Rain Storm Page 22

  For one brief moment she was tempted to take her car. But the smiling face Keith wore when he gave her the keys to the car flashed before her face. She heard adoration in his voice as he declared his love. She was taking his heart with her; she wouldn’t take anything else from him. She opened the driver’s side door and placed her keys on the seat.

  Keith had shown her a better way. Never had she felt dirty when they were together. She felt right and loved. And although she couldn’t stay with him, she would forever cherish what he did for her. She still had a couple hundred dollars of the money he had given her for shopping. So she took a cab to a small town on the outskirts of Chicago and rented a twenty-nine dollar room.

  Bright and early the next morning, Cynda got out of bed, showered, and set out to find a job. She’d never get a permanent position while she was pregnant, so she walked into the first temporary agency she could find.

  “Hello, my name is Cynda Williams.” She said the last name with pride. “I’m looking for a temporary assignment.”

  The receptionist handed her a clipboard with an application on it. “Fill this out and bring it back up when you’re done.”

  Sitting down to fill out the application, Cynda got nervous. How could she explain that she hadn’t held down a real job in ten years? Would they know what she’d been doing during that time? She wrote in her high school graduation information and her last job – one for which she had been fired for coming on to her boss. She smiled sweetly at the receptionist as she read the name tag on her desk. “Where would you like me to put this application, Ms. Hodges?”

  “I’ll take it,” the receptionist said.

  Cynda stood in front of the desk and watched the woman eye her application. She looked at her. “You haven’t held a job in ten years?”

  Cynda rubbed her belly. “Of course I’ve worked. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Are you sure you want to go back to work with another one on the way?”

  “My husband left me.” She shrugged. “I don’t have a choice.” She hated lying on Keith like that. He wouldn’t have left her in a million years, no matter what she’d done to him. Hadn’t he already proven that?

  “Don’t worry yourself – you’re probably better off without him.” The woman leaned closer to Cynda. “Mine left me after I had three kids for him. But I got the last laugh. The woman he left me for, her husband shot him.”

  Cynda laughed then said, “Nothing like that would ever happen to my husband.” He wouldn’t leave me for another woman – not even if I gained 200-pounds after having twenty kids for him.

  “I bet he’s too cheap to pay child support, huh?”

  Cynda couldn’t defame Keith anymore than she already had. “He actually wants to care for the children. He just doesn’t need me around him. That’s all.”

  “Mmph, just like a man.” She put a piece of chewing gum in her mouth and said, “Look, we don’t have any assignments right now. But we probably can get you in something within a week or two.”

  A week she could do, but any more than that and she was afraid of what might happen. She smiled and told Ms. Hodges, “Thanks, I’ll check back with you next week.”

  She left the agency and put in an application at the grocery store down the street. The coffee shop had a help-wanted sign in the window so Cynda trotted over and asked the manager for the application.

  He wiped his hands on his dirty apron and pointed at her belly. “I don’t hire pregnant women. The bigger you get, the slower you’ll be.”

  “I have a right to work whether I’m pregnant or not! I could sue you for making a comment like that,” Cynda spat.

  Laughing he told her, “Go ahead, lady. All you’ll get is the coffee shop and all my debt. Please, take me out of my misery.”

  A lecherous old man at one of the counter seats said, “As pretty as you are, I can put you to work. It won’t take you but fifteen minutes to earn a day’s pay with me.”

  Laughter filled the little coffee shop as she walked out, cursing their ignorance. The baby was getting hungry so she grabbed a couple of sandwiches from McDonalds and went back to her hotel room. She was tempted to call Keith, but didn’t have any good news to give him. So she curled up on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

  In the morning Cynda forced herself out of bed and back into her job search. Determined not to let Keith down by going back to her old ways, she stopped at five places before the baby demanded food again. She stepped into a little café and ordered a turkey club sandwich. The bread was soggy and the bacon half cooked. Even the baby didn’t want this sloppy mess. She marched to the counter and demanded to speak with the manager. When he stood before her she blurted, “This is the worst sandwich I have ever had. What is wrong with your cook?”

  He frowned. “He’s my wife’s cousin. I can’t do a thing about it.”

  She pushed the plate toward him. “Well, I’m not paying for it.”

  “That’s fine. Just leave your plate right here.”

  She turned to leave but then a thought occurred to her. “Hey,” she called after the manager as he was walking away. “I’m looking for a job. I can teach your cousin how to cook.”

  The manager’s blue eyes brightened, then the light went out and his shoulders slumped. “No. It’ll never work. You’re much too pretty. My wife would skin me alive if I hired you.”

  She was sure that comment was worth some money in court. Where was she, hick town USA? Had these people never heard of employment laws and the things you just couldn’t say to potential employees? Forget it. She didn’t have the strength to exert her rights. Shaking her head, she put her purse around her shoulder and walked out of the café.

  She was hungry. She had just a little over a hundred bucks to her name and still needed to pay the hotel fee for tomorrow and the rest of the week. She sat down on the bench outside of the café and wondered if she was meant to hold down a regular job. Maybe she was out of her element and just needed to go right back into town and pick a corner and start hustling. But the thought of that made her want to cry. With Keith, the act had felt special and right, but if any other man should touch her, she would feel dirty and unclean again.

  Droplets of tears were forming in her eyes when a slender white man in a navy blue business suit approached her. “Excuse me, Miss, but can I discuss a proposition with you?” he asked.

  Cynda looked down to check out her attire. She had on a pair of maternity jeans and button-down long-sleeved-blouse. Only the top button was undone. She didn’t have on anything revealing. Nothing that screamed, ‘I’m a whore so show me the money’. “I beg your pardon,” she said in her most indignant voice.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. This might not be anything you’re interested in anyway. But since I heard you tell that manager you could cook, I figured I’d at least ask.” He held out his hand. “My name is Harlan Dobbs and I am looking for someone to take care of my mother.”

  Was this man? Some sort of sicko? Was ‘mother’ code for something else that he wanted her to take care of?

  He took out a business card and handed it to her. “I’m an attorney. I spend a lot of time at my practice, so I can’t give my mother the kind of care she needs right now.”

  “How old is your mother?” Cynda asked cautiously.

  Smiling he told Cynda, “She’s ninety-two. But she doesn’t look a day over ninety.”

  31

  Ms. Geraldine Dobbs was a slender, blue-eyed, mild-tempered woman for whom Cynda enjoyed working and spending time. The youthful pictures that lined the walls of the home and sat on end tables declared the beauty this woman possessed before time won the battle and wrinkles creased her face.

  Cynda enjoyed her job to the fullest. Well, actually she did have one problem with her duties. She didn’t have a problem empting the bed pan, due to Ms. Dobbs sometimes being too tired to get out of bed and take care of her business. It wasn’t the breakfast, lunch, and dinne
r that had to be cooked, or the cleaning in between meals. Her only problem with this job was that Ms. Dobbs’ eye sight wasn’t as good as it used to be, but she wasn’t willing to let that stop her from spending the first hour of each morning with the Lord. So Cynda had to wake up each morning and read Ms. Dobbs’ Bible out loud so that she could still get in her daily word.

  As she closed the Bible for the third morning in a row, Cynda wondered what in the world was wrong with people like Ms. Dobbs and Keith. Why did they waste time on empty words and promises? Did they truly believe that the Lord was their shepherd, or that when enemies come against them, God would protect them?

  She put the Bible on the night stand next to Ms. Dobbs’ bed, right where Keith kept his, and stood, shaking her head.

  “What’s wrong, Beautiful One?” Ms. Dobbs asked.

  Since the day Cynda walked into the Dobbs’ home, she took one look at her and refused to call her anything but Beautiful One. Cynda didn’t want to lose this job so there was no way she was going to tell Ms. Dobbs her thoughts on the Bible, God and all that other religious mess. “I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

  Ms. Dobbs reached out to Cynda. “Come here.”

  Cynda moved closer to the bed and took her hand. Ms. Dobbs patted Cynda’s hand. “You don’t believe in God, do you?”

  What was up with this town and the violation of her employment rights? “I didn’t know that was a requirement for accepting this job. If I had--”

  Ms. Dobbs lifted her green-vein lined hand and waved away her concerns. “I wouldn’t have turned you away, Beautiful One. I just can tell you’ve been hurt, and it seems as if you’re taking it out on God.” She glanced at Cynda’s protruding stomach. “Was it your husband? Did he hurt you so bad that it’s caused you to be angry with God?”

  No. She wanted to scream, it was my mother, her pimp, my pimp, and all those other men that didn’t see any value in me. “Keith was good to me. He would have never hurt me. I left him, because I was tired of seeing him hurt.”

  “He’s probably hurting like crazy right now.”

  Cynda frowned. “Why would you say that?”

  “If the man loves you, he probably hasn’t slept for worrying since you ran away with his baby in your belly.”

  Cynda let go of the woman’s hands and stepped back. “It’s not his baby. I don’t know whose baby I’m carrying.”

  Ms. Dobbs’ eyes widened, then she said, “Well, call him anyway. Go ahead, I give you permission to use my telephone. Just don’t call any 900 numbers.”

  Cynda walked out of the room laughing. But then she wondered if Ms. Dobbs was right about Keith not being able to sleep, or about him worrying about her and the baby? Knowing Keith, he was worrying. She couldn’t allow that – couldn’t let him waste time thinking about her. She wanted his mind and heart free, so he could concentrate on finding a good wife. Someone who would be good to him and attend church with him.

  She sat down on the couch in the living room and picked up the phone. Keith answered after the first ring.

  “Hi, it’s me,” Cynda said into the phone.

  “Where are you? Baby, I’ve been so worried. I’ve searched everywhere.”

  Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip on the phone. She didn’t know that hearing his voice would be like the taste of fresh squeezed lemonade on a hot summer day. “That’s why I called,” she rushed on. “I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m fine.”

  “Where are you, Cynda? I’ll come get you right now.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. She knew he’d say that. “I don’t want you to come get me. I just wanted you to know that I found a job. I’m getting paid to take care of this really nice lady. So you don’t have to worry that I’ve gone back to my old ways.” She wouldn’t tell him that she came close to considering it. If Mr. Dobbs hadn’t showed up when he did, who knows what she’d be doing right now.

  “I want you to come home, baby,” Keith stated.

  She took a deep breath. “I also wanted to tell you that I’ll be filing for di – vorce.” Her voice broke, she continued on, “As soon as I earn enough money.”

  “Why do you love me?” Keith asked.

  She took the phone away from her ear, stared at it, and then put the phone against her ear again. “I just told you I want a divorce. Does that sound like love?”

  “I know you love me, Cynda. You kissed my lips and told me before you left. Did you think I’d forget something like that?”

  She had hoped he’d slept through her declaration of love.

  “So answer my question,” Keith told her. “Why do you love me?”

  Her lower lip quivered as she implored him, “Let me go, Keith. Find someone who is worthy of your love. Someone who deserves it.”

  “There will never be anyone for me but you. So if you don’t come back, I’ll be alone for the rest of my life. Is that what you want for me, Cynda?”

  No. She wanted love and laughter and oh so much happiness for him. She wanted to pull the moon down from its reserved spot in the heavens and gift it to him. She would give him anything but the lifetime of pain and misery being with her would bring. “You’re too stubborn for your own good, Keith.”

  “I love you, baby. Come home.”

  Tears ran down her flawless face. A lump was in her throat. She swallowed hard, then told him, “Find someone else, Keith. I’m not coming back.” She hung up, confident that she’d done the right thing. But by the next morning, her pillow was drenched from the river of tears she had shed.

  ***

  It took Isaac a week and a half to disconnect from his pride and call Keith and Cynda to apologize. When Keith told him that Cynda was gone, Isaac felt worse than ever because he knew he was partly responsible for her departure from his life. Miserable, Isaac sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands when Nina walked in their room.

  “Keith didn’t want to talk to you?” Nina asked her husband.

  He pulled his wife onto his lap. “Now you know Keith. He forgave me the moment I asked for it.” Kissing Nina’s forehead Isaac asked, “Why can’t I be like that? What’s wrong with your husband, and why haven’t you fixed me yet?”

  “Believe me, I keep praying,” she joked.

  He smiled, then got serious. “I’ve messed things up bad this time, baby.”

  Nina put her finger under his chin and lifted his head. “What happened?”

  Massaging his forehead, he told her, “Cynda left Keith. He has no idea where she is or what she’s doing. Well, he thinks he knows what’s she’s doing, but that’s it. He’s hurting, Nina. I can hear it in his voice.”

  “Then why are you still sitting here?”

  His brows furrowed in confusion.

  “Your friend is hurting. If Kenneth had left Elizabeth and I knew she was in unbearable pain, I would be on the first plane out of here.”

  He lifted her off his lap and went to the closet to get his suitcase. “You’re right. I should be with him.”

  “I’ll let the kids know that Daddy won’t be here to boss us around for a couple of days.”

  “Girl, you need to quit. Every time I’m gone y’all leave face prints on the window looking for big Papa.”

  32

  “You need to eat,” Janet told Keith as she stood on his porch with a plastic food container in her hand.

  He opened his screen door and let her in. She wore a lime green swing dress that welcomed spring as it swayed in the wind – brushing against her voluptuous hips. He should have stopped her at the door. Should have admonished her for bringing food to a married man. He wasn’t proud of himself as he opened the container and savored the smell of oregano mixed in the tomato sauce, and the ricotta cheese blended into her famous chicken lasagna. But truth be told, he hadn’t eaten much of anything since he’d heard from Cynda – and he was all fasted out.

  “Thank you, Janet. I was just getting ready to go pick up something to eat.” He inhaled half the food, then said. �
��This is so good.” With lines of laughter forming on his face he joked, “Girl, if I wasn’t already married…” He put his fork down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that to you.”

  Her fist balled and she slammed it against the hardwood of his kitchen table. “Why do you torture yourself? Why won’t you just divorce her? God knows you have more than ample reason.”

  “She’s my wife, Janet.”

  “But you deserve so much more.”

  “I took vows with her, and beyond that, I love her.” He saw the hurt as his words registered, in Janet’s eyes. He wished he didn’t have to hurt this woman in order to love another.

  “I don’t understand you, Keith. How you continue to love a woman who doesn’t love you back is beyond me. Her brown eyes were moist as she stood and told him, “I’m putting in my two week notice.”

  He hated to admit it, but… “I think that’s best for you.” He put his hand over hers. “I’m going to pray that God brings the man He has for you into your life real soon.”

  As Janet left, Keith prayed for her just as he had committed to do. After praying, Keith’s thoughts went to Cynda. When Cynda called him she’d forgotten to block her number so he had the telephone number of the house where she was staying. So he knew she was in a little town on the outskirts of Chicago. He was tempted to go up there and knock on every door until he found her. But, several hours later, Isaac stood in Keith’s kitchen trying to talk some sense into him.

  “Look man, why don’t you just call Officer Darryl? He attends your church. I bet he would be willing to help out.”

  Keith lowered his head. “I can’t.”

  “Why not? He’s a brother in Christ, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah, but I kind of used up all my favors a few months ago.” Isaac cocked his head and stared at him. “Cynda stole my truck when she came home from the rehab. I called on Darryl to help me get it back.”

  “After all you did for her, she ran again? I don’t understand you, man. Why do you even bother?”