Sing A New Song Page 14

  “By the way, I forgot to give you an update on my meeting with Pierce,” Tiffany said, trying to keep things light between them. That was her unspoken declaration that she had no intentions of going down that path with Neil. Ever.

  “How did that go?” Neil questioned. For a second there, his fantasy carried him on a useless journey of what might be, but he just as quickly dismissed the notion of anything between himself and Tiffany. Neil rebuked the devil for putting such dangerous thoughts in his head. Neither one of them needed that complication. Neil cherished their friendship too much to risk ruining it in any way.

  He could not afford to mess up his ministry either. Then he would have to answer to God for himself and for Tiffany. No, he would not even go there.

  “It was interesting,” Tiffany began. “I left Darnell in a frenzy, raced over to the Cheesecake Factory, and Pierce greeted me with a hug. The problem was that the hug lasted just a little longer than necessary, and I pulled out of his hold. I was drowning in his cologne. I mean, it smelled as if he took a bath in it or something, because my nose started itching.” She scratched her nose as a reflex action. “Well, we ordered our meal, and Pierce spent every single second flirting with me when he has a hundred kids at home. I mean, I was disgusted, but I did what I had to do, you know.”

  Tiffany went into the kitchen and returned with water for both of them. Neil thanked her and motioned for her to carry on, riveted by her conversation.

  “I finally got around to telling him about Karlie and the need for a paternity test, and do you know what the idiot did?”

  “What?”

  “He had the gall to ask me about money. He wanted to receive compensation for taking the paternity test. I know Pierce is strapped for cash, but to come right out and . . . It goes without saying that I was angry. Karlie would just be a commodity to him. I already knew he was going through financial struggles, but Pierce was tactless.”

  “Scumbag,” Neil commented.

  “Yeah. . . Well, the conversation went downhill from there. I told him distinctly that I was not about to pay him to do that. I would not put a price on my daughter, because she is not for sale. He’s even called and left his banking information on my voice mail. I mean, who does that?”

  “Maybe you should just pay him,” Neil interrupted.

  “What?” Tiffany was outraged and looked at Neil with an expression that told him so.

  “Before you blast me, isn’t finding out who Karlie’s father is the main objective here? I knew Pierce from high school, and he seemed okay to me. He probably only asked because, like you said, he needs the money.”

  Tiffany thought about it. She could call Winona and ask her to find her a paternity specialist. Then, once Pierce donated his specimen, Winona could pay him, and she’d be done with him forever. Tiffany gulped. She hoped.

  “At this moment, money is not the main object. You have a limited amount of time to find her dad,” Neil continued.

  His rationale was slowly beginning to make sense to Tiffany.

  “I understand why you would be outraged, though,” Neil noted.

  “I guess it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

  “Yeah, that was tacky.”

  “Thank you, Neil.” Tiffany said. Then she mumbled, “Might as well get this over with.” She placed a call to Winona, had her wire the money into Pierce’s account, and asked her find a paternity specialist. When she ended the call, Tiffany ranted, “I hoped Thomas would’ve changed his mind and spared me from pompous jerks like Pierce. But it doesn’t look as if Thomas will bend.”

  “Probably not,” Neil concurred. “But, unfortunately, you don’t have the luxury of time. So take Pierce up on his offer.”

  Tiffany didn’t wait long to keep her promise to talk to Myra on Neil’s behalf. She decided to pay her friend a visit. Tiffany rang the doorbell. Within moments, Myra opened the door.

  “Hi,” Tiffany greeted. “I just dropped in to see what’s going on.”

  “Nothing much. Just getting dinner started.” Myra graciously invited her in and commented, “You look well.”

  “Yeah, well, I called Dr. Ettelman and renewed my prescription, so I am pretty zoned out now and liking it.”

  “You had stopped taking your meds?” Myra looked concerned.

  “For a minute—then reality set in. He sent me some morphine ampoules and needles. Lucky for me, I have a nurse to help with that, but this glow is about something entirely different,” Tiffany coyly explained.

  Myra came over and sat down at that spicy tidbit.

  Tiffany smiled to herself. She knew her friend well. Myra’s curiosity was piqued by anything that sounded like gossip. “I was thinking about how I almost got me a little something, something.” Tiffany cracked up at the resulting expression on Myra’s face.

  “In your condition, is that wise?” Myra was aghast. She could not imagine thinking about sex if she were dying.

  “My body is still very much alive.” Tiffany chuckled, highly amused. She knew Myra would react like this and actually found it endearing.

  “But when did you start dating?” Myra tried a more delicate approach. She really wanted to start some serious praying, but Myra knew this was not the time. She did not want to appear too judgmental, either.

  “I don’t have to get your permission. I am grown.”

  Myra wanted all the salacious details.

  “Quell the enthusiasm. Obviously, you are still hooked on your stories. Remember Darnell?”

  “Darnell,” Myra repeated.

  Tiffany could see Myra’s mouth drool with that juicy piece of info. A sly smile crossed her face.

  “I knew you two liked each other in high school. How romantic that you should get together right now!” Myra supposed she should be preaching about staying away from the possibility of fornication, but she was a real romantic at heart, and she had always liked Darnell.

  Tiffany cracked up at the delightful expression on Myra’s face.

  Myra had always sought the proverbial happy ending to everything. Tiffany recalled how Myra would refuse to read a novel if she knew it did not end with the traditional happily ever after. She was determined to see the world through rose-colored glasses for the rest of her life. However, Tiffany knew firsthand that the world was not always pretty. Correction, the world itself was magnificent. It was its people that were all messed up and confused.

  “So enough about me,” Tiffany said, changing the subject. “What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing much.”

  Myra became quiet and a little withdrawn at the question. Her answer told Tiffany there was actually a lot going on. She did not know what to say to make Myra talk without betraying Neil’s confidence.

  “You sure? Why you say it like that?” Tiffany asked.

  “Well, I . . .” Myra stopped, feeling unsure. She did not know if she could talk to Tiffany about what she was feeling. Tiffany had a child, and Myra did not think she would be able to relate.

  “Well?” Tiffany asked gently.

  Myra took a deep breath and cleared her throat. She wanted to talk about it badly with someone. Myra looked into Tiffany’s face and saw the genuine concern reflected in her eyes.

  “Neil and I have been trying hard to have a child, but . . .” Myra could feel tears stinging her eyes already. “But I have endometriosis. Do you know what that is?”

  Tiffany shook her head, signaling that she did not have a clue.

  Myra briefly explained her condition. She knew so much about it that she sounded like a physician. “Endometriosis is when the tissues that normally line the uterus grow in other parts of the body. It causes unbelievable pain, heavy bleeding, and in my case, infertility. On rare occasions, when I have a bowel movement, it is incredibly painful. I guess I lucked out, because so far I haven’t felt any pain during intercourse,” Myra explained. She shrugged, then stated, cheekily, “I guess that is a good thing.”

  Tiffany listened intently. Her
heart expanded at her friend’s plight. She did not even smile at Myra’s attempt at humor. “Is there any cure for endo . . . endo—”

  “Endometriosis,” Myra said. Then she answered. “No, none that I know of. The doctors say that having a baby might help. But—”

  “You cannot get pregnant,” Tiffany said, finishing her sentence. She felt genuine empathy for Myra’s situation.

  “Well, I can,” Myra said, “but the chances are slim.”

  “I feel it for you, girl.” Tiffany did not know how to word her emotions. “How’s Neil taking it?”

  “He has been a trouper,” Myra answered. “He is wonderful and caring and says all the right words. I honestly could not ask for any more.”

  “I am glad to hear that. But that sounds like it could put a lot of pressure on your relationship.”

  “No,” Myra replied, denying that that was true. “It hasn’t. I mean, there are times when Neil gets frustrated because we have to wait for the right time to . . . you know.”

  Tiffany raised her eyebrow, intent on letting Myra believe that she had not heard this all before. She was glad for the opening so she could broach the point that she needed to get across.

  “Myra, operating under those conditions could be hard on a man.”

  “I know,” Myra agreed. “But what other option is there if we want to have a child?”

  Tiffany struggled to find an answer to that question. She could truly understand Myra’s position. But, on the other hand, Neil had a legitimate concern as well. Tiffany did not think Myra understood that. Sometimes her friend could be very one dimensional.

  “What about in vitro?”

  “I prefer to let things happen naturally,” Myra quipped.

  “Then why not?” Tiffany proposed. “Why don’t you just dispel with all the charts and timetables and just give Neil an old-fashioned spanking.”

  Myra blushed at Tiffany’s sexual reference and gave a hesitant laugh. “I do not know.”

  “It could work. Maybe if you both relaxed and just enjoyed each other, it would happen. Get Neil in a frenzy, and rejuvenate those lazy sperms.”

  Myra laughed at Tiffany’s blunt speech. The church sisters never spoke about sex in such terms, but maybe they should. Myra admitted that though she was red-faced, she was slightly intrigued. A sexual adventure with no holds barred sounded appealing. Myra still had her doubts, though.

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “Then you would have had too much fun to even care.”

  Myra gave Tiffany a hug and thanked her for the advice.

  “Do not thank me. Just do it,” Tiffany advised with a raunchy quip. “Give the man some backbreaking exercise and hold your legs up high.”

  “I do not think that works.” Myra cackled with laughter.

  “You can try.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Jamaal and Karlie had been playing some serious cat and mouse, and he was about to change that. He ran after Karlie before she got to her next class, determined to confront her. She had been painstakingly avoiding him, and he wanted to know why.

  “Karlie, why haven’t you returned my calls?” Jamaal asked without preamble. His class was on the other end of the campus, and he did not have time to mince words.

  “I have just been busy,” Karlie said, hedging.

  “Too busy to talk to me?”

  Karlie heard the hurt in Jamaal’s voice and knew she had to respond. She had to tell him the truth no matter how embarrassing it was for her. “No, it’s not that. It’s just—”

  The late bell rang, interrupting their conversation.

  “We’ll talk after school,” Karlie suggested, glad for the respite.

  “All right,” Jamaal agreed before going to class.

  Karlie was waiting for him by the gym after school. Tanya was there as well—for backup, he supposed. As soon as the girls spotted him, Jamaal saw Tanya wave before she walked off. He was glad because he and Karlie needed to have a private conversation.

  “Hey,” Karlie greeted him.

  “Hi.”

  “I guess I owe you an explanation,” Karlie began. The two fell in step as they started walking home. They chose to walk instead of taking the bus because it gave them time to talk and truly get to know each other.

  “Please, just tell me what’s going on.”

  Karlie hesitated but then blurted it out just to get it over with. “After our kiss, I was so embarrassed that I guess I was avoiding you.”

  Jamaal stopped and looked at her with bewilderment. “Embarrassed about what?”

  “Kissing,” Karlie said in a low voice. “I got scared because—”

  “It was your first time?”

  Karlie nodded her head. Her chin was on her chest, and she knew her face was beet red.

  “Karlie, I do not care about that.” Since she would not look him in the eyes, he used his index finger to lift up her chin. “The first time for anything is always special, and I feel good that you would even let somebody like me kiss you.”

  “Somebody like you?” Karlie creased her brow with indignation. “You are great, Jamaal. Can’t you see that?”

  “You are the only person who thinks so, besides my grandma,” Jamaal said, “And I love you for it.” He pulled her close to him and kissed her gently on the lips. After several moments, he released her, and they started walking while holding hands. “There. Now you’ve moved on from the first kiss.”

  “I love you too,” Karlie said. “Now I feel stupid for avoiding you.”

  Jamaal stopped to look Karlie in her eyes. “Karlie, you don’t have to hide anything from me—ever. I got your back no matter what.”

  “Thanks, Jamaal. I am here for you too if you ever decide you need to tell me something.” Though she didn’t come right out and say it, Karlie was referring to Jamaal’s parents. She had yet to meet them, and Jamaal had remained mum on that topic. Hopefully, he would trust her enough to share all of his life with her.

  That very evening, right outside Karlie’s house, another boy stood there for several minutes. He turned his nose up at the regular-looking structure, but he was pretty sure his eyes were seeing things right.

  Brian double-checked the business card again to make sure he had found the right place. He looked around the neighborhood with barely concealed disdain. He could not imagine Tiffany living here. She was a former diva who should be living somewhere fit enough for MTV Cribs.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Brian opened the gate, walked to the front door, and rang the doorbell. Brian rubbed his hands together. “It’s cold out here.” Now he wished that he had listened to his mother and worn his gloves. He zipped up his jacket and rang the doorbell again.

  Moments later, Tiffany opened the door. She gave him a huge grin and opened the door even wider. Brian felt relieved that she obviously remembered him and was glad to see him.

  “What brings you over here?” Tiffany asked, surprised to see the young boy on her doorstep, but Tiffany wanted him to feel welcomed. She did not know what it was about Brian, but when she looked through the peephole and saw him standing there, her heart went out to him.

  “I saw your card on my dad’s table, and I was in the neighborhood, so . . .” Brian stopped, feeling stupid about showing up at her house uninvited. He regretted his rash move.

  He turned to walk away, humiliated.

  “You want to play twenty-one? My daughter and I were just in the midst of playing, and we were playing for nickels. Want in?”

  Brian smiled and made a U-turn. Meekly, he followed Tiffany into the kitchen and stopped when he saw Karlie. Brian was entranced. His expression was positively comical.

  Tiffany saw Brian eyeing her daughter and paused. Her mind whirled with possibilities. No, this could not happen. She had not considered or foreseen this possibility. Brian could not drool over his potential half sister.

  She was going to nip that in the bud before it got ugly. Evidently, Ryan hadn’t confided in his s
on about anything to do with Karlie—which wasn’t surprising—but that also explained the goofy expression all over Brian’s face.

  Tiffany saw her daughter return a shy smile at Brian and knew she had to do something. Thinking fast, she rapidly performed the introductions and made a point to ask Karlie to invite Jamaal over to even out the team. She hoped mentioning Jamaal’s name would cool Karlie’s interest in Brian.

  Lucky for her, Karlie obediently went to make the call. Brian watched Karlie walk over to the telephone, liking what he saw. Tiffany could practically smell his testosterone level escalating. She did not know how to curb his ardor without revealing the truth. Then an idea occurred to her, and she grabbed it like a lifeline.

  “Brian, you and Karlie are about the same age, I think.”

  “Oh, I am seventeen. How old is Karlie?”

  “Fifteen,” Tiffany gleefully pointed out.

  She saw Brian’s face drop and hid her smile. To him, two years were like an eternity. Karlie would not be able to do anything he could. She could not drive yet. She could not get into R-rated movies. Tiffany delighted in the fact that this romance was probably ending before it began. Maybe Brian would readjust his thinking and view Karlie as sort of a little sister, and that just might not be a far stretch from the truth.

  “Brian, would you like some snacks? I have pretzels, cheese curls, all kinds of goodies,” Tiffany offered.

  “Oh, yes, thank you.”

  Tiffany drew him out in conversation until Jamaal arrived. The four of them played a mean game of Monopoly until Tiffany excused herself to order some pizza for all of them.

  Neither Jamaal nor Brian seemed in a rush to get home. Tiffany wondered about that. Come to think of it, she never heard Karlie once say she was going to Jamaal’s house. Not that she would like that.

  Tiffany made a mental note to ask her daughter about that. She already had a good idea why Brian was here. He did not think anybody cared if he came home. Tiffany thought about that some more. All she had done was give him a little attention, and here he was, on her doorstep a few days later. He had great poise and manners and was acting like a regular teen. She could not imagine Brian doing anything to precipitate an expulsion from school.