The Best of Everything by Kimberla Lawson Roby Page A

this?”
    “I’m not. But I do think it’s just a little bit strange how she just sort of showed up out of the blue, even though she lives over in Chicago.”
    “Alicia, people visit Deliverance all the time. And you know that.”
    “Not women you used to date.”
    “Well, it’s not like I can control who visits the church.”
    “And what was all that garbage you were talking this morning about marriage? You spent all that time explaining what it takes to have a good marriage, yet there you were, using your position in the pulpit as a way to try to get back at me, your own wife. You acted like you were speaking to the entire congregation, but you and I both know that you were talking directly to me. Then you had the nerve to talk about forgiveness, but at the same time, here you are walking around holding a grudge simply because I made a few charges on some credit cards.”
    Phillip turned up the volume on the television.
    Alicia stood there for a few seconds, wishing she had something she could throw at him, but gave up and went upstairs instead.
    Entering the bedroom, she slammed the door and threw herself across the bed. Then she called her mother. But when she didn’t get an answer, she tried her cell phone.
    “Hey, Alicia.”
    “Hi, Mom. Where are you?”
    “James and I are headed back from Wisconsin.”
    “Oh yeah, that’s right. Did you have a good time?”
    “We did and we were just saying how we’ll have to start going up there a lot more often than we do.”
    “I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves. But, Mom, I really needed to hear your voice.”
    “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Because you sound like something’s wrong.”
    Alicia broke into tears.
    “Alicia, honey, what is it?”
    “It’s everything.”
    “Honey, you have to try to calm down and tell me what you mean by that.”
    Alicia sniffled a couple of times and took a deep breath. “Phillip and I aren’t getting along at all. And it’s getting worseall the time. It’s getting so bad that I’m starting to think we never should have gotten married.”
    “Oh, Alicia. What’s going on?”
    “Well, for one thing, he’s still mad because I bought a new comforter set and some bathroom accessories for the guest bedroom, but Mom, who gets mad and stays mad over something that petty?”
    “Well, you know how he feels about the money you spend, and that’s why I tried talking to you about that the other day.”
    “But it’s not just that anymore, because today some ex-girlfriend of his showed up at the church, claiming she was visiting a friend of hers who’s a member.”
    “How long ago did he date this woman?”
    “Back in high school or so he says.”
    “You don’t believe him?”
    “It’s not so much that I don’t believe him. It’s more the fact that I think that woman showed up for a lot more reasons than Phillip is willing to acknowledge.”
    “Like what?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe she wants to sleep with him.”
    “Did you talk to Phillip about this?”
    “We just had a big argument about it a few minutes ago.”
    “And what did he say?”
    “That she was someone he knew from high school and that he can’t control who visits the church.”
    “And he’s right. I mean, don’t get me wrong, who’s to say whether this woman has ulterior motives or not, but the bottom line is that if Phillip hasn’t been communicating with her since high school, then I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Plus, even if she does want to mess around with him, it’ll be up to Phillip to put her in her place.”
    “But what if he doesn’t? Because even though I’ve never said this to you before, that was one of the reasons I was sort of hesitant about marrying Phillip.”
    “Meaning?”
    “Meaning, I didn’t want to end up hurt like you were. I’m only twenty-two years old, but for as long as I live, I’ll never forget all the women Dad had affairs with while he was married to you. And Mom, I’m telling you, I