Forever Blessed (Women of Prayer)

by Shortridge, Darlene

  Ella watched as Merry went from person to person, saying goodbye. She quietly waited for her to finish. She didn’t want to interrupt. Finally the sanctuary emptied and Ella rose and made her way to Merry. “Merry, I have prayed about working at the house for abused women. I believe God has given his go ahead.”

  Merry smiled at Ella. Lord, thank you for holding her in her seat. Merry had caught Ella looking like a deer about to bolt during worship. She prayed for her during the service, that God would touch her heart and set her feet to dancing. It was going to take time. She could be patient. “I’m so glad to hear that. They need help something terrible. I can call Sheila, the owner of the house, and let her know we found them a volunteer. Do you want to go over there tomorrow to meet Sheila? She can tell you more about what you’ll be doing.”

  “Uh…that sounds fine.” Ella didn’t quite know what to say. She wasn’t sure when the job would start, but she didn’t think she’d be facing those ladies as soon as tomorrow. Lord, be my strength.

  Merry started shrugging into her jacket. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow, right after I talk with Sheila. I’m so glad this worked out. God is so good. I was praying about it and he put you on my heart right away. He always knows what is best.”

  Ella wasn’t quite sure she was glad it worked out, but, she could agree that God always does know what is best, so she was just going to have to trust him.

  Merry headed for the door. “Well, I best get on home. Mark and Jessi and the kids are hungry on Sunday afternoons and I have a pot roast slow-cooking. I gotta get the rest of dinner ready to go. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”

  Ella followed Merry out onto the sidewalk and waved goodbye. Home was just a few minutes away and the sun was shining, so the walk wouldn’t be half bad. She stopped in front of the white house. The yard was free of leaves and a couple of big leaf bags sat at the curb, waiting to be picked up. So this was where her past was going to catch up with her. That didn’t sound too good.

  She continued home and took out the egg salad she had made before church. Longing filled her heart as she thought of Merry sitting around the table with her family, eating Sunday dinner. Suddenly, the egg salad didn’t look so appealing.

  * * * *

  The next morning the phone rang at 10 o’clock. Ella had been sitting next to it since she got up, apprehensive, yet anxious to get things going. “Hello”

  “Hi Ella, it’s me, Merry. I just finished speaking with Sheila and she wants to know if you can meet with her right after lunch? Unfortunately, one of the teachers at the school called in sick and Jessi needs me there to help out. Will you be okay going on your own?”

  Ella’s stomach flipped. “I’m sure I can handle it. And yes, I’ll head over there about one. Is that good?”

  “That should be just fine. I’ll let her know you are coming. And Ella…I’ll be praying for you.”

  Sitting back in the chair, Ella bowed her head. “Lord, I hope you know what you are doing.”

  After eating the egg salad she should have had for lunch the day before, Ella slipped into her coat and headed toward the big white house. It was a pretty house. The kids must have decorated for fall because there were leaves hanging inside the windows and pumpkins sat on each end of the porch steps. Bales of hay with little apple baskets filled with gourds and miniature scarecrows decorated the floor and corn stalks were tied around each porch post with twine. It sure looks inviting.

  After climbing the steps and admiring the decorations, Ella rang the bell and stepped back a little like her mama had taught her to. She waited. After a few minutes the door opened and she was staring at the red headed lady from the day before. “Hi, I’m Ella. I have a meeting with Sheila.”

  The lady smiled and opened the screen door. “She said she was expecting someone. Come on in. She’ll be right with you.”

  The redhead led Ella into a living room area. “You can wait for her here. Would you like something to drink, maybe some hot tea?”

  She hesitated. Although she was shivering, she didn’t want to impose. She pulled her jacket a little tighter. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

  “How about I put some water on? I’m sure Sheila will have a cup and if you change your mind, there’ll be plenty.”

  Ella looked around the room. The white fireplace mantel was lined with dainty teacups and matching saucers. In the center was an antique pitcher and water basin. The furniture was a floral pattern in pinks and greens. Such a pretty room. She’d wanted a room like this when she and Frank had first bought the little house, but Frank didn’t want any of his rooms decorated in pink or flowers. He made all the money and what he said went. After he died, she bought a pink patterned rocker with a matching ottoman. She never used it, but it felt good to do something she wanted to do.

  * * * *

  Sheila glanced over the file sitting on her desk. She knew very little about the woman waiting in the other room, and while she did ask for help from the church down the street, she wasn’t sure now if she’d made the right decision. This was a tricky business. No matter what her duties were assigned to her, she must go through intensive training before she’d be able to work at the house. Most of her employees were college-trained and chosen wisely to fit in at the house. Lord, you know what we need. Father, I pray for your will to be done.

  She entered the sitting room where Ella was and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Sheila, the director of House of Hope . You must be Ella.”

  Ella stood. “Yes, I am. Nice to meet you.” She’d never been good with professional women. She always felt insecure and unworthy. Frank had never let her work. Her place was in the home. Cooking and cleaning and waiting on him was all she’d ever done.

  Sheila smiled “Why don’t we go into my office. I believe I saw Laney deliver the tea tray as I was headed out. We’ll go and get comfortable.”

  Sheila led the way. Motioning toward the chair on the opposite side of the desk, she invited Ella to sit then went to the side table where the tea set had been placed. “Have a seat. Would kind of tea do you prefer? I have Jasmine, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Earl Grey and black.”

  Ella swallowed, her throat dry. “Jasmine sounds nice.”

  “Do you like sugar?”

  “Yes, I’ve never been able to rid myself of that white poison.”

  Sheila laughed “No worries, I prefer it as well.”

  She handed Ella her tea and went around the desk to her own chair. “Ah, this hits the spot. It’s getting down right chilly.”

  “Wait until you are my age. Your bones start anticipating the cold in mid-August and they don’t stop feeling the after-affects until mid-July the next year. It sure does make for a short summer!”

  Sheila laughed. She knew the woman wasn’t intentionally being funny, but none the less, she was. She was immediately put at ease and the two women spent the better part of an hour chatting and discussing the needs of the house. Ella would have varied jobs, depending on how many women were in the house. The ladies all took turns cleaning and cooking, but some days most of the ladies were working or job hunting. She would assist with laundry, cooking and light housekeeping. Occasionally she would be needed to watch the little ones in the Toddler room.

  Sheila tried to gain some perspective from Ella’s body language but the woman was good at hiding her emotions. She was almost stoic. After going over all the duties Sheila asked, “How does that sound to you?”

  “I can handle it. I don’t get to see my grandchildren much so it will be nice to spend some time around little ones. Matter of fact, my daughter and I aren’t all that close either. So, it will be nice to be around some young ladies too.”

  Well, that was a little glimpse into the life of this humorous elderly spitfire that Sheila wasn’t expecting. “Would two days a week sound okay to start? If that is too much, we can start with one.”

  “Two days will work. I do have my women’s prayer group every Friday morning. Other than that, I’m free.”

&n
bsp; “We’ll need to do some pretty intensive training over the next couple of weeks. So are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays good for two weeks of training? Then would Tuesdays and Thursdays work for your regular schedule? We can adjust it if we see we need you on different days and you can switch if you find you have a conflict.”

  The ladies finished their tea while finalizing the details. Sheila watched Ella as she started walking toward home, wondering what the little fireball had endured in her lifetime. She was sure there were plenty of stories to be heard. Lord, is this the one? The one you have picked out for us? What is her story, Lord? I see she is hurting. I see she hides her emotions. Was she abused Lord? Lord, help her to trust me, to share with me. Help me be a friend to her, Lord. I am sensing she needs friends.

  Sheila continued talking with her best friend, the one who comforted her and held her. When she longed for some strong arms to hold her, to impart a sense of security, she turned to her Lord. He was what she needed. He was her strength and all the security she would ever need. He would lead her now and if the Holy Spirit was indeed speaking to Sheila’s heart, she could easily see her new volunteer finding the healing that her heart was crying out for.

  Chapter Ten

  Laney looked at the woman across from her and crossed her fingers. She had gone to three different interviews and each time she was told she was not qualified. How could she not be qualified? She had a college degree in accounting. True, she had been home for the past twelve years, but she still knew numbers. And she had graduated at the top of her class.

  She put her hands in her lap. This was her second interview at this accounting firm and she needed this job. This job meant security for her and her children. It meant she could make it on her own without taking a dime from her husband. It meant she would no longer need to depend upon others for her families’ needs. Oh God…if you really are there…please give me this job.

  Laney watched as the woman looked through her paperwork. She hoped having the shelter’s address wasn’t keeping her from getting the job, but there was no other address to list. Hopefully the beautiful brown-skinned woman sitting across from her wouldn’t notice the address, or more specifically whose address it really was.

  “Laney, I called you back for a second interview because I felt impressed to do so. I realize you have no practical experience, but my husband and I are Christians and we try and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every decision we make. Both of us have prayed over all the applicants and both of us feel you are the person God wants in this position. I am familiar with where you are living. Do you plan on staying in this area? Or do you have plans to move on? I guess that is our only question. We don’t want to put a lot of time and effort into training you if you plan on leaving soon. We would appreciate your honesty.”

  She hadn’t really given a lot of thought to her long-term plans. Is this where she wanted to live? It would be nice to be near Sheila and have her support. Come on Laney…this woman won’t wait all day! “Yes, this is where I’d like to set up permanent residence. After I find a job I’ll begin looking for an apartment for me and my three children.”

  Vanessa Jacobs studied the woman sitting across from her. Lord, this is the one? Ok, Lord. I will be obedient. “Well, that settles that. Can you start on Monday morning, say nine o’clock?”

  “Yes, I will be here at nine on Monday. Thank you for giving me this chance.” Laney stood and shook Vanessa’s hand. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

  Laney waited until she was a block away from the accounting office before she did the happy dance on the sidewalk. She composed herself then continued walking the couple of miles that would take her to Keisha’s place. She missed her friend and wanted to share the good news in person.

  The door was slightly open. That wasn’t a good sign. Then she heard the familiar voice that she had come to love. “I ain’t kiddin’ around, Junior. I said no more games til’ your homework is finished. You hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Laney couldn’t help but grin. “Hello. Anyone home?”

  “Look who's knockin’ on my door! Laney-girl, is that you? Get yourself in here so I can see you.” She closed the door behind Laney.

  Laney hugged her friend. “Man, I missed you! You look good.” Laney looked her up and down. “You’ve been losing weight?”

  Keisha looked sheepish. “Yeah, I’m tryin.’ She changed the subject. “Look who’s talkin’. I bet you ain’t had a case of the uglies a day in your life. Now what are you doin’ in my neighborhood girl? I know you didn’ come all this way for nothin’.”

  Laney couldn’t contain her joy any longer. “I have good news and I had to tell you first. I got a job!”

  Both women were ecstatic. They spent the afternoon talking and carrying on like teenage girls.

  Looking at the clock, Laney knew her visit was almost over. The kids would be back from school shortly and Ms. Ella would need to hand Melanie back to her so she could help with supper. Ms. Ella was teaching some of the ladies to cook and had started helping with that particular chore.

  “Keisha, I’m going to have to get going pretty soon. I’m going to miss you.”

  “Oh Laney-girl, you know I’ll be right here. You can come over any time you want. You don' even have to call. Most nights me and Junior just be watchin’ us some TV and workin’ on homework. He was sick today. Stayed home and gimme grief.” She looked toward her son’s room. “That boy’s gonna be the death of me.”

  “You haven’t talked with Jamal have you?”

  Keisha looked down. “No, but I been thinkin’ bout it. He ain’t bad all the time. Maybe now he’ll see me workin’ and losin’ weight and he be lovin’ on me the way he s’posed to. You know?”

  Laney knelt down in front of her friend and held her hand. “You listen to me. That man is nothing but trouble. Don’t you go calling him. Do you hear me? And another thing, when I got here, your front door was open. Keisha, you have to make sure you and Junior are safe. You can’t be leaving your front door open for the whole world to just walk in. You have to be more careful.”

  “Yes, ma’am. But why would the whole world be walkin’ inta my little ole apartment? They ain't gonna fit!” Keisha grinned, amused by her own wit.

  “You know what I mean. I’m not playing around with you. I want you to be safe. I want Junior to be safe. You need to be locking your door, whether you are home or not. I don’t want to come over here and see that again. Ever.”

  “Ok, ok, I hear ya. I’ll make sure to close the door better next time. I only ran out to get the mail and I musta not shut it all the way. I’ll do better next time. Promise.”

  It was hard to stay mad at Keisha. It was also hard to get her to take anything seriously. You’d think all the times that man hurt her, that she’d understand how dangerous little things like that could be. A woman in her circumstances couldn’t be too careful. “You better be. Or you’ll have me to deal with, capice?”

  Keisha scrunched her nose and eyebrows, “capice?”

  “It means, ‘understand’?” Laney shook her head and smiled. “Now come on over here and give me a hug. I gotta get going or I’m going to be late. We both know how the buses run.”

  Laney arrived home just before the kids came running through the door. She was scared to enroll them but she didn’t have much of a choice. Kids have to be in school and she had too much to take care of to consider homeschooling them, namely getting a job and making enough money to support them. One thing down and a whole list to go. At least one of the biggies was taken care of. Next would be a place to live.

  It wasn’t easy being dependent upon someone. Relying on someone for the food to feed your children and the shoes they wear just wasn’t sitting easy with her. She wanted to support them. A few weeks on the job and she should be able to afford a place of her own. That was a day she was looking forward to. She also knew with each step she took toward independence, she was more likely to be found. Her ne
w employer had her social security number. Her landlord would have to run a credit check and possibly a background check. Every little bit was more clues to her whereabouts. Yes, the internet helped in all manner of ways, but it also made it easier for a person not wanting to be found to be found.

  She pushed her thoughts away and took the squirming little girl out of Ms. Ella’s hands. “I cannot thank you enough. And, I got the job.” She smiled at the older woman standing before her and she pulled Melanie into a close hug. “Pretty soon, baby girl, we’ll have a place to call home.”

  Ella didn’t want to pry but at the same time she wanted to help. “Laney, my next door neighbors have a little three bedroom house on their property for rent. It sits just behind their house, kind of out of the way and it shares an address with theirs. Would you like to see it? I can ask them how much they are renting it for.”

  “I would love it see it. I won’t have any money until I started getting paid from my job, but who knows? Maybe it will still be available.”

  Sheila popped her head out of her office. “Did I just hear you right? You got the job?”

  “Yeah, I did. I am so excited. I’m not sure why they chose me. They had a whole pile of applications.”

  “We know why, don’t we Ella?” Sheila gave Ella that all-knowing kind of look.

  “Prayer works, Laney. I don’t know that I’d be here before you today if it hadn’t of been for the Lord working in my life. Sounds to me like these new employers of yours had a little help in choosing their new employee. A little Holy Spirit help maybe?” Ella was starting to open up around these women. They had a lot in common, even if they didn’t know it yet. Ella continued. “Well, it seems to me we have something to celebrate tonight with you getting a new job and all. Why don’t we have something special for supper? I’m thinking some homemade chicken and noodles and some biscuits. Sound good?”