The Preachers Son (20 page)

“Do you, John Tyrone Jefferson, take this woman, Madonna Marie Wilson, as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?” Reverend Tate asked Shorty.

“I do,” Shorty replied, his voice quivering with emotion. His eyes, brimming with tears, never left mine.

“And do you, Madonna Marie Wilson, take this man, John Tyrone Jefferson, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?” My knees almost gave out on me as my brain tried to get the words “I do” out of my mouth. I tried again, but my mouth was listening to my heart, which was telling me to hold off for just a few more seconds, that Terrance was on his way to stop the wedding just like he’d promised.

“Madonna,” Reverend Tate whispered.

I didn’t look his way. I was staring at Shorty. Poor, sweet Shorty who was willing to marry me even though I didn’t love him.
Come on, Terrance,
I thought, willing him to arrive.
You promised you would be here.

I could feel RaShanda, my matron of honor, poking me in the back, encouraging me to speak. I didn’t even want to look at my parents, who were probably mortified by my hesitation.
Please, Terrance, if you’re gonna come, you have to come now.
To my surprise, and the surprise of the nearly two hundred guests, a cry came from the back of the church.

“Stop the wedding! Stop the wedding!” When I turned to see who it was, my heart leaped. It was Terrance, just as he’d promised that day in Dante’s office, and he was coming toward us in a hurry. “Stop the wedding, Reverend Tate!” he repeated as he climbed onto the altar. I could barely hold myself back. I wanted to jump right into his arms. He’d come for me, like this was a fairy tale.

The bishop rose from his seat and shouted, “Reynolds, what’s going on here?”

“I love your daughter, Bishop, and the baby she’s carrying is mine. Not his.” He pointed at Shorty and there was a collective gasp from the crowd.

“Do you know what you’re saying, man?” My father looked mortified.

Terrance reached for my hand. “Yes, I do. I’m saying that your daughter should be marrying me instead of him.”

“But you’re a married man,” my mother protested. She looked like she was about to faint.

“Not anymore. I had my marriage annulled.” He turned to me. “That’s why it took so long for me to get down here. I was waiting for this FedEx envelope.” He handed the bishop some papers.

“Dear Lord. You did have your wedding annulled,” my father said as he examined the papers.

“Bishop, I love your daughter more than I love life itself. I want her to be my wife, so I’m asking you for her hand.”

My father looked at me. “Is this what you want?”

“More than anything in the world, Daddy.”

“Then who am I to stop you?” he said, and I immediately hugged him tightly. “We’re going to have to wait a few more days for the license, but if Reverend Tate doesn’t mind, we can still have the ceremony.”

“What about me, Donna?” I’d completely forgotten about Shorty and his family. “Do you think I’m just gonna stand here while you marry him?”

“Shorty, I’m sorry.” What else could I say?

“So am I,” he said, turning toward Terrance. Shorty’s neck muscles were bulging and I was sure there was going to be a fight. But out of nowhere Shorty turned back toward me and his hardened features softened into a forgiving smile. “I told you once before that if I really love you, then I’d want you to be happy above everything else. So if this is what will make you happy, then I won’t stop you.”

He was being so understanding. I bent down and gave him a kiss. “I love you, too, Shorty, as a brother.”

“Donna! Donna! Wake your ass up!”

I could feel someone shaking me. I opened my eyes and saw RaShanda standing in front of me. Reality set in. It was a dream. It was only a damn dream. I was still getting married to Shorty, and Terrance wasn’t coming.

“Girl, you better get up and get your dress on. The limo is here.” I wiped my eyes, trying not to smudge my makeup.

“I was knocked out.”

“Girl, I ain’t never seen no one take a nap before their wedding.”

“RaShanda, I just had the best dream.” Just thinking about it made me smile.

“Well, stand up and tell me while you get into this dress. I told you not to take this thing off when the photographer left.” She lifted my dress off the hanger and held it up so I could step into it.

I told her about my dream. “I was just about to say ‘I do’ when Terrance busted into the church and stopped the wedding.”

“Stopped the wedding? What the hell’d he do that for?”

I stepped into the dress. “Because he loves me. What do you think?”

RaShanda pulled the dress up and stopped three-quarters of the way. “I hope you’re not expecting that to happen today, ’cause if you do, you just wasting your time, on account of it ain’t gonna happen.”

I sighed. “I know, but it was a nice dream to think about. I hate that man and I love him at the same time.”

“What about Shorty?”

“He’s nice, but he’s not what I want.”

“Look, girl, you already said you were having second thoughts about getting married. If you don’t wanna marry Shorty, then fuck it, don’t. You know I got your back. My car’s parked right out back. We can be in the wind in fifteen minutes.”

It was scary, but I was actually contemplating RaShanda’s offer. I liked Shorty, but I knew I didn’t love him, and as long as I could remember, I always thought marriage was about love. I would have liked to think that it still was.

There was a knock on the door, interrupting my conversation with RaShanda.

“Yes?”

“Princess, it’s me. Can I come in?”

“Just a minute, Bishop.” I gestured for RaShanda to help me finish pulling up my dress and zipping me up. Then she opened the door for my father.

“Your mother and the other bridesmaids are already in the ca—” He stopped himself and stood motionless as he stared at me. “My, my, my, aren’t you the prettiest sight I’ve ever seen.”

“Daddy, are you just gonna stare at me or is there a reason you’re here?”

“I’m here to tell you I love you.” His eyes glistened with tears. “Today, I’m the proudest man on the face of the earth. And Shorty is the luckiest.” He wrapped his arms around me, and right then and there I knew I was going to marry Shorty.

The sound of silverware clinking against glasses signaled another call for the bride and groom to share a newlywed kiss. I had been standing in the corner, watching our guests enjoying the reception, and I saw Shorty lean over to kiss Donna with such tenderness that I smiled in spite of the fact that I still couldn’t believe I was now going to be calling him my son-in-law. Actually, I had been surprised by my own reactions throughout much of the day. For so many years I had seen him as nothing more than an annoying nuisance, poised to get Dante into trouble, but during the ceremony even my eyes got misty when I realized just how much Shorty clearly loved Donna.

When I first learned of Donna’s engagement, it was devastating to think she had sunk so low as to actually be involved with someone of Shorty’s caliber. I had always envisioned her falling in love and marrying the son of some distinguished member of the clergy or a high-powered member of the church. But in the two weeks between their announcement and the wedding, I had a chance to witness Shorty in a different light. When it came to Donna, he was so gentle and attentive. In many ways, he reminded me of the way T.K. had treated me when I was pregnant with Dante, and that memory warmed my heart. I had started to get a little worried at the dress shop when Donna confessed to having jitters. To be quite frank, I thought she was going to back out of the wedding, but now my mother’s intuition told me that, with Shorty’s love and a new baby, they’d have enough to hold them together until Donna realized she had a good man. And of course, I’d be there just in case she needed a nudge in the right direction.

Perhaps Shorty was not destined to greatness, perhaps he would always be working for the Department of Sanitation, but I was starting to think that, for Donna and her unborn child, love was a good place to start.

“Hey, Ma,” Dante said as he approached me. “Look at you over here grinning. Proud of yourself, aren’t you?” I didn’t answer, but my smile widened as he leaned down and kissed my cheek. “You did a great job with this wedding, Ma. You should be proud.”

“Thank you, son. The circumstances may not have been the best, but as your father said, we all had to rise to the occasion. I just hope one day Donna appreciates it.”

Dante squeezed my hand. “She might not say it, but I know Donna really appreciated the work you did to make this all happen. She loves you, Ma.”

“You think so?” I was touched by the thought.

“Ma, I know so.” He rubbed my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.

My eyes misted over again and I tried to hide my face. “Now, stop it, Dante, before you make me ruin my makeup. I know your sister and I might not always see eye to eye, but that’s only because I want the best for both of you.”

“I know you do, Ma, and I love you for that.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Hey, see you in a little bit. I’m going to run to the bathroom and then see if I can find Tanisha in the lobby. I think she’s a little overwhelmed by all the attention. You know some of these people in here can get a little too nosy.”

“Who you telling? Sister Dunbar has already asked me when we planned on having your wedding. It seems that Miss Tanisha has made quite an impression on a few folks tonight. Tell her to keep up the good work. If she wants to spend time with this family, she’s going to have to keep up appearances.”

Dante raised his eyebrows; he looked shocked. It was understandable, though. I certainly hadn’t been kind to Tanisha the first night we met, so I’m sure he was waiting for some more harsh words about her now.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked with mock insult.

He smiled. “You’re starting to like her, aren’t you?”

I gave him a half smile then looked in the opposite direction. “I might be changing my opinion of her just as long as she doesn’t try and stop you from going to seminary. People are entitled to change their opinions, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are.” He continued to stare at me. “It’s just that I’m not used to seeing you do it. It’s weird enough to see you accepting Shorty, but now to hear that you’re changing your opinion of Tanisha, I’m not sure what’s going on. You’re not drunk, are you? How much champagne have you had tonight, anyway?” he teased.

“Be quiet, boy.” I pushed him away from me playfully then smoothed my skirt and put on my best first lady face. “Stop teasing your mother and go to the bathroom so you can find your date. Tomorrow at church I don’t wanna hear about her being seen spending time with someone else. That would probably change my opinion of her again.”

“Okay, Ma, but don’t forget to save me a dance. I’ll be back.” He kissed me again and left.

I watched him cross the room. He glanced at Shorty and Donna, and I was happy to see his face didn’t fold into a frown. Ever since he had found out that Shorty was the father of Donna’s baby, he hadn’t been able to even be in the same room with him. I guess he had felt as betrayed as I had felt disappointed. Perhaps he was seeing the same thing I was now—Shorty’s devotion to Donna.

I noticed that I wasn’t the only one whose eyes were on my handsome son as he went toward the lobby. Quiet a few of the young ladies in attendance were watching him, too. Dante had always been popular among the young women of the church, and even many of their mothers, who would be more than happy to marry their daughters off to the son of the bishop. But there was one woman in particular watching him who had no business staring at my son at all. Anita Emerson was a married woman, yet she was eyeing Dante like he was a glass of cool water and she’d been lost in the desert and needed a drink. When she got up from the table and gave her husband a peck on the cheek before making her own way to the lobby, I had seen enough.

I crossed the reception hall and went straight to the lobby to check on things myself. There were several guests standing around in the lobby, but I didn’t see Dante, Tanisha, or Anita anywhere. I decided to check outside. Some of the guests were stepping out to enjoy the cool evening air. Maybe Dante had gone out there to look for Tanisha.

When I exited the hotel, I didn’t see Dante, but I spotted Tanisha right away. She was standing at the other end of the building, and it looked like she was in a heated conversation with Anita. I wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but it wasn’t hard to read their body language and know that this was no polite banter between my son’s girlfriend and the deacon’s wife. I headed toward them.

As I got closer, I heard Anita saying, “You better think about what I’m saying. Don’t nobody want you here. I heard the first lady tell the bishop she wanted your ass outta here, so if I was you, I would get to steppin’ before you embarrass yourself and Dante.”

Oh no, she didn’t,
I thought. Nobody speaks for me but me, and I was about to let her know it.

“I’m not going anywhe—” I placed my hand on Tanisha’s shoulder, greeting her with a smile.

“Excuse me, Tanisha. Do you think I could speak to Sister Emerson alone for a minute? It’s church business.”

Both of them looked shocked to see me, but I also saw a look of relief pass across Tanisha’s face.

“No problem, First Lady Wilson. Anita and I were just finishing our conversation. Weren’t we, Anita?” Anita didn’t say a word.

“Oh, by the way, Tanisha, you don’t have a problem with Dante going to seminary, do you?”

“No, ma’am, that’s between him and God.”

“Good, I think Dante’s looking for you. He said something about wanting to dance.”

“Oh, okay, thanks. I’ll go find him right away.” She smirked at Anita. “Have…a nice night, Anita. I know I will.”

Once Tanisha was far enough away, I said, “Why don’t we step over here around the corner, Sister Emerson?”

“Actually, First Lady, it’s getting a little breezy out here. Maybe we should talk inside?” She couldn’t hide the fear in her eyes, and I wanted to laugh. She knew I had heard her threatening Tanisha, and she knew there was no way out now. She tried to walk past me. I put my arm up to stop her.

“No, I think you’ll prefer to be out here where no one can hear us.”

She looked toward the entrance as if someone might be there to rescue her, but we were alone. She sighed and followed me around the side of the building. I wasted no time putting her in her place.

“Anita, I’m going to say something I should have told you a long time ago.” I delivered the words slowly and clearly, so there would be no mistaking the seriousness of my message. “Stay away from my son and his girlfriend.”

She still had the nerve to try to play dumb.

“I don’t understand, First Lady. We were just talking.” She gave a nervous laugh.

“What’s not to understand? I said stay away from my son and his girlfriend.” I took a step closer and got in her face. “Do you understand now?”

“Yes, First Lady, but I’m not the one you should be concerned with. That girl is. You don’t know her background. She’s not good for Dante and she’s not good for the church.” I’m sure the second she mentioned the church, she expected me to back off.

“And I guess you and him are better for the church?”

“Well, yes…I mean no…I mean…I’m a married woman. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Me and Dante, we’re just good friends. I don’t wanna see him get hurt.”

“Is that right? So, were you just good friends all those times you were in his office with the door locked? What about those times before he had a car and you used to drop him off at the house at three and four o’clock in the morning?”

“I…” Her mouth opened and she tried to speak, but after the first word she froze.

“That’s right, Anita. I know about you and Dante, so don’t bother to try and lie your way out of this one. Did you really think that you could have an affair with my son for two years and I wouldn’t know about it? I’m the first lady, Anita. You of all people should have known that nothing happens inside that church without my knowledge. And I mean nothing.”

“You knew?” she asked, sounding both embarrassed and horrified.

“Of course I knew. I also knew that Dante was becoming a man, and I wasn’t going to be able to stop him from sowing his oats. I figured that at least with you I wouldn’t have to worry as much. Some of these young girls out here will get pregnant in a heartbeat to trap a man, but I figured you wouldn’t do that. You had too much to lose, seeing as how you were the bishop’s secretary and so much older than Dante. You would have been thrown out of the church in the blink of an eye.”

She still had nothing to say, so I continued.

“You do know I pushed the deacon to ask you to marry him, don’t you? And you were so predictable. I just knew you wouldn’t be able to resist his money and you couldn’t, could you? You don’t know how relieved I was when you got married and moved to Florida, putting an end to your little fling with Dante.”

I must have struck a nerve, because she finally spoke, sounding indignant. “It wasn’t just a fling!”

“Wasn’t it? What else would you call something you had to hide? But it doesn’t matter now anyway, does it, because you’re going to leave him alone. My son isn’t interested in you anymore, Anita. He’s moved on, and I suggest you do the same.”

“Oh, please,” she spat. “You can’t possibly approve of that, that…relationship.”

“Whether I do or not, it’s none of your business, Anita.”

“Oh, I think you might be happy that I made it my business when I tell you what I found out about that girl. The girl’s a tramp. Don’t let that cheap suit fool you. That little hood rat is a—”

I put my hand up to stop her. “You let me worry about Tanisha. She’s my problem, not yours. But let’s put it this way: Whatever she is, I approve of her a lot more than I approve of you. Besides, you’ve got bigger things to worry about, like what you’re going to do if I tell Deacon Emerson about your obsession with my son. Did you know he still keeps your naked pictures with his old baseball cards? Wouldn’t Deacon Emerson love to see them?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she said angrily.

“I wouldn’t? Actually, Anita, you have no idea what I’m capable of, do you? I’ve ruined much better people’s lives than yours. But I will tell you this—I will do whatever it takes to protect my son, and that includes whipping your ass with my own two hands if necessary. Do I make myself clear?” I reached up and took off one earring then the other. The look of shock followed by the look of defeat on her face was just what I had intended.

“You’re making a big mistake. When you find out the truth about Tanisha, you’ll
wish
Dante had stayed with me,” she said before storming off.

I put my earrings back on before I came around the side of the building and headed back to the reception. I didn’t want to be seen walking back into the hotel anywhere near Anita. The look on her face was enough to get even the most pious church members gossiping.

I was satisfied that Anita had gotten my message when I entered the lobby and saw Deacon Emerson waiting at the coat check area.

“Deacon,” I said as I approached him. “Leaving already?”

“Yes, I’m afraid Anita isn’t feeling well. Once she comes out of the ladies’ room, I’m taking her home.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” I gave him a sympathetic gaze, though I wanted to laugh. “Well, thank you so much for coming. I’ll see you tomorrow at church.”

“I sure hope so. It all depends on how well Anita feels in the morning.”

“Of course,” I answered as I patted his hand. “You take care now, Deacon.” I waited until I turned my back to him before I allowed myself to smile. I was sure Anita would not be feeling well enough to attend services in the morning. And she’d be feeling even worse once I figured out a way to convince T.K. that she needed to be removed from her job as his secretary. Like I said, I would do anything for my son.