Authors: Monica P. Carter
Scandalous Truth (7 page)
Chapter 16
William returned home two hours later, dropping the keys onto the table next to the door. “Mama sent you a plate,” he said to his wife.
Nikki rolled her eyes. She knew his mother hadn't sent a thing for her. If anything, he had sneaked the plate out of the house. William's mother still blamed Nikki for snaring her son into marriage so young. His mother had wanted William to be free and independent of responsibilities and had even threatened to boycott the wedding. And if he insisted on marrying so young, she wanted her son to be with a girl who was raised in the church, not someone like Nikki.
“Thanks,” she said. “I thought you were going over to Mac's?”
“I dropped by there for a minute but they were pretty busy. The kids were running around and Janice was fussing about something so I ducked out of there,” William said. Nikki saw his eyes searching her face. “So, are you calm now?” he asked, kissing her cheek.
She wanted to pull away, but did not. “I was fine before,” she said.
“Baby, you were wound pretty tight.” He placed the plate on the counter in the kitchen.
“But Will, you can't just walk out on me because I'm upset or talking about something you don't want to talk about,” she replied.
“I didn't leave you.” William stepped out of his shoes in the living room. “I'll never leave you, but nothing was going to be accomplished by that conversation. You know I don't like confusion.”
“So now I create confusion?” she asked, walking to the kitchen to peek under the aluminum foil on the plate he brought. It was loaded with greens, macaroni and ribs.
He walked up behind her and wrapped her in his arms. “Baby, let's not do this. You know I think the world of you. And I know you're stressed about everything that's going on.”
“Well, why can't you talk to me about it then?”
“And say what? That I'm a lousy provider? That I can't take care of my family? That my child is ill and there is nothing I can do? That my wife is afraid and I can't comfort her?” He let go of the grip he had on her and stepped back.
“No,” Nikki said. “But maybe we don't need all of
this
.” Her hand flailed in the air, taking in the vaulted ceiling, the hardwood floors, and the expensive living room set. “Maybe we took on more than we could afford.”
this
.” Her hand flailed in the air, taking in the vaulted ceiling, the hardwood floors, and the expensive living room set. “Maybe we took on more than we could afford.”
“But, baby, don't you see? I want to give you nice things,” William said. “This and more!”
“Will, we're living in a four-bedroom house, three bathrooms, a pool.” Nikki shook her head. “We were in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in New Orleans. And we were making do.”
“Making do!” William shot back. “That's just it. I want to do more than just survive! I'm tired of struggling. And when we had the opportunity to move on up, we took it.”
They had taken out an adjustable rate mortgage to move into the house they could afford no other way. But now interest rates were rising and their monthly payment had already doubled.
“But why, Will?” This conversation wasn't new to them. “Why are we trying to keep up with the Joneses? Who are you trying to impress?”
“It's not about trying to impress,” William said, “but it's a business decision. We have to look the part. I have to look successful, if I want to be successful.”
“But, baby, you don't have to drive yourself into the ground,” Nikki pleaded. “We are buried in debt here. We can't afford our life!”
“You just don't understand it,” he told her. “God blessed us with this house. We had that hookup at the mortgage company. How else would you explain us getting approved for a house we certainly should not have been able to afford? That was a blessing.”
“How can it be a blessing if it's stressing us out?”
“Don't talk like that,” William said. “This financial strain is just a temporary inconvenience. You'll see. All this will change soon. Our business will really take off. Right now, we're just faking it 'til we make it.”
“But, Will, we're only fooling ourselves. It'sâ”
“Look, what do you want from me?” William shot back. “I'm doing the best I can! I try to put a roofâa nice roofâover your head. I work extra hard so you can stay home with our daughter, so you can go to school. I am running myself ragged on this campaign so I can build important connections so we can meet the types of people we need. Everything I do is for this family. And you're telling me it's still not good enough.”
Nikki turned to face him. She sighed. “Look, I'm sorry. I know this is tough on you too. I didn't mean to be so difficult.” She touched his arm.
He sighed and smiled. “It'll be all right, baby. I promise.”
She nodded. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” Nikki's doubts remained. Love was great. But it wouldn't pay for her child's surgery.
Chapter 17
PASTOR AND MAYORAL CANDIDATE HAS DEVASTATING GAMBLING HABIT.
The headline screamed from the top of the front page of the newspaper. Below it was a large, smiling photo of Reverend Chance.
William's throat constricted as he opened the newspaper bin to grab a copy. He stood right there and read the story. Passersby grabbed papers, too, and he could hear more than a few disparaging comments.
“I always knew that pastor was dirty.”
“Aren't they all?”
“I know we are not going to elect a preaching crook.”
The comments hurt. This story just seemed to fuel animosity toward a pastor these people knew absolutely nothing about, other than what they'd read.
“This is bad,” William muttered under his breath. He had tried to talk the pastor out of speaking to the reporter, but Reverend Chance had insisted, saying he wanted to set the record straight.
The record is straight all right
.
.
The story detailed Reverend Chance's gambling addiction ten years prior, with it culminating in the loss of his home and running up tens of thousands of dollars in debt. The pastor said he was free of the addiction now and hadn't set foot on a casino floor in years.
But all that seemed lost to William, who couldn't get that headline and large photo out of his mind. It seemed to be a sinking ship. But he knew he would stick with the pastor until the end.
William turned to get back into his car when he heard someone call his name. He looked up to see a beaming Spencer looking back at him. Spencer waved, and the light caught on his watch, making it sparkle. The watch had probably cost more than William's entire wardrobe.
“Great story in the paper this morning. I see you picked a real winner,” Spencer called from his late model Mercedes. He let out a loud cackle and the window rolled back up.
William climbed back into his Protégé. He sat in silence behind the wheel, not turning the key in the ignition, not doing anything but listening to his thoughts. He had felt led to be a part of Reverend Chance's campaign, but how much longer could he remain? He was devoting more time to this campaign than he was to his computer business. And that meant he was generating even less income for his family than before.
“Lord, I believe you told me to help Reverend Chance on this mission, but I need some direction. Nikki is right. We have mounting debt. We're in a house we are having a hard time affording. Our daughter might have a medical condition that requires expensive treatment. I wonder if I should get off this campaign and get back to building my company on a full-time basis. But I know even as I entertain these doubts, sometimes you are working things we cannot see with the natural eye. So please help me to stay on course and keep going in the direction you have for me, even when I can't see the way.”
William turned the key in the ignition and headed to the campaign office. He knew his wife sometimes thought he sat passively by and waited for God to manifest changes. But that's how William grew up. His mom taught him that faith was about trying to hear God's voice. And to do that often meant he had to wait.
William appreciated Nikki's declaration of love for God when they got married. He believed a couple should be spiritually on the same path, so her joining his church eased a lot of stress. Plus it took away one of his mother's arguments, because his mom constantly railed that William should not be with a woman who was not saved. So when Nikki got saved and baptized, that was a huge relief.
He knew his wife was a good, strong Christian woman. She had immersed herself in Bible studies and joined several ministries at church, including becoming an usher. She had dropped out of the choir and went to fewer Bible studies now, but she worked hard to do what she knew to be right. On this latest matter concerning Psalm, though, they disagreed. Nikki thought faith meant doing what she could first and letting God handle what she could not do. But William thought faith was about trusting God and waiting to see what happened.
William didn't want to think about that right now, though. He had more pressing and immediate concerns: Managing this campaign and earning money to support his family. He knew his pastor wanted to make some significant changes as mayor. Reverend Chance wanted to make real strides in meeting the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in the city. He felt he could do certain things as a church leader and pastor, but other changes had to come from making adjustments in how the city was being run.
William believed in the vision and wanted to help serve the needy. But he also wanted to serve the immediate needs of his family. He wanted to leave the campaign and focus on making serious money. It was the end of July, and for the fifth straight month, he knew revenue would be down from where it was a year ago. William had promised Nikki, even before the hurricane, that they would become multimillionaires, and they would live a life of luxury. But he didn't feel he was on that track right now, not with devoting so much time to the campaign.
“I'm having a hard time making a distinction between your voice and my own desires right now, God.” Stopping at a traffic light, William dialed Reverend Chance's cell number.
The candidate picked up on the first ring. Without even saying hello, Reverend Chance inquired, “Where have you been?”
“What do you mean?”
“I've been trying to call you all morning. The phone immediately went to voice mail each time,” the candidate said, sounding a bit irritated.
“I'm sorry, Reverend Chance,” William said. “My phone didn't ring, or at least, I didn't hear it.”
“Well, whatever the case, we are having an emergency meeting,” he said. “We're going to have it at Two Sisters Kitchen, away from the office.”
“Two Sisters? That'll be just as bad as going to the office,” William said. “Everybody will be there. You won't be able to get anything done for all the folks coming up to speak.”
“Well, I still need to be out in the public eye as much as I can. So meet us there in a few minutes. We've got to strategize. This story is being blown way out of proportion and presented in such a bad way.”
William wanted to say, “I told you so,” but instead, he simply replied, “Yes, sir.”
Chapter 18
Nikki furiously typed away on her homework assignment for her class, knowing she was behind because of everything going on in her life lately. The report had been due yesterday, but the professor had extended the deadline to this evening. It was a paper dissecting the artistic style of painter Clementine Hunter. She was enrolled in a graduate program and the summer semester was wrapping up at the end of next month, August. After that, she had one more semester before she would receive her Masters degree.
“Maaaamaaaa!” she heard the wail coming from the bedroom and sprang to her feet, knocking over the chair. Psalm was stretched out, reaching for her mother with one hand, her other hand planted gingerly on her abdomen.
“Oh, baby!” Nikki gathered Psalm into her arms, and the child's cries grew louder. Nikki didn't know if she should let the girl lie still so as not to make her stomach hurt even more, or if she should run from the house with her now, in search of a ride to the hospital. She let Psalm lie still.
The cries grew more intense and Nikki quickly pulled on sneakers. She grabbed her purse and gently picked up Psalm, trying to comfort the child, but knowing she had to get her to medical care. She walked quickly to her neighbor's house.
Nikki banged on the front door until the neighbor opened it. “Mrs. Carrie, can you please give me a ride to the hospital? My babyâ”
“Oh, I don't know,” Mrs. Carrie said, slowly shaking her head. “I'm in the middle ofâ”
“Please, Mrs. Carrie!” Nikki begged. The woman looked as if she might say yes, but she retreated inside her air-conditioned living room.
“It's so dangerous out there these days,” Mrs. Carrie said, closing the door except for a crack. “I watch the news. So many shootings and muggings and murders. I don't go out much these days. I'm sorry. I want to help you, but I just can't.”
“Come on, Mrs. Carrie, please!” But Nikki knew the plea was to no avail. Mrs. Carrie's car barely moved all week, save for a trip to the grocery store or church.
Nikki banged on the door of the house next to Mrs. Carrie's. No one answered. She looked around frantically, cradling her crying child. “Please, somebody!” She tried to hold back the tears from her own eyes.
“Are you okay?” Nikki looked up, grateful for the acknowledgement. It was the man who lived on the other side of her. He was sticking his head out of the door.
“Please, can you give me a ride to the hospital?” she asked. “My baby is sick.”
“Oh, sure,” he said. “Let me get my shoes.”
He disappeared into the house. Nikki raced to his car as quickly as she could, taking care not to jostle Psalm any more than necessary. Psalm's wails tore at Nikki's heart.
A moment later, her neighbor reappeared, quickly snatched the passenger side door open, and helped Nikki and Psalm into the car. He raced around the front of the car and hopped in, threw the car into reverse and skidded down the driveway. They sped to the hospital, neither saying anything, as Nikki held her daughter to her chest, praying for relief as Psalm's tears soaked her skin.
Nikki frantically dialed William's cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. She tried calling him at the campaign office, but got no answer.
“You trying to reach someone?” her neighbor asked.
“Yeah, my husband,” Nikki said. “But he's not picking up.”
When the car pulled up at the hospital, she forgot about the calls, intent on getting treatment for the wailing Psalm. She climbed out of the vehicle and walked quickly through the doors of the hospital. “Please, can you help my baby?” she begged the woman who sat at the emergency room registration desk.
“What is wrong, ma'am?” the clerk asked in a flat tone.
“Her stomach hurts,” Nikki informed her.
“You brought her to the emergency room for a stomach ache?” The clerk's voice betrayed a touch of annoyance. “The emergency room is for emergencies, ma'am. You uninsured people can't continue to use the emergency room as a substitute for a regular doctor's visit.”
“Ma'am, I have insurance!” Nikki snapped. “That's not the point. My daughter is in severe pain because of a serious health condition. Just admit her, please!”
The woman rolled her eyes, but began typing on her computer. “Name?”
Nikki quickly rattled off all the relevant information, including noting that her daughter was at this same hospital two days ago for this same condition.
Once Psalm had been admitted, Nikki tried to reach William. Again, the phone went straight to voice mail. She left a frantic message, then called the campaign headquarters and left a message there, too. Nikki swallowed hard to calm her nervous stomach.
“Ma'am, you can't use a cell phone in here,” a passing nurse said, peering into the open doorway of the room in which Psalm and Nikki sat sequestered since another nurse left after taking Psalm's temperature.
“Oh, sorry,” Nikki apologized, but quickly dialed again when the nurse disappeared down the hall. This time, she punched in Danielle's work number.
“I'm sorry; she's on the floor right now. May I take a message?” the attendant asked.
“Tell her it's an emergency.”
“I'm sorry, ma'am,” the attendant said, “I don't thinkâ”
“Just page her!” Nikki was insistent.
“Oh, all right.” The attendant's voice was full of attitude.
A moment later, Danielle was on the phone. “What's wrong?”
“I'm at the hospital with Psalm,” she said, her voice cracking.
“She got sick again?”
“Worse this time.” A flow of tears started to flow down Nikki's cheeks. “I'm so scared.”
“I'll be right there.”
Twenty minutes later, Danielle arrived at the hospital, walking quickly into the waiting area. She immediately hugged Nikki. “Have you talked to the doctors?”
“One just came out and said Psalm was stable,” Nikki informed her. “They let me go back with her for the initial consultation. Then they moved her and told me to come back out here and wait.”
Danielle turned to Nikki's neighbor, who was standing close to Nikki. “Who is this?”
“Oh, this is Julius,” Nikki said, sitting down on a plastic chair. “You know, the guy who lives a couple of doors down from me. He brought me here.”
Danielle looked him up and down, then spoke in crisp tones. “Okay, well, Julius, thanks for helping her out. That was really generous of you. You can go now. I'll take her home.”
Julius looked from Danielle to Nikki. Nikki was sitting on the edge of a chair, her head in her hands. “Nikki, do you want me to hang around?”
“I said I've got it from here,” Danielle said. “I'm her best friend in the world.”
“I wasn't talking to you,” Julius said. He turned back to Nikki. “Nikki, do you . . . ?” His voice trailed off into the question.
“Oh, whatever she says is fine,” Nikki mumbled, distracted.
Danielle smirked at Julius, who glowered at her and left.
Danielle sat down next to Nikki. “It's going to be okay,” she said.
Nikki shook her head. “Danielle, she's got to have that surgery. She can't keep having these episodes. She was in so much pain.”
“I know it can't be easy seeing her like this,” Danielle said. She didn't have any children and had no desire to have any, though she was generally fond of her goddaughter.
“I don't know what I'm going to do. We can't afford this surgery.”
“How much is it?”
“More than we have.” Nikki sighed. “It's really just a few thousand dollars, so as far as surgeries go, it's not that expensive. But for us, that may as well be a few million dollars. We don't have any money.”
“I don't know why you don't just get a job,” Danielle said. “Forget what that broke behind William says. Tell him when he can start taking care of his family like a real man, come see you then.”
Nikki squirmed. “It's not that easy,” she said. “William has really strong views. He was raised by a mom who worked herself nearly to death because his dad wasn't around. He sees it as his role as a man to take care of his family.”
“Yeah, well, in case you haven't noticed, he's not doing much of that,” Danielle said. “I mean, if he was, you'd be driving a Mercedes, not hitching rides to the hospital. You'd be able to afford to get your hair done every week. You'dâ”
Nikki held up her hand. “Look, forget all that. I just need to figure out a way to get my child proper medical care.”
“Well, what about faith? Don't you believe God will heal?”
Nikki chose her words carefully. “Yes, I believe God has tremendous power. I do. But I don't believe I'm supposed to idly sit by and watch my child suffer.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“What I am saying is I need to find a way for my child to get the care she needs. Period.”
Danielle studied her best friend and then lowered her voice. “Well, you know, I could talk to Troy.”
“What do you mean?” Nikki asked.
“I mean, he has a couple of hookups. He might be able to get you a hookup at the hospital.”
“How so?”
“Well, he might be able to get somebody to help you with your payment,” Danielle said.
Nikki's eyes widened. She didn't know all the details, but she knew if it had anything to do with Troy, it couldn't be good. She had heard about Troy's “hookups” before. They all seemed to involve some kind of shady dealing.
“What would Troy do, exactly?” she asked, suspicion in her tone.
Danielle waved off the question. “I don't ask all those questions. Haven't you ever heard, sometimes, you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth? Just take the gift and keep on moving.”
“Well, I just want to know exactly what Troy will do,” Nikki said. “I know he can get involved in some crazy things, and I'm not trying to get caught up.”
“Look, do you want this surgery for your child or not?” Danielle snapped.
“I do, butâ”
“But nothing!” Danielle said. “All I have to do is say the word, and Troy will get it taken care of.”
“But how? That's all I'm asking,” Nikki insisted. “I just want to know what he will do.”
“What does it matter?” Danielle said. “All you need to know is Troy can give you a way to pay for this surgery.”
Nikki shook her head. “I don't want to do anything illegal,” she said. “I don't want to. That's not me.”
“Well, you weren't saying that a few years ago,” Danielle said sharply.
Nikki quickly looked around and moved closer. “I never did anything like this! It's wrong.”
“Wrong is relative,” Danielle said. “What's wrong is letting that precious baby suffer like that when you could do something about it. You just said that yourself. You're not above doing something crazy to get what you want.”
Nikki shook her head again. “That's not me, not anymore.”
“Tell that to somebody who doesn't know you.”
“Danielle!”
“Well, you can put on this innocent act with everybody else, but I know you,” Danielle said.
“I'm not acting!” Nikki said, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “And stop talking like that.”
Nikki's chest heaved in quick bursts as her mind took her back all those years ago, to her freshman year of college. She was new in New Orleans, broke and on the verge of having to quit school because her scholarship covered only half her tuition and her part-time tutoring job didn't pay nearly enough. She found a way to get the money. But she didn't want to think about the lengths she had gone to back then to get it.
She shook the thoughts from her mind and looked Danielle in the eye. “Well, I don't want to do anything dishonest. Besides, Will would never go for that.”
Danielle shrugged. “William doesn't have to know.”
“I don't want to start lying to my husband.”
Danielle gave her a disdainful look, and said, “Fine time to start thinking about that.”
“Well . . .” Nikki's voice trailed off.
Danielle raised a brow. “Besides, is it really a lie if you just don't tell him the truth?”
“Yes, it is,” Nikki said flatly. “This is a crazy idea, Danielle. I want to save my child; you know I do. But I have a feeling that whatever scheme Troy cooks up will have something illegal or bad attached to it. “
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