Redeeming Waters

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

  “Right,” Mack said, winking Melvin’s way, then sticking his hand inside of the limo where Melvin promptly slapped it, effectively giving him five.

  “Okay,” Brianna said. “I’m going to hold the both of you to that.”

  Mack got back into the limo. The bulked, light-skinned, shaved-head man closed the door, then gave Brianna a polite smile and a quick nod as he walked decisively back around to the front passenger side, never saying one word.

  Brianna stood and waved as she watched the limo back out of her driveway. She was glad to see her brother after almost a year now. But she couldn’t help but wonder where the two of them were going, and why Mack felt he couldn’t trust her enough to tell her.

  But then, Mack was strange like that. He’d kept Melvin away from them through this whole process of getting, then adopting him. But he had told her that things had been hard. Maybe that’s why he’d done things in this way—keeping all of them from meeting and spending time together until the papers were officially approved. It was his way of protecting all concerned. Why have all of them end up bonding, just to have their hearts wrenched apart later, if there was even a remote possibility Melvin might not get to stay with him?

  That would have been hard on everybody. But especially difficult on someone who’d been through so much in his short little life already. And Melvin had indeed endured a lot—too much for Mack to be responsible, in any way, for any more pain and heartache, if it was at all possible not to do so.

  So when she really thought about it, Brianna understood her brother’s possible motive and reasoning behind some of his actions better now. Much better now.

  Chapter 7

  He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

  —Psalm 18:11

  “Girl, I’m telling you,” Alana said. “That preacher stood right there on that pulpit, preaching his heart out, and he said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and a billy goat.’ ”

  “Girl, no,” Brianna said as she cracked up laughing. “Maybe he was only trying to make a cute little joke.”

  “That’s exactly what I thought at first: he’s just joking. Because you know when we were little girls, children used to get it wrong and say stuff like that all the time. But all throughout this man’s sermon, and I mean he thought he was preaching up a storm, too, he said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and a billy goat did this,’ and ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and a billy goat did that.’ ” Alana fell back against the couch, her right hand pressed against her chest as she snickered.

  “I hope you didn’t laugh out loud like you’re doing now.”

  Alana continued laughing. “I promise you, I tried not to laugh when he first said it. But when he kept on saying ‘And a billy goat,’ I thought, This man doesn’t have a clue that’s not his name. I wanted to yell out, ‘It’s Abednego! A-bed-ne-go! Not a bil-ly goat!’ But I confess, Brianna, I was laughing so hard, I started falling all over the person sitting next to me. Of course, anyone there who knew he didn’t know what he was talking about couldn’t hold their laughs in, either. So we were letting loose all over that place. And do you know what the people without a clue said when service dismissed?”

  Brianna shook her head. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  “They said, ‘The Holy Ghost sure did move today. The Spirit of Laughter was jumping all over folks in church. That was some powerful message that Pastor preached, wasn’t it?’ ” Alana fanned herself in an attempt to calm her laugh and her giggles. She wiped at her eyes to rid herself of the tears that had now come from laughing so hard. “I looked at those folks and burst out laughing right in their faces when they said that to me. I keep telling you, Brianna. You need to come visit this church with me one Sunday.”

  “For what? All you do is talk about the silly stuff that goes on there. I don’t want to go to church and when I get home I can’t tell anybody anything the pastor said—”

  “I just told you what the pastor said,” Alana said, chuckling some more. “Shadrach, Meshach—”

  “I mean anything that really matters.”

  “I can’t help it if those people are funny.” Alana took in a deep breath and began to snicker again. She fanned herself some more, then burst into a belly laugh once again.

  Brianna glanced over at Alana and shook her head. “I think the only reason you even go there is so you can get your comic relief.”

  Alana continued to fan her face, trying to dry up her laughing tears before they emerged. “Hey, it’s certainly cheaper than the comedy club. It’s not my fault they don’t know that they’re funny. To them, they’re just ‘having church.’ Can I get an Amen?”

  “I’m not going to play with you,” Brianna said. “Last week, you talked about a lady who was up fussing while testifying. What you said was like texting while driving.”

  Alana started laughing again. “Brianna, please, don’t get me going again. That lady got up and started talking. She started telling folks’ business by way of calling out the folks who needed to get their lives together and repent for sins that ‘everybody in the church knows’ they’re doing. Everybody, apparently, except me.” Alana paused. “Hey, wait a minute, unless she was talking about me.” Alana smiled. “Anyway, she was giving little shouts in between her testimony. But as she was talking, her false teeth kept slipping out. I think they’re supposed to glue false teeth in or something like that; I’m pretty sure that’s what they’re supposed to do. Because I’ve seen people with false teeth before, and they don’t normally have to keep pushing them back into their mouths when they talk.”

  “Stop, Alana,” Brianna said, doing her best to hold back a laugh that was on the verge of bursting forth. “You’re not going to get me to laugh again about this. It’s wrong, and God is going to get us both for this. I’m telling you. God is going to get you.”

  Alana kept on, laughing and occasionally nudging Brianna as she spoke. “That woman must have gotten tired of pushing her dentures back in while she was talking, so she just reached up, yanked them bad boys out of her mouth, stuck those teeth in the pocket of her fancy silk dress, and kept right on talking like nothing ever happened.”

  Brianna was laughing and shaking her head at this point. “You’re wrong for that, Alana. You’re wrong. You keep on, and you’re going to Hell with gasoline drawers on. And if you do, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Well, you’re laughing. So I suspect if you’d been there, you would have been falling out with me. And FYI: I don’t wear drawers or granny panties, I’m just saying.”

  Brianna sat up straight and pulled herself together. “Okay, no more. That’s why I won’t visit that church with you. I’m looking for a church that’s preaching the Word. And if I was there with you, you’d have us both cutting up most likely. You need to find a church where you can be fed.”

  Alana frowned and held her head to one side. “I’m being fed. I’m just getting the best of both worlds. I get to go to church while at the same time getting my comedy relief on. Think of it as a two-for-one special. For instance, I learned today that Shadrach, Meshach, and a billy goat were bound with their coats, their leggings, and their hats and other garments and thrown into that fiery furnace. Coats, leggings, and a hat in a hot, fiery furnace . . . that’s sizzling hot there! And when Nebuchadnezzar looked in, he saw the three were loose, walking in the midst of the fire, without a hurt on them. And there was a fourth man in there with them who Nebuchadnezzar declared was like the Son of God.”

  “Well, that was good,” Brianna said.

  “Yeah. You and I have heard this story many times before. Anyway, then Nebuchadnezzar called out, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and a billy goat, you servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither!’ And Shadrach, Meshach, and a billy goat came forth out of the midst of the fire.” Alana smiled and moved her head in rhythm to an unheard, but lively beat. “See, now that’s the Word right there. Go in the fire looking good; and come out lookin
g just as good. What a mighty God we serve!”

  “So, did you ever tell the preacher that the name is Abednego and not a billy goat?”

  Alana pulled back and looked Brianna up and down two times. “Who, me?” She placed her hand on her chest. “Try and tell a preacher something he’s doing is wrong?” Alana huffed. “Oh, I think not.” Alana then turned more squarely toward Brianna and composed herself. “Okay, enough of the silly stuff. So . . . how is married life?”

  Brianna was glad she’d gotten to spend her anniversary with Unzell. They had planned on going on a real honeymoon on their one-year anniversary, but that wasn’t possible this year. Again, Unzell only had a few days home and he had to work hard just to get those. For the Christmas holiday, he was off for three days, then back to work. King d.Avid’s troop was scheduled to be gone for two more weeks, having already been gone the whole week during New Year’s. Brianna put on her best face for her friend.

  “It’s great,” Brianna said cheerily. “Unzell will be gone another two weeks. King d.Avid and his troop have a pretty heavy concert schedule. But Unzell always comes home whenever he can.”

  “They sure do work a lot, even around the holidays. I would think someone in King d.Avid’s position or any of these big entertainers would make sure they were off for a long time during Christmas and New Year’s.”

  “Well, you know how it is,” Brianna said. “Most folks like having something special to do around the holidays. So, that’s when people in the entertainment field find themselves working the most. Like that party you attended on New Year’s Day: people had to work so you all could celebrate and enjoy yourselves the way you did.”

  “And girl, I’m telling you: I brought the New Year in right, do you hear me? But you’re right. You’re right. There was a smashing band playing, so that meant they had to work. The hotel staff folks had to work; the people who prepared all of that food and kept the champagne flowing, they were working their tails off. I guess we don’t think about the folks who clock in on those types of days so that the rest of us can enjoy ourselves partying. It’s almost like we believe little work fairies come in and get things done.”

  Brianna nodded. “So, have you found another job yet?”

  “I knew that’s where you were going to end up. Just as soon as we started talking about people working to ensure that other folks are able to enjoy their special days, I knew the conversation was going to somehow pivot to me,” Alana said. “But I’m telling you: those people should have let me off like I asked them to. I don’t want to work like a Hebrew slave every single weekend. Who does? I realize that’s their busy time, but I’d like to be able to get busy myself and have some fun. How else is a girl or guy going to meet Mister or Miss Right?”

  Brianna held up both hands in surrender. “I didn’t say a word about that. I just asked if you’d found another job yet. That’s all.”

  “No . . . I haven’t. And honestly, I think all of this turned out for the best.” Alana smirked a bit.

  “Okay, spill it,” Brianna said.

  “What?”

  “Don’t what me. Who is he? What’s his name? Give me the lowdown.”

  Alana broke into a full grin and again turned back squarely to Brianna. She became all giddy. “His name is Vincent Powers. And from all I can tell, he’s doing quite well for himself. He does something or other in the music industry.”

  “Is he a singer? Anyone we’ve ever heard of?”

  “No, he’s not talented in that way. I think he does something behind the scenes.”

  Brianna frowned. “So how long have you known him?”

  “I met him a month ago at a club. I was dancing and stuff, you know me. He came over, started talking, asked me to dance, then asked for my digits. Later, he said he was in the music industry and was always looking for new talent in all fields of the spectrum.”

  Brianna started laughing. “And you believed that weak pickup line?” She shook her head.

  “I thought that’s what it was at first, too,” Alana said. “But he really does have some kind of job associated with the industry. He gave me a business card and everything.”

  “Do you have any idea how easy it is to create a business card with anything you want on it?”

  “Well, I’ve been to his house. And if he’s not doing something to pull in big money, then I don’t know how he’s paying for that lap of luxury.”

  “Have you ever heard of illegal drugs?” Brianna said. “The sex industry—”

  “He’s not into drugs or sex stuff. He’s a very respectable man. Very intelligent. Highly controlled.”

  “But you didn’t ask him specifically what he does and or for whom?” Brianna asked. “You do know that stuff can be verified, say, by going to Google, Yahoo . . . Bing?”

  “No, I didn’t push him further about his job. He told me what he wanted me to know . . . for now. I’ll learn more as time progresses,” Alana said. “I’ll make sure he’s on the up-and-up before I get knee deep into something I can’t step out of.”

  “So the two of you are getting a little more serious? I thought this was about your dancing career.”

  “Yes, and yes,” Alana said. “We are getting a bit more serious. We’ve gone out. I’ve been to his house—”

  “Please tell me you didn’t spend the night with him? Please tell me you didn’t.”

  “Fine. I won’t tell you then,” Alana said, sitting up and staring forward with a straight face.

  “Okay, so is he looking to do something for you in the line of your dancing?”

  Alana turned back to look at Brianna. She smiled. “He is. But I don’t think he’s all that interested in really getting me a job. I think he and I might be moving toward something a little deeper.”

  Brianna began to shake her head.

  “What?” Alana said. “See, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you anything just yet. I knew this is how you’d respond.”

  “You think he’s interested in marrying you? After meeting him a month ago, then going out with him one time—”

  “Two,” Alana corrected.

  “Okay, two times. And it looks like you’ve apparently spent the night with him. And now you actually believe he’s interested in pursuing something more with you?”

  “Why not, Brianna? Why can’t someone meet me, spend some time with me, and be interested in me, enough to at least look at me as possible long-term material?”

  Brianna took Alana’s hand. “I didn’t say that can’t happen. It’s just: you know more about these playas than even I do. You know how playas are. You know how they run their mouths. And let’s not even begin to talk about the sin you’re stepping all in—”

  “So now I’m supposed to be some kind of a playa expert?”

  Brianna threw up her hands and released a sound of exasperation. “Alana, if anyone believes in you, you know that I do. I know what a great person you are. I’m not saying things to try and put you down or to take anything away from you. But you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The names change, but you’re singing the same old song.”

  “Why can’t you just trust me the way I trust you, and be happy for me the way I’m always happy for you?”

  Brianna looked at Alana. She saw the watery pleading begin to pool in her friend’s eyes. “Okay. Okay. You’re the one with this guy. You certainly know more about him than I do. I’ve not met him in person, so what do I know? As long as he’s not a drug user, drug dealer, a drug kingpin, a pimp, a porn director, or something that could land him behind bars, I’m okay with you seeing him.”

  “Oh, so now you get to sign off on the men that I’m allowed to date?” Alana said, smiling.

  “Somebody has to look after you,” Brianna said. “Now, back to the original topic: jobwise, what are your plans?”

  Alana shrugged. “I just know I’m not planning on serving tables again. I know that much. I’m not waitress material. Waitresses should get
congressional medals.”

  “In other words, you’re going to put yourself into the hands of this new man you really know nothing about, and hope for the best.”

  Alana stood up. “For now, I’m just going to see where things lead. Not everybody can be like you. You don’t have to get a job if you don’t want to. But Vincent knows people in the industry. He knows I’m interested in dancing in videos. Who knows, maybe . . . just maybe, he’ll come through for me. And if things happen to continue heating up between the two of us and continue to move forward, who can say. Maybe I won’t need to worry about working outside of the home unless I want to, just like you.”

  Brianna forced a smile, but it was hard to keep the corners of her mouth from betraying her true feelings. “Sounds good to me.”

  Alana cocked her head to one side. “Do you mean that, or are you just trying to keep from arguing with me?”

  Brianna stood up. “I mean it.” She hugged Alana. “I mean it.” She let go and looked at Alana. “Oh, and since I’ve not been able to find a job, I’m planning on doing something different the next few months. I’ve signed up to take a college course.”

  “You’re going back to college?” Alana sounded excited.

  “Not full time. I’ve always wanted to take some courses on religion, so I thought I’d do that now. You know . . . get back in the swing of things, especially with Unzell being gone so much these days.”

  “Well, I think it’s great. You adored college back when you were there that time.”

  “Yeah, I did. It was Unzell’s idea. I was looking for a job and you, of all people, know how slim the pickings are, especially now and particularly in the secretarial field. So Unzell suggested I go back to college and pursue my dreams. Maybe you should think about going to college as well. We could do this together. It would be fun. Just like in the old days—me and you, tackling school, doing homework together and stuff.”