Lady Mae Wrestles with Her Long-Kept Secret

After finally visiting with a declining Lionel, Lady Mae learns he wants to reveal the truth about their affair that resulted in a child. However, Lady Mae is not ready to air the scandalous information, knowing it would further complicate her family's dire situation. While waiting to film her highly anticipated interview for A Day with Lady Mae, Pastor Maxine walks into Lady Mae's dressing room and finds her friend sullen and preoccupied, staring at her reflection.

"Come on now. I'm not going to waste this whole week propping up a sloppy old puppet with one dangly eye," Maxine tells her. "My reputation is on the line here too, girl. You've got to sell this thing."

Mae motions for her friend to sit down and begins to open up about the time James cheated on her. "I still don't know why you stayed after that," Maxine cuts in. "I'll leave a man if he scrapes his fork too loud on his plate."

"I wanted to leave him, at least for a little while, you know, to scare him," Mae says. "But then we had this annual vacation coming up with Lionel and Patrice."

"The Lionel you had your fling with?" Maxine asks.

"Yes," Mae answers. "And that's all it was meant to be was a fling. I mean, I just needed to get my groove back a little."

"Mm-hmm."

"But then I got pregnant," Mae confesses. "And now that Lionel is dying, he wants to tell the woman that he's sure is his daughter the truth."

"Grace?" Maxine questions.

"Who else?" Mae replies. "I'm telling you God has it in for me."

"Is she really his daughter?"

"The timing of it would seem to indicate that—" Mae stammers. "Oh, Maxine! This selfish old man wants to die like an exiled patriarch, leaving me behind with this girl blaming me."

As Mae struggles to figure out what to do, Maxine encourages her friend to do the right thing. "You've got to get ahead of it," Maxine tells her. "You're about to step into the holy of holies. Pastor, you've got to get yourself clean. Secrets have no place in the company of the King."

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