My Time in the Sun Read online

  Tony pinned his focus on Terrence, his shoulders tense with conviction as he said, “This woman is not just my wife, she’s my partner in helping people in this community find the God they stopped serving a long time ago. She’s a spiritual ambassador who helps people find peace when there’s so little of it in other aspects of their lives.” Admidst a round of Amen’s, he moved down the aisle until he was toe-to-toe with Terrence, towering over him by a few inches. “And you couldn’t even come at me in a way that was decent and in order, like a board meeting. No, you took the coward’s way and tried to shame her publicly in the middle of Sunday morning service.”

  The members—from the choir, musicians, all the way to the usher board—were on their feet, some voicing their support of Tony, but a surprising number of them siding with Terrence. A good majority of the rest of them stayed silent watching the fireworks as though they couldn’t believe something this scandalous would unfold in Sunday service right between prayer and scripture.

  “And the first lady hasn’t stood up to say it isn’t true,” Terrence challenged with a haughty lift of his chin.

  “That’s because her husband’s defending her honor and her character,” Sister Terry interjected. “And she’s doing what a first lady should do—she’s letting him.”

  Several choruses of “Amen” and “that’s right, my sister”, “you’d better say that” rang through the sanctuary.

  The one thing Kari feared most was playing out right before her eyes, hurting the man she loved in a way she never wanted. At that moment, she wished she could vanish into thin air as Enoch had when he went to be with the Lord. No natural death there. One minute he was, and then he wasn’t.

  The hard part about all this? Her husband didn’t know anything about this fragment of her past. She had buried it so deep, even she couldn’t remember the details. That was supposed to be a good thing. Fresh start. New life.

  How sad that one man’s ambition could serve as another woman’s destruction.

  Chapter Three

  Tony brushed past Terrence and took a few moments to scan the faces of the members, whose focus was squarely on him. “Which of you, male or female, has something in your past that you don’t want to remember?”

  He paused, waiting for someone, anyone to respond. When they didn’t, he ventured forward, shifting past the communion table. “If it wasn’t fornication and adultery, it was drugs and alcohol, or violence, or stealing. Or maybe you’re so perfect that you haven’t harmed one person in your life. But what about your offenses against God?” Tony spread his hands. “Have you been pious, judgmental, or self-righteous? As they say, “so heavenly-minded that you’re no earthly good?” Are you guilty of idolatry—making money, your pleasures, your ambitions, more important than God?” He scanned the congregation again. “Who among us is without sin?”

  No one moved. Several people averted their gaze. Others lowered their heads, perhaps hoping their guilt wasn’t written all over their faces. Then almost everyone reclaimed their seats. Terrence, however, eased his way toward the group of men standing near the front pew—board members and deacons—while sending some type of signal their way.

  “I could go on casting stones.” Tony’s eagle-eyed gaze swept across everyone. “Because I’m sure to hit someone at some point.”

  They all seemed either lost in thoughts of their own pasts or focused on the present judgment of their first lady. Only a few people, besides her husband, stood up for her when that filth poured out of Terrence’s mouth. That did not bode well for the husband and wife’s future at this church.

  “We want God’s grace and mercy on our own lives, but we’re not so quick to extend it to others.” Tony sauntered forward as though undeterred by the strange vibe that hung heavily over the sanctuary. “Some of us are quick to turn up our noses and pass judgment when someone walks in here who doesn’t meet with our approval. Then we turn right around and act like we’re blind to everything that’s happening in the streets around us because we don’t want to get involved.” He pointed to the wooden sanctuary doors. “The crime right outside this place is getting worse. And I’ve had more resistance from the deacons and the board since I’ve taken this stance on dealing with these issues. That’s what this really about.”

  Tony walked the aisle until he stood in front of Kari, who resisted the urge to reach for him, to find comfort in the one place she always had; his arms.

  “People don’t want to come in here and worship because too many folks up in here are so busy being holy that you forget that the church isn’t a haven for saints; it’s a spiritual hospital for hurting people. It’s the one place they ought to be able to come to find the way to best live their lives.” He caressed Kari’s face with a gentle stroke of his hand. “That goes for all people, not just saved folks. All people. No matter what their background. No matter what their past. There is neither bond nor free, male nor female. All are one in Christ Jesus. Doesn’t the good book say ‘I will draw all men unto me’?” Pastor smiled, though his green eyes still spoke to the seriousness of the moment. “All,” he stressed. “And that includes women too. All Women. All of them.”

  “Yes, that’s a good speech and all,” Terrence countered with a dismissive wave as his entourage fanned out behind him. “And there might be some truth in all that. But our leader and his wife should be shining examples. You can’t get around that, or should I say she can’t.”

  Murmurs of consent and others of dissent echoed from almost every corner of the church. The sound seemed to take a little wind out of Tony’s sails. A handful of members in the pews and most of the choir glared openly at Terrence with disdain. They hadn’t shifted a gaze to Kari or the pastor during the last unfortunate exchange.

  Terrence charged forward, locking a direct gaze with Tony. “The board and deacons who run this church speak for all of the members. And they want a Henderson at the helm; someone they’ve known all their lives. Someone who has a spotless background. Wife included.”

  The men behind him nodded vigorously, but the members exchanged speaking glances that confirmed they’d never said any such thing. No one else spoke up to support that statement, which seemed to anger Terrence to a point.

  “My ten percent seems to be making a difference up in this joint,” said a freckled, red-haired member of the usher board. “So I’m all right with who we’ve got in the pulpit.”

  A chorus of agreement rippled through the sanctuary.

  “Is this what you want?” Terrence yelled, making eye contact with each member within his range, but gesturing to the man leading the charge for not casting any stones in Kari’s direction. “If you want Pastor Baltimore and a former prostitute to be the people who lead us and our children, stand and be counted.”

  Aridell Henderson Slaughter moved forward, quickly followed by a group of about twenty others, then the entire choir, the director, the musicians, and that sole usher board member. None of the other one hundred or so members stirred. Their silence said everything. Maybe too much.

  Tony’s lips lifted in a smile that masked the disappointment that only a wife could detect. “Thank you for your honesty,” he said to those who’d remained seated.

  He held up two fingers and smiled at Kari. She returned his gesture by slowly holding up seven fingers of her own, causing some of the congregation to smile at what had always been a private, but meaningful, exchange between the couple.

  Then he extended his hand and she grasped it, legs trembling in an effort to stay steady. “It’s all right, my love,” he whispered, and this time his smile actually reached his eyes. “It’s all right.”

  Terrence swaggered down the aisle, unfazed by the fact that a few of his family members were among those who opposed him. “That’s right, leave,” he taunted, practically shooing them towards the exit. “You and your whore.”

  Tony was at Terrence’s throat in the moment it took to blink; his hand clasping the man’s throat and cutting off the air supply. The me
mbers who had taken a stand with Tony inched back, giving him a wide berth. A few of the deacons and board members rushed forward in an attempt to break up the tussle.

  Sister Aridell blocked their path along with a few who flanked her sides. Including Sister Vera who held up her cane and inched closer so she could slap it against the head of anyone who tried to hurt Tony.

  “Call my wife out of her name again,” Tony said through his teeth, tightening his grip. “And I’ll break one of the commandments right here and right now.”

  “Tony,” Kari screamed, and his head snapped toward her. “Don’t. Please don’t. Let. Him. Go.”

  Tony took a few seconds, then complied. Terrence slipped to the carpet; gasping for whatever breath he could suck in.

  “I’m not leaving because of what you said,” Tony declared, glowering at the man on the carpet still struggling to steady his breathing. “I’m leaving because anywhere that my woman isn’t welcome, is not a place I need to be.”

  “You’d better say that,” Sister Martha shouted as a few female members sighed.

  “That’s right,” Brother Sam chimed in, with a nod of his clean-shaven head. “Be down for your wife.”

  Sister Vera raised a power fist and said, “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  Tony gave them an affirming nod, then switched his attention to the members backing Terrence. “A good eighty percent of this congregation is women. And if he could be this cruel to one woman, what’s to keep him from doing it to you?” Tony gave the assistant minister a sad shake of his head. “I was a man long before I accepted the call to the ministry. And any man worth his salt won’t stand for any woman to experience what you’ve just done.”

  “Come through, Pastor,” Sister Aridell said. “Come all the way through.”

  Tony extended his hand and Kari rushed to his side. Then he looked over his shoulder at the mocha woman with salt-and-pepper sister locs flowing down her back. The proud bearing in her stance spoke to her many years of experience and ability to overcome challenges that most didn’t live to tell about.

  “Speaking of coming through,” Tony said. “You coming with us, Sister Aridell?”

  Chapter Four

  “We’ll be on a little later, Pastor,” Aridell Henderson Slaughter replied, keeping a steely gaze on her youngest nephew before shifting that focus to Pastor Baltimore. She waggled a finger toward him and the first lady. “Y’all got some things to talk about since Junior Flip went running his mouth.” She grimaced as she looked at Terrence once again and said, “The only time your mouth ain’t doing some damage is when you’re putting food in it and waiting for it to come out the other end.”

  Snickers and then outright laughter abounded from the congregation, causing Terrence’s golden skin to flush a bright red. The tension eased in the sanctuary.

  “I’m a grown man,” he snarled, hands clenched into fists. “You can’t talk to me like that.”

  “I can talk anyway I need to. Especially if I’m telling the truth and shaming the devil.” She glanced at the couple standing in the aisle holding hands. “Go on home, Pastor. She needs you right now. This kind of thing is a tough pill for a woman to swallow. Thank God she’s got a strong man like you to love her.”

  Applause rang out and eclipsed all other sound in the church as some stood to show their support.

  Pastor Baltimore nodded, pressed a kiss to his wife’s delicate hand and led her toward the sanctuary’s exit. The congregation watched their progression in silence, until the ones standing near the center aisle gave Pastor Baltimore and his wife a few reassuring words and handshakes along the way.

  The moment the pastor and first lady were out of earshot, Aridell motioned for a rail-thin woman to come to her. The woman’s attention snapped to Aridell, who said, “Sister Sandra, go downstairs and let Sister Janice know that children’s church is going to run a little bit longer today.”

  The woman sprinted down the aisle on legs that seemed barely able to hold her and was out of sight in seconds.

  Those who stood with Aridell when Terrence put forth the challenge to the ones who backed the pastor and first lady, now moved closer to Aridell. The choir and the musicians left the stand and spread out near them as a show of solidarity.

  “You want some truth?” Aridell challenged, hazel eyes blaring with anger at Terrence, whose scowl showed his discomfort. “You only want to get your narrow behind in the pulpit ‘cause it’s convenient since your wife can’t bring home the bacon or the eggs. Now you want the church to take up where she left off and line your own pockets. Not gonna happen on my watch.”

  A few of the members murmured behind that statement and curious whispers showed that some might be having second or third thoughts about what was really going on.

  Terrence pursed his lips but didn’t have the balls to take her on. Smart move, since she’d been the one to uncover a few family secrets they thought they’d hidden so well that even the Good Lord didn’t know about them.

  “I’ve been a member here all my life, and I’ve heard many a preacher bring the Word.” Aridell sauntered past him and up the aisle toward the covered communion table where everyone could see her clearly. “But if you’re expecting folks to get saved off that drivel he preaches, then I’ll let you in on a little something.” She leaned in as though ready to impart a well-kept secret. “‘Cause of him, they’ll be a lot closer to having a ringside seat by the fire next to Satan himself.”

  Low whistles, a few laughs, and “No she didn’ts” showed that she’d hit the mark. The board members gathered near Terrence, followed by the elderly men who made up the deacon board. They might not have been able to protect him from getting his tail whipped by Pastor Baltimore, but they sure seemed adamant about showing whose side they were on. The wrong side.

  “Hendersons own this church,” Terrence challenged, fists shaking at her to signal his righteous indignation. “I’ve been in this church since I was born.”

  “And looks like you’ve been on the devil’s side the whooooole time.” She nodded toward the men spread out behind him. “They can control you, and believe you me, that’s the only reason they want to put you in charge. They’ve been giving Pastor Baltimore a hard time ever since he said we need to take the Word to the streets and stop waiting for folks to come in here. I don’t see nothing wrong with that. But them?” She pointed to the men who scowled in her direction. With a quick once-over of each one of them, she added, “Yes, I see what every one of you are about. Shenanigans and simple stuff.”

  Aridell angled, then swept a gaze across the members of the congregation, some of whom were still whispering amongst themselves, probably trying to decipher what all of this meant. “Y’all can ride shotgun with this fella if you want to. I know what he’s about too. Used to change his dirty diapers.”

  Terrence’s chest puffed up. “And you fail to realize that I’m not in diapers anymore.”

  “But you’re still full of the stuff that fills ‘em up,” she shot back with an eyebrow raised.

  Even those who were on his side laughed at that statement. He gave them a glare that quickly silenced them.

  “On that note, I’ll take my leave,” she said, dismissing him with a dramatic flourish of her weathered hand. “Need to see a man about his church.”

  The choir and the rest of her group were poised to follow, but she couldn’t go without a parting shot.

  “What you’ve got behind you are those who talk a good game,” she taunted Terrence with a sly grin. “The people I’m taking with me are ones willing to stand with Pastor Baltimore. They’re the ones willing to put some skin in the game. Let’s see you make this church work off what your “followers” have to offer. And you’re gonna want a salary too? Pastor Baltimore never took a dime from this church. All these years, him and his wife have been supporting themselves through their own businesses.”

  Terrence flinched as though she’d struck him.

  “You didn’t know that?”
She laughed and the flighty sound of it caused those around her to smile. “If you’re gonna take his place, let’s see you do that.”

  “But … but,” Terrence sputtered until he could wrap his lips around the words, “The church is supposed to take care of the pastor. That’s how it’s done.”

  Aridell shook her head. “That’s exactly what I thought. Care to open up your bankbook for us to see? Pastor Baltimore does it every month when he pays his tithes.” She peered over Terrence’s shoulder to the group, which was focused on them and their revealing exchange. “Am I right, heathens?”

  Some of the men, though angered by what she’d called them, still nodded grudgingly.

  “You want his spot?” she challenged, perching on the arm of the nearest pew. “Then let’s see you match him action-for-action. When we raised money to construct this new building, he had it built one section at a time. No mortgage, no loans. The church owns this building free and clear. That’s the kind of pastor he is.”

  Aridell inched forward, touching Sister Joyce’s shoulder.

  “Single mothers needed men to mentor their children, so Pastor Baltimore challenged the men of this congregation to do just that.” She let her hand fall by her side and swayed up the aisle. “He put programs in place to help the members become debt-free. See, he understands that being a pastor is more than just getting up in the pulpit, wearing fancy suits.” She entered the circle of people who supported her and the good pastor, then faced the congregation and spread her arms in a gesture meant to encompass everyone. “We’re going to get things straight so the pastor and our first lady will feel comfortable coming back. And it looks like we need to appoint a new board.”