The Truth Is the Light (13 page)

Chapter 25

G
abrielle, Zachary, and Queen arrived in Chicago on time. Zachary's mother and father offered to pick them up from the airport, but Zachary wanted to be sure he had his own car to get around in, so he told them not to come because he was renting a car. Zachary was going to rent a midsize car, but Queen argued he should get a luxury vehicle.

“What's it going to look like with us driving up in a midsize car and you're a doctor? You know people are going to think you're not doing well,” Queen said.

“Queen, I told you to go and sit down so your feet won't swell. You didn't need to be traveling, but since you insisted, then at least will you take care of yourself.”

“You sound just like Mama,” Queen said. “I certainly hope you're taking note of this, Gabrielle. You might want to run while you still can. Next thing you know, he'll be hovering over you like he does over me.”

“I think it's cute. I wish I'd had a brother who cared about me the way Zachary cares about you.”

“Now, please, Queen, go sit down and let me do this my way,” Zachary said. “In fact, you can sit over there until I get the car. I'll pick you both up at the curb.”

“You heard him,” Gabrielle said to Queen. “Let's go over here and sit down.”

“Two against one. Okay. I know when I'm outnumbered.” She and Gabrielle went and sat down.

Zachary got the car and came and picked them up. Queen's suitcase was the largest. She'd also brought a garment bag. Gabrielle's suitcase was medium-sized, but that's because Zachary told her they would only be there for four days counting this traveling day.

Leslie Morgan met them at the front door.

“Oh, my goodness,” Leslie said. “Queen, look at you.” She put a hand on Queen's stomach. The baby kicked. “Look at that. My granddaughter is brilliant. She already knows her grandmother. I can't believe I'm finally going to be a grandmother!” She stood up straight. “Zechariah, they're here!” Leslie yelled toward the back of the house.

“Zachary,” Leslie said as she turned and hugged her son, “the doctor.”

“Mama,” Zachary said, bending down to hug her back. When he straightened up, he turned toward Gabrielle. “Mama, I'd like to introduce you to Gabrielle Mercedes.”

“Hello, there,” Leslie said, managing a smile on her face. “Welcome to our humble abode. I've heard a lot about you. I can't wait to get to know you better for myself.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. Morgan.” Gabrielle shook her hand.

“Oh, you can call me Leslie.” She touched Gabrielle's elbow. “Daddy, they're here.” Leslie called Zechariah again.

Zechariah came into the area before they reached the den. “I was coming,” he said. “I dozed off for a minute. The TV was watching me.” He hugged his daughter and son, then shook Gabrielle's hand once he'd been formally introduced to her.

“Well, dinner's already ready. I know you all are tired from your trip,” Leslie said.

“It wasn't that bad,” Queen said as she sat down on the couch in the den and placed her feet up on the coffee table. “I'll just be glad when they stop making us take off our shoes to go through checkpoints. I hate that. It's even worse when you're pregnant and can barely see your feet much anymore.”

“How did you enjoy the trip up?” Leslie asked Gabrielle.

“It was interesting. This is the first time I've ever flown before,” Gabrielle said.

“You mean ever?” Leslie asked.

“Yeah. Ever. That's why I was excited but a little nervous. I got to sit by the window, and it was something being all up in the clouds like that. I felt so close to God, I can't explain it. Looking at everything from above and seeing how small things look when you're higher up. It really put things in perspective from God's vantage point.”

“So, when you travel to other cities, how do you usually get there?” Leslie asked.

“Leslie, give the girl a break,” Zechariah said. “You're acting like this is a game of twenty questions or bust or something.”

“I'm sure Gabrielle doesn't mind me asking her things like this? Do you?”

“No, ma'am. But to answer your question, I've never gone anywhere too far outside of Birmingham and the surrounding area.”

“You haven't?” Leslie said, pulling her head back in amazement. “Not even to Six Flags Over Georgia or Disney World? Every child has gone to one of those places.”

“No. I've never gone.”

“Not even after you grew up?” Leslie asked, tilting her head and frowning now.

“After I grew up, I mostly worked all the time.”

“See, Leslie,” Zechariah said. “The girl was a responsible adult who held down a job. She didn't have time to be lollygagging around. I think that says a lot about her.”

“I agree, Zechariah,” Leslie said to her husband; then she asked Gabrielle, “So why didn't your folks take you anywhere as a child?”

“Mom, you are not going to believe how helpful Queen has been,” Zachary said.

“Z., haven't I told you it's rude to interrupt people when they're talking?” Leslie gave him a stern look. “Now, Gabrielle, you were saying?”

“I was raised by my aunt. We didn't have a lot of money to do a lot of things. We never visited any relatives, and we never went anywhere fun like Disney World or even the state fair.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Leslie pressed her lips together. “And what did you do after you graduated from high school? Did you attend college?”

“Mom—”

“Zachary,” Leslie said in a controlling tone while giving him another solid look. Smiling, she turned back to Gabrielle. “Go on, dear. Zachary won't be interrupting us anymore.”

Zachary laughed.
My mother is something else
, he thought.

“I didn't go to college, although I really wanted to. I did a few odd jobs. Just recently I was hired to work in ministry at the church where I'm presently a member.”

“You'd best be careful of church-related jobs,” Zechariah said. “You get fired from one of them and you have to find yourself another church home. Because it's hard to worship when you're mad at your ex-boss and your ex-boss is your place of worship.”

“The odd jobs you mentioned,” Leslie said, her attention still on Gabrielle, “after you graduated high school and before you got this one. What exactly were they?”

“Mom, I'm really hungry,” Queen said. “Your granddaughter needs to eat. I'm sure we're not the only two. Who else is hungry?” To Z., “You're hungry, aren't you?”

“Well, it's ready,” Leslie said.

“Great,” Queen said, struggling to get up.

“Sit, sit, sit,” Leslie said, jumping to her feet. “I'll get you something and bring it in here to you.”

“Mommy, you're the best,” Queen said, smiling and getting comfortable again.

“Yeah . . . well. I didn't think you should be traveling at this stage in your pregnancy,” Leslie said.

“Oh, Mom, you
always
wait on Queen,” Zachary said. “She wouldn't know how to fix anything to eat in your house if she had to. She probably doesn't even know where the plates are. Now at
my
house, she at least has to order the food in if she wants to eat.”

Queen rolled her eyes at her brother. “Now, you're wrong for that,” she said.

“Gabrielle, would you care to come and help me in the kitchen?” Leslie said.

Zachary's eyes widened. He wanted to shake his head, to tell Gabrielle to say no.

“Sure,” Gabrielle said. “I'd love to.”

“I'll go help you, too,” Zachary said as he got up.

“No,” Leslie said, “you won't. We women can handle this just fine by ourselves.” She looked at Gabrielle and smiled. “Can't we, Gabrielle?”

Realizing what just happened, Gabrielle nervously returned the smile. “Of course.”

Chapter 26

“T
he problem with most folks is they want to change you into who they want you to be instead of appreciating who you already are,” Leslie Morgan said as she handed Gabrielle an empty plate and she began to fix Queen's plate.

“I totally agree. I'm who I am, and that's what I appreciate so much about Zachary. He seems to accept me as I am,” Gabrielle said.

“But he really doesn't know
everything
about you, wouldn't you agree?”

“I've not tried to hide anything from him.” Gabrielle put a spoonful of collard greens on her plate. “I've told him things up-front. I've been transparent with him.”

“I believe that. You seem to be an honest young woman. You're very beautiful as well. I can see why my son would be intrigued with you.” Leslie put two large spoonfuls of macaroni and cheese on the plate. “Queen loves my macaroni and cheese.”

“It does look good,” Gabrielle said as she put a large spoonful on her plate.

“Is that your plate or Zachary's?” Leslie asked.

“It's mine,” she said. “Zachary prefers fixing his own plate.”

“Well, I'll fix his plate. That way he won't have to come in here to get it.”

“I can do it. It's just he and I have had this discussion, and he in no uncertain terms told me his hands were not broken and he was more than capable of fixing his own food and his own plate.”

“That's what men may say. But a man likes to be pampered every now and then, even when he says otherwise,” Leslie said.

“Well, I'll be happy to fix it for you. You already have Queen's plate, your husband's, and your own. It's no problem for me to fix Zachary's.” Gabrielle took the empty plate Leslie was now handing to her.

“Do you love Zachary?”

Gabrielle stopped and looked at her. She didn't quite know how to answer that.

“What?” Leslie said. “That's not a hard question. Either you do or you don't. And since according to Zachary the two of you have only been dating since September, what's that, six weeks . . . a month. I can appreciate you not being in love just yet if you're not.”

But therein was the problem. Gabrielle had fallen in love with Zachary early on.

“Let me make it easier on you,” Leslie said. “Zachary loves you.”

A slight laugh escaped Gabrielle's mouth. “I'm sorry, but I doubt that.”

Leslie put a baked chicken wing on Queen's plate. She then held up another piece of chicken. “This one's for Zachary. He likes the breast.”

Gabrielle held up Zachary's plate to receive the chicken Leslie was placing on it.

“Which piece do you prefer?” Leslie asked, the tongs hovering over the pan of golden-brown, baked chicken.

“The drumstick,” Gabrielle said.

“Good choice,” Leslie said, placing a drumstick on the plate Gabrielle now held up. “A lot of people want the breast, and there are usually only two breasts. Zachary and his father like that part. Xenia used to like that piece as well. It was always a problem when they were growing up. That's why I used to buy two chickens. I didn't want anyone not having the piece of chicken that they wanted, not if I could help it.”

Gabrielle smiled. “Zachary told me about Xenia. I'm sorry about what happened.”

“Yes. That whole period was rough on our family. Did Zachary tell you what he was about to do after that happened?”

“Yeah, he told me.”

“See. He loves you.”

“I don't know if I would go that far just yet. I believe he cares deeply about me and for me.” Gabrielle put creamed corn on both plates. “But love?”

“Trust me. He told you about Xenia. He told you about his own dark past. He brought you here to see us, to meet us. Zachary loves you. And he wants us to love you, too. That's why he was trying so hard to keep me from asking you any questions in there. A true Morgan to the core, he was trying to protect you.”

“Mrs. Morgan . . . Leslie, with all due respect: he asked me to come so I could see Miss Crowe. He told you about me and Miss Crowe.”

“Yes, he told me. But Gabrielle Mercedes, you wouldn't be here right now today if my Zachary didn't have strong feelings for you, and I dare say, loves you.” She smiled as she put a square of cornbread on each plate. “Now, the cornbread is nice and warm, just the way everybody likes it. I'm going to ask you a question again. And I do hope you'll either answer it or tell me you're not going to. That way Queen and Zachary's plates won't get cold.” Leslie held out the real utensils already wrapped in white cloth napkins.

“Okay,” Gabrielle said, taking the two sets of the napkin-wrapped utensils.

“What various jobs did you do early on in life that Zachary was working so hard to keep me from hearing about?”

Gabrielle took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I used to be a waitress.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Leslie said.

“Then I became an exotic dancer.”

Leslie nodded as though she knew that was coming.

“I did that for about eight years. This year, January fourth, to be exact, I went to church, heard the Word, went and gave my life to Jesus, and I've never been the same since. Jesus is Lord of my life. I immediately gave up that line of work, got a job as a maid. I lost that job shortly afterward due to downsizing. I took a job as a personal home housekeeper where I ended up, ironically, working for your son.”

“Okay. The dancer part I believe. But
you
, somehow, working as a housekeeper for my son, then him deciding to date you, rings fiction to me.”

“Mom,” Queen said as she came into the kitchen. “What's taking so long? Did you have to go out and kill the chicken yourself?” Queen teased her mother.

“All done,” Leslie said, handing the now-filled plate to Queen. “In fact, Gabrielle is finished as well. Aren't you, Gabrielle?” She smiled and held the swinging door open for Gabrielle, who was successfully carrying her two plates. “Bon appétit, all!” Leslie said.