Man Enough For Me
Page 30
“I’m not playing, Jules,” Germaine said, his eyes dancing as they locked with hers. “I already told you I love you, and I want to be with you,” he said, rubbing her arms gently. “This is it for me.”
Jules could barely breathe. All of a sudden, she couldn’t hear the chatter around her, or see the wedding guests moving past them toward the parking lot. Most of the people were heading out to the reception, but Jules couldn’t tell. For, at that moment, there was no one else in the world but her and Germaine.
“Are you asking me to …?”
“No, not yet,” Germaine said, smiling. “But that’s where we’re going with this. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”
He watched her carefully, as she took a deep breath and tried to calm the butterflies that were doing the tango in her stomach.
“Okay,” she said simply after a long moment.
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
“That’s it? You’re not gonna hit me with a flood of questions? Ask me when, where, and how?” Germaine asked, with one eyebrow raised suspiciously.
Jules laughed and locked her arms around his neck. “No, baby. I’m just gonna wait, and trust you to keep that promise,” she said, smiling.
Germaine kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly.
“Hey, lovebirds, think you can tear yourselves apart for the people who actually got married today?”
Germaine and Jules laughed, and walked hand in hand over to the limo where Tanya, ‘Dre, Truuth, and Maxine were waiting for them.
Most of the guests had already made their way to the reception, and only the six of them were left standing in front of the church.
“So I think this calls for a toast,” Truuth said, pulling a bottle of cider out of nowhere.
As soon as he did, ‘Dre ducked into the back of the limo and emerged with six wine glasses. Jules laughed.
“I see you guys were well prepared.”
“Always,” ‘Dre said, winking.
“Okay, so what are we toasting to?” Tanya asked, taking a glass from ‘Dre and tossing her headpiece into the back of the limo.
“To you guys, of course,” Jules said.
“All right then,” said Truuth, raising his glass. “To the Claytons, may they have a marriage as happy as heaven, and a honeymoon as hot as hell!”
They all laughed.
“To the Claytons,” they all echoed as they clinked glasses.
Jules smiled as she watched her closest friends joke and laugh with each other. She couldn’t help the feeling of love that swelled her heart as she thought of how much they meant to her.
Nonetheless, she couldn’t help but notice how Truuth and Maxine casually managed to keep the rest of the group between them.
Just then, she felt Germaine slip his arms around her from behind and rest his lips against her ear.
“They’ll be okay,” he whispered. “God will work it out.”
Jules began to relax. He was right. Maxine, Truuth, and Apryll would be all right as long as they put themselves in God’s hands. Hadn’t she seen that for herself? Hadn’t she learned that by now? All she had to do was trust Him, and He would take care of the rest.
She leaned back, into Germaine’s strong frame, and felt his arms tighten around her in response. She smiled. Yes, trusting was good.
Trusting was definitely good.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
MAN ENOUGH FOR ME
Rhonda Bowen
About This Guide
The suggested questions that follow are included to enhance your group’s reading of this book.
Discussion Questions
At the start of the novel Jules complains about the men who approach her at the bar. Later in the novel we hear her complain about the men she has dated in the past. Do you think Jules is overly critical when it comes to the opposite sex? Do you think most young Christian women set unrealistic standards that keep them from finding satisfying relationships?
What do you think about the stunt Germaine pulls to get Jules’s attention? Would you have been impressed or annoyed?
Do you think Jules should have confronted Penny more about her laissez-faire approach to work? Was she justified in not doing so?
When Jules is talking with Tanya and Maxine about her suspicions around Germaine, they tell her she is being too critical. Jules says, “Oh no. I’m becoming my mother.” Does every woman turn into her mother? Is it inevitable?
When they go to dinner with her mother, Jules tells Germaine not to tell her mother that he works at a club. Do you think the issue of a lounge or a club is problematic for most Christians?
Jules is shocked when she discovers that Germaine is involved with drug dealers. Do you think that she was too trusting of him in the beginning? Should she have been more suspicious about the things he wouldn’t tell her?
Do you think Jules was justified in pulling the event from the Sound Lounge? Do you think Germaine was being irresponsible for booking it there in the first place?
When Jules proposes moving the launch, there is an argument among the Triad team about bringing personal relationships into the business. Do you think there were too many relationships between staff and clients at Triad? Do you think this could affect the business negatively?
Were you surprised to find out that Germaine was working with the police? Do you think he should have told Jules?
Maxine gets chastised at church for having loose morals because she becomes pregnant outside of wedlock. Do you think young women who have unplanned pregnancies are still treated this way in churches? Do you think this treatment is sometimes justified? How can we reach out to people who have made mistakes without endorsing the mistake?
‘Dre’s mother, though a Christian, does not want her son to date a white woman. Do you think racism exists within the church? Do you think some Christians do not see this type of discrimination as a sin? What kind of prejudice do you have in your heart that you may need God’s help with?
‘Dre is afraid to date Tanya because of what his mother thinks about her. Do you think this was a justifiable reason for not dating her? Would it have been fair for him to get into a relationship with Tanya, knowing that his mother would not accept her?
Maxine and Truuth’s relationship begins to deteriorate when she gets pregnant. Do you think this is typical in situations like theirs?
Do you think Jules should have been the one to make up with Germaine at the end, or should he have taken the initiative to reconcile with her?
At the end of the novel, Germaine tells Jules not to worry about Maxine, Apryll, and Truuth, that God will work things out for them. Do you think Jules has learned to let go and trust God yet? Does worrying about a situation mean that you are not trusting God to take care of it?