The Preacher's Choice

by Vanessa Miller

  She knocked on Tina’s door and then waited. When no one beckoned her in, Ramona glanced at her watch to make sure that she wasn’t too early… she was right on time. She knocked again. Beverly, the church bookkeeper, poked her head out of the file room and said, “She’s not here.”

  Ramona looked at her watch again, as if that would cause Tina to magically appear. “But… we have a meeting.”

  Beverly hunched her shoulders. “Sorry, her grandmother is gravely ill so she left for Macon Georgia last night. I’m not sure when she’ll be back.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Ramona said as she walked away from Tina’s door. Ramona went back to her closet sized office, put her files back on her desk and sat down. “Now what am I supposed to do?” she wondered out loud.

  The organization that needed funds to help single women was holding a fund raising dinner tomorrow night. She had been able to get two tickets to that dinner and was hoping Tina would give them to Pastor Isaiah. She had a feeling that if Pastor Isaiah met these people and saw the need that some of these women had, he would be willing to contribute some of his considerable wealth to these most deserving.

  Now what was she going to do? Did she have to wait until Tina came back to give a report on the work she’d done so far? Surely Tina would not be back by tomorrow to ask Pastor Isaiah if he’d like to attend the fundraising dinner that Ramona thought was crucial to the welfare of thousands of women across the country. Her other recommendations were just as important and just as time sensitive as the single women’s initiative. Ramona made a decision. She couldn’t just sit there and wait on Tina to return.

  She grabbed her files and headed for Pastor Isaiah’s office. He was sitting behind his desk reading the Bible while jotting down notes. Ramona was struck once again by how handsome this man was. She felt sorry for the women of this congregation, because they must have a hard time concentrating on the message, while simultaneously planning their wedding. She once knew a woman who believed so strongly that God had told her that she was going to marry Pastor Jones, the preacher at the last church she attended.

  Ramona reminded the woman that Pastor Jones was already married. But that didn’t deter the woman from her fantasy. She simply smiled and said, “That’s why I’ve been taking cooking lessons. God showed me that Sister Jones is about to pass away and while I’m consoling Pastor Jones and bringing him home cooked meals, he will discover that I am to be his new wife.”

  Ramona told the woman, “I just hope that if your ‘marrying the pastor’ dreams come true that no one puts a spiritual hit out on you, just so they can be wife number three.”

  Some people were just nuts, Ramona mused as she knocked on the door jam, trying her best to ignore the Denzel lips and Morris Chestnut eyebrows on her boss as he glanced up at her. She stepped into his office and asked, “Do you have a moment?”

  ***

  No! he wanted to scream. He didn’t want to give this woman a second, a moment or anything else. Every day of the last two weeks had been torture for Isaiah. Ramona’s flowery fragrant perfume would linger in the air as she walked by him in the corridor. The sweet smell of her perfume would follow him all the way back to his office and then he’d spend hours trying to concentrate on his job.

  Isaiah now believed that he’d made a mistake by hiring this woman. Her resume indicated that she had vast experience as a financial planner, so he figured that she would be able to invest his money wisely and find viable organizations to donate the money. He just hadn’t figured on the affect Ramona would have on him. He had insulated himself by having Ramona work with Tina, but now that Tina’s grandmother was ill… he was a goner.

  Ramona was standing at his door, looking like a vision in a light pink swing dress that clung to her waist and then flared out, but still managed to tastefully enhance every bump and curve she possessed. Yep – hiring this woman had been a bad idea. He put his pen down and put his best I’m-a-busy-man-don’t-bother-me expression on his face before asking, “What can I do for you, Ramona?”

  She walked into his office and stood in front of his desk. He noticed that the hand she was using to hold some file folders was shaking and she appeared hesitant… scared. Had he done something to put fear in Ramona? Isaiah couldn’t think of anything he’d said or done to Ramona. He’d mostly tried to stay out of her way, so he couldn’t imagine why she would be nervous in his presence. But that helpless look on her face cut him deep. He pointed at the chair next to his desk. “Have a seat, Ramona. I know Tina isn’t here, so don’t worry, I’ll make time for whatever you need.”

  She audibly exhaled as she sat the files on his desk. “Thank you, Pastor Isaiah. Some of the information I’ve researched is time sensitive so I was hoping that I could have about thirty minutes of your time.”

  Isaiah glanced at his watch and then nodded. “That should be okay. What’s up?”

  Getting down to business, she opened one of the folders she’d placed on his desk. “First, we need to discuss the investment strategy that I think will work best for your foundation.”

  “Invest?” Isaiah laughed at the thought. “The Dow plunged 635 points the other day.”

  “Yeah, but it soared 430 points the very next day. Plus the Federal Reserve has vowed to keep interest rates low, and that’s always good for stocks.” She pointed to a graph on the first page of her proposal and added, “But even with that said, I am recommending that you put about 58% of the money in US Treasury bonds. Then we’ll play the stock market with the other 42%.”

  Isaiah leaned back in his seat and turned away from Ramona’s distracting presence. He was making decisions about what to do with all that money his father wanted him to give away, and although a hundred million dollars was a lot of money, if he really wanted to do some good, he needed to make more money out of the money he already had. Hence the investment portfolio he’d asked Ramona to put together. But now he wondered if he could trust her recommendation, so he asked, “With all the upheaval in the government right now, do you really think we should put so much money in treasury bonds?”

  She lifted her hands as if to stop his train of thought. “I know where you’re going, but trust me, the Tea Party won’t be able to obstruct for very long in the congress. But even if the crazy continues for a little while longer, treasury bonds are still a safe bet.”

  “I don’t know,” Isaiah said, “Those people seem crazy enough to bring down the government if you ask me.”

  “Okay, if the Tea Party makes you nervous, we can put about 38% in treasury bonds, 20% in gold and the other 42% in stocks. And then once the Tea Party is voted out of congress, we’ll move a little more money into bonds.”

  “How much do you recommend we invest?”

  “Well, because of the fact that you want to begin giving money away immediately, there’s no way that you can invest it all. And given your current mood about stocks and bonds, I think you’d be very nervous even if we tried to invest half of it at this point.”

  Isaiah began to relax a bit. He liked the fact that Ramona was listening to his concerns and then adapting her proposal to fit him, rather than sticking with her preconceived notions of how investing should be done.

  “So, my recommendation,” Ramona continued, “is that we start out investing twenty percent of the portfolio. That way you’ll have more money free and ready for the job at hand.”

  “I like your thought process so far. Have you found any organizations that we can donate to?” Isaiah was enjoying this conversation and wondered why in the world he had been so afraid to sit down and talk to Ramona in the first place.

  She closed the investment folder and opened the other one she’d brought with her. “So far I’ve researched five and found two to be acceptable. I have provided you with a proposal for each of my recommendations.”

  Isaiah thumbed through the paperwork as Ramona continued.

  “The first proposal concerns the famine in Somalia. Almost three hundred thousand children u
nder the age of five have already died during this famine. There is an organization that will be taking food and water into the country and I thought you might like to contribute to this cause.”

  “You were right about that. But I thought the Somalia pirates or Al-Qaeda members weren’t allowing anyone into the country to help the people.”

  “The rebels have left the capital of Somalia, making it easier to get supplies into the country. But we would need to hurry, because the rebels could return at anytime.”

  “Okay, I think you’re right, we should give this organization some money. Send them ten thousand for now and if they are able to get the food and water to the people without any mishaps then we’ll donate more money to them.” He put down the papers he’d been going through and said, “Tell me about the other organization?”

  “WMU, Women Moving Up, is an organization that has been working to stamp out poverty among single women with children.”

  “Your eyes lit up when you mentioned this group. You must be pretty excited about this.” Isaiah liked the way Ramona smiled. It made him feel all warm inside.

  “I really am excited about them. I may not be a parent, but I know something about being single and not having enough money to meet my needs.” She pulled out two tickets to the fundraiser. “But just because this is an issue I feel strongly about, doesn’t mean that you have to agree. WMU is having a fundraising dinner tomorrow night and they gave you two tickets, so you can check them out.”

  He took the tickets out of her hands. “You really think I should attend this thing?”

  “I think you owe it to yourself to see if you feel as strongly about this organization as I do. It’s black tie.” She stood up. “Look, I don’t want to take up anymore of your time. I have some more organizations I need to do research on, so I’ll just leave you with this information.”

  Isaiah looked at the tickets in his hand as Ramona walked towards the door. Tomorrow was Friday and as usual he had no plans for the evening. Hadn’t had any plans since Tanya left him over a year ago. But now he had not just one, but two tickets for a formal affair in his hands. He needed a date.

  He glanced up just as Ramona put her hand on the doorknob and asked, “What am I supposed to do with two tickets?”

  She turned back towards him. “I figured you wouldn’t want to go alone, so I had them give me two tickets. You can take whoever you want.”

  He stood up, walked around his desk and closed the distance between them. Isaiah wasn’t quite sure why he was doing what he was about to do, but he just couldn’t help himself. His voice was husky as he asked, “Are you busy tomorrow night?”

  Her eyes widened. “Me?”

  “Yeah, you. After all, you’re the one who got me into this thing. I’m not comfortable at formal events, so I sure don’t want to go alone.”

  “I’m sorry, Pastor Isaiah, I just assumed that you would have a date.” She lowered her head, rubbed her temple as she tried to picture a formal dress in her closet. Then she remembered that she’d sold all of her formals.

  “What’s it going to be, Ramona? If you’re not going, then neither am I.”

  “I don’t have a dress,” she admitted.

  He tried to hand her back the tickets. “Just tell them that we can’t make it.”

  “Oh no, you have to attend this affair. Don’t worry, I’ll find something to wear. I’ll go with you.”

  Chapter Four

  It is more blessed to give than to receive, that’s what the Bible says and Ramona was so thankful that some woman decided to give this two-tone French styled dress to the goodwill. She twirled around and then turned back to the full length mirror. For dinner out with her boss this dress was prefect. It was sleeveless, but it had a high collar so no one could accuse her of trying to tempt her boss by showing off cleavage.

  The design of the bodice paired well with the silky skirt’s high waistline. Sleek sashes draped down the neckline and ran across the bodice. It was a dress that spoke of business and pleasure at the same time. The icing on the cake for Ramona was the fact that she only paid four bucks for it!

  Pinning her hair on top of her head, she allowed a few errant curls to fall out. She then applied her make-up – eye shadow, foundation, lipstick and mascara. Finished, Ramona grabbed her evening bag and sat down in the living room and waited for her date to arrive. Then she reminded herself that Pastor Isaiah wasn’t actually taking her on a date… this was business. Ramona planned to do everything she could to convince Pastor Isaiah of what a good cause the women’s group was to invest in.

  The doorbell rang and she jumped up like a giddy school girl. What on earth is the matter with me? Calm yourself, she chided as she opened the front door and watched Mr. Beautiful saunter into her world.

  ***

  Isaiah knew he was in trouble the moment he walked into Ramona’s house. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. The dress she was wearing was simple, but stunning. Especially the way it clung to every curve she possessed. Stop that. He blinked and then managed to turn his attention to photos on the coffee table. “Family?”

  Ramona pointed towards the pictures. “That’s my aunt and uncle. This is my cousin’s house. I’m staying with her so I can get a few bills straightened out before I buy another house.”

  “Somehow I imagined that a financial planner would have her finances in order at all times.”

  “That is the goal,” Ramona answered truthfully. “But sometimes the unavoidable happens and moves the goal post.”

  Isaiah was impressed by this woman. She didn’t try to pretend that she was something she wasn’t and after dealing with all of Tanya’s deception, he needed a woman who could be real with him. He glanced at her dress again as he remembered that she’d told him she didn’t have any formal wear. “That dress must have set the goal post back a bit.”

  Laughing, Ramona told him, “Don’t worry, my budget can handle the expense of a pre-owned dressed.”

  Again, Isaiah was struck by this woman’s honesty. Tanya never would have admitted to anyone that she purchased a dress from a goodwill or a twice around shop. Maybe, Isaiah thought, just maybe… God was trying to show him something about this exquisite woman in front of him. “Let’s get going, I’m anxious to find out a bit more about this organization.”

  They arrived at the banquet center just as dinner was being served. Isaiah found two empty seats at one of the round tables and he and Ramona sat down just as salad plates were placed in front of them. Ramona and Isaiah ate their meal and enjoyed pleasant conversation with the others seated at their table.

  As the waiters began putting the dessert on the tables, the president of the WMU organization took her place behind the podium. Isaiah listened intently to everything she had to say. Isaiah was impressed by the woman. With three small children and no husband, she had worked her way from welfare, to college, to corporate America and then to entrepreneurship. She had faith in the women of America and believed that with God’s help, other single mother’s could accomplish what she did and more.

  Isaiah leaned over and whispered in Ramona’s ear. “I like her style. Do you think she’ll speak with us at the end of this event?”

  “I’m sure she will, I’ll set something up with her once she sits down,” Ramona whispered back.

  “Hey big bro, I thought that was you.”

  The voice was like fingernails on a chalk board. He didn’t have to lift his head to know that his younger brother Shawn stood next to him, grinning like the Grinch who stole Christmas. His good mood vanished as he jumped out of his seat, bumping against the table and knocking his iced tea on Ramona.

  She jumped up, mouth wide opened in horror.

  “Ramona, I’m so sorry.” Isaiah grabbed a napkin off his plate and attempted to wipe her blouse. When he realized that he was touching areas that he shouldn’t, he handed her the napkin, stepped back and said, “I’m sorry,” again.

  Their little episode had caused the president to stop s
peaking, and everyone turned in their direction. Embarrassed by the scene they were causing, she told Isaiah “I’m going to the bathroom to see if I can clean this up,” and moved as fast as she could towards the bathroom.

  Isaiah followed her. Shawn followed him and then the woman at the podium began speaking again. “What are you doing here?” Isaiah demanded once he was standing next to the women’s bathroom, out of ear and eyesight of everyone else.

  “Same thing you’re doing here I guess… trying to find some place to unload Daddy’s loot.”

  He was so glib, so nonchalant about everything and it made Isaiah sick.

  “Who’s the woman… are you dating again?”

  Did Shawn really think that Isaiah would discuss his personal life with a man who slept with his own brother’s wife? The boy must have been hit in the head too many times on that football field. “Why’d you have to come over to my table and bother me?”

  “You are my brother, in case you’ve forgotten.”

  “I wish I could,” Isaiah snapped. “Just stay away from me.”

  “Look, I didn’t want to fight with you. I actually do have something to tell you. It’s about Tanya and Erin.”

  “You keep Tanya and Erin out of your mouth.” Isaiah turned to walk away from his brother.

  Shawn put his hand on his brother’s shoulder restraining him from leaving as he said, “Cal is not Erin’s father. The DNA test came back last week.”

  The bathroom door opened as Shawn said those awful words to Isaiah. He stood there for a moment, too stunned to move. Tanya’s deception had cost his daughter another father. He pushed Shawn’s hand off of his shoulder. “So, I guess you’re happy that you and your friend are in the clear?”

  Shawn lifted his hands. “Hey man, Erin’s not mine. Don’t expect me to be sad about not having a baby by my brother’s ex-wife.”

  “Yeah but it could have been yours.”

  “Evidently, there are a lot of people in that category,” Shawn said.