Brooklyn, page 3
Elias smiled, proudly, and nodded. “That’s right. I’m glad you listened to what I told you.”
Brooklyn smiled back at him and watched her mother visibly relax and go back to eating dinner.
“‘Exodus 20:16. Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.’ That’s what I studied last night.”
Sabrina’s head snapped in Brooklyn’s direction. Elias looked at his daughter with admiration. Amir and Hope continued to eat their food, cluelessly.
“So, I have to tell you the truth,” Brooklyn said. “Even though Mommy said that I should lie.”
Elias looked at his wife.
“Brooklyn,” Sabrina said, warningly.
“What’s going on, Sabrina?” Elias asked, his brow furrowed.
Brooklyn set her fork down. She was far from hungry. With her heart beating in her chest, she spoke up for herself. “Uncle Morris touched me in the middle of the night while I was sleeping over in Nicole’s room, and Aunt Audrey brought me home early.”
“Eli, that’s not what happened.” Sabrina’s voice was low and shaky.
“It did,” Brooklyn insisted. “I keep trying to tell you, but you won’t listen.” She felt tears welling up in her eyes and didn’t try to stop them. She looked at her father. “I’m telling the truth.”
Elias looked like all the blood vessels in his face might pop. “Touched you how?” he asked Brooklyn.
“He touched my private parts while I was sleeping. And when I woke up, he told me to be quiet. But I screamed until Nicole and Aunt Audrey woke up.”
Hope frowned, confused. Amir’s mouth fell open in shock. Elias stared at Brooklyn in horror.
Sabrina stood up and pounded hard on the table. “I’m not gonna sit here and let you lie like that.”
Elias jumped to his feet then, too. “You must have lost your mind!” His voice boomed so loudly that everyone stared back at him in fear.
“What she’s saying is not the truth, Eli,” Sabrina said. “Brooklyn’s not telling the whole story.”
“You’re calling her a liar?”
He charged toward his wife.
Sabrina backed up.
Hope began to cry. Amir jumped up and stood between his parents.
“Dad, wait!”
Elias stared into his son’s fearful eyes as he shielded his mother, and it stopped him. He looked past his wife and locked eyes with Brooklyn.
“Come with me,” he said.
Brooklyn got up and walked toward her father. But Sabrina pushed past Amir and stood blocking Elias’s exit.
“Eli, please!”
“Move out of my way,” Elias said, sternly.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, desperately.
He grabbed his wife roughly by the face. “Back UP!” He shoved her aside, grabbed Brooklyn by the hand, and they headed out the door together.
He opened the passenger door of his Cadillac, and Brooklyn climbed inside. He rushed around and climbed behind the wheel, then quickly sped off in the direction of Morris’s house.
“Tell me what happened, baby girl. Don’t be afraid. Daddy won’t let anybody hurt you. Just tell me the truth.”
Brooklyn let out a deep breath. She opened her mouth and the words rushed forth like rain. When she was done, Elias was visibly emotional. He shook his head from side to side several times, muttering under his breath. Finally, he looked over at his daughter.
“I’m gonna handle this.”
Brooklyn nodded. They pulled up in front of Morris’s house, and they both got out of the car. Elias held her hand tightly as they rushed toward the front door. Ignoring the doorbell, Elias banged loudly on the door with his fist.
“OPEN THE DOOR! MORRIS! OPEN THE DOOR, DAMMIT!”
Brooklyn could sense her father’s rage building with each bang. The door rattled and swung open. Audrey stood before them looking fearful and weary.
“He left,” she said. “Your wife called. Warned him you were on your way. He’s gone.”
“Shit!” Elias shouted.
It was the first time Brooklyn had ever heard her father use a swear word. She watched him trying to decide what his next move would be. She felt so proud of him, even as he paced the front porch in frustration. Despite his helplessness in the moment, he was trying to do something. She stared admiringly at her father attempting to do what he could to confront her attacker. He was willing to put his reputation and his freedom on the line for his daughter. And that was far more than she could say for her mother.
“He packed a bag?” Elias asked Audrey. He was sweating hard as he stared at her, expectantly.
Audrey shook her head. “He left too fast to take anything with him.” She closed her eyes and sighed. She opened them again and looked at Elias. “I won’t be here when he gets back, Eli. This is the last straw for me. I’ve been putting up with too much for too long. The women were one thing. But this…” Audrey looked at Brooklyn, sadly. “This is too much.”
“I’m gonna kill him, Audrey. You know that, right?”
Brooklyn’s eyes widened and her heart began pounding loudly in her chest. Her mind raced with thoughts of her father going to prison, of Nicole’s father being murdered, of everyone blaming her. Panic registered on her face.
Audrey exhaled loudly. “You’re a pastor, Eli. You know you can’t hurt him. Even if he deserves it.”
Elias punched his hand angrily and began pacing the porch. Brooklyn watched him, now doubtful that she had done the right thing.
She looked at Audrey. “Is Nicole home?” Brooklyn asked.
Audrey didn’t respond right away. “She’s here. But she’s upset, Brooklyn. Despite what he did, she loves her father. She’s mad right now—with me, with you. With everyone except Morris.”
Brooklyn looked down at the ground, wrestling with doubt. She was second-guessing all of it. Yelling that night in Nicole’s room, demanding to be brought home early, telling her father despite her mother’s protests. None of it seemed worth all of this.
Elias looked at Audrey, helplessly. “You said Sabrina called him? She told him I was on my way?” His expression was incredulous. “Why would she do that?”
Audrey shook her head. “When she called, me and Morris were fighting. We’ve been fighting ever since I brought Brooklyn home the other night. I told him that I’m leaving, taking Nicole with me. He’s been threatening me and blocking me from leaving. It almost got physical.”
Brooklyn tried to imagine that and pictured big-boned Audrey whooping her husband’s ass.
“Then Sabrina called all upset. Morris grabbed his wallet and left. Now I’m in here rushing around, packing bags so we can get out of here before he gets back.”
“Where are you gonna go?” Elias asked, his pastoral instincts kicking in.
“To my sister’s place in Park Hill. I’ll stay with her for a while until I get on my feet.”
Elias shook his head. “You can do that for now,” he said. “But the church takes up an offering each week for people in need. You’re in need, Audrey. So, we’ll help you. Come down to the church tomorrow and I’ll make sure you get on your feet.”
“Thank you, Eli. I appreciate that.” Audrey stared at him for a while. “I don’t think I want your help, though.”
Elias looked confused.
“Sabrina is not a woman I can respect. I took Brooklyn home the other night, and what I witnessed made me sick to my stomach. I brought that woman’s daughter home to her, told her that my husband was in that bedroom when he had no business being there. I told her what Brooklyn said, how scared she was when I saw her pressed up against the wall calling out for help. I even went so far as to tell Sabrina that I believed Brooklyn even though I didn’t want to. If I can find it in my heart to believe your daughter, I don’t understand how your wife can’t do the same thing.” Audrey shook her head in amazement. “Morris is family to her. I get it. But he’s not her blood. Brooklyn is. I can’t accept help from a church where a woman like that is held up as an example of godliness. You can keep your money.”
Elias stood speechless staring back at her.
“If Morris comes back before me and Nicole get out of here, I’ll call you,” Audrey said. “Otherwise, I suggest you give it a few days. See if he comes back. Then you can do what you have to do. I completely understand that as a father you want to protect your daughter. I admire that. But, Eli, don’t let Morris be your downfall. You have way more to lose than he does. You have your church, your kids, the respect of your community. Don’t throw all of that away because of him.”
Elias stood motionless as Audrey shut the door in his face.
Brooklyn stared at him, aware that he wasn’t sure what to do next. She had never seen her father look so lost.
“Daddy?” Her voice was low and sweet.
Elias turned to face her. She saw him fighting back tears, saw the tension in his shoulders, and her heart broke for him.
“Thank you for believing me. For coming over here. I know you love me. But I don’t want you to hurt anybody and go to jail. Can we just go home?”
Elias didn’t respond, battling with his emotions. He wanted to yell, to hit something, to cry from helplessness and frustration.
“It’s my job to protect you,” he said in a low but firm voice. “I will always do that. I promise you that man will never touch you again.”
Brooklyn believed him. She nodded, walked over to him, and hugged him tightly.
Elias hugged her back, planted a kiss on top of her head, and led her back to the car.
As they drove home, he looked at Brooklyn. “Has anything like this ever happened before?” His voice was low as he asked. He was afraid to hear the answer. “Anybody ever do or even say anything to you that made you feel uncomfortable?”
Brooklyn shook her head. “No. I would have told you. Nothing like that ever happened to me. That’s what I told Mommy. But she just kept saying I was misunderstanding the situation.”
Elias gripped the wheel tighter. “You didn’t misunderstand a thing, baby girl. Your mother done lost her mind.”
He drove the rest of the way in silence. When they got home, he burst into the house loudly and made a beeline for Sabrina.
“What kind of woman are you? What kind of mother?”
“Let me explain, Eli.”
“EXPLAIN WHAT? That you believed that piece of shit Morris over our own daughter?”
“That’s not what happened,” Sabrina insisted.
“You warned him that I was coming over there.”
“What was I supposed to do? Let you go over there and get yourself arrested? You’re not thinking straight.”
“I’M not thinking straight?” Elias shook his head in disgust. “What kind of mother doesn’t believe their own child? Audrey told me that nigga had no business being in there. She said Brooklyn was scared to death. When Brooklyn said he touched her, you told her she was wrong. How the hell can you side with a pedophile over our baby?”
“Eli, I told her—”
“YOU TOLD HER TO LIE TO ME!”
Sabrina shook her head. “I never told her to lie. I just said there’s no need to blow this thing out of proportion.” She stepped closer to her husband with her hands held up in a prayer position. “If I thought for one minute that anybody would hurt my child, I would be the first to defend her. But I’m telling you that Morris would never cross that line.”
“So, why was he standing over her in the middle of the night? Why were her breasts out and his hand up her shorts?” Elias pointed to his daughter, outraged. “You calling her a liar?”
“No.” Sabrina shook her head. “I’m just saying that it was late, she was just waking up out of a deep sleep, and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. She was screaming so he told her to keep her voice down.”
“Come on now!” Eli waved his hand, dramatically. “You sound crazy, Sabrina. We’re talking about a grown-ass man and a little girl!”
“I wasn’t there. I’m not defending him.”
“It sounds like it!”
Sabrina was crying now. “I know. But I keep going over it in my head. I keep asking myself … is it my fault? Did I miss something? I’ve known Morris my whole life. If I thought he was like that, you know I never would have sent Brooklyn over there in the first place.” She looked at Brooklyn, still crying, and spoke to her between sobs. “I’m so sorry, Brooklyn. It’s not that I didn’t believe you.” Sabrina squeezed her eyes closed dramatically and tilted her head toward the ceiling. “Everything I do is out of devotion to this family.” She opened her eyes again and looked at her husband. “When Audrey came in here and told me what happened, I was shocked. I felt sick to my stomach. Before she got here, I had already cried my eyes out. Thinking about Brooklyn and how confused she must be. And thinking about you and the church, and how this could ruin everything you’ve built.”
Elias sucked his teeth. Sabrina stepped toward him, desperately.
“I told her not to tell you. Not because I want to cover for Morris. But because I knew how you would react. I knew you would go over there, and things would get violent. That you would act off impulse and forget who you are. You’re not just some man, Eli. You’re a pastor, a pillar of this community. You’re a man of God. When your rage subsides, and the smoke clears, you’ll come back to yourself. And you’ll see that there’s a godly response to this. And that’s what you’re called to do.”
Elias stood with his chest heaving, staring silently back at his wife. Brooklyn watched and waited.
“I told Brooklyn to keep quiet because I wanted to protect her, to protect you. I’m sorry. I am. And you’re right. What Morris did is sick. He needs help. Not from us. He’s out of our lives for good. But you can’t put your hands on him.”
“He put his filthy hands on my child.” Eli spoke through clenched teeth.
“And God will make sure he pays for that.” Sabrina picked the Bible up from the shelf nearby and held it up. “‘Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord.’ Isn’t that what you preach all the time?”
“You using the Bible to defend a pedophile?” Eli scoffed.
“I’m reminding you to practice what you preach. You stood up there last week and talked about distractions. You said that every time we get close to our destiny, the devil sends a diversion to make us lose focus. You warned the church to keep their eyes on God, no matter how hard the enemy comes against us—”
“I know what I said, Sabrina.”
“Then you know that this is the biggest distraction the devil has ever thrown in your path! If you fail this test, you’ll lose every blessing that’s been laid up for you. Think about it. If this got out, the church would pay the price. You hurt Morris and you’ll lose the pastorship. Promised Land just got approved for funding from the borough president’s office, and you know how hard we worked for that. A scandal like this could put your plans for the recreation center in jeopardy. Not to mention the shadow it casts over Brooklyn. She’s just a child, Eli. The last thing she needs is a bunch of people whispering, gossiping about her when she’s so young.”
Eli glanced at Brooklyn. She stared back at him, aware that her mother’s words were getting through to him.
Sabrina continued. “The devil is busy. He’s a liar and the truth is not in him. Don’t let him tear this family apart.” She stepped closer to her husband. “You married a God-fearing woman who believes in divine justice. I believe in you and what we’ve worked all these years to build together. And I know we can get through this. We have to.”
Brooklyn watched her father sit slowly down on the couch. He closed his eyes, hung his head, and held it in the palms of his hands as if to steady his thoughts. Brooklyn knew it was over then. Her mother had managed to talk him off the ledge.
Sabrina looked at her daughter while Elias wrestled with himself. She locked eyes with Brooklyn and, with a subtle nod of her head toward the stairs, directed her to go to her room.
Brooklyn still remembered the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at that moment. She walked to her room in a daze, barely aware of the low drone of her mother’s pleading voice as she kneeled down in front of Elias and prayed to God for strength to weather this storm. Brooklyn knew that was the end of it. Somehow, Sabrina had convinced Elias that her motives had been noble. Brooklyn learned the toughest lesson of her young life. That her mother was a cunning and crafty woman whose goal was to keep the scam going at all costs. As long as Eli remained the pastor and the money kept rolling in, Sabrina pretended not to notice a thing. Even her children’s pain.
Brooklyn and her siblings never saw “Uncle” Morris again. But he never faced justice either. His name was never spoken within their family, and the whole situation seemed to have been swept out of everyone’s memory. Except Brooklyn’s.
Since then, the funds had continued rolling in and Eli had been able to build the recreation center he had dreamed of. Promised Land was so much a part of her upbringing that it felt like an extension of their family. All the elders did their best to guard the secrets and indiscretions. But the youth knew what was up. They heard the whispered conversations their parents had after service about the pastor’s wandering eye, the first lady’s designer wardrobe, and the constant infighting for power and status. And they saw the way each part of the ministry fueled the machine. The ushers smiling sweetly as they handed programs to the congregants each Sunday morning. The deacons and their wives dressed to impress and perched in the front rows of the sanctuary adding perfectly timed “Amens” to the sermon. The musicians and the choir alternately tugging at the parishioners’ heartstrings and rousing them into joyous frenzies. Prominent guest speakers and popular mass choirs making guest appearances. All of it added up to large offerings, consistent tithes, and saved souls.
Snapping out of her reverie, Brooklyn turned her attention to the altar. She and her brother Amir exchanged knowing glances as their mother joined in the prayer circle for Janine Mills—one of her father’s rumored side pieces. Amir laughed discreetly and looked away.
Brooklyn and her siblings had heard their parents’ many heated arguments about the time Elias spent with Janine at all hours of the night. Her calls for “prayer” had been a thorn in Sabrina’s side for years. But you would never know it now, watching them all praying fervently with their eyes closed and the most earnest expressions on their faces.
