His First Lady (31 page)

Candy waited until Ariel was out of the dining room. “No, the hell it couldn’t be anybody’s church. She’s so arrogant and it’s starting to piss me off,” Candy said angrily.

“You’re doing fine and we’re all talking it out so don’t blow it now.” Daniela reminded her.

“No, we’re not all talking it out cause you act like a deaf mute. What’s up with that?”

Ariel walked back in. “I hate to wrap it up ladies but I can only stay a few more minutes.” She looked over at Daniela before sitting down. “Is that okay since you’re my ride?”

Daniela nodded disappointedly. “That’s fine.”

Candy anxiously tapped on the table. “I was just thinking about what you said about how it works out for everybody and I realized that it only works out for the selfish people that only care about themselves, like you and him,” She said looking fiercely at Ariel.

Ariel looked back at the door she had walked back in through. “So, did something happen when I left the room because you’re mighty hyped now?”

“No, I just had a moment to digest it,” Candy shot back cynically.

“Okay, then let me say that I know that it’s working for me,” Ariel said. “I am taken very good care of.”

“That’s called hooking,” Candy said.

“Excuse me?” Ariel asked.

Candy wiped her hand on her napkin and looked down at her unfinished taco. “As a pastor’s wife, I am very offended that you think that it’s okay to squander the money that the people of God give to their church to meet your selfish needs and that man’s lusts. It’s wrong that his wife does what she feels she’s called to do without a clue of what’s going on,” Candy rambled on unable to stop herself, “and you two think that the arrangement works for everybody. It doesn’t work for his wife and it’s very upsetting,” Candy said angrily.

Ariel looked at Daniela then back at Candy. “Candy, you wanted to know who it was. Don’t judge me because your dirt comes from a different pile.”

“Ariel, that’s not it. Women like you tear at the foundations of marriage stone by stone little by little and you think that you don’t have to answer for what you do. Well, you have to answer for it at some point,” Candy said.

Ariel glared at Candy. “I came here under the pretense that I was spending time with a new friend and an old one but now I realize that you and I will never be friends. You are still that jealous flat chested chick at the bottom struggling to get to the top.” Ariel glared at Candy. “And it’s not enough that you have everything, you wanted to find out something awful about me just to keep feeling a little better about yourself and you found it.”

Candy stood up and clapped her hands. “Nice speech Ariel but you don’t get off that easy. You’re pregnant by a married man. Not only is he supposed to be a man of God preaching in a pulpit but then you two add a child into your mess.”

Ariel flipped her napkin on her plate and pushed her chair away from the table. She looked over at Daniela. “I’m ready to leave now.”

Candy smirked. “I’ll gladly go get your things,” she said storming out of the dining room.

Ariel stood up. “She’s so pathetic; she always has been.”

Daniela took a deep breath and looked at Ariel. “Ariel, you understand why she’s upset, right?”

Ariel rolled her eyes. “She asked and I told her.” Ariel huffed.

“I know. But we’re married to pastors and issues like this in churches are devastating.”

“Don’t speak for me Dani,” Candy said hearing them as she stormed back in, shoving Ariel’s shawl and purse at her.

Ariel’s eyes widened at the nearly throwing of her items by Candy. “Candy, you know what? I bet your frustration has nothing to do with me at all.” Ariel laughed as she put her shawl around her shoulder.

Candy crossed her arms glaring at Ariel.

Ariel continued, “Maybe just maybe this house and your life really is just a fantasy and some woman like me is sitting in the pews of your husband’s church every Sunday waiting to meet him somewhere afterwards.”

Daniela gasped in disbelief at Ariel’s words. “Ariel?”

Candy seemed to force a smile on her face. “No, that’s okay Dani. She’ll never have what my husband and I have. That’s why she cheats and prostitutes herself.”

Ariel laughed, “Really?”

Candy nodded. “Really. The way you live says a lot about you. It isn’t enough to date another woman’s husband but you have a husband and a family of your own that means so little to you that you don’t mind jeopardizing them for a pair of earrings.” Candy turned her back to Ariel and walked toward her front door.

Ariel walked slowly behind Candy who once she reached her front door, opened it then held it open for her.

“Good night Ariel,” Candy said.

Ariel stopped at the front door and looked back at Daniela. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Please hurry,” Candy said looking toward Daniela.

Ariel was halfway out of the door then stopped and turned to Candy. “I look around and see all of this stuff that you have and I listen to you talk about God but I didn’t see one bible in your house. I think the problem that you have with me is that we’re too much alike and it scares you. Good luck with everything Candy,” Ariel said walking past Candy and out of the door.

Candy slammed the door. Daniela stood with her hands on her hip. “Why are you letting her get to you?”

Candy let out a large screech. “I hate her!”

Daniela exhaled loudly. She knew that the best thing was for her and Ariel to just leave. “I’m going to get my things out of the closet so I can take her home.” Daniela walked down Candy’s hallway to the coat closet wondering how the evening had turned out so awful. She opened the closet, grabbed her items, and closed the door.

“Candy, I’m tempted to take some of these tacos home since I didn’t get to enjoy them,” Daniela yelled out heading back toward the kitchen.

Candy didn’t respond. Daniela stopped, deciding to walk back to the living room to make sure that Candy was okay. Walking back into the living room area looking for Candy, Daniela called her name one more time with no answer. Maybe she just wouldn’t take the tacos; she didn’t want any reminders of the evening anyway.

Daniela slipped her jacket on then stepped out in the crisp night air before seeing Ariel standing on the walkway near her minivan. Hearing the front door open, Ariel looked angrily in Daniela’s direction. She saw Ariel’s mouth move and knew that she was going to have to listen to Ariel’s ranting the entire 30 minute drive to her house.

As Daniela closed the front door, she heard Ariel cursing and saw her looking in the direction of Candy’s garage before sticking her middle finger up. Daniela quickly realized where Candy was and that she needed to get Ariel inside her van before these grown women began fighting like a bunch of children.

Daniela hurriedly walked down the brick stairs to the walkway toward her van. Then seemingly out of nowhere, the loud screeching of car tires and the acceleration of a car engine caused her to stop and look in the direction of Candy’s garage. Daniela heard Ariel curse loudly, and then watched as Ariel raised her arm to shield her face from the glare of headlights.

A curious Daniela took a few more steps to see what was happening. Looking toward the garage in the direction of the sound of the roaring engine, Daniela saw the headlights getting closer and brighter on Ariel. She looked over at Ariel whose face displayed complete fear staring in the direction of the vehicle that was rushing toward her. Daniela yelled out Ariel’s name. Wide-eyed and seemingly blindsided, Ariel didn’t move as the fast approaching Range Rover plowed into her causing her body to flip in the air then drop down on its hood.

Daniela screamed watching in amazement as Ariel’s body rolled off of the vehicle and onto the pavement. Covering her mouth in dismay, Daniela stood motionless as if in a dream before realizing that what she had witnessed was reality. She ran over to Ariel and fell on her knees beside her. Ariel lay motionless on her side. Daniela turned her over on her back and saw Ariel’s eyes closed and blood running from her mouth down the side of her face. A frightened Daniela held Ariel’s head up and placed her ear down to see if she was breathing. She turned back to look at the Range Rover and saw Candy get out of it.

“Candy, what have you done!” Daniela screamed.

Candy closed her vehicle door and stood staring at Ariel on the ground in front of her.

Daniela felt Ariel’s neck for a pulse. There was none. She turned to Candy. “Call 911!”

Candy didn’t move. Daniela’s heart pounded as she tried to get a response from Ariel. She looked back over at Candy who continued to stand in place. “Candy, call 911 now!” She screamed again.

Daniela turned from a nonmoving Candy and screamed Ariel’s name but there was no response. She leaned closer to Ariel and yelled her name again. She couldn’t remember where her cell phone was; she couldn’t think. She looked back at Candy again for help then turned back to Ariel. She placed her hands under Ariel’s breastbone and began chest compressions.

She continued doing chest compressions and checked for any sign of breathing or heartbeat. Nothing. She began pumping Ariel’s chest again. She knew the procedure but hadn’t had to ever actually perform it on a live human being, ever.
Please God,
she begged. Blood continued to flow from Ariel’s mouth and from a gash on her forehead. Daniela kept with the chest compressions as her eyes watered making it difficult for her to see. She wiped her eyes and called out to Candy again to call for help.

There was no pulse, no heartbeat and no breathing. She screamed again for Candy to dial 911 then yanked her purse off of her shoulder and dumped the contents out to find her cellphone. It wasn’t there. She remembered that Ariel had a cellphone earlier. She looked around for it but it wasn’t around her body and she couldn’t see it in the dark if it flew on the lawn. She began pumping Ariel’s chest again and checked for a pulse. No pulse.

Daniela wiped her eyes remembering that she was a medical professional and she had to stay focused. She began chest compressions once more then stopped realizing that it wasn’t working. She stood up from the pavement and ran toward Candy’s house to call for help. Candy, who had been standing by her vehicle watching, ran after Daniela, grabbing her around her waist before she approached the front door and pulled her down, both falling on the damp lawn.

“Daniela wait!” Candy yelled holding Daniela tightly around her waist as the two rolled around on the grass.

“Candy stop!” Daniela screamed fighting and kicking Candy off of her. Daniela managed to get off of the ground and pushed Candy in the chest away from her, knocking her back onto the ground. Out of breath and tears flowing down her face, Daniela looked at Candy. “What is wrong with you? She needs help!”

“Daniela wait! Please stop!” Candy yelled struggling to get off of the lawn in her short fitted dress. “Think!”

Daniela ran up the brick steps, opened the front door and ran to the cordless phone sitting on a stand in the hallway. As she began dialing, Candy ran up and snatched the phone out of her hand.

“Are you crazy?” Daniela shouted with tears flowing down her face. “We need an ambulance! Where’s my cellphone?”

A barefoot and disheveled Candy ran off to the living room with the phone. “Listen, just listen to me. I don’t want to go to jail!” She pleaded.

Daniela bent down and put her head in her hands. “Where’s my cellphone?” Daniela asked with a calm voice.

Candy paced the floor ignoring her. Daniela couldn’t believe that this was all happening. She struggled to catch her breath then focused on Candy whose tousled hair and smudged make-up almost made her unrecognizable.

“Please, you’re not being yourself. You’re in shock.” Daniela tried reasoning with her. “Don’t do this. Candy, we’ve got to get an ambulance.”

Fear and panic engulfed Candy’s face. Candy held the phone tightly in her hands and sat down. “I don’t want to go to jail.”

Daniela stood up and wiped her eyes and nose with her sleeve. She caught a glimpse of her clothes and realized that she had Ariel’s blood all over her. “It was an accident. We’ll just tell the truth. It was an accident. Please give me the phone. She might be able to be saved.”

Candy shook her head. “It wasn’t an accident, Dani. She deserved it.”

Daniela’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean that. Don’t say that.”

Candy cried, “I mean it.”

Daniela stared at her speechless before shaking her head in disbelief. “Give me the phone!”

Candy shook her head holding onto the phone tightly. “I can’t.”

“She’s lying out on cold concrete!” Daniela screamed. “Give me the phone!”

Daniela held her hand up and brought it down slapping Candy so hard that Daniela’s hand stung from the hit. Taken by surprise, Candy gasped and grabbed her face. Daniela turned from Candy and began running up the staircase. She remembered that Candy had a phone in the hallway upstairs.

“You won’t be able to use it because I have this receiver in use and off the base!” Candy yelled to her.

Daniela stopped on the second step. “You’ve lost your mind.”

Candy looked up at Daniela. “She was going to destroy Evan’s marriage.”

Daniela turned to her. “What!” Daniela screamed at Candy. “What you did had nothing to do with Evan’s marriage.”

Candy began sobbing and pointing toward the door. “That woman made a mockery of everything that we are!”

“That’s not a reason! I’m going to get help,” Daniela said walking toward the door.

“You’re not completely innocent in this you know,” Candy said.

Daniela stopped and turned around and stared at her. “What are you taking about? I had nothing to do with this.”

“You knew what was planned when you brought her over here.”

“What?” A livid Daniela walked closer to Candy. “You planned this?”

Candy glared at Daniela. “I wanted to poison her but I didn’t want to harm the baby.” Candy began to sob.

Daniela felt like she was going to vomit, it was like she was in the middle of a nightmare. “You are out of your mind and I’m going to get help,” Daniela said turning to walk out of the door.

Candy panicked. She stood up and ran to the door attempting to block Daniela from walking out. “If the police are called, can you imagine what this will do to Rob and his ministry? What will happen to everything that you and your husband have built? Will’s ministry will be destroyed. Nobody will trust us ever again.”