by Shana Burton
“I’m just a little preoccupied today. The holidays have that affect on me,” she explained. The holidays and Vaughn, she thought, racked with guilt following their baby-making liaison. She discovered that sinning wasn’t as easy or painless as it used to be.
Lawson slipped off her oven mitts. “You and Charles okay?”
Sullivan grimaced. “He keeps saying that everything will work out. I suppose at some point I ought to believe him.”
Angel whisked ingredients for the gravy. “If you think your marriage is so shaky, why are you trying to have a baby?”
Sullivan pitched off a little of the dressing. “I think having a baby will bring us closer and remind us of all the love there is still left between us. Giving him a child is my way of proving to him how committed I am to our marriage; my way of atoning for having an affair.”
Lawson swatted her away from the dressing. “Sully, you don’t atone for cheating by having a baby. If you want to atone for your affair with Vaughn, just don’t have any more affairs with Vaughn.”
Sullivan cringed, struck with the memory of the romp at his apartment. “Could you not say his name please?”
“Are you the only one who gets to holler out his name?” ribbed Reginell, relegated to tea making now.
“At least I know his name, which is probably more than you can say for majority of the men you wake up next to,” hurled Sullivan.
“Come on now, it’s Thanksgiving. Let this be the one day out the year that the two of you don’t argue,” pleaded Kina.
“Kina, did you invite your little friend to join us?” asked Angel.
Kina was annoyed. “If you mean Joan, no. She’s spending Thanksgiving with her family in Florida.”
Lawson wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “So what’s the status on that whole thing?”
“We’re friends,” Kina replied.
Reginell smirked. “Are you friends of a beneficial nature?”
“No! Why are you making this about sex? Joan and I enjoy each other’s company. Sex hasn’t even really come up.”
“And when it does?” prodded Lawson.
“I’ll deal with it then. Joan understands that I need to take things slowly.”
“Just remember that the Bible calls same-sex relations detestable.”
“The Bible also says you shouldn’t date relatives. Did you remind Reggie and Mark of that?”
“Hold up! When did I get into this?” protested Reginell.
“When Mark got into you,” replied Sullivan and scratched her head. “So what’s your therapist saying about all this, Kina?”
Kina avoided eye contact with anyone. “She’s fine with it.”
“She actually considers this to be a healthy development?” Sullivan shook her head. “What kind of quack-job therapist is she?”
“Dr. Shaw is not a quack.” Kina exhaled. “She’s . . . She’s no longer my therapist.”
Lawson grew concerned. “Why did you change therapists?”
“I didn’t change. I just decided I don’t need therapy anymore,” stated Kina. “I have the Lord, and I have all of you. You all know me better than anyone.”
“Yes, we’re your friends and all, Kina, but you’ve been through some stuff we aren’t equipped to handle,” cautioned Lawson.
Angel faced Kina. “Do you have any idea what you and Kenny have gone through and the psychological impact it can have for years to come? Kina, your husband used to beat you, and your son witnessed that. He made you feel responsible for his failed football career; you carried around the guilt from that for over ten years, only to find out it was a lie and that you’d endured all that pain for nothing. On top of that, Kenny shot and killed his father. You both watched him die. That’s a lot for anyone to process. While we have the Lord, who the Bible calls a wonderful counselor, we also have people on earth ordained and appointed by God to help us. I believe that God can give you a miraculous healing, but until then, you and Kenny need to get back in counseling immediately.”
“Kenny still goes,” revealed Kina.
“When’s the last time you went?” asked Sullivan.
Kina didn’t answer.
“When is the last time you went, Kina?” asked Lawson in a stern voice.
Kina replied in a voice barely above a whisper. “Around August or September.”
“That’s why you’ve been so confused and making questionable decisions,” Angel concluded.
“Spending time with Joan isn’t a questionable decision. She’s a good person. She’s kind, she listens to me, she—”
“She’s a lesbian!” blurted out Lawson. “And you’re not!”
“I may be,” asserted Kina.
Lawson rolled her eyes. “You’re not a lesbian, Kina. You’re lonely and confused. Leading her on isn’t fair to you or to Joan.”
“Is your problem that I’m seeing a woman or is the problem that I’m finally standing up for myself and not doing what you want me to do?”
Lawson squinted her eyes and responded with a terse, “What?”
Kina spoke with a newfound confidence. “You all won’t admit it, but I think you like it when I sit around being contrite and obedient, doing whatever you think is best, living my life according to your standards. You’re just as controlling as E’Bell was. If I want to be with Joan, I’ll be with Joan. I don’t need permission from my cousin, my therapist, or my friends to do so.”
“What about God? Do you need His permission?” inquired Angel.
Kina retreated quietly to the stove without answering.
“I’m glad to see you’re less pissy than you were when I called you last night,” Lawson said to Angel, who was polishing the silverware. “How was the dinner?”
Angel opened her mouth to speak, but a girlish giggle came from her lips instead.
“Umph, I know that look,” said Sullivan. “I guess we all know how Duke snatched that frown off your face last night.”
“Last night, I met the most gorgeous, most charming, most provocative man ever!” announced Angel.
Sullivan gave her a side-glance. “I thought those kinds of adjectives were usually reserved for Duke.”
“They still are. His cousin Channing was the guest of honor for dinner last night. What a man! Obviously, the apples don’t fall far from that family tree.”
“You’re not going to make a play for Duke’s cousin, are you?”
“Of course not!” she balked. “I just said he was fine.”
“You said a lot more than that,” teased Sullivan.
“Well, that’s all I meant!”
Lawson laughed at the two of them. “Will this Adonis be joining us for dinner?”
“No, Channing, Duke, and the girls are eating with Reese’s family.”
Sullivan frowned. “Why didn’t you go with them?”
Angel examined her work. “Apparently, Thanksgiving was one of Theresa’s favorite holidays. They’re all spending the day doing and eating all of her favorite things. I didn’t think I should be a part of that.”
“Why not?” quizzed Reginell. “You’re family now, and she was your friend too.”
“I know. I just wasn’t up to spending the day in her shadow.”
Reginell was distracted by a text message coming through on her phone. “Um, I’ll be right back. I’ve got to handle some business.” She took off before anyone had a chance to question her.
“What’s up with that?” wondered Kina. “Do you think she went to go see Mark?”
Lawson shrugged. “Who knows? With that child, ‘handling some business’ could mean anything.”
Kina smiled. “Call me crazy, but I think they make a cute couple.”
Sullivan cleared her throat. “I believe we’ve already established that you’re a little cray-cray, and, no, there’s nothing ‘cute’ about Mark mating with Reggie. It’s borderline incestuous.”
Kina disagreed. “I don’t think a good man should go to waste just because Lawson slept with him once more
than a decade ago. I could see if Lawson wanted him, but she doesn’t. She’s in love with Garrett. You’re fine with Mark and Reggie dating, aren’t you, Lawson?”
Lawson pressed her lips together and grabbed a covered dish. “It’s getting late. We should go ahead and start setting the food out on the table.” She scampered out without responding to Kina’s question.
“I guess that’s a no,” surmised Angel after Lawson left.
Charles clanked a butter knife against his glass to gain everyone’s attention once the table was set and the food brought out. He rose from his position at the head of the table, passing his eyes over the nine faces seated around the dinner table.
“It certainly is a blessing to be able to share this wonderful occasion with all of you. You know, the Word tells us to ‘give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever.’ Thanksgiving shouldn’t just be the third Thursday out of November. For the Christian, there shouldn’t go one day where we don’t give thanks to the Lord for His many blessings.”
Lawson looked lovingly at her husband and son, seated to her left and right. “Amen.”
Charles continued. “Each year at this time, however, I like to take time to publicly thank God for everything He’s done for me. If y’all don’t mind, I’d like for each of us to go around and tell the Lord and each other what we’re thankful for.” He turned to Sullivan, who was seated to his right. “Honey, you want to start?”
“Sure.” Sullivan smiled politely and stood up. “As most of you here know, this past year was a challenging year for my family and me. Through God’s grace and mercy, we’ve started to reclaim everything the devil tried to steal from us, and I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful to be blessed to live in this beautiful home, but that would mean nothing if I didn’t have all of you to share it with. I’m so thankful for you, Lawson, Kina, Angel, and even you, Reginell, for being the sisters I never had.
“I’m eternally thankful to have a husband who loves me unconditionally.” She turned to Charles. “Charles, I know I’m far from perfect, and I know I probably keep you on your knees in prayer more often than you’d like to admit, but I love you. You may not be God’s gift to women, but you’re God’s gift to me. I just thank you so much for loving me. No matter how many times I break your heart, you still love me. I believe our Heavenly Father is the same way. He keeps right on loving us no matter what. I’m thankful for that.”
Charles hugged his wife. “I love you too. Thank you for loving me.”
Angel rose. “Um, like Sullivan, this has been a trying year for me too. Twelve years ago, I met the man I was destined to love for the rest of my life. It was a fairy-tale wedding, but it ended in a bitter, painful divorce. Not only did I lose my husband, but I lost my child too. If it wasn’t for the ladies seated around this table, I probably would’ve lost my life as well.”
Angel took a few seconds to swallow the lump in her throat. “But God had another plan. He saw me through that painful time in my life, and like Job, He called me out of the storm. He blessed me to finish college, start my own business, which allows me to use my gift as a nurse to minister to other people, and He brought all of you into my life. The biggest miracle of all, though, is that He brought me back to the only man I’ve ever loved. Just to show the goodness of God’s mercy, He allowed us to be reunited by the very person who drove us apart. It was through Theresa’s love for Duke and, eventually, her love for me, that Duke and I are together again. We have the family that I thought we’d lost forever, and I’m just so thankful that God used Theresa to help me open my heart to receive forgiveness and be forgiven and to love without limits.” She raised her eyes toward heaven. “Thank you.”
Namon staggered to his feet. “I just want to say that I’m thankful for my mom. I know she’s sacrificed a lot for me, and it hasn’t always been easy for her, but she did it because she loves me. She works hard to provide for our family; she teaches me about God and the Bible; and she’s never too tired to go to one of my games or help me with my homework or to yell at me when I mess up.”
They all laughed. Lawson wiped a tear from her eye as Namon went on. “I’m also thankful that I have, not one, but two dads now. For a long time, I didn’t have any. It was just me, my mom, and my Aunt Reggie. Now, I have all of you here and my little sister Mariah, and that’s what I’m thankful for.” He sat down.
Charles nodded. “Well said, son.”
Lawson dotted her eyes. “Wow, I don’t know what to say after that. Thank you for such kind words, Namon. When I became a mom at sixteen, I had no idea that I’d end up needing my son as much as he needed me.”
Lawson exhaled. “If I tried to tell you all everything I’m grateful for, we’d be here all night, so I’ll keep it as brief as possible. I’m thankful that God allows me to wake up surrounded by love, family, and His peace every day. I’m thankful that I have a church where I’m ministered to and a pastor who is not only my spiritual leader, but he’s also my friend. I’m thankful to have a job where I can make a difference in the lives of children. I’m thankful for my health, my intelligence, being clothed in my right mind, and that I know from whom my help and strength comes from.
“I’m thankful for my baby sister.” Lawson turned to Reginell. “I don’t approve of everything you do, but I’d give my life for you, Reggie; no hesitation, no questions asked.” She reached for Garrett’s hand. “I’m thankful for my wonderful husband, who God created purposely to love me and for me to love. Garrett, you’re the best man I know. I love you, now and forever. I’m thankful for this crazy, unrestricted, unpredictable group of ladies I call friends. You all are my sisters just as much as Reggie is. And, Namon, I’m so thankful that God choose me to be your mother. I love you, bud.”
Namon kissed his mother on the cheek. “I love you too.”
Lawson turned to Garrett. “Baby, you’re up next.”
Garrett cleared his throat. “Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a man of few words, so I just want to say I’m thankful to God for blessing me with the life I have. I thank Him for letting me see almost thirty-eight years on this side of heaven. I thank Him for my beautiful wife, who I would do anything for, and for my son, Namon. I thank Him for giving me a thriving business and surrounding me with good hardworking people, and I’m thankful for all of you. Lord willing, Lawson and I will have a new son or daughter at this table and have even more to be thankful for.”
Kina stood up. “I’ve been sitting here, listening to all of you, trying to stop myself from crying. There’s so much love at this table, and God is love, so what I’m really saying is that there’s so much God at this table.”
Angel concurred. “Amen.”
“This time last year, I’d just lost my husband. But I didn’t just lose E’Bell. I lost my sense of who I was. I’ve been defined by that relationship since I was seventeen years old, so I didn’t know how to be anything other than Kenny’s mother or E’Bell’s wife. I’m thankful that God is showing me how to be Kina. I’m grateful to be in school again and to be blessed to be working at the church that’s like a second home to me. I’m thankful that I have the coolest son in the world, who I’ll love until I take my last breath, and I’m thankful for all of you and for the new people that have been introduced into my life.”
Sullivan grunted at the reference to Joan. Angel elbowed her.
“You want me to go, Mama?” asked Kenny. Kina nodded. He stood. “Well, I guess I’m thankful for God, my Xbox, my friends, my mom, my cousin Namon, my therapist, and my grandma Hattie.” He paused. “I’m also thankful that my dad can’t hurt my mom anymore and that he told me he wasn’t mad at me for shooting him before he died.” Kina held her son.
“I guess it’s my turn.” Reginell stood on her feet. “I know I’m the black sheep of the family. I’m the one who everybody expects to mess up, but y’all love me anyway. I’m very thankful for that. I know I don’t know as much about the Bible as everyone else at this table, but I k
now that it says to treat everyone the way you want to be treated, and you all try real hard to do that. I can’t act like God is pleased with what I do for a living and some of the people I hang out with, but I’m trying. I just hope He doesn’t give up on me.”
“God’s love and compassion never fail, my young sister,” replied Charles.
“Thank you, Pastor Charles. I guess I just want to say I’m thankful I have all of you watching my back, praying for me, and for accepting me as I am, with all my flaws. I’ll just try to flaw a little less as time goes by.”
Charles addressed the group again. “My heart is so full right now. Sister Battle, I think you said it best. This table is full of love, so this table is full of our Lord. I love all of you so much, from the youngest to the oldest. Well, I guess I’m the oldest, huh?”
They all chuckled.
“We can’t ever forget everything the Lord has done for us, and what He’s doing for us even at this moment. No matter how bad you think it is, it could always be worse. And for someone else, it is worse. I thank God I have a friend in Jesus; I’m thankful that I’m made righteous through His blood, and that I have a blood-bought right to everything God has promised me. So do all of you. I’m thankful that He’s blessed me to be a blessing to others. I’m thankful that God has blessed me with this gorgeous woman I get to call wife. I’m thankful for everyone seated here who I get to call friend. I’m just thankful. If God never does another thing for me, He’s already done enough.”
His speech was met with a round of “Amens.”
“Well, let’s ask the Lord to bless this bountiful harvest, then let’s dig in!”
As they feasted and fellowshipped, they knew the good times and euphoric feelings wouldn’t last forever, but, at least for now, all was right with the world.
Chapter 20