Free Church Whore 3 by Faith

grandfather hanging from a tree. She passed the picture to Delilah. There was complete silence as each sister’s heart broke for a man they never knew. It was their first time laying eyes on their grandfather, and seeing him hanging from a tree was devastating to them. Jezebel handed the picture back to her brother, who continued the story:
    “Anyway, Grandma said that when they stood at the tree that Papa Joe was hanging from, she thinks something snapped in Mother. She was only six when he was killed. She said her twins had always been like night and day. Mother was always getting in trouble, and Aunt Leitha usually just followed her lead.”
    “Grandma remarried Clifford a year later, and with him she had five other kids. She admitted that she didn’t marry for love, but for security, and she said she did grow to love him.”
    “She said that each year mother got worse. She was uncontrollable, no matter how many beatings she got. Grandma said she had the devil in her. The final straw for her was when she came home early one day and caught her husband in bed with Mother. She said when she opened the door Mother was on top of her husband doing her thing. She yanked Mother off of him and threw her to the floor, and beat the mess out of her husband. She put them both out that day. She said that mother laughed in her face and taunted her that she had her husband. Grandma said that Clifford begged and pleaded with her, and claimed Mother seduced him, and that she had a root on him or something. Grandma wasn’t having it, and Clifford eventually killed himself because he felt so guilty.”
    “Grandma’s sister felt bad for Mother and took her in, but Leitha stayed with Grandma. Grandma and Mother never spoke again. Aunt Tina hand delivered me to Grandma. Growing up, if Mother visited me, it was at Aunt Tina’s. When she left the city, Leitha soon followed.”
    “Mother always had it out for preachers, so she and Leitha began sleeping with them, blackmailing them, and just disrupting church after church. That was their hustle until Leitha fell in love with her mark. She married him and settled down, and started a family. That’s when she started coming back around the family. Mother just never made peace with Grandma. And y’all know the rest. She got married a few times had all of y’all, but she’s still a bad seed as Grandma said.”
    “Why didn’t you tell us this years ago?” Delilah asked.
    “You never asked. Hell, y’all lived with her, so how was I supposed to know you didn’t know her history?”
    “And still you kept her in your life?” Tamar couldn’t understand.
    Poe shrugged. “Grandma was a good woman. She taught me that I was to love her, and just because she wouldn’t let her in her life, it didn’t mean that I shouldn’t.”
    “Wow! I wish we could have met her,” Jezebel said and sighed in disappointment.
    “I kind of feel sorry for Mother. That had to be some kind of painful, seeing your daddy hanging from a tree,” Delilah admitted.
    “Yeah, I did too, and I always tried to see the best in her. But she’s a liar. I always tried to give her the, benefit of the doubt, so when she called all upset saying that the Blanks had been abusing her, my instincts to protect my mother kicked in. I showed my ass in that church, talking about how I was going to take my rightful place. Man, I looked like an idiot! That man is not my father.”
    “Damn, Poe! I’m sorry,” Jezebel said, expressing her sympathy towards him.
    “So, what are you going to do now? Do you think she’ll tell you who your real father is?” Tamar asked.
    “That’s if she even knows,” Jezebel smirked.
    “Oh, I think I found him.”
    “Who is it?” Jezebel asked.
    Poe replayed what happened over at the Blanks, and Denard Watkins’ admission. 
    Delilah covered her face. In all the excitement she had completely forgotten all about Denard. As her guilt overwhelmed her, she told Poe how she hoped that Denard is