Aisha was getting bored with Leland’s conversation. She looked at her watch to see how much longer it would be before the service started. Leland must have taken a hint because he stood up and said, “Look I’m going to move up closer. I usually don’t sit this far back.”
“Sure, Leland. It was really good to see you again.” To erase some of the guilt she felt for brushing him off she said, “Like you said, since the church is so big we don’t get a chance to see each other as often as we used to and then we have three services on top of that. But I’m really glad you’re home.”
“Thanks, and remember to tell Tameria I asked about her.” He turned and walked down the aisle until he made it to the second row.
Aisha’s eyes focused on the handsome man walking up the steps leading to the pulpit. She hadn’t seen him before but ministers joined Greater Faith regularly so she wasn’t surprised. She listened intently at him when he stood at the pulpit and began to speak.
“Good morning,” his voice boomed throughout the sanctuary. “I said good morning. It’s good to be in the house of the Lord.” The congregation responded with rounds of praise and waving of hands. Aisha studied the gentleman who spoke so articulately. He was attractive, spoke like he was highly educated and he moved with an aura of self confidence. He moved slowly back and forth across the podium as he led the congregation in praise and worship. Not only was his voice magnetizing, his swagger added a slice of charm that sucked her in like a vacuum. When he started singing, Lord we lift your name on high, Aisha couldn’t resist the urge to stand up along with the rest of the congregation and sing. When the people standing on both sides of her raised their hands in praise, Aisha felt unworthy. On one hand she wanted to clap and wave her hands too. But the other voice in her head told her she was nothing more than a hypocrite, one of those folks Jesus talked about in the bible who shout Lord, Lord, but they’re none of His true children. She used to believe that she couldn’t lose her salvation. That’s what she’d been taught since she was a small child in Sunday School. But now she wasn’t so sure anymore. She’d betrayed God and she couldn’t see how he could ever forgive her for turning her back on Him. She continued to stand and sing, You came from heaven to earth, to show the way…When he raised his hands for the musicians and congregation to stop singing, he said a short prayer and motioned for everyone to be seated.
“Who is he?” Aisha couldn’t resist asking the lady sitting to the right of her.
“Are you talking about the minister?”
“Oh. Yes, I’m sorry.”
“He’s one of the associate ministers. He’s been here for about a month. We love him,” she whispered.
“What’s his name?” Aisha asked leaning in closer to the woman so as not to disturb anyone.
The lady responded in a friendly voice, “Minister Jackson Williams. He’s over Pastoral Care. He does counseling too.”
“Thanks.” Aisha sat upright and listened to the choir sing. By the time Pastor Shipley made it to the podium to deliver his sermon, Aisha was ready to receive his message.
♦
“That was a powerful message wasn’t it?” the woman who she talked to earlier remarked.
Aisha’s response was, “Yes it was. But Pastor’s messages are always prolific. And I needed to hear it too.”
“I did too. Well I guess I’ll get out of here. It was nice talking to you. You have a blessed day.”
“You too,” Aisha said and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction of the woman. She weaved through the crowd that had formed a line for tapes of today’s sermon. She paused and contemplated whether or not she wanted to purchase a copy. Turning around, she walked until she reached the end of the line.
When she made it outside with her tape in tow, the departing crowd had thinned out.
“Oh, excuse me,” the mild mannered voice said when she accidentally brushed against Aisha causing her to drop her purse. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized again.
“No problem,” Aisha stooped down and picked up her purse. She didn’t know what to do when she stood upright and saw the man standing next to the woman.
“Hi,” Aisha said trying to shield her surprise at seeing Chandler. The attractive woman looked confused.
“You two know each other?” she asked Chandler and glanced at each of them.
“Why, uh yes.” he stumbled over his words. “We used to…”
“Work together,” Aisha quickly added before Chandler could say anything else.
“Oh, are you a policeman too?”
“Policeman?” Aisha was totally baffled. She eyed Chandler curiously.
The woman waited anxiously for a response. She had a feeling that these two had done more than work together. She’d been dating Chandler for several weeks but he told her it had been quite some time since he was seriously involved with anyone. If that was the case, then why were the both of them acting so suspicious? She folded her arms and looked at Chandler.
Aisha spoke up. “No, I’m not a policeman. We worked together a long time ago when we were younger,” she lied.
“Are you a member here?”
Aisha replied, “Yes, I am. What about you?”
“No, we’re just visiting but I really enjoyed the sermon.”
“Well look it was nice seeing you again Chandler but I’d better go. I have to be somewhere shortly. It was nice meeting you. Uh what did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t say. But it’s Candyce.”
“Okay, Candyce. Bye, Chandler.”
“Goodbye, Aisha,” he said coldly.
A policeman? Aisha’s thoughts were scrambling together as she repeated the word policeman over and over in her mind. Someone is definitely lying, she told herself as she made her way to the car. Chandler said he was a land developer. And if he isn’t a land developer what could have been his reason for lying to me about his profession? When she got in the car, she dialed his cell phone. Let’s see if he’s going to pick up this time. He can’t hide any longer. She pushed the number four and the phone dialed Chandler’s number. After three rings, the mechanical voice answered and said, “The subscriber you’re trying to reach is no longer available.” She looked down at her phone and saw his name on her screen so she knew she hadn’t dialed someone else’s number. She dialed the number a second time instead of pushing speed dial. The same recording came on. He must’ve changed his number. She started her car and pulled off. She watched as Candyce and Chandler got inside a champagne colored Nissan Altima. Unless he has a new car, that must be her car, Aisha surmised.
On first thought, she wanted to follow them but if he really was a policeman, she didn’t want to get caught up in any mess. She dialed Tameria’s number.
“Hey, how are you?”
“I’m okay. I’m just leaving church.”
“That’s good to hear. How was service today?”
“Actually it was good. Remember Leland Parker?”
“Yeah, is he back in town?”
“Yeah, and still boring as ever. But he looks good. He still has that crush on you. He wanted me to tell you he said hello.” Aisha managed to smile.
“Puhleeze. You should have told him I was already taken. What did Pastor preach about?”
“Something I guess I needed to hear. Accepting yourself as you are instead of trying to live your life for others. He said we should stop being something other than what God has purposed us to be.”
“I think we all need to be reminded of that from time to time.” Tameria responded. “Look, I’m at the hospital so I’m going to have to hang up in a second.”
“No problem. I was just calling to let you know that I took your advice and went to church. I didn’t know we had a new minister over Pastoral Care.”
“I didn’t know that either. That’s one reason I really miss church. I’m losing out on what’s going on by having to do these long rotations. But listen, I’ll call you later tonight when I get a break. That is if it’s not t
oo late. Hang in there.”
“Yeah, I will. Bye Tameria.”
Tameria was elated when Aisha told her she’d gone to church. Maybe Aisha would get herself together. And the first step she needed to take was turning back to God. She’d been praying for her and Mrs. Carlisle. The next thing was to convince Aisha to take her suggestion and get some counseling. Tameria believed things would begin to turn around for Aisha if she did that.
Chase appeared from out of nowhere and grabbed Tameria around her waist and twirled her in the air. She loved him deeply. It was a blessing to have someone in her life who shared her same dreams, goals and aspirations. Chase was some one who accepted her just the way she was. She wasn’t the prettiest girl neither did she have a model’s figure but she possessed compassion, concern and a gentle spirit for others. That’s why she fit perfectly in the medical field. She loved people and wanted to spend her life helping them. Chase asked her if she could take a break but as soon as she was about to tell him yes his name blared over the intercom.
“Sorry baby, duty calls,” he said apologetically.
“I’m going to the nurses’ station and grab me a donut and some coffee. I’ll see you later on I hope.” She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
♦
Aisha dialed Elisa’s cell. She had promised Elisa that she would call her and tell her about the maniac client, Kyle Taylor since she’d never gotten the chance after the devastating news about her father. Elisa picked up right away.
Elisa began to question Aisha as soon as her number appeared on her cell. “How was church? Did you remember to say a prayer for me?”
“Dang girl, can’t you at least say hello first?” Aisha laughed over the phone.
“No, I can’t. We already said hello before you went to church,” Elisa responded in a carefree voice.
“Whatever. Anyway, to answer your questions, church was quite enjoyable and second, I did remember to say a prayer for you and Gabby. So there. Anything else?”
“Yea, what are your plans for the rest of the day? I don’t have to work and we haven’t hung out in a while. You game?”
“Why not. If you’re hungry why don’t we meet at Ruby Tuesday downtown? I haven’t had a thing to eat and I’m starving.” Aisha suggested.
“Okay, let me get ready and I’ll meet you there around two-thirty.”
“Okay, see you then because I have to tell you everything that happened the night I met Kyle Taylor. Remember?”
“Do I remember? I’ve been itching to hear the details. I’ll see you in a little while.”
Since Aisha was already dressed, she had time to go by her dance studio, something she hadn’t done in a couple of weeks. There was a time that no one or nothing could pull her away from A-Carlisle Studio of Dance and Choreography. She drove to the location, unlocked the door and stood in the vast space. She inhaled while outstretching her arms and closing her eyes. Imagining the room was full of students, she pictured her them dancing gracefully around the studio. When she opened her eyes, she felt a tear traveling along the contours of her cheek. Being at the studio reminded her of how much she missed doing the one thing she used to live and breathe for. Not dancing at The Lynx because that wasn’t the same. But teaching the girls the art of dancing and how to feel the music in your spirit and show your passion in every movement. She went into her cold office and eased down in the chair. Her desk was piled high with messages and other paper work that Angie had left for her to go over. Angie, she thought. Lord, thank you for her. Angie has kept things going virtually on her own, like this is her studio. She wrote a note to remind herself to do something extra special for Angie, like giving her a nice bonus. Dialing into her voice mail, she heard the Audix tell her that her mailbox was full. She listened to the messages, deleting unimportant ones and saving the ones that required her attention. When she heard Kyle Taylor’s message, she shivered at the sound of his voice. He sounded exceptionally charming. For a moment she forgot about the way he had treated her. Then she became somewhat uneasy. He had called her studio and he knew her real name. How could he have discovered who she really was? She trembled at the thought of how he’d talked to her the last time she’d seen him. Now here he was, sounding so charming and sensitive. She’d have to ask Elisa what was going on. Maybe Jason’s sorry behind told him. Her nostrils flared at the thought of how low down Jason could really be. She replayed Kyle’s message. “Aisha, Kyle Taylor here. First let me say how sorry I am about your father. I also want to apologize for my totally senseless and cruel behavior when you came to my home. Will you forgive me and allow me to make it up to you by taking you to dinner? Please call me at The Lynx. I’ll be waiting.”
You sure will be waiting, and you’ll be waiting a long time too if you think I’m going to call you, she exhaled a heavy sigh of disgust at his unmitigated gall and proceeded to delete his message. She listened to the last two messages, erased them and stood up to leave. Before locking up, she turned and surveyed her turf one more time.
Elisa waltzed into Ruby Tuesday like she was a runway model. Dressed in a gold colored parchment silk tube skirt and a black tailored blazer, she turned the heads of several gentlemen with each long stride she took. Her soft patent and linen sling backs added height to her already gazelle like frame. She asked the hostess to seat her in the back of the restaurant near the window so she and Aisha could enjoy the breathtaking view of the mighty Mississippi while they dined.
Aisha skimmed over the restaurant until she saw Elisa’s hand waving back and forth in the air motioning for her.
“It’s about time. It’s after three. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show,” was Elisa’s response as she stood up and hugged Aisha.
“Now you know I would have called if I had a change of plans. I stopped by the dance studio and just lost track of time, that’s all. Have you ordered yet?”
“No, just this Cosmopolitan. I wanted to wait on you before I ordered.”
“Well, let’s check out the menu because I’m starving.” After placing their orders the two friends laughed and talked endlessly about Gabby. Aisha laughed when Elisa told her that she had taken Gabby to the school parking lot and let her practice driving. Elisa said she thought she was going to pee in her pants when it looked like her daughter was about to run into the side of the school. The waiter brought Aisha’s gold margarita and a glass of water with lemon. Another server came up behind the waiter with their orders. Pausing their conversation, they allowed the server to place their orders on the table.
Between bites, Elisa started talking again. “Enough said about Gabby’s driving techniques. Let’s get to the juicy stuff. Tell me about this Kyle Taylor and what happened with him.” Elisa urged.
“Every time I think about that night, I almost lose it, Elisa. If it wasn’t for him, maybe I would have been there when my father died. But let me tell you what happened.”
“Look, if it’s too painful for you to talk about, then don’t tell me. We haven’t been out in a relaxing atmosphere for a while now and I sure don’t want to ruin it by asking you to relive something that’s obviously still hurting you quite a bit.” The look on Elisa’s face expressed her genuine empathy for Aisha. By choice, she didn’t have many women friends but Aisha was the exception to the rule. Aisha possessed the kind of personality that drew people to her and Elisa was one of those people. Forming friendships with any of the girls she and Jason brought in to The Lynx was definitely taboo plus most of them were far too young anyway. The only girl who had tugged at her heart was Hallie. Hallie reminded her so much of herself when she was a teenager. Shy, frightened, and afraid to trust anyone. Elisa managed to gain her trust after a few months and slowly Hallie opened up to her about how scared she was. Elisa promised her that she would never let any of the men at The Lynx hurt her and so far, she had kept her word. Whenever Ronald Shipley asked for one of the girls, Elisa made sure it was one of the older girls and never Hallie. When the new member Kyle Taylor joi
ned The Lynx, Jason assigned Hallie to him before she could intercept. So far, Hallie told her that Kyle Taylor was a nice man. That’s why she couldn’t believe it when Aisha told him how mean he was to her. She was even more surprised to hear about how he had put her out of his house and made her wait outside until the company limo came to pick her up. There was another side to him and Elisa wanted to know what made him tick.
“So when he put me out of his house,” Aisha continued with her story. “I called Jason and told him to high tail it to that fool’s place and get me.”
“What did Jason say, girl?” Elisa bent in closer so she wouldn’t miss a word.
“I don’t know what he and Kyle talked about. All I know is that Jason went inside the house and stayed in there about five or ten minutes. When he came back to the limo, he didn’t say one word to me. The dog didn’t even ask me if I was okay or anything. He acted like I was some hooker on the street or something. All the way back to The Lynx he refused to say one word, Elisa. I hate him for that.”
“Jason can be low down when he wants to be, Aisha. But that was a bit much, even for him, especially when it wasn’t your fault.
“I guess he expected me to sleep with Kyle but I’m not about to lose my virginity to some oversexed executive. I don’t care how much paper he has,” Aisha insisted.
“I can’t believe that he acted like that. But I’m proud of you for standing up for your beliefs. So I say hats off to you.” Elisa raised her glass up in the air toward Aisha and took a sip of her second Cosmopolitan. “Did you get paid or did the lowlife hold back the three grand he promised you for meeting that chump.”
“I wasn’t about to let him mess me out of my money. No way. So since he was playing the silent treatment with me in the limo, when we made it back to The Lynx I asked him where my money was. He turned around like he was the exorcist or somebody and said it was in the car. I looked back inside the limo and saw the envelope lying next to where he had been sitting.
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