My Rock

by Pat Simmons

  Timing was everything as he cruised down Roland Drive. His heart pounded at the sight of Tabitha stepping out of her car. The white romper against her dark skin was eye-catching. He tapped his horn, and immediately she looked up. Recognizing his car, the slow smile brightened her face with happiness.

  Leaving the motor running, he parked and jogged to meet her. Tabitha’s fragrance mingled with the musk of the scorching heat. She had twisted her hair into a ball on top of her head. The style gave her a sophisticated look of the princess she was. After he finished his assessment, Marcus greeted her with a smile. “Hey, baby.”

  “Hi,” she said softly as much in a trance as he was, then she blinked. “I’ve got to get Aunt Tweet out.”

  “Got it.” Marcus took long strides to the other side and assisted her aunt out, then kissed her cheek. He would have been disappointed if Aunt Tweet didn’t blush.

  “So what are you doing here? I thought your parents were coming to town,” Tabitha said, shielding her eyes from the sun.

  As if cued, his father had cut the engine, helped his mother out of the car, and they were heading toward them. “They’re here,” he said, chuckling, “but you know I can’t go too without seeing you.” Aunt Tweet hmphed.

  “I didn’t want to intrude,” she said softly.

  “Oh, you aren’t, dear.” His petite mother nudged him aside. “We finally get a chance to meet.”

  “It’s hot,” Aunt Tweet said.

  He had forgotten about the possible air quality in this heat, which made it hard on the elderly and people to breathe. Everyone mumbled their apologies. “Get her inside, babe. I’ll get my parents settled, and we can come back with dinner.” He hoped she would say yes.

  She nodded. “I’ll make some fresh lemon-limeade and a fruit salad.”

  Without knowing it, his girlfriend had scored a brownie point with his mother. Sylvia wouldn’t be able to resist Tabitha’s fresh lemonade with lime and strawberries. His mouth was watering already. And to think, he teased her about not being a skillful cook. He had been on the receiving end of her and the aunt’s dishes, and he had no complaints. Taking her hand before she escaped, Marcus smacked a kiss on her lips, then released her.

  “She’s pretty, son,” Sylvia announced—he was sure within Tabitha’s hearing—as his parents walked away.

  He puffed out his chest in pride. “Yes, she is with a caring heart.”

  “When’s the wedding?” his parents teased almost in unison once they strapped on their seatbelts and he was behind the wheel.

  “Soon.” He grinned. He didn’t know if it would be while Aunt Tweet still resided here or after she left to stay with Rachel. Leave it to him, a month tops. A practicing Christian man could only endure sexual temptation for so long.

  A DAY LATER IN MARCUS’ kitchen, Tabitha worked side by side with his mother to prepare meat for the men, which included Demetrius, to barbecue. Aunt Tweet’s task was to arrange cookies on a platter. Twice, she had looked the other way when her aunt swiped one of the treats and put it in her purse—one of her hiding places to store her treats. There wouldn’t be a third time because she was ready to put a stop to it. Evidently, nothing got pass Sylvia who chuckled softly.

  His mother didn’t come across as a woman who purposely enjoyed intimidating her sons’ girlfriends. She was warm, friendly, and likeable. Marcus had her eyes, but everything else came from Mr. Whittington. “Your son is a jewel,” she confessed when there was a lull in their conversation. She doubted another man would have pursued her or stuck around, knowing her situation.

  “And you’re his precious stone.” Sylvia’s eyes sparkled. “He talks about you and your aunt all the time. From what he’s told me, you’re doing a great job taking care of her. Trust me, a person can tell when someone is loved. Your aunt is loved.”

  Tabitha sniffed. She wasn’t expecting a compliment. She choked out her thanks. “Marcus has made the difference.”

  “Since you work through the week, how about doing a little shopping after church tomorrow?”

  “I have Aunt Tweet—”

  “She is welcome to come. We’ll visit a few stores, then rest for a cool treat. If she’s not up to it, I’m sure Marcus wouldn’t mind.”

  “Mind what?” He walked through the door and squeezed his mother’s shoulder, then wrapped his arms around Tabitha’s waist, peeping over her shoulder.

  “Stay with Aunt Tweet for a few hours while Tabitha and I spend some time together shopping”

  “No problem, babe.” He sealed his commitment with a brush of his lips against her cheek.

  The man had no shame in displaying his affections in front of his parents. His father seemed to be amused while his mother appeared pleased by her son’s actions.

  Within the hour, they relaxed on his veranda, which resembled a gazebo attached to the side of his house off the kitchen. It was shaded by a big willow tree that constantly fanned them with a breeze. The conversation was lively, and even Aunt Tweet chuckled a few times as the Whittingtons relived the antics of their sons to their protests. Demetrius and Marcus blamed the other for their mischievous adventures. When her aunt began to doze, Tabitha called it a night.

  He grabbed his keys. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to make sure the ladies get home okay.”

  “Did you forget I drove?” She rested her hands on her hips.

  “Nope.” He rocked on his heels. “I’m trailing to make sure you get into the house safely.”

  His company laughed, including Tabitha who couldn’t resist hugging him, which granted him permission to wrap his arms around her.

  “I think it’s sweet,” she mouthed as he kissed the tip of her nose.

  On Sunday morning, church was a family affair. Besides the senior Whittingtons, Demetrius tagged along. Once seated in the pews, it didn’t take long for Aunt Tweet to hum in unison with the praise singers. A couple times, she belted out tunes that were unearthed deep inside of her. Everyone was impressed.

  Pastor Nelson had a few remarks before directing the congregation to Romans 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which God shall reveal in us.’ Our trials in this life are meant to perfect our soul for the next life, which is eternal—heaven or hell. We have a reward for holding out, holding on, and waiting on Jesus. At times, life may seem unfair, but the Bible says in Ecclesiastes nine and eleven, time and chance happens to us all. Our worse trials aren’t bigger than what Christ Jesus suffered on the cross.” He paused.

  “We’ve heard of people dying from complications of heart condition, diabetes, stroke, bladder infection, and so on. Christ took on every disease known to man. Add in every sin you ever committed and He nailed it all to the cross. That, brothers and sisters, is suffering...”

  Tabitha couldn’t imagine the pain. “Lord, help me not to complain,” she mumbled to herself.

  Once the benediction was given, their guests commented on how the preacher gave them something to think about. A few hours later, her aunt declined the outing and stayed behind at Tabitha’s house under the watchful eye of Marcus and his father.

  During their time together, she had a chance to learn more about his mother. Tabitha shared about her upbringing, career, and goals in life. The conversation switched to Aunt Tweet’s diagnosis and condition. “If you feel comfortable with me asking.”

  “I do.” Tabitha gave Sylvia a recap.

  “My son told me you and your sisters had a misunderstanding.”

  Tabitha froze. “What didn’t your son tell you?” She didn’t know how she felt about his mother knowing everything about her.

  “When you were hurting, he was hurting, and I happened to call him at a bad time.” Sylvia rested her hand on Tabitha’s shoulder to get her attention. “Trust me, a lot of things I know about my sons is from watching what they do and listening for what they won’t tell me.” She laughed. “Marcus wasn’t forthcoming, I had to pull it out of him, and I’m
glad I did, because I’ve been praying for you ever since he told me what you’re doing for your aunt.”

  She relaxed. “My sisters and I have reconciled. This has been very stressful, but I’m learning as I go.”

  Sylvia gave her a tight hug like her mother used to give, then stepped back. “I can’t say I know what you’re going through.”

  “Marcus didn’t, not at first. I’m so glad he didn’t have me arrested.”

  His mother gasped. “What?” Looping her arm through Tabitha’s, Sylvia practically dragged her to a seating area. “He didn’t tell me that part.” She swung one leg over her knee and leaned back. “Give me all the details, so I’ll know how much of a beat down he’ll get from me.”

  Judging from Sylvia’s expressions, if Marcus was a child, he would be getting a spanking when she got home. Tabitha smirked. “He has been my sanity and rock, but I can’t take away God’s credit. Let me just say, every woman needs a Marcus in their lives.”

  “I’ll say, ‘Amen’ to that.”

  Chapter 31

  T

  abitha sat in Dr. Phillips’ lobby, waiting, hoping, and praying that the physician would see the benefits in Nalox.

  Although her sales for Porital and Dyabolin, had exceeded her quota by fifty percent, she wouldn’t see that thirty-thousand-dollar bonus, if she didn’t reach her one hundred percent quota with this sinus drug.

  In the past, Tabitha thrived on her adrenaline rush of hitting the mark. Ceyle-Norman was no different in their pay structure. This time around, the push was exhausting. If her sales for Nalox hit 99.99 percent, her bonus would frizzle to thirteen hundred dollars. She’d gotten into this business to make money, not lose it, so it was crunch time.

  “Sorry, Tabitha. Dr. Philips will be about another ten minutes,” Shirley, the head nurse, said after peeping her head out the door into the lobby. “Would you like to come back?”

  “Oh no. I’ll wait.” Even though she had two other doctor visits, she needed Dr. Philips’ order Nalox to meet her quota. She would camp out at this otolaryngologist’s office, if needed.

  Ten minutes, huh? She needed a distraction to calm her nerves and to keep from gnawing off her lipstick. Checking the time, she guessed Ava Elise would be on her morning break from the new training class, so she texted her friend who would understand her anxiety. Busy?

  I have a few minutes. What’s going on?

  Trying to hit my numbers on Nalox. I’m at Dr. Philips’ office.

  Lol. Then that woman is in trouble. You can do it. Ava Elise had faith in Tabitha from day one despite her meltdowns. Take a deep breath and think happy thoughts like your handsome boyfriend.

  Immediately, Tabitha smiled. She would have texted Marcus first, but he’d mentioned meeting with a client that morning. I met his mother. Very nice and sweet lady.

  Hmm. So she has mother-in-law potential?

  She laughed. Definitely.

  I hope I get to meet your man before the wedding—BIG hint. Got to get back to class. Remember, this is why you were a senior rep at Pfizer. You know how to make it happen!

  You can do nothing without Me, God whispered.

  Why didn’t she pray first? Tabitha sighed and repented. Lord, please help me to find favor with this doctor to meet my quota. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Next, she took a chance and texted Marcus. Please pray that I make my numbers.

  He replied immediately. Jesus, prepare the way for her. Love you.

  Before she could type back, Dr. Philips opened the door and waved Tabitha forward. “Sorry for the wait. The phone conference ran over,” she rambled, leading the way to her office. Dr. Philips sat behind her desk and folded her hands. “So, I haven’t quite made up my mind about Nalox. As you know, we see patients with acute and chronic sinusitis after their home treatment have failed them. Our treatment is like a classroom formula: saline nasal irrigation; nasal, oral or injected corticosteroids; or aspirin desensitization treatment.”

  “For your chronic sufferers, it’s a routine of a complicated treatment regimen,” Tabitha countered, “which is why Nalox is designed more as a preventive drug, especially if the condition is associated with allergies.”

  “Indeed.” Dr. Philips nodded. “The patients who have used your samples haven’t reported any side effects, but I still would like to see more results from clinical studies.”

  “I can get you that. Anything else to convince you that Nalox will help those hard-to-treat patients?” She knew her spreadsheet of pros and cons of her drug wasn’t enough. Dr. Philips would probably wanted to see research data and clinical studies results.

  “Yes, discount coupons for Nalox, and whether most insurance companies will cover it.”

  “Although it’s fairly new, United Healthcare, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield are covering it.”

  “Very well. I’ll wait for more information from you.” Standing, she reached across the desk and shook Tabitha’s hand, signaling an end to their meeting. “I do think Ceyle-Norman has a winner, but I want to make sure.”

  On her way back to her car, she texted Marcus. Whew. Hard sell.

  Is that a yes or no?

  A maybe—if I can get information to her ASAP, which will be tonight, because I have two more stops to make.

  Bummer. I was hoping for a midweek celebration. Mom had agreed to sit with Aunt Tweet, so we could go to dinner. I guess I moved too fast.

  Activating her Bluetooth, she called him. “Sorry, for the trouble. I’ll definitely need a raincheck this time.” Marcus was quiet. Tabitha thought the call had been dropped. “Are you there?”

  “I am. It doesn’t make sense to let a dinner date go to waste. I want to spend time with you.”

  She laughed. “Right. What are you going to do, watch me work?”

  “How did ya know?” He laughed harder. “I’ll pick you up by six-thirty, then I’ll chauffeur you to a quiet place so you can work or I can help.”

  There wasn’t too much she could say to this man for him to take no for answer. Marcus had no idea how bored he would become. “This won’t be a date, but punishment.”

  “Never with you.”

  IF HIS MOTHER WAS WILLING to stay with Aunt Tweet, Marcus wasn’t turning down a “free babysitter.” Since they were in walking distance of the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus, he planned to reserve a study room at the library, where they could bring carryout. He also brought his headsets to watch a movie on his tablet.

  But it didn’t work out as he had planned once he and Tabitha were settled in the room off the main library. He couldn’t bear to watch her tug on her hair, sigh, and grit her teeth. Plus, she hadn’t touched the chicken fingers and fries he had gotten for them.

  Shutting down the movie, he faced her. “Babe, tell me what I can do.”

  She exhaled and twisted her lips. “Not much. I’m searching for clinical trial results from our competitors’ drugs for sinusitis.”

  He pulled up Google and his fingers hovered over the keyboard. “Give me some keywords and I’ll do a search. If I find something helpful, it will cut down on your frustration.”

  Whether it was a challenge, or just to amuse him, Tabitha did as he asked. “You can start on a website called clinicaltrials.gov.”

  “Okay.” Searching by diagnosis, his jaw dropped. There were almost three hundred results. Tabitha would have to pull an all-nighter to go through them. Switching into study mode, Marcus concentrated on reading. “Hey, babe, I thought this one might be interesting.” He angled his tablet, so she could see. She nodded and typed in the website address.

  Marcus felt as if he was awarded a teacher’s star. With gusto, he dug back into the case studies.

  Almost three hours later, Tabitha stifled a yawn, then rubbed her eyes. He coaxed her to stand and stretch.

  “We make a good team.” Exhausted, Marcus rolled his shoulders. He could only imagine how tired she must be. At least they were five minutes from their homes. “This was exhausting.”

&nbs
p; Leaning over the table, she saved her work and shut down her computer. “Although I enjoy my job, these last-minute requests aren’t fun. I hope it pays off. I used to tuck away my bonuses, so I could travel with my sisters.”

  Marcus gathered their empty bags and threw them in the trash receptacle. “I would like to think I trump your sisters for future travel plans.”

  When they exited the room, she gave him a strange look. “Ah, did you forget that practicing Christians don’t tempt each other with things that look suspect like trips together.”

  “Nope.” He grinned. No use in telling her a ring and a marriage certificate could remedy her worries. It wasn’t time to show his hand yet. Tabitha would find out soon enough when she would be eligible for vacation time, and he would make sure she would have somewhere to go.

  Chapter 32

  T

  he following week, Marcus’ excitement amused Tabitha as he glanced around the massive auditorium against the backdrop of balloons and occasional floral bouquets. They were among thousands of family and friends gathered to witness the graduation ceremony.

  The Chaifetz Arena on St. Louis University’s campus had played host to the school’s home sports games and sold out concerts like Beyoncé—even the USA Olympics tryouts were held on the site with gymnast Simone Biles before she became an Olympic gold medalist.

  When she scanned the program and noted all four St. Louis community colleges were participating in the graduation, she braced for a long night.

  Marcus had invited her and Aunt Tweet to the Friday evening commencement services the same day he took his parents to the airport to return to North Carolina. Tabitha wasn’t sure if she would get home from work in time, but she managed to shower and change. Plus, her sisters would be in town the next day to spend the long Labor Day weekend with them.

  Tabitha was glad she didn’t drag her aunt to this. Lately, she seemed more exhausted after her day at Bermuda Place. After all, she was ninety-years-old, so it was a good choice to have Miss Betty sit with her.