Chapter 31
Dreading what awaited him on the other side of the door, Kevin hesitated before entering exam room number five. It was 1:30 Tuesday afternoon: Mother Scott’s new standing appointment time in order to ensure that she arrive by 2:00. Kevin knew it wasn’t the Lord that told her to arrive early today. No doubt his feistiest patient would have a smorgasbord of choice words for him. Kevin took a deep breath before opening the door, and prepared his ears for the tongue lashing of his life.
“Good afternoon, Mother Scott.”
“Hi, baby, how are you doing?” Mother Scott’s voice was so sweet and her smile so pleasant, Kevin squinted his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The name on the chart matched with the face before him, but the cool and calm demeanor didn’t fit the profile.
“I’ll be fine. How are your eyes treating you?” Kevin thought it best not to prolong the visit with idle conversation, since Mother Scott was in a good mood. He quickly pulled out his ophthalmoscope and began his examination.
“Baby, I told you, the Lord is going to fix my eyes.” Mother Scott nodded, and then went on to talk about Leon and Starla’s upcoming vow renewal and her children living out of state. She even went over her grocery list. Not once did she mention Marlissa.
God doesn’t show her everything; she doesn’t know about the fallout, he thought.
“I think you’re right, Mother, your eyes are showing remarkable improvement,” Kevin acknowledged at the end of the exam.
“Baby, you look tired. Maybe you should be examined by a doctor,” Mother Scott stated, and, at the same time, placed the back of her hand against Kevin’s forehead.
“I’ll be fine, Mother.” Kevin couldn’t tell Mother Scott he’d been having trouble sleeping at night without Marlissa. Last night, he was able to sleep for six hours straight, but that’s because he’d stayed at Tyson’s house.
Kevin still didn’t understand why Mother Scott was behaving so graciously. Mother Scott had addressed him as “baby” three times; she’d never done that before.
“Mother, you surprised me today by being on time.”
“Baby, I know your time is valuable and I am not the only patient you have. I’m your favorite patient, but I’m not your only patient.” Mother was really laying it on thick. “I don’t want to throw your schedule off. I know you’re a busy man.”
Kevin still wasn’t convinced. “Mother, are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”
“Baby, I’m fine.” Mother Scott shoulder-strapped her purse and casually started for the door. Holding the door open, Mother Scott narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “Kevin, if you’re referring to how much I want to place you over my knees and whip your behind for hurting my baby, don’t worry, I am going to let God take care of you. Drake and I know just how to deal with you.” Mother’s hand was now planted on her hip. “Why do you think you’re so tired? We’ve been praying for the Lord not to let you sleep until you do right by Marlissa. Drake is in your office now, casting the devil out.”
Kevin envisioned First Lady Drake slinging oil all over his chair, desk, and carpet. The vision caused him to chuckle.
“Don’t laugh at us! We’ve tackled bigger devils than you, and God always causes us to triumph. You see Leon came back. David would have come too, but he didn’t want to change. But you, on the other hand, you want to change. You are afraid to trust again, and, quite frankly, Kevin, you’re a little slow when it comes to women.”
Kevin wasn’t laughing anymore. Mother Scott could see a lot deeper than he thought.
“We know you haven’t been eating, so we brought you some food. It’s in your office. Nothing much, just some roast beef, fried chicken, collard greens, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, and 7-Up cake. Try not to eat it all in one sitting. Remember, you’re a little slow, so you may be alone for a while.”
First Lady Drake appeared in the doorway next to Mother Scott. “One Eye, my work is done in there. Are you ready?”
“Drake, is there anything you want to say to the good doctor?” Mother Scott asked.
First Lady Drake stepped inside, pointed her index finger at Kevin, and snarled, “You will do right!” then left. Mother Scott huffed and followed her.
Kevin was too hungry to care that he’d just been told off by two nosey women who obviously loved both him and Marlissa. He made it to his office in record speed.
“I was going to take tonight’s lesson from the Gospel of John, but something else just dropped in my spirit,” Pastor Jennings announced as she looked out into the congregation. “The Spirit is leading me to the book of Luke, chapter fifteen.”
“That’s a good one!” someone yelled.
Pastor Jennings scanned the small audience once more, then continued. “This familiar passage tells the story of an ungrateful son, who leaves the comfort and safety of home and gets caught up in the pleasures of the world. He leaves his father’s house and is lured astray by the lust of the world.”
“Say that, Pastor.”
“After he loses everything, he finds that the hogs are in better shape than he is.” Pastor Jennings wasn’t sweating, but she wiped her forehead out of habit. “I don’t know if this young man ever prayed, but he had enough sense to come to himself and remember his father’s house.”
“Come on now!”
“It was in his father’s house that he learned the statutes of God. Um hah, he learned how to pray in his father’s house. It was in his father’s house that the Lord healed his body, not the hospital, ’cause y’all know the church is the saints’ hospital.”
“That’s right, Pastor!”
“See, it was his father’s prayers that helped him excel in every endeavor he undertook. It was his father’s sacrifices that made him successful. Saints, I believe he remembered that his success was tied to his father’s house.”
“I know that’s right!”
Pastor Jennings paused for a sip of water. “After making a mess of his life, the young man realized his father was right, and went back home to beg the father’s forgiveness. See, he knew his father was sincere in his care and our heavenly Father always knows what’s best for us. We just have to be obedient as dear children and obey they who have the rule over us. Then we won’t have to come crawling back after we’ve ruined our lives, begging for forgiveness.”
“Say that in the mic!”
“Now, I am not God, but I love and care for every one of you as the sheep God placed in my care. I’ll go with you to the end, but when you decide to live a life of disobedience and wickedness, that’s where I draw the line. I’ll still love you while you’re running with the pigs, but don’t expect me to get down in the pigsty with you. Don’t expect me to dirty my white garments. I’m not going to do that, but like a good father, I’ll be waiting for you once you get yourself together. Just like the father in this story, I’ll restore you after you come home and repent, and then prove yourself.”
Kevin didn’t see his mother walking toward him; he only heard her words. Trying to hide his tears, he bowed his head and covered his face with his hands. He’d come to his mother’s Bible Study to prove that Marlissa’s assessment of him was wrong. He wasn’t like his mother. He didn’t only love when it was convenient for him. Kevin didn’t use people to get what he wanted, and then refused to forgive them when they didn’t measure up to his standards. He’d been feeding those thoughts to his psyche for three days, but now listening to his mother twisting the Word of God, he couldn’t deny it anymore. Marlissa was right.
For reasons Kevin couldn’t understand, he hadn’t been able to forgive Marlissa, and, because of that, he had selfishly dragged her along all this time. Yes, he’d taken advantage of her. Subconsciously, he made Marlissa prove her remorsefulness by refusing to tell her how he really felt and by holding the divorce over her head. Deep down he wanted Marlissa to hurt as much as he had. The act of sleeping with her without forgiving her was wrong, plain and simple. Forgiveness was the only thing Mar
lissa had asked for. She was entitled to much more; he was prepared to give her the house, but all she asked for was forgiveness and he couldn’t even grant her that.
Pastor Jennings hadn’t spoken to him since he’d made it clear she wasn’t going to have things her way. Now here she was preaching to him that the only reason he was successful was because of her, referring to Marlissa as a pig, and basically she told him she couldn’t be part of his life unless he allowed her to control him.
A hand touched Kevin’s head, and more hands went to each of his shoulders, breaking his concentration. Kevin raised his head to find his mother standing in front of him and church members surrounding him.
Pastor Jennings smiled into her son’s wet face. “I forgive you for becoming entangled with the enemy. Aren’t you ready to come back home, under the ark of safety?”
“Tell Him yes, son!” the church members encouraged.
“We’ve all made mistakes, but, Kevin, I love you. I am your mother; I’ll never leave you, nor forsake you like that heathen did.”
Kevin wiped his face with the backs of his hands, then stood up. The church members began clapping, thinking that Kevin was about to “give up.”
“Mother, I didn’t come here to be manipulated, nor did I come here to rejoin. I only came here to learn the truth about myself, and, thanks to you, I have.”
Pastor Jennings’s head jerked back and the church members stopped clapping.
“Mother, you should be more concerned with how you’ve destroyed Reyna’s faith in the church and less concerned with my marriage.” Pastor Jennings sucked in her breath. “You’re my mother and I love you, but Marlissa is my wife and will remain my wife, and she will one day be the mother of your grandchildren. You are not to address her as a heathen, drunk, or any other derogatory title. If you can’t handle saying her name, then you can address her as Mrs. Jennings.”
Pastor Jennings was flabbergasted. “How dare you disrespect me in front of my members?”
Kevin wasn’t going to play into the drama, but before he left there was one more thing he needed to clear up. “Mother, just so you know, you’re not the force behind my success. True, you prayed for me, but most of your prayers were out of guilt because you caused the accident that impaired me. I don’t hold the accident against you. I forgave you for that a long time ago. My success was earned with the help of God. He’s the One in control of my destiny, not you.”
As she watched Kevin leave, Pastor Jennings didn’t know what role to play: the jilted mother or the humiliated pastor. She folded and unfolded her arms; her mouth dropped and drew up repeatedly.
Her church members were too busy talking among themselves, trying to figure out what she’d done to Reyna, to notice Pastor Jennings slowly walking back to her pulpit.
“Marlissa, please let me in, I need to talk to you,” Kevin pleaded on his cell phone outside Marlissa’s apartment complex after she refused to buzz the security gate open to allow him entrance. After the episode with his mother, he had to see her.
“No, I don’t want to talk to you tonight.”
Marlissa’s voice sounded colder than it had on the security phone, but Kevin didn’t care. He needed to see her to make amends.
“Baby, I am so sorry for what I did. You were right, I was wrong. Please give me the chance to explain.”
“Kevin, you had months to explain and you said nothing. Don’t think just because you sent me roses today that you can show up here uninvited.”
“Baby, that’s not why I sent the roses.”
“Good!” Marlissa snapped before he could finish. “Because roses have thorns, Kevin, and I’m tired of getting pricked by your thorns, so don’t send me any more! And stop calling me ‘baby.’ My name is Marlissa Scott-Jennings, for the next few days anyway.”
Kevin took a deep breath. This wasn’t how he wanted the night to end. He wanted to make up and bring his wife home and make love to her until he fell asleep, but Marlissa wasn’t cooperating.
Marlissa waited for him to respond to her last statement, but he didn’t, and that only served to infuriate her more. “Kevin, don’t call me anymore!”
“Marlissa, I love . . .” Kevin didn’t bother finishing the sentence. Marlissa had already slammed the phone down.
The following day, Kevin had Dr. Wheatley cover his afternoon clinic for him. Kevin needed help getting his life together. His pride had seeped from him when Marlissa refused to talk to him last night. It was then that the possibility of living his life without her became a reality. In the past she would talk to him if nothing else, but now he’d lost total control of the situation.
He needed divine intervention and soon. He’d been praying, and the more Kevin prayed the more he saw his shortcomings, and now comprehended that if he didn’t work on himself first, he would never be a husband to Marlissa. His failure to forgive and trust had caused just as much harm to his marriage as Marlissa’s drinking had.
He shifted in the chair that didn’t adequately support his large frame, and waited patiently for his turn.
“Dr. Jennings,” the secretary called to him, “Pastor Drake will see you now.”
Chapter 32
“Starla, that’s beautiful!” Marlissa exclaimed about the off-the-shoulder, sage-colored taffeta dress Starla had chosen to renew her vows in. Starla had convinced Marlissa to come shopping with her at the last minute in an effort to cheer her up.
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes, and it looks fabulous on you. Leon’s going to love you in that dress.”
“I hope so.” Starla giggled. “Wait until you see the dress I’ve picked out for you.”
Marlissa smacked her lips. “Girl, I can’t believe I let you talk me into being your matron of honor. That’s a little unorthodox considering my present circumstances, don’t you think?”
“This is the twenty-first century, everything is unorthodox.” Starla chuckled.
The sales associate handed Marlissa her dress, and she slouched into the dressing room stall. Starla waited patiently while Marlissa tried on the cream-colored version of the same dress.
“Oh, Marlissa, it’s perfect for you.” Starla beamed when she stepped from the dressing room. “You should wear your hair down, and I have the perfect ‘genuine’ pearl earrings and necklace set,” Starla said while observing their reflections in the mirror.
Marlissa wanted to laugh in Starla’s face, but the occasion was special to her friend, so she pasted on a smile instead. Starla saw right through her.
“Marlissa, cheer up. I know it’s a little awkward for you and it is the last minute, but Leon wants the boys to stand with him. That means someone has to stand with me, and since you’re like family, you’re it.”
“Ooh, don’t I feel special.” Marlissa’s sarcasm dampened the mood.
“Marlissa, please cheer up. I have something I want to tell you, but I can’t as long as you remain down in the dumps.” Starla folded her arms and pouted.
Marlissa took a deep breath, and, once again, pushed the pain of her miserable life aside. Somebody deserved to be happy; it might as well be Starla. “Okay, what is it?”
“Promise to be happy for me?”
“I promise I will try to be happy.” Despite Marlissa’s best effort, the words dripped with bitterness.
Starla scrutinized Marlissa’s face to see if she meant the words. Marlissa would find out soon enough, so Starla went ahead and told her the good news. “I’m pregnant! Can you believe it? We’re going to have a baby around the same time?”
“Starla, that’s wonderful.” Marlissa was truly happy for her friend, but her present situation prevented her from showing much enthusiasm. She prayed the smile pasted on her face passed for genuine. “Have you told Leon yet?”
“Yes, and he’s just as excited as I am, although he’s concerned because he’s trying to restart the business. He wants to move into a bigger house before the baby’s born. Leon wants his daughter to have a room of her own.
”
“And just how do you know you’re having a girl?”
“My father told me,” Starla said, then stepped back into the dressing stall.
Marlissa shook her head, then stepped into the stall next to Starla’s. “Girl, I am not going to ask how a man who died ten years ago told you the sex of the baby you’re now carrying.”
Starla laughed. “It’s nothing creepy.” She went on to tell Marlissa about the letter from her father. “Everything he prayed for, I have, except the daughters. That’s how I know I am carrying a girl, maybe twin girls. Two for one, that would be a blessing and put an end to my baby-making career.”
“How’s the progress with your mother?” Marlissa changed the subject.
Starla sighed heavily and joy seeped from her voice. “I’m still hurt about the whole thing, but I still love her. We talk once a week, but it’s not the same. She refuses to admit she was wrong.”
“Is she coming to the wedding?”
“No, she said it didn’t make sense to fly from Arizona to see me marry the same person. It’s probably for the best since Odessa is coming.”
They practically exited the stalls simultaneously. “Starla, you know I love you. You’re the closest thing I have to a sister. I’m trying to be happy for you, but right now I’m jealous of you,” Marlissa admitted. “You have a committed man who will not only love his baby, but he loves you.”
Starla embraced her. “Kevin loves you, Marlissa. Just wait, once you tell him about the baby, everything will be different.”
“But I don’t want to tell him about the baby first. I want him to commit to me because he loves me, not because I’m pregnant.”
“Hold on, Marlissa, he will,” Starla encouraged her. They gathered the dresses and started for the register.
Marlissa looked down at the price tag. “Starla, I can’t pay for this,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry about it. I have some money in addition to the money Leon gave me. Now, come on, we have to pick out my bouquet before the florist closes, and buy shoes.”
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