Church Whore 2 Read online

  Chapter 3

  Madear walked in Edem’s hospital room, he slept soundly. Eloise looked up and smiled.

  “Hey, friend, I just left sitting with Bernice.”

  “Any change?”

  Madear shook her head no. She walked over to Edem and took the anointing oil out of her purse. She made a cross on Edem’s forehead, and said, “I plead the blood of Jesus over you, Edem.” Madear then took a seat in the chair.

  Eloise’s cell went off. She listened, and screamed, “Thank You, God!”

  “What?” Madear sat up in her chair.

  “They found baby Faith!”

  “Praise God!”

  “The boys are headed to Burlington now.”

  “Burlington?” Madear frowned her face.

  “That’s what they said.”

  “As long as she’s alright,” Madear said, taking a seat.

  “Madear, I feel so guilty.”

  “Why, friend?”

  “You know how I treated Felicia.”

  “Did you repent?”

  “Of course!”

  “Then, stop feeling guilty, now just love on them.”

  “You’re right, I have to focus on getting my family strong again.”

  “I just wish Bernice would wake up and tell us what she found out about those Harlot demons.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “What’s done in the dark will come to the light.”

  “You’ve got that right, Madear.”

  Madear looked over at Edem. “This man has a heart for God, I knew he would be ok. Eloise, you know I love all your boys to death. I love them like family, but they have a problem with that thang.” Madear looked down at her groin area.

  “I know,” Eloise sighed. “I’ve tried to ignore the rumors, but I can’t anymore. I just don’t know what to do. I miss Senior so much.”

  “I know you do, but now you’ve got to figure out how to get those boys in check. Maybe you talk to their wives. Are they doing their part?” Madear looked at Eloise over her glasses.

  “What can I do? I’m not in their bedroom. I feel dirty just talking about it.”

  “That’s your problem, friend, you think sex is so dirty. If you don’t get with the times, just because you can live without everybody else needs it.”

  “Madear!” Eloise’s mouth dropped open.

  “Close your mouth, girl, before a fly flies in it.”

  “Madear, are you still…”

  “Active? Yes, Lawd!”

  “Madear!”

  “What? I’m old not dead, honey. So, yes, I have a friend.” Eloise covered her mouth. “Don’t judge me, he’s a good man. Shoot, he wants to get married, but I don’t know.”

  “It’s better to marry then to burn,” Eloise shot back.

  “I know the word better then you. I just don’t know that I want to get married again. I like my freedom. Lawrence is good to me and that little blue pill, chile, it works wonders, let me tell you.”

  “I need a drink.”

  “That’s not all you need!” Madear teased.

  “Madear!”

  “What, Eloise? Senior was a good man, but he’s gone and he’s not coming back. Don’t you get lonely? And, don’t lie! You’ll be so busy doing you that you won’t be getting all into your children’s business. I’m just saying, you should think about it. In the words of Bernice, whamp!” They busted out laughing.

  “Madear, you are so crazy, that’s why I love you.”

  “I love you, too, friend. Now, back to business. Have you let Ruthie come up here and see Edem?”

  “No, I forgot all about her. Is she still here?”

  Madear nodded. “She’s in the waiting room with the girls. And let me give you some advice, open your heart to her. She’s a good woman, a God-fearing woman, and she loves your son. Edem chose her and she will make a perfect first lady for him. She’s loyal and she has a good heart.”

  “You know what, you are absolutely right.”

  “So, get your big butt up and let her see her man, and we can go visit Bernice,” Madear said getting up. Eloise leaned over and kissed Edem on the cheek.

  “I’ll be back, baby.”

  ________

  Jezebel and Delilah checked into Drury Inn. Delilah plopped down on the bed and sighed.

  “What are you sighing for?” Jezebel rolled her eyes.

  “Gee, what’s wrong with you? Grumpy much?” Delilah sucked her teeth.

  “Umm, how about Tamar is being sent to the freakin’ looney bin and Mother is locked up, should I not be grumpy?” Jezebel kicked off her heels and sat in the chair by the window.

  “We all have problems, Bella. Mother is always getting us mixed up in some mess. Did you know she stopped giving Tamar her meds? I love my sister, but we all know she’s crazy as hell. She kidnapped a freakin’ baby, for heaven’s sake. I’m tired, sis, I’m tired of moving from city to city. It stopped being fun a long time ago.”

  “Oh, so you’re getting a conscious now? Whatever!”

  “Ugh!” Delilah made an ugly face at Jezebel.

  Jezebel sat in silence and stared at the tv that wasn’t turned on. Out of nowhere, she bolted from her seat and ran into the bathroom to throw up. Delilah jumped up and followed her into the bathroom.

  “EW! What on earth did you eat?”

  Jezebel looked over at her sister. “I’m pregnant, stupid.” Jezebel grabbed a washcloth, washed her face, and rinsed her mouth out. She bumped Delilah as she walked past her.

  Delilah wasn’t in the mood for Jezebel’s attitude. She grabbed her by her arm. “Look, sister, if you haven’t noticed, we are all we got right now, so how about you drop the attitude.”

  Jezebel knew Dee was right; she was just so frustrated. It was so not the plan. Tamar flew over the coco’s nest and Mama Lilith was locked up trying to fix the trouble that Tamar had gotten in. Jezebel ran her fingers through her weave and let out a long sigh. She sat down on the edge of the bed trying to figure out their next move. A noise distracted her thoughts. She looked over at Delilah, who was knocked completely out, mouth wide open, snoring up a blue streak.

  Jezebel sat up most of the night contemplating her next move. First thing was first, she had to make sure she got her mother out on bail. There wasn’t much she could do to help Tamar. She rubbed her belly hoping to feel a connection, but there was none. Jezebel sucked her teeth, and tried to relax to get at least a few hours of sleep.

  Chapter 4

  Junior, Eddie, and Mud arrived at Alamance Regional Hospital. Officer Hudson waited in the lobby outside of the NICU. As the men spotted each other, they gave each other dap.

  “I can’t thank you enough, O.” Eddie hugged Officer Hudson.

  “Just doing my job, man.”

  “When can we see her?” Eddie paced back and forth.

  “Eddie, calm down. She’s safe and sound now.” Mud put his hand on his

  brother’s shoulder.

  “Yeah, man, have a seat. I’ll go let the doctors know that you are here,” Junior said, walking off.

  After what seemed like an eternity, a doctor from the NICU finally approached the waiting men. “I’m Dr. Glassor, and I have been in charge of baby Faith’s care. Which one is dad? Dr. Glassor looked at each man.

  “I am.” Eddie stood up.

  “Well, dad, so far, everything looks promising. We can’t tell right now how much trauma her brain has suffered from being thrown and the amount of time her brain was deprived from oxygen. We’re still running tests and, to be honest, only time will tell if she will have any delays in her development.”

  “What are you talking about? She was thrown?” Eddie looked at Officer Hudson, and he looked at Junior, wondering why he didn’t tell him what happened.

  “Eddie, Tamar and Lilith were fighting over the baby, and Lilith threw Faith. When I was able to get to her, I had to give her mouth to mouth.”

  “What?” Eddie’s eyes grew wild and he looked insane.
r />   “Dad, we are doing everything that we can for baby Faith. Like I said, she looks a lot better than expected. Now, her tiny body has gone through some trauma, it’s just a waiting game to see how it’s going to affect her. Come on, let me take you to her.” Eddie’s face softened as he followed behind the doctor.

  Officer Hudson turned to Junior as soon as Eddie was out of ear shot. “What the hell, man? Why didn’t you tell my man what happened?”

  “I didn’t want him to freak out any more than he already was,” Junior tried to explain.

  “And, you didn’t think he was going to find out the truth?” Officer Hudson shook his head. He had known the Blanks family for a long time; he didn’t even know why he was shocked with the nonsense.

  ________

  Lacey and Tricia sat next to Felicia’s bed; who had been given medicine to calm down. She sat in the bed and rocked. Lacey’s phone rang and she stepped outside to take the call. She soon returned and walked over to Felicia.

  “Look, Felicia, baby Faith is with her daddy.” Lacey showed Felicia a few pictures that Eddie had taken. Felicia looked at the picture with a blank look on her face. Lacey looked over at Tricia and then back at Felicia. “Felicia?”

  Felicia stared at the picture for a long time before a smile crept on her face. Lacey was relieved when she saw some emotion on her face. “Honey, Junior said the baby is doing well. Tamar is locked away for mental evaluation and her mother is still in jail. So, your baby is safe, ok? Do you understand?” Lacey waited for a response. Finally, Felicia nodded, never taking her eyes off of the picture of her baby girl.

  Lacey held Felicia's face in her hand. “Fee, I know you are angry and frightened, but baby Faith is safe now. And, at the end of the day, you know God is in control.” The look in Felicia's eyes let Lacey know that she acknowledged what she had just said to her. Lacey pulled Felicia close and wrapped her arms around her. Tricia walked over to her sister in laws and joined in the group hug.

  ________

  Edem struggled to open his eyes. His eyelids felt so heavy that it took a lot of his energy to get them open.

  " Edem!" Ruthie called out to him.

  Edem adjusted his eyes and focused until his vision became clearer. "Ruthie." Edem managed to smile, even though the energy that it took to smile seemed to cause him pain.

  Ruthie placed her hand over his. “Just lay still, Edem. You've been through a lot. Do you remember the motorcycle accident?"

  Frowns formed on Edem’s forehead. He tried to remember, but his last memory was getting on Keisha. That was what he called his motorcycle.

  Ruthie could tell he was searching his thoughts. After working side by side with him for so many years, she knew Edem like the back of her hand. "I'm going to get your family. Everybody has been praying for you. You gave us quite a scare. Thank God you are ok." Ruthie stood, leaned over, and kissed Edem on his forehead. Edem gripped Ruthie's hand as she turned to walk out of the room.

  He was disappointed that she didn't realize that he didn't want her to leave. His body felt tight and he wanted to stretch, but he was already in enough pain as it was. Just as he closed his eyes to pray to thank God for being alive, his hospital room door open interrupted his silent prayer.

  "Edem! My baby!" Eloise screamed, rushing to her son’s bedside. Tears filled Eloise’s eyes as she kissed her baby boy on the cheek.

  Elizabeth and Elisea quickly followed, and made their way to their brother’s bedside. "Edem!" both sisters exclaimed when they laid eyes on him. Lizzie rubbed his hand as the tears filled her eyes.

  He managed another smile, but winced in pain just as the nurse entered the room.

  "Pastor Blanks, we're glad to see you awake, sir. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" Edem slightly nodded his head. "Alright, let me take care of that for you," the nurse said as the sisters moved out of her way so that she could get to the IV. The nurse made a few adjustments to it and typed some things into the computer. "Pastor, the doctor will be in to check on you as soon as he gets out of surgery. I know you must be good and thirsty, I'm going to go get you something to drink."

  "Thank you so much," Mama Eloise said as she watched the nurse like a hawk. Eloise then directed her attention to Edem. As she fluffed his pillow to make sure her baby was comfortable, she filled Edem on everything that happened with his accident, his heart stopping on the table, and, of course, baby Faith.

  Edem lay silently, listening intently to his mother speak. His heart ached for Eddie and Felicia, but was relieved that the baby was safe. He wouldn't feel one hundred percent until he actually laid eyes on them.

  He cleared his throat before speaking, "Where's Ruthie?"

  Eloise looked bewildered. She could not believe that Edem asked for Ruthie while she spent time with him. She like looked over at her daughters.

  "I'll go get her for you, Edem," Elisea said, walking out of the room.

  ________

  Junior sat at his desk working on his sermon when a noise startled him. He thought he was alone and quickly got up to investigate. He walked around all the offices, checked each one thoroughly, and didn't find anything. Returning to his office, he got back to work on his sermon. Or, at least he tried. He found himself being distracted. He picked up the phone and called Sheila.

  "Hello?"

  Hearing Sheila’s voice made him smile. "Hey," Junior said in a sexy tone.

  "What's up?"

  "Nothing, I was just thinking about you."

  "Yea, me too. How's the family doing?"

  "Edem is awake and he's in a lot of pain, but he's expected to make a full recovery, thank God."

  "I'm glad he's ok." There was an awkward silence on the line. Junior always looked delicious to Sheila. His pretty brown eyes always had a way of hypnotizing her and his complexion matched perfectly with his eyes to her.

  "Yea, and the baby is still in the ICU, but they transferred her to Women's hospital." Junior searched for words as if he was talking to a stranger. "I don't like this."

  "You don't like what?"

  "This, this thing between us, this awkwardness. This isn't us, this is not how we interact with each other."

  "Yea, I know." There was sadness in Sheila's voice.

  "I miss you, “Junior confessed. "Do you miss me?" Junior asked, sounding like a love-sick teenager.

  "Of course, I miss you."

  "But..."

  Sheila sighed. "But, we both agreed to end this thing between us, isn't that what we said? I mean, I'm married now."

  "Yea, I know, I didn't think we would change, though. Do you still love me?"

  "Of course, I do. It’s a crazy adjustment, that's all. We have to learn to be in each other’s life without being sexual. "

  "I feel like a piece of me is missing. I feel disabled, like I'm missing a limb. You’re my oxygen, Sheila," Junior confessed.

  Sheila rubbed her belly. Junior didn't have a clue on how hard everything was on her. Carrying the child of a man she was deeply in love with and newly married to another man that loved her deeply. The entire situation was a mess.

  "How do you think I feel? This baby is a constant reminder of what we shared. I can't escape it or run from it or ignore it at all. All I can do is deal with it," Sheila told him.

  "I'm sorry, Sheila." Junior’s voice trailed off.

  "It’s both of our fault. We'll find a way to make it work," Sheila assured him. "Now, come on, give it to me."

  "Huh?" Junior’s eyes widened.

  "Your sermon, nasty! I know you're working on your sermon. You must be stuck, so read me what you have written."

  Junior chuckled. "Woman, you think you know me."

  "I do know you. Now, read me what you got.” Sheila laughed.

  ________

  Jezebel waited for the guard to bring her mother into the room. She seemed a little disheveled in her appearance. Her signature bun that neatly set on her head was replaced with two long cornrows that adorned her head and rested on each breast.
Lilith looked tired.

  "What took you so long to come and see me?" Lilith barked.

  "Nice to see you, too, Mother," Jezebel said in a sarcastic tone.

  "Where is Dee?"

  "I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me. She's been M.I.A. for a few weeks now. The night you got arrested, we got a room at a hotel and when I woke up the next morning, she was gone. She hasn't answered her phone or anything. "

  "Ugh! Y'all are worthless! Do I have to do everything around here? Get me out of here so I can clean up y’all mess as usual," Lilith snapped.

  Jezebel sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm doing the best I can, Mother." Jezebel wanted to get up and walk out the room, but fear kept her in her seat. She knew firsthand how vicious her mother could be. "Well, try harder!" Lilith demanded before calling for the guard.

  Jezebel sat dumbfounded as she watched her mother walk off and leave her sitting there.

  ________

  Lacey was leaving Macy's as she bumped into Delilah.

  "Oh, First Lady, how are you?" Delilah faked a smile.

  Lacey just looked at her. She couldn't tell the sisters apart. "What did my family ever do to you? Huh? What could we have possibly done to make your family attack us the way you all did?"

  Delilah scratched her head. "I'm confused, it’s our family that has been under attack. It’s my mother who is locked up for something she didn't do."

  "Oh, please! Your mother tried to kill my niece!" Lacey was beyond angry and prayed a silent prayer for self-control.

  "My mother was trying to help. She knew my sister wasn't in her right mind due to her illness. You can blame us all you want to. But, the fault lies at your feet. If your men were satisfied, they wouldn't have come to me and my sisters!" Delilah put her hand on her hip in the typical black woman stance.

  Lacey shook her head as she chuckled. "Little girl, little girl, you are so simple minded. You think spreading your legs to a married man makes you a woman?" Lacey laughed in Delilah's face and tilted her head to the side. "I guess I should feel sorry for you because it’s evident that you weren't raised properly. Poor thing. I'm going to pray for you and your family, but I strongly suggest that you stay away from my family.