“Don’t be stupid, Mark,” Donavan yelled.
But Mark wasn’t listening. He went back, and stood in front of the form of JC again. “I know you’ve been wondering why I haven’t come to hang out with you yet.” Mark put the gun to his head.
“No!” Donavan screamed.
“He can’t hear you.”
“Then you stop him.”
“It should have been me,” Mark sobbed. “You didn’t deserve to die like that. And I don’t deserve to live like this.” The gun was at his temple. Mark closed his eyes, hand tightened on the gun.
“Mark, baby, are you hiding in there?” A woman’s voice ricocheted through the room as she pounded on the door.
Mark removed the gun from his head as he turned and looked at the door as if it were a foreign object. The man standing before them now in no way resembled the handsome, full of life man that had been hosting a party downstairs.
Mark closed his eyes for a moment, he then put his gun back in the safe and opened the door. But, he didn’t open the door wide enough for the woman to see what was inside the room.
“I was missing you, Mark. Why do you always hide yourself away in this room?”
“I’ll be down in a minute. Go on and go check on our guests, okay?”
She gave a skeptical glance, but nodded and left him alone.
Sighing heavily, Mark glanced back at JC one last time as he said, “The party must go on.” His heart wasn’t in it, but he left the room anyway.
“You know how he feels, don’t you Donavan?”
Donavan didn’t respond, but he remembered the nights he’d laid in bed wondering why he was still alive and what good he was to this world.
“Thank God your mother finally got pregnant with little Isaac,” the angel said, breaking in to Donavan’s thoughts. “That relieved you of a ton of guilt, didn’t it?”
Donavan nodded. No sense denying the truth. His youthful actions had almost ruined his mother’s life. If Little Isaac hadn’t come along, Donavan never would have felt free to leave his family and start a new life in Atlanta. But now, he questioned his decision to leave, wondering if he was supposed to leave, or if he had just done it because he’d been unshackled and felt like running. Donavan wondered what Mark would do with the rest of his life if someone unshackled him.
“You can help him,” the angel said, getting into Donavan’s thoughts once again.
“How can I help him?”
“I thought you’d never ask… but unfortunately, it’s not my job to tell you. Figure out what you need to do and pay it forward before it’s too late.
And with that, Donavan was dropped back into his bed, but he wouldn’t get an ounce of sleep tonight.
9
“What the devil?” Donavan glanced around his hotel room, making sure that he was alone for real this time. As he jumped out of bed, he quickly realized that the devil had nothing to do with the experience he’d just encountered. On the night before Christmas, on the same night that his sister had given birth to her first child, an angel visited him.
Donavan, put on his shoes, and threw on his coat. He left that hotel room so fast the clerk double checked to make sure that he wasn’t skipping out without paying his bill. It was six thirty in the morning and even though Donavan knew his parents might need a little extra sleep after being at the hospital earlier this morning, he had to see them.
His mother opened the door after the third time he pressed the buzzer. She yawned, then said, “Merry Christmas! I wondered where you went off to.”
“I’m sorry about leaving like that Mom. I needed to clear my head.
Nina closed the door as Donavan stepped in. Isaac was slipping a robe over his pjs as he came down the stairs. He walked over to Donavan and wrapped his arms around him. “I love you, son, I’m so glad you came back home.”
And this time, Donavan believed that his father meant every word he said. “I’m glad I came back too, Dad. Can I talk to you and Mom for a minute?”
“Of course.” Nina grabbed her son’s arm and walked him into the kitchen. “Do you want some coffee…orange juice?”
“Orange juice is fine. Thanks, Mom.” Donavan turned to his father and said, “You are probably the one person that I know who will believe what I am about to say.”
Isaac kept quiet and waited.
“I have been so angry with you for years now, but early this morning an angel visited me and showed me just how wrong I’ve been.”
Nina put the orange juice in front of Donavan and then sat down next to Isaac.
Donavan sipped his juice and then said, “I have been filled with so much guilt over Mom getting shot that I tried so hard to do everything right. I took pride in being called the golden boy because to me, that meant I wasn’t causing anyone grief.
“When Dad found out I was sleeping with Diana, it brought all those feelings of guilt back on me. But I have learned that I can no longer live with the guilt of my past. I have got to release it and I need help.”
Nina and Isaac exchanged glances. Then Isaac said, “We release you, son. We don’t hold you to blame for anything that occurred in the past… and do you know why?”
Donavan’s head was low, but as his father spoke he raised his head and looked at Isaac. “Why?”
“Because Jesus already paid for every sin you, me, your mama and anyone else has committed. And it’s time you receive the forgiveness that’s due to you. Will you receive it, son?”
Donavan didn’t answer.
Isaac said, “Psalm 107:29-31 says, He maketh the storm to calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works.
“What I’m trying to tell you,” Isaac continued, “is that God has already calmed your storm, it’s just time for you to praise Him for it and get your joy back.”
Nodding, Donavan smiled as he came into agreement, “Oh that men would praise the Lord.”
“Let’s pray, son.” Nina grabbed hold of Donavan’s and Isaac’s hands and the three of them petitioned God for peace of mind, joy and a life lived looking forward. Donavan’s past was cast into the sea and each one of them promised to remember it no more.
Rejuvenated and revived was how Donavan felt. He wanted to tell the world about a God who could change his whole world in the space of a moment. And then joy overtook him as he realized that he once again had the itch to preach. “Hey Dad, does that offer still stand? Do you still want me to come back to the ministry?”
“You can start yesterday, if you don’t mind.” Isaac stood and hugged his son. “Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord for bringing my son home.”
When father and son broke apart, Donavan told his parents. “I’ll pick up Ikee for you. I need to go talk to Diana.”
Nina smiled.
Donavan raced across town with one thought on his mind… love.
As he stood on Diana’s porch, he got ready to knock on her door, but then hesitated, almost talking himself out of his blessing. But then he took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and knocked on the door.
“Just a minute,” Diana yelled from inside. She peeped out the window, saw that it was Donavan and opened the door with a quizzical look on her face.
Donavan didn’t waste time with words. He let his lips do the explaining as he grabbed hold of Diana, held her in his arms, looked deep into her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her with all the love he’d stored up for over five years. “I love you, and I still want to marry you,” he told her.
Tears sprang to Diana’s eyes as Donavan released her. “B-but, but I thought-”
He put a finger to those same luscious lips he’d just thoroughly kissed. “I was wrong, baby. Please forgive me for the way I spoke to you the other day. Make my Christmas wish come true and agree to marry me.”
Deliriously happy, Diana twirled around. She leaned into Donavan, softly kisse
d his lips and teasingly said, “But I thought Christmas angels only granted Christmas wishes. I didn’t know that you could ask for one of your own.”
He laughed. “I’m no angel, baby. But Amarri was right, they do exist, matter-of-fact, one led me back to you.”
“Is that right?”
“It sure is.” He kissed her forehead and then stepped away. He planned to keep his distance until their wedding night. “Can you get Ikee for me? I need to take him home so he can open his presents.”
“But you just got here. Do you really have to leave so soon?” Amarri asked as she and little Isaac ran into the room.
Donavan gave Amarri a hug. This little girl had opened his eyes to so many things. It would be a pleasure to help Diana raise her. He was blessed to be an instant father, and it didn’t matter one single bit to him. “I have to go out of town this morning, but when I come back, Diana and I want to talk to you about something, okay?”
“Okay,” Amarri said and then bounced back into the other room with something else already taking space in her four-year-old mind.
“She might be a pushover, but I’m not.” Diana put her hands on her hips and gave Donavan attitude. “Why on earth would you leave town on Christmas when you could spend the day with your family and with us?”
“I’ve got to go see an old friend about living guilt free. But I promise, the moment I return, I’m all yours.” He smiled at his words and then added. “Who am I kidding, I’ve always been yours.”
Walking to the car, Donavan was still smiling as he realized that he has always belonged to God also… even when he tried to hide himself from the Lord’s presence. It was only a matter of time before the Shepherd came and found his lost sheep. “Thank you, Lord Jesus. Oh, and thank you too, my Christmas angel.”
I hope you enjoyed reading Rain For Christmas. To read more about how Donavan and Diana first got together, check out Through The Storm, the fifth book in the Rain Series. Turn the page for a sneak peek into AFTER THE RAIN…
Sample Read:
After the Rain
Book 7
Rain Series
Prologue
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thoughts afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
Psalm 139: 1-8
Isaac made sure to be in the delivery room this time. He had two other children but had witnessed not one birth. When Donavan was born, he had been laid up in a hospital having surgery to remove a bullet a hustler by the name of Ray-Ray put there. And Isaac hadn’t even known that Iona was his daughter until she was nine years old.
But things were different now. Isaac was no longer in the drug life. He’d left all of that behind. He was now a preacher and a family man.
“Aaarrgh!” Nina yelled as she squeezed his arm. The doctor stood at the end of the bed like an umpire at a baseball game. “Push baby… come on, just one more push,” Isaac encouraged. Nina was killing his arm, but he could take the pain. Because any minute now he was about to witness his child come into the world.
Nina gave one more good push and the doctor said, “I’ve got the head, keep pushing.”
“Did you hear that, Nina, our baby is almost here.” Isaac wiped the sweat from his wife’s forehead and kissed her. He loved this woman with every ounce of his heart and was thankful to God every day for allowing this woman to see enough good in him that she decided to give him another chance. Every day of his life, he was striving to prove to her that she’d chosen right this time.
“I’m tired. I don’t know if I can do this, Isaac. Can’t they just cut me open and take the baby.”
A terrified look came over Isaac’s face. He and Nina had been through so much. Isaac had just fully recovered from being shot while trying to save Iona from horrible people who wanted to kill her, simply because of who her father was. Years before that, Nina had been shot while trying to protect Donavan from certain death after he’d gotten himself mixed up with the wrong kind of people. Nina had been told that she couldn’t have any more children after that incident.
They were now well advanced in years and thought of this pregnancy as a miracle. But was this miracle about to kill his wife?
The doctor laughed at the expression on Isaac’s face. “Women often either ask to be knocked out or to have the baby cut out of them when we get to this point in the delivery. So calm down, I got this. One more push… your baby will greet us and then your wife will forget all about the pain she is enduring. She might even ask to have another child when this is over.”
Now Isaac was laughing. “We know we don’t look it, doc. But you might as well call her Sarah,” Isaac pointed at his wife. “And me, Abraham.”
Nina started laughing at that. And then without knowing she had done it, she pushed again and suddenly laughter was not the only sound in the room.
“It’s a boy!” the doctor yelled as the baby started crying.
They cleaned him off, wrapped him in a blanket and then put him in Isaac’s arms. Isaac hadn’t shed many tears in his lifetime. He’d learned from an early age to hold in his tears, because tears were a sign of weakness and there was a whole world full of people just waiting to exploit a man’s weak spot. But he could do nothing to hold back the tears from the overwhelming feeling of love he had at being in this room and witnessing the birth of his son and now being able to finally hold him and welcome him into the world. “Hey son, I’m your daddy.”
“Let me see him, Isaac. Bring him here,” Nina said while pulling on Isaac’s shirt.
“You had nine months with him. Give me a minute.”
Nina yanked her husband’s shirt again. “I’m not playing with you, Isaac Walker. I want to see my son.”
He looked down at the baby. “Your mother wants to start smothering you with her love already. She worked hard to get you out here, so I’ve got to listen to her.” The nurse raised the upper part of the bed so Nina would be in an upright position. Isaac then put the baby in her lap and asked, “Are you happy now?”
Smiling as she looked at her son, Nina said, “I’m thrilled. God has been so good to us.”
“And we are going to be good to our son. This child will never know anything about the life I have led. He will not have any dealings with drugs or drug lords. We will raise him to know and love the Lord, Jesus Christ,” Isaac declared.
Nina nodded her agreement. “He will have a good life.”
The church was packed. It was the fifth Sunday of the month of November. It was also baby dedication Sunday. Nina sat in the front row of the sanctuary with her new born baby. She smiled down at her precious gift from the Lord and exhaled. It had been a long journey, but she now held the promise of God in her hand. They had named him Isaac. Yes, he was a junior, but the name meant so much more than that. After Isaac made his joke about Sarah and Abraham in the delivery room, it made Nina think about the similarities. Sarah and Abraham had named their long awaited gift from God Isaac, so it seemed fitting that since God had blessed Nina—a barren woman just like Sarah—she should give her baby a name that meant laughter as well. Especially since there had been so much laughter and joy in the delivery room that day.
Their life had lacked laughter and joy for such a long time as they continued to deal with the fallout from Isaac’s past that Nina only wanted to be surrounded by things that brought her joy.
The day Iona had been kidnapped and Isaac had been shot, she had declared all-out war on t
he devil. She had decided right then and there that the baby growing inside her stomach would never be influenced by his father’s former life. Isaac had denied her nothing in that quest. They put their house up for sale and Isaac moved his family so deep into the suburbs that the people who looked like them in the neighborhood, didn’t act like them. Because their new neighbors were doctors, lawyers and ivy leaguers. Nina and Isaac had enough money to move in those circles. She only wanted Ikee to have the best, because she believed that a good environment was the key that would help Ikee to grow up as a man without any thug-life influences.
Isaac smiled down at Nina from behind the pulpit. He then turned his attention back to the congregation and said, “This is a very special fifth Sunday for me. One of the things I love to do as pastor of this church is dedicate babies back to the Lord. And there have been a lot of babies needing to be dedicated in this church.” He looked at Nina again with pure joy etched on his face. “But today I get to dedicate my own baby to the Lord. At one time, I didn’t think I would live to see this day. But God has been merciful to me.”
He stretched out his hand toward Nina and said, “Can you bring our son to the altar so that we can give him back to the Lord?”
Nina stood at the altar in front of her husband. Isaac Jr. was wearing all white, the traditional color for a christening. That was because a baby dedication was like a christening, except instead of using water, the baby was anointed with a dab of oil on his forehead.
Isaac had the oil in his hands. He opened the bottle and was tempted to pour all of the oil over his son. He was, after all, a Walker child. But he simply dabbed a bit of the oil on his son’s forehead. Nina bowed her head as he petitioned God on behalf of Isaac Walker Junior, or Ikee as they’d started calling him.
“Lord, we thank You for Your mercy and Your grace. Isaac Walker Junior has come into this world as a miracle child and we intend to nurture him and fill him with the knowledge of Your son, Jesus Christ.
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