Thoughts of how to propose to Phoenix plagued Paulo as he ate a bowl of cheerios and bananas. “I know, I know, Father. I am getting ahead of You. But, please, just give me the okay to propose! The moment she makes her final commitment to You, she has to make one to me! God, I love her so much. I am going over there, God. Please go before me. I’ll be looking for Your confirmation of what I already know to be true. Thank You, Lord for whatever You’ve done! I know You did something, I felt it! Thank You in advance of whatever it is! I love You!”
Both the Lord God and His Son smiled from their places on their Thrones. Father God regarded His Son. “You know I invented the sense of humor, don’t You?”
“I was there when You did, Father,” Jesus smiled, already aware of His Father’s plans.
“As much as that one has learned, and as many strides he has taken, a small part of this one’s heart still tries to remain in control. He has already mapped out their day, an engagement, a wedding date, and their lives together. He doesn’t yet know what will happen this morning, let alone for the day!” Father God said. “I love his efforts though. I am fond of them. I still have work to do on my son’s heart before he will be ready for all I have for him. However, let Us answer his requests, shall We? Of course, I will do so in a way that is exceedingly and abundantly more that he could have ever thought to ask for, or imagine. I am still God.”
The Lord Jesus smiled as He sent His Spirit to order Paulo and Phoenix’s steps.
Phoenix woke up on the living room floor around eight with a start. She had no idea what jerked her awake. She looked around bleary-eyed, trying to get her bearings. She became aware of a snorting, honking sound next to her. Turning, she saw Cedric sleeping and snoring on the ground. Drool pooled at the corner of his lips and she cringed.
“Man, wake up!” she said in disgust, nudging him.
“Huh?” Cedric looked around and ran a hand down his face. “What? What happened? What time is it?”
“Time for you to head out, brother! It’s like eight in the morning. We must have fallen asleep after praying for so long. But as beautiful as that was, you have to head out.”
Cedric gave her a knowing smile. “Got church with your future husband?”
Phoenix returned a bright smile. “Yeah, you could say that. I have to call him though. Anyway, I’m going to call and try to catch him. While I’m looking for something to wear, go freshen up. I think I have extra toothbrushes—”
“I know where you keep them, Fe,” Cedric said, already heading to the bathroom.
Phoenix jumped up, called Cara, and left a message. She rushed to her room to find a beautiful maroon knee-length dress that Paulo had brought her when she could no longer fit Cara’s plus-size clothes. She looked at them, packed neatly in a suitcase, and realized what she wanted to do with the bag of clothing.
She would bring them to her mother’s house.
The phone rang. Excited, Phoenix picked it and shouted, “Hey, girl!”
. “Hey,” Cara answered with a weary voice. “James and I, we’re going to the evening service today at six. We were up really late praying and we are exhausted! I hope the Lord worked out your issues, Chica, ‘cause I ain’t’ had a prayer marathon like that in years!”
Phoenix’s heart fluttered. “God had y’all still pray for me after I left?”
“Yup,” Cara laughed. “I told you, one day You’ll see how He works for yourself.”
“I have something to share with you, but I’ll wait until I see you guys. Thank you for praying for me, thank you so—” Phoenix’s voice broke.
“Awww, don’t cry. See, the one thing about having Christians for friends is, we may give you bad advice once in a while, but we pray to the God who can fix it no matter what.”
“Thank you. I gotta get ready. See you tomorrow maybe?”
“You got it.”
Cedric came out of the restroom, fresh and clean after a quick shower, and no longer wearing his sweats. “Good thing I left one bag of clothes still in the hall closet.”
“You still had clothes in my closet?” Phoenix arched her eyebrow.
“Yeah. I guess forgot it that day your man moved me out.”
They shared a laugh about that.
“How did you leave it behind when the Brazilian Ex-Squad was here?” Phoenix giggled at the memory.
“It was a small bag of fresh laundry I put in there when I was rushing to get to an interview last summer.” Cedric laughed. “Wow, this talking to God thing is the truth! After brushing my teeth, my coworker called and asked me to head out to service with him at ten, at his church in East Harlem. He originally invited me to another church in Times Square at three o’clock, but since he got family coming by, he changed his mind. So I was standing there thinking, dag, I would love to go but I really need a shower and to change. Out of nowhere, bam! The memory of me putting the bag of laundry in the hall closet comes to mind! I find fresh drawers, wifebeaters, socks, my favorite button-down, and khakis and other stuff. Boom! Fresh and clean for church. I always carry deodorant so I’m good. It’s like God saved the bag for me ‘cause He knew I was going to be here last night to pray with you and clear the air. Now, I can just go to church with my boy from my job. I don’t have to head downtown to change, and head back to east Harlem on the train and bus. I can meet him without being late.”
“The amazing thing is, the church in Times Square that has three o’clock service? That’s where I’ve been going with Paulo! And I think the one in East Harlem is my church’s sister church.” Phoenix again had to shake her head in awe. “Wow.”
“Wow,” Cedric said, echoing Phoenix.
Because the only thing anyone could say when considering the Living God was “wow.”
After thanking God for what He was doing, for working out their issues, and for bringing their prior relationship complete closure, Phoenix headed to the restroom to get ready to meet her man for church.
She couldn’t wait to share what the Lord had done for her, and Cedric, the night before.
And most of all, she wanted to throw her arms around him and thank him for praying for her.
She knew, deep in her heart, that he, along with their friends, had never stopped.
Unable to wait, she grabbed her house phone and dialed Paulo’s number before she began brushing her teeth.
***
Paulo was whistling as he perused an array of flowers at his favorite neighborhood bodega, right on the corner of Phoenix’s block. His cell phone vibrated and his heart warmed when he saw Phoenix’s number flash across the screen. He was about to pick it up when he decided to let it go to voicemail. He still had plenty of time to surprise her and that was what he intended to do.
After purchasing beautiful white Chilean lilies, he stopped to get two fruit juices from an organic juice stand. He thought that the guava, pineapple, carrot, apple, ginger, and wheat grass drink would give them energy, fill their stomachs, and hold them over until the lunch he had planned for them.
As he turned the corner, his steps quickened. He marched up West One Hundred Forty-Ninth Street, feeling his anticipation build with every step. He was practically jogging past the brownstones and buildings when he saw her…
Coming out of the building, in the early morning…
With Cedric.
With Cedric.
“With Cedric?” Paulo’s jaw dropped. “Did he spend the night? No, she wouldn’t, but she is…”
Coming out of the building,
In the early morning,
With…
Cedric!
“Jesus, help me,” he breathed as he dropped the bags of juice and flowers on the pavement. “No. No. It can’t be. It can’t…Father God, please… I drove her away and she ran back to him as she said she would. Oh, God, please, I can’t…I thought…”
But the words of prayer died on his lips as he watched the woman he loved hugging her ex-fiancé long and hard on the stoop of her building.
Cl
early something had transpired between them!
The pounding in his heart quickly climbed to his throat as he growled Portuguese words promising pain and suffering and bloodshed. He started to storm off across the street, towards the building, fully intending to grab Cedric by his neck and snap it, when it hit him.
God had answered.
He had asked the Lord for final confirmation that Phoenix would be his wife.
And He had confirmed that she would not.
He had no right to be angry. He was a Christian and God had to come first.
He could not lash out because He had misunderstood the Lord.
The Lord had used Him for a purpose and it was over.
Tears sprang to his eyes.
Phoenix would not be his wife.
Dejected, he swallowed his tears, and his howl of disappointment, and turned around. He walked quickly back down the street before Cedric and Phoenix could notice him, not that they would, as they stood laughing together, enjoying each other, on her stoop. Cedric did have a bag with him, and it was apparent that Cedric had, in fact, spent the night.
Moaning from the pain swirling in his stomach, he whispered, “Okay, God. I love You. Thank You for showing me. Your will be done. I don’t like it, Father, but Your Will be done.”
At that moment, his phone vibrated. He hoped to Heaven it wasn’t Phoenix calling him again. Glancing at his phone, he was grateful when an unrecognizable number flashed on his screen. “This is Paulo,” he barked.
“Mr. Elias,” a man spoke loudly into the phone. “We’re outside your building and—”
“Wait,” Paulo snapped. “Who is this?”
The man chuckled. “Sorry. This is David Smith from Window Fix It. We had an appointment today to fix your front window? We’ve been out here for about ten minutes ringing the bell. Are you in? We need to come in to replace the stain glass you ordered.”
Paulo shook his head. “Listen, I am sorry. I was under the impression you guys were coming at four. That’s what I have written down.”
“Oh, uh, there is a mix up. Our secretary, who is my daughter, does this all the time. She got you down for nine am, Sunday morning. If you want us to come back at four, we can, but it will only take an hour at the most, after we cut the glass and shape it to your door. We might as well do it now. My girl, she’s in college, but she can be a real pain—”
“Look, it doesn’t matter,” Paulo interrupted. He didn’t have time for this mess. “I was heading to church but I am still nearby. Be right there.”
Good thing his plans for Phoenix got derailed.
As he walked back to his building, on One Forty-Eighth, he called Cara.
“What?” she asked in a stern voice.
Paulo stared at the phone. He willed his voice to calm down as he wondered why his friend was snapping at him. “Good morning, Bella. What’s wrong with you?”
“Just trying to sleep. We were up late. God refused to let us sleep until, like, one in the morning. You know we wake up every day at six with our baby, so you know we’re pooped.”
“Why wouldn’t He let you sleep?”
“Prayer for your woman. She must have been going through something.”
“Oh, well it didn’t work,” Paulo mumbled. “Neither did mine.”
“What? What happened now? You know what? Forget it ‘cause I don’t even want to know. She sounded so happy this morning. She said she had something to share. I thought it had to do with you.”
Her words were a knife that jabbed Paulo in the gut. “Yeah, I bet she was happy, alright. But her happiness definitely didn’t have anything to do with me.”
“Okay…sorry to hear that, Paulo. You need anything?”
“Nope. I just wanted to tell you guys I won’t be in church this morning. They came to fix my window earlier than planned.”
“Oh you mean the window you broke when you and Phoenix had it out?” Cara asked with an amused tone.
“I am only human. I didn’t know when I slammed the big oak door that the glass would break.”
“Uh huh. You can bench press like two hundred or something, right? Anyway, that’s between you and God. So if you can’t make it to morning service, meet us at six. We’ll talk and help you get over your beef with your…uh, with Phoenix.”
“There’s no getting over this. Not without God Himself doing it. But thanks for the offer. As much as I want to stay home and tear my hair out, I’ll meet you guys at six for service. Meet you both out front at TSC. I suddenly feel like going to visit Mãe, you know, check in on her. Haven’t spoken to her all week. Besides, as much as we disagree about religion, she always makes me feel better. Where’s James?”
“Feeding the baby. Want him to call you back?”
“Please,” Paulo answered as he reached the older gentleman examining the jagged pieces of the glass still attached to the door. “Gotta run.”
“Ciao. See you later. And Paulo, it’s gonna be fine.”
“Yeah,” Paulo answered, then tapped the screen to shut the phone off. He held out his hand to David and introduced himself. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
After Paulo and David discussed the job and finalized the price, he signed the work order and entered the building. He grudgingly offered the men coffee, which they refused. He was grateful because he really didn’t have the energy to be hospitable.
Not realizing he still had his phone clutched in his palm, he was startled when it vibrated. Paulo glanced at the screen and rolled his eyes. He sent the call to voicemail. Phoenix immediately called right back and again he sent it to voicemail. When she called for the third time, he let it ring and let his voicemail pick up. He put the phone down and stomped up to his gym to do let off some steam on his punching bag.
And when he heard the phone ring back-to-back, three more times, he had to pray to keep from racing down his steps, grabbing his phone, and hurling his five hundred dollar smart phone against the wall.
Phoenix sat freezing on her stoop, confused. She had called Paulo a total of seven times since the morning and he was sending her calls straight to voicemail. She wanted to believe Paulo’s phone was off, but she knew it would not ring before being connected to voicemail if it was. Besides, he always left his phone on in case his mother ever called, since she lived alone on the other side of town. Phoenix didn’t like texting people. She felt it was too impersonal after their huge argument. It was already nine-twenty and she didn’t want to miss him.
Sighing, she gave in, and sent a text. Paulo, I have something to share with you. Please call me. Did you leave for church already?
She waited for his return text.
From the second floor, Paulo heard the message indicator on his phone and guffawed. “What? You’re gonna tell me you’re back with your ex on a text? Yeah, right. I’m Christian, but still kinda crazy. I can only handle so much. If you dare leave something like that on text, Phoenix, I may have to fly home to Brazil tonight after I figure out where to hide the body. Okay, forgive me, Lord. I wouldn’t kill her, per se… but a text? Please.” Through clenched teeth, he beat that punching bag as if Phoenix’s life depended on it.
Well…
Technically it did.
After an hour of waiting to hear from Paulo, Phoenix gave up. It was too late to go to morning service. Sighing, she walked back into her apartment building and decided to go speak to Cara. In the elevator, she changed her mind, remembering how tired her friend sounded. Still, she couldn’t resist calling her.
James’s deep breath greeted her on the line. “Yes?”
He sounded tired. “Uh, hi, James. Didn’t mean to wake you. Cara up?”
“Yeah, we’ve been getting calls all morning. She’s about to go back to sleep though so I’ll have her call you after—”
“Is that Phoenix? Give me that phone! Who told you to tell—”
Phoenix chuckled as she heard Cara’s muffled annoyance.
“Sorry about that, Chica. Like I need a bodyguard!”
“At least he’s just looking out for you,” Phoenix said wistfully. “Um, I tried to find Paulo this morning but I couldn’t reach him. You spoke to him yet?”
“I have…” Cara bit her lip. Lord, You taught me about meddling already. Please keep me from doing or saying something that isn’t my place to…You know me.
“Is he okay?” Phoenix asked fidgeting.
“I believe so,” Cara answered, cautiously.
“Okay, um, I was going to ask him if I could go to church with him. Plus, I wanted to talk to him. I can’t get him on the phone though. He’s probably already in church anyway. Of course he can’t answer the phone.”
“So…” Cara squeezed her eyes shut. It wasn’t her place to mention that Paulo was in fact home and that Phoenix should walk over there and knock on his door and perhaps speak to him in person to clear the air so they could finally resolve their differences. It wasn’t her place. She had learned that already. But Cara felt another type of release from the Spirit.
“Okay, so you can’t find Paulo. Do you want to ride with us for the six o’clock service? It’s fun. It’s when folks get to share their testimonies about what God has done in their lives.”
“Wow, that sounds awesome. Can anyone do it?”
“Yeah. You just have to sign up.”
“Wow. Okay. I may have one of my own to share,” Phoenix said, surprised when an idea formed in her mind.
“I meant when people have come to accept the Lord as their Savior and the circumstances surrounding that.”
Phoenix struggled not to laugh. “Oh, I see. So yeah, I will meet you downstairs at…”
“Five-fifteen?”
“Great. Thanks.” Phoenix hung up.
The plan continued to take shape in Phoenix’s mind.
“God? Is that You telling me to do that?”
Phoenix felt peace envelop her as the vision of her plan was confirmed by the Lord.
“Okay, I will do it. Will You get Paulo to come, please? I can’t reach him.”
For a second Phoenix had to smile at how easily God had again taken residence in her life. It had been four lonely years since she had last felt like that. It was so easy to talk intimately with Him, as one would her best friend, since His Spirit was again residing within her. She could hear His voice clearly again and knew that He was always listening to hers.
The Makeover Page 40