Free A House Divided by Kimberla Lawson Roby Page A

with Elder Jamison and Elder Dixon.”
    “Wow, I can only imagine how fun that was. Elder Dixon cracks me up.”
    Curtis chuckled. “You can’t imagine half the stuff he said. We had a great time, though. Don’t know what I would do without them.”
    “They’ve been very loyal to you, and it must feel good having two longtime staff members you can trust.”
    “It does. My assistant pastors are great, too. Minister Simmons and Minister Morgan carry a lot of weight when I have to travel, and no one ever complains about them. They both know the Word extremely well, and they deliver their messages in a very straightforward format.”
    “I like them both, too, and you know what else would be great?”
    “What’s that?”
    “If Phillip were there again.”
    “Well, you know how much I love my son-in-law, and the offer has always been on the table for him. One of the saddest days for me was when he resigned.”
    “I’ve always felt bad about that, Daddy.”
    “The past is the past, though, and all is well.”
    “I know, but if I hadn’t gone out and had an affair, we would still be married and he’d still be one of your pastors.”
    “Maybe, but we all make mistakes, baby girl.”
    “I still love him so much, though, Daddy. I love him more now than when I first married him. Isn’t that crazy?”
    “No, not at all. That happens all the time.”
    “To be honest, I’d really thought we’d be married again by now. It’s been three years since I divorced that awful JT.”
    “Yeah, but it’s like I’ve been telling you for a while. You really hurt Phillip, and he’s afraid. There’s no doubt that he still loves you, but some people have a hard time getting past certain situations.”
    “I know, but I just wish he knew that I would never, ever hurt him again. Even if I wanted to I wouldn’t, because I know how good he is for me.”
    “Just hang in there. I know Phillip is taking a while to come around, but it’ll happen.”
    “I hope. I don’t know why it’s taking him so long, though, when we spend just about all our time together.”
    “Spending time and living in separate households is a lot different than being married. But if you really love him and want to be with him again, there’s nothing wrong with waiting. You owe him that.”
    “You’re right, Daddy. And hey, before I forget—I just talked to Matt, and boy, is he happy. I’ve never heard him so excited before.”
    “Yeah, he’s definitely a proud father. We all wish he and Racquel could have waited until they’d graduated college and gotten married, but we love little MJ already.”
    “Matt told me the baby will be home by this weekend, so Phillip and I are driving over to see him. Oh, and he sent a photo to my phone. What a gorgeous little thing he is.”
    “Wait until you see him in person.”
    “I can imagine. Matt also told me about Charlotte. He said things between her and Vanessa have been horrible.”
    “That’s an understatement.”
    “Why is she acting this way?”
    “She’s obsessed. The baby is all she talks about, and she thinks Vanessa is trying to keep her away from him.”
    “That’s crazy.”
    “She’ll never admit it, but Charlotte hasn’t liked Vanessa since the beginning. And once she decides something, that’s just the way it is. No one can change her mind about anything.”
    “That’s really too bad, and I can tell Matt feels like he and Racquel are in the middle of all this.”
    “It’s unfortunate, but I’m not sure what else to do,” he said. “I just talked to her earlier about it, but she was pretty upset when she hung up.”
    “Well, you know Charlotte and I still aren’t on the best of terms, so I’m not saying anything to her.”
    “Hopefully, this’ll pass.”
    “I hope so, too. Especially for Matt’s sake.”
    “Well, I’m almost at the church, so I’d better go. But it’s good hearing from you, baby girl,” he said.
    “I’ll see you this weekend.”
    “Sounds good.