, really? Then why don't I believe you?” Neil didn't even try to hide his reservation.
“Look, Dr. Taylorâ”
“No ... you look.”
“No ... you look.”
“No... you look.”
“No.
You
look!” Neil knew that nothing about the volume or tone of his voice reflected professionalism, but at the moment, he didn't care. Besides, he and his longtime assistant often crossed the lines of professionalism at work, so this was nothing new. “I don't like the way you seem to take joy in blaming everything on Shaylynn, and I'm sick and tired of correcting you when you
mistakenly
refer to her as Mrs. Ford.” He threw up the index and middle fingers on both his hands to signal quotation marks around his stressed word. “I'm gonna need you to have a little more respect for her than that.” If Neil thought his authoritative tone would immediately humble Margaret and send her to her corner of the boxing ring battered and bruised, he had another thought coming.
You
look!” Neil knew that nothing about the volume or tone of his voice reflected professionalism, but at the moment, he didn't care. Besides, he and his longtime assistant often crossed the lines of professionalism at work, so this was nothing new. “I don't like the way you seem to take joy in blaming everything on Shaylynn, and I'm sick and tired of correcting you when you
mistakenly
refer to her as Mrs. Ford.” He threw up the index and middle fingers on both his hands to signal quotation marks around his stressed word. “I'm gonna need you to have a little more respect for her than that.” If Neil thought his authoritative tone would immediately humble Margaret and send her to her corner of the boxing ring battered and bruised, he had another thought coming.
“Respect her?” Margaret twisted her mouth like she'd swallowed a spoonful of castor oil. “You would have done better to ask me to have enough respect for
you
, Dr. Taylor. At least that would have been an order I could have filled.”
you
, Dr. Taylor. At least that would have been an order I could have filled.”
Neil's back stiffened. “What?” He had never heard Margaret flat-out admit that she didn't care for Shaylynn, but that seemed to be what he was hearing buried between the lines of her retort. “Are you telling me you don't respect Shay? Where is this coming from? You used to like her. What has she done to you to change that?”
“It's not what she's done to me, it's what she's done to you.” Margaret paused long enough to close the door that separated her workspace from Neil's, barricading them and their voices inside the privacy of Neil's office. Most days, nobody would walk in during the lunch hour, but Neil guessed she wanted the added insurance. “Yeah, I used to like her,” Margaret continued, “but that was because she was making you happy. When the two of you first got together, I thought she was a gift from God to you. You were happier than I'd ever seen. I always said you were too good a man to be without a wife, and well, when Ms. Ford came along, I thought she was the cat's meow.”
The cat's meow
? Neil looked at Margaret and shook his head. Every now and then, her word choices gave away the age that her skin's good elasticity didn't show. He wanted to verbally tell her that, but he didn't want to interrupt. Neil was curious to see where Margaret was going with this rant of hers.
? Neil looked at Margaret and shook his head. Every now and then, her word choices gave away the age that her skin's good elasticity didn't show. He wanted to verbally tell her that, but he didn't want to interrupt. Neil was curious to see where Margaret was going with this rant of hers.
“If my attitude about her has changed, it's because my perspective about her has changed,” she continued. “I consider you my friend, and I just happen to be one of those people who don't like it when somebody messes with my friends.”
Neil scowled. “And what? Shay is messing with me? Is that what you think?”
“You're not happy anymore, Dr. Taylor, and I've had enough experiences of my own to know when a bad relationship is the culprit.”
“Bad relationship?” The hard hit of Margaret's words made Neil stagger backward. “Is that what you think? You think I'm in a bad relationship?”
“Honey, any relationship that makes a man as unstable as this one makes you is a bad relationship. You're changing. And not for the better. It's getting to where I don't know which one of your personalities I'm gonna be dealing with when I come to work every day. Monday and Tuesday, you were happy. Wednesday and today, you're temperamental. Only God knows what Friday is gonna bring. If you were a woman, I'd think you were going through the change.” She looked over the rim of her glasses at Neil. “I don't claim to be the smartest woman in the world, but it don't take a rocket scientist to see that you're not as sure about Ms. Ford as you used to be. You're a decent man, Dr. Taylor, and decent men aren't quick to walk away from a relationship; especially when they're the ones who initiated it. When men like you have to fight to win over a woman, you feel like you should fight to keep her. But believe me when I tell you that some things just ain't worth fighting for.”
Neil released a heavy sigh.
Not again.
First Rabbi Bernstein, then CJ, and now Margaret. Everybody was starting to question what he and Shaylynn had, and since they were all drawing their conclusions from his actions and reactions, Neil couldn't help but feel responsible. It was never his intent to turn anybody against Shaylynn. Even in the face of what they were going through right now, she was an exceptional woman. “You're so off base, Ms. Dasher. So off base.” It was all he could say before sitting in the chair behind his desk and rubbing his tired eyes. Neil felt spent. He hadn't gotten much sleep since Tuesday night, and this conversation was draining him of what little energy he had.
Not again.
First Rabbi Bernstein, then CJ, and now Margaret. Everybody was starting to question what he and Shaylynn had, and since they were all drawing their conclusions from his actions and reactions, Neil couldn't help but feel responsible. It was never his intent to turn anybody against Shaylynn. Even in the face of what they were going through right now, she was an exceptional woman. “You're so off base, Ms. Dasher. So off base.” It was all he could say before sitting in the chair behind his desk and rubbing his tired eyes. Neil felt spent. He hadn't gotten much sleep since Tuesday night, and this conversation was draining him of what little energy he had.
“Is that so? Well, fine then, Mr. Reggie Jackson.” Margaret's tone dripped with sarcasm. “If I'm so off base, then use that strong right arm of yours to throw me out.”
In spite of his irritation, Neil couldn't help but chuckle. “Ms. Dasher, do you know how long Reggie Jackson has been retired from baseball?”
“I'm not a dummy, Dr. Taylor. I know he retired in the late nineties. I don't follow sports like you do, therefore, his name just happened to be the first that came to mind.”
“Try the late eighties,” Neil responded. “And since he was a lefty when it came to batting and throwing, I don't think he would have used a strong right arm to do much of anything that was baseball related.”
Margaret sucked her teeth. “Like I said, I don't follow sports like you do.”
“Then maybe you should stick to comparisons that you know more about, like cooking ... or meddling.” Neil jiggled his mouse to get rid of the Kingdom Builders Academy default screensaver and found himself staring at a picture that he, Shaylynn, and Chase had taken together following a recent Sunday morning worship service. They were the vision of a family, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“Good friends always meddle,” Margaret reminded him.
Neil heard her, but at that very moment, something about the image on his screen had arrested his attention. It arrested his smile also. Arrested it, stripped it, locked it up, and threw away the key. Neil had never noticed this detail of the photo before, but now it was all he could see. How long had this been going on right under his nose? He wished he could will the screensaver back, but it would be another five minutes before it would activate.
“Are you all right, Dr. Taylor?” His extended silence had apparently begun to concern his assistant.
Neil forcefully averted his eyes from the picture that now seemed larger than life. “Can we talk about this later, Ms. Dasher?”
“Dr. Taylorâ”
“Okay, let me rephrase that.” Neil needed Margaret to leave. And he needed her to know that he needed her to leave. Looking her straight in the eyes, he said, “We can talk about this later, Ms. Dasher.” There wasn't a question mark anywhere in his restatement.
She rolled her eyes, blew out a sigh, and shook her head, but as long as she got the message and acted accordingly, Neil couldn't care less about her body language. Without saying another word, Margaret turned around and headed for the door.
As soon as she closed it behind her exit, Neil reached for his cell phone. He stared at it for a few minutes, wishing that he had someone to call other than CJ. Neil already knew what CJ would say. He would never understand why Neil would purchase a ring one day, and then return it less than forty-eight hours later. In times like this, Neil missed his brother more than ever. Dwayne was only four years Neil's senior, but he was wise beyond his years. Dwayne knew everything about Neilâthe good, the bad, and the uglyâand he'd prayed him out of a few pitfalls that none of his other family members were even aware of. Neil had no doubt that if his brother was still alive, he would be able to offer some sound advice. Neil had other older brothers, but he'd never confided in them with personal issues like this before, and he wouldn't feel quite comfortable doing it now either.
After another moment's thought, Neil picked up his cell phone, went to his address book, and clicked on the name he was looking for. “I must really be desperate.”
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