God Only Knows (11 page)

Julia gasped. “He didn’t actually walk in on —”

“Oh, please, no.” Cassie shooed off her friend’s crazy notion. “What I’m saying is, M.J. was painfully aware of his father’s
temporary decision to leave me for Veronica. Given that she’s a local broadcaster, well, most of M.J.’s friends knew who she
was. He told me one night that the whole time Marcus was living with Veronica, his friends were complimenting him for having
a ‘pimp’ of a father who could get a girl that ‘hot.’ M.J. said he nearly decked several of them to shut them up.”

Julia let her eyes shut slowly. “I’m so sorry, Cassie.” For some reason, she had assumed that Marcus had been discreet enough
to keep the affair a private matter between Veronica, himself, and Cassie. As far as anyone knew, it was Marcus’s first unfaithful
act, and that had been after a couple of very tough years.

“I talked to M.J. this morning,” Cassie said, whispering now, “because I needed him to understand the role I played in Marcus’s
initial decision to divorce me and move into Veronica’s place. I tried to explain all the tensions that arose between us when
Marcus insisted on leaving the newspaper to start his magazine, but it was like talking to a brick wall.”

Julia nodded. “I’m guessing a seventeen-year-old whose biggest relationship obstacle so far has been ‘which brand of condom
to use?’ wasn’t able to understand the role your emotional abuse played in Marcus’s affair.”

“That’s an understatement,” Cassie said. “Maybe I should be flattered. Apparently, my son has planted a classic ‘momma’ halo
over my head. I told him how I pressured Marcus to give up his dream about the magazine, how I retaliated when he didn’t listen
by opening up separate investment and checking accounts, how I revoked his right to designate how my paychecks were spent,
and even overruled him on decisions about the construction of the new house. None of it mattered to M.J. In his mind, Marcus
committed an unforgivable sin by cheating on me.”

“So,” Julia replied, “you weren’t able to get through to him at all?”

“No. M.J. said he’ll continue to respect his father, but he doesn’t want Marcus telling him what to do. I decided to let it
drop at that, but I did press him again about the need to cut his ties to Dante and anyone like him.” As the plane’s cabin
lights came on and the door to the Jetway opened, Cassie balled a fist. “He blew me off again, but what else could I do? I’m
just praying that the twins can keep him and Marcus from killing each other while I’m gone.”

Once they had exited the plane and found a table at a cramped Starbucks near the gate, Julia checked her watch. “I guess we
have another ninety minutes before the other two arrive.” She hoisted her vanilla latte cup toward Cassie’s decaf. “Been a
long time since we both had this much free time to spend with each other.”

“Yeah, if only it was under better circumstances,” Cassie replied, playfully knocking her cup against her friend’s. “I’ll
take it for what it’s worth, though. Now that I spent the plane ride dumping on you, what’s on your mind? Everything good
with Amber now, is she minding her business?” Cassie’s smile reminded Julia that she’d already shared her annoyance at her
niece’s preoccupation with her social life.

“We did have that talk,” she replied, chuckling. “Your points were helpful, but I honestly think I hit home most when I reminded
her that someday she’ll be dating, and payback is a mother.”

Cassie laughed in response, then eased into her question. “Are you so sure, by the way, that our precious little girl isn’t
sort of onto something?”

“About what?”

Cassie shot a sharp glance, then put a playfully chastising tone into the word “Julia.”

Julia crossed her legs, peering around the surrounding crowd as if concerned she was being watched. “Certainly, you’re not
encouraging me to try and date Maxwell Simon.”

“I’m just asking,” Cassie said, a sly smile escaping. “I mean, he’s an eligible bachelor, from all I hear, and you’re certainly
quite the catch.”

“I can’t be a catch if I don’t have an interest in being caught.” Julia was embarrassed to hear her heart flutter at what
could be a half-truth. “I don’t believe I’m even bothering to mention this, but you may as well know. Can you believe he had
the nerve to invite me out on a date with his friends?”

Cassie scooted closer, eyes widening as Julia recounted Maxwell’s invitation to hang out with Jake, Lyle, and their wives.
“Now that would be interesting. Dayton’s supposedly so small, but I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve run across
Jake or Lyle in all these years. I’d be willing to drag Marcus along, if it would make you feel better. I’d love to see how
those jokers turned out.” She chuckled under her breath. “Did I ever mention that I ‘went steady’ with Lyle for all of three
weeks? I think it was sophomore year.”

Julia felt her eyes flare with annoyance. “I seem to remember tripping across the two of you a couple of times, stumbling
out of the band room after school with your clothes and hair looking a hot mess.”

“Yeah, well, that’s why it only lasted a few weeks.” Cassie laughed. “Lyle could talk any girl into joining him in that band
room at least once, but his hands were like sloppy, heat-seeking missiles hitting anything they could grab onto, and he wanted
to put them everywhere.”

Julia sighed, glancing randomly around her again. “Well, as one who looked more like a young Cicely Tyson than Halle Berry,
I wasn’t cursed with all that attention. Lucky me.”

“Oh, no,” Cassie said, the look on her face making Julia feel guilty. Her dear friend always looked like she had just discovered
a dead body when she feared she had hurt someone’s feelings. “I didn’t mean to be insensitive, Julia. We’ve talked about this,
I know, but I still can’t believe how stupid those boys were back then. I always thought you and Terry, especially, were beautiful.”

“Toya was the cutest out of us,” Julia replied, smiling. “She had the tightest little shape, a cute button nose, and her mother
kept her hair done really nice. The boys in the neighborhood were always chasing her. She was only invisible in the halls
of Christian Light.”

“Hmm.” Cassie’s silence reminded Julia that while she and the other girls had disliked Cassie before the night of their run-in
with Eddie, Cassie and Toya’s subsequent friendship had been the most fragile of the bunch. It seemed that the girls’ competing
versions of beauty spurred an unhealthy sense of rivalry that survived even the traumas they now hoped to exorcise.

“Well, since it’s no longer 1988, can we return to present day?” Cassie trained her gaze on Julia. “I’m still not following
why you passed on Maxwell’s invitation. You do want to have another romantic relationship someday, right, maybe even get married
again?”

Julia frowned, nose wrinkling defiantly. “I don’t know. I’ve been so focused for years now on being a good mom to Amber and
trying to save Christian Light. And it’s not like men are beating down my door, especially if you throw out the would-be robbers.”

“Real cute. An eligible doctor, no less, asked you out, Julia, and one who is apparently a Christian on top of that.”

“He was probably just being friendly. Patronizing, even.”

“So maybe he still has hang-ups about dating dark-skinned women —”

“Try
black
women.”

“Do you know the answer to that question? What is his preference these days?”

Julia stuck her tongue out before replying, “I have no idea.” She peered at Cassie, who had a funny look on her face. “What’s
wrong?”

“I suppose I’m what’s wrong.” A gloved hand landed suddenly on Julia’s shoulder, and she looked up to see a statuesque, cocoa-brown
woman standing over her. Dressed in an expensive-looking leather overcoat, she wore a pair of sparkling sunglasses, which
added to the glamorous look of her layered, feathered hairstyle. “No matter how many years pass, I’d still pick you two out
of a crowd. Mrs. Toya Raymond, Julia,” she said, extending a gloved hand and slowly nodding across the table toward Cassie.
“I was able to catch an earlier flight. Let’s get a private table in a larger restaurant, shall we? I’d like to get this discussion
behind us.”

T
heresa “Terry” Lewis had big hair —huge hair, to tell the truth —and her five-foot-nine frame was now chunky where it had
once been lanky, but when she turned the corner, all three women recognized her.

“Terry,” Cassie said, raising her voice just enough to cut through the din of surrounding travelers, “over here.” Happy to
escape the uneasy small talk in which she, Julia, and Toya had now been trapped for almost an hour, she nearly ran to her
old friend. Reaching out, she took hold of the battered navy cloth carry-on bag in Terry’s right hand. “Let me take that for
you. How was your trip?”

Releasing the bag, whose handle Cassie quickly realized was so loose it nearly came off in her hand, Terry reached her newly
free hand to her mouth and bit at a brightly colored nail. “My flight was fine, I guess,” she said, stiffening a little as
Cassie attempted to hug her. “I don’t think I’d been on a plane since I flew back from Somalia.” Terry had joined the army
straight out of Christian Light, surprising all of her friends. That decision had drawn a bright white line between Terry
and the other girls; about all they knew was that she had been assigned to service of some type during Bill Clinton’s first
term, had earned an honorable discharge, and moved to Cleveland with a fellow platoon member, who gave her three kids before
abandoning her.

Once Terry had exchanged dutiful hugs with everyone at the table, Cassie and Julia alternated duties as moderators. Keeping
a flow of conversation going, one that would ease the tracks toward today’s true purpose, required the emotional sensitivity
of a diplomat and the verbal flexibility of a game show host.

“Being here is probably the closest I’ve come to Dayton in five years,” Toya remarked after another swig of her second Mud
Slide ice-cream drink. Cassie had been surprised by her old friend’s choice of drink; though time had naturally added a few
pounds to her long-limbed body, Toya had the tight hips and tapered waist of Tyra Banks in her prime. “I doubt I’ll get any
closer to Dayton than this anytime soon. Ever since George paid to move my parents down to Florida —they love that assisted-living
center, they never want to leave —I’ve had zero incentive to relive my years in the ‘Gem City.’ ”

Cassie couldn’t help asking, so she replied honestly, “What about your kids?” She knew Toya’s two boys were around her twins’
age, probably ten and twelve, if she had to guess. “When was the last time they were in Dayton? Don’t you want them to see
your hometown, your old neighborhood? They should get a sense for the world that shaped their mom, don’t you think?”

Toya’s patronizing glance was so reflexive, Cassie chose not to take it personally. “We live in a world quite different from
the average Daytonian’s, Cassie. I don’t think they’d get much out of strolling along Gettysburg Avenue and dodging bullets,
or standing at Third and Main to count the number of passing gangbangers. Some things are best left in the rearview mirror.”

“Dayton’s not that bad,” Terry replied. Though her words countered Toya’s, her weary gaze was aimed over Cassie’s head. “I
was hating on it when I first came back from the war, but, shoot, I spent a year in Atlanta with my kids’ father before we
moved to Cleveland —and, trust me, every town has a nasty side.”

“Well, George always says life is about character, not location,” Toya said, removing a tiny mirror and an overpriced-looking
lipstick from her purse. “You can live well in just about any city, if you put your mind to it.”

“Well, you’re looking at one lady who’s living proof of that,” Julia said, causing an uneasy sensation in Cassie’s stomach
as her friend gestured in her direction. “You two may not know it, but Ms. Cassie here is one of the top realtors in the state
of Ohio. And she did it on her own.”

“I’m sure we all work hard in our respective ways, Julia,” Cassie said, hoping her eyes could transmit a nonverbal message
to her best friend. The last thing they needed was to infect the group’s uneasy chemistry by insulting Terry or sparking competition
with Toya about which of them was truly the biggest success. She looked around the table as she asked, “Can we all hold hands?
I’d like to lead us in a prayer.”

Toya recoiled visibly, though she kept her tone calm and cool as she said, “You all go right ahead, don’t mind me.”

Terry, who had begun to drop her head in reverence after taking Julia and Cassie’s hands, looked up suddenly. “Toya, please
don’t block God’s blessing, not after I let Julia pay for my ticket and convince me to fly for the first time in nearly fifteen
years.”

“I’m not blocking anything,” Toya replied, arms crossed. “I said you all can go right ahead with your prayer. I’ll wait.”

Terry’s brow furrowed in what seemed to be true confusion. “After all God has blessed you and your family with, you can’t
at least be grateful enough to show a little respect?”

“I’m sorry, Terry,” Toya replied, picking up her mirror again and checking her hair nonchalantly, “you must think Ronald Reagan
is still in office and you’re still my best friend. You don’t know me well enough to take that tone.”

Releasing Cassie’s and Julia’s hands, Terry leaned forward and jutted a finger across the table. “You can look down your nose
at me all you want,” she said, “but that don’t change the fact I probably know you better than anyone you’ve met since we
was at Christian Light.
I
know about the health scares from your juvenile diabetes, the teen pregnancy scare, all of it, Toya, remember? All the stuff
you’ve probably never shared with your precious George. And I can pretty well guess why you think you don’t need God no more.”

“For the record,” Toya replied, her palms now flat on the table before her, “I do have God in my life, just not the same one
you all probably pray to. George and I spent years studying the religions of the world, doing the type of thoughtful examination
everyone should do before making such an important decision.”