Tampa International Airport – 9:47a.m.
Sanchez and his sister looked nothing alike. It was the first thing Dominic noticed when A'moree came through the automatic doors wearing a pair of jeans so tight; it appeared as if she'd painted them on. Her off the shoulder blouse revealed a smooth, pecan complexion that complimented her baby-looking features.
“How old is your sister?” Dominic inquired, as he and Sanchez walked toward A'moree.
Sanchez grinned wickedly. “Why? You're interested?”
“Man, just answer the question.”
“No need to get indignant,” Sanchez said. “She's over eighteen if that's what you're worried about.”
He hurried off to greet his sister, leaving Dominic with a smirk on his face. Dominic spent the next minute observing A'moree from head to toe. She wore her hair natural, like Lauryn Hill back in the day when she sang with the Fugees. Although she stood head to head with Sanchez, her presence didn't seem overbearing as she held onto him, admiring his muscular form. If Dominic had been a different person, at a different time, he would have taken her out and would have gotten to know her a little better.
“Boy, Sanchez, you look good,” A’moree said over and over again, feeling his arms and chest. “If mummy see you right now she wouldn't believe how big you got.”
“I have to represent my peeps.”' Sanchez grinned and placed an arm around Dominic. “These American boys over here don't have to work as hard as we island boys. They've got it made.”
A'moree studied Dominic and loved the way he looked immediately. Loving his complexion, that was a shade above hers and his neatly trimmed beard that accentuated his manly jawline. “You work out too?” she asked him.
“Never get the chance,” Dominic said with a straight face. “Your brother hogs the machines.”
A'moree smiled, showing Dominic a beautiful set of teeth. “That's Sanchez. A hog!”
“Now wait!” Sanchez protested, pointing his finger at A'moree. “You don't even know this Negro's name and you're already on his side.”
“I know a good thing when I see it,” A'moree quipped. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip as if she were savoring a pair of juicy steaks. “He’s gorgeous.”
“And plus you're hittin' on him at the same time.” Sanchez playfully spanked his sister. “Girl, you're too fresh and forward! You need the Lord to lay hands on you.”
Dominic shook his head, trying to downplay A’moree’s compliment. “You guys are crazy. Let’s get out of here before my car gets towed off the ramp.”
They were on I-275 heading north toward the Fowler Avenue exit. A’moree had practically told Dominic half of her life story in twenty minutes, as she did when she was in the company of someone she found enticing. Sanchez had told her that she would be pleased when she saw Dominic, but her brother had been very modest in his description. The brutha was so fine; she could hardly keep her thoughts together.
“So you really can sing?” Dominic had asked her for the third time, looking in his rearview mirror at her smiling face.
“I can more than sing. I can blow,” she said. “I’m a backup singer for one of the most popular bands in Nassau. Let Sanchez tell you. I've won a lot of national awards for my voice.”
“Ask her who she sounds like,” Sanchez said, looking as if he would explode in laughter any minute.
“Should I listen to your brother? You know, he’s a fool.”
“Yeah. Ask me who I sound like,” A’moree prompted.
Dominic looked at her again through the rearview mirror. “Why are you smiling?”
“Because my brother is so stupid.”
“I hope I don't regret this,” Dominic said. “But I'll go along. Who do you sound like?”
“Take a guess.” A'moree opened her mouth and what supposed to be a nicely blended version of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You came out, sounding shrill, like tires screeching. It was so off key that Dominic's expression went from relaxed to 'what-the-hell-was-that' in two seconds.
“Oh my word,” he cried. “That was awful.”
Literally, tears fell out of Sanchez's eyes as his rambunctious laughter filled the car.
“You should have known,” A'moree told Dominic in between her laughing. “Sanchez is my brother. Together we shouldn’t be trusted.”
Dominic believed that with all of his heart. If the rest of the days were going to be like this, he'd better stay on his guard whenever he was around her and Sanchez.
“So what do you feel like eating?’ he asked A’moree.
She winked at him in the rearview mirror. “Wherever you take me, gorgeous. I’m not hard to please.”
Across Town
“Thank you for understanding,” Michelle said, as she stood at the door with her shawl draped over her arm.
“Fact is, I don’t understand. You won’t learn your lesson ‘til it’s too late.”
“Don’t lecture me this morning, mother. You did that all last night.”
Delores shook her head disapprovingly. “I pray for you, child. You’re stubborn.”
“I’m not stubborn. I’m hurting. You and everyone else expect too much out of me.”
“Remember, you chose this life. So don’t complain when things aren’t going the way you want.”
“I know, mother. Sometimes, I just need you see things my way. Instead, you browbeat me about my decisions every time we get together.”
“I refuse to sit on the sidelines and watch you destroy yourself.” Delores’ belief system was not easily shaken. “When you decide to stop playing Russian roulette with your marriage, I promise you, all of what I’m saying will make sense to you.”
Michelle had heard enough. She planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek, and then walked out to the black Jaguar that had whisked her away from Leroy last evening. She allowed her head to fall back against the headrest.
“Thanks, Brenda. I owe you another one.”
“I would do anything for you. You know that.”
Michelle touched her arm. “I pray it wasn’t an issue with your husband. Did he question you about the car?”
A nervous laugh squeezed between Brenda’s thin lips. “Not to worry. He’ll take my car if I’m not back in time.”
“I really hate involving you like this, Brenda, but I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
“It’s not a problem. I love being able to help where I can.”
Brenda was of Canadian ancestry. At fifty-eight, her once lush, golden hair had begun to turn grey at the sides. She’d worked hard to attach herself to Michelle to show her that she was not pleased with Shaniece being installed as Leroy’s assistant. Half of the church considered it a wise move, but Brenda knew no good could come from it. For nearly five years, she’d watched Michelle’s passion for ministry decline to hums of monotonous obligations – a far cry from who she really was.
“Do you think I’m being immature?” Michelle asked Brenda five minutes into the drive.
Brenda rolled the question around in her head before she responded. “As long as you’ve been dealing with this, I think you’re handling it quite well. I don’t know if I would have been as composed.”
“That’s what I love about you – your modesty.”
“Seriously, Michelle.” Brenda only called her by her first name when they were together outside of church. “I couldn’t deal with another woman sharing the spotlight with my husband.”
“I don’t know how much more of it I can take. It’s so embarrassing.” Michelle looked at her watch. “Do you think he’s still at home?”
“He’s been coming into the office before eight,” Brenda said. “Do you want me to check?”
“No, I’m hoping to run into him. I need to know if there is any point in saving this marriage.”
“You’re contemplating divorce?”
“Is that what you’re suggesting, Brenda?”
“Yes, I mean, no. I said that, but I never meant for it to come off as a suggestion.”
br /> “Maybe you should have suggested it.”
“I love you and I love Leroy. I will not interfere with your relationship at that level.”
“You’re not interfering,” Michelle said. “I’m asking for your opinion.”
“Darling, I don’t know what it’s like to be in your shoes…”
“You bet.”
“I’m trying to say that you have so much to lose.”
“What? My happiness for Leroy’s public image?” Michelle looked at Brenda as if she were crazy. “I don’t think so, Brenda. People are talking. I know I appear as a fool to everyone in that church.”
“That’s not fair, Michelle.”
“What?”
“You are worried about your image as well.”
“Oh please, it’s not the same. I shouldn’t have to explain that to you.”
Brenda grew silent for a few minutes. Michelle was losing her will to fight. “Have you made up your mind to do anything?”
“Yes. I’m tired of the charades.”
Brenda didn’t know what that meant, and she didn’t want to know. So she kept silent. Several miles later, she pulled the Jaguar up to the Paxton’s mansion. She unlocked the car doors, but Michelle didn’t make any attempt to get out. It appeared as if a sense of nostalgia had suddenly overwhelmed her.
“Things used to be so different before Leroy inherited the church from his father,” she said, staring out the window at the place she’d called home the last fourteen years. She had almost forgotten how picturesque everything was – from the yellow daffodils that edged the walkways to the gigantic water fountain that centered the limestone-covered courtyard. The exterior of the home still maintained its white, stately looking appearance. She turned to face Brenda. “You think he was worried over the way I left last night?”
“You told me yourself he followed you to the door,” Brenda said. “If that isn’t concern I don’t know what is.”
Michelle cracked a half smile. “These days I can’t tell if Leroy is really concerned about me or his desire to remain in favor with the people.”
“Call me a hopeless romantic, but I think he’s still madly in love with you.”
“I’m so done with the delusions. Women my age simply don’t have the patience for it.” Michelle pushed open the door and grabbed the overnight bag from the floor that she’d borrowed from her mother. “I’m at a place in my life where I’m seeking emotional stability. I shouldn’t have to be competing for my husband’s attention this way.” She sighed deeply. “But enough of my ramblings. God knows, between you and my mother, have heard more than your share.”
“I really don’t like seeing what this is doing to you two.”
“It’s all Leroy’s fault; not mine.” Michelle got out, eased the door shut, and then peered at Brenda through the window. “But thanks again for putting up with my silly requests. I don’t know if it was worth it, but thanks nonetheless.”
“I love you guys; there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you two.”
“Leroy made the right choice when he hired you as his secretary.”
Brenda smiled at that, watching as Michelle walked away, taking a pebbled pathway that led to the pool house.
There, Leroy had joined the boys in a sweaty game of basketball. He hadn’t played with them in months, but that didn’t deter him from asserting his position as the unsurpassed champion. After all, he had been the boys’ initial coach. The noise took Michelle by surprise. She crept alongside the wall and then watched them for a minute. It was as if she’d been taken back ten years – her three handsome men together again. But the feeling didn’t last long when she thought about Leroy’s unconcerned attitude toward her. How dare he act as if nothing was wrong between them? She didn’t know what to expect when she came home, but she sure didn’t expect him to be in such a good mood. How heartless, Michelle thought angrily. She was hurt, to say the least.
“Hey beautiful, how long have you been standing there?” It was Eric. He chased the ball that had rolled near her feet.
Michelle always smiled easily when it came to her kids. “Looking like this, you still think I’m beautiful?”
Because of the intrusion of his father’s voice, Eric didn’t get the chance to respond.
“Throw the ball over here, son. Who’s that you’re talking to?”
“It’s mom.” Eric searched his mother’s eyes and the only thing he saw in them was rejection. He nodded in the direction of the court. “Come, watch Sean and me put a hurting on the old man.”
“You go ahead; I don’t feel too well…”
“Hey babe,” Leroy hailed, sweat pouring from his bald head like a running faucet. “What are you doing up so early?”
Michelle’s eyes showed complete astonishment. She couldn’t believe Leroy had told another boldfaced lie. He must be delusional, she thought. She swallowed her anger for the sake of the boys, who somehow seemed oblivious to their father’s lies. She wondered if he had brainwashed them.
“Are you guys getting a divorce?” Eric asked suddenly.
I guess he hadn’t brainwashed them, Michelle thought.
Leroy shot Eric a measuring look. “Where’d you get such a crazy idea?”
“Is it crazy, dad? C’mon, the way you guys have been acting lately…” Eric gritted his teeth, bothered by the thought of losing the life as they had come to love. “The signs are obvious.”
“What signs?” Leroy spat. He couldn’t believe Eric had the audacity to ask such an impertinent question. “Your mother and I are quite fine.”
“Speak for yourself, Leroy. These boys are not blind. You want to stay in your fantasy world, then you go ahead, but I refuse to stand here and agree with you. All is not well in this marriage.”
Leroy glared at his wife. “Do you think that was appropriate to say in front of them?”
“Oh for Christ’s sake, Leroy, get off your high horse and admit we have a problem!”
“You want to fight in front of them, Michelle? Is that what you want?” He glanced back at Sean and Eric. “Because I have much to say about you and these immature pranks of yours! Why don’t we start by telling us where you hopped off to last night?”
“Would you even care, Leroy? I walked in on you playing basketball with our sons!” The overnight bag dropped from her arm. “It didn’t look like you were concerned about me, anyhow.”
“Don’t you dare shove that garbage in my throat,” Leroy thundered. “If it wasn’t for Abraham, I would have filed a missing person report.”
“So you’re keeping tabs on me now?”
Leroy threw his hands in the air. “What do you want from me, Michelle?”
“I want things to go back to the way they used to be. Get rid of that woman!”
“We’ve been through this a thousand times. I’m not getting rid of Shaniece.”
Michelle spun around and noticed the boys had disappeared, but she was too deep into fussing with Leroy to chase after them. “You want me to get rid of her? ‘Cause I can think of a number of ways to tell her to get the hell out of our church!”
“You’re finished?” Leroy asked.
“No, I’m not finished!”
“Well, I’m done with it. I have a meeting for eleven in my office.” Leroy stormed around his wife, and then burst through the French doors.
“Go, Leroy! Go to your stupid meeting!” Her eyes pooled with tears as she watched the doors swung closed in her face. “That’s all you care about anyway!”
Leroy plunged into their classic, white BMW, taking his suit and all of his necessary grooming items with him. He would shower and get dressed in his office. If he’d stayed a minute longer in Michelle’s face, he would have slaughtered her with the truth about Shaniece. The way he felt at that moment, he didn’t care if he lost it all. Home, church, money, influence – he just wanted his life back to the way it had been before the ordeal. His wife didn’t deserve the poor treatment. He’d promised her, literally sworn to her, th
at he would not break her heart. She had been seventeen and he was nineteen, and the conversation that had taken place thirty years before was just as fresh in his mind as it was then.
“I can’t go out with you, Mr. Leroy Paxton,” she’d told him. “Every other girl in this neighborhood thinks you belong to her. Now why is that?”
He looked her over; admiring the sleeveless mint green dress she wore an inch above her knees. “Yeah, I know. And I pity those poor girls.”
“Pity?” She looked confused. “Why on earth would you pity them?”
“Because you’re the one my heart flutters for.”
She blushed. “Your daddy is a preacher. Where did you learn a line like that?”
“It’s no line girl, it’s the doggone truth.” He sat next to her on the porch. “What are you afraid of? Go out with me.”
“You Paxton men waste no time,” she said warily. “We just met; I don’t even know you.”
“That’s what you all say.”
“Excuse me?”
“I won’t hurt you, is what I mean.” He stared at her, quite taken by her innocence. “I know that’s what you’re thinking about.”
“It doesn’t matter. My father wouldn’t let me go out with a boy like you.”
“A boy like me?” He acted as if the words pierced him deeply. “Well, what kind of boy does he think I am?”
“I heard you Paxton men are not easy to satisfy – that’s what he told me.”
Leroy threw himself back on the porch and laughed. “I’m nineteen, girl, I don’t even know what life is about yet – well, in some regards.”
“What does that mean?” She looked at him, her eyes pleading with him to tell her the truth about his intentions.
He held her hands. “Someday, I will make you my wife. I promise you…” He paused to study her reaction. “I’ll put this down in writing if you want, girl…”
“You’re crazy,” she laughed nervously. His good looks made it difficult to be harsh with him.
“You haven’t seen crazy yet,” he told her. “You just wait til’ I get you to fall in love with me.”