by Sally John
Her stomach growled. Lord, I realize these interruptions could be a test. An opportunity to radically depend on You to keep me sane and focused. But I gotta tell You, I’m leaning toward the other explanation. As in this is a total waste of effort!
Aidan’s smile caught her attention, and she noticed her accusatory forefinger was still planted in his sternum.
He winked. “Thanks for coming.”
“Sure.” She removed her hand and turned to see Kenzie reclining on the loveseat, propped against a pile of pillows and covered with a ratty, colorless afghan Grandma Bella had crocheted ages ago.
“Hi.”
“Kenzie.” She went over to her and sat alongside her legs. “Got enough room?”
“Yeah.” She wriggled toward the back cushions.
“You don’t look so good.”
The girl shrugged. Her hair was more flat than spiky and her complexion pale.
Aidan squeezed onto the end of the couch and put Kenzie’s feet in his lap. “She hasn’t eaten since the picnic yesterday.”
Well, that makes two of us. “Hon, Baby needs nourishment. He needs—I’m sorry. You know all that. What’s wrong?”
Kenzie exchanged a glance with Aidan. He nodded.
“I saw my parents last night. We went to the house. Aidan waited in the car.”
The feeling of a fist pressing into her stomach squelched the rumbles. “Your mom was at home?”
“Yeah. They sort of made up on Saturday.” She rolled her eyes. “Mom left me a voice mail. Dad actually went to the beach house and they talked and then she went home. I guess I was feeling left out.”
“Of course you were.”
“Then at your dinner yesterday, I felt so sad. You all treat me like I’m family, even all those relatives I hardly know, but…” When Kenzie wasn’t talking, singing, or smiling, her lips remained partially open as if ready to jump into the action. Right now they were shut tightly. Holding in?
“But you’re not exactly family.” Pepper finished her sentence. “Not the flesh and blood or by marriage kind.” She stopped, feeling like she’d lit a firecracker. Holding her breath, she waited for the explosion. None came. “You want to reconcile with your own family.”
Kenzie nodded. “Friday night was so good with Mom.”
“I know. It was evident to everyone at the shower.”
“So.” She glanced again at Aidan. “I begged him to take me to their house. I wanted to ask Dad once and for all, calmly, to forgive me.”
Pepper touched her cheek. Thank You, Holy One, for prompting this child of Yours. “That took a lot of nerve.”
“It was more like something I just had to do. Like I didn’t have a choice.”
“The Spirit can push us like that.”
Kenzie’s long lashes swept over her blue-gray eyes, as if in dismissal.
Pepper’s heart sank. Evidently the dialogue hadn’t gone as hoped. “What happened? Did you tell him?”
“Yeah. All he could talk about was us getting married. He said…” She swallowed with difficulty a few times. “He said he won’t forgive me until that happens.”
Pepper closed her eyes.
“But that’s not the worst.”
Swell. She looked again at Kenzie. “I’m sorry, hon.”
“Then my mom argued with him. She said he forced her to choose between him and me. She said she wouldn’t give up on our relationship.”
Lord, thank You for my Mick.
“He said if she left…” Kenzie’s face crumpled.
Aidan continued. “He said if Susan left, she needn’t bother to come back.”
“Oh, no.”
“We gave her a ride to the beach house.”
Pepper leaned over and hugged Kenzie.
“They never argued before.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“But it is!”
“No, it’s not. It’s not.” She held Kenzie’s small body wracked with sobs.
Eventually Pepper’s silent cursing slowed. The man really needed prayer, but for now her semi-daughter-in-law was the one she carried to the throne.
They coaxed Kenzie into eating some chicken noodle soup. Still seated on the loveseat under the afghan, she spooned it from a mug.
Aidan sat beside her on the floor, Pepper in the old upholstered chair.
“Mom left a voice mail for me this morning, but I just can’t talk with her now.”
“That’s okay,” Pepper said. “Do you two mind if I express my opinion?”
Aidan slapped a hand to his mouth. “Achoo!” He made his eyes abnormally wide.
Pepper laughed.
He grinned. “Opinionate all you want, Mom.” He looked at Kenzie, and his voice softened. “It’s a special day.”
She watched him for a moment. Beneath his impulsive personality beat a solid, tender, loyal heart. “You are a lot like your father, Aidan James Carlucci. You are a good man.”
His brows rose. “Thanks.”
“I know you’ll take care of Kenzie. Whatever that entails.” Like you will figure out marriage is God’s best way for a family to function. Her son needed to hear that from some other voice, though, not hers again. “You know you’ll be in deep yogurt if you don’t.”
He turned to Kenzie who sprayed a mouthful of soup back into the mug.
Pepper said, “What?”
Aidan laughed. “Susan said basically the same thing to me last night. She said she’d punch my lights out if I didn’t.”
Kenzie giggled. “I still can’t believe that came out of her.”
Pepper said, “Well, I can. You think mama bears are tough. You ain’t seen nothing yet. Grandma bears have triple the hutzpah.”
They roared.
“I’m serious.” She smiled and waited for them to finish laughing. “Okay, here’s what I think. Kenzie, what’s happened to your parents is understandably painful for you, but it could be for the best.”
“Mom said they’re facing issues they should have taken care of a long time ago.”
“That’s the sort of thing I’m talking about.”
“But she left him.”
“She temporarily removed herself from the situation. It’s a healthy thing for her to do. I believe she thought there was no other direction to go right now. If they made up on Saturday, something happened before Sunday night that showed her things weren’t finished.” Pepper imagined it had to do with their own premarital pregnancy. Kenzie didn’t seem to be aware of that story, and she wasn’t about to bring it up.
She continued. “With your mom not being at home, your dad is forced to face the problem. He wouldn’t have such a large congregation if he wasn’t a man who trusts in God. And God is faithful. It’ll work out.”
Kenzie lowered the mug to her lap. “We got along when I was little. Then I became a teenager.”
“And he became a big success.” She shrugged. “His church wasn’t always this huge, was it? And I imagine his early churches weren’t either?”
Kenzie shook her head.
“So who’s to say what came first? The terrible teens or the hotshot holy man?”
Kenzie giggled. “He’s never been called that.”
“I certainly hope not. It’s horribly disrespectful.” She smiled. “Let God have His way with him. And ask God to help you forgive him. Sing Aidan’s song over him, that one about peace.”
Aidan scoffed. “I had antiwar efforts in mind when I wrote that.”
“I know. So do I.” She looked at both of them. “We are in a war, kiddos. As long as our relationships remain unhealed, we cannot live in peace. Forgiving those who wound us is an antiwar effort.”
“You’re weird, Mom.”
She grinned. “I know that too.”
Forty-Seven
As far as Natalie could tell, Susan the joyful bird flitted in and out of the present moment. No doubt what chased off her new demeanor was the scene before her: a roomful of gaggling, uninhibited women binging on straig
ht talk that bordered on disrespectful.
Shafts of setting sunlight bathed the beach house living room in a soft glow. All the Martha Mavens were in attendance. They described their grave disappointment in Drake’s attitude on Sunday, how they felt even betrayed by it. Tess won the prize, though, for revealing the biggest whopper of a grievous story. The worst wasn’t so much that her son lived the gay lifestyle, but that she’d kept the truth bottled up inside of herself for nine years.
At last, Susan squirmed in her chair and spoke. “We can’t blame Drake for everything.”
“Why not?” Emmylou sprawled in the big chair with her legs outstretched across the ottoman. Her huge belly suggested she should have been checking into the maternity ward, not sitting at the beach.
Susan said, “We can’t blame him because he is not responsible for our reactions.”
“But he made it sound like Kenzie is some awful punk who made your lives a living hell just because she didn’t want to take medicine and her favorite music was different than his.”
Natalie nearly burst into laughter at Emmylou’s summation.
Mildred smiled sweetly. “He forgot to mention her disdain for coloring inside the lines. That in itself adds several demerits against her.”
Leona said, “I did overhear her swear one time in the church kitchen. More demerits.”
Gwyn tsked. “Well what about those pierced ears of hers? Such garish fashion statements! That’s certainly grounds for dismissal from the home. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if she even has a tattoo tucked out of sight.”
As if on cue, the four speakers gasped dramatically and covered their mouths with their hands. Susan’s panic-stricken face suggested she was ready to fly the coop along with the joyful bird. Unresponsive Tess seemed lost in her own private agony.
Mildred lowered her hand, leaned forward, wide eyes magnified behind her thick lenses, and whispered, “She does! She showed it to me once. Back here.” She pointed to her rotund hip. “It’s a beautiful, eensy teensy rose. Lavender.”
Natalie snickered. Kenzie hadn’t kept that tattoo a secret from anyone but her parents. Susan only knew because she’d spotted it by accident and never even mentioned it to her daughter.
“Natalie!” Susan’s tone begged for intervention.
“Okay, ladies, we all agree Drake blew it. But we’ve indulged long enough in bashing and dissing him.”
Mildred murmured, “Lord, forgive us.”
“Amen. I think we also agree that Kenzie is not a bad apple. She’s crying out for her dad’s love and forgiveness. The prodigal did return last night. I vote we pressure him to change his attitude. To reconcile with his little girl.”
Tess spoke up. “You can’t make that man do a thing he doesn’t want to.”
Mildred grinned. “No, but God can.”
“Well, of course.” Tess shrugged.
The woman never shrugged. She did not know the meaning of indecisive. Natalie thought Drake wasn’t the only person who needed prayer. Tess’ needs, though, would have to take a backseat for now.
Natalie exchanged a glance with Mildred. They’d already discussed a plan. “Drake is losing his wife and daughter, but so far he’s only digging his heels in deeper. What seems a bit closer to his heart…” She paused, catching sight of the pain etched on Susan’s face. Natalie looked away before her anger had a chance to explode. Drake was such a fool! Sorry, Lord, but we’re talking about Susan and Kenzie! His heart should be broken!
Mildred nodded, prompting her to go on.
“As I was saying, what seems closer to his heart is his reputation with the congregation. So, for his own good, out of our love and respect for him, we attack him where it hurts. We boycott services this Friday night.”
Gwyn uncrossed her legs. “My word! Good Friday services? That’s a major undertaking. Don’t we average over a thousand people on Sunday mornings alone? Easter draws even more.”
“Yes, but records show Good Friday is one of those odd times when attendance is usually well below normal.”
“Then perhaps we aim for Easter Sunday? Go for the jugular, I say!”
A stab of panic kept Natalie mute. Uh-oh. What were they creating?
Gwyn thrust a fist into the air. “Gosh, I wish I hadn’t missed the sixties! I would have made a stupendous protestor.”
Phew. She was joking. “Well,” Natalie said, “I think Friday will be jugular enough. We’re not talking the whole church. I’m sure the vast majority wouldn’t even agree with our take on things. Some will learn of our plans, but we’re not announcing it to everyone. If we impact a small portion, it will speak to him. Now, Mildred and I have a few suggestions, but please, please give us your thoughts.”
Nods all around.
“We think that besides our small group here, we can invite a few others, people we trust to be discreet, those who have an obvious heart for our pastor and his family. Mildred and Leona will recruit from the senior brigade. I’ll call parents of middle and high school kids. Emmylou, your influence is with the young marrieds. Gwyn, the singles. Tess—”
“I have a huge women’s Bible study class.” She pressed her lips together.
Natalie breathed a prayer.
Tess said, “What exactly do we tell our circles of influence, Coach? That our pastor is a misogynistic prig who’s twisted truths on submission for years and hoodwinked us all?”
Susan inhaled sharply.
Natalie winced.
Emmylou said, “I’m lost. What does that mean?”
Natalie answered, “It doesn’t matter what it means. It’s too harsh. We just tell our friends the bottom-line facts. Pastor banished Kenzie from home; his intention is right on, but we disagree with his methods. Susan is devastated, torn between her husband and daughter. We want to show our concern for the Starr family. In order to get his attention, we lodge a formal protest by skipping Good Friday service.”
Leona said, “That will spark a boatload of ugly, false rumors.”
Gwyn nodded. “Of course, that’s nothing new, but he may feel pushed against the wall and banish all of us.”
Natalie raised her brows in Susan’s direction and received a half nod of approval. “He already has.”
Shocked expressions lined each face.
“He noticed exactly who left the service Sunday morning and didn’t return. He told Susan she needn’t come back home and that the Martha Mavens needn’t return to church.”
There were a few gasps. Tess’ complexion had turned a vivid red. She doubled over as if seeking relief from a stomachache.
Natalie held up a hand. “We can’t let that get a foothold in our hearts. He was upset. We all say things we don’t mean when we’re that upset. It just reveals how serious the situation is. All right. My assistant coach has something to say.”
Mildred smiled. “We do not do this out of anger, but out of love. Love must be foremost in our hearts. It alone must color our words. If we cannot speak graciously about our pastor, we don’t speak about him at all.”
Letting her words sink in, the Prayer Warrior gazed at each pair of eyes in turn before going on. “All right. Thank you. I know you understand what I’m saying. Now, because it is Holy Week, I believe we should gather for informal services elsewhere. I miss the old ways of observing the Passion that Leona and I grew up with, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday services. Our Lord’s last week on earth should be embraced in all its horror and beauty. I haven’t figured out details yet, but the beach here is a perfect place to worship. We don’t need anything but two or more people gathered together in His name.”
Natalie nodded. “That’s it, ladies. What do you think?”
Gwyn turned to Susan. “We need your blessing. After all, you are our pastor’s wife.”
She puffed her cheeks up and blew out a breath. “I don’t want people taking sides.”
Natalie shook her head. “Everyone will take the Starr family side. That’s what we emphasize. We want you
three back together again, whole again.”
“Five. There are five of us.”
Natalie immediately inferred her meaning. “Right. The baby and Aidan too.”
“And I don’t want this to be the start of a split in the church.”
“None of us do. We keep it low-key.”
“What about after Friday?”
Natalie stared. All of a sudden Susan, who never questioned a thing, couldn’t stop asking about every detail. “We think Drake will answer that. He’ll call you.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“Then…then we drop it as a group project, but the Martha Mavens will always take care of you.”
“Don’t boycotters explain their actions? Who will tell Drake what’s going on? How is he to know this is an act of love?”
Natalie waited a beat. She and Mildred had prayed about the right choice. “Rex.”
A knowing glance passed between her and Susan. The brotherly relationship was not exactly one of mutual respect.
Natalie said, “He’s the only one audacious enough to tell Drake the tough stuff.”
“He agreed to do it?”
“Well…he doesn’t know about it yet.”
“Then we’d better pray.” Susan smiled. It seemed at last the joyful bird had roosted.
“Is that a blessing I hear?”
She nodded.
“Amen.” Natalie looked at the others. “How about everyone else?”
Leona said, “I’m in.”
“So am I.” Gwyn nodded.
Emmylou stroked her abdomen and exhaled through rounded lips. A Braxton Hicks moment. “Me…too.”
Tess sat up straight. “I apologize for what I said about Drake earlier. I apologize for my own sinful pride. My class should have boycotted me years ago.”
Natalie stared.
Tess twisted her head to the right, then to the left, yanked on her blazer lapels, and cleared her throat. The director was getting down to business. “I’ve harbored concern about our pastor in recent months. He has become too full of himself. Although I am sure he would retract what he said about the Marthas, one does not banish—not even momentarily in anger—the teacher of a two hundred-member women’s Bible study class, many of whom have influential husbands. There will be fallout. This plan is absolutely ridiculous and probably nowhere near biblical in principle, but I see no other recourse.” She paused. “My core ladies will hear of it tonight.”