“Well, I’m sorry you can’t go,” said David. “But I think I’m going to go anyway, just to let her know I haven’t forgotten my promise.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” said Rose.
“Well take care of yourself,” David said after a short pause.
“I’m doing the best I can,” she said in a rather sad way. “Goodbye.”
“Bye now,” he said feeling rather strange. This was the first time they had spoken since the breakup. At least she wasn’t crying, he thought.
The drive to the nursing home took the better part of 35 minutes. It was an interesting ride as David pondered over and over what he would say to Aunt Tillie about his breakup. He didn’t want to hurt her. She was quite happy when he told her of his engagement.
He pulled into the parking lot and noticed a sign on the door of the building. “Residents are being evaluated today. Visitors welcome after six.”
It was 5:45 p.m. David resolved to wait in the receiving room.
“Hi, I’m here to see Miss Tillie Green,” he said to the receptionist.
“Would you please bring her to the visiting room at 6:00 p.m.?”
“Yes, your name sir?” she asked kindly.
“David Edwards,” he replied as he took his seat. He picked up a magazine, yawned twice and fell somewhere between a trance and asleep. He caught himself as he began falling out of his chair. The sudden jerk of his head brought him back to reality. When he opened his eyes Aunt Tillie was being wheeled into the room.
“Davie, sweetie,” she said in the most loving voice. “Come and give Auntie some sugar,” she said.
David immediately jumped up and went to hug and kiss her. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you,” she said. “I thought you forgot about this little old lady,” she teased.
“Oh, I could never forget you, Aunt Tillie,” he smiled. “Never in a million years.”
“How’ve you been, dear?” she asked in a loving way. “Are you treating yourself right? How are you coming with those wedding plans?”
His expression totally changed as he stood up straighter and put one hand in his pocket.
“Wedding plans are sort of on hold for now Aunt Tillie,” he said cautiously.
“Well that explains my dream,” she said. He turned and looked at her straight in the face.
“You’re not shocked?” he asked.
“Oh honey, I was praying for you last week, when I had a dream that indicated you were not quite ready for marriage.”
“Well, what was it about Aunt Tillie?” he asked.
“Oh it wasn’t much to it son,” she said.
“Please tell me Aunt Tillie,” he begged.
“Well, she said, adjusting her false teeth with strange mouth movements. “I saw your darling little fiancé standing at the altar. She kept motioning for you to come to her. You were in the back of the sanctuary. Then I saw you from behind. You reached in your pocket and brought out a pocket watch. You opened it, shook your head and put it back. Then you appeared to be walking in the opposite direction of the altar.”
“Wow,” said David. “Do you think I left because it wasn’t the right time?” he asked in a rhetorical way. “Did you tell anyone about this dream Aunt Tillie?” he asked.
“Oh no honey, it wasn’t the sort of thing that I’d tell people who aren’t involved,” she said.
“Do you dream often Aunt Tillie?” he asked in a very serious tone.
“When I was your age, my family called me the Dreamer,” she said with a laugh.
David pulled a chair close to hers and sat down. “Do you enjoy your dreams?” he asked.
“Truthfully, David,” she said, “I wish I would never dream. It’s one of those gifts from God that you can’t explain. When I was first united to our church, I made the mistake of sharing some dreams with members of the congregation that I didn’t know very well,” she said. “It turned out to be a bad idea. A rumor was started that I was a psychic and people responded by treating me unfairly. They either told me every single dream they had, hoping for solutions to their problems, or they steered clear of me as if I was a witch.”
“How terrible,” David said in a sympathetic way. “I have something I would like to share with you, but I need to pray about it first,” he said.
“That’s fine honey,” she said. “It’s always good to consult the Lord about everything,” she continued.
The ride home was much quicker than the ride to the nursing home. David wanted to actually meditate before the Lord concerning his dilemma. Should he or shouldn’t he tell Aunt Tillie about his dreams? The pastor didn’t believe him. Would she? What about the proof of Darlene Smith? That was certainly no coincidence.
He was nearly home now. The first thing he planned to do was to look for his reference Bible. There was something in there about dealing with dreams that he wanted to investigate.
CHAPTER FIVE
Darlene lifted little Janie and put her into the playpen. She was passing a rattle to her when the door knob turned and her husband appeared.
“Hi Keith,” she said, trying not to sound too happy to see him. She actually was very happy to see him. He was actually home on time, which meant he came straight home, and perhaps was happy to see her as well. But just in case he wasn’t, she lowered her eyes and put her attention back on Janie.
He approached her and kissed her on the forehead. She wished he hadn’t done that. It was a cold kiss. She could have gotten more passion from her dog.
He sat in the big easy chair that they both used to snuggle in together. He put his head back and just closed his eyes.
“Is everything alright?” she asked him sincerely.
“What do you mean by that?” he answered.
“My mother always said never answer a question with a question,” she replied. He continued to stare at her.
“I just meant that you looked tired; maybe you had a rough day,” she continued.
“Oh sure,” he said. “Yes, I am a little tired and yes today was kind of a rough day in the office.”
“Want to hold Janie?” she asked.
“Actually I’m a little sleepy,” he said. “I think I’ll lie down for a while. Just wake me when dinner’s ready.”
She didn’t respond. She just waited until he had closed the bedroom door before letting the tears fall. She could take it if he was upset with her, she thought, but he shouldn’t ignore our baby.
The infant tried to catch the tears as they fell. Perhaps sensing her mother’s unhappiness or just out of instinct, she threw her arms around her mommy’s neck and said something completely in babble.
“I love you too,” Darlene said, hugging baby Janie as tight as she dared. She then kissed her cheek and left her with her toys.
Darlene got up and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. The phone rang as she headed toward the refrigerator. She thought Keith might get it; he didn’t. It stopped after three rings. He suddenly came out of the bedroom.
“Who was the call for?” he asked.
“I don’t know, it stopped after the third ring,” she said. “Maybe they realized it was a wrong number,” she continued.
“Yea, maybe so,” he said. “What’s for dinner? I have a taste for shrimp.”
“Well, I was planning on making a casse-”
“Another casserole?” he asked. “Not for me,” he said. “I think I’ll get some shrimp at Rene’s Café. I know you don’t like their shrimp, so go on with the casserole,” he insisted.
Twenty seconds later he was out of the door and she heard his car engine give that usual revving sound as he took off down the street. She was quite stunned by the suddenness of his departure. She kept rehearsing in her mind everything that happened. First he said he was tired. Then he said he was sleepy. Minutes later he wants shrimp and he leaves in an awful big hurry. She then remembered the telephone ringing and coming to an abrupt stop.
Oh God! she thought to herself, was that a sig
nal? She suddenly lost her appetite. She was recalling every suspicious move he had made lately. She didn’t want to believe he was seeing someone else. But every time she was convinced that he might be unfaithful, she told herself she was overreacting. Consequently, she would lose her appetite and her nerve for confronting him about her suspicions.
She decided then to go and see the counselor again. Maybe he could offer her some advice. She felt she could use some at this point in her life. She wasn’t sure how much more uncertainty she could live with.
“Lord, don’t let me be a fool,” she said aloud. “I just don’t want to be anybody’s fool.”
CHAPTER SIX
David thumbed through the concordance many times before he ended up with three passages. He read about Joseph’s dreams, Daniel’s dream and Peter’s dream.
It appeared to him that those who God dealt with in dreams had revelations or warnings for the present or future. From what David could really understand, Joseph revealed his dreams too early and it got him into trouble with his brothers. Daniel’s dream is still being interpreted today because it has yet to be fulfilled. Peter’s dream was to be shared with others right away because it had a purpose to help people in their present situation. David felt that he was in this category. His dreams must have to do with the present, otherwise God never would have sent Darlene into his office. His mission must be for the present. He needed to warn people about Satan’s plans.
David felt somewhat relieved. Now the question was whether or not Aunt Tillie could help him. She certainly was prudent enough. She’s had previous experiences with God and dreams, he reasoned to himself. He was pacing the floor by now and weighing pros and cons. She already knew about the breakup between Rose and me, he thought. He was starting to feel exhausted. He sat down on the couch and quickly fell asleep.
The blackboard read Phase II. All eyes were focused on someone giving a report. David identified him, because he had seen him before. It was Deception. “In my conclusion,” Deception said, as if giving a motivational speech, “remember to hit them quickly like a ton of bricks. Don’t give them time to regroup before coming at them again and again. It almost always works. They’ll be too dazed and upset to remember who to call on, if you do it right.”
“Enough of that,” a voice shouted from out of nowhere it seemed. “What’s your next step?” asked Satan.
“Well I’ve got her scared and suspicious and next I’ll plant the divorce option so that she considers getting one everywhere she turns,” the demon explained. Then he broke into a sick laughter. “She doesn’t know that he hasn’t really committed adultery yet,” he laughed. The entire room was broken up in a laughter. David was stunned as he witnessed this. Then he heard a bell ring. It was ringing over his head and he was horrified. He didn’t want them to see him. Although he couldn’t see it, he reached up and grabbed the bell to silence it.
“Hello, hello, David?” a voice said. David sat up straight. He was startled to find the phone’s receiver in his hand. He shook himself as in disbelief. The bell was the ringing of the telephone. He put his mouth to the receiver and responded with a hello.
“Hi honey,” a voice said. “It’s Mom. Were you asleep?” she asked.
“Oh, hi Mom,” David answered. “I was just napping. I haven’t heard from you in a week.”
“Did you forget that I was out of town?” she teased.
“Oh, that’s right,” he said. “I really missed you,” he told her with sincerity.
“I missed you too, baby,” she said. “Although when I am in town, you don’t visit me like you should,” she briefly scolded.
“I’ll have to do better,” he explained. “I’ve just been a little preoccupied lately.”
“Have you seen your father lately?” she asked.
“Not for about a week,” he answered.
“Then he hasn’t talked to you about Rose?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” he questioned.
“Oh, your father called me while I was out of town and left a message on my voice mail. He said he saw Rose by chance the other day and she told him the wedding plans were called off. Is that true?”
“I’m sorry Mom. I had planned to tell you both, but there were some things I needed to work out first,” he explained.
“Well, if you want to discuss it honey, I’m here for you. I wish someone had counseled me before I married your father. Maybe things would have turned out differently. Your father said Rose looked, well, terrible; like she’d been crying a lot. I don’t know what she did, but it must have been pretty awful for you to break your engagement. But trust me, it’s better that it happened now than after you were married,” she said.
David just held the phone while she talked. He kept wondering to himself if everyone else was blaming Rose too. That wasn’t fair to her.
“Mom,” David said, interrupting her constant talking. “One day I’ll go over everything with you, but I really need to take care of something right away,” he explained.
“Alright, baby, just remember I’m here for you,” she emphasized.
“Talk to you later,” he said as he put the receiver down. He stood up and walked toward his picture window. He could only make out shadowy images on the outside. His heart was aching. The young woman whom he still loved dearly was unjustly being blamed for their breaking up. He knew he had to fix that situation. She deserved so much better. Yet without an explanation, he had called off their engagement. He walked back over to the phone and sat down to call her. Would she want to discuss this with him? He would try to make her understand. He could feel his heart beating faster as the phone rang. A soft voice answered.
“Hello Rose,” he stammered. “This is David and I’d like to talk to you.”
“About what?” she asked in a rather neutral tone. “I feel like I owe you a better explanation than what I gave you earlier.”
“You aren’t feeling guilty are you?” she asked curtly.
“Would you just give me about 10 minutes of your time?” he pleaded.
“Alright,” she said, giving in; although she kept her feelings guarded.
“I’m coming to pick you up, say in about twenty minutes,” he said.
“I’ll be ready,” she replied with a little hesitation.
The drive to Rose’s house was one of both apprehension and excitement. The evening seemed especially fresh as he drove with the windows lowered, just enough to taste the freshness of the air. He was only a few blocks away when he heard a faint ringing. He was puzzled for a moment until he realized it was his cellular phone. He could hardly hear it because it was inside his brief case. He slowed down at the yellow light and waited for it to turn red. No one was behind him in this city of 70,000 people. He reached into the backseat with his long arms and got the brief case. He opened it just in time for the changing of the light. Maybe Rose is calling to see how far away I am,” he thought. It was rather unusual for someone to call him on his cellular phone during the evening hours. “Hello,” he answered, with curiosity in his voice, “this is David.”
“David,” said a frantic voice on the other end. “I need you baby!” He was rather stunned to hear her tone of voice.
“Mom?” he said in bewilderment. “What’s wrong?” he asked, as he pulled the car out of traffic into a parking lane. “It’s your sister,” she said. “She’s unconscious, and I can’t wake her up,” she said nearly whispering while trying to hold back the tears.
“Mom call 911,” he instructed. “Don’t panic, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” After checking in his rear view mirror, he made a U-turn and began the twelve minute trip across town to his mother’s house. “Lord, please let her be alright,” he prayed aloud. She’s got to be alright, he thought. For as long as he could remember, he’d taken care of his little sister, watching out for her, giving her advice, lending her money. Only during the last year had he noticed a change. It was definitely the result of the separation. She seemed to have moved into her
own private world. She’d call him on the phone, but their level of confiding was somehow different. Then she started some ridiculous diet, he remembered, that was totally unnecessary for a girl of 5 foot 5. She was actually pretty and had what he considered an ideal weight. He wondered if she was still on the “fad” diet pills that he had scolded her for taking more than three months ago.
David tried to clear his mind of negative thoughts, in order to pray for his sister. She needed help now and scolding was not going to help.
When he pulled into the driveway, he had to maneuver around the ambulance. That’s when he noticed his father’s Chevy. He felt a little better, but was afraid to be too optimistic until he could see his sister. He entered through the side door that was so familiar to him as a child.
He walked through the kitchen and headed down the hall toward the bedrooms. The pictures that told the story of his family for most of his childhood were no longer lining the wall of the paneled hallway. They had been replaced with modern art. It was a painful walk. But today wasn’t the day to deal with his pain, there were matters of greater importance. He heard voices coming from his sister’s room.
Two paramedics were attending to her. One was a rather muscular young man who David thought couldn’t have been much older than he was. He was completing a blood pressure procedure. The other attendant was a woman about 45 years old who was asking questions. His sister’s eyes widened as David came through the door. “I’m alright,” she said, extending her right hand for him to hold. David sat on the paisley designed bedspread that was folded back on her daybed. He sat on the side opposite the paramedics and looked to them for information. “This is my brother David,” said Stephanie smiling. Her eyes looked weak from exhaustion. Her brother noticed that her color was unusually faint and the only thing around her glowing was the bright lamp on her night stand. In one glance he could see that her room had changed a lot. She once had her walls covered with plaques of honor and certificates of recognition. Now they were nowhere in sight. This could have been anybody’s room. It was certainly not one where pride was evident. Yet it was clean. With a quick sweep of his eyes around the nicely furnished room, he felt he was in a sterile environment like an institution.
Eating the Fruit of Lies Page 3