Sister Betty Says I Do (18 page)

“Tell me something,” Delilah said in between tiny sips of lemonade. “Have you two written your wedding vows yet?”

The surprised looks that sprang up on Sister Betty's and Freddie's faces didn't go unnoticed.

“You two look like we done walked in on you naked,” Thurgood teased.

“Don't be embarrassed,” Delilah said softly. “Me and Thurgood didn't write ours until the night before. We'd completely forgotten about it.”

“Well, that's not necessary,” Sister Betty said and then glanced over at Freddie, who looked like he was shrinking from fear.

“Of course it's necessary,” Thurgood replied and then turned to Freddie. “Don't you think so, my cousin-to-be?”

Freddie remained speechless.

“Obviously, they haven't done it, so we might as well share what we did,” Delilah said as she pulled two sheets of paper out of her purse. The papers were well read and the type was smudged, but she smiled as she handed one sheet to Thurgood. “Suppose me and Thurgood show you how we did it when we got remarried?”

Feeling trapped and with nothing else to do, Sister Betty and Freddie nodded. They then leaned back in their seats, prepared to watch
The Thurgood and Delilah Show.

“We didn't just read our vows,” Thurgood announced as he stood. “We acted them out.”

Delilah rose from her seat. She and Thurgood stood together with paper in hand and began to show them how it'd gone at their wedding.

Thurgood waved one hand about Delilah's body, as though he had a magic wand. “I, Thurgood, will always love you, Delilah, because you are like a prince's daughter. Your feet in sandals are so beautiful. Your graceful legs are like jewels. The hands of a skilled worker must have shaped them. Your navel is like a round bowl that always has mixed wine in it. Your waist is like a mound of wheat that is surrounded by lilies.”

Thurgood stopped to see if what he was saying was having an impact. As soon as he saw that Freddie's mouth was agape, he grinned, turned back to face a smiling Delilah, and continued with his eyes and hands sweeping across her chest. “Your two breasts are lovely. They are like two young antelopes. Your neck is smooth and beautiful, like a beige tower. And I will forever see you this way and hold your essence in my heart.”

“Don't you two say nothing yet,” Thurgood told them quickly. “It's my Dee Dee's turn now.”

Delilah smiled and adjusted the paper she held. Looking up at Thurgood, she threw back her hair and, with one hand on curvy hips any thirty-year-old woman would covet, began. “Thurgood, I will never forget the time when God brought you back into my life.” Her smile grew. “I went down to a grove of nut trees. I wanted to look at the new plants growing in the valley. I wanted to find out whether the vines had budded. I wanted to see if the pomegranate trees had bloomed. Before I realized it, I was among the royal chariots of your firmness.”

Sister Betty looked at Freddie, who seemed to be hanging on to every word Delilah said. He didn't appear to understand what she was saying, but his glazed-over eyes didn't try to hide his appreciation. “I imagine when you two get finished reminiscing and serenading, you'll remember you was talking to us.”

“Oh my.” Delilah blushed. “All this time and Thurgood and me still act like newlyweds.”

“That's right,” Thurgood said. “Take a good look at me and my Dee Dee.”

“Why?” Sister Betty leaned back in her chair to obstruct Freddie's wanton gaze.

“This will be you and Freddie once y'all are hitched.” Thurgood let out a chuckle. “Any blind person can see you two got that Thurgood and Dee Dee potential.” Without any resistance from Freddie, Thurgood pushed Freddie's seat closer to Sister Betty. “Now, that's better. I ain't expecting Freddie to set off no sparks right away, but one look at him tells me his fuse been lit.”

Thurgood and Delilah took turns encouraging Sister Betty and Freddie. They repeated their story of estrangement, mentioning that Thurgood had gone to prison and Delilah had fled to Hollywood, and describing how God had brought them back together. Delilah's eyes became bleary when she told them how she'd delayed telling Thurgood that she'd placed their son, Jessie, then a two-year-old, in foster care. They told their story slowly, as though anticipating questions from the couple. However, neither Sister Betty nor Freddie asked questions, nor did they move their chairs away from each other.

After a few more glasses of lemonade, Thurgood and Delilah prepared to leave.

“Well, we have taken up enough of your time,” Thurgood said as he kissed Sister Betty on her cheek. He then looked at Freddie. “You looking much better than earlier, but if you want, I can drop you off at your house.”

“Thank you, Thurgood,” Freddie replied. “Just let me gather my things.” He rose and took his cane off the back of his chair. For the first time since he'd sat down in her kitchen Freddie smiled at Sister Betty. “Thank you, Betty,” he told her. “I'm praying—”

“Praying what?” Sister Betty asked. The hope in her voice lingered.

But as though the words were caught in his throat, Freddie headed toward the front door, taking the unspoken words with him.

“I'm right behind you, Freddie,” Thurgood said before turning to Sister Betty. “We are gonna be here until Sunday. We might not see you again to go out for dinner, because after our last seminar on Saturday night, we'll probably need to rest up so we don't miss our early morning flight.” Then he added, “Of course, our plans are always subject to change.”

Delilah came over to Thurgood, tapping him on his arm. “Why don't you swing back around here and pick me up after you drop Freddie off?” she told him. “I just thought of a lovely idea for their wedding, and I want to run it past Betty first.”

“That's not a problem, Dee Dee. You just take your time. I got an idea I want to discuss with Freddie, if he don't mind. But it just might take a little more time than it would if I just dropped him around the corner.”

Sister Betty heard the sound of Thurgood's car engine as he backed out of her driveway. She gathered the glasses, almost dropping them as she placed them on the counter. She could feel Delilah's eyes watching her every move. It didn't take but a few minutes to remove the napkins and reset her table. The way Delilah's eyes burned into her back made the whole process seem like an eternity.

“So what are you going to do?” Delilah finally asked. “Clear the entire kitchen and mop the floors before we sit and chat? Before you start protesting, I'm telling you that Thurgood and I can tell something's wrong.”

“I really don't want to talk about it, Delilah. I've left it in God's hands.”

“Oh, ain't that about nothing,” Delilah said as she maneuvered a chair to block Sister Betty from leaving her kitchen. “Do you think God is going to come down here and fix your mess? He has His people to do that for Him. You, above all, should know that, especially the way you keep butting in folks' business and saying the Lord sent you.”

Delilah's words brought Sister Betty's mind to a halt. She'd promised God that she wouldn't involve anyone in her troubles with Freddie. She'd kept her word so far, because she hadn't discussed whether there'd be a wedding with anyone, not even Freddie.

“Delilah, are you telling me that God has sent you?”

“I'm telling you that you need to stop aggravating God about things that He's already promised you. I'm telling you that you need to understand that whatever God's got in store for you, the Devil wants to cancel.”

“I know that, Delilah.” She did know it, and especially when it came to other people. How often had she given that same encouragement to someone when they'd begun to lose hope or become impatient? “I've been reading the Word, fasting, and praying.”

“That's wonderful,” Delilah remarked. “And yet you haven't believed what God has promised you. Luke, the eighteenth chapter and first verse, tells us that we should always pray and never become discouraged.”

“I have faith. . . .”

“Sure you have faith,” Delilah said as she pulled the chair away so Sister Betty could pass and sit opposite her. “You have super-saint faith that you will receive everlasting life. You have faith that Jesus went to the cross. You even have faith that God will supply all your needs. Yet because you've reached three score and something, you don't believe God can finally give you a husband, and that even with all the crazy drama that sometimes come with a relationship, that you won't ever know what to do to make it work. You're acting like all this is nothing but a dream. My goodness, Betty, I'd hate to see how your faith would react if God told you like He told Sarah that you were going to have a child.”

Sister Betty burst into tears.

 

They hadn't been inside Freddie's home but ten minutes, and all during that time Thurgood had done nothing but scold him. Freddie wanted to toss Thurgood out the door.

“You need to pray and cancel this shameful pity party you've been holding,” Thurgood said.

“You don't know nothing about what I've been doing since your cousin canceled the wedding without saying a word to me first!” The words were finally out there, and there was nothing Freddie could do to take them back. All he could do was wait for a look of shock to appear on Thurgood's face.

But the shocked look never came. Thurgood placed his hand on Freddie's shoulder, telling him, “Well, it's about time you said something. Sharvon finally phoned us last night and said what'd gone down and that it was her fault. She hadn't meant to tell old blabbermouth Sasha that your wedding was off.”

Freddie didn't need to express his anger in words. The furrowed brow, the turned-down mouth, and the clenched bony fists said it all. “I don't care what Sharvon finally told you. I'm sure Betty knew that you already knew about what'd happened. She sat there and let me go through all of that so-called wedding vow nonsense.” He jerked his shoulder away from Thurgood's hand.

“No, she don't know that I know.” Thurgood threw up his hands. “In fact, she's probably acting about as crazy and dumb with Dee Dee as you are right now 'cause she don't know that Sharvon told us anything. According to Sharvon, Betty really thinks you don't wanna get married.”

“Thurgood, I don't believe you.” Freddie began clawing at something on his arm, as though he literally wore his hurt feelings on his sleeves. “You can get outta my house right now. I can't stand a hypocrite, and especially one who's going around the country, trying to tell others how romance and safe sex is supposed to work.” Freddie began walking toward his front door.

“Oh, man, please,” Thurgood said as he placed his hands on his hips. “You need to calm down. You already taking medicine for that high blood pressure.” Thurgood suddenly smiled. “Although, I got to tell you that you really surprised me back at Betty's.”

Freddie stopped and spun around. “What are you talking about now?”

“I'm talking about the way you was reacting when my Dee Dee was reading that piece from the Song of Solomon. A man knows what another man is thinking.”

“You're crazy.”

“Uh-huh.” Thurgood smiled. “I'm crazy enough to know that whatever you taking for your high blood pressure ain't stopping Freddie Junior from trying to strike out on its own.”

A shade of red Thurgood had never seen before suddenly spread across Freddie's face.

“Don't be embarrassed,” Thurgood told him. “Dee Dee can cause a stir in a graveyard.”

Freddie hung his head. “I guess now I'm being a bit hypocritical. I'm sorry,” he told Thurgood. “I'm not lusting after your wife. It's Betty I want.”

Thurgood laughed. “Man, please. I ain't hardly mad at you. Me and the whole world know that Dee Dee is a fine woman, and a gorgeous one at that.”

“She's very pretty,” Freddie remarked. “But she's not my Honey Bee.”

“Lord, no!” Thurgood blurted. “But I am glad to hear you say that. I mean, there's a lot of playas out here and inside the church that would've had such ideas.”

“I'm no playa.”

“Of course you are,” Thurgood told him. “You've probably been running away and escaping the marriage claws by inches.”

“No, I haven't,” Freddie admitted. “I've never been within reach of a marriage claw.”

“Really?” Thurgood said. He then folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the living room wall. “I betcha when you rode a horse bareback, you tamed that filly, didn't you?”

“I did ride a couple of fillies back in the day, but as soon as I'd feel them bucking, I'd fall off too soon. . . . Word sure got around quick that I was no cowboy.”

What Freddie had confessed weakened Thurgood, and it showed as he slowly pushed away from the wall. Although he no longer wore his hair conked, the little gray fuzz he did have stood on edge. “Not even one that you could pay to ride?”

“Nope, I've never had a professional trainer in the art of sex.”

“And yet Betty still wants to marry you?” Thurgood shook his head and whistled as he looked Freddie in the eyes. “Man, whatever you need to do to get back on the good foot with my cousin, you need to do it. You can't let nothing, not even high blood pressure, mess up your marriage plans.”

Thurgood began thumbing the side of his cheek, as though to conjure up more advice. “If you telling the truth and every woman you ever slept with has stamped your lovemaking skills ‘return to sender,' then there's all kinds of things you can use to get your manhood off the trade-in block. If you and Betty think y'all wanna consummate and make things legal, there are ways. I mean, you have the pump. It's a hand pump, so I'm just assuming you ain't been completely idle all these years, so you probably won't have too much trouble with it. And then there's Viagra and Cialis. I'm telling you there's a pill or a cure for just about everything that ails you. We can even come up with something romantic to square away Betty's misunderstanding of where you stand about marrying her.”