Heaven Forbid (21 page)

Tai hugged Mama Max again. “I’m glad you’re going back to Texas, but I’m going to miss you!”

“That simply means you’ll need to bring my grandkids down more often. They’ll be out of school soon, so you won’t have any excuses.”

“It’s a date. I’ll try and coordinate with King’s schedule, and maybe we can all come down: me, him, and the twins.”

“That would be good, honey.”

“Mama Max, I know you have reservations. I’ve been in your shoes. But trust me, you’re doing the right thing going back to Daddy O.”

“I’m going back to Texas. The jury’s still out on whether or not I stay married to the reverend.”

Tai knew she didn’t have time for a lecture. The plane was in its last boarding call. “Being in the same house is a start, Mama. I know God will direct your path from there.”

Mama Max waved one last time before pulling her carry-on down the Jetway. She quickly settled into the bulkhead aisle seat that Tai had requested on her behalf, buckled her seat belt, and pulled out a Bible from her tote bag. She didn’t open it right away, just rested it on her knees as she waited for takeoff. It wasn’t that she had a fear of flying, per se, but it felt good to have the Word close by nonetheless. She idly fingered the book’s well-worn pages as she offered a mental prayer to God.
Lord, be with me on this here journey. Help me do what’s right. Help me release anger and unforgiveness, Lord. Help me to see Obadiah as You see him, Lord. Help me love him as You love him. And me, too, Jesus. Help me to love me like You love me. A men.

Dorothea parked the car next to the curb of the Brook residence and waited.
Am I doing the right thing?
After much prodding, Obadiah had finally met her at a hotel in Tyler, Texas, a little over an hour from Palestine. Obadiah had loved her good, but she could tell his heart wasn’t in it. Afterward, they’d talked for a long while, and for the first time, Obadiah really opened up about his marriage—how guilty he felt about betraying Maxine and about not practicing on Saturday night what he preached on Sunday morning. “This is the last time,” he’d told her as they made love for the second time. “I’ve prayed for Maxine to come back to me, and when she does, I’m going to be faithful to her.”

A light was on in the front of the house.
He’s in the study.
Dorothea’s fingers tapped the steering wheel as she pondered whether to go knock on the door. She’d tried to stay away, as he’d requested, but here she was, parked outside like a school-girl after the popular jock, trying to get up the nerve to go in.

“This is ridiculous, Dorothea. You’re sixty-six years old and acting like a love-struck fool.” Dorothea gave herself no more time to think. She reached for the container of pralines she’d made for Obadiah and the door handle at the same time, opened it, and walked briskly up the sidewalk to the Brooks front door.

She rang the doorbell once, no answer. Dorothea impatiently waited for a few seconds before she rang it again.
Is he really not going to open the door? I know he hears this doorbell.
After ringing the bell a third time and not getting an answer, Dorothea reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Obadiah’s cell phone. It went straight to voice mail. After leaving a message and waiting another minute or two with no return phone call, Dorothea upped the ante and called the home phone. Her frustration mounted when Maxine’s cheerful voice spilled into her ear.

“Praise the Lord, saints. You’ve reached the Brook residence….”

Dorothea hit the pound key, bypassing the message. “Obadiah, I know you’re in there. Open the door. I’ve got something for you, and we need to talk. Now stop acting silly and open the door. I’m not leaving until you open it.”

When another minute had passed, Dorothea stepped off the porch and into the yard. She walked along the front of the house until she came to the window of the study, the same window Maxine had banged on a few months earlier. She was tall enough to look inside, and the curtain was open just enough to give her visual access to the room. When she pressed her nose to the screen, she dropped the container of sweets.

“Obadiah!”

Dorothea ran back to the porch, where she banged on the door and rang the doorbell at the same time. She frantically reached for her cell phone again, this time dialing 911.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“I don’t know, but we need an ambulance quick. The reverend is passed out on the floor of his house. I’m outside and I can’t get in. We need to get him help—quick!”

Mama Max was anxious and more than a little peeved as she waited for her luggage to appear on the baggage carousel. After begging her to come home, Obadiah wasn’t at the airport to pick her up like he said he’d be, and he wasn’t answering either his cell phone or the home phone. When her own cell phone rang, she hurried to get it.
I’m going to give this man a piece of my mind!
Of course, the phone was where it always was whenever she was trying to get it—
especially
when she wanted to give someone a piece of her mind—at the bottom of her purse.

“It’s about time you called me, Reverend. You’ve got some explaining to do!”

“Mama Max, it’s Nettie.”

“Oh, sorry, child, and thanks for calling me back. I still haven’t heard from Obadiah and I’m mad as all get-out. Did you reach him?”

“No, ma’am, but I did find a ride for you. One of the deacon’s daughters lives in Dallas. We’ve already called her, and she’s on her way to pick you up and bring you to Palestine. Do you have your luggage, Mama? Because she’ll be there in about fifteen minutes, and it might be easier for y’all to see each other if she could pick you up curbside. I can tell her what you’re wearing. Her name is Maylene, and she’ll be in a beige Toyota Camry.”

“Lord, have mercy. The reverend’s got folks scrambling around after me. I sho don’t like to cause this kind of trouble.” She stopped fussing long enough to tell Nettie what she was wearing.

“It’s no trouble at all, Mama Max. She was coming this way anyway. Can you meet her curbside? They’ve got those push carts in the airport to help you with your luggage, and one of those porters can help you too. It shouldn’t take her more than ten, fifteen minutes to get you and then about ninety minutes for you to get here.”

“Nettie, is everything okay? Oh, wait a minute. Here comes one of my bags.” Mama Max turned to a tall, lanky, blond teenager standing next to her. “Baby, can you get that bag for an old lady? Thank you kindly.” She placed the phone on her other ear. “Now, what’s the matter? Sounds like you’re in an awful hurry for me to get back there. Did you miss me that much?”

“I missed you something fierce, Mama,” Nettie replied honestly. That statement was the truth. But Nettie was battling with another truth and whether to tell Mama Max what was going on now or wait until she got to Palestine. After a few seconds of wrangling and a quick silent prayer, Nettie decided there was nothing Mama Max could do so far away, except worry herself sick for the next two hours. When she arrived in Palestine would be soon enough to tell her about what had happened to her husband. “You going straight home when you get here? Or do you want to stop by my house first?”

That’s a strange question.
“I guess I should stop by my house, Nettie, unless you need to see me first. What is it that you’re not telling me, girl? Because if I’ve got trouble sitting in my living room, I’d surely like to know about it before I get on the front porch, if you get my drift.”

“Well, there is something going on that you should know about, Mama. But I’d rather tell you when you get here, when we can talk face-to-face.”

“What is it, Nettie? Because I’m here at the airport, and if Reverend is still acting a fool, I can turn around and get on the first thing smokin’ right back outta here!”

“Now, don’t go worrying yourself about it, Mama. It ain’t nothing that God can’t handle.”

“Does it involve the ministry? Is something going on at Gospel Truth, somebody gossiping about where I’ve been? Because come Sunday, I’ll tell anybody who’s got nerve enough to ask me to my face!” Mama Max’s volume had increased with her temper, so much so that several passengers waiting around her also wanted to know the gospel truth about what was going on!

Almost three hours later, Maylene turned on to Elm Street, where the Brooks lived. Right away, Mama knew something was wrong and that the gas that had started churning as soon as they’d turned onto the highway wasn’t from the hamburger and fries they’d gotten in the fast-food drive-thru. And if the gas wasn’t enough to allude to something being out of order, then Nettie’s black Infiniti SUV parked in the driveway drove the message home.

Maylene had barely stopped the car before Mama Max opened the door. Nettie opened her car door at the same time and hurried over to Mama Max. “So good to see you,” she said, hugging her. “Thanks for bringing her home, Maylene. Here, let me give you some gas money.”

Maylene waved away the suggestion and told Mama Max how good it was to have met her. After the three women retrieved the luggage from her car trunk, Maylene was gone. Maylene had barely put her car in gear and drove away when Mama Max turned to Nettie. “Okay, Nettie, you can see my face. What is going on?”

“Reverend Doctor is in the hospital. He’s had a heart attack.”

“Jesus!” Mama Max whispered, searching Nettie’s face with her eyes. “How is he? Is he going to…”

“By the grace of God, he’s going to be fine. I haven’t gone to the hospital yet. Wanted to wait for you. But I’ve been on the phone several times. He’s in surgery—that’s all I know.”

The two women placed Mama Max’s luggage just inside the door and then hurried to Nettie’s SUV. In a rare moment for this law-abiding citizen, Nettie ignored speed limits, and after a short, quiet ride where both ladies prayed instead of talked, she pulled into the emergency parking lot at Palestine Regional Medical Center. They hurried up the sidewalk and through the double doors, heading straight to the information desk directly in front of them.

“I’m here to see about my husband,” Mama Max said, trying to regain her breath. “Obadiah Brook.”

The nurse behind the counter greeted the women, then looked up information on her computer. “Yes, ma’am, he’s still in surgery. But if you’ll have a seat in the waiting room, I’ll get a doctor to come and talk to you.”

“Much obliged,” Mama Max said.

She and Nettie walked into the waiting room where Mama Max stopped short. Sitting in the corner, wringing her hands and wiping her eyes, was Dorothea.

“What are you doing here?” Mama Max asked, advancing on Dorothea as if ready for battle.

“Mama Max.” Nettie put a hand on Mama Max’s arm, trying to stop her from moving forward.

“Let go of my arm, Nettie.” Mama Max stopped directly in front of Dorothea. “I’m only going to ask you this one last time. What are you doing here? Because if Jenkins ain’t had a heart attack the same time as the reverend, it’s getting ready to be me and you!”

“Mama Max,” Nettie whispered, trying to keep her voice calm. “I don’t think this is the place for—”

“For what? To call this floozy out before God and everybody? She got the nerve to show up here when it’s
my
husband on the operating table. I got the right to do a little operating of my own.” Mama Max balled her hand into a fist and looked mad enough to really punch Dorothea.

Dorothea, who’d been surprised to see Maxine come through the door, regained her composure. She tilted her chin haughtily, her voice calm. “Yes, Maxine, we all know how concerned you are about your husband. So much so, in fact, that you abandoned him when he needed you most.”

“Oh. No. You. Didn’t!”

“Mama Max, you’ve got to keep your voice down. People are looking.” Nettie tried once again to move Mama Max, who at the moment resembled the tree that was planted by the waters. She would not be moved.

“You’re asking Maxine to use logic instead of emotion, Nettie?” Dorothea managed a tired laugh. “That’ll be the day.”

“Sistah, you bettah stop talking,” Mama Max hissed, lowering her voice as Nettie suggested, though the action took extreme effort on Mama Max’s part. “Because I am
not
the one.”

Dorothea sat up a bit straighter in the chair. “Obviously.”

“Oh, my God.” Mama Max turned to Nettie, a frantic look on her face. “Tell her, Nettie. You better tell her fast, ’cause it’s about to get ugly. Tell her don’t try me, try Jesus. ’Cause he’ll help her. I’m getting ready to hurt her. As mad as I am in this here hospital, they’ll need to get another room ready!”

One of the nurses from the reception desk rushed into the room. “Ladies, I’ll have to ask you to keep your voices down. Everyone in here is under stress. Please, Mrs. Brook, if you’ll come with me. The doctor wants to talk to you.”

Mama Max cut her eyes at Dorothea one last time before following the nurse out of the waiting room. After she was sure Mama Max was out of hearing range, Nettie sat down next to Dorothea. “You have a lot of nerve, sister.”

“What I have is a lot of love for Obadiah Brook, more than Maxine will ever feel. Don’t even try,” she continued, putting a hand up when Nettie would have interrupted her. “Things are not always as they seem, Nettie Johnson. There’s more to this story than you realize, and I couldn’t care less whether you understand it. But know this: If it hadn’t been for the fact that I love Obadiah enough to look after him when his wife ran out and went over to check on him when I did, the reverend doctor wouldn’t have made it. That’s what the doctor will tell Miss High and Mighty, Miss Holy Roller, Miss
Accuser
. That five more minutes, and Obadiah would have been…” Dorothea didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned toward the wall, away from Nettie. “I got there just in time,” she whispered to herself.

Nettie didn’t know what to think, much less say. So without another word, she stood and went in search of Mama Max. She wanted to avoid another confrontation, and after Mama Max finished talking to the doctor, Nettie suggested they go to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee.

“He had three blocked arteries,” Mama Max said as they walked toward the cafeteria. “But the doctor said he’d make it. Obadiah’s going to pull through.”

“Praise the name of Jesus.”

“Bless His holy name.”

The two ladies were quiet until they got their cups of coffee. The room was fairly crowded for a Thursday afternoon, but they found a table near the back of the cafeteria. For a couple minutes, they sat quietly, sipping their coffee.

“Thanks for helping me back there,” Mama Max said finally. “Can’t help Obadiah none from a jail cell, and if I ever got to beating that woman, that’s where I’d be. I owe her more than forty years’ worth of ass whoppins, yes, Lord…would be a first-time convict at seventy.”

“Anyone would be upset,” Nettie offered. “But I know why she’s here.”

Mama Max looked up from her coffee cup.

“She went over to check on Reverend Doctor O. She said that the doctor told her five more minutes without medical attention and the reverend would have died.”

“So what does she want for that information, a thank-you? Probably her and Obadiah
checking up
on each other is what brought the attack on in the first place.”

Nettie didn’t have an answer for that comment. The ladies sipped their coffee in silence.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Mama Max said. “I’m not going to keep on playing second fiddle to that woman. I’m going to help Obadiah out of this here emergency. After all, he is my husband, for what that’s worth, and I’d give this kind of help to a stranger. It’s the Christian thing to do. But as God is my witness, as soon as he’s back on his feet, he’s going to have to decide to be anonymous to me.”

Nettie frowned slightly. “You mean
monogamous,
Mama Max?”

“That too. I mean it, Nettie. If that man don’t convince me that an old dog can be taught new tricks, I’m going to click my heels three times and head back to Kansas—for good.”