Love So Heavenly (A Clean Christian African American Romance)

by Shannon Gardener

  She had closed the door softly behind her and headed back to their bedroom. The dinner had been enjoyable but she hated the empty social chatters and the pretenses. Her husband hung up his suit neatly and headed to the bathroom.

  They had been married for thirty-three years and she remembered those years when he had been struggling to build the ministry and how she had stood by him and worked alongside him. They had been so in love and so eager to work together and build something lasting and to serve the people around them but it had all changed. John Simmons had changed almost overnight and turned into someone she barely knew. They were the loving couple outside but behind closed doors they were like strangers and she had tried to find out why but he had brushed her concern away and told her that she was imagining things.

  He came back out with his pajamas on and climbed into the big king sized bed pulling the covers up to him and reached for the TV remote. “I wanted us to talk,” she ventured as she got in beside him.

  “Okay my dear what is on your mind?” he asked her turning to look at her.

  “We have not made love in a long time and I am beginning to wonder if I really have a husband.” There she had said it.

  “Do you have any idea how much it takes out of me to run a ministry?” he asked her, his tone biting. “I am being sought after every single day Marion and as my wife I thought you would understand. There is Sister Glover in the choir who has a tumor growing on her brain and she has no one to turn to but us so we are going to have to find a way to get her the operation. I am in talks with the doctors about this and I am supposed to hear something by next week. Brother Waite is going through a very messy divorce which serves him right because I advised him that the woman he had chosen was not God’s will for him. Those are only a few of the things I have to deal with because I am the leader of the flock. I am doing God’s work Marion and it is not an easy task but I have been called to do so and who am I to say no?”

  Marion wanted to tell him spitefully that he had gotten a lot of perks in doing the Lord’s work as he put it so it was not as if he was suffering for it. “I still need to know that my husband is there for me. What happened to us John? What happened to the two young people who were so in love that we always found time to spend together?”

  “We grew up and took on more responsibilities.” He patted her hand briefly. “I am here for you Marion and I will always be but right now I have so many things to deal with and I would appreciate that my first lady stick by me and be the understanding wife the Lord expects you to be.”

  “I am committed and dedicated to this ministry as you are John but unlike you I have feelings and needs and I don’t think they should be ignored.” She said with a flash of her eyes.

  “What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked her ominously.

  “You are the smart one so figure it out. In the meantime I will be sleeping in one of the other rooms.” She got off the bed and headed to the door.

  “You are not being very Christian right now Marion,” he called after her.

  “Good, sometimes I have no need to be.”

  Chapter 2

  “There is going to be a big outdoor concert in the park later on. I think it is being put on by the Mayor, how about us taking it in?” Raymond; Tyrese’s best friend since high school suggested.

  They were having a friendly basketball game on the court at the place he called home. Tyrese had lived at the manor ever since he was a child and found it hard to sometimes believe that it was his home. It was way too big and covered several acres of prime land. The house itself was a towering red brick and glass building two stories high and consists and had a pear shaped pool, a basketball court and a tennis court. Tyrese was the only one who used the basketball court these days as his brother was far too busy running the company.

  “Who is headlining?” he asked passing the ball to his friend and reaching for the towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

  It was the end of August and the heat was still in the high nineties indicating that summer was far from over. It was a Saturday afternoon and both his brother and his sister in law had gone to some function or the other. He had gotten up late in the afternoon and had a late breakfast and called over his friend to come and hang out with him.

  “Local artists bro, it’s a talent search kind of thing being put on by the community.” Raymond bounced the ball on the smooth green court expertly catching it each time.

  “You want me to go and take in a concert that features local talent?” Tyrese asked him quizzically.

  “I know you are used to going to huge concerts with celebrities being featured but you were the one who told me your brother said you are to find a project and work on it.” Raymond reminded him.

  “You think I can find someone there who will catch my attention?”

  “You never know. So how about it?”

  Tyrese shrugged looping the towel around his neck. “Why not? I have nothing better to do anyway.”

  *****

  “You have been doing this your entire life so there is no reason to be nervous,” Katherine exclaimed impatiently as she peeked into her friend’s closet to find something suitable for her to wear to the concert. “It’s a natural thing for you and you know it. You are going to do great.”

  “It’s a big concert Kathy and singing at church is one thing but there are going to be tons of people there that I don’t know.” Kayla said moodily.

  They were in her room and Katherine was helping her pick out an outfit for later on. Her father did not especially approve of her singing out in public like that because he was always telling her that her talent had been given to her by the Lord and she should use it for Him alone. Her mother had sided with her and had told him to let her be, the Lord did not intend for her to hide her talent. But she was having second thoughts about the whole thing.

  She had not told anyone, not even her best friend but she was hoping for a way out of the life she was living and she was hoping that her singing would be that way out. She had been praying about it every night in the privacy of her room but God has been silent. What if what her father said is true? What if her place was at the ministry and God required some nice and tidy church brother for her to procreate and be a submissive wife to her husband? But why did she not feel that way? What was she looking for?

  “You will do fine girl I believe in you.” Kathy finally came out with dark blue dress pants and a red and blue shirt that she had not worn in ages. Her clothes tended to be on the modest side and she had done it deliberately not to draw any attention to herself. Her father had told her that her body was the temple of the Lord and she should treat it as such.

  “You can wear a red sweater over it because it tends to get a little chilly when the sun goes down.” She came and sat beside her friend on the bed. “I am not a committed child of God like you are honey but the clothes I see in your closet tell me that you are leaning towards nun hood.”

  “Is there such a word?” Kayla asked her wryly staring at the suit of clothes critically and deciding that they would do.

  “I wish you would let me take you shopping and get you some clothes. You are a beautiful woman with a figure I really hate you for and you are hiding it behind these horrible clothes.” Katherine told her impatiently. Even though she was a member of The Sanctuary of Holiness, the church where Kayla’s father was a pastor, Katherine refused to be bogged down by the many rules and regulations imposed on them by the head of the church and was bent on doing her own thing. She was married with a three year old son and her husband was a lay pastor in the church but she did not let that stop her from being her own person.

  “I would have you know that these are very expensive clothing from the top brand stores in town,” Kayla said with a little laugh.

  “I could take you downtown to several stores and pick out some nice clothes and accessories that costs half as much as these and look three times better.”

  “I am supposed to look a certain w
ay and dress a certain way and it is better to just do what I am required to do Kathy, it’s less argument and hassle,” Kayla reminded her quietly.

  “I cannot wait for the day when you burst out of the prison you are locked in.” Katherine said grimly.

  *****

  Tyrese looked around as he handed the twenty bucks to the person handing out the tickets. The place was already crowded and he could see there were a lot of young people milling around. It was an informal gathering and you were expected to stand and take in the concert.

  “I don’t know how I let you talked me into this,” Tyrese muttered as a group of teenage girls ran past him. He could see a couple of them eyeing him and waving, with come hither glances directed at both of them. “These kids don’t know their own danger.”

  “They are kids being kids and you are going to thank me later.” Raymond said with a grin. “Let’s get closer up front, they are about to start.”

  He stood there and watched as several would be artists came on stage and figured that they needed some more rehearsing, they did not sound half bad. There was a very lively skit that had people cheering and asking for more but apart from that it was as the flyer had said; local artists looking to be discovered and so far he had not seen anyone worth discovering until she came on stage.

  His eyes sharpened as he looked at her. She appeared a little nervous at first but as soon as she closed her eyes and started singing the entire place went still. Tyrese was used to talent having being among celebrities and going to concerts all over the world, heck his friend was a leading singer in the music industry but her voice had his heart shifting in his chest. Where had she been? She was singing gospel, something about being born into a better life and being free from sin and finding a Savior like no other. He was not really listening to the words but her voice was so hauntingly captivating that for a moment he forgot where he was and who he had come with. It was like she was singing for him only and he felt her singing wrap around him like a cocoon. He shook his head after she had stopped singing but unlike the crowd he did not clap and scream out for more. He could not take his eyes off her. She sang several more songs before she came off the stage in spite of the cries for encores.

  “I have to meet her,” Tyrese said to no one in particular, not even noticing that his friend was a little behind him.

  He made his way through the crowd and headed towards the back wondering how he was going to get a chance to talk to her. They had built a temporary room backstage for all the performers to gather around and have the refreshments provided and he made his way there. The concert was still going on but to him it had ended as soon as she had finished the last song.

  “Excuse me but you cannot go in there.” A guard at the steps told him.

  “My sister just performed and I need to take her home.” He handed the man fifty bucks and he moved aside instantly. He pushed the door open and saw her immediately. She was talking to some of the other artists and he stood just in the doorway looking at her.

  “May I help you?” a woman came over and asked him. She was plump and had iron gray hair and light blue eyes.

  “I need to speak to her,” he gestured towards Kayla who was still talking to the group of people. “My name is Tyrese Malcolm and I am a talent scout,” he told the half lie and hoped the woman would believe him.

  “I know you,” the woman said clapping her hands in delight. “You and your brother are the owners of Malcolm Enterprises. My husband is a security guard at the company.”

  “Joe is your husband?” he asked the woman with a smile.

  “You know his name?” she looked at him in surprise.

  “Of course I do,” he extended his hand to her. “I have to tell him that I met his delightful wife as soon as I see him on Monday.”

  “You are too kind.” The woman beamed. “My name is Iris and I always help out at these events. Kayla is the daughter of our dear Reverend Simmons of the Holiness Sanctuary.” She looked at him curiously. “I had no idea your company is into singers as well.”

  “We are just exploring that field and I think Miss Simmons would be ideal for us to start with.” Tyrese told her turning on the charm.

  Iris blushed and clasped her hands together. “Let me go and get her for you. It’s such a pleasure to meet you Mr. Malcolm.”

  “Call me Tyrese please,” he told her with a smile.

  She smiled and hurried away. He saw them talking and saw when Kayla looked over at him and said something else to Iris and the woman gesturing as if trying to convince her. She finally came over and he straightened to his full height as she came closer.

  “Iris told me you wanted to see me?” her voice was cultured and well modulated with a husky tinge to it.

  “I heard you singing just now and felt compelled to come and see you.” He told her with a slow smile. “I have to admit you sound like an angel back there and I am looking to see if there are any wings attached.”

  “Are you actually interested in my talent as a singer Mr. Malcolm or are you flirting with me?” she asked him coolly, clearly not impressed by him.

  “I am interested in you as a singer Ms. Simmons.” He reached into his pocket and took out a card with his name on it and handed it to her. She glanced at it and felt the richness of the embossed name and his title at the company. “This tells me that you are acquisitions manager at your company. It says nothing about you being a talent scout. So what are you not telling me?”

  “Do you believe in fate Ms. Simmons?” he asked her, his dark eyes taking in her slightly big clothes and the way she had combed back her thick dark hair from her face. He had a feeling that she was trying to detract from her beauty but had not quite managed to do so. “I had no intention of coming here tonight but my best friend persuaded me to come and I heard you sing and realized that I have to do something about it. I can make you into a star and I know you have the ability to be one. Am I right?”

  “What is it going to cost me?” she asked him coolly.

  Tyrese stared at her for a moment. That was the last thing he had expected her to say. “It is going to cost you your time and effort and that is it. I am not here to take advantage of you Ms. Simmons, I see something that needs nurturing and that is what I intend to do. I have connections in the music industry and I can make this happen for you.”

  She looked down at the card and then back at him. “I need to think about it and discuss it with my parents.” He saw the slight hesitation as if she had just thought about something.

  “You sang gospel songs up there just now; have you ever thought about writing love songs?” he asked her.

  “I have been doing some writing and I have a few that I have written down.” She paused again. “I will let you know.”

  “Most people would be beside themselves with getting an offer like this one and yet you hesitate. Why is that?” he asked her softly as she made to leave.

  “I am in a committed relationship with Jesus and I have been since I have known myself and I have a responsibility to a lot of people Mr. Malcolm so I can’t just say yes right away.” She told him softly.

  “So you are going to pray about it then?” he asked her.

  “I always do,” she handed him her card which simply said her name and that she was choir director at The Holiness Sanctuary before walking away. He watched for a moment and then left the room with her card in his hand.

  *****

  Kayla was charged and wired and on top of the world! She had taken her own car and had left behind her parents as soon as the concert was over. There had been several other offers made to her and she had told them the same thing: she had to think about it first. She had not told her parents about them and wanted to savor the moment before her father spoiled it. She was going to have to discuss it with them she knew that but she had made up her mind, she wanted to do this and she was going to pray about it.

  When they got home she had told them she was tired and that she needed to get to her room to p
repare for tomorrow and had quietly disappeared.

  “You were wonderful up there honey,” her mother told her softly as she turned to leave.

  “Thanks Mom,” she told her gratefully, her eyes going to her dad’s

  “God gave you a wonderful talent girl and I am praying you use it wisely,” he told her shortly before turning away.

  She was used to him not complimenting her directly but somehow it hurt even more now than before. She had often wondered if he thought she was going to break out and turned bad if he did so. “I have been doing so for many years and I don’t intend to stop now.” She said stiffly and without waiting for a response she turned and went towards her room.

  She had stopped expecting her father to compliment her ever since she was a little girl. She had started singing solo when she was four years old when she had stood up and sang ‘Yes Jesus Loves Me’ and had caused the congregation to look at her in shock. Her mother had clapped enthusiastically but her father had never said anything to her. She had worked hard at trying to get him to tell her how good she sounded but it was never forthcoming and she had stopped expecting to hear it.

  She looked at the card she had taken out of her purse and looked at it for a few minutes. She had heard of Tyrese Malcolm and his brother Tariq, who hadn’t and she also knew of Tyrese’s reputation concerning the women. She had seen the celebrity rags that described him as a billionaire playboy who never settled down with one woman but quickly went on to another and did not wait for long either. She was not interested in that, his personal life was his own business and that was what she was interested in. God works in mysterious ways and she had a feeling that he was working in Tyrese to make things happen for her. She had asked him for it, had asked him for a way out and she had a feeling he was granting her that prayer wish.

  She had told him that she was going to pray about it and she intended to do just that.