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  He decided to reveal his reason though, knowing, as he figured, that David would not judge or try to condemn him.

  “Maleeka asked me yesterday to move in with her. She figures that if we live together for a while, it will help me get over my apprehension about us taking that final step to forever.”

  David’s eyes did grow a little bigger on his face as Darrin told him his news. “Wow, man! That’s a deep one. You said this is what she thinks and feels. Obviously you are considering it since you brought up possibly moving out to me. But tell me, how do you really feel about it?”

  Darrin let out an audible breath as he retrieved his waffles as they popped up from the toaster. He sat at the table with David, where the rest of the stuff he needed to complete his breakfast was already placed.

  “Man, I’m not really sure. I mean, I think it makes sense to at least give it a try. I do love Maleeka. I don’t think I will ever find anyone better than her out there. I just have this fear of getting married and having it not work out for whatever reason. Maybe taking a trial run at it will help me to see that we can actually make it work. I do know this: I would rather be just living with her and simply have to move out than to be married with children and have to get a divorce if we can’t keep each other happy.”

  “Well, it sounds to me like you have already made up your mind about this. You already know all the rules about fornication and living in sin and all that, so I’m not going to give you a lecture. As far as me being cool with handling this place alone, don’t worry about that. I’ll be fine,” David said evenly as he finished off the last of his water. He purposefully made sure he did not come across as condescending or judgmental.

  “Thanks, Dave. I appreciate that. I’m still not one hundred percent sure, but if I’m honest with myself, I have to say I am definitely leaning in that direction. I will give myself another forty-eight hours to make a final decision.”

  “All right, brother. And if you do decide to go that route and it doesn’t work out, you can always come back here, no questions asked. I will either live here with you or live here alone.”

  The men shook hands and then stood for a manly hug.

  “So what was up with you yesterday afternoon? What direction did you take that led you away from home after church?” Darrin asked curiously.

  David smiled as he reminisced about the time he spent with Katrina after church yesterday. Their date had been absolutely perfect. Their timing to catch the next Tyler Perry movie could not have been better. They decided to go to the theater downtown in the Arizona Center. The landscaping of the small outdoor mall was absolutely gorgeous.

  The two decided to leave her car in the church parking lot and ride together in David’s car the short distance to the mall. After thoroughly enjoying the film, they decided to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in the Biltmore Area, another beautiful spot in Phoenix.

  The two laughed about the movie and conversed about some of the folks at church and a host of other topics. They were very natural and at ease with one another. During their time together, David did think about Toriyana a couple of times, but there was no guilt; however, when he dropped her off at her car, they shared a lingering hug and a chaste kiss. When he got back in his car to leave, a little shame began to rear its head.

  “I hung out with Katrina Hartfield after church yesterday. We went to see the Tyler Perry Movie, Good Deeds, and we had a bite to eat at The Cheesecake Factory,” David answered matter-of-factly.

  Darrin’s fork stopped midway between his plate and his mouth. After holding it suspended for a few seconds, he dropped it back into his plate. “My fiancée Maleeka’s best friend, Katrina Hartfield? Katrina Hartfield that works at the church? Katrina Hartfield that is fine as frog hair? Katrina Hartfield that is not your girlfriend, Toriyana? That Katrina Hartfield?”

  David shook his head at his roommate’s silly but thorough depictions of Katrina. “Yes. That Katrina Hartfield, goofy.”

  It was now Darrin’s turn to shake his head. “Wow! You cheating on your girl, dude?”

  David was unprepared for Darrin’s point blank question. He visibly jumped in reaction to Darrin’s bluntness. The guilt he felt yesterday at the end of their date was nothing compared to the dishonor he felt right now. He tried to rationalize his actions using the same theory he had used before to explain himself to Darrin.

  “Man, I am not cheating on Toriyana. Tori and I are not married or engaged, which makes us both single people,” he answered weakly.

  “Now you sound like Maleeka. That’s the same line she gives me when she keeps trying to get me to hook you up with Katrina.” Darrin also recalled when Maleeka used that logic on him when he got busted going out with Trisha behind her back.

  David felt a wee bit better after hearing Darrin say Maleeka and he were on the same page, but only a little. Darrin obviously was not convinced that David was not cheating.

  “Okay. So since you are not ‘cheating,’” Darrin said, using air quotes over the word cheating, “are you going to tell Tori about your date with Katrina?”

  “I’m not sure. To be honest, D, I do feel a little guilty about going out with Katrina. I love Tori. She is my heart. I only considered going out with Katrina because I was upset that Tori wasn’t going to be able to get here to see me as we planned. Don’t get me wrong, I think Katrina is great also. I have been attracted to her ever since the first time I met her. And while I don’t think she has done it intentionally, she has made it obvious she’s attracted to me as well.”

  “Wow, D.” The men called each other D on occasion. “I’m not going to judge you just like you didn’t judge me when I gave you my news. You are a grown man and you make the rules for your life and your relationships. But I will say this: I would be devastated and pissed if Maleeka was going out with any guy other than me.”

  “And you would have every right to be. Maleeka is your fiancée. The Bible considers an engagement a covenant with one another. You two have pledged and committed to get married—some day,” David threw in jokingly. “But there is nothing in the Bible that speaks about boyfriend/girlfriend relationships or significant other couples who are dating.” David was speaking to Darrin, but he was sure his words were more for himself than his roommate.

  “Okay. I hear you. Now, let me get out of here and get to work before you break out in a sermon with a praise song and three points to your message,” Darrin joked with his roommate and friend in return.

  David laughed. “Yeah, I better get out of here too. Like I said, I got your back on whatever you decide to do with Maleeka.”

  “Thanks, D.”

  Aujanae moved around her kitchen, preparing breakfast and packing a lunch for her husband like a zombie. William was in the shower getting ready for work. He had not come home until after 11:00 P.M. last night. When he left the house under the guise of going to console his cousin David, Aujanae fought every voice in her head that said he was lying. She pushed down every instinct that told her he was going to see the pretty woman at church. But when 7:00 P.M. came and went; then 8:00, 9:00, and 10:00, she began to believe she had been the fool and her gut had gotten the painful glory—an oxymoron if she had ever heard one.

  There were several times last night that she picked up the phone to call her husband, but her fingers refused to dial the number. She would not have been able to stand hearing his voice mail because he chose to neglect her call. Nor could she have stomached hearing him possibly lie to her if he did bother to answer. So she suffered in silence as she sat up mindlessly staring at the television, her mind conjuring up images of William and the pretty woman in various sexual embraces. Those images replaced those of the folks that were actually on the television.

  By the time she climbed into bed at 10:30, she had exhausted herself with worry, sadness, and anger. She fell asleep so quickly she was not exactly sure what time William came home. She just knew he was there when she awakened at 3:30 A.M. from a dream that included him and the
pretty woman. She got up from the bed, went to the bathroom, and decided to spend the rest of the night on the sofa in the great room. She did not trust herself in the bed with her husband. She still wanted to keep true to her vow to not accuse him of anything when she still had no solid proof.

  When he made his way into the kitchen to retrieve his coffee, he said, “Good morning”, and kissed her on the cheek.

  The kiss he planted on her cheek felt like sharp needles stabbing her skin. The cologne he wore, a brand she picked out for him especially for her pleasure, now made her feel nauseated. The sight of his face, which she normally deemed beautiful, was provoking her to smack him with the hot spatula she used to turn his pancakes. Aujanae continued to prepare his breakfast and did not utter a word, afraid of what she might say.

  William felt the tension in Aujanae when he kissed her. He also noticed she did not respond when he said good morning. He knew she was more than likely upset about the time he came in last night. He could not blame her. He was just relieved that she only had his lateness to be angered about. If she really knew everything. . . He let the though slip from his mind. He could not bear to think about what the truth would do to her.

  “Aujanae, I know you’re upset with me about last night. I’m so sorry, love. David was worse off than I thought. We ended up staying at his apartment and talking instead of going out as I had mentioned we might. Before I knew it, he was drowning his sorrow in the first beer, and then he switched to wine. I was only supposed to talk to him and have a beer, no more than two myself. Somehow I obviously lost track of how many I had and we both ended up falling asleep in his living room. I woke up about ten thirty and made my way home. You were already asleep when I got here. I didn’t want to wake you to apologize and explain my tardiness, so I let you rest, figuring I would just talk to you this morning.”

  Aujanae prepared William a plate of pancakes, turkey bacon, and scrambled eggs. She took the plate to the table and set it before him. She then sat in the chair on the corner of the table with nothing to eat for herself.

  “Aren’t you going to have breakfast with me?”

  “I’m not hungry, Billy. I was pretty upset last night when you were out so late after first leaving me on a Sunday and then being out much longer than you said you would be without at least calling me. I have to be honest with you. I eventually ended up thinking you were with another woman.”

  William began coughing and sputtering on the piece of pancake he had just swallowed. Aujanae quickly got up from her seat to get him a glass of water. He was silly enough to try to wash it down with hot coffee. William took several gulps of the water, finally able to get himself under control.

  Aujanae was unsure what exactly to make of William’s reaction to her declaration. Was it guilt or astonishment that made him choke? Did he feel shame or indignation? She had never been so unsure of anything in her entire life. Her belly told her it was the former. Her heart begged that it be the latter.

  William pushed the plate away from him, unable to eat another bite. “Aujanae, why would you think I was cheating on you? Don’t you believe I love you?” His fake indignation could have garnered him an Academy Award.

  “Yes. I’m sure you do, but I have become so uncomfortable lately.” Aujanae stopped short of saying she was uncomfortable about the pretty woman at church.

  “Baby, there is nothing for you to be uncomfortable about.” William got up from his seat at the table and stood behind his wife’s chair, gently massaging and kneading her shoulders as he spoke. “I love you and B.J. far too much to ever consider doing anything to upset you or our household in such a devastating way.”

  Aujanae allowed William’s slow fingers to soothe her aching heart. She willed that he infuse in her the confidence she needed to trust him. She loved her husband, and she wanted their marriage to last forever.

  “Honey, I’ve got to get out of here and get to work. We have a lot of things going on at the bank right now. You know I’m still working my way up that corporate ladder, trying to build a better life and a more secure future for us. But guess what? In light of what you just admitted to me, I am going to be sure to leave at five o’clock tonight. I will be home at a decent hour so we can spend some quality time together. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds great, Billy. And I do understand how hard you are working for our family. Really I do. I just want you to know that the money and the material things mean far less to me than our marriage and our family. Please understand that your time, our time together, is priceless. Even if it means I have to get a job in order to help fulfill your dreams for us, I am willing to do that. As long as we work similar hours and are home around the same time, I really would not mind working. I’ve got my primary education degree. All I have to do is get my teacher’s certificate and I’m sure I can get a job that will have me home by four o’clock. I will do whatever it takes to make our marriage work, Billy.” Aujanae was nearly pleading with her husband to understand how desperate she was to keep their marriage intact.

  “And who is supposed to take care of our son while you’re off teaching other people’s children? We have talked about this, Aujanae. I don’t want B.J. raised by daycare workers. You already have a job here that you are perfect for. No one, and I mean no one, can be my wife better than you can. You are the best wife and mother I could ask for. I thank God for you each and every day, sweetie. So no more talk about me cheating, okay? It’s just me and you, Aujanae. We will work through this insecurity you are having together, okay?”

  Aujanae focused her mind on relaxing in William’s words. She refused at that moment to allow any doubt to creep into her spirit. She wanted to believe William, so she would. She exhaled an unwinding breath and simply said, “Okay.”

  William lifted Aujanae from her seat and kissed her passionately on the lips. Their intimacy was cut short, however, by the sounds they heard on the baby monitor coming from their son’s bedroom. Aujanae broke the kiss, shaking her head in disappointment.

  “I have to go and get your son before he starts to yell his head off. I’m sure he’s hungry and wet now that’s he awake. Thank you, honey, for the reassurance and for not getting upset with my foolishness.” Aujanae gave her husband one last long peck on the lips and then headed to tend to their baby.

  William stood in the kitchen for a few minutes after Aujanae left and hung his head. His stomach was in knots, his head began to pound, and the perspiration from his armpits had begun to stain his shirt. He had no idea until today that Aujanae had suspected anything was amiss in their marriage. William loved his wife; he truly did. Seeing her in such distress this morning over a simple suspicion was more than he was prepared to handle. He did not even want to imagine how she would react if she found out the truth.

  Under normal circumstances, it would be time to end the affair with April, or at least he assumed that would be standard procedure. He had never done this kind of thing before. But the mere thought of giving up April was as distressful as seeing Aujanae suffer this morning.

  William had no idea what he was supposed to do now, but he knew for sure that he would not see April tonight. Tonight he would keep his promise and be home at a decent hour to help ease some of Aujanae’s worries.

  William followed Aujanae in the direction she had gone. He wanted to kiss his son good-bye, change his shirt quickly, and then get out of the house before he became more of an emotional and confused wreck than he already was.

  Chapter Eight

  Katrina sat at her desk beaming and singing. The effects from her date with the most fabulously handsome, perfect singing, overall wonderful man in the world still lingered from last night. The spot where he kissed her cheek, very near her lips, still tingled. Her body still involuntarily swooned at the memory of his good night embrace. Yes, last night was nothing short of magic for her.

  Katrina took a moment away from her joyful reminiscing and began remembering all the protesting she had done to her cousin against goi
ng out with David because of his relationship with his girlfriend. In light of all she had said to Maleeka in the past about not trying to get with David, she felt as if she should feel guilty about being a party to him cheating on Toriyana. But as she searched her heart, she could not conjure up one ounce of remorse.

  On a couple of occasions, she did think about how Toriyana would feel if she knew she and David were out together. Her senses were especially heightened during the movie, Good Deeds, which closely simulated her and David’s situation. But as the evening wore on, thoughts of David’s girlfriend were pushed to the back of her mind as she began to pray that she and David’s story would end much like the movie.

  David was so considerate. She told him about her love of the scenery surrounding the Arizona Center, so he took her to that theatre. She told him how she loved hanging out in the Biltmore Area, and he took her to a restaurant there. David was funny, fine, intelligent, fine, sweet, fine, and a man who was proud of his relationship with God. And fine. Taking all of that in caused her to once again think about Toriyana during their date. She thought about what a blessed woman she was to have such a great guy who cared about her.

  Katrina considered courteously asking about Toriyana just to see what David’s response would be. But she did not know if she could pull the charade off without him realizing she was being phony. Besides, he never brought up her name, so why should she?