A Deal With God: The Power of One

by Haden, Michael

  The next day Leon called Mr. Vito. “Is there any way you can give Deana Saturday, March 16th off?” Leon requested.

  “Are you nuts, Leon? I can’t give my only Irish waitress off any part of St. Patrick’s Day weekend; what about the 9th or the 23rd?”

  “The 9th would work,” Leon replied. “Thank you Mr. Vito.”

  “This better be important, Leon. I can’t have too many Saturday nights without a full staff.”

  “It is important, sir,” Leon responded. “It’s about as important as it gets. Let me put it this way: hopefully, you’ll be changing the last name on Deana’s time card soon.”

  “Well Leon, if you’re saying what I think you’re saying, the odds are pretty good she’ll say ‘yes’. You and the boys are all she ever talks about. If she does say ‘yes’, you need to make sure you thank God for sending you a special girl like Deana.”

  “The truth is, Mr. Vito, if Deana was not as special as she is, I would never even consider re–marrying. Thanks for your help. I’ll tell Deana the good news when I get home tonight.”

  That evening, after the boys were in bed, Deana came into the living room to watch television with Leon.

  “I have something to discuss with you Deana.” Leon said as Deana approached. “In twelve days, on Saturday March 9th, I want to take you someplace special. The Friday night before, when you are at work, I’ll leave the boys with the Johnson’s. Early Saturday morning I’d like us to leave for Savannah, which is on the east coast on the Atlantic Ocean. I cleared it with Mr. Vito so that you won’t have to work that Saturday night. We can come back Sunday morning for church, and then go get the boys.”

  “Is there something special about Savannah?” Deana asked.

  “Savannah is very romantic,” Leon answered. “There are some beautiful sights there, especially as the sun is setting.”

  At first Deana was a little confused. Then she remembered what she said to Leon a week and a half ago. Her doctor’s appointment was next Monday. The time line was fitting. Would Leon propose marriage to her in Savannah?

  “I’d love to go to Savannah with you.” Deana responded.

  That was the first ‘yes’ Leon was looking for. In twelve nights, hopefully he’d get a second ‘yes.’

  When Mr. Vito told Delores and Peggy that Deana would be off the following Saturday, they were curious and wanted to know why. After Mr. Vito let on that it was something important, they were even more inquisitive. Eventually, they wore Mr. Vito down and got it out of him; Leon was going to propose to Deana.

  When Deana got to work on Wednesday Delores and Peggy were all smiles. Deana wanted to know what was up.

  “We know something you don’t know,” Peggy teased. “It’s about your big Saturday night off in a week and a half.”

  “What have you heard about my trip to Savannah?” Deana inquired.

  “You have no clue why Leon is taking you?” Delores asked.

  “I think I may know why.” Deana said. “But I’m not positive.”

  “It seems one of us is about to get a change in status,” Peggy proclaimed.

  Saturday morning, March 9th, Leon picked Deana up at her place just after 9am. The ride through eastern Georgia was beautiful. Leon had reserved a hotel room a few blocks west of the beach. They enjoyed a quick lunch together.

  At the hotel room, Deana went into the bathroom and put on her blue bikini. Up to this point, Luke had been the only one of the Samuels’ to have ever seen Deana in a bikini. She wore it only when the weather was warm enough at the little beach in Dothan.

  As Deana emerged from the bathroom, Leon was speechless. Deana looked like a fitness model; muscular and toned yet feminine.

  “Did you want to go down to the pool and show off your girlfriend?” Deana teased as she spun her hips to the side and shook her butt at Leon. She knew he had watched her the other night in the kitchen.

  “I don’t think I’m in any condition to go out in public right now,” Leon joked. “Why don’t we watch a movie and rest up for later?”

  “Rest up for later,” Deana repeated. “Are we going to a club tonight to dance the night away?”

  Deana was enjoying seeing Leon squirm.

  “Uh, maybe,” Leon responded and added, “I’m not positive exactly how tonight is going to play out.”

  “Oh, I see,” Deana replied. “Would it be a safe to assume you brought me here to Savannah to do more than just watch movies?”

  “Yes that would be a safe assumption.” Leon finished.

  Deana lay down next to Leon and they watched a movie. After it ended, they dozed off and got out of bed just after 5pm. Tonight would be the last early sunset until fall. At 2am Daylight Savings Time would kick in.

  Deana put on a tank top and jean skirt over her bathing suit. She was surprised Leon put on dress slacks and a nice shirt. They jumped in the truck and headed to the beach.

  When they found a good parking spot, Leon reached in the back of the truck and grabbed a large cooler and beach blanket.

  As they approached the beach, they were treated to a magnificent sunset. The sky was both red and caramel colored. Dusk over the Atlantic Ocean was breathtaking. Leon spread the blanket on a nice flat stretch of sand and placed the cooler in the bottom corner.

  “There is something I want to ask you,” Leon said kneeling. “Deana Murphy will you marry me?”

  Leon removed a small box from his pocket. He pulled out a diamond ring and took her left hand, kissing it. Then he put the band on her left ring finger. Deana wrapped her arms around him and started to cry.

  “Deana” Leon interjected after several minutes, “We are one word short here. Please don’t leave me hanging.”

  “Yes, of course I’ll marry you Leon,” Deana said between sobs.

  Leon opened the cooler. He popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and filled two glasses.

  They drank the champagne. Deana took off her skirt and tank top. Leon removed his shirt and shoes. Deana and her new fianc� danced and frolicked in the Atlantic Ocean.

  CHAPTER 11

  WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

  “We’ve had a four month courtship, how would you feel about a four month engagement?” Deana asked Leon after they were fully intimate together for the first time in the hotel room in Savannah. She continued, “I think the 4th of July weekend would be a lot of fun because everyone will already be in celebration mode. The boys will be out of school, so if we do a honeymoon, it will be much easier.”

  “Deana, you’re always so practical,” Leon said, complimenting her. “I love that about you.”

  Unfortunately Leon was not as practical. He was letting his mother, Gracie, put together an engagement party for them for the following Sunday. It would be on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, a weekend that Deana would be working long hours.

  The following morning, Leon drove Deana to church. She was going to do another new song with Mrs. Jarvis. She wasn’t nervous this week. The Savannah trip took her mind off of performing in church, which was a good thing. The song had only three easy chords so she focused on her singing. She would have the words in front of her, so it would be like karaoke. When the time came, Deana sang lead and Mrs. Jarvis backed her up. They sounded even better than the previous week.

  After church, Deana and Leon drove to Macon to get the boys. Leon told her about the engagement party.

  “You know I’ll only be able to stay a couple of hours.” Deana said. “If we leave immediately after church it will still be afternoon before we get to Athens. I’ll have to leave at three because Mr. Vito wants me at work at four because of St. Patrick’s Day. A good portion of the engagement party will be missing half of the happy couple.”

  “I know it’s not ideal.” Leon stated. “But to be fair, many people work on Saturdays now, so Sunday was our best option. I guess we’ll have to drive separately and you can leave when you need to for work.”

  “By the way,” Deana asked. “What did your brother Lester sa
y about our engagement?”

  Leon gave her the blank stare he uses when he doesn’t want to answer a question.

  “Let me rephrase my question.” Deana said. “Have you told your brother you wanted to marry me?”

  Deana got another blank stare.

  “Leon!!” Deana said; frustrated by the lack of response she was getting. “I hope you’re not waiting for your mom to tell him.”

  More silence.

  “I’m so disappointed.” Deana stated. “You need to call him later and tell him. Please, it’s important to me that you do this.”

  There was silence the rest of the way to Macon. In four months this was the first rift between Deana and Leon. Deana was concerned. She knew they wouldn’t always see eye to eye, but she needed to know Leon had a backbone. She had a feeling Lester was going to try to talk Leon out of getting married. And judging by Leon’s silence, she knew Leon was thinking the same thing.

  When they got to Macon the Johnson’s were very cordial. They congratulated Leon and Deana. Mrs. Johnson even complimented her ring. Deana was happy that all the boys seemed fine with what was going on.

  Deana had been considering giving Leon an engagement gift. She knew he had pretty much spent his last few dollars to buy her the ring. She was very touched.

  Deana had one last ace in the hole she hadn’t utilized yet. She had come so far with Leon; she didn’t want to lose him. She needed a knock–out punch.

  Deana was extremely photogenic. She decided on a professionally done photo album with six or seven 8 � x 11 photos of herself. She did not want to do sexy pictures; she wanted a book he could show off to everyone. Her new ring would be on display in the pictures.

  When she got to work she showed the ring to everyone. She was so proud. It was just over a quarter carat in size, but as far as she was concerned, it was as good as a carat and a half.

  The following morning, after Matthew and Mark went to school, Deana went online to find a photographer. The one she liked the best was in Atlanta. She dreaded the long drive with Luke it would require, but she was determined to give Leon a gift he’d never forget.

  “What did you have in mind Miss Murphy?” The photographer asked.

  “I was thinking something spiritual,” Deana replied. “I’d like six or seven photographs for my fianc�. A photo album he can show to everyone. We met at church, so I’d like at least a couple that make me look angelic.”

  “Do you like animals?” the photographer asked.

  “Very much so,” Deana answered. “I would love it if you can show my soft side.”

  “I have the perfect first picture,” the photographer told her as he handed her a Labrador puppy. “Hold the puppy’s face next to yours. It will make the cutest head shot you’ve ever seen.”

  The puppy they gave her was white and the blouse he had her change into was black. This gave an amazing color contrast. The picture was gorgeous.

  “I have another idea that will give us three more great pictures. This will require you to do some homework,” the photographer said. “You’ll need to buy the best denim blue jeans you can find and a green satin blouse as close to your eye color as possible.”

  “For your two spiritual pictures,” the photographer continued “buy an ivory, prom–styled knee length dress. We can alter the shade and design enough to use the same dress in two separate photos. Tomorrow meet me at this address at eleven o’clock.”

  He handed Deana a piece of paper with an address and a map.

  “We can knock out three beautiful pictures in one venue,” he concluded. “Wear the jeans and green blouse with boots. It will look amazing.”

  Deana left the photo studio and immediately took Luke for lunch. She did not want him to fall asleep in his car seat yet. She needed to go to the mall to buy the new clothes. She wanted Luke to sleep on the way back to Dothan.

  They ate briskly and then headed to a big department store. She tried on jeans, green tops and ivory dresses. She bought the outfits she liked the best and headed back to her place. She let Luke finish his nap and she called Mrs. Jarvis to discuss this Sunday’s song. She downloaded the chords and rehearsed until Luke woke up.

  Luke and Deana got to Leon’s just as Matthew and Mark were getting home.

  “I got an ‘A’ on my Math test we studied for last week” Mark said proudly.

  “I got a ‘B+’ on my English exam” Matthew boasted. “We’ve been doing really well.”

  Deana went in the kitchen and started making dinner. She loved Monday nights. It was the first night of her two nights off.

  The following morning, Deana and Luke headed back to Atlanta. The address the photographer gave was to a horse paddock. Deana had on the new blue jeans, green blouse and her brown tassel boots. She had not worn jeans in almost a year.

  The photographer wanted to do three photo shots. The first shot would be from the front. Deana would be walking a beautiful mare from her stable to an open area.

  The second shot would be of Deana on top of the mare. She was to lean forward with a very small smile. She would be holding onto the reins of the horse with her hands in a position to show off her new ring.

  The third photo would be from the back. It would be either the last or second to last photo in the album. The photographer had noticed what an amazing posterior Deana had and wanted to take advantage of this. The picture would be of Deana walking the mare back to the stable.

  Tomorrow they would be back at the photo studio. They would shoot the two spiritual pictures. Deana was most excited about these.

  Deana and Luke headed back to Dothan. Like last night Deana got to have dinner with the boys and spend the entire evening with Leon. At eleven O’clock she went to bed with Leon.

  It was now fourth consecutive night Deana and Leon had been fully intimate together. Leon was pleasantly surprised how assertive and physically aggressive Deana was.

  “I said no to quite a few boys in high school and college. I said no to a couple of men after college,” Deana stated. “None of them offered me the kind of commitment I needed to be comfortable with them. I wasn’t sold they had my best interests in their hearts. That is so important to me.”

  “I thank God for giving me the strength and discipline to wait for the right man and right time. I realize I am almost twenty–six years old. I understand I am different. I have many years of pent up passions, desires, and emotions built up inside me. I hope you find this to be a positive and not a negative.”

  Wednesday morning, Deana and Luke headed back to the photographer’s studio in Atlanta. Deana was impressed with what an amazing facility it was. He was going to use something called a green screen; which allows you to superimpose an actual image onto any backdrop you want.

  Deana was wearing a beautiful, flowing, ivory dress. She was holding both a Bible and a Christian cross. The picture would be of her kneeling and praying. It would be the last picture in the book and the only picture with a caption at the bottom of the page. It read: “I’m praying you love me forever.” The green screen backdrop was similar to an old biblical movie set. It was very beautiful.

  The next shot would be of Deana releasing two doves, one from each hand. The lens the photographer used was able to shade the ivory dress to make it look light brown. His assistant cut and hemmed the sleeves on the dress which allowed her to extend both arms as she released the doves. The release of the doves was intended to symbolize love and peace.

  The photographer, Mr. DeRoberts, suggested the book have seven pictures. He wanted to take a picture of Deana at a local botanical garden. Mr. DeRoberts knew the owner. The backdrop with all the flowers would add a beautiful element to the album.

  Like Tuesday, he gave Deana an address and a map and told her to meet him there tomorrow at eleven. He’d then have seven beautiful pictures he’d arrange in the album on Friday; ready for Deana to pick up Saturday morning. It was a great plan. Deana would have the beautiful gift to give to Leon at their engagement party. />
  Unfortunately, late Wednesday night Mr. DeRoberts’ mother was taken ill. His assistant called Deana early Thursday morning to postpone all work. Mr. DeRoberts probably wouldn’t be back until Monday morning; Deana was crushed.

  She did get a call Friday confirming they would do the last shoot Monday morning and have the album finished Monday night.

  Friday night was very busy at work. Mr. Vito was serious about his St. Patrick’s Day promotion. He made the waitresses wear ugly green shamrock print bandannas. When Mr. Vito first showed Deana the bandannas she gave him a look of displeasure which Mr. Vito didn’t appreciate.

  The restaurant did so well they did not close the doors at 9:45 like usual. They kept the doors open until almost eleven. She did not get home until close to midnight. Deana went to her place to shower and change and get clothes for tomorrow. She needed some alone time. She called Leon and told him she needed a little down time. He sounded upset with her.

  The week started out so well, and slowly disintegrated. She got out her guitar and turned on the Top 20 countdown on music television. She played five songs. It took her half an hour to unwind.

  Deana didn’t get to Leon’s until after one. Leon apologized to her. He could see how tired she looked. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

  Early Saturday, Deana and Leon spent most of the day on the couch. They watched the College basketball tournament until Deana had to leave for work.

  Deana punched in at 3:55pm and had another busy seven and a half hour shift. She made good money, but she preferred to spend her Saturday nights like she did last weekend, at the beach or doing something fun.

  Deana had put her Sunday church clothes in the back of her Stratus so she wouldn’t get to Leon’s as late as last night. Sunday morning she made breakfast for the boys and they went to church together as a family. Her new song with Mrs. Jarvis went really well. After church, in separate vehicles, they went to their party in Athens.