Trying to Stay Saved

by E. N. Joy

  “Well, now that everyone knows,” Mother Doreen said, “I guess ain’t no harm in sharing it with you all.” She blushed. “Yes, Pastor Frey and I have grown smitten with each another.” She looked at the three of them. “I hope that’s okay with everybody.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” Sadie questioned, then took a bite of her food.

  “Yeah,” Hudson shrugged.

  “The Lord sure does work in mysterious ways,” Bethany said. “You couldn’t stand the man at first, and now you’re ready to marry him.”

  Mother Doreen put her hand up. “Hold up, wait a minute. Ain’t nobody said nothing about putting marriage in it.”

  The kids chuckled at Mother Doreen’s rhyme.

  “Aunti, why are you starting to sound like that Mr. Brown character in a Tyler Perry film?” Sadie asked.

  “’Cause that man got her acting all silly like a teenager in love,” Bethany answered for her sister.

  Mother Doreen looked serious. “You know what, Sis? I think you’re right.”

  There was a hush over the room.

  Mother Doreen nodded and a smile spread across her lips. “It’s a funny thing when love creeps in. Ain’t so easy to ignore or ask it to leave and tell it to come back later . . . at a more appropriate time . . . when you’re ready. Nope; love just shows up and knocks you down.”

  “Uh, oh . . . now Aunti is singing Keri Hilson,” Sadie laughed.

  Mother Doreen waved her hand. “Uh-uh. I don’t know nothing about that secular mess you two young folks listen to.” She looked at Bethany. “I don’t even know why your mama allows you to play it in her house. As for me and my house—”

  “You’re right,” Bethany said as she sat there with a serious look on her face.

  “I know I’m right. Don’t nothing about that music glorify God. It just—”

  “No, I mean you’re right about love,” Bethany stated. “It’s like this powerful force that you sometimes have no control over.”

  Bethany was staring off as everyone else was staring at her. She snapped out of her zone once she realized she was the center of attention. The mood was now serious. She knew it was time. Finally it was time that she shared the truth with her family, the real truth about how she’d really been feeling. The whole truth and nothing but. They would understand. They’d have to understand. They’d just agreed themselves that love had a mind of its own. She couldn’t help how she felt.

  “Sis, kids, there’s something I want to tell you.” Bethany swallowed hard after clearing her throat. Everyone could tell this was serious by the look on her face.

  Mother Doreen shifted nervously in her chair.

  “What is it, Ma?” Hudson asked. He’d stopped eating.

  The sudden shift in her mother’s tone had also caused Sadie to push her plate aside. She had no idea what her mother was about to say, but she knew it was going to be something that would change things. It had already changed the upbeat tone to that of a sour note.

  Bethany swallowed. “I know it hasn’t been that long since your father passed,” Bethany started, but then her nerves set in. She grasped for words, a lie, to cover the truth she was about to tell. Perhaps she’d jumped the gun. It was too soon. It wasn’t time for her to reveal her true feelings just yet. But she’d already begun taking the top off the can of worms. She couldn’t turn back now.

  Bethany fixed her mouth to continue, but before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Feeling like divine intervention had just showed up, Bethany jumped up from the table. “I’ll get it.” She hurried to the door, not even wondering who it might be or that the person had not placed a call first. As she made her way to the door she played with words in her head about how to tell her family what she needed to tell them. She was so focused that she didn’t even look to see who was at the door before opening it; otherwise, she might have thought twice about doing so. But it was too late now.

  Now Bethany had no choice but to greet her uninvited guest. “Good evening, First Lady Davi—” Before Bethany could finish her greeting, she felt a sting across her cheek.

  “First Lady Davidson?” Mother Doreen yelled as she jumped from the table to run to her sister’s aid. Before Mother Doreen could even get to the door, First Lady Davidson, the wife of Pastor Davidson, said what she needed to say and then walked off.

  “You just couldn’t stop sleeping with him, could you?” First Lady Davidson asked Bethany. “Well, there’s his stuff.” She pointed to bags and loose items that were strewn across the lawn. “He’s all yours.” And with that, she wiped her hands clean and left just as quickly as she’d come.

  But it was obvious that there was much more to come.

  Chapter Four

  Lorain was filled with such joy to see Unique’s three children come trailing out of the house, heading toward her car. Prior to getting to know the three little men, she wasn’t much of a kid person. “I don’t do the kid thing,” she’d always said. But it hadn’t taken long for the boys to prick at her heart and burst that bubble. Now, every time she saw kids out and about with their mom or dad, a strange desire would come over her; a desire to actually want to be around kids. It was a desire to maybe even have kids of her own someday.

  The gist of this desire had been unearthed during her sabbatical. She didn’t know how much of her might have felt this way prior to that. She didn’t know a lot of things these days, literally. And she owed it all to the selective memory loss. What she did know was that she was going to have a talk with pastor about working with the youth at the church in one capacity or another. For now, though, she was satisfied with doting on Unique’s boys.

  “Well, hello, kids,” Lorain greeted as Unique buckled her boys in the backseat.

  “Hi, Miss Lorain,” they replied in unison.

  The youngest even tried to reach up to hug Lorain, but Unique held him back.

  “Baby, Mommy is trying to buckle you up. Sit back,” Unique said, then buckled and kissed him on the head.

  Lorain thought she could just cry right there. No one had ever expressed such happiness to see her. Reciprocation of that kind felt good, even if it was from a little person.

  “I missed go at your house,” the youngest said to Lorain.

  “You missed going,” the oldest corrected. “You missed going to her house.” He then looked at Lorain. “We all did, Miss Lorain.” A little smile crept through his always serious face.

  “Yeah, and we can’t wait to draw you a picture telling you how much we missed you,” the middle child added. “You gonna put it on your shine board?”

  “Are you going to put it on your shine board?” the oldest now corrected his middle brother. His face was back in its serious disposition.

  “Are you going to put it on your shine board?” the middle son asked correctly.

  “You know it,” Lorain smiled as she looked over and saw that Unique was now secure in the passenger’s seat with her seat belt on. “And you know what else?” This time she was speaking to Unique. “I missed you, Sister Unique.”

  Unique snapped her head back. Had she just heard Lorain correctly? The same woman who used to run to Pastor’s office to complain about how much she hated having to work with her now proclaimed to miss her. Unique leaned in and put her hand on Lorain’s forehead, checking for a fever. After feeling that Lorain was normal she said, “Just checking,” then cracked a smile as they drove off to Lorain’s place.

  After entering Lorain’s condo, everyone took their shoes off.

  “You go ahead and get us all set up in the living room,” Lorain told Unique. “I’ll get the boys situated in the kitchen. I got them some snacks and more art supplies.”

  Unique paused for a moment. With a serious expression on her face she said, “Look, Sister Lorain, I don’t know if it’s God or that bump on the head you took, but this new you . . .” She looked Lorain up and down, then allowed a smile to appear on her lips. “I like . . . a lot.” She winked and headed over to the cou
ch.

  “Thank you,” Lorain replied in an inaudible tone before leading the boys into the kitchen. Upon joining Unique back in the living room she asked Unique, “So, what do you think? What type of event should we have in order to try to get some more men to join the Singles Ministry? Not just men, I suppose, but more members, period.”

  “First things first.” Unique stood up and extended her hands to Lorain. “Let’s open with some prayer.”

  Lorain took hold of Unique’s hands while Unique led them in prayer.

  “Dear Father in heaven, thank you for being you. Thank you for breathing on us. With that breath, Father God, we ask for fresh wind. Fresh anointing. Thank you for this ministry and for blessing Sister Lorain and myself with the responsibility of overseeing it. Thank you for trusting us with your people. Lord, thank you for bringing Sister Lorain back from her sabbatical safe and sound and free from harm. Thank you for the newness you’ve created in her, O God. Oh sha, bo, so ta ya po. Yes, God, we thank you for the fresh anointing. Oh, ba, ya, to, som, ah ye.”

  Unique squeezed Lorain’s hands a little tighter. “May you continue to do a good work in her. May you fill her up and provide her with an overflow. Um, sha, bo, so ta ya po. May I receive some of that overflow, dear God. Ohhh, I feel the Holy Ghost. Ump, yes, Lord. May you connect us like never before. May you allow our spirits to connect in order to do what you have called us to do. May we do those things with a spirit of excellence and with love, in a manner that is pleasing to you, Lord in heaven. Oh, God, I know at first Sister Lorain and I were not willing vessels, but now we say, ‘Yes, Lord.’”

  “Yes! Yes, Lord,” Lorain whispered.

  “So thank you for changing our hearts, for changing our minds, and for changing our ways. Now use us, Lord, as you see fit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

  “Amen,” Lorain stated.

  Unique opened her eyes only to see Lorain’s spilling with tears. She looked around and spotted a box of tissue on an end table. “Here.” She extended a couple of tissues to Lorain.

  “Thank you.” The minute Lorain would wipe one tear, another would fall. She’d been so moved by Unique’s anointed prayer. Those words had truly meant so much to her. She wanted their spirits to connect. She wanted their lives to connect. But first, she knew she had to get their stories to connect. So she dried her eyes, cleared her throat, and pulled herself together. A connection was going to take place; Lorain was going to make sure of that as she prepared to execute phase one of her plan.

  “So do you have an agenda made up for our meeting this time?” Unique asked, ready to get things started.

  “I sure do,” Lorain told her, pulling a sheet of paper out of her notebook that sat on the table. But little did Unique know, Lorain had a hidden agenda as well.

  Chapter Five

  When Paige heard the garage door opening, she rushed to put the final touches on the meal she’d prepared for Blake. Well, actually, Flo had done the bulk of the work prior to leaving for the day, but Paige had insisted on having a hand in the preparation. For the past couple of days, ever since that phone conversation with his mother’s attorney, Blake had been on edge. He’d been snappy and restless, tossing and turning all night. And when Paige thought a session of oneness would relax him, he was too tense to even focus on the task at hand.

  Now she was bound and determined to do everything she could to see to it that they had a nice evening. Coming off of a honeymoon they’d initially had to cancel and postpone, Paige felt cheated. After spending seven days in paradise, they should have been able to come home with clear minds and spirits. No, it wasn’t the sabbatical that New Day members were notorious for going away on, but God had definitely been on that island with them. Only God could have created such beauty, and never would He have left it unattended. So surely He’d been present, keeping watch over His marvelous and wonderfully made creations: the island, Paige, and Blake.

  “Baby, I’m glad you’re home . . .” Paige’s words trailed off when she saw the angry look on her husband’s face as he entered the house.

  “That witch didn’t waste any time,” Blake spat as he slammed a set of papers down on the kitchen counter.

  “Wha-what’s wrong.” Paige eased her way over to the papers and picked them up.

  “I got served today,” Blake barked. “I got served right as the local television station showed up on my job wanting to interview me. I was so embarrassed. Saved me from declining their interview, because they could clearly see that I was in no condition to be interviewed by anybody after that,” he rambled on in rage.

  “You got served?” Paige questioned, then trying to make light of the situation, she replied, “What did I tell you and Klyde about having those dance offs in the office,” she teased with a half smile.

  “Huh? What?” Blake was completely lost until he realized Paige was joking in reference to that popular dance movie among youngsters titled You Got Served. “This is not the time for jokes.” He didn’t smile. Not even a half smile.

  “Sorry, honey, I just thought—”

  “You just thought nothing.” He snatched the papers out of Paige’s hands. “It’s not your money that gold-digging ho is after.”

  “Blake!” Paige couldn’t believe that word had come out of her husband’s mouth. She’d never heard him degrade women before. And in less than a minute, he’d referred to one as a gold digging ho; and this was his own mother he was talking about.

  “Don’t ‘Blake’ me. The woman deserves to be called worse.” He looked down at the papers and began to read them. He’d already read them twice, though, before calling up and faxing a copy over to the company’s attorney. “She’s got some nerve to have abandoned me and my father, left us for dead, and then pop back into my life bearing court papers. Is this woman serious?”

  “Listen, baby, it’s going to be all right.” Paige walked over to Blake and began rubbing his back. “We’ve already got the victory in this situation.”

  “One million dollars,” Blake stated as he shook his head and then repeated, “One million dollars. She’s suing me for one million dollars. My own mother. Son of a—!” He slammed the papers down so hard that it frightened Paige.

  Taking a deep breath, now trying to calm her own self down and get her heart rate back on track, Paige said, “Let’s just relax. Enjoy this wonderful, delicious dinner, then take a Jacuzzi bath or something. I’ll light some candles, turn on some gospel jazz. Afterward, we can go to bed and, you know, comfort each another.”

  Now Blake was looking at his wife, shaking his head.

  “What?” Paige shrugged, wondering why her husband was looking at her like she had a booger hanging out of her nose.

  “Is that all you think about? Really? Sex and food?”

  Paige put her hands on her hips, highly offended. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me,” Blake snapped. “I’ve been busting my butt since the day we got married trying to keep food on the table. And God knows how expensive that can get with a woman your size. Thank God the doctor made you cut back, or else who knows how much I’d still be spending.”

  Paige swallowed the lump in her throat as she became full of emotions. She was hurt, mad, angry, shocked, and pissed. She wanted to pick up the pan of vegetable lasagna that was cooling on the stove and whack him a good one upside the head with it.

  “Look, I’m tired. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.” Blake excused himself and headed for the bedroom.

  Paige stood there fighting back tears from the mixed emotions and crazy thoughts still running through her head. Thoughts like her taking the mini-television/radio off the kitchen counter and throwing it in the shower with Blake. Thoughts like putting something in his dinner that would make him ill. Just then, in the middle of her crazy thoughts, the phone rang. It was perfect timing, because Lord only knows what Paige might have thought up next . . . and then done.

  Getting herself together, she walked over to the phone and answered it
. “Hello.”

  “Hey, girl.” Paige exhaled when she heard her best friend’s voice chime through the phone. “What are you over there doing?” Tamarra asked.

  After taking a deep breath, Paige answered, “Trying to stay saved.”

  Paige talked with Tamarra on the phone for over an hour, sharing the details of everything that had taken place over the last week; everything from their perfect honeymoon of her dreams, to the nightmare that had awaited them once they returned. She told Tamarra how on edge the entire lawsuit thing had made Blake, but she left out the part about the flesh-cutting insults his tongue had wounded her with. She was too embarrassed; besides, she knew that wasn’t her Blake talking. That’s not how he truly felt about her. He was just angry. It was his mother he really wanted to lash out at. Unfortunately for Paige, she was the only one around to take it. She figured she’d just bear the brunt until they got past everything.

  “Honey, you ’sleep?” Paige asked, entering the dark bedroom after ending her call with Tamarra.

  At first Blake remained silent, then he let out a sigh and spoke. “No, I’m awake. Can’t sleep.”

  Paige walked over to the bed and sat down on her side. “I know this whole court thing is on your mind—”

  “No, it’s not that,” Blake said, sitting up in the bed. “I can’t sleep because of all those awful things I said to you.” He scooted close to her and held her face. “Baby, I didn’t mean it. You know I didn’t mean it. I love you. You are my everything. You are perfect in my eyes. It’s just that—”

  This time Paige cut him off by putting her index finger to his lips. “Shhh. I understand. I know it’s not me you’re angry with.” She removed her finger.

  “But you didn’t deserve that from me. You’re a good wife. I’m sorry.”