My Truth My Time My Turn

by Shelia E. Bell

  Pepper noticed a familiar person walking toward them as they neared the CCU Waiting Room.

  “Look, it’s Ian.”

  Fancy’s face turned into a mass of fury as Ian approached.

  “Pepper? Mrs. McCoy. My sister told me about Xavier. How is he? Can I see him?”

  Fancy rolled her eyes. “What are you doing here? Only immediate family is allowed.”

  Ian eyed Pepper. “Then what are you doing here?” he bit back.

  “That’s none of your concern,” Fancy spoke up.

  “Please, I just want to know how he is.”

  Fancy softened her attitude. “He has a long way to go, but I know God is a healer. My boy will be fine as long as he knows he’s surrounded by his family and those who love him,” looping her arm inside of Pepper’s.

  Ian glanced at the show of solidarity between the two ladies and knew instantaneously that he had no chance of getting near Xavier, not while Xavier was in the hospital, at least.

  “I understand, and that’s why I’m here. I want him to know that I’m praying for him and that I love him.”

  Fancy stepped up on Ian and gritted her teeth. “Let me tell you something, and I don’t want to tell you this again. Leave my son alone! Stay away from this hospital, you little twit.”

  Ian was livid. “I don’t think you can make me stay away. You don’t own this place. I can come and go as I please.”

  “You very well might be right about that, but I do have control over who sees my son and who’s good for my son. And you better know that when I finish talking to his doctors and this staff, they’ll keep you as far away from my son and this hospital, too. I’ll have you locked up if you try to see him, if you so much as ask about him. Do you understand me?” Fancy pointed her finger into his face as she bared her teeth like a pit bull ready to attack.

  Ian fake smiled. “Yea, I hear you, First Lady. I hear you loud and clear.” He smirked at Pepper and then turned and walked back in the direction he came.

  “Come on, let’s go, sweetheart,” Fancy told Pepper and they continued toward the CCU Waiting Room.

  23

  “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.” Hubert H. Humphrey

  Khalil entered through the doors of Holy Rock and was greeted by staff members telling him that Xavier and the McCoy family were in their prayers. Some hugged him, others shook his hand, patted his back, and reassured him about the goodness of God, and so on.

  Sista Mavis came from around her desk and out of her work area, approaching Khalil in the hallway.

  “Pastor K, how is he?”

  “He’s going to be just fine, Sista Mavis. God is able.”

  “Oh, yes, he is. I’ve been praying all night for that boy. You young folk drive so fast. You have to be careful, look out for these other drivers.”

  “Thank you for your prayers, Sista Mavis.”

  Sista Mavis returned to her area and had a seat, but her eyes remained glued on Khalil. She watched as his eyes locked in on Eliana’s vacant chair. He quickly scanned the office space where she and the other admins sat but he didn’t see her.

  “If you’re wondering about Sista Eliana, she won’t be in until noon. I thought she would have told you,” Sista Mavis fished.

  “Oh, that’s right. I forgot. Thanks, Sista Mavis.”

  “If I can help you with something, let me know. I have access to your calendar.”

  “Will you contact Pastor Graham for me, Sista Mavis. Call in my office when you have him on the phone.”

  “I sure will.”

  “Oh, if I get any calls pertaining to my brother, put them through. No, wait, let me clarify that. If I get any calls from the hospital about my brother, put them through. Anyone else, take a message or send them to my office voicemail. One more thing, make sure the Youth Department staff is made aware that my brother will be out until further notice. When Eliana comes in I’ll get her to write an official memo but if you’ll do that for me, that should be sufficient for now.”

  “Yes, Pastor K. I’ll get right on it.”

  Khalil disappeared up the hallway and entered his office.

  Shortly thereafter, after having sat down, powered on his desktop, his interoffice phone rang. “Pastor Graham is on line two,” Sista Mavis told him.

  “Good morning, Stiles.”

  “Good morning. How’s Xavier?”

  “I just came from the hospital. He’s still on a ventilator, and he’s not conscious. They have him heavily sedated for now, and he’s still in critical condition. Thanks for asking.”

  “Well, I have him on our prayer list. We have prayer warriors who pray every Tuesday at noon. Plus, I’m praying every day. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Tired. I haven’t been able to get any real rest, but it’s all good. You know you do what you have to do when it comes to family and when it comes to the church.”

  “True. True.”

  “I wanted to know if you could possibly fill in for me for a few weeks.”

  “I’m sure I can. I’ll get things arranged here for my absence. If you can give me a few days, I should be able to be there by the weekend.”

  “Straight. I appreciate it.”

  Stiles laughed. “That’s what you’re paying me the big bucks for.”

  “I guess you have a point. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “Okay, nephew. I’ll let you know my flight information as soon as I have it.”

  “Thanks. Have a good one.”

  “You too. Keep the faith, man. Xavier is going to be all right. How is Fancy?”

  “I left her at the hospital. You know it’s going to be like pulling teeth to get her away from there. That’s another reason I need you here. With you in the office, I won’t have to be as concerned about what’s going on. I know I have capable staff, but Hezekiah McCoy makes it hard for me to fully trust and rely on them. I never know who he might have on his private payroll. Know what I mean?”

  “I hope it’s not like that. He’s already facing prison time. And from what Fancy told me, he was at the hospital before either of you. God must be dealing with him.”

  “Yeah, maybe. But you know, time will tell. Anyway, I’m out. See you this weekend.”

  “You bet.”

  Feeling relieved that Stiles would be returning, Khalil focused his attention on working on his sermon when his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen. It was Detria again. He started to answer it but decided not to. He was done with her for good this time. She’d served her purpose. He didn’t care why she pretended to be so interested in the welfare of his brother. The phone call was followed by another text message. Enough was enough. He did like he told his mother he was going to do. He blocked her number, exhaled, and returned to working on his message.

  A knock on his door interrupted him this time. He was quickly becoming frustrated. “Yes, come in.”

  It was Sista Mavis. “Pastor K, I’m sorry to bother you, but Detria Graham is calling this office like a mad woman. I keep telling her you aren’t available but she keeps calling me a liar. I’ve sent her to your voicemail, which is going to be full before you know it with all the calling she’s doing. I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to behave like the Christian woman I am, but enough is enough. That woman has a problem. She seriously needs God in her life.”

  “Calm down, Sista Mavis. If she calls again, send the call through the next time. But if she comes to this church, I want you to call security immediately. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Pastor K.”

  “Okay, now please close my door. I’m working on my message.”

  Sista Mavis closed the door and returned to her desk. Sure enough within five minutes of her leaving, she buzzed his office and told him Detria was on the phone.

  “Look, what is wrong with you? I said leave me the hell alone. Do you understand me?”

  “Khalil, please, all I want is to see how Xavier is doing. I heard about his accident. Someone said
he was dead.”

  “I’m going to tell you this this one last time. So you listen, and you betta listen good, Dee. My family is no concern of yours. Now for the final time, do not call me ever again. Not on my phone, not at Holy Rock, and if you see me on the street you’ll be smart to cross to the other side.”

  Detria lost it and began cussing and screaming. “You used me, Khalil McCoy. You and your no good daddy are just alike. But you’re going to pay. You watch what I tell you.”

  “I’m going to say it again, if I even so much as hear or see you near me or my family ever again, you won’t live to see another day or snort another line.” Khalil hung up the phone, mumbled under his breath, “Crazy wanch,” and returned to working on his message.

  “Ian, I’ll let you know how Xavier is doing. Just promise me you’ll stay away from the hospital and from Khalil’s family.”

  Eliana had gone with her brother for his follow-up doctor’s appointment because of an HIV scare. “That’s easy for you to say when you’re all up on Khalil. My friend is in the hospital and you don’t want me to be concerned about him?”

  “I didn’t say anything like that, Ian, and you know it.”

  “How is he, Eliana?”

  “He’s got a long road to recovery is all I can say. I mean he ran head on into a concrete embankment. Thank God he’s alive.”

  Ian thought back to when he learned the accident happened. It was the same evening Xavier left his apartment in a messed up state of mind. Xavier was no drinker, so the shots of tequila he drank had added to his erratic behavior. Ian’s plan for him to spend the night backfired as the conversation about Leo’s murder escalated. If only he could somehow have kept him from barging out the apartment and climbing behind the wheel, Xavier wouldn’t be laying up in a hospital bed near death.

  “You don’t understand, Eliana, I need to see him. You have to help me. Please.”

  Eliana looked at her brother. “Help you? I won’t help you sneak into the hospital to see Xavier, if that’s what you’re talking about. I can’t even see him. Only immediate family. Just pray for him, Ian. That’s all you or I can do right now.”

  Ian rubbed his head back and forth and began to cry as he went round and round. “Oh, God, this is my fault. This is all my fault.”

  Eliana’s brows furrowed as she went over to her brother and grabbed both of his shoulders so he faced her. “What are you talking about? How can Xavier’s accident be your fault?”

  Ian thought about what he was saying. “It is. Xavier is so confused about his life. I told him over and over again to be who he is.”

  “You mean, gay?”

  “Yes,” Ian said and nodded. “But he couldn’t deal with it. The night of the accident, we had a big blowout about it. He was talking about that skank, Pepper and being with her, but I was pressuring him to be with me. He ended up leaving in a bad state of mind. When you told me about the evening he had the accident, it was the same evening we argued.” Tears poured. What Ian said was true, but he hadn’t told Eliana about the rest of the conversation regarding Leo, and he wasn’t going to tell her either. No one could know about that.

  “That doesn’t make it your fault, Ian.” Eliana wrapped her arms around her brother and hugged him tightly. “It’s not your fault. Don’t do this to yourself. We just got good news at your doctor’s visit. You don’t have HIV. You should be celebrating right now about God’s goodness. That false positive could have come out totally different.” She held him and allowed him to cry on her shoulder until he was spent.

  Ian was glad the latest round of tests confirmed he did not have the disease but he did have a treatable auto immune disease. She pulled back and they looked at each other. “I have to get to work. I’m supposed to be there by noon. I want you to stay here, at my apartment, and chill. I’ll check on you later. Okay?”

  Ian nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

  “I promise to tell you whatever I find out about Xavier.”

  “Thanks, sis.”

  “I love you, Ian. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you. You know that, don’t you?” She kissed him on his cheek.

  “Yes,” he said, barely audible.

  Eliana turned and left.

  24

  “Nature performs the cure, the physician takes the fee.” Benjamin Franklin

  Stiles preached a soul stirring message at Full of Grace. He loved Full of Grace, was grateful for the opportunity to pastor the six hundred member congregation, but Holy Rock was and still remained at the forefront of his heart. He could understand now as a man, and a pastor, how endearing Holy Rock was to him, the same as it was to Pastor.

  Finishing his packing at home later that evening, he reminisced about the good times and not so good times he had at Holy Rock, starting when he was a little boy up to when he was appointed to be senior pastor. And like a little kid, he felt the nervousness and excitement of knowing he was going back to Holy Rock, if only for a few weeks.

  The following Monday morning, Stiles got out of bed, eager for his trip. What he didn’t like was the reason he was called to come to Holy Rock. His nephew was lying in a hospital bed in pretty bad shape. Stiles said a prayer for Xavier, then texted Kareena to let her know he was ready.

  Kareena arrived twenty minutes later.

  At the airport, Kareena steered her car into the farthest right lane and stopped in front of the airline terminal.

  “Hold it down while I’m gone, Kareena, like you always do.” Stiles looked over at her, laughed, and opened the car door. They did a fist bump and he got out of her car.

  “Okay, have a safe trip. Talk to you later.”

  “Thanks. See you in a coupla weeks, Kareena.” Stiles closed the front door, and walked to the back of Kareena’s car. She popped the trunk and he removed his luggage, closed the trunk, and threw up his hand to her as he disappeared inside the busy terminal.

  She watched a few seconds before driving off. Her phone rang. It was River.

  “Hi, babe,” she said, and a loving smile appeared on her face as she merged with the traffic exiting the airport.

  “Eliana, who did you say is going to pick up my uncle?” Khalil asked while driving to the hospital.

  “Brother Ron is on his way there now. No worries, Pastor Khalil. We have everything taken care of. After that, he’s going to take Minister Stiles to his house so he can get settled in. You know, drop off his luggage, pick up his car, whatever he wants to do.”

  “Cool. Well, you know where I’m going to be.”

  “Yes, at the hospital. Please let Xavier know he remains in my prayers.”

  “I will. Thanks, Eliana.”

  “Is your mother with you?”

  “Yes, she’s right here.” Khalil looked at his mother. “She can hear you.”

  “Good afternoon, First Lady.”

  “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

  “I’m good. How are you?”

  “I’m hanging in there. Thank you for making sure everything is running smoothly at Holy Rock so my son,” she rubbed Khalil’s arm, “can be with Xavier and with me. You don’t know how much relief it gives me to have someone capable running that office and handling Khalil’s administrative needs.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.”

  “Well, you’re a jewel.” Fancy continued to build her up, hoping Khalil would take notice at what she was saying and how well she and Eliana were getting along lately. Maybe this would strengthen the relationship he had with Eliana.

  “Thank you, First Lady.”

  “She’s just speaking the truth, Eliana. You are one special lady. Anyway, I’ll hit you back later. In the meantime, you know what to do when my uncle gets there. Make sure he has everything he needs.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “Okay, call you later.” Khalil pressed the button on his steering wheel to end the call.

  Fancy looked at him and smiled.

  “What, Ma?”

 
; “You know what.”

  “No, I don’t know.”

  “Eliana is a good girl, Khalil.”

  “That she is.”

  “And you’re a pastor now. A pastor of a growing church. I mean, Holy Rock and you are blasted on television stations all over the mid-south...and the U.S. Thousands upon thousands tune in to see and hear you preach on livestream. You’re on the radio now. I mean, honey,” she expressed, “people are beginning to recognize you on the streets. Even at the hospital. Think about how many people have stopped you to ask if you’re Pastor Khalil McCoy. How many people have stopped you, and asked you to pray for them or their loved ones?”

  “Ma, you’re right but what does that have to do with Eliana?” Khalil shrugged and continued driving.

  “You’re twenty-four years old. You’re handsome, successful, and smart, You’re financially secure, and you’re going to be making even more money as time goes by. You’ll reach multi-millionaire status in no time, if you haven’t already. You’re well respected at Holy Rock and in the community, but you have one thing lacking.”

  “What’s that, Ma?” he glanced at his mother.

  “A first lady.”

  Khalil chuckled. “Ma, you got to be kidding me. A first lady?” he shook his head in disagreement. “Uhh, I don’t think so.”

  “That’s the problem. You need to start ‘thinking so’, son. These young hussies are all over you. How many times have your armor bearers had to get you out of the sanctuary at the end of each service before you get ran down with a deluge of young women wanting to get you into their beds? They all want to be the one that you’ll put a ring on it.” Fancy grinned at the thought. “They’ll do whatever they can to wear the title of First Lady. You know I’m right.”

  Khalil laughed again. “Yea, sometimes it can get a little wild at Holy Rock.”

  “I know you’re young and you don’t want to settle down, but you’re leading a different life now, sweetheart.” She rubbed his shoulder again. “You’re not that young wild, reckless, juvenile in Chicago anymore. I’ve watched you come into your own. For a man of twenty four, you’re mature and wise beyond your years. Look at what you’ve done at Holy Rock, Khalil. You’re the one responsible for the major growth of that church. People flock to Holy Rock all because of you…and God, of course. He’s showing you so much favor, Khalil. You need a strong woman by your side. I know you’ve seen pictures and billboards, even visited and come to know some of the pastors who have their first lady standing right beside them. Some of those women are co-pastors with their husbands. I’m not saying Eliana will step into the role of being a co-pastor, then again who knows where God will lead her. What I am saying is you have a good girl right in front of your face. She’s down for you. She’s smart, she’s wise, she’s beautiful, she loves the Lord and she loves you.”