Love Like Hallelujah

by Lutishia Lovely

  They both laughed.

  “I never thought of a baby much, man. They always seemed to be a big responsibility, and a big hassle to my freewheeling lifestyle, if you know what I mean. But Hope’s changed that, got me thinking of diapers and things. So maybe in a year or so….”

  “Like I said…whupped.”

  Cy didn’t disagree. “It sounds pretty bad, huh?”

  “Man, you need prayer.”

  “I need prayer, huh? Please, you think I don’t see those sly looks that pass between you and Viv when you think no one’s watching? The little winks from the pulpit, licking your lips like you want to take a bite right there in church?”

  “Ah, dang brother, you see that?”

  “I see that.”

  “I guess we’d better work on our signals a little bit. We’re getting sloppy.”

  “I just hope I’m still trying to signal Hope like that in fifteen, twenty years.”

  “Just keep it fresh, man, and keep it between the two of you. And it won’t get older, it’ll get better.”

  “Even after the baby comes?”

  “Even after the babies come.” Derrick continued. “Now, it’ll interrupt it for a minute. You’ll be ready to climb the walls and strangle your own child. But even that’s worth it. Ain’t nothing like looking at one of your own.” Derrick paused. “When I saw Kelvin, even with everything else that came with him, there was a sense of pride in the fact that he’s mine.”

  “It must be how God feels when He looks at us, huh?” Cy speculated. “No matter what else comes with us, all our mess, crazy acting, disobedience, and what not? He still feels a sense of pride that we’re His.”

  Derrick nodded and put out his fist. Cy gave him “dap.”

  Enough said.

  40

  Satisfied

  He’d promised himself it wouldn’t happen again. But here he was, naked, in Stacy’s bed. And she was doing what he’d repeatedly envisioned since the last time it happened. She was satisfying him orally, and royally, for the second time that night.

  “I want to feel you inside me,” Stacy whispered between licks. She teased him, a touch here, a nip there, just enough to take him to, but not over the edge. They’d been together intimately half a dozen times and this time, she was determined the night would end with her being as satisfied as he was.

  “C’mon, baby,” Darius moaned. “It feels good.”

  Stacy straddled Darius and tried to put him inside her. He grabbed her hand. “No, Stacy, we can’t do that.”

  “Yes, we can,” she countered, bending down to please him once more. “Is this good?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Well, just close your eyes and enjoy the ride, baby.”

  Stacy went to work then, all mouth and fingers. Darius tossed and turned, in delirious pleasure. And just when he was about to climax, Stacy mounted him.

  It happened so fast, Darius was pumping before he realized it. And once he started, he couldn’t stop. Ooh, this feels good. Better than it had ever felt with Gwen. It was different, softer, wetter. Stacy had him in an iron grip. The friction generated by her muscle control had him freaking, for her.

  He flipped Stacy over, positioned her on her knees, and entered her in a more familiar way, from behind.

  “Oh, yes. Do it baby, do it.” Stacy was wild with passion. This is what she’d wanted for so long, and it was as good as she’d dreamed it would be. Darius! She was with Darius, completely. She pressed herself against him as he pounded hard, relentless.

  Stacy grabbed the headboard as Darius grabbed her hips and continued his frenzied lovemaking. They were both sweating, the bed creaking loudly.

  “Oh, Darius,” Stacy panted.

  “Bo,” Darius whispered.

  Did he just say Bo? No, I’m trippin’. He must have said boo. Whatever he said, he was doing it to her so good. “Yes, baby, I’m your boo, I’m your boo. Ooh…”

  Oh, damn! I think I said Bo! If Darius hadn’t been so far gone, he would have lost his erection. As it was, thinking of his lover only heightened his pleasure. As he climaxed it was Bo, not Stacy, who was on his mind.

  Stacy rolled over, into Darius’s arms. She softly kissed his face. “That was incredible.”

  Darius’s thoughts were totally different. What have I done? Bo is going to kill me! “We shouldn’t have done it, Stacy.”

  Oh, hell. Here this nucka is getting ready to ruin a good night. “Look, let’s not get into guilt tripping. I have no regrets about sleeping with you. I’m glad we did it.”

  Darius rolled out of bed and grabbed his pants. He looked down at her as he stumbled to put them on. “We can’t tell anybody, Stacy. I don’t want people thinking I sleep around.”

  “What? Is that what you call this? Sleeping around? I don’t want to think you sleep around either. I want to think you make love to the woman you’re dating. Why are you being so uptight?”

  Because Bo’s gonna have my ass when he smells your pussy on my clothes. Darius started removing his pants. “Can I take a shower?” he asked, already walking to the bathroom.

  Stacy watched his muscular ass ripple out of her room. “Well,” she said to the four walls. “That’s not exactly the ending I expected.” She fell back on the bed, grabbed the pillow, and smiled. “But it’s a start.”

  “You fucked her, didn’t you, didn’t you?” Bo was furious, walking from one end of the living room to the other.

  “Look, just because I come home late—”

  “Smelling like new soap. We don’t use no damn Dove, or Ivory, or whatever the hell that is on you.”

  “You’re trippin’.”

  Darius was getting the reaction he’d expected after coming home at two-thirty in the morning. He’d already decided to lie though, or there would be even more of an explosion.

  “I knew that bitch was gonna give me problems. I just knew it.” Bo flopped down dramatically on the couch, biting his fingernails.

  “I’m gonna tell her,” he said, jumping up again. “If you don’t stop seeing her, I’m going to tell her about us, tell her why you’ll never, ever invite her to your house.”

  Darius walked over to Bo quietly and calmly. He stood staring at him, his nose inches away from Bo’s. “If you ever threaten to out me again,” he said with a voice just above a whisper, “I’ll walk out that door and not look back. Do you understand?”

  Bo bit his lip but said nothing.

  “Do you understand me, Bo? I will not be threatened, not by you, not by anybody.”

  Bo tried to grab Darius’s arm, but he pulled away.

  “I’m sorry,” Bo said. “But you promised. You promised you wouldn’t fuck her.”

  “And I didn’t.”

  “Swear on a stack of Bibles?”

  Darius heaved a heavy sigh. “Look, you either believe me or you don’t.”

  Bo didn’t miss the fact that Darius didn’t swear. But he decided to let it go. There were things he could do for Darius that Stacy could only dream of.

  He grabbed his man and hugged him tightly. Darius hugged him back.

  “Hey,” Darius said, pulling Bo toward the couch and taking his hands in his as they sat down. “I wasn’t going to tell you this until we were at dinner tomorrow, but I guess this is an even better time.”

  Bo perked up. “What?”

  “I got you a job.”

  “What?”

  “You are now my manager—a full-time, paid position.”

  Bo screamed.

  “Of course this means you’re indispensable. You’ll have to travel with me everywhere, especially when we go on tour.”

  “Oh, Darius, I knew you loved me!” Bo’s eyes glistened with tears. And to think he’d almost ruined the moment, fretting over a shriveled up pussy. How did he ever think that could replace his eight-inch hammer?

  Bo gave Darius a big hug and kissed him passionately. Go ahead and give Stacy what she wants, he thought as he maneuvered Darius toward their bedroo
m. I’m getting ready to give him what he needs.

  Darius smiled at Bo as they both undressed. Life was good, and getting better. He’d made two people very happy tonight. And he felt great, too. Both Stacy and Bo seemed determined to have him. They probably wouldn’t be sharing Thanksgiving turkey together, but maybe there was a way to keep everyone satisfied.

  41

  Divine Daughters

  “We are very, very proud of our young ladies,” Millicent said, as the young ladies stood in front of the audience, radiant in white. “These Divine Daughters have taken a stand for God.”

  The audience cheered, parents beaming. After months of planning and preparation, the day had been a rousing success. She could hardly believe how fast the time had flown. Last December saw her at her mother’s home, sad and disheartened, the holidays subdued. This year, she was happy, an emotion she had often wondered if she would ever feel again. And it was all because of the Divine Daughters Celebration, Open Arms, and Jack.

  Millicent and Jack had been seeing each other, quietly and covertly. She refused to call it dating. She told him emphatically that all they’d ever be was platonic friends. Jack had been disappointed, but had agreed. This understanding allowed Millicent to feel comfortable with him, to loosen up. They hadn’t gotten together often—coffee after a workout, the occasional lunch, but never dinner. That would feel like a date. Mostly, they talked on the phone and exchanged e-mails, sometimes funny, sometimes steamy, but always respectful. Once or twice, she’d almost shared everything about her past. Jack was a good talker, but an even better listener. She’d even considered cancelling her trip to Mexico and joining him in the Caribbean. But in the end, she did neither.

  But no doubt, Jack had added to her happiness, and being in her element, planning and organizing elegant events, made her heart sing. She was so thankful, so aware of how miraculous it was to be standing in this beautiful hotel, with a warm, loving church family, and a handsome, caring friend and pastor cheering her on. Millicent’s smile widened.

  “Now it’s time for the commitment ceremony. This is a very special time. Each young lady has written her own promise, or commitment, to the Lord, a commitment to sanctity, to purity, to treating her mind and body as the vessel for the Spirit of God that it is. These ladies do not enter this moment lightly. The past two Friday evenings and in this afternoon’s seminar, we’ve discussed what this vow to God means, and why they should make it. We asked them to consider it carefully, as a commitment to God should not be made lightly. Each of these ladies approaches this moment with sincerity, and has written, in her own words, what she will declare tonight, to us and to God. And now, I present to you, the Divine Daughters, beautiful brides, dancing for their bridegroom.”

  As the audience clapped, the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on a single microphone in the front of the room. Offstage, a violin began to play, joined by a flute, then a harp, then a keyboard. Eleven of the ladies began to dance slowly, gracefully, swaying as they moved seamlessly, forming a circle and then opening wide, revealing Jack’s daughter, seventeen-year-old Sarah, at the microphone. From memory, she recited her vow to God:

  “I offer myself to you, oh God, a vessel pure and good.

  I vow to be of virtue, as the Bible says I should.

  Until the day you send to me an apple of Your eye,

  And then we’ll dance, a divine romance, and You’ll be glorified.”

  Tears formed in Jack’s eyes as he watched his daughter, looking so much like her mother, stand and proudly declare to remain chaste until marriage. He was so proud of her, and so wished Susan could share this moment.

  He looked over at Millicent and smiled. How he wished he could openly profess his love for her. How he wished he could show how deeply he cared. Soon, he hoped.

  As each young lady approached the microphone and declared her personalized vow, the other ladies danced, unobtrusively, in the background. Some of the young ladies cried as they promised God with all their hearts, joined by parents and other adults, who knew how hard it could be to keep such a vow. But something could be said for what they desired, the power of their intention. That alone would help them remain virgins far longer than their peers.

  Leah squeezed Millicent’s hand. “This is so beautiful, Millicent,” she said, her eyes shining as she watched her daughter, Jazz, recite her commitment vow. “It’s even more beautiful than I’d imagined.” As the last girl spoke, and the music swelled, she continued, “I actually feel it might work. That we might save some of these girls from the heartache we’ve experienced.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Millicent answered. If just one girl could avoid the kind of pain she’d endured in the past twelve months, all the work put into the day would have been worth it.

  And what a day it had been: breakfast, the spa, manicures and pedicures, an afternoon tea, and now this. The final girl recited her vows, and the crowd applauded their agreement as the girls took their seats.

  As the applause died down, Jack and Millicent walked to the podium. Pastor Jack picked up a commitment ring from the velvet box and motioned the first girl forward. Millicent opened her Bible and began to read from the book of Isaiah. As she did, the girls approached one by one for Pastor Jack to place a ring on her finger. The celestial sound of the harp accompanied Millicent’s words: “Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God…for as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee….”

  42

  God’s Work

  Derrick, Vivian, King, and Tai sat expressing their gratitude. God had seen them through another year. And what a year it had been, with the reappearances of Robin and Janeé, and the surprise appearance of an addition to the Montgomery clan, Kelvin. Through all the turmoil and changes, which also included Tai getting a breast augmentation, and Derrick’s weathering Cy’s near resignation, both marriages remained strong. Mount Zion Progressive and Kingdom Citizens Christian Center were growing steadily. Everyone was healthy, children were fine. The Montgomerys and Brooks were mutually thankful for their blessings.

  “See how God works?” Vivian asked, as she reached for another roll. “He broke Evan and Princess up just in time, so you didn’t have to worry about them on this, your second honeymoon.”

  “I am relieved they’re not together, but I hate to see my baby with her heart broken. That boy always seemed too slick for me, and I tried to tell her, but you know kids don’t listen. And his sleeping with her former best friend, Gayla—that didn’t surprise me either. Life’s lessons, huh?”

  “Yes, live and learn.”

  “So, she told me she’s sworn off boys until she’s twenty-one. But she doesn’t know that I know she’s already talking to Rafael, another one of our Kingdom Kickboxers. I feel better about him, though. He comes from a good home, close-knit family. They’ve been members for years. King baptized him.”

  “Hard to believe you have a daughter that’s dating age,” Derrick said.

  “And a son in college; don’t forget about Timothy and his throng of admirers,” Tai interjected.

  “Man, I’m still not ready. I don’t think as a father you ever are,” King said.

  “I know I’m not,” Derrick agreed. “If I could send Elisia to a convent until she was, oh, about thirty-five, I’d sign her up.”

  Vivian laughed because she knew her husband was serious. “Seems like just yesterday they were crawling, and today they’re courting. It’s crazy how time flies.”

  “Tell me about it. The twins are next. Tabitha is still a bit of a bookworm, but Timothy has his eyes on one of the girls at school. Again, he doesn’t know I know. Kids always think their parents were born yesterday.”

  Everyone nodded, thinking of how fast time passed.

  “Doesn’t it seem like just a few months ago we were vacationing in the Caribbean?” Tai asked.

  “And now you two are on your way to Fiji.”

  �
�Yes,” Tai crooned. “For our second honeymoon.”

  Derrick raised his glass. “Well, I’d say it’s long overdue. So here’s a toast, for you two to have a fabulous time in the South Pacific.”

  “I’m glad you guys stopped in Cali first,” Vivian said. “And remember, you’re welcome to lay over on your way back, too.”

  “I thought you guys would be gone by then,” King said.

  Derrick looked at Vivian and winked. “No, we’ve pushed our leaving back to Valentine’s week in February.”

  “Ooh,” Tai teased. “Sounds like somebody else is planning a second honeymoon.”

  “Just a little getaway. We’ve been talking about going skiing for about ten years and finally decided to do it this year. We’re going to Aspen.”

  Tai rolled her eyes. “See, you gotta live in California before you’ll fly to some snow. As for me, give me seventy-five, eighty degree weather every day of the week.”

  “From what we hear, it’s not so bad,” Vivian responded. “Plus, they’ve got that delicious hot chocolate and those roaring fireplaces to keep us warm.”

  “Hmm,” Derrick said, reaching over to hug Vivian. “I’m all the chocolate and fire you need, baby.”

  Vivian kissed his cheek. “Touché.”

  The couple took a moment to enjoy their dishes: buttery lobster, jumbo, deep-fried shrimp, king crab legs, and prime rib filets. The wind off the ocean swirled around the couple, keeping them comfortably cool.

  King sat back, having demolished a lobster tail. “Say, Derrick, did y’all ever hear from that crazy woman again, what was her name, Wanda?”

  “Crazy woman?” Derrick asked.

  “Robin,” Vivian answered for him. “Thankfully no, and I hope it stays that way.”

  Tai turned to Vivian. “Have you heard much from Janeé?”

  “We’ve talked a couple times. Didn’t I tell you we received a Christmas card from her?”

  “I think you did tell me that.”

  “Yes, she wrote that she and Hans were coming back to California around the time of Kelvin’s spring break, and that maybe we can all meet then.”

  King looked at Derrick. He and his friend had talked little about Kelvin. Such irony—if anyone had a child with Janeé, one would have thought it’d be King. But Derrick had faced it stoically, just another challenge along life’s road. “How do you feel about that?” King asked him.