The Other Side of Goodness by Vanessa Davis Griggs

“I’m sorry, Representative Simmons. I thought you were at lunch.”
    Gabrielle smiled as she walked back over to Lawrence. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She pulled a blank square piece of paper off a pad on his desk and picked up the pen stuck in what appeared to be an inkwell. She wrote something and handed him the paper. “Here are my phone numbers so you can easily get in touch with me. I look forward to hearing from you, sooner, rather than later. Thanks.” She then turned and walked toward the door. “Bye-bye, Ms. Stevens,” she said as she passed by her. “And do have a nice day!”

Chapter 6
    When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
    â€”Habakkuk 3:16
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    W illiam walked into Lawrence’s office as Mattie merely stood with a befuddled look on her face.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” William asked Lawrence.
    â€œMattie, you can go,” Lawrence said.
    Mattie nodded, then promptly exited, closing the door behind her.
    â€œWhy are both you and Mattie looking like that?” William sat down in the chair Gabrielle had just vacated. “Both of you look like you just saw a ghost or like somebody just died or something.”
    Lawrence slowly took his seat behind his desk. “I don’t know what’s with Mattie except her possibly hating that Gabrielle managed to get in here despite her valiant efforts to keep her out.”
    â€œAnd you?”
    â€œMe?” Lawrence said, shaking his head slowly. “I might possibly be in better shape had I seen or heard a ghost instead of what just transpired here.”
    William leaned in. “Okay. Spill it.”
    Lawrence dropped his head, then sheepishly looked up. “That woman that was here?”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œGabrielle . . . Well, I think she’s possibly going to be the source of some major problems for me.”
    William nodded. “Exactly what I thought was going to happen. That’s why I didn’t want to leave you in here with her by yourself. So what kind of possible damage control are we talking about here?”
    Lawrence stood up and walked over to the window behind him. He gazed out, then turned back to William. “This one is going to be pretty substantial. Especially if what she says is even partly true.”
    â€œWell, whatever it is, I’m sure we can make it go away. Between the two of us, we’re pretty resourceful.” William leaned back. “And with her knockout looks, no matter what she tries to accuse you of, we can always turn it back on her. I’ll have her looking like a gold digger before the night is over good. And you know how people, especially women, hate a good-looking woman like her trying to get something out of a man. All we have to do is use that stacked body of hers and her beautiful face against her.”
    Lawrence shook his head. “She tells me she’s a Christian now.”
    â€œAren’t they all?” William snickered. “Then the horns and the fork show up, and bam! You’re done. The devil made me do it.”
    Lawrence sat back down. “She claims there’s a child.”
    William sat back against his chair seemingly unfazed. “A baby, huh? You and her?” He laughed. “And she really believes she can make something like that work? I thought we had a real problem. What’s for lunch?”
    â€œNot a baby, a child—an eight-, almost nine-year-old child.”
    â€œAlmost nine, huh?” Lawrence laughed again. “You’re talking about that woman that just left here? Gabrielle Mercedes Booker? Oh, I know what the Mercedes stands for—homegirl is trying to get paid !”
    Lawrence nodded, but not because he agreed with everything William had just