She got inside the old white Ford Escort and blew Mariah a kiss as the driver steered the car slowly down the street.
Mariah dropped her head inside her hands. She heard someone walking up the stairs. She prayed Cassie hadn’t returned. She couldn’t deal with her again. She took a deep breath and looked up to see Carson walking toward her. Care and concern glimmered in his eyes.
“Mariah, are you okay?” he asked as he sat on the glider next to her. “You must have dropped your wallet in my truck. So I came back to return it. I saw you talking to that woman, and it didn’t look like you were having a pleasant conversation.” Carson looked at her questioningly.
She looked at Carson with a wild look in her eyes. “That was my dear old mother, Cassie. She had the nerve to come here and try to extort money from me,” Mariah told Carson bitterly in a leaden voice. Then she looked away from him. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.
“I’m sorry. . . .” Carson’s voice faltered, then gained strength. “You know what they say about inheriting money: it brings relatives and friends out of the woodwork. I guess it goes with the territory.”
“You know, if my mother had been there for me at least part of my life, I wouldn’t mind helping her. But, she pretty much ignored me. As I told you my grandmother raised me. She has a lot of nerve coming here. Cassie is acting like there’s a big secret that she and my grandmother know that I don’t. Being around her makes me physically ill. I feel like I’m going to be sick.” Mariah stood up and rushed inside the house.
Carson sat on the glider indecisively. He wasn’t sure if he should run after Mariah, or give her time to collect herself. He decided on the latter.
Finally Mariah came back outside. Carson handed Mariah her wallet. “Here you go. I know that had to be tough. Your mother looked like she’s in bad shape. Maybe you can get her to agree to go to rehab.”
Mariah waved her hand dismissively. “Actually, this was one of Cassie’s good days. She was coherent enough to tell me what she wanted, and that’s not usually the case.” She shrugged her shoulders as she shook her head.
“Maybe you need to see a counselor and sort out your feelings. You looked really bummed out,” Carson suggested.
“I don’t need to see anyone,” Mariah yelled, furious with Carson. “My mother is a heavy burden that I have to bear. And, she made some references about my grandmother that got under my skin. Cassie has also been a prime manipulator. Like a leopard she’ll never change her spots.”
“You know with God, all things are possible. So never say never,” Carson said soothingly.
“That rule would apply to anyone except Cassie. She’s been a thorn in my side since I was little. I never understood why she hates me. But, she does.” Warm waves of mortification colored Mariah’s cheeks. “I apologize for dumping all of this negativity on you. I’ve had enough of my mother for one day. I also need to call my grandmother and find out why she told Cassie where I live.”
“Are you sure your grandmother told her? You don’t know that for sure?” Carson tried to be the voice of reason in the volatile situation.
“Humph, how else would Cassie know to come here? To this house?” Her hand arced in the air. She looked at him skeptically. “Cassie has a way of worming information out of people. I know somehow or another, she got Granny to tell her where I live. I appreciate you bringing me my wallet. I probably wouldn’t have discovered it was missing until the morning.”
“I would have brought it back to you before then,” Carson replied as he stood up. He knew he had worn out his welcome. “You have a good evening and try not to let what happened ruin your evening. We all have our crosses to bear, no one is immune. Maybe you should turn this burden over to the Lord and pray for guidance.”
“Do I really have a choice?” Mariah twisted her lips together. “I’ll talk to you. Have a good evening,” she said dismissively with her arms folded across her chest.
Carson knew he could have taken her actions personally, but he knew she was shaken by her mother’s actions. “You too. I meant what I said. Try not to let your mother coming here get you down.”
“I’ll try to take your advice, but it’s a little late for that. Cassie has had years of practice and knows what buttons to push to get under my skin.”
Carson squeezed her arm and then he departed.
Mariah walked inside the house. She went into the kitchen and turned on the hot water faucet. She filled the kettle with water to boil for tea. She picked up the telephone and scrolled through caller ID. She noted both Sonni and Rocki had called in addition to her grandmother. She pressed the message button and listened to voice mail. When she heard Rosemary’s voice, her stomach lurched.
“Hi, baby, it’s me, Granny. I just wanted to tell you that Cassie came over and she implied she planned to get in touch with you. She must have heard through the grapevine that you’ve come into money. I told her you’d won the lottery and moved to Indiana. She was upstairs in your room for a minute. She claimed she went up there to see if you had actually moved. So I wanted to warn you that she might try to get in touch with you. I hope she doesn’t but at least you know. Call me when you get a chance.”
Mariah angrily pushed the delete button. Then she sighed. Carson was right. She had left a few papers on the desk in her old room and knowing Cassie as she did, Mariah was sure she’d riffled through some of the papers. “Lord, I just can’t escape that woman and I live in another state,” she muttered. “Father, you have blessed me tremendously over the past months, and I am so grateful. I vowed that I would do good things with the money and share it with others.
“Right now the money seems a burden. Granny wouldn’t move to Indiana with me. And my worst nightmare, Cassie, had the audacity to show up here. I can’t believe she demanded I give her money. She also implied something isn’t right with Granny. Lord, I try to do the right things. I tithe. I really love contributing to the Sunday School ministry. Why can’t you perform a divine intervention and get Cassie out of my life? Life would be perfect except for her.
“I don’t understand why I had to be born to a mother who’s a drug addict. Why did I have to miss out on a real mother-daughter relationship?” She snorted bitterly. “In fact I didn’t have a relationship with either of my parents. I know you said in the Word to honor your mother and father, but what if they’re not worthy of honoring? What do you do then?” She exhaled loudly as she waited for the water to boil.
Mariah paced the length of the living room as she continued her pity party. The shrill whistle of the teakettle broke her out of her reverie. She opened the cabinet and took out a cup, and removed a box of orange tea, and a bag from the box. Mariah poured water into the cup, and sat at the kitchen table. She dipped the teabag inside the water until the liquid turned a bright orange color. She rose from the chair and rummaged through the pantry until she saw a box of sugar. She was grateful Sonyell had picked up groceries for her. She knew her friend had purchased the tea and sugar.
After she sat back down and drank the cup of tea, Mariah felt calmer. She resumed her talk with her Heavenly Father. “Lord, forgive me for being selfish. If Cassie’s coming here was a test, then I surely failed it. I know if no one else on earth has my back, that you do. I just have to remember that when things don’t go the way I think they should. There are always negatives in life. I just have to deal with them better. I have truly been blessed. Thanks to your generosity, I am in a position to help those in need as the Good Book states.
“As I count my blessings today, I have met a man who is a Christian. He appears to really like me. My best friends are moving to Hammond this upcoming weekend. So I won’t be alone. I don’t know what you the future holds, but I must trust and have faith that whatever happens is your will and not mine. So forgive me, Father, for being immature and folding at the first sight of trouble. Tomorrow is a new day, and I can’t wait to see what blessings will come my way.”
Later that night with the telev
ision turned low, Mariah returned to the living room and resumed reading her book. She had talked to Sonyell and Raquel on three-way earlier. The women were looking forward to the move over the weekend. Afterward, Mariah headed to her bedroom and prepared for the night. She tossed and turned most of the night, trying to figure out what Cassie implied about Rosemary. She wondered what other tidbits Carson knew about her father. It was the longest night. She was glad when daylight finally broke. Yesterday was over and done. Today was another opportunity to start anew.
Chapter Sixteen
Time sped and the winter season was quickly approaching. Light snowflakes were falling in the Midwest on Thanksgiving Day. Originally Sonyell and Raquel planned to join Mariah and Rosemary at Mariah’s house after dining with their families. Sonyell decided to spend the weekend in Marion, Illinois to visit Michael in prison. Instead Raquel opted to go to Michigan with her family to visit her grandparents. Mariah, too changed her plans. She decided to have dinner with her grandmother at Rosmary’s home.
Sonyell’s and Raquel’s moves to Indiana had gone without a hitch. The two women were comfortably settled in their new houses. All three new houses were beginning to feel like home.
After Cassie’s disastrous visit to Hammond, Mariah had given Rosemary $1,000 and asked her to give Cassie twenty dollars a week. So far Cassie hadn’t made any more impromptu visits to Indiana. For that Mariah was grateful.
Mariah had presented Reverend Dudley with a check for $250,000 two weeks ago. The two had previously decided the bulk of the money would be allocated for building improvements and to further the homeless ministry. A nice percentage of the funds were allocated to the Sunday School ministry, The rest would be distributed to other ministries.
Raquel, with Mariah’s blessing, had renovated the hair salon. She’d added a day spa complete with manicures, pedicures, and massage offerings. Though Raquel managed the salon and barber shop, she still set up her own space in the salon and did brisk business.
Mariah had visited several local high schools and offered internship opportunities for junior and senior students at the beauty and barber shops. The salon offered ten dollar wash and sets on Wednesdays to women who resided in senior complexes. The barber shop offered similar haircuts to senior men. Business was thriving and the local newspaper had written an article on Mariah.
Though she was initially averse to doing so, Mariah acknowledged her father publically where business matters were concerned. Sonyell had audited the various businesses that Mr. Ellison had owned. She made recommendations for the businesses to run more efficiently. A few were sold. Mariah hired Carson’s company to make minor repairs in the apartment buildings that she now owned. Mariah wasn’t sure how she and Carson would get along from a business perspective. As it turned out, her worrying was for naught. She was impressed by his business acumen. Being a local Hammond businessman, he helped her when she ran into local roadblocks.
Their romance was also blossoming. All was well in Mariah’s world.
Raquel’s involvement with Alex was short-lived. She crossed the border back into Chicago for excitement. Michael would be released from prison the following month. Sonyell thrived in her position as Mariah’s business manager. She proved to have a sharp, analytic mind. Mariah felt blessed to have her and Carson on her team. The three were a force to be reckoned with. At Carson’s urging, Mariah joined several business organizations.
Mariah stood in her bedroom in front of the dresser mirror and fussed with her hair. She pulled a few tight twists loose. She wore a burnt-orange two-piece pantsuit with a cream-colored shell with gold accessories. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was nearly three o’clock. She needed to get going to make it to Rosemary’s house by three-thirty. Originally Rosemary was going to have dinner at Mariah’s house, but this changed when Sonni and Rocki changed their plans. Either way it went, Mariah was running late. She removed two bags from the kitchen, grabbed her purse, put it on her shoulder, and hurried out of the door.
Thirty minutes later, she opened the door to Rosemary’s house with her key. Appetizing aromas teased her sense of smell.
“Is that you, Mariah?” Rosemary called from the kitchen. She paused washing dishes.
“Yes, it is,” Mariah answered as she walked into the kitchen. The room was warm and cozy. She walked to the sink and kissed Rosemary. She set a case of soda on the floor. “It sure smells good in here. Do you need me to taste anything?” Mariah asked her grandmother hopefully.
Rosemary shook her head and smiled. “No, not really. I think I got this cooking thing down pat. I just took the turkey out of the oven. You can see if my stuffing is up to par.”
Mariah rubbed her hands together and grinned at Rosemary. She had stopped by a local baker the previous day and purchased a red velvet cake and sweet potato pies. She took the desserts out of the bag and put them on the counter. Mariah then took a saucer out of the cabinet, walked to the stove, pealed a corner of the foil back, and put a small bit of stuffing on the plate.
She blew on it, and gobbled it down as Rosemary watched her with an amused twinkle in her eye.
“It’s so good, Granny. The stuffing doesn’t even need cranberry sauce. You haven’t lost your touch. Is there anything I can do?” Mariah put the saucer in the dishpan.
“You can set the table. The food is just about done. I suppose you’re hungry?”
“Yes, I am,” Mariah responded as she took plates and glasses out of the cabinet. Before long the table had been set. The two women sat at the table and bowed their heads.
“Father, God, we come to you content to see another Thanksgiving Day. You have blessed Mariah so abundantly this year, Lord. She in turn has shared her blessing with her family, friends, and even strangers. Continue to guide her to do the right thing. Bless us for the food we’re about to receive. All blessings in your name. Amen,” Rosemary said and opened her eyes.
The women passed the bowls and platter between them and within minutes began to partake in the meal. They conversed about local happenings while they ate.
Thirty minutes later, Mariah wiped her mouth and hands with a napkin and pushed her chair away from the table. “That was so good, Granny. I can’t eat another bite.”
“Yes, I agree with you, the meal was good. It’s time you learned to cook more. Who knows, you may have to cook for Carson’s daughters one day.” Rosemary took a sip of iced tea as she waited for Mariah to reply.
“Uh, I hope not. I’m not a homemaker,” Mariah protested haughtily, like cooking was beneath her. “I always wanted a career. My life is simply amazing.”
“There’s nothing wrong with doing both. Would you cut me a piece of pie?” Rosemary asked.
Mariah stood up, walked to the counter, and cut a slice of potato pie. She put it on a saucer and handed it to her grandmother.
“You aren’t going to have dessert now?” Rosemary cut a tiny portion of the pie, and put it into her mouth.
“No, not right now. I’m too stuffed. Plus, I’ve got save room for dessert at Carson’s parents’ house.” Mariah rubbed her tummy. “I hear you about doing both. Although I don’t know, I hear a lot of women complain about how tiring and stressful trying to be Superwoman is.”
“Anything worth having comes with work and stress. Nobody promised life would be easy,” Rosemary responded sagely. “I’m glad you and Carson are hitting it off. It’s time for you to settle down. You’re not getting any younger.”
Mariah sat upright in her chair. “I’m not even thirty yet. There’s plenty of time for me to settle down.” She crinkled her nose.
“Sometimes love only comes around once in a lifetime, and good men are so hard to find. There was only one man for me in this life and that was your grandfather.” Rosemary sighed. She had finished eating the pie and put the saucer on top of her dinner plate.
“Is that why you never remarried? Because Gramps was the one?” Mariah asked as she stirred the sugar in her iced tea.
�
�Partially. Cassie was a handful even as a child. She was always a bundle of nervous energy. Then there was you; there just wasn’t enough time. Now, I’m in my sixties and that part of my life has passed by.”
Mariah shook her head. “It’s not like you’re that old. I bet there’s still some romantic life left in you.” Mariah folded her arms across her chest.
“No, I’m good. I cook at the school during the week and teach Sunday School on the Sabbath day. Alma and I go to the movies or shopping, so by and large life is good.” Rosemary switched gears. “So how do you feel about meeting Carson’s folks? Are you nervous?” She put Mariah’s empty plate on top of hers and gathered the eating utensils.
“Just a little bit.” Mariah’s voice trailed off as she looked away from Rosemary.
“I don’t see why.” Rosemary shook her head as she squirted dishwashing liquid into the plastic dishpan. “You’re gorgeous and independent. You have a kind, loving heart, everything a man looks for in a wife.”
“Now, don’t you think you could be a wee bit biased, Granny?” She held up two fingers close to each other. “You know my rule is never to date a man with children. But Carson is such a good man, I bypassed my rule. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent getting to know each other. The only dark spot I can find is that his ex-wife calls a little too much for my taste. Even though they’ve been divorced for a while, I think she’s not ready to let go. Plus they have children, so she’ll always be around.”
Rosemary looked at Mariah. “Haven’t you been listening to me? Once again, that same rule applies as before: nothing worth having ever comes easy. You’re doing the right thing by giving the relationship time. Y’all would make some beautiful babies. After marriage, that is.”
Blessings From the Father Page 13