My Rock

by Pat Simmons

  Eying Marcus again, she chuckled to herself. Would he be this antsy at his children’s grade school, high school, and college graduations? His exhilaration over the accomplishments of one of his employees was contagious.

  “That’s her.” Marcus pointed to the name Latrice Germaine Allen listed among hundreds of others receiving the nurse assistant certifications.

  Her mind drifted to the day she, Kym, and Rachel had graduated with honors from Purdue, Temple, and Fisk universities, respectively. Aunt Tweet had joined their parents in attendance. “You earned this accomplishment that can never be taken away,” their aunt had encouraged them.

  Once the ceremony started, his eyes sparkled when the class receiving the nurse assistant certificates stood. Marcus’ energy was tangible as the dean of the school drew closer to calling his employee’s name.

  “Latrice Germaine Allen.” The young woman’s smile was bright as she strolled across the stage.

  Jumping to his feet, Marcus released a piercing whistle that seemed to echo throughout the arena. Next, he fumbled with his phone to take pictures until Latrice had exited the stage. Reluctantly, he took his seat when Latrice’s moment to shine conceded to the next graduate. Looking at Tabitha, he exhaled. “This is going on our employee brag board.” He pointed to the picture on his phone.

  “You okay?” She had never seen him so discombobulated. “You told me a little about her ex-boyfriend and children, but there’s something special about her. I can see it in your eyes.”

  He shrugged. “I like to see people succeed, especially single mothers who are often negatively stereotyped. Honestly, I had put a lot of faith in her ex-boyfriend taking the lead.”

  Slipping her arm through his, she rested her head on his shoulder. “Remember Pastor Nelson’s sermon from last week. “Putting our faith in God will never disappoint us. Imperfect people are known to fail us.”

  He brushed a kiss on her head. “You’re right. Thank you for reminding me, my girlfriend.”

  The ceremony ended sooner than Tabitha had expected. With her hand secured in Marcus’, he weaved through the crowd on the hunt for Latrice. He found her taking pictures with friends and family. The young mother resembled a teenager, but the smile on her face was evidence she would not be confined to her circumstances.

  “Mr. Whittington, you came!” She left a couple standing and walked toward him. After a brief hug, she stepped back. “Thank you for believing in me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Marcus turned and made the introductions. “This beautiful lady is my girlfriend.” They shared a chuckle with a knowing glance.

  “We met at the company barbecue,” Latrice reminded him.

  “Hi again.” Tabitha extended her hand, but the young lady hugged her too.

  “Thank you for sharing him with me—us. I’ll always remember to pay it forward with second chances.”

  “Does that include me?” A deep voice made everyone turn around. The handsome man, judging from his sloppy clothes, was rough around the edges. He clutched an amazingly colorful bouquet.

  Two little boys raced his way, shouting, “Daddy! Daddy!”

  “That’s Victor,” Marcus whispered in her ear.

  She figured as much, knowing the good, bad, ugly, and the recycled version of the man.

  “Congratulations, Latrice Germaine Allen. I see now that I was never good enough for you.” He handed her the flowers, then heaved both boys in his arms with no effort.

  The buzz around them hushed as bystanders were eager for her response. Latrice said nothing.

  “I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you and my sons and never been man enough outside of the bedroom to earn your love and respect.” He paused, glanced away, then faced her again. “I’m learning from my mistakes, and one day I will walk across a stage with an accomplishment. I might not be in your life, but I hope to be in my sons’ lives.”

  His heartfelt confession touched Tabitha.

  “Then I’ll pray that day comes soon because I love you, and if you can accept God’s love, everything will change between us.” Latrice stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Victor’s neck, then gave him a brief, but passionate kiss. “For my heart’s sake, and our boys, I’ll wait from afar. Word to the wise: don’t let another man take your rightful place in our lives. Victor, the ball is in your court.”

  Whoa. High five, girl. Tabitha had to give the woman credit. Latrice loved him, but was standing her ground.

  “I’ll work on me.” He bobbed his head as he backed away, then rubbed the top of his sons’ heads. “I’ll let you celebrate this big day with your family and friends,” he choked out, clearly hoping for an invitation.

  “Thank you,” was all Latrice said.

  Victor walked away with a seemingly heavy heart. Tabitha turned to Marcus. “What do you think? Please tell me that you believe in a happy ending for them.”

  “All things are possible with God.” Marcus gave Latrice a card, which probably contained money. Shaking hands with her family, he introduced Tabitha as his girlfriend, which always made her blush the way he said it. Soon, they left the crowd and drove downtown to enjoy a quiet dinner at the Kitchen Sink Restaurant.

  Once they received their meals, Marcus said grace. She shivered as his deep, strong voice humbled in a reverence whisper before God. Hands down, a true godly man was sexy.

  She stole one of his fries and dabbed it in his ketchup, then grinned in victory.

  “I only let my girlfriend do that.” He winked.

  “Lucky me—no, I’m blessed.” They teased, joked, and whispered their love until Tabitha checked the time. “We’d better head home. My sisters are flying in early in the morning.”

  Wrinkles etched his forehead. “You sure everything’s okay? I won’t have you getting upset again.” His mouth twitched.

  “Hey.” She rubbed his arm and could feel his muscles flex. “We’ll be fine. I won’t need your private bodyguard services.”

  Marcus patted his chest. “I’ll be on standby to be on the safe side.” He signaled to their waiter for the check. “I’m your caregiver, and I care about you more than I have any woman.”

  She didn’t hide her awe as his words warmed her heart. “I believe that.”

  The next morning, Aunt Tweet woke combative and moved slowly as Tabitha tried to get their day going. Back on the red scarf binge again, her aunt refused to leave the house without it, despite the blistering late summer heat, so they were late picking up Rachel and Kym from the airport. Although their aunt’s eyes sparkled with recognition, she called her sisters, “Miss” too. Tabitha could see the pained expressions on their faces.

  Back at her house, the atmosphere was so different from last time. Kym and Rachel were low key about getting out. Instead, they helped with chores around the house that Tabitha had lacked. That afternoon, they all were in the kitchen cooking when the doorbell rang.

  “Expecting someone?” Kym lifted her brow, teasing.

  “Girl, please. You know it’s Marcus.” Rachel bumped her shoulder. “I wonder if Demetrius is with him,” she stated nonchalantly.

  “You’re crushing on him.” Tabitha laughed as she hurried to answer the door. To her delight, Marcus stood larger than life with a smile that made his eyes dance. Unfortunately, for Rachel, he was alone.

  He stepped inside and graced her with a kiss, then whispered against her lips, “Is everything peaceful?” He stared into her eyes for the answer.

  “Perfect.” Grabbing his hand, she tugged him toward the kitchen. Rachel pouted her disappointment. Kym was cordial, and Aunt Tweet sat patiently at the table, waiting her turn for an acknowledgment.

  He lifted a bag. “Gooey Butter Cake, ladies.” He grinned and kissed Aunt Tweet on the cheek.

  His thoughtfulness was definitely an icebreaker. The rest of the afternoon, they ate and watched movies.

  On Sunday morning, Kym assisted Aunt Tweet with bathing and dressing while Rachel prepared omelets. Marcus arrived to chauffeur th
em to church an hour later.

  Pastor Nelson was about to preach when Demetrius strolled into the sanctuary. Rachel seemed to perk up.

  “Since most of us are enjoying a three-day Labor Day weekend, I want to talk briefly about one labor that has no early retirement. Hebrew 6:10 says, For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. That’s right, only the work we do in love for Christ will last. Remember, we are to love our enemies and neighbors...”

  “I sure fell in love with my neighbor,” Marcus whispered, distracting Tabitha and squeezing her hand.

  She was amazed how the pastor’s sermons persuaded her to examine herself. Everything she did for her great-aunt, even during moments of frustration, had to be done in love.

  On Monday morning, the sisters had their family meeting. “You know, I’m starting to see subtle changes with Aunt Tweet,” Kym admitted. “I’m not sure if her current medicine is slowing down the progression of dementia.”

  Rachel looked worried. “I can’t help but wonder what condition she’ll be in when I take her after Thanksgiving.”

  “Yeah, I heard that the last time you were here. I couldn’t deal with it then, but now...your turn begins the first week in November,” Tabitha reminded her. Not that she was trying to get rid of Aunt Tweet, but that was the arrangement. Because of Marcus, she had stopped counting down the weeks and lived month to month.

  “Ah.” Rachel bowed her head before looking up again. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind doing the tradeoff the day after Thanksgiving. I mean, we can be together for the holidays.”

  “We can easily come to Nashville.”

  Right. Like the Fourth of July when Tabitha had expected them and they postponed, opting to celebrate Aunt Tweet’s birthday. That had been understandable and reasonable in hindsight.

  I don’t keep score. How can you? God asked.

  “I know.” Rachel fumbled with her fingers. “I kinda need the extra time.” She lowered her voice and swallowed. “I know we were against this, but what about a nursing facility?”

  Tabitha’s heart dropped and bounced back. Facing her big sister, she waited for her to chime in.

  Shaking her head, Kym exhaled. “We all agreed to this caregivers’ pact. Maybe we can revisit this after your commitment.”

  Rachel gnawed her on lips. Tabitha could see the fear of the unknown. Welcome to my world.

  God whispered, Pray for her.

  Closing her eyes, Tabitha rubbed her temples. She had double circled November sixth on her kitchen calendar, set a reminder in her phone, plus, she and Marcus had planned a dinner and movie that night. “Okay, but you two remember my flexibility whenever I ask for the adjustment. By the way, Marcus and I are participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s event in a few weeks.”

  “Marcus?” Kym lifted a brow, then smiled.

  “Yes,” Tabitha said smugly. “Aunt Tweet brought us together, and he has been with me every step of the way. No pun intended.” She grinned. “Maybe just a little.”

  Rachel hmphed. “I need me a Marcus in my life, if I’m going to pull off my six months.”

  “Sorry. He’s one of a kind. Besides, aren’t you and Demetrius talking seriously?”

  Pray for her, God whispered again.

  “Demetrius isn’t my neighbor. Even if I wasn’t going to be a caregiver, I don’t think we would work anyway. I’m high maintenance...”

  Tabitha and Kym succumbed to a fit of giggles. “We know,” Tabitha was able to mutter.

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “Haters.” Getting up from the sofa, she walked toward the kitchen, then sassed over her shoulder. “See if I don’t outshine both of you as caregivers.”

  Chapter 33

  A

  unt Tweet was the face of Alzheimer’s. During the summer months, Marcus had learned more about the illness and the dementia symptoms that ravished her brain that he wouldn’t soon forget. Because of his love for her, he didn’t hesitate to become involved in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the Alzheimer’s Association’s biggest fundraiser.

  Tabitha had rallied other sales reps to join in, even her sisters flew back to participate in the walk. Marcus took it a step further by announcing Whittington Janitorial Services would sponsor their own team on the walk.

  He was touched that twenty of his employees pledged to support the Tweety Bird Team. Chess, appointed himself to lead the team, but Marcus tapped his former employee instead. Currently a certified nursing assistant at Delmar Gardens Nursing facility, where many patients with the disease resided, Latrice was the perfect candidate when Marcus asked her. Somehow Victor got wind of the buzz at Whittington Janitorial and called Marcus.

  “Is it okay if I donate some money?”

  “You don’t want to walk in the event?” Marcus asked him.

  “Nah. I want to give Latrice space.”

  “You do realize there’s going to be thousands of thousands of people walking. Unless you have GPS tracking on her...” Marcus paused. He didn’t want to give Victor any ideas that could result in stalking charges.

  “Nah, I’ve disappointed her too many times.” Victor was silent, then cleared his throat. “When I come back into her life, I’m comin’ a better man.” He patted his chest. “I’m working on it. Anyway, I want to invest that money I got from the lawsuit, so it will last a long time. But it wouldn’t be right for me not to donate something. I got a hundred bucks to give.”

  “A hundred dollars is a lot of money, and God will bless you for your generosity.” Before they disconnected, Marcus prayed with Victor and offered him words of encouragement. “Check in with me from time to time and let me know how you’re making it. I still believe in you.”

  “Latrice doesn’t.” He sounded wounded.

  Before Christ changed his way of thinking, Marcus would have countered with “You’ve done it to yourself, man,” but he hurt for Victor. “You’re way over your head. Let God take control.” Marcus paused, “You might be surprised how things will turn out. The invitation is open to visit my church, but if you want a complete change, repent, and be baptized in water and the Spirit in Jesus’ name.”

  “Maybe,” Victor said and ended the call.

  The day of the walk, Kym and Rachel finally got a chance to meet Miss Betty who stayed with Aunt Tweet during the event. They seemed to genuinely like the home companion.

  As members of the Tweety Bird Team were gathering at the starting point, Tabitha was called away by an older couple.

  Kym rested fists on both hips and squinted at Marcus. “How come we don’t have matching outfits?”

  He snickered, knowing exactly what she was hinting. The back of his and Tabitha’s shirt read: Walking for the One I Love. The meaning was two-fold: They were walking for Aunt Tweet and each other. Marcus feigned cluelessness. “You do. Everyone is wearing our company’s T-shirts.”

  “Except you and my sister.” Kym folded her arms as Tabitha pulled the couple toward them.

  “Marcus,” she said, beaming, “this is Ava Elise and her husband, John.”

  Nodding, Marcus shook their hands. “My father’s name is John.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you.” The woman’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

  “Good things, I hope.” He reached for Tabitha’s hand.

  “How much time do you have?” Ava Elise rolled her eyes and laughed.

  Marcus could never repay the kindness this woman had given his lady.

  “Rachel, you and I both need a Marcus in our lives,” he overheard Kym say. Smirking, he took that as their stamp of approval.

  Too bad Demetrius backed out at the last minute, which was unusual for the jogging addict. Maybe his big brother would drop that nonchalant exterior, like Marcus had done, and reveal his intentions, concerning Rachel.

  When the organizer blew the whistle, Marcus took Tabitha’s hand. He wasn’t going to lose her in the crowd.
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br />   “What was I thinking?” Rachel complained about her aching back not long after reciting a rundown of her exercise regimen. Clearly, walking was excluded.

  “I’m glad I get my exercise walking across campus every day.” Kym gave a demonstration of her power walk stance.

  “Sweet Pepper is getting me out walking in the neighborhood,” Tabitha announced.

  Marcus kept his amusement to himself. Walking the dog ate up two blocks, four maybe, if she wasn’t in a rush to get back to cook or do research.

  The Knicely sisters lagged behind the others on the team at the end of the two-mile walk. All three moaned for feet massages. The good news was, thanks to corporate sponsors, the Tweety Bird Team raised four thousand dollars.

  Hours later, back in their Pasadena Hills neighborhood, he and Tabitha sat in adjacent swings on the playground, holding hands. “Thank you for coming into my life.”

  They were barely moving, but Tabitha planted her feet in the ground to halt all movement. Facing him, she placed her soft hand on his jaw. She gazed into his eyes and he saw the evidence of their love. “Thank you for being part of my journey—mentally, physically, and spiritually.”

  When Marcus mentally signed on to be Tabitha’s caregiver, he wanted to be her hero. Her thanks always humbled him. He leaned forward and rubbed his lips against hers, then whispered, “Those are the benefits for being my girlfriend.”

  Laughing, she playfully punched him in the arm, then pushed off the ground to climb higher. Like Marcus had done in the beginning, he chased after her, even if it was in his swing.

  BEGINNING THE END OF September until the end of the year was a busy time for Whittington Janitorial Services as Marcus and Demetrius prepared their books to be audited. They had been awarded three more major contracts over the previous years, so they were working long hours, crunching the numbers, assessing costs and profits.

  Marcus wasn’t happy about breaking dates with Tabitha, but his business paid the bills. The best he had been able to do was call and check up on her and Aunt Tweet rather than visit often throughout the week.