The McCoys of Holy Rock

by Shelia E. Bell

  Now here they were, Kareena was outside, about to come into his house and Stiles secretly wished things could be different. When he went to the door to watch for her, Kareena was already out of her car and walking toward the front door.

  "Here you go," Kareena said, walking up to him and pulling his wallet from out of her purse. "Tie this around your neck if you need to. You do not need to be driving on the highway without it and I do not want to get a call to come bail you out of jail," she fussed playfully.

  "Yes, ma'am. Maybe I need to take you along; that way I know I'll have everything I need," he innocently flirted.

  "We both know that's not a good idea," she quickly shot back.

  "You want to come in, have a cup of coffee, tea, a glass of wine?" he offered.

  "I don't think so. I'm beat. It's been a long day. You know how Tuesdays are at Full of Grace. Meetings all day, Bible Study, evening worship service. I’ll talk to you before you leave. When do you think you’ll be leaving since you decided to drive instead of fly?"

  "I don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind. I have my class to teach at the community college tomorrow evening so I still might leave early Friday. As long as I'm there for the banquet Saturday evening, I'll be fine. Look, seriously, why don't you ride with me? You said you've never been to Memphis. There may not be a whole lot to see, especially since the weekend will be filled with activities at Holy Rock, but you could at least see the church where I used to pastor and I could use the company."

  "Are you sure that's the only reason or do you want me to come along so I can help you drive?" she quipped, still standing inside the door to Stiles’ house.

  "Now that you mentioned it, that's not a bad idea." The both of them laughed. "Seriously, I should have asked you before now. Please come to Memphis with me. I promise to be a good boy and bring you back home safely."

  "I don't know. It's such late notice. And you said there's a banquet Saturday evening. That means I have to have something fancy to wear. You know I like the more casual look so I don't think I'll fit in. Maybe next time."

  "Look, go home and sleep on it before you make a final decision. I thought I was ready to go face my demons alone, but the more I think about returning to Holy Rock, to Memphis period, the more I'm having second thoughts about even going."

  "Okay, I'll think about it."

  "Thanks, Kareena. I don't know what I'd do without you."

  "Believe me, you'll be just fine, Stiles. Goodnight."

  “Goodnight. And thanks again for bringing my wallet.” Stiles stood at the door and watched until Kareena got in her car and drove off. His flesh awakened as the light hypnotic trace of her body scent lingered inside his door.

  Kareena drove to the end of Stiles’ driveway and out of his view. She tapped on the brakes, bringing the car to a complete stop before she put it in Park. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts and bring her flesh back under subjection. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about Stiles’ tall, handsome frame. He reminded her so much of Carson. His forgetfulness, his smile, his gentle spirit....his kiss. Everything about him reminded her of just how much she missed Carson.

  “Why, God? Why did you let Satan take Carson away?" she prayed. "Why? We would have had a wonderful and perfect life together. I just know it. By now we probably would have a family. We would have been so happy.” Kareena gripped the steering wheel and laid her head against it for several seconds before telling herself to leave. She didn’t want to chance Stiles seeing her parked at the end of his driveway like she was a stalker chick.

  “Pull yourself together,” she chastised herself. She turned the key to start the car, put it in drive, and drove home with tears cascading down her face like a waterfall.

  5

  No man is rich enough to buy back his past. Oscar Wilde

  Pastor awoke suddenly, turned over onto his right side, and for a moment, he imagined Audrey was lying in the bed next to him. It took only a second or two for his mind to connect with his vision to see that side of the bed was empty. He looked to the left of him. He picked up his cell phone from the nightstand next to the bed—8:36 pm. He hadn't meant to sleep this late. He had spent most of his day at Holy Rock, which had become custom for him since he was now part of the paid ministerial staff.

  When he arrived home, it was five o'clock in the evening. He had a sandwich and then told Josie he was going to lie down and take a power nap until it was time for dinner. During his sleep, he dreamed about Audrey. It didn't happen often. Usually when he dreamed about her, he felt she was trying to tell him something. That was Audrey though. Seemed like dead or alive she kept up with everything and everybody at Holy Rock. Pastor rose from the bed, swung his legs down to meet the floor, and smiled at the thought that even up in heaven with God, she was still making it her business to intertwine herself with him here on earth.

  In his dream, she was talking and pacing across the floor, dressed like she was going to walk the runway for one of those top name designer fashion shows. Suddenly, Pastor stopped smiling, and a troubled look washed over his face as he tried to recall something in the dream that disturbed him. He couldn't put it together, but he felt a dis-ease in his spirit.

  "So you finally decided to get up, huh? I thought you were out for the night. You must have had a lot on your plate at Holy Rock today," Josie said as she appeared in the doorway and walked into their bedroom.

  "Yep, you know there's a lot going on around there in preparation for Jubilee. Pastor McCoy wants everything to go perfectly. Several pastors and their wives and families are flying in, along with three guest choirs. And then you know the banquet is Saturday night."

  "Yeah, the weekend will be here before we know it. I still need to go look for a pair of shoes tomorrow to go with the dress I found. I guess I'll call Millie and see if she wants to go with me.

  Millie was a dear friend who Josie met at a Golden Friends event. After talking at length with Millie, Josie found out that she lived in Emerald Estates too.

  Pastor and Josie had moved back to the house in Emerald Estates after Pastor's health improved. Josie didn't have a problem with it. It may have been the house Pastor once shared with Audrey Graham, but Josie wasn't bothered. Let the dead rest in peace and let the living keep living until they die. That was one of Josie's sayings.

  Millie moved to the neighborhood when her son and his family purchased a home one street over from Pastor and Josie. The two women spent a lot of time together, primarily going shopping or out for lunch.

  Pastor stretched and yawned, but didn't move from off the bed.

  "Are you still tired?" asked Josie.

  "To be honest, I definitely could go back to sleep," Pastor replied and chuckled lightly. "But I need to take a shower and now that I'm sitting here, I feel myself getting a little hungry."

  "Why don't you go ahead and take your shower. I'll fix you a plate by the time I think you're done," Josie offered.

  "That sounds good. What'd you cook? Not that it matters, cause everything you make is good enough for a five star restaurant," he said.

  "I bet you tell all your women that," Josie came back, giggling. "Fried pork chops, collards, cornbread, fried corn, and mashed sweet potatoes. I made a gallon of sweet tea with lemons, too."

  Sounds delicious. Anything for dessert?" Pastor loved to indulge in his desserts from time to time. When Audrey was alive, he tried to steer clear of them because Audrey developed diabetes and he didn't want to, in any way, tempt her to eat unhealthy.

  "I made a pan of frosted chocolate brownies."

  "Yum. You know you know the way to my heart."

  "Man, take your shower so you can eat your dinner and so I can do like you just finished doing - go to bed."

  "You don't have to tell me twice." Pastor got up and undressed down to his boxers before heading to the bathroom. As he showered, he hummed one of his favorite songs, You Ain't Seen Your Best Days Yet, by Bishop Paul Morton. He hummed and sung until the memory that he'
d dreamed about Audrey took precedence over his thoughts of the song. Once again, an unexplainable uneasiness settled over him. Audrey, I miss you, honey. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you.

  In his mind, as the warm jets of water streamed down his body, Pastor thought of all the years he was with his dear Audrey. All the good times and the not so good times. He thought about the day he saw Audrey waltz into Holy Rock, holding the hand of her little boy, Stiles. She was a vision of beauty. He shook his head briefly from side to side like he was trying to toss a memory from his mind. He opened his eyes as he simultaneously rubbed both hands over his face to brush away the heavy stream of water. One memory after another came and went.

  Then there was one memory etched in his mind that he didn't want to think about; hoped he could forget but couldn't. It was the memory of the woman he once loved before Audrey. There was a time he thought she would be the one that he would spend the rest of his life with. But after being in and out of her life for two years, he came to the realization that something was not quite right. It took some doing, but he was finally able to completely break things off with her. Thank God that he did, because it paved the way for his heart to receive the love of Audrey.

  Pastor tried to suppress the unpleasant memories of the woman, but every now and then they reared their ugly head. Today was one of those times. My, my, my, if only some things could stay hidden forever.

  6

  Do not judge my story by the chapter you walked in on. Unknown

  Fancy curled up on the plush sofa in her and Hezekiah's bedroom to relax and go over the menu and program for the banquet, which was three days away. As for the banquet committee, Fancy understood that they would say that it was too late to make any drastic changes, but then again, if there was anything she saw that she didn't like or that was missing, she was going to make sure that the banquet committee made the changes regardless. She wanted everything to be perfect and was determined to make it so. Not only that, but for the first time since they moved to Memphis, Hezekiah's aunt was coming to town this weekend. She would see firsthand how the two of them had grown in the ministry. Their lives, much like their oldest son, Khalil, had been transformed only by the grace of God. No more illegal shenanigans. They were enjoying the fruits of their labor and God was truly rewarding them for their diligence and service.

  The fact that his aunt called and told him that she was coming to Memphis this weekend filled Hezekiah with an extra dose of joy. Fancy was happy for him, too. She had always shown Fancy nothing but kindness ever since her and Hezekiah became a couple. The woman would be arriving tomorrow morning. Hezekiah and Fancy were going to pick her up from the airport. Fancy had already made sure that one of the guest bedrooms was fixed up perfectly for her stay. Fancy’s parents weren't going to be able to attend but they sent a special love offering for the occasion.

  Hezekiah always said that his aunt was super nice. Growing up, he didn’t see her often, but when he did, she always came bearing gifts. When his father was gunned down in the streets near Cabrini Green projects, it was his aunt who came to be by his mother’s side. She made sure that Hezekiah and his older brother were fed and taken care of, allowing Hezekiah's mother time to grieve over her husband's death. Then when his mother died while he was in prison, Hezekiah didn't think he would ever be able to forgive himself for being locked away while his mother was at home dying. Again, his aunt helped him through the most difficult days of his grief. She came to see him almost every visiting day and encouraged him, talked to him, and soothed his hurting heart as much as she could through prison bars. She kept money on his books while he was locked up and sent him letters and books through the mail. She even offered to take care of Khalil and Xavier when Hezekiah and Fancy went to prison but Fancy's parents interceded and provided for the boys' care.

  A light tap on the door roused Fancy. "Yes?" she answered softly.

  "Mom, it's me."

  “Oh, come on in.”

  Her oldest son, Khalil, entered. "Hey, Mom."

  "Hi, Khalil. You're home early aren’t you?" She picked up her cell phone and looked at the time.

  "Yeah, I left church a little earlier than usual. I came to scoop up Xavier.”

  “Oh, okay. Where are you two headed?”

  “The bowling alley. We’re meeting a few friends from church and hanging out.”

  “That’s nice. I wish you weren’t moving out,” Fancy said, quickly changing the subject. “I don’t understand why you feel that you need to do that,” she complained.

  Khalil wasn’t in the frame of mind to hear his mother grumbling about his decision to cop his own crib. Ever since he told his parents that he had found an apartment and would be moving the week following Jubilee, his mom had been riding him about it. “Mom, I’ll be twenty-one in a couple of weeks. I have a great position at Holy Rock that I love and that pays me well. So why wouldn’t I want to move into my own spot? I’m a grown man.”

  “Because, Khalil, you have all the freedom you need right here. One of the reasons your father and I decided to move into this big house was so you and Xavier would have plenty of space and we wouldn’t be on top of each other. Now you want to just up and move out?”

  “Come on, you know it’s not like that. I mean, this will always be home. But this is yours and dad’s place.”

  “You just want to bring some of those hot tail girls from Holy Rock to your place. I told you all they want is to hook up with the pastor’s son. They want the glory and the title of being your wife.” Fancy huffed. “You better think with more than what’s below your belt, son.”

  “Hey, you ready to vamp, bruh?” Xavier appeared in the doorway.

  “Yeah, I’m ready. Mom, we’ll talk later,” Khalil said, glad for his brother’s perfect timing. He walked over and stood above Fancy, leaned down, and kissed her on top of her hair.

  “Y’all be careful out there,” Fancy said to her sons.

  “See ya later, Mom,” Xavier said as he and Khalil turned and walked out of the room.

  ‡

  “Thanks for being my alibi,” Xavier told his brother as they climbed in Khalil’s Lexus LC 500 coupe. The off-the-showroom floor candy apple red ride was an early birthday present from his father.

  “No problem, but you know sooner or later you’re going to have to come clean about what’s going on with you. I’m your brother, your only brother at that. I’ve made my share of bad decisions, so I don’t think it’s much of anything you can tell me that would make me surprised or judgmental, you know?”

  Xavier side glanced his brother as Khalil drove out of the driveway and pulled out into the street. “Yeah, I know, but it’s nothing to tell. I just wanna hang out with my friends sometimes. I’m almost grown, a senior in high school, but Mom still treats me like a kid. I have a car that she hardly ever lets me drive. And the handful of times that she does let me drive, I can’t be gone but a couple of hours. And Dad says nothing; he lets her get away with it. Mane, what’s up with that? I can’t wait until I graduate and turn eighteen next year.”

  “You know how mom is so you’re just going to have to learn to deal with it for a little longer. I’ll be moving into my spot next week. You know you can always come hang out. Remember that.”

  “Yeah, that’ll be cool. Thanks, bro.”

  “I gotcha,” Khalil said.

  Satisfied with his brother’s offer and feeling more at ease now that he was out of the house, Xavier put his earbuds in and started listening to his long playlist of songs on his iPhone.

  Khalil drove out of their gated community and headed towards downtown. It took less than twenty minutes to arrive at Raymone's house located in Harbor Town. Khalil didn’t really know much about Raymone, except that he and Xavier were good friends and he attended Holy Rock Upper School, the same as Xavier. Xavier had plans to go to the movie later on and meet up with some more friends. Afterwards, Raymone was going to drop Xavier off at home. Hopefully, their parents would be asleep
when he got there.

  “Thanks, again,” Xavier told his brother when they made it to Raymone’s as he got out of the car.

  “Text me if you need me to come back and scoop you up.”

  “Sure thing,” Xavier told him as he turned to walk down the pathway leading to Raymone’s front door.

  “Y’all be safe. You got protection on ya, right? These females can be treacherous out here,” Khalil said, sounding half-serious and half-joking.

  “Always,” Xavier assured him and chuckled. Throwing up his right hand, he approached the front door and pushed the doorbell while Khalil drove off.

  7

  But in the end she is as bitter as poison…Proverbs 5:4a

  Khalil and a group of young people from Holy Rock bowled several games, with Khalil’s team losing. Khalil sat around at the end of the last game. A couple of the girls flirted with him, which he was used to. He wasn’t into any of them but he wouldn’t deny that he had shared the bed with quite a few females from Holy Rock, not to mention girls from around other places. He was a good looking guy if you asked the women. His smooth, deep dark melanin skin, flashing smile, and charming personality wooed the ladies.

  His mom was wrong when she told him he had all the freedom he needed at home. That was quite the lie. From time to time he sneaked females in the house, which was easy to do because the five thousand square foot house simplified things for him. He also had access to a one-bedroom casita that was on their three-acre property. The only time it was in use was when his parents had a number of guests at the house. His father had caught him a time or two when he was entertaining females in the casita, but Hezekiah basically gave his son the thumbs up when he saw that Khalil was occupied. Having his own spot would alleviate any unwelcomed guests or embarrassing interruptions. He didn’t have to do anything but move his clothes and other personal belongings into the fully furnished one bedroom loft he found in downtown Memphis. The loft had a spectacular view of the mighty Mississippi. He couldn’t wait to pick up his keys next week and move in.