“Hi. I’m Evangelist Nya Hampstead . . .”
“I know you. We come to your church sometimes. I’m Erica. You prayed for my daughter.”
“I did. How is she?”
Erica shrugs. “I don’t know. Something happened that day we visited your church. She barely comes out of her room now.”
“Can I see her?” I ask, now completely worried about her welfare. She would be in her second trimester now.
I don’t mention the pregnancy to Erica, because maybe she doesn’t know. If Melody hasn’t shared it yet, I’m definitely not going to be the one to do it. The knowledge might put her in danger, or at the very least on the receiving end of anger from her mother.
“You can see her. Me and Tyrone ’bout to leave though, so you can’t stay long.”
“Oh. Is Tyrone her father?”
Erica chuckles. “Naw, but he could be her stepdaddy if he play his cards right. We been getting extra close these days.”
I glance over at Tyrone, who is sitting at the kitchen table wearing a tank top undershirt, also with a Newport hanging from his lips. His is lit, and there’s a thin plume of smoke rising to the ceiling. He grins at me and it nearly makes me shudder. I’m glad God doesn’t give me any visions about him. I don’t think I could even handle what’s going through his mind.
“Melody!” Erica yells. “You got company.”
“Who is it?” says a voice from another room, presumably Melody’s.
“The pastor lady.”
Melody doesn’t reply, but slowly a door in the back of the apartment opens. Melody pokes her head out the door. When she sees that I’m here, her eyes widen.
“Hi, Pastor Nya,” she says in a whisper.
“Well, come on out here and talk to her, since she came all the way to the hood to see you.”
I hold out a package. “I’ve got a gift.”
Melody rushes over to take the gift from my hands. I notice that she’s plumped up some. Her face is fuller, but her belly is still flat. She sits on the couch and rips the paper off the tin of gourmet popcorn I brought her back from Chicago, one of the last cities on the tour.
“Thank you, Pastor Nya,” she says after greedily tearing in and eating a huge mouthful of caramel popcorn.
“Tyrone, will you look at this greedy heffa,” Erica says. “That’s why you getting fat now. Eating all that junk food.”
I feel my flesh rise up again. I want to scream She’s getting fat because she’s carrying your grandchild by your boyfriend! But I say nothing. Not yet. I will deal with Erica, but not until I have Melody out of harm’s way.
“Have you gotten a chance to talk to any of the ministers from the church, honey?” I ask. I already know the answer is no, but I’ve got to try to engage her somehow.
She shakes her head. “They called a few times, but I didn’t have a ride to the church, so I didn’t go back after that Sunday.”
“Don’t be lying on me,” Erica says. “Her lazy butt ain’t get up for church. Me or Tyrone would’ve dropped her off if she wanted to go.”
“I have had a hard time waking up on Sunday,” Melody says with a tremble in her voice.
“It’s fine. I will give you my phone number, and anytime you wake up late, I’ll make sure you still have a ride to church.”
I grab my stomach. “You know, I’m hungry. I really would like some Applebee’s. Erica, do you think it would be okay if I take Melody to Applebee’s for lunch?”
Erica looks nervous, like she doesn’t know if she should say yes. “Well, I guess, but only if she can bring me some of that chicken and cheese pasta they have as a to-go plate.”
I force a smile and a chuckle, ’cause I still want to slap her. “Sure, she can bring you back something to eat.”
“What about me?” Tyrone asks.
Lord. I know I should’ve asked Greg to come with me. He would be able to keep me calm right now.
“My Bible tells me that grown men have to work for their food,” I say.
Tyrone lets out a sly scoff. “What kinda work you need me to put in, Evangelist? I can definitely give you what you need.”
Erica flies across the room like a bird of prey and slaps Tyrone upside his head. “Fool, what you doing? She a prophet.”
I wish she was that proactive in protecting her baby from this monster.
“She a woman too, ain’t she? And fine at that,” Tyrone says. “What you mixed with? You got that good hair.”
I ignore him and focus on Melody. “Let’s go, sweetie. You like Applebee’s?”
She nods. “She eat everything,” Erica says. “That’s why her booty so big.”
I take a deep breath and take Melody’s hand. I wonder if she can feel my trembling. Never in my life have I been this angry and this close to displaying wrath.
“This yo’ car?” Melody asks when we get to my used Infiniti. “It’s fly.”
“I got a really good deal on it. Go ahead and get in.”
As soon as I pull off, Melody starts crying. “I’m scared, Pastor Nya. My mama gon’ kill me when she find out I’m pregnant.”
“No, she isn’t. I’m getting you out of there. Is Tyrone still bothering you?”
“Not since we came to church that time. It’s like he don’t even look at me now.”
I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Partially anger because our church staff failed her. We let her go back to that house with no help. I didn’t even think about this baby while I was out touring. But at least God kept her from being touched again. Lord, forgive me.
“How about we don’t go to Applebee’s. We can go get some another day. Right now, we need to make some plans to get you safe. You okay with that?”
“Is my mama gonna be in trouble?”
A child’s love is so unconditional. She’s getting raped by her mother’s boyfriend and all she cares about is what’s going to happen to her mother.
“I don’t know, honey. If she didn’t know about Tyrone, then she probably won’t get in trouble. We’re not going to worry about that right now, though. I’m more concerned about you.”
When we stop at a red light, I pull out my cell phone and dial Tina’s number.
“Hey, girl,” she says after one ring. “What’s up?”
“Hey. Your sister still a social worker for Dallas Child Protective Services?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I have an emergency case for her. A pregnant minor who needs sheltering right away.”
“Okay,” Tina says. “I’ll have her call you right back. Is the child safe right now?”
“Yes. She’s with me, but her mama knows she’s with me, so let’s make something happen quickly.”
“You know you can go straight to the police, right?”
“I know that, but I don’t want her to get stuck in the foster system. Can we try to control that? There are some foster parents in our congregation.”
“Wait to hear from my cousin. She’ll take care of it.”
“Okay.”
I disconnect the call and look over at Melody. “I’m sorry we didn’t take care of you before. But we’ve got you now. He will never touch you again.”
“Thank you, Pastor Nya.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
I don’t let on to Melody, but I’m afraid that my words aren’t true. I pray that God covers and protects this child. If anybody needs a suddenly blessing, it’s Melody.
CHAPTER 13
NYA
Greg, Tina, Greg’s assistant, Lena, Mother Olivia, the head of the church’s Mothers’ Board, and I are standing in a movie theater that is in foreclosure. I’m hoping that this will be the building Greg chooses for our new church. We’ve been to a dozen different buildings, and he’s found some reason to reject them all. It’s like he’s still hesitant to accept that this money is truly from God. But I’ve been praying so hard about this. I need him to want it as much as I do. I want him to take the reins and run with them.
“What d
o y’all think of this building?” Greg asks.
“It has a lot of potential,” I say. “The seats only need reupholstering and the carpet has to be replaced, but I love it.”
“Yeah, but the entire stage needs fixing,” Greg replies. “We’ll have to install a pulpit. That will be a lot of work.”
“I like the parking lot,” Mother Olivia says. “Plenty room so folk won’t have to park all down the street like they been doing. And they have a kitchen and setup to sell snacks and things.”
“We’ve been wanting to have breakfast and coffee like they have at the white churches,” Lena says. “That will be awesome. It’ll bring more people to our church.”
“That isn’t only at white churches,” I say between laughs.
“Yes, it is. Lady Sandy and them only have coffee once a year,” Lena says. “You know people are greedy.”
“Well, they have twenty thousand members over there,” Greg says. “That’s a lot of coffee.”
“And cheese Danish,” Mother Olivia says. Lord knows Mother Olivia doesn’t need any pastries.
Greg shakes his head and looks at me. “God saying anything to you about this spot?”
I chuckle. Greg knows how sporadic the prophetic gift is. I truly believe that God just wants us to have faith about most things.
“Well, not this place specifically, but we know God’s going to elevate our ministry. Why not just launch out? Why shouldn’t this be the place? It has everything we want and need.”
Greg smiles. “God did make that promise a long time ago. You know, I didn’t like the idea of that tour at first, but maybe it was a part of the plan.”
I feel such a wave of relief come over me as he says this. I didn’t think Greg would ever cross this bridge.
“Finally!” Tina says. “I was about to start calling you a hater, Greg. I’m glad God touched your little heart.”
We all crack up laughing at Tina’s joke. She and Greg have a sibling-like relationship. She’s probably the only one who could get away with saying that to him.
“Yeah, you just want your girl to blow up so y’all can have shopping sprees,” Greg says. “You aren’t fooling me.”
“Ooh! Let God have His way!” Tina shouts and does a little dance.
Greg shakes his head. “I’m gonna pray for you.”
“So are you feeling it?” I ask. “I think this is the place.”
“Let’s do it,” Greg says. “The price is right and I can see us preaching right here.”
“I have a question,” Mother Olivia says. “Are y’all going to get a new house with some of that money?”
Tina gives Mother Olivia a high five. “Mother, that is the first thing I asked.”
I don’t say any anything. I’m gonna let Greg handle this one because I guarantee he and I are not on one accord when it comes to this. How do I know? Because I already asked this man if he wants to buy a house and he already said no.
Just like I thought he would do, Greg shakes his head.
“Now isn’t the time for that,” he says. “We need to focus on ministry. There is nothing wrong with our house. Plus, I don’t want to give people the wrong idea about what we’re doing at Love First International. They might think that Nya’s Suddenly Blessing message means we’re on the prosperity bandwagon.”
I swallow hard. Greg is right about our house. It’s fine. It would be nice to have a new one, but we can definitely do without.
“What do you think, Co-pastor?” Tina asks, as if I’m going to give a different response than Greg.
I know my girl. She’s thinking that the money I made preaching is my money. I don’t feel that way. There’s nothing I have that I don’t share completely with Greg.
“Greg is right,” I say to Tina. “A new house isn’t necessary right now.”
Tina narrows her eyes at me but remains silent, as if she can hear the telepathic thoughts I’m sending her way.
“Lena, reach out to our Realtor to place our offer on the building,” Greg says. “We’re going to give them the asking price unless she says otherwise.”
Greg reaches for my hand and touches my fingertips. He pulls me next to him. “Are you ready?” he asks. “Ready to take our ministry to the next level?”
“I am. God is going to help us change some lives here. I can feel it.”
Tina says, “Speaking of changing lives. That little girl from the church, Melody, got placed in a very small transitional home that has four other pregnant girls. It’s really nice, and run by one of our sister churches.”
“Good!” I say. “And what about her mother, Erica, and that boyfriend, Tyrone?”
“I don’t have all the details because it’s confidential, but my sister did tell me that the mother isn’t facing any charges. She claims to have no knowledge of the abuse.”
“And Tyrone?” I ask anxiously. I don’t want him to be able to hurt Melody again.
“He’s gone, girl. Locked up.”
I jump up and down and do a little Holy Ghost praise dance shuffle. I’m so happy that Melody is safe now, and not only that, I’m happy that God hasn’t taken my gift. I was afraid that He would stop trusting me with the prophetic. But even though I stumbled a bit, He’s still got me.
“All right!” Greg says. “That’s how we roll at Love First.”
Greg pulls my hand to his lips and kisses it. “I love you, babe. I thank God for putting us together, and for opening doors for us.”
“I love you too, Greg.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t one hundred percent on board with all of this. I know you probably felt like I was hating a little bit.”
“A little?” I ask with a chuckle.
“Okay. Maybe a lot. But I was wrong. All things work together for the good. We’re going to do great things here. I can feel it.”
I allow myself to rest in Greg’s embrace as I feel his love surround me. “I can feel it too, babe. God is all over this.”
CHAPTER 14
FELICIA
There is a smile plastered on my face as I watch my man, the father of my child, Lance, prepare us breakfast. He skillfully chops up a pile of raw spinach and kiwi. I wonder if he did this for his wife when she was pregnant. He’s not wearing a shirt and his muscular chest has as much of my attention as the breakfast.
“I’m not sure I’m going to like the spinach,” I say. “I’ve never had a green smoothie.”
He glances up from his work and grins. “Trust me. It’s going to be delicious. You won’t even taste the spinach when I get done with this. And raw veggies are the best way to get your nutrients.”
It’s very early, not even eight o’clock in the morning, but he’s here with me. I wonder where his wife thinks he is. And then I wonder if I care.
“How did you get away this early, Lance? You don’t want Jasmine to start asking questions.”
Lance’s good mood seems to fade. “If you have to know, I told her that I have daily morning workouts.”
“That’s pretty clever. She doesn’t ask you where you work out? I would.”
“She trusts me. She’s got no reason to ask me where I work out. I’m a grown man. I come and go as I please.”
This is funny to me. “Actually she does have a reason. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Lance lifts an eyebrow as he dumps powder into the blender. I can’t read his facial expression, but he doesn’t look amused.
“What is that? I thought this was a green smoothie. Why are you adding powder?”
“Protein powder. I want you healthy. You’re an NBA mother now, so you only get the best of everything.”
I like the sound of that. NBA mother. Even if I’m not an NBA wife yet . . . I am still a mother. No one can take that away from me. Not even Jasmine.
“I love the way you’re taking care of me,” I say. “I have to be honest. I thought you wouldn’t be this attentive to me.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I may not be the best husband, and I dang sure ain’
t the best boyfriend, but I love my kids with everything in me.”
“Well, you’re being a pretty good boyfriend right now.”
Lance pours my smoothie in a glass and walks over to the couch where I’m sitting. He hands it to me and sits down.
“Drink up,” he says. “I need my son to get all his vitamins and protein.”
“Yes sir!” I say as I drink down the slightly sweet, but mostly nasty beverage. “That was gross, Lance. You said I wouldn’t taste the spinach.”
“You could taste it? Maybe it needed more bananas,” he says.
I set the glass down on the table in front of me. “It needs some eggs, bacon, and pancakes. That’s what it needs.”
“You don’t need all that fatty food, Felicia. You’ll gain too much weight while you’re pregnant.”
I give him a huge smile. “So you want to make sure I still have my figure when all this is over?”
“Of course. But I’m more worried about you developing diabetes late in the pregnancy. It causes the baby to sometimes be born too big and can lead to complications.”
“Okay, wow. You’re an expert at this pregnancy thing.”
“I went through all of this with Jasmine.”
“Am I the first woman you’ve gotten pregnant outside of your marriage?”
Lance jumps up from the couch. “No. What have you heard?”
“Nothing. I was just asking.”
My question seems to bother Lance. He paces back and forth in front of my coffee table. I pick up the smoothie and try to get it down my throat. It’s as horrible now as it was on the first sip. It tastes like dirt.
“So what are you going to tell people at work when you start to show?” Lance asks.
The question catches me off guard. I hate the casual tone he used to ask that question. He just slid that in there like he was asking me which brand of deodorant I use. Like the answer to that question might not change everything.
“What are we going to tell people at work?”
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