God Has Spoken (23 page)

“Okay, I'll see you later. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Eleanor slowly hung up the phone. She pushed her chair away from the desk and stood up. Restlessly pacing the carpeted floor, her brows knitted in deep concentration, she twirled her ballpoint pen around her thumb, contemplating one question. What was she going to do when she came face-to-face with the daughter she abandoned eighteen years ago?

In bed that night, Eleanor twisted and turned, too nervous to sleep. It felt as if millions of ants were crawling over her body and she was about to jump out of her skin.

Before she left the office that afternoon Mr. Brown had informed Eleanor that Dupree would be in at nine a.m. the next morning for an interview with her.
What was she going to do when she sees her daughter? Should she tell Dupree who she was? How would she react?

“Babe, you need to get some sleep,” Dwight whispered in her ear from behind, pulling her back closer into his body, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. “It's going to be okay.”

“I know. But it's not going to be easy,” Eleanor said with a sigh. She turned around and moved closer to her husband, face-to-face, their noses almost touching, their eyes locked on each other. “I'm glad I have your support,” she leaned over and kissed him, “because I couldn't do this without you. Thank you, my darling husband.”

“We are in this together, Mrs. Humphrey,” Dwight replied, pressing his body closer to hers, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. “Let's get some rest. Tomorrow is another day.”

 

 

“I can do this,” Eleanor repeated over and over, walking from one end of her office to the other, then back. “I can look in my daughter's face and not break down.” She straightened her jacket and pulled down her pencil skirt. “I won't tell her who I am right now. It's not the right time.”

Eleanor walked over to her desk, leaned over, and took out her handbag from a lower drawer. Rummaging inside, she located her compact powder and lipstick. After taking a deep breath, one hand holding the compact mirror, she freshened up her lipstick for the fourth time that morning.

Eleanor paused and looked at her office door as if a serial killer was trying to get in. “Oh my God, she's here,” she whispered, her chest rising and falling in panic. She threw the compact and lipstick in the drawer and kicked it shut. Running her sweaty hands down her skirt, she inhaled and exhaled before she took a seat behind her desk. “Come in.”

Mr. Brown entered, followed by a tall, beautiful young lady who was wringing her hands together nervously. “Eleanor, I would like to introduce you to Dupree.”

Eleanor's heart slammed against her chest, her throat constricted, and her knees trembled.
Good God! It's her. She is the spitting image of her father
.

“Eleanor?” Mr. Brown was looking at her with a puzzled look on his face. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, yes. I'm fine.” Eleanor laughed nervously and stood up. “Thanks, Chevon. I'll take it from here.”

Mr. Brown nodded, smiled at Dupree, and exited the room, closing the door shut behind him.

Eleanor came around her desk and walked toward Dupree. Without saying a word, she looked at Dupree for a few long seconds, her eyes raking over her from head to toe. Suddenly she realized that she was staring and smiled awkwardly. “Please forgive me for staring,” Eleanor said, her right hand outstretched. Dupree reached out and grabbed it in a firm handshake. “You are a very beautiful young lady,” she added.

“Thank you,” Dupree responded shyly.

“I'm Eleanor Humphrey. Please, have a seat.” Eleanor smiled and waved her arm toward the chair in front of her desk. She waited until Dupree sat before she went and took her own seat, facing the young woman.

“I love to see young ladies striving to make something of their lives, and that was one of the reasons I admired your determination to get a job,” Eleanor began the interview. “So, tell me something about yourself, Dupree. Mr. Brown said you are from Falmouth?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Dupree sat up straight, her hands flat in her lap. “I lived there with my grandaunt before I came here to attend UTech.”

“That's wonderful, Dupree.” Eleanor swallowed hard, her fists clinched tight behind her desk. “And you would like to work here with us at BDO for the summer.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Dupree replied politely. “This would be a wonderful opportunity for me.”

“Sure you don't want to go back home and spend the time off with your grandaunt?” Eleanor knew she was fishing, but she needed some information on Aunt Madge. “She is alone now that you are living here in Kingston, right?” Totally unprofessional but nothing about this interview was professional. For Eleanor, it was personal. Very personal.

Dupree smiled. “Aunt Madge is staying with friends and having a wonderful time. She supports my decision to get this job.”

There it was; the confirmation. Not that she needed it, but Eleanor felt like someone kicked her in the gut. She was sitting across from her daughter after eighteen years. It wasn't the little, scary creature that was before her now but a poised, intelligent, gorgeous young woman, and she had contributed nothing to her upbringing. Shame like she had never felt before draped over Eleanor like a bag of cement. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat, forcing a smile on her face.

Eleanor asked Dupree a few more generic questions before she quickly wrapped up the interview, offering her the job as an assistant to Mr. Ryan Patterson, Chief Financial Officer. Dupree was scheduled to start working in less than one week, right after the school term ended.

After closing the door behind Dupree, Eleanor weakly braced her back against it and allowed the tears to flow. With her burning eyes squeezed tight, she took deep gulps of air into her lungs. “Help me, Lord,” she chanted breathlessly. “I thought I was doing the right thing to protect the people I love, but why doesn't it feel like it now?

“Ahhh!” Eleanor jumped when someone knocked on the door. Quickly she bolted to her desk and grabbed a handful of Kleenex. The knock came again as she hurriedly wiped her face and blew her nose.

“Eleanor?” said the voice she needed to hear so badly. “It's me.”

Eleanor threw the used tissue in the waste bin by her desk and rushed over to the door, pulling it open. Without a word she jumped into her husband's opened arms, sobbing.

With Eleanor's arms wrapped tightly around his neck in a suffocating hold, Dwight staggered into her office, gently kicking the door shut. “It's all right now, sweetheart.” Dwight rocked her gently. “I knew that was very difficult for you.”

“It's . . . it's . . . It's her,” Eleanor stammered. “It was my daughter.”

Dwight smiled. “I'm sorry I missed her. I had an appointment downtown and traffic was horrendous.” Slowly he lowered his wife to the floor, his arms still locked around her waist, her face rested on his chest. “What does she look like?” he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Eleanor pulled back and looked up at him with wet eyes. “She is beautiful,” she replied. “Thank you.” She took the handkerchief that Dwight handed her and dabbed her eyes. “She is tall, slender, smooth, flawless skin, and the most exquisite smile I have ever seen in my life.” A tiny smile winked at the corners of her mouth. “She is very intelligent and speaks eloquently with good posture. She is a unique young lady.”

“Hmmm, sounds like someone I know.” Dwight's dimples deepened. “Her mother.”

“But I have no claim to her,” Eleanor said sadly. “To her, I'm now just her boss.”

“We're going to fix that gradually,” Dwight said tenderly. “Let's take baby steps, okay?”

Eleanor nodded.

“Okay, get your stuff and let's go.” Dwight gently took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face her desk. “We're playing hooky for the rest of the day. I know Chevon will hold down the fort for you.”

“All right.” Eleanor's voice was low. She dragged her feet over to retrieve her handbag. She wasn't going to argue with her husband. If today was any indication of what was to come, Eleanor was in for a very bumpy ride.

Dupree started working at BDO Jamaica a few days later. Eleanor was an emotional mess. It was very hard being so close to her daughter and unable to tell her who she was. After a lengthy discussion with Dwight, they decided it was best if Eleanor developed her relationship with Dupree as her boss, get to know more about her as a person, before hitting her with the news that would no doubt change everything.

Eleanor made it her duty to have lunch with Dupree as often as possible at work. She used the time to subtly ask questions about Dupree's childhood and Aunt Madge but getting information from Dupree was like pulling teeth. It was as if Dupree had created a wall around herself, keeping everyone out. Eleanor wondered what had triggered this mistrust in her.

“She withdraws into herself whenever I ask her anything personal,” Eleanor voiced her concern to her husband one evening over dinner. “All I was able to find out is that Aunt Madge is living with her church sisters, Mrs. Scott and Miss Angie, and she is very happy. That's all. I can't get anything else out of her.”

“Well, you will soon find out for yourself, darling,” Dwight told her. “I would like to meet Dupree, then we can tell her together who you really are.”

“You think it's time to tell her?” Eleanor looked like a mouse cornered by a cat. “And to meet Aunt Madge?”

“Yes. It's time for you to reconnect with your daughter and aunt. I'm not too worried about Aunt Madge. From what you have told me about her, she is a very forgiving woman. Especially when she hears everything that happened to you. Dupree, on the other hand, might not be so easy.” Dwight looked pointedly at her. “She is going to take some work, but I do believe, in the end, both of you will find your way to each other.”

Eleanor went to work the next morning with Dwight's words ringing in her head. It was time for her to have the talk with her daughter. She would invite Dupree to have dinner with her and Dwight and take it from there.

At lunchtime Eleanor walked into the lunch room, scanning the room for Dupree. She noticed her sitting in the back at a table by herself. Eleanor had her lunch served and invited herself to Dupree's table. “Hello, Dupree,” Eleanor said after she sat down. “How are you doing today?”

No response. Dupree was staring unseeingly into her plate. Her mind seemed to be a thousand miles away.

“Dupree? Dupree?” No response. Eleanor looked at Dupree worriedly. “Dupree?” She snapped her fingers before Dupree's face causing Dupree to jerk back in alarm.

“Yes?” Her eyes met Eleanor apologetically. “I'm sorry. I . . .”

“Please. No apologies are necessary; just tell me what's wrong.”

With tears in her eyes, Dupree told Eleanor that she was attacked the night before when she was going home.” He came out of nowhere,” Dupree sobbed. “But I fought him off and managed to escape.” The tears trickled down her face.

Eleanor was rendered speechless, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “You . . . You can't go back to that bad neighborhood,” she hissed through her teeth. “You have to get out now and you can stay with me until we get you a place of your own,” she told Dupree in an angry voice.

“Thank you, but I can't leave Jas there by herself,” Dupree replied with gratitude. She had informed Eleanor when she just started working at BDO Jamaica about her friend and roommate, Jas.

“You know what? I have to go and check on something. Please come to my office after you finish your lunch,” Eleanor instructed Dupree and marched out of the lunchroom without touching her food.

Eleanor was furious. Dupree was attacked! My God! What if she hadn't fought off that creep? What if he had . . . ? “Thank you, Lord,” Eleanor mumbled as she hurried into her office and closed the door. She grabbed the phone and quickly tapped in a number as she lowered herself into her chair.

“Hey, baby. Call to take me to lunch?” Dwight answered his cell phone on the first ring. “I'm heading back now.” Earlier that morning after dropping off his wife at work, Dwight went to a banker's meeting at Bank of Jamaica in downtown Kingston.

“She was attacked!” Eleanor yelled and began to cry.

“What? Who was attacked?” Dwight asked confused. “Sweetheart, what's going on?”

“Dupree. She was attacked last night when she was going home.”

“My God! Was she hurt? Where is she now?” Dwight fired off one question after the other.

“No, she wasn't hurt. She fought him and ran,” Eleanor told him. “She's here at work, devastated. She can't go back to that place.”

“Of course not,” Dwight said angrily. His hand gripped the steering wheel tighter. “She will stay with us.”

“She doesn't want to leave her friend, Jas, there alone.” Eleanor said, blowing her nose loudly into the tissue. “I don't want her to do that either. Those girls are not safe living there alone. But I don't know if she will want to stay with us. I don't know what to do, babe.” Then it hit Eleanor like a sack of spuds. “Edward,” she said. “Babe, let me call you back in a minute.”

“Okay, but what—” The line went dead.

Eleanor pressed and released the hook on the phone, before dialing another number. After speaking for a few minutes, she hung up, breathing a sigh of relief.

Wearily, she leaned back in her chair. Suddenly images of that atrocious night in the park so many years ago flooded her mind. The hands groping her, touching her, violating her. Her breathing became labored; she breathed in deeply and exhaled loudly, her fist kneading her forehead, willing the haunting memories to go away.

The ringing of the telephone snapped Eleanor back into the present. Shakily she reached for the receiver. “Hello,” she answered in a weak voice.

“It's me,” said Dwight. “You were going to call me back?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry, babe. I got distracted for a minute,” Eleanor replied. “I just spoke to Edward. He said Dupree and her friend can use Jessica's apartment for as long as they want. Jessica doesn't want to rent or sell it.”

“He did? Oh, baby, that's wonderful. I completely forgot about that apartment,” Dwight replied happily. “I'm sure Dupree and Jas will like that. I'll call Edward and thank him myself. Do you want me to come and help you guys later?” Dwight asked.

“No, we can manage,” Eleanor said. “I don't want the first time you meet Dupree for it to be under these circumstances.”

“Okay. Call me if you need me.”

A knock came at the door. “I think Dupree is here,” Eleanor told her husband. “I'll call you later. Thanks, darling. I love you.” Eleanor hung up the phone. “Come in,” she called out.

Dupree entered and Eleanor invited her to have a seat. The anger returned as Eleanor looked at her daughter. “My husband's best friend, Edward, is a developer who builds and rents apartments all over the country,” she informed Dupree. “He has a few places in Norbrook Heights, Constant Spring Road, Meadowbrook, Forest Hills, Cherry Gardens, and Stony Hill, to name a few.”

Eleanor noticed Dupree looking at her as if she was crazy. Dupree's eyes had grown wider with the name of each place she mentioned. She knew the reason why. These were some of the most expensive communities in Kingston. She quickly explained. “I know what you are thinking, but let me explain. Edward's youngest daughter, Jessica, recently got married and is now living in Miami with her new husband. However, she refused to sell or rent her Oakland apartment on Constant Spring Road, which was a gift from her dad. Edward is offering you and Jas the apartment to stay for as long as you want, free of charge.”

Dupree rested her head on the desk and cried.

Eleanor hurriedly got up, pulled up another chair beside Dupree, took her in her arms, and cried with her. For Eleanor, her tears were more than getting a safe place for Dupree to live. She was holding her daughter in her arms for the first time. Not as a baby but as a grown woman. “Thank you, Lord,” she said quietly as she handed Dupree some Kleenex to wipe her face and runny nose, while she also did the same after they regained their composure.

Eleanor took Dupree and Jas to look at the apartment after work. After receiving the key from the security guard at the gate, they anxiously walked inside. Eleanor's heart sang with delight as she watched Dupree “oohing” and “aahing” over the beautiful, elegantly furnished three-bedroom apartment that was housed in the gated community.

Later that evening, Bullfrog, along with Eleanor, moved the girls into their new, luxury apartment. Bullfrog was a friend of Jas, who owned a van that he had used to moved Dupree from her previous apartment. Dupree had a falling out with her promiscuous roommate, Amanda, who slept with her ex-boyfriend, Suave. It was Bullfrog who came to the rescue again the night when Dupree was attacked by an unknown assailant.

After the girls were settled in, Eleanor went home smiling to her husband. “It feels so good to know that Dupree is safe.” She hugged Dwight tightly around his waist, her twinkling eyes staring up at him.

“I'm happy it worked out.” Dwight looked down at her, smiling. “Now we need to tell her who you are.”

“Yes, it's time. I'll take you to meet her this Saturday.”

“I'm looking forward to it.” Dwight pulled her closer. “I can't wait to meet Aunt Madge as well.” He would do so sooner than they both anticipated.