God Has Spoken (27 page)

Officer Gregg's head snapped back as Omar's fist made contact with his jaw, knocking him out of his chair, onto the floor. Surprised, Eleanor, Beverly, and Dwight jumped up out of their chairs and away from the table, the ladies screaming loudly.

In a split second the five brothers were on Officer Gregg like a pack of wolves. The table and two chairs were flipped over, sending glasses of water and utensils flying.

“Stop it!” Eleanor shouted as Gerald picked up Officer Gregg by his shirt like a rag doll, setting him on his feet. Officer Gregg had blood pouring from the side of his mouth. His left eye was blood red and was already getting swollen.

Robert rushed forward and took the opportunity to punch Officer Gregg in the gut. He doubled over in pain but was snapped back up by Gerald who now held him in a neck hold.

Screams echoed around the room, chairs and tables turned over as panicked customers fell over each other, hurrying to get out the door when Gerald pulled out his gun and held it to Officer Gregg's head. Soon the restaurant was empty, except for the brothers, Dwight, Eleanor, Officer Gregg and Beverly.

“So you like to threaten young girls, right? You like to get them pregnant and intimidate them,
Officer
Gregg?” Gerald hissed in Officer Gregg's ear.

“Please, please, don't do that,” Beverly begged, snot and tears running down her face. “He regrets everything and is now a better man.”

“Kill him, Gerald,” Omar shouted, his fists folded, moving his head back and forth as if he was in a boxing ring.

“Gerald, man, you don't want to do this.” Dwight moved closer to him. “You are the good cop.”

“I'll get you off, my brother,” Alwayne said with confidence. “I am one of the
best
lawyers in Jamaica. Shoot the fool.”

Officer Gregg whimpered in pain as he struggled to breathe but surprisingly he never made a move in his defense or even tried to break away from the man who held him. It was almost as if he felt the assault was justified.

“You are a disgrace to the police force,” Gerald bellowed. “I should just pull the trigger.”

“What are you waiting—?”

“Stop ittttttttttt!” Eleanor's voice reverberated around the empty room, bouncing off the walls, slamming into everyone's eardrums. The room was stunned into silence, all eyes now focused on her. Slowly, one small step at a time, she walked over to Gerald and Officer Gregg. “Let him go, now.” Low but firm, no questions asked, only a swift response required.

Gerald dropped his hands to his sides, his mouth slightly opened as he stared at Eleanor. Officer Gregg bent over, his hands resting on his knees, coughing loudly. Beverly ran over to him, rubbing his back as he sucked air into his lungs.

Eleanor angrily peered from one face to another, her eyes were narrowed to a slit, her eyebrows almost meeting in the middle of her forehead. No one had ever seen her this mad before, including her husband. “Kill him? Really? Kill him?” She eyeballed Omar, who met her eyes, still fuming. “That's
not
who you are,” Eleanor said as she turned to Gerald. “You are a great father, husband, cop, son, and brother. You can't throw all that away.”

“What's going on in here?” a short, heavyset man ran in, breathing heavily. “Why are you destroying my place?” he yelled, stomping his stubby feet, his eyes bugging out of his head as he quickly scanned the mess in the restaurant. “I'm calling the police right now to arrest all of you.”

“Hi, Mr. Pamoody,” Alwayne said as he calmly strolled over to the restaurant manager, who was actually one of his clients. “Sorry about the mess.”

“Alwayne?
You
did all this?” Mr. Pamoody took a closer look at the faces of those who remained. His mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw Gerald. “I guess I don't need to call the police, huh? What do you know? I already have one at the crime scene!”

“Calm down, Mr. Pamoody.” Alwayne moved closer to the owner. “This was all just a big misunderstanding. My brothers and I will pay for all the damage that was done.”

“Oh, really?” Mr. Pamoody nodded his head as if in agreement, a cynical smile on his face. “Tell me something, Counselor. Who is going to defend
you
when I sue your behind for destroying my place and running off all my customers?” he shouted, his nostrils opened up like a funnel.

“Mr. Pamoody.” Dwight strolled over to the angry man. “We will definitely compensate you for your losses.”

“Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. CEO himself.” Mr. Pamoody looked Dwight up and down, the dollar signs almost transparent in his greedy eyes. “I really should call the police.” He briefly glanced at Gerald. “Ones that are not pulling out guns in public restaurants and threatening to kill a civilian in front of dozens of witnesses. But I think we might be able to work this out among ourselves.”

“Thank you.” Dwight shook the man's hand. “We will get together next week and take care of it.”

Mr. Pamoody nodded happily. “I'll go and get some workers to come and clean up all this mess.” He hurried away as pleased as a puss in boots.

“I'm going to take him up to his room,” Beverly announced, drawing everyone's attention to her and Officer Gregg. “Eleanor, can we call you tomorrow?”

Eleanor crossed over to them in a couple of strides. “I'm sorry about what had happened. I didn't know they were coming.”

Officer Gregg waved off her apology, peeking at her through his distended left eye, the right one was swollen shut. “They have a right to be angry at me. We'll speak some more on how to deal with this situation with Dupree. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that's fine.”

Officer Gregg shot a quick glance at the men before he and his wife slowly exited the room, her arm around his waist and his around her shoulders for support.

All the men were silent as they looked at Eleanor, trying to gauge her mood. The brothers knew she wasn't pleased with what they had done. And it would only get worse after Mama Pearl got wind of what had happened.

“I'm upset with all of you.” Eleanor pointed her index finger at each of the brothers. “You all need to repent and ask God for forgiveness. Wait until Mama Pearl hears about this.”

The men groaned. Dwight grinned.

“Let's get out of here before Mr. Pamoody changes his mind and calls the police.” Eleanor reached for Dwight's hand.

“Please. He is so busy calculating how much we are going to give him, the police are the last thing on his mind right now,” said Alwayne. “Greedy bastard. Wait until he needs my services again. I am going to charge him ten times the regular price.”

The other men smirked before they followed Eleanor out of the restaurant, each vowing within himself to be in church the next day. They did need to repent and start to forgive as Eleanor seemed to have done.

 

 

“She loves you very much.” Dwight sat beside Dupree on a bench under a big lignum vitae tree, out in the courtyard. “If you could just give her a few minutes to explain everything to you, I know it will make a difference.”

Dupree shrugged her shoulders, her eyes staring straight-ahead. It had been over two months since she found out the identity of her mother and father. But she still hadn't taken the time to speak to either one of them. Eleanor had returned to work. Trying not to push too much, she gave Dupree her space. It was Dwight who was trying to get Dupree to listen to her mother. He stopped by the apartment frequently to see Dupree and called to check up on her both at home and at work.

“You both have so much in common,” Dwight noted. “What do you say, Dupree? Can you do this for me?”

Dupree turned her head and looked at Dwight. She actually liked him very much. “You never give up, huh?” She smiled at him.

“No, not when it comes to you and your mother. I loved you before I even met you, Dupree. I want what's best for my girls.”

“I'm just so angry with her.” Dupree's eyes met Dwight's. “Every time I think about what she and Mr. Gregg had done, it infuriates me.”

Dwight took her small hand into his. “I understand. But to move past this anger, you need to get answers. You need to know why they did what they did.”

Dupree looked at him, contemplating what he had just said. “I even hate the fact that he is paying my tuition for NYU. Jas and Tony think I deserve it but . . .”

“What if I pay for it? Would that make you feel better about going?”

“Really? You would do that?” Dupree's face lit up in astonishment.

“Your mother and I would be happy to.” Dwight held on to her hand when she tried to pull away from him, the joy on her face instantly gone. “Dupree, whatever is mine is also my wife's and vice versa. We are a team.”

Dupree remained quiet.

“In fact, I have another suggestion for you. Instead of staying in a dorm, why don't you stay with my aunt? I know Aunt Clover would love to have you. She lives by herself on Seventy-second Street in Manhattan. You can even have my old room.” He lightly nudged Dupree in her side.

Dupree couldn't keep the smile off her face. “Really?”

“Yes, you are family now. You jump on the subway and NYU is right there. You'll be in the heart of New York City with everything close by; stores, restaurants, libraries, museums. Plus, you will feel more at home in the Big Apple with Aunt Clover.”

“Can I think about it and let you know?”

“Sure. So what do you say about dinner tomorrow at our house?” Dwight grinned when Dupree playfully rolled her eyes at him.

“Okay, but I'm not making any promises as to how I'll react when I see her,” she said in reference to her mother.

Dwight gaped at her. “Huh? Really?”

“Well, if you are not sure—”

“Come here you.” Dwight hugged Dupree, his smile stretching from ear to ear. “Wow, wait until your mother hears this. She won't sleep tonight.”

Dupree released Dwight. “Remember, no promises.”

“Got it. I'll come and get you around 6:00 p.m.”

Dupree nodded her head, trepidation moving into her gut. Was she ready for tomorrow?

Eleanor had spent the night before and all day on edge as she waited for Dupree to come to dinner. She tried to imagine how the evening would end but came up blank. She made an attempt to rehearse what to say to her daughter but gave up. Finally, she decided to just tell Dupree the truth, leaving nothing out. Dupree was an intelligent, young woman, and hopefully, she would understand.

“We'll have dinner first, after which we will talk,” Eleanor said aloud to herself as she paced their home, waiting for Dwight to return with Dupree. But that went out the window real fast.

“I don't understand why you never wanted me. What did I do so wrong that you had to run away from me?” Dupree asked her mother as soon as she entered the house, crying. She'd been holding that question in for so many years that she just exploded. “For heaven's sake, I was just a baby, Tiny!”

Dinner was put on hold as Dwight quickly excused himself and went into the bedroom, leaving mother and daughter to finally have that long, overdue talk.

Eleanor invited Dupree into the living room. “Please have a seat, Dupree.” Eleanor pointed to the couch, waited until Dupree sat, before taking her seat on the other couch across from her. Without hesitation Eleanor began her story, starting with her friendship with Dolly and recounting her experience with the dazzling Officer Gregg.

Dupree cried silently for the most part of Eleanor's story. With her eyes tightly shut, her arms wrapped snugly around her belly, she listened intently to the hell her mother had gone through. But it was the near rape in the park that eventually pushed her over the edge.

“No no no, please don't tell me they . . . they . . .” Dupree fell to her knees on the thick carpet in Dwight and Eleanor's living room, her forehead brushing against it as she wailed. Loud, piercing cries rocked her slender frame.

“No, they didn't, sweetheart.” Eleanor got up from the couch and knelt down beside her daughter. “I think it was the police who came and rescued me. All I know was shots were fired, and they released me.” Eleanor pulled Dupree up off the floor and into her arms, both women crying hard.

“If Brother Bunny hadn't come when he did, he would have raped and killed me too.” Dupree rested her head on Eleanor's shoulder and cried.

Eleanor froze, her eyes bugged out of her head in shock. “Who was going to rape you?”

“Deacon Livingston.”

This was the first time Eleanor was hearing about Dupree's attack. All the time she spent catching up and reacquainting with Aunt Madge, she'd never said a word. But being the wise woman that she was, Aunt Madge knew this unfortunate incident would be a glue to bond the mother and daughter together after hearing Eleanor's story. Both women had escaped similar fates by the grace of God.

“Deacon Livingston? He was like a father to me. He was a friend of Aunt Madge and your grandmother.
He
attacked you?” Eleanor felt as if someone had just reached in and ripped out her heart.

Between sobs, Dupree told her mother of the most horrendous experience of her life. The women's cries were like howls, boomeranging around the house. Dwight ran from the bedroom into the living room in alarm. He found Eleanor and Dupree huddled together on the floor, bawling. Their pain was so intense, he began to cry himself. Without a word Dwight knelt down beside the ladies and pulled both of them into his arms.

“Heavenly Father, if there is a time this family needs you, it is now,” Dwight prayed, gently rocking both his girls. “Please heal Eleanor and Dupree's aching hearts. Please, I am begging you to erase the pain of the past and help them to create new, wonderful memories today and forever. You are the only one who can bind them together, Lord.” Dwight prayed until their crying tapered off to sniffles. “I'm going to get us something to drink.”

Dwight sluggishly rose to his feet, reached down, and helped his wife, then Dupree to their feet. The women staggered over to the long couch and wearily sat down beside each other. Eleanor reached for Dupree's hand and held on to it tightly. She still had so much to tell her daughter.

“Here you go.” Dwight returned with two tall glasses of water. He gave one to each woman, peering intently at their still damped faces. He crossed the room and got a box of Kleenex from a side table, returned, and handed sheets to Eleanor and Dupree. “Do you ladies want to take a break and get something to eat?”

“No.” Dupree turned to look at Eleanor. “I want to hear the rest of it.”

“Are you sure? We can continue another day. I know that was a lot for you to absorb.” Eleanor stared at Dupree with concern.

“I'm sure.” Dupree nodded with determination. “Please, go on.”

“Babe, why don't you go ahead and eat without us?” Eleanor said to Dwight. “Dupree and I will have something later.”

Dwight agreed and left the room. It took a few more hours, many more tears, and over eighteen years of pain and heartache before Eleanor concluded her story.

“So that's why I stayed away but never a day went by that I didn't think about you, my daughter.” Eleanor's eyes pleaded with Dupree, the tears creeping down her face. “I thought I was protecting you.”

Dupree's wet eyes locked with her mother's. “You came back?”

“Yes, I did. But I just got a glimpse of your back.”

“May God forgive me but I'm not sorry that monster is dead,” Dupree said, alluding to Officer Bailey. “As for Mr. Gregg, it's going to take a long, long time—”

Eleanor leaned over and placed her index finger over Dupree's lips. “No. Please. I don't want it to take a long time for you to be free. I want God to help you to forgive us so you can finally step into your future.”

Dupree nodded. “It all makes sense now. You were forced to do what you did. I do wish you had told Dwight or your adopted brothers what was going on and maybe they could have helped us, but on the other hand, who knows what might have happened with that lunatic.”

“I pay for my sins every day, Dupree. I was such a bad mother to you that the Lord decided I would never be a mother again, so He shut my womb.”

Dupree looked at her mother in shock. “What?”

“The one thing my husband wants so much, I can't give him; a child of his own. It's my punishment for what I did to you.” Eleanor shivered as if cold, crying. “I accept my fate and I have you, but I can't help feeling the pain for the man I love. It's all because of my sins.”

“That's not true. You know God doesn't work like that.” Dupree stood up, without a word she knelt down in front of Eleanor and placed her hand on her mother's tummy. “Dear God, my mother is ready now to be a mother again. Please grant her and Dwight the desire of their hearts and bless them with a child of their own.”

Eleanor wept, her eyes closed.

“Lord, please make it a girl and not a boy. I don't know if I can deal with another bigheaded brother.”

Eleanor smiled through her tears, stealing a peep at Dupree. To her surprise Dupree had a serious look on her face, her eyes closed in deep concentration.

“I will try to help change diapers when I come home on school breaks, but I'm not going to make any promises right now. Who knows, they might get a nanny and let me off the hook.”

Eleanor bit her lip, happiness overtaking her body.

“So, please I am asking this of you in your holy name I pray. Amen.”

“Amen.” Eleanor's mouth was stretched wide with a huge grin on her face.

“It's going to be okay, Mother,” Dupree said as she stood to her feet and sat by her mother's side. “Just wait and see.”

Eleanor crushed Dupree to her bosom and began praising God in a loud voice. Dwight ran in again, expecting the worse. But this time it was cheers instead of tears. “She called me ‘mother,'” Eleanor told him over Dupree's head. “She prayed that we will have a baby. A girl though.”

Dwight placed a hand to his cheek, nodding his head repeatedly. “I . . . I . . . I love girls,” he stammered, his wife's happiness reflecting in his own eyes.