All the Bishop’s Children 2 — Episode 13
Chapter 37
“You have five minutes to get in here or you will not be eating breakfast this morning,” Rosalind said as she marched out of her daughters’ bedroom. “That child is getting so disrespectful in her attitude and behavior like I have never seen it before,” she said to her husband as she joined him in the kitchen where he was making coffee. “She is as stubborn as a mule.”
I wonder where she got that stubbornness and rebellion from?, Dwight thought. “What is the problem now?” he said.
“Your daughter insists on wearing a pair of jeans so tight I don’t see how she got into it in the first place. I told her not to come out here until she changed into something more becoming of a girl her age. I don’t even know where she got those pants from.”
I wonder myself, Dwight thought as he reached into the refrigerator for the creamer.
Rosalind stepped inside the dining room. “Rachel and Jessica, you both get in here now, or you’re going to be late for school,” she said.
Both girls hurried to the table as Rosalind set out the bowls and cereal and milk with toast and jelly and fruit.
“Morning, Dad,” they both said.
“Good morning, girls. Did you both have a good night?”
“Yes, Dad.”
Rachel reached for the cereal as Rosalind walked around to her side of the table and surveyed her outfit.
“Didn’t I just tell you not to wear that ill-fitting thing to school? Where did you get it from anyway?” she said to Rachel.
“You bought it for me about a year ago. Remember? It was too big but you said I would grow into it. Well, I have grown into it,” Rachel said widening her eyes.
“If you ask my opinion — ,” Kennedy started to say.
“No one asked your opinion,” Rachel said. “You know nothing about fashion so stay out of this.”
“Rachel, that was before we knew how it would fit you. Not only have you grown taller, but you have put on some weight as well. Whatever the case, go and take it off right now,” Rosalind said.
“I’m not changing it. You bought it for me and we don’t waste money. Plus, if I take time to change I’ll miss the bus which should be here any minute now,” Rachel said.
“You may miss breakfast, but you will not miss the bus. If you do, you’ll be walking to school because I will not be taking you,” Rosalind said.
“Dad!” Rachel cried out.
“Let me see the outfit,” Dwight said.
Rachel stood to her feet. Dwight looked her up and down.
“Your mother’s right. Go and put on something else. Why don’t you put on a skirt or a dress. Those are more lady-like.”
Rachel stomped out of the room tugging her book bag along.
“You don’t need your book bag to change clothes, now do you?” Rosalind said with an air of triumph.
“Leave the child alone,” Dwight said.
When Rachel returned she was wearing her long calico skirt, the one with flowers embroidered along the hem. “I hate this skirt,” she muttered as she took her place at the dining room table.
“That’s more like it,” Rosalind said with a triumphant smile.
“I’ll be the laughingstock at school all day today,” Rachel muttered. “None of the girls in my class, or in the whole school, dress like this — ever.”
“Rachel, it’s not how you dress, it’s what’s in your heart,” Dwight said.
“You look pretty to me,” Jessica said.
“If you ask my opinion — ,” Kennedy started to say.
“Oh, be quiet! No one asked your opinion,” Rachel snapped.
“Can we all get along in here,” Dwight said. “You girls eat up. The bus will be here shortly.”
Rachel sat up straight on the edge of her chair with a tight grasp on her book bag that was resting on her lap as she hurriedly ate her cereal refusing to make eye contact with her mother who eyed her suspiciously.
“Let’s go,” Kennedy said turning the bowl to his mouth and gulping down the rest of his milk. “I hear the school bus.”
“Bye, children. Have a great day,” Dwight said.
“Bye,” Rosalind said as she watched them hurrying out the door.
“Where did we go wrong? Where are we going wrong?” Rosalind said leaning back in her chair.
“What do you mean?” Dwight asked.
“Can’t you see what is happening? We’re losing the children. At least I feel like I’m losing the children.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t feel like I’m losing my children,” Dwight said.
“You have no insight at all, do you? DJ is his own man; he’s coming and going as he pleases. He does things we don’t know of until after it’s conceived.” A shiver shot through Rosalind as she thought of the abortion receipt. “We don’t even know what Kennedy’s up to; he spends over half his time in his room. We never taught him to be a loner. When he does talk it’s about making money. Rachel’s attitude is beyond nasty; she’s increasingly talking back. Jessica has a mind of her own; she’s a thirty-year-old in an eleven-year-old body.”
“Well, what do you expect? That’s a bit of you in all of them,” Dwight said.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rosalind said widening her eyes. “I just hope you’re not blaming me for the way they are turning out because if you are you’d better think twice about it.”
“Well, you come and go as you please, and half the time we don’t know what you’re up to until you spring a surprise on us. You’re always talking about making more money or wishing you had more money. Your attitude stinks to high heaven most of the time. And guess what? You talk back too. Need I say more?”
“Maybe if you had taken charge and led the family as you should have from the start they wouldn’t be turning out this way,” Rosalind retorted.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you of all people,” Dwight said.
“Well, it’s the truth.”
“The truth of the matter is, if you had just fallen into your submissive role as a wife and not bow up to everything I say and do, the children would not be turning out this way. Every time I try to do something good with and for them you go against it. You take up for them when I try to correct them. You have always had a strong spirit of resistance to my leadership in this house. If you cannot control things you do not want it to happen.”
“That’s not true!” Rosalind said.
“That is true. Just think back to when I told you one Sunday I would be preaching on the home. The first thing that came out of your mouth was ‘don’t mention the words submissive or be in subjection to your husband’ as the women are not going to like that. No, you are the one who does not like those words. And you have cast that spirit of rebellion, that unsubmissive spirit, upon the women of the church. Before you protest, remember how you tried to lead the women in rebellion against Apostle Dunbar’s leadership. You still have that mindset. You have not changed,” Dwight said. “It’s nothing but a Jezebel spirit, and it has fallen down upon the children.”
“How dare you point that finger at me!” Rosalind said. “Is this the game you want to play? Cause I can play it better than you can.”
“This is no game. We’re talking about the children’s lives. Their future. They are not going to act right if they don’t see right living before their eyes coming from us first.”
Rosalind sprang up from her chair and started stacking the dirty bowls and plates. “I refuse to let you blame me for them going astray. You’re supposed to be the head. Aren’t you?”
Dwight shook his head as he watched his wife march into the kitchen with the stack of dirty bowls and plates.
Chapter 38
Rachel, Kennedy, and Jessica hurried out the door to the school bus stop two houses down from their house. They greeted the others who were waiting for the bus.
“Hey, Rachel. Why are you wearing that long skirt? I thought our group agreed to start a new fad — tight jeans and clinging shirt,” her friend Seneca Jordan said. “You’re going to be the odd ball out today. How do I look?” Seneca placed her hands akimbo and turned as a model would.
“Girl, you look great,” Rachel said with a despondent look. “I’ll tell you all about it once we get on the bus.”
“That’s because Mom wouldn’t let her,” Jessica piped in.
“No one asked you anything,” Rachel said. “When you get on the bus, go and sit with your friends.”
“I don’t want to sit with you anyway,” Jessica said.
“I’ll tell you all about it once we get on the bus,” Rachel repeated turning her attention to Seneca.
As soon as the school bus dropped them off at school, Rachel and Seneca headed for the girls’ restroom. When Rachel came out of the stall she was dressed in her new Levi Strauss jeans.
“Ooh, girl! You look fine. Turn, turn, turn so I can get a good look,” Seneca said.
“Do you like it?” Rachel asked.
“Like it? I love it. Where did you buy it? I’m going to get me a pair,” Seneca said. “Girl, you’re going to be the envy of all the girls in the class. They are going to be looking at you with a Wow! expression, but especially . . .”
“Michael!” they both said together with giggles.
Rachel received numerous compliments throughout the day. “And guess what?” she said to Seneca while they were having lunch in the cafeteria. “Michael’s been eyeing me all morning.”
“As he’s eyeing you right now. He’s over there to your left at the middle of the third table,” Seneca said. Rachel turned her head to glance in the direction Seneca had indicated. “Don’t make it seem so obvious. You don’t want him to think you are desperate.”
Yes! Rachel thought as hers and Michael’s eyes met.
After a week of deceiving her parents, Rachel decided to stop. She wore her outfit home that day.
“That’s not what you had on this morning, and I thought Mom and Dad told you not to ever wear that,” Jessica said as they got off the school bus.
“Yeah. Well. She bought it, so I’m going to wear it. Plus we don’t waste money,” Rachel said. “And if you say one word about it, I’m going to put a hurting on you that you will never forget.”
“Dad’s not going to let you hurt me.”
“I’ll hurt you before Dad even knows about it. Okay, pip-squeak?”
“Okay. I won’t tell,” Jessica said.
Two days later, Rachel put the pants on as she got ready for school. She refused to take them off when Rosalind commanded her to take them off. Rosalind turned to Dwight for help.
“Don’t look at me, man of the house. Just remember the conversation we had the first time you told her to take it off, you know, after they had left for school. Well, the chickens have come home to roost,” Dwight said.
* * * * *
“Here, Mom,” DJ said handing his mother some money.
“What is this for?” Rosalind asked.
“Oh, it’s some of the money from my check. I just wanted to contribute to the household expenses.”
“That’s thoughtful of you,” Rosalind said with a smile. “Now what else do you want?”
“Can’t I do a good deed without you thinking I want something?” DJ said.
“Of course you can. I appreciate it, DJ,” Rosalind said placing the money in her pocket.
“By the way,” DJ said as he turned to leave, “may I please borrow your car on Saturday? I want to take Jennifer to the movies and maybe some place to eat. We want to see the movie Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.”
“We’ll see,” Rosalind said with an ‘I-knew-it’ smile. “Seems like you’ve been talking with her more and more. I’m pleased with that. She’s from a good family. They have been a blessing to the church. I like her. Wouldn’t it be nice if you two were to get married.” Rosalind said this last statement more to herself but loud enough for DJ to hear.
“She’s of a different cut,” DJ said ignoring his mother’s last statement. “Anyway, I have to take off for work among other things,” DJ said.
“Say, DJ, I saw this picture frame hanging off the wall in the center of the living room with the pictures of about six girls including Jennifer. Do you know anything about it?” Rosalind asked.
DJ chuckled. “Those are all my girls.”
“I hear you,” Rosalind said.
“Bye, Dad,” DJ said to Dwight as he passed through the living room heading out the door. “Thanks for letting me use your car tonight.”
“You’re quite welcome. Don’t go speeding down the road, and please stop turning that music up so loud. You’re going to burst your eardrums,” Dwight said.
“Okay, Dad,” DJ said.
Before DJ backed out of the driveway, he had the music blasting from the radio.
“I’m in the house and the music is hurting my ears,” Dwight said plugging his ears with his fingers. “How many times do we have to tell them something before they listen?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Rosalind said.
Chapter 39
It was going on two o’clock Sunday morning when DJ came in from taking Jennifer out on a date. Rosalind was curled up on the couch waiting for him.
“Mom, what are you doing up? Is everything alright?” DJ asked in surprise.
“Yes and no,” Rosalind said grimly. “Have a seat.”
DJ sat in the chair next to the couch facing his mother.
“DJ, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“About Marsha Granderson. It took her mother calling me after eleven o’clock and leaving a message insisting that I return her call, no matter how late the hour, to tell me her daughter was two months pregnant and that you are the father. Now, don’t deny it because they have no reason to lie. From what Mrs. Granderson told me, Marsha has been having morning sickness for the past month. She tried to hide it, but you can only hide such things for so long. Anyway, Marsha finally told her the truth. Are you going to tell me you knew nothing about it?”
“Mom, I didn’t know. Honest. I — ”
“Well, now you know. If you keep doing what you’re doing then what do you expect the outcome to be?” Rosalind said. “So what are you going to do about this child? Abort it, too?”
A cold shiver ran up DJ’s spine causing him to flinch. He looked away.
“How many girls out there are possibly carrying your child?” Rosalind asked. “Look at me, boy. Well? You can’t answer that, can you?”
DJ remained silent.
“Whether you like it or not, you and your siblings have a reputation to uphold in this community because of your father’s position as Bishop of Love and Peace Apostolic Church. You can’t go around impregnating girls. You can’t bring that kind of shame upon our family name.”
Were you thinking about that when you tossed the bag with the condoms on my bed or when you were fooling around with Rev. Dorsett? DJ wanted to voice his thoughts, but he remained silent.
“I’m waiting for an answer,” Rosalind said. “I can’t even get mad even if I tried.”
“I’ll have to talk with Marsha and see what’s going on because she never said anything to me about this,” DJ finally said.
“Please do, and whatever you decide to do, just remember two wrongs never make a right,” Rosalind said.
DJ went to his room without answering.
* * * * *
“Well, have you spoken with Marsha about this?” Rosalind asked DJ a couple days later in Dwight’s presence.
“Yes.”
“And?” Rosalind said.
“She’s going to keep the baby,” DJ said.
“How did you let that happen? I couldn’t believe it when your mother told me. I thought you were more responsible than that,” Dwight said. DJ heard the pain and disappointment in his father’s voice. “Well, what’s done is done. It’s one of those things in life we just have to accept and go on with life as best we can.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” DJ said.
“Show me how sorry you truly are by doing the responsible and mature thing and taking care of the baby and not leave it all on Marsha. You say you want to be a man? That’s what real men do,” Dwight said.
“Okay, Dad,” DJ said. “I’ll be a real man.”
* * * * *
“I blame myself for this happening,” Dwight shared with Rosalind later that night.
“What do you mean?”
“If I had been firmer with him, if I had put the switch to his behind more often, rather than talk, if I had kept up with his whereabouts then I believe this would not have happened. If I had put the fear of God in him,” Dwight said.
“You can’t blame yourself for any of these children’s misdeeds,” Rosalind said lamely as she remembered tossing the condoms on DJ’s bed. To date, she had not said anything to Dwight about the abortion and had no intentions on doing so. “As they grow older they have to begin taking responsibility for their actions. It’s not on us anymore . . . especially when they refuse to listen to you.”
Dwight sighed. “I don’t think you are really hearing what I am saying.”
Rosalind remained quiet as they both settled down for the night. They enveloped themselves with their own thoughts — thoughts that robbed them of a peaceful night of sleep.
DJ was hit with a surprising revelation later that week that left him wondering about the dynamics of his family, but which also spurred him on in his promiscuous lifestyle.
