Ding, dong. Ding, dong.
“Hold on, Ivy, someone’s at the door.”
Ding, ding.
“Malik,” Margo said upon opening the door. “What are you doing here?”
Margo blushed. “Checking on my favorite girl.”
“I’ve got my daughter Ivy on the phone. We were about finished. Come in and make yourself comfortable.”
“Okay,” Malik whispered.
“Hey, Ivy, I’m back. It was Malik checking on me.”
“I think he likes you, Mom.”
“We’ve been friends a long time. We’re like brother and sister.”
“Okay, tell me anything. You better go on and get you some because Dad ain’t gonna be any good when he finally gets out of prison.”
“Ivy, don’t talk like that. I’m your mother, for goodness sake. Anyway, I’m in this marriage for the long haul-for good or for worse. And it’s your daddy we’re talking about.”
“Mom, you have every reason to be with someone else.”
“Bye, I’ve got to go. I’m not going to put up with any foolish talk like that.”
“Why are you whispering? Is Malik still there? Mom, you aren’t foolin’ nobody. Talk with you later.”
“Bye, sweetie.”
Margo hung up the phone, and her stomach started to flutter for no reason. She walked into the living room where Malik had made himself comfortable on the couch-a remote in one hand and the newspaper in another. Fire began to burn in Margo’s stomach and then radiated downward. Surely this wasn’t happening at Ivy’s mere suggestion.
Blowing air from her mouth, Margo sat across from Malik and pretended to look at the program on television.
“How is Ivy?”
“She’s doing fine. She worries about me all the time,” Margo said softly. “I don’t think she or J.R. will ever come back home to live-they love it in Atlanta.”
“Well, at least Winston and Winter aren’t far,” Malik said as he surfed the channels.
“Yeah, they’ve really bonded since they moved to Raleigh two years ago and are making all of that good money in the Research Triangle Park. Their college education paid off. Keeps them out of my pockets.”
Malik looked up from the television. “What’s wrong, Margo? You seem distracted and awfully quiet for the chatterbox you are.”
“Am I? I answered all your questions.”
“Have you eaten anything? Maybe we can go and get a bite.”
“Not tonight, Malik. I’m feeling a bit tired.”
“What if I run and get us some Chinese? You haven’t eaten; I can tell.”
“Don’t go out for me.”
“Maybe you didn’t hear, but I’m hungry, too.”
“All right. Maybe some Chinese.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Margo was glad to put some distance between herself and Malik. Why did Ivy’s suggestion make her feel like she had been cheating? Was this a suppressed desire? She had to be careful. She had made a vow to Jefferson and the Lord, and two wrongs didn’t make a right-even if she was having feelings for the handsome man with the six-pack, wavy hair, and hands that made her feel safe. Margo shook her head to erase the thought from her mind and then fell to her knees.
Lord, I ask You to take the temptation, if that’s what it is, away from me. I am Your child, and I have committed my life to You. You have been so good to me, Lord, and I won’t let anything compromise the love I have for You and my getting into Your kingdom. If this means telling Malik that we can’t hang out all the time, that’s what I’ll do.
Margo was puzzled about one thing. Malik had not mentioned Angelica and she had not been able to reach her the past couple of days. That would be the first question for Malik when he returned. Angelica seemed excited about working with Malik, but Margo knew that Angelica always had a silent crush on him.
There was a knock on the door. It was impossible for Malik to have gone to the Chinese take-out that fast, but when she opened the door, there he was, smiling and holding several white plastic bags full of good smelling food. Margo was suddenly hungry.
“Take a seat and I’ll fix it for you,” Malik offered. “You’ve had a long day, and you deserve a little pampering.”
“You’re not my husband, Malik,” Margo said, throwing up her hand at him and then letting out a giggle. “Stop trying to give me orders.” She giggled again. “Maybe I’m going to have to keep you at bay because you’re getting a little bit too comfortable.”
Malik laid the spoon down on the table and turned around and looked at Margo.
“What are you trying to say, Margo? I know you’ve been awfully quiet tonight, but if you don’t want me here, say so.”
“No, Malik, it’s not like that at all. I guess I was thinking about Jefferson and what my life has become,” Margo waved her hands, “and I guess I let my confusion get the best of me.”
“What are you confused about?”
“Did I say confused? See, that’s what I mean, Malik. My head doesn’t seem to be screwed on straight, and I say words I don’t mean.”
“So try saying what you mean.”
“I don’t know what I mean.”
“Perhaps what you’re trying not to say is that you’re feeling something for me like I’m feeling for you.”
“Malik!!!”
“You are not a dumb blonde, Margo. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Sending Angelica to my place to try and knock me off my equilibrium. Nice try.”
“Speaking of Angelica, where is she?”
“Don’t try to change the subject, woman. Angelica isn’t the subject of this conversation. Why don’t we eat our food before it gets cold? It’ll probably give us enough energy to continue the conversation you started.”
Margo batted her eyes and sat back down. Malik may have won round one, but she and Jesus were going to win round two.
Malik fixed the plates and brought one to Margo. No words were exchanged as they ate their food. Soon, the only noise came from a Target commercial that was playing on TV.
“Enough of this,” Malik exclaimed, putting his plate on the coffee table.
Margo’s startled face turned in Malik’s direction as she wondered what would come next. Her chest heaved in and out as she watched Malik get up and come toward her. Before Ivy’s call, she and Malik were fine. It was as if Ivy had pulled the mask from her face and exposed her to the world. And her heart was admitting what her mind had blocked out-that she might be…could be a little infatuated with this man.
Malik sat next to Margo and put his arm around her. Margo moved to the far end of the couch. “What are you doing?” Margo asked.
“Surely you had to know that I have feelings for you. Why do you think I come around all the time?”
“Malik, you have always come around. I thought you were looking out for your best friend’s wife.”
“I was, but then I began to look out for myself. There were many days, Margo, when I’d get close to you and smell your hair, and I would literally have to run home and take a cold shower.”
“The best thing you could have done.”
“But I have fallen in love with you.”
“I’m a married woman.”
“Whose husband committed adulterous acts with your next-door neighbor and your ‘so-called’ best friend.”
“And so, are you willing to commit adultery?”
“My wife is dead.”
“But my husband is not. And for your information, Angelica told me she did not have a relationship with Jefferson.”
“That’s her story. Do you know that she tried to seduce me at my shop? Margo, she unbuttoned her jacket and exposed-”
“Too much information. She’s always had a crush on you.”
“What do you really know about her? Her jailhouse cot was barely a week cold before she was up to her old tricks again.”
“Where is Angelica? I’ve called her number several times the last couple of days and didn’t get her. Has she shown up for work?”
“I fired her.”
“Fired her? She was volunteering her services.”
“It didn’t work out, and I haven’t seen her since. You know what happened the last time she went missing.”
“She wasn’t missing. She was out of town.”
“Yeah, lying in the lap of some criminal while helping to serve death warrants on Hamilton and Jefferson.”
“I’m tired, Malik. I don’t want to talk about Angelica, Jefferson, or Hamilton. I don’t want to talk about us.”
“If you want me to leave, I will. I’ve resisted the urge to be with you for a long time because I respect the sanctity of marriage. I understand what it means to not covet another man’s wife. I understand what it means to not commit adultery, but I want you in the worst way.
“I can’t explain what you do to me when I’m around you. You are a beautiful and smart woman, Margo. You are a successful realtor. You have a beautiful home. There are so many qualities about you that mirror my beliefs. Yes, I know it is wrong, but I don’t want to be right.”
“Did you ever love Toni? You seemed to be very happy.”
“Yes, I loved Toni very much. She was special to me, and she made me complete. We were very happy together. And, since I’m telling the truth, there were days when you were going through stuff with Jefferson before the trial and right afterwards that’s if you had let me in, I would have dropped everything for you.”
Margo covered her face with her hands. She had been so consumed with everything that was going on with Jefferson that she had no inkling Malik felt this way about her.
“Maybe it’s time for you to go home, Malik. I think we both need some space to sort things out.”
“What is there to sort out, Margo? I’m laying it all on the line. I’m in love with you.”
“Please don’t say that. You’ll ruin our friendship.”
“But I do, Margo. If you want me to go, I’ll leave, but I can’t help the way I feel.”
Margo’s eyes were tight, but she offered a little smile.
“I love you too Malik, but as a brother. We can’t have a relationship because I’m married to your best friend.”
Tears formed in the corners of Malik’s eyes. Before he knew it, he was catching them with the back of his hand. This surprised Margo. She went to him and hugged him tightly.
“I’ll always be your friend, Malik, but I love Jefferson. It is until death we do part.”
“Okay, Margo.” Malik sniffed. “I have to respect you because you have always been that special kind of lady. That’s what I have always liked…loved about you. I’m going to miss seeing you often.”
“It might be advisable to change your church membership.”
“Ouch. You’re serious.” Malik waited for Margo to say something, but she didn’t. “Well, I guess I’ll be going, but it will never stop the way I feel about you.”
Margo stood at the door and watched Malik get into his car and drive off. Her heart was heavy because she did not want Malik to leave. If she was going to remain committed to her vows to God and Jefferson, Margo could not entertain Malik in her home or be with him on fun occasions. Although Margo had asked the Lord to keep her from harm and danger, her flesh was weak. And while just about any man would do for her because it had been five years since she felt a man’s touch on certain parts of her body, Malik was the one she had fantasized about in her dreams.
The mobile phone was inches from where she stood, and Margo attempted to reach Angelica for the fifth time.