Sheree dropped her hands to her sides. She didn’t know whether to feel dejected or flattered that he’d decided to stay on the slow path to love. Either way, Graham was definitely worth waiting for.
“Okay,” Sheree finally consented, inwardly hoping that the wait wouldn’t be too long. Now she was starting to think that maybe those four years of celibacy had been a breeze because Graham hadn’t been around. How else could she explain how easily she’d surrendered to passion over the last forty-eight hours?
While Sheree redressed, Graham scolded himself. You coward, why didn’t you just tell her the whole truth? But he already knew the answer to that question. He was scared that he would lose her again.
Graham believed that he needed more time to woo Sheree, to court her properly. More time to let her know that it was okay to be with him again, that he could take care of her. More time to show her that she would never need her father’s money again. More time to get up the nerve to explain why he still had a woman that he previously slept with hanging around him all the time. Graham didn’t even understand the answer to that last thing himself.
Chapter 9
All weekend Sheree and Graham spent time together, going to a few new restaurants, a couple of movies and even to the local carnival that recently came into town. They talked a lot about his mother and at other times they talked about their plans for the future. On Sunday they went to church.
Today Rev. Guilford preached about the importance of letting go of the past and reaching forth with gusto towards the future. He encouraged the congregation to make their plans for the future under God’s guidance and direction. Sheree saw this message as a word in due season. She and Graham were just starting to put the past behind them and were finally beginning to map out a new life for themselves, one that involved them being together again as a couple.
We’re definitely going to need God’s guidance in order to avoid the same pitfalls that plagued our last marriage, Sheree acknowledged, committing to memory the sermon. She wanted to discuss it at length with Graham later, the way they used to do when they were married before.
Whether Sheree chose to acknowledge it right now or not, she and Graham were also going to need God’s help in order to avoid the sin of fornication. They’d had so many close calls to intimacy already that without His continual intervention, they’d be in a world of trouble.
***
Towards the end of the service, Sheree looked around the growing congregation and realized that besides Rev. Guilford and his family, she hardly knew anyone there. On occasion she would catch someone looking at her with a question in their eyes, but they would discreetly look away. There were so many new members now and most of them had come in family groups. It was apparent that Handley Christian Fellowship was fast becoming one of the city’s largest churches.
Many of the people there did wonder about Sheree, largely because of Teonna. The other woman had attended services with Graham on several occasions and by the way Teonna talked, people got the impression that she would be his next wife. As a result, the new woman with Graham today got some inquiring minds pumping. But out of respect, no one said anything to them.
As soon as Sunday services were over, Graham took Sheree to see one of his new properties. He’d already showed her most of his other listings, but this particular one he’d saved for a special treat.
When they pulled up to the peach-colored, ranch style house, Sheree fell in love with it immediately. “Graham, it’s wonderful. Did you do the work yourself?” she asked as he opened the car door for her to exit.
As soon as she stepped into the
Graham smiled. He was glad she liked it. “Yes, and it’s also all yours.” He handed her an envelope with the deed and the key inside. “It’s for that dental clinic you always wanted to have. This area is zoned for business and residential.”
Sheree squealed with delight as she received the brown envelope. Then she started jumping up and down excitedly for a few seconds before hugging Graham tightly with joy. “Thank you so much, baby. Oh, Graham, I love you. You’re so good to me.” Then she grabbed his hand and tugged. “Come on, let’s go inside.” She literally ran to the door to open it, pulling him behind her. The three inch heels seemed like sneakers on her joyous feet.
Remembering how much he always loved her enthusiasm, Graham’s smile was wide. Inside his grateful heart prayed. Thanks for giving her back to me, Lord.
Inside of the five-bedroom house, Graham listened intently as Sheree gleefully discussed her future plans for the property. He pulled out a small notepad and pencil from his blue jacket pocket and began to take careful notes as Sheree continued to tour the house and sprout forth ideas.
When they finally made it back to the front of the house, Sheree asked, “Why did you do this for me, Graham?”
His eyes gazed steadfastly into hers. “Truthfully, I did it for both selfish and unselfish reasons. I wanted you near me and I wanted to be a part of your childhood dream. I wasn’t able to do these kinds of things for you during our marriage and I wanted to make up for what you missed out on the first time you married me.” I wonder if she’ll get the hint, Graham mused, feeling a quick sense of exhilaration at dropping this not so subtle clue to his proposal of marriage.
Although she didn’t catch on to Graham’s covert proposal, Sheree’s eyes glossed over from the emotional impact of his other words. She moved closer to him and cupped his face. “Graham, my love for you was never about money. You gave me everything I really needed. Don’t you know that?” Her voice was soft and sweet like white confectioner’s sugar on a donut.
His gray eyes turned a dark blue. They glistened with moisture. “Then why didn’t you come back to me?” His deep voice was laced with pain. The memory of their divorce opened an old wound. A lone tear stubbornly escaped his eye and slid down his left cheek. For the moment, Graham forgot all about his unique form of proposing.
“Stubbornness, pride, immaturity. I wanted to prove that I had my own will. I didn’t want to cower down to you as I’d watched people do to my father for years. Baby, when you gave me that ultimatum, I just snapped. It was like standing up to my father all over again. I wanted to prove to you that I was strong enough to make my own decisions about my life. Instead, I lost the best thing that ever happened to me.” Tears were rolling down her own cheeks now. Sheree’s voice rose an octave higher, thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry that I hurt you, that I hurt us. I should have come home, called, or did something to try to save our marriage. But I just acted like a child and let my father handle my business.”
Suddenly Graham began to rain butterfly kisses on her lips. His own tears mingled with hers as he spoke in between smooches. “We both were to blame. I shouldn’t have gone drinking that night. I should have stayed and talked things out with you. And I could have called, too. I just felt so inadequate because I couldn’t provide for you the way your father could. I was jealous of his ability to finance a simple shopping trip with your friends. I should have been the one who’d met your every desire.”
“Baby, you were. You still are.” Then she smiled through her tears. “It wasn’t long after our divorce that I moved out of my parents’ house again. That time for good. I should have never let my father interfere with our sacred bond. Will you please forgive me?”
Graham smiled, too. “Only if you forgive me, too.” He drew her gently to his chest. That chest suddenly felt lighter, considering the fact that a heavy weight from the past had just been lifted off of it.
“It’s a deal.” Then Sheree chuckled. “By the way, my father basically disinherited me when I left that last time. It was rough for a minute, but I’m doing pretty well for myself now.” She leaned back and looked up into Graham’s face, beaming with happiness. “Thanks to God, my practice is booming.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I knew you could do it. And don’t worry, baby. You don’t need your father’s money. You can have as much of mine as you want,” Graham said, giving Sheree another hint as he hugged her again.
The first time you married me? You can have as much of mine as you want? Wait a minute, Sheree mused as bits and pieces of Graham’s statements finally started to come together in her mind like a well-put-together jig-saw puzzle.
Sheree suddenly pulled back from him again. Her eyes narrowed in question as she tilted her head to the side. “Are you slyly trying to ask me to marry you again, Graham?”
He hugged her tightly to him again. “You betcha. I was wondering when you’d catch on.” He laughed, pleased that she’d finally pieced the clever puzzle together. “But this time we’re going to have a big wedding. I think Momma would’ve liked that. I just wish she was here to see it.” Graham’s voice held a touch of sadness in it.
Sheree relaxed in his embrace. “Me too, baby. Me, too.”
***
When Sheree drove back to
Suddenly Sheree remembered that she still needed to officially break things off with Hunter. “Oh boy,” she breathed into the empty car. Hunter was such a nice guy that she just hated to hurt him. But it had been over between them way before she left. Plus, the decision to end their relationship had been made before she ever saw Graham again.
He’ll be the first person I call when I get home, Sheree thought, wanting to get this thing with Hunter over with as soon as possible.
Chapter 10
Hours later, at her modest two-bedroom apartment, Sheree picked up the phone and called Hunter. He answered on the first ring. Even at
“Hunter, its Sheree. I wanted to let you know that I was back. I also wanted to talk to you about something.” She shifted uncomfortably on her brown and gold embroidered sofa. Maybe I should’ve done this in person, she mused, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Yet it was too late now. The stage had already been set.
“Okay, let me have it,” Hunter said unsuspectingly.
Let him have it. I don’t want to let him have it. He’s such a nice guy, Sheree mused, wincing at his words. But she knew she had to let this man go on with his life. Hunter deserved to know the truth.
Taking another deep breath, Sheree began. “Hunter, I think you should pursue other women. I realized a long time ago that we weren’t really clicking together romantically and I just didn’t know how to tell you before. I’m still not over my ex-husband and I don’t think it’s fair for me to hold up your life any longer.” Especially since Graham and I are getting back together and since there was never a real chance of me and you making a love connection anyway, Sheree added to herself, deeming it unnecessary to tell Hunter all that. No need to inflict needless pain.
Sheree clenched the brown phone tighter to her ear and continued. “You need someone who will love you the way you deserve to be loved, Hunter. Unfortunately, I’m not that person. I’m so sorry.” Her voice was contrite, yet sincere.
Hunter exhaled slowly, feeling a huge weight fall off of his shoulders. “Whew! You said quite a mouthful there. Listen, Sheree, I understand and you’re right. Underneath it all I knew it, too. And look, don’t be so hard on yourself. We just weren’t meant to be.” Then after he and Sheree promised to stay in touch as friends, they rang off.
Like Sheree, Hunter had known for months that they were incompatible. Yet he hadn’t said anything, either. Especially since the woman he really loved was already married, and his respect for the sanctity of marriage wouldn’t allow him to touch her, not even to share a kiss. Though his beloved was unhappily married, in Hunter’s eyes, she was still off limits to him. His guilt had been compounded at the thought of stringing Sheree along while he pined for another woman. Now that that was over, he felt a lot better about things.
***
Sheree felt better about things, too. In fact, she felt twenty pounds lighter after that call. With that behind her, she headed to her bedroom and called Graham. She needed a good dose of his love right now. Dialing his home number, she was delighted when he, too, answered on the first ring.
“Hello, Sheree?” Graham sounded anxious. His feeble attempt at eating the grilled cheese sandwich and fries on his plate were evidence of his current anxiety. Only a few fries were missing and the sandwich only had two bite marks in it.
“Yeah, it’s me, baby. You sound funny. What’s wrong?” Sheree unzipped the turquoise tank dress she wore and slipped out of it as she cradled the phone in the crook of her neck, trying to keep it attached to her left ear.
Graham’s voice relaxed, suddenly his appetite returned. He grabbed a handful of cold fries and commenced to eating them. “Woman, I’ve been answering the phone like that ever since you left. I was worried about you, but now I’m all right. How was your trip?” He got up from his seat at the oak kitchen table and carried his plate and the black cordless phone into the living room.
“The trip went fine and I’m sorry that I didn’t call you right away. There was something I had to do first.” Sheree went over to her mirrored, walk-in closet and hung the dress up; putting it in the area marked with a red label entitled ‘enroute to dry cleaners’.
Graham was intrigued. “What did you have to do?” He sat down on his black leather couch and put the plate of food beside him, fully prepared to talk to her for hours if need be. The ice maker in the kitchen could be heard in the distance. It had irritated him earlier, but now it was a welcomed sound of normalcy.
As he sat there waiting for Sheree to answer his question, Graham looked at his surroundings and immediately realized that this place had never felt like home to him. Although the three-bedroom patio-styled house was what his colleagues considered to be the perfect bachelor’s pad, Graham had never treated it that way. It had just been a place to live until he could get back to his true home on
Should I tell him? Sheree pondered in her heart for a few silent minutes. Her heart said ‘yes’ and she decided to follow its advice.
“I had to say goodbye to a nice guy that I’ve been sort of dating for the last few months.” Using only one hand, Sheree pulled a dark blue satin nightgown out of her chest of drawers and prepared to slip it over her head. The other hand held the phone.
Graham sat up abruptly, almost dropping the food on the floor. “Say what?! You didn’t tell me you were dating anyone. Who is he?” His pulse was racing, his strong nose flared.
“Just calm down, baby,” Sheree said softly as she quickly slipped the nightgown over her frame. “His name is Hunter Lott. He’s a nice guy that works at my father’s law firm. We went out for about eight months, but there was never any real connection between us other than friendship.” I can’t believe he’s ‘this’ jealous, she mused, going over to the cherry-wood sleigh bed across the room. All the furniture in her bedroom was made out of cherry wood.
“So you dated this ‘nice’ guy for eight months, huh? Did he touch you?” Graham felt murderous. He just couldn’t conceive Sheree with another man. She was his. Only his.
Sheree laughed, trying to deflect some of Graham’s anger. “Stop being jealous, boy. The only thing we exchanged was a few tired kisses. It’s not like I had sex with him or anything.” She leaned back on the dark brown comforter of her bed. She still held the phone to her ear, wishing that Graham was right there beside her.
Without knowing it, Sheree’s words had cut Graham to the core. He calmed all the way down now. How can he be upset with her over a few measly kisses when he’d gone all the way with Teonna? And he still hadn’t told Sheree about that yet.
Suddenly Graham knew what he had to do. “You’re right, I was jealous. I’m sorry. Listen, there’s something I wanted to tell you, too...” Just then, his phone clicked. Someone was on the other line. “Hold just a minute, baby,” Graham said, then he answered the other call.
“Graham, we’re at the hospital. Juanita went into premature labor. We need you to pick up your dad and get here as soon as possible,”
“Okay. I’ll be right there. And, Harvey, Juanita and the baby are going to be just fine. They’re both tough,” Graham assured him, then he clicked back over to Sheree. “Baby, I got to go. Juanita has gone into labor and I have to go get Dad.”
Sheree sat upright with concern. “Sure, honey. Go do what you have to. But remember to call me and let me know Juanita’s condition. My prayers are with you all.” Suddenly she had a great idea. “No, I want to do a little more than that. I want to be there, too. I’m coming back down there tomorrow. I haven’t had a vacation this year and I’m taking it now. Just let me make some provisions for my patients and I’m as good as there.”
Graham was more than pleased with that news. “I’ll have a ticket waiting for you at the airport.” With one hand, he slipped on his shoes and jacket while holding the cordless phone with the other. Then he took the plate of food to the kitchen and quickly placed it in the fridge.
“But what about my car? I’ll be there for at least a week.”
“You’ll drive one of mine. Listen, woman, I really got to go now. I’ll call you from the hospital, love ya.” Then Graham blew a kiss through the phone and hung up. Sheree is coming back, he mused. Now he knew that everything had to be all right.
Chapter 11
After nine long hours of labor, Juanita gave birth to a six-pound baby girl with bronze skin and thick black hair like
When the hospital staff had properly ministered to both mother and daughter, they were taken to their private room where the rest of their family awaited. Although Juanita was tired, she made time to kiss all of the special men in her life. In turn, she kissed Harvey, Horace, and Graham. They all received a kind word with their kiss. Then as Juanita and Betty Hope slept, the three men went outside to talk.
In the long white corridor, Horace informed them about Eva volunteering to come help out with the baby for two weeks. “You know she’s retired now, so she can stay even longer if need be.”
“Good,” said the proud new father. “My mother and sister also said that they would cook and freeze a month’s worth of meals for us. And you know we can get anything else we need from one of the stores.”
“And Sheree’s coming back soon, I’m sure she’ll be glad to help out, too,” Graham piped in. “Oh, that reminds me, I need to call her.” Then he reached into his pocket for his cell phone and dialed Sheree’s number. As he waited, he looked at his watch. It was now
No wonder I need a shave, Graham mused, rubbing beard stubble with his free hand.
Sheree answered on the second ring. “Hello?” She’d already been up since
“Hey, baby,” Graham drawled huskily in response. Her voice just did something to him.
Horace and Harvey looked at each other and shared a knowing smile. By the silly look on Graham’s face, they knew that he would be on the phone for awhile. Then deciding to give him some privacy, the two onlookers walked down the hall towards the elevators. They were going to get breakfast.
Meanwhile, Sheree slid her feet into a pair of black streamlined pumps as she continued to talk with Graham. “Graham, why didn’t you call me before now? I was starting to get worried.” Now that he had finally called, she would be on her way to her parents’ house to tell them the good news.
“There wasn’t much to tell you before. Juanita just had my beautiful niece about forty-five minutes ago.” He walked to the reception area and sat down in one of the sturdy orange-colored chairs.
“Oh, a baby girl. That’s wonderful. What’s my niece’s name?” Sheree was excited now. She reached on the mirrored dresser for her wide-toothed comb and began to attend to her hair.
She said my niece. I like that, Graham thought with a smile. Then he corrected his previous statement. “Our niece’s name is Betty Hope Roland.”
He said our niece. I just love that, Sheree silently noted with a smile. Aloud she said, “That’s so wonderful. She’s named after your mother.”
As Sheree talked, she bent her head forward to make sure that her middle part was straight. It was. Then she combed her brown tresses down on each side. It was a flattering look to her round face, emphasizing her high cheekbones. Sheree put the comb down as she remembered something she’d forgotten – nail polish.
Graham laughed. “Everything’s wonderful this morning, huh? That’s the second time you’ve said that.” He waved hello to a familiar intern in blue hospital scrubs as he passed by. Ronnie was one of the people who routinely helped with the health screenings at the recreation center.
“You bet everything’s wonderful. After everything your family has been through over the last two years, you guys deserve some happiness. Betty Hope is just the person to give it to you, too. Babies have the ability to bring great joy.” Sheree walked to her open suitcase and put in several bottles of nail polish from the drawer. Can’t leave home without these.
Graham got up and walked further down the hall until he found the family waiting room. It was now empty. He sat on the paisley fabric sofa and got comfortable. “Speaking of babies, when we remarry, I’d like to start as soon as possible. Is that all right with you?”
Sheree chuckled. “That’s fine with me. We have four years to make up for. Do you still want lots of kids?” Inwardly, she was glad that she stopped taking birth control three years ago. Back then, Sheree thought it was pointless to continue pumping chemicals into her body when she wasn’t engaging in any sexual activity nor was interested in such activity. Now that decision would pay off for her greatly. No doubt she would get pregnant very quickly.
Graham smiled. He was pleased with the way their conversation was going. “Yeah. I still want five, any sex will do.”
Sheree closed and zipped her suitcases. All of her packing was finally done. “Then five it is. Listen, baby, I’m happy that Juanita and little Betty are doing fine, but if I’m going to make it back there, I need to get off this phone. I still have to go tell my mother about us.”
“All right, all right. I’ll let you go for now. By the way, I always liked your mother. Kiss her for me, will ya?” Then after they reaffirmed their love once again, they rang off.
***
Kelly Hamilton-Wright lay resting at her parents’ house. She always stayed with her family when her husband was out of town on business. Her father had gone with him this time. Since Grandma Emma was out of town on a seniors cruise, only Kelly and Harriet were in the house now.
In the lavender canopy bed, Kelly tossed and turned. She was having that dream again. The one in which she was trying to get to her true love, but couldn’t because she was still tied to Jeremy Wright by a pair of heavy chains. But these were not chains of love that no man wished to escape, these were chains of disappointment and dashed hopes that all sought to be free from. And most sadly of all was the fact that even in her dreams Kelly couldn’t cry out her beloved’s name for fear that Jeremy would find out. No one could find out, most of all Sheree.
Kelly awakened in a mass of sweat. Her pulse was racing as if she’d been running. She got up to take a quick shower. “This is ridiculous. I can’t live like this any longer,” she said to herself amidst the brisk spray. Kelly now knew exactly what she needed to do. And at this point it didn’t matter what her father or anyone else thought about it.
Ever since she was a little girl, Kelly had been consumed with trying to please her father. She hated to disappoint him in any way. Unlike her younger sister, Kelly would do nothing without Allen’s approval. She was the daughter that he could count on to remain pliable to his influence – no questions asked. Each time she would allow him to make major decisions for her, Allen would reward Kelly with a new car, trip, or whatever else her heart desired.
So eager to please her father, Kelly even married the man he handpicked for her. She gave no thought to the fact that she didn’t even love Jeremy. For that act of obedience, Allen brought his oldest daughter a beautiful chateau out in the country made of stucco and brick. It was a magnificent wedding present.
Unfortunately, that house lacked the love that would have made it a home. Kelly and Jeremy barely spoke to each other there, except to discuss social events. And they rarely made love, if one could even call what they did together love. It was more like two bodies going through the motions. As a result, Kelly always made sure that she practiced good birth control. There was no way she was going to reproduce in such an unhappy union.
Because her marriage was so unhappy, Kelly always looked forward to Jeremy’s business trips. When he was gone, she could at least pretend for awhile that she wasn’t lonely, wasn’t sexually frustrated, and was free to marry the man she truly loved. Kelly sighed aloud in the shower as she turned off the water spray and reached for a towel. Then as she dried off and changed into a long red georgette dress, she thought she heard her sister’s voice in the house.
Quickly slipping her feet into a pair of red mules, Kelly went downstairs to investigate.
Chapter 12
Sheree and Harriet were hugging each other tightly, shrieking with joy, and jumping up and down with glee at the bottom of the white spiral staircase. Sheree looked great in the black and gold, silk shantung pantsuit she wore today. But she wasn’t jumping up and down about her new outfit. Sheree was ecstatic about her upcoming wedding day.
Harriet Hamilton wasn’t excited about her clothing, either. Even though she was exquisitely dressed in a navy jacket dress with a matching sheer silk duster, she was more excited about her daughter’s good news than any material things. Harriet always liked Graham and was glad that he would be back in the family again. She couldn’t wait to plan the wedding, despite the protests that were sure to come from her husband.
Allen is just going to have to deal with it, Harriet mused as she determined in her heart to talk privately with him as soon as possible. At least one of our daughters will finally be happy, she thought, releasing her youngest child with a smile.
At that sudden reminder of just how miserable her other daughter was, Harriet forced herself not to frown. This was a happy moment and she didn’t want to ruin it with unhappy thoughts.
Sheree couldn’t stop smiling as she looked at the older mirror image of herself. Her mother was still a knockout at age fifty-six. Harriet’s cinnamon stick face had remained smooth and practically wrinkle free over the years and her hair was still basically black all over with only traces of gray at the top. The only difference in the two women was Harriet’s gentle temperate. Kelly got that trait whereas Sheree was just a bit more outspoken.
Yet despite Harriet’s usual cooperative manner, when she did choose to openly disagree with her husband, Allen normally listened with all ears. Mr. Hamilton loved his soft-spoken wife dearly and literally drooled all over himself whenever he looked at her.
Both of the
“What’s all the excitement about?” Kelly asked as she quickly descended the staircase.
Sheree squealed. “I’m getting married!”
Kelly thought that her heart would pound out of her chest as she took deep, calming breaths to steady her nerves. Sheree and Hunter are getting married? But I thought... he said... Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted.
“Yes, Sheree and Graham have finally found their way back to each other. I always liked that young man. Especially because he used to look at my baby girl as if he worshipped the ground she walked on,” Harriet said excitedly, clapping her hands together with joy.
Then Kelly’s face widened into a full-fledged grin. Sheree and ‘Graham’ are getting married, not Sheree and Hunter. She was immensely relieved. Then she ran over to her sister and hugged her tightly.
“That’s great, Sheree. Oh, I’m so happy for you.” Kelly kissed her sister’s cheek.
Sheree pulled back from Kelly a bit to look at her. Her brows arched in question. “What’s gotten into you, girl? You never even liked Graham.”
Kelly nodded. “I know and I’m sorry about that. I only disliked him because he was poor. Yet even I could see how much he loved you. Plus, I’m learning that money isn’t everything.”
Sheree and Harriet looked at each other in amazement and then back at Kelly. Sheree spoke first. “You’ve changed, Kelly. It’s a good change, too.” Then she smiled. “Some things about Graham have also changed.” She paused and looked from her mother to her sister, before adding, “Graham is a multi-millionaire now.” Sheree’s voice was very soft, humble even as she spoke. She was still in awe about that herself. Graham had accomplished so much in such a short period of time.
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