Amaryllis took a sip of the tea, leaned back on the pillows, exhaled and closed her eyes. “I don't have much of an appetite, but my shoulder is starting to ache. Can you get my pills? They're in my purse on the dresser.”
Michelle gave Amaryllis two pills then filled a cup with tap water from the bathroom faucet.
“What is this you're taking?” she asked Amaryllis.
“It's Vicodin. I love this stuff because it numbs my whole body.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn't drink the chamomile tea right now.” Michelle knew the effects of chamomile. Whenever she needed to wind down after a difficult day in the courtroom, the chamomile tea acted as a lullaby. She worried what the tea mixed with the Vicodin may do to Amaryllis.
“I want to drink it. I need all the relaxation I can get.”
Michelle sat at the foot of the bed and watched Amaryllis drink the tea. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask, but I can't guarantee a complete answer before the Vicodin kicks in.”
“I'm curious about Darryl. Who was he and why did you ask him to trash Randall's car?”
Amaryllis set the empty teacup on the nightstand and positioned herself to lie comfortably on the bed. “Darryl is the man who's got me looking the way I do. Back when I thought he was a nice guy, I asked him to do this favor for me because I was angry at Randall for cuttin' off my gambling money.”
“I thought you gave up gambling years ago. How much did this favor cost you?”
“I paid with my body,” Amaryllis admitted shamefully.
Michelle blinked her eyes repeatedly. “You what?”
“You heard me,” Amaryllis said, feeling embarrassed by her past actions.
Michelle couldn't imagine her sister doing such a thing. “You sacrificed your body, Amaryllis?”
“I'm not proud of it. Money became tight when Black got suspended from his job. Darryl was there financially to pick up where he left off.”
“How long were you sleeping with Darryl?”
“Long enough for him to rape and beat me up.”
“Is he the reason you and Randall broke up?”
“I guess you can say that. Black followed me to Darryl's house one night and saw me stripping for him and his friends. When I got home that night, Black told me to get out of his house. He hasn't spoken to me since. Now he's married with three kids and living in a mansion in Oakbrook, Illinois. I'm supposed to be living in that house, Michelle. Those are supposed to be my kids. Black shared his dreams with me and I practically laughed in his face. And look at me now.”
Amaryllis started crying again and Michelle patted her foot. “Honey, we all go through rough times. Nothing just happens. There's something good coming out of your experience. The most important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and not repeat them. The next good man that comes in your life will be appreciated, right?”
When Amaryllis didn't respond, Michelle looked at her and saw that she was softly snoring. Michelle was glad her sister was in town. She hoped that this visit would be good for their father and Amaryllis to bridge the gap between them.
Michelle and Amaryllis's father, Nicholas, lived a saved life. Amaryllis was the complete opposite. She didn't care about church or God. Michelle realized her sister's soul was at stake and she vowed to do all she could to help Amaryllis develop a heart for God.
Chapter 2
Later on in the evening, as Amaryllis slept, Michelle decided to return to the firm to finish paperwork she had put aside when she left to meet Amaryllis at the airport. She was in the middle of looking over a brief when she glanced at the eight-by-ten photograph of her fiancé.
Minister James Bradley was heaven sent and Michelle knew it. God confirmed that revelation shortly after Michelle set her eyes on him for the first time. James had swept Michelle off of her feet the moment he spoke to her.
Michelle picked up the silver-plated frame that embraced the photo of the man that would soon be her husband. Looking at James' smile, the corners of Michelle's own lips curled upward. There wasn't a stress filled day when his dimples hadn't come to her rescue. She kissed James' picture as she reminisced about the day God answered her prayer one year ago. It all happened on a Sunday night at the Praise Temple Church of God. Michelle had stood in the vestibule after the radio broadcast, talking to her best friend, Jodie Frazier, when out of nowhere, a perfect gentleman approached her. He gently applied his opened palm against Michelle's lower back, interrupting her in mid-sentence.
“Excuse me, I've been watching you for weeks and trying to get up the nerve to approach you. I'm drawn to your spirit and level of praise. Your true worship shows that you're a woman after God's own heart and I like that. And if no one has ever told you before, let me be the first to say that you are one beautiful black woman.”
This stranger's words had literally knocked Michelle off of her feet. She had only been a member of Praise Temple Church of God for a few months and hadn't become acquainted with many of the members. She certainly didn't know the Adonis standing in front of her. Dark brown eyes, skin the color of burnt butterscotch, a freshly groomed goatee blended with a mustache that cascaded upward to side burns stood in Michelle's presence. She almost lost her balance when she inhaled his cologne, Tiffany's Man. Michelle recognized the scent. Last Christmas she'd bought a bottle for seventy-five dollars an ounce for her father.
The words that flowed from this gentleman's lips had never been spoken to Michelle before. “Thank you,” she smiled.
He smiled in return. “What's your name?”
Michelle saw deep dimples in each cheek and the whitest teeth she'd ever seen. His mother must've slapped braces on him at age five. Michelle immediately fell head over heels in love with a man whose name she didn't know. When she realized his hand was still in place on her back she felt her body temperature rise fifty degrees. “Michelle Denise Price.”
His smile got wider. No doubt, he was expecting only a first name, but she had given him three. “I'm Minister James Bradley. It is certainly a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Michelle Denise Price.”
James greeted Jodie, gave Michelle one last smile and walked away. Michelle's eyes followed James as he entered the pastor's office and closed the door behind him.
“Jodie, who was that angel?”
“James is Bishop Graham's armor bearer. Whenever and wherever you see the Bishop, you see James. You've never noticed him before?”
“No. Is he dating anyone?”
“Not that I know of. James' duties as an armor bearer have him so busy that no one can get close to him.”
“Well, I'm gonna have to do something about that.”
“I see stars in your eyes, Michelle. But you won't get to James. He appears with Bishop Graham and disappears with him.”
“Oh, I'll get to James,” Michelle said with confidence.
Driving home from church, Michelle couldn't get James Bradley out of her mind. She muted the radio and talked to God. “What just happened back there, Lord? Is James the husband I've been praying for?”
She reminisced what James had said to her only moments earlier.
“I'm drawn to your spirit and level of praise. You're a woman after God's own heart and I like that. And you are one beautiful black woman.”
Michelle couldn't contain herself. She smiled at the recall of James' words. “Oh God, can I
please
have him?”
MY DAUGHTER, I'VE JUST DEALT YOU A PROMISING HAND. IT'S UP TO YOU TO PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT.
The following Sunday morning, James was disappointed that he didn't see Michelle at morning service. He had no clue where she was, but had a good idea who may know Michelle's whereabouts. After the benediction, he sought out Jodie, who was making her way downstairs to the fellowship hall. “Praise the Lord, Sister Frazier.”
“Praise the Lord, Minister Bradley, how are you?” Jodie smiled.
“I'm fine, thank you. And how are
you
?”
“Sleep deprived,” Jodie chuckled.
“I can understand why. I just ran into your husband, Michael. He tells me that little Mya is quite active during the night hours.”
“Hmph, like he'd know with all the noise he makes, sawing logs.”
James laughed. “Listen, I was wondering if you know where your friend, Michelle, is.”
Jodie returned James' smile. “Michelle decided to go to work today.”
“I see. What kind of work does she do?”
“She owns a law firm.”
His eyebrows shot up in the air. “Is that so?”
“Yes, Price & Associates. It's on Vegas Drive downtown.”
The wheels in James' head were turning. “Price & Associates on Vegas Drive. Okay, thanks a lot, Sister Frazier.”
James turned to walk away and Jodie called after him. “Shall I tell Michelle you asked about her?”
“If you like,” he smiled.
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Monday morning just before noon, Michelle sat behind her desk looking over briefs when her telephone extension rang.
“Guess who asked your whereabouts in church yesterday?” Jodie said.
“Minister Bradley?” Michelle was hopeful.
“Yes. Apparently he's into you just as much as you are into him.”
“That's good to know, Jodie. He has the most gorgeous smile I've ever seen.”
“I can't deny that. Hey, let's meet for lunch.”
Michelle looked at the amount of paperwork on her desk and exhaled. “Sorry, I can't. I'm preparing for a major trial next week. I've got tons of paperwork toâ” Michelle abruptly stopped talking. Her eyes were fixed on the masculine figure standing in her doorway. James Bradley was present with a dozen roses in one hand, a picnic basket in the other, and that famous gorgeous smile on his face.
Jodie was still waiting on the other end of the telephone for Michelle to complete her sentence. “Hello? Michelle, are you there?”
Michelle couldn't move. James walked over to her, set the picnic basket on top of her desk, gently took the telephone from her hand and spoke into the receiver. “This is James Bradley. I'm sorry that Miss Price can't continue this conversation due to the fact that she's about to be swept off her feet. She will be out of the office for the remainder of the day.”
Thinking back on that time caused Michelle's heart to go pitter-patter. She let out a loud sigh, kissed James' picture again, and placed it back on her desk. It was getting late and she still had to look over two more briefs before she went home to check on Amaryllis. Michelle was also excited that Amaryllis would finally meet her prince. Amaryllis' past relationships with men were nothing to write home about. Michelle hoped that while she was visiting, Amaryllis would take notes and learn from her and James how a relationship between a man and a woman should be played out.
Chapter 3
Around eight o'clock, the ringing of the telephone aroused Amaryllis from a comatose-like sleep. She reached for the telephone on her nightstand and answered, sounding very groggy.
“Hi, beautiful. Did I wake you?” a man's voice asked.
Feeling the effects of the Vicodin and chamomile tea, Amaryllis was delirious and had no clue where she was or who the man was she was talking to. “Uh-huh.”
“Why are you in bed so early. Did you have a bad day?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
“Uh-huh.”
“How about I go to your favorite Chinese restaurant and get some of that Mongolian Beef you like so much, then swing by your place? Would you like that?”
“Uh-huh.” In the faint distance of her mind, Amaryllis heard the line go dead and she released the telephone from her hand.
Â
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At 9:15
P.M
., James Bradley was standing outside of Michelle's town home ringing the doorbell without getting an answer. Using his cellular telephone, he called her home number and got a busy signal. James rang the doorbell again. Still no answer. He decided to call Michelle's cellular number. He knew that no matter what Michelle was doing, she always answered her cellular phone in case it was a business call. She was sitting behind her desk at the law firm when she answered his call.
“Hello, handsome.”
“Mickey, why won't you let me in?” James always chose to use his nickname for Michelle.
“What do you mean?”
“I'm standing outside; can't you hear the doorbell?”
“It must be out of order. Hang on and I'll buzz you in.”
“A buzzer? That's just pure laziness, Mickey.”
Michelle's office was on the sixth floor. Of course, she'd buzz him. “James, I know I need to exercise, but if you think that I'm getting ready to walk down six flights of stairs to open the door, you've got another thing coming.”
“You only have three floors, Mickey. Have you been drinking?”
“No, I haven't and I'm buzzing the door. Are you in yet?”
“I can't hear the buzzer; it must be out of order too. We wouldn't have to go through this if you gave me a key to your house.”
“That's out of the question, James, and how would a key to my house benefit you if you're trying to get into my office?”
“Your office?” James frowned.
“Yes; that's where I am.”
“What are you talking about, Mickey? Why would you go to your office when you knew I was bringing dinner to your house?”
“I
didn't
know. You should've called.”
James exhaled but kept his cool. “Mickey, did I not talk to you an hour ago and say that I was bringing Chinese food to your place?”
“No, James, you didn't. You must've called one of your other women, because you certainly didn't talk to me,” Michelle joked.
James stood outside the town home dumbfounded. “Don't go there, Mickey. You know good and well there are no other women. Why are you playing with me?”
“Honestly, James, I don't remember you calling me here.”
“I didn't call your office; I called your house.”
A light bulb went on in Michelle's head. “Oh, my goodness. You must've talked to Amaryllis.”
“Who?”
“My sister, Amaryllis. Remember I told you she was coming to stay with me for a while.”
“That explains it then. I thought you were out of it from having a bad day.”
“She's on heavy pain medication, but if she can't hear the doorbell, I wonder if it's too heavy.”
“You want me to bring dinner to the law office?”
“No, sweetie, stay put. I'll be there in ten minutes.”
Michelle pushed aside the brief she was reading and turned off her desk lamp. She left the law office in a hurry, excited to see her man. As she drove into her driveway, she saw James sitting on the steps. She got out of the car and walked over to him. “Hello, gorgeous,” she greeted with a wide grin.
James looked at her with his prize-winning smile that always melted Michelle. With his deep dimples in both cheeks, sometimes Michelle had to turn her head to break the stare. But James had the kind of smile that drew a person to him. He had all the qualities that a woman could want in a man. He was gentle, extremely handsome, kind, warmhearted, generous, loving, and most importantly, he was saved and sanctified. But out of all these qualities, it was his smile that most attracted Michelle to him.
James stood and kissed her lightly on the lips, then reached for her hand to help her up the steps. “You're the gorgeous one, Mickey.”
“Uh-uh. You are.”
“No, you are.”
Each and every time James and Michelle came together, this was the greeting they shared. If there was ever a time when one of them didn't compliment the other on who was the more gorgeous of the two, something was wrong.
Michelle entered the town home and James followed. “Mickey, I'm gonna get dinner set on the table. Are you hungry?” James asked as he headed toward the kitchen.
“I'm famished, but I gotta check on my sister first. She's been asleep way too long.”
“Didn't you say she's on heavy medication?”
“But I also gave her chamomile tea. You go ahead and start without me.”
Michelle climbed the stairs to the third floor. She walked into Amaryllis' room and turned on the light. Next to the bed, Michelle saw the telephone on the floor. Amaryllis was lying on her stomach with her hair strewn about her face. Michelle placed the telephone on its base, then sat down on the bed and tapped Amaryllis's shoulder.
“Amaryllis, sweetie, wake up.”
Amaryllis stirred, but made no effort to turn over. Michelle removed her hair from her face and shook her. Amaryllis mumbled something, but didn't move. Michelle stood and pulled the sheets from her. She rolled Amaryllis onto her back and lightly tapped her face. “Amaryllis, please wake up; you're scaring me.”
She sleepily opened one eye. “Why are you bothering me, Michelle?”
“Because you've been asleep since this morning.”
“And?”
“And it's almost nine-thirty at night.”
“And?”
“And you need to get up and eat something.”
Amaryllis rolled onto her stomach. “I'm not hungry, I'm sleepy.”
“We've got to get you off of that Vicodin. Somebody could've broken in here and taken everything and you would've never known it.”
Amaryllis quickly sat up. “Girl, if you touch my Vicodin, I'll put a serious hurting on you.”
“Yeah, whatever. James is downstairs and he bought Chinese food. I want you to meet him, so let's get you washed up and dressed so you can come down and eat with us.”
“Michelle, I look a mess and I don't want him to meet me for the first time with me looking all bruised up. What will he think?”
“He won't think anything. James doesn't know what happened to you.”
“I'm not going downstairs,” Amaryllis protested.
“You have to eat.”
“So, I'll eat up here, in my room.”
“Amaryllis, James is here at least twice a week. He's bound to run into you sooner or later.”
“Let it be later then.”
Michelle helped Amaryllis into the bathroom and started the water in the shower. When she saw Amaryllis struggling with her broken shoulder to get undressed, she assisted her. She helped Amaryllis into the tub and gave her a bar of soap and a wash towel. “Are you gonna be okay by yourself?”
“Yeah, I'll be fine.”
“I'll come back up in ten minutes to check on you.” Michelle left the bathroom and went to the dresser drawer to lay out a clean pair of underwear and a nightgown on the bed for Amaryllis. Michelle had unpacked her sister's things and placed them in drawers last night, after Amaryllis had passed out from the Vicodin and chamomile tea.
Michelle heard moaning. She went back into the bathroom, pulled the shower curtain back and saw tears streaming down Amaryllis' face. “What's wrong, sweetie?”
“My shoulder hurts when I lift my arm.”
Michelle stopped the shower and helped Amaryllis out of the tub. After wrapping a huge terry cloth towel around her, Michelle inserted the plug in the drain, sprinkled a handful of Epsom salt in the tub and ran warm water. After she helped Amaryllis back into the tub and carefully sat her down, Michelle got on her knees, rolled up her sleeves and gently bathed her baby sister. The tears that began streaming down Amaryllis' face concerned Michelle.
“Am I too rough?”
“I feel so helpless, Michelle. And I feel bad because your man is downstairs waiting for you, but you're up here taking care of me.”
“James is fine. Trust me. He's got his food and his sports, he's very content.”
“I appreciate you accepting me into your home and taking care of me like this.”
“You're my sister, girl. It's just me and you, so we gotta take care of each other.”
After the bath, Michelle applied lotion to Amaryllis' skin and helped her into her fresh clothing.
“I used to do this for Black. I would bathe him, oil his whole body and cook his meals and then feed him.”
Michelle looked at Amaryllis as though she was a nutcase. “You're kidding me, right?”
“No, I took care of Black like that all the time.”
“You know that it was wrong for you to do that, don't you?”
“But I enjoyed doing things like that for him.”
“And there's nothing wrong with a woman taking care of her man like that as long as he's her husband.”
“We lived together, Michelle.”
“And that was wrong too. Some things are sacred and should be saved for marriage. If you give a man all the sex he wants, bathe him and cook his every meal, then feed him too, what has he got to look forward to after you say your vows? When you promise to love, honor and cherish your man in the presence of God, that's when the cooking, bathing and sex comes into play. You want to keep a man guessing what else you've got to give, Amaryllis.
“When you're courting your man, he should feel like a kid in a candy store with only a nickel in his pocket. There's so much good stuff that he would like to have a taste of but can't afford. But because he loves candy, it causes him to save his allowance and come back for more when he has enough money. You see, Amaryllis, the candy is there for him to look at and admire, but it's not free. If a man is able to have all the candy he wants without having to pay, sooner or later, he'll lose his appetite for it. Now don't get me wrong; I love James with my whole heart. He's good to me and I'm good to him. But as much as we love each other, he's not worthy of me sexing, bathing and feeding him yet. I give him just enough of me to keep him coming back.”
“What do you mean you give him just enough?”
“This is
my
home. I worked very hard to buy this place, and God allowed me to have it. James is not allowed to bring his clothes over and take up space in any of my closets. And even though there are three bathrooms in this house, neither of them has room for James' toothbrush.
I
pay the mortgage, not James. In the entire year that we've been together, he hasn't once spent the night. Even if we're watching a movie that ends at three o'clock in the morning, James has to leave here.
“Another example is the way I cook for him, if I cook at all. I don't like to eat restaurant food all the time, so occasionally, I may cook. I know James' favorite meal is spare ribs, macaroni and cheese, hot water cornbread with mustard and turnip greens. I hooked him up one Sunday after church and the brotha was foaming at the mouth. He said even his mother's greens didn't taste that good. That was about seven months ago and he's been begging for that meal ever since. I tell him that I don't have time to cook it, but I'll try and make it soon. That lets him know that he's got something to look forward to. Now, when I have the time to cook, I do the basic fried chicken or maybe spaghetti, but I don't cook for James everyday. Only my husband will be allowed that luxury. When he becomes my husband, he'll get his greens.”
To Amaryllis, Michelle's love life sounded boring. “Okay, Michelle, I get all of that. But to me, it sounds like you and James are just existing. I mean, what do you do for your man? How do you make him feel good?”