Everyone walked over to join in the prayer. Sara began in a voice of authority to pray for her family as they began to walk in the purpose for which God called them.
“Gracious God, there are so many requests that we have for our lives this morning, but before we start asking, we just want to say thank you. For we know, God, that there are so many people who live alone in this world without family to encourage them, listen to them, and support them. We realize that we have you. For that, we just want to say thank you. You have blessed us to be family—not through a blood relationship of a mother or father but by the blood of your only Son, Jesus. For that, we want to say thank you. Now, God, we realize that we all came to Seattle for different reasons. One of us is a scorned child wanting to reconcile with a family that doesn’t know you. One of us has come to this place looking for self-renewal and your divine will for her life. God, my Father, I realize that you know all about me. My only request is that my daughters and my godchildren be granted their requests. I know you will take care of me and all my needs will be taken care of. In your Son, Jesus’s, name, we all say amen.”
Each person agreed with her and said, “Amen.” Cynthia and Destiny set about making breakfast while Sara checked the boys’ ears and went through their book bags before they left for school. Today was going to be a great day for all of them.
Cynthia drove her car into the garage of M and W Enterprises Real Estate Investors, Inc. as Charles Mullins instructed her to do when he called Saturday to confirm their meeting time. Stopping at the gate, she let the automatic window down and looked at the attendant.
“Hi. I’m Cynthia Mason, and I have a meeting this morning with Charles Mullins.” Cynthia watched as the gentleman checked for her name. Finding it, he leaned out the booth, pointed to the area where she could park her car, and showed her the entrance she would use to enter the building.
Cynthia drove her car to the K-level where she found a parking space close to the elevators. Gathering her briefcase she headed for the elevator doors. As she boarded, she took a deep calming breath. Others got on the elevator and got off on different floors. Checking herself in the mirror one last time to make sure her braids were still pinned up and her suit was wrinkle free gave her the confidence needed for her appointment. She was determined to get this job, not because of who her parents were but because she was qualified. When the elevator stopped on her floor, she got off and followed the signs M and W Enterprises Real Estate Investors, Inc. She opened the glass doors that led to her new career.
Chapter 10
Destiny thought about how she had tossed and turned that night, her dreams filled with images of Stanley. Later the dreams changed; she was no longer in Seattle but back in Charleston running through a swamp bare footed with Stanley in fast pursuit. The faster she tried to run, the slower she moved, her feet were growing heavier, weighed down by muddy swamp water. She wanted to escape the swamp, but she couldn’t make her legs turn in the direction of the light she saw. Finally, she found herself on dry land, moving quickly, no mud holding her feet back. But when she looked up to see the source of the light, it was a flashlight being held by her archenemy Stanley. As he moved toward her she was unable to move; all she could do was stand there while he laughed hysterically, holding the flashlight baring down on her. Then she woke with a start.
“Calm down,” she chided herself firmly, waiting until her breathing had returned to normal before she moved. Sitting up, she shook her head slowly, stealing a look around the room and knowing full well no one was there. The dream had been so real. She wiped the sweat from her brow and stretched; she knew it was time for her to get the day started. But these dreams were giving her pause. There had to be a way to eliminate her uneasiness concerning Stanley, but for now she had something else to do.
Two hours later, after their family prayer she was on her way to Tina’s house. Her daughter, Taylor, probably had grown so much since the last time she’d seen her. Destiny thought about her god-daughter as she maneuvered through traffic. The directions were pretty straightforward and easy to follow. She was excited about seeing her. They really were more like sisters, having been roommates for the entire time they were in college. That’s how she’d met Willie, who she lovingly called Uncle, in actuality he was Tina’s uncle, but Destiny had spent so many weekends and holidays with the family she began calling him by the same term of endearment.
When she thought about Tina, it was easy to get emotional because Tina knew her history. Tina and her husband Richard were both there to support her. They had not judged her; they just loved her and supported her decision as difficult as it was at the time. Destiny parked in the driveway as per Tina’s instructions. She checked the address again, took a deep breath, and then turned off the ignition. Exiting the car, her heart was beating a mile a minute. Focusing on her surroundings, she turned her attention to the gorgeous house. Destiny sucked in a breath of cool air as she climbed the front steps. She was only on the second step when the door opened to an excited Taylor yelling, “Auntie Destiny!” But that alone wasn’t enough for little Miss Taylor. She jumped up in Destiny’s arms; hugging her with all her might, the force alone caused Destiny to stumble back to the first porch step.
“Hi, Auntie Destiny. We’ve been waiting on you for a long time. And guess what? I made a picture just for you. Do you want to come see it?”
Just as quickly as Taylor had jumped in her arms, Destiny couldn’t believe she was now jumping down and dragging her by the arm toward the front door.
Destiny couldn’t believe how beautiful Tina looked pregnant. She was smiling as Taylor led her to the front door. Dropping Taylor’s hands, Destiny studied her friend, searching for something, maybe she needed to see the happiness that she hadn’t seen in her own eyes so many years ago. Tina held still until, seemingly satisfied, Destiny lowered her eyes gently rubbing her swelling stomach. Destiny threw her arms around her best friend. It had been so long since they had seen one another. Releasing her, Destiny saw the shimmer of glistening tears in her eyes.
“Girl, it’s so good to see you again. You look good. How’s my auntie, and what do you think of Seattle?”
Destiny chuckled because Tina had not changed a bit. She was a little bigger around the middle, but other than that, she looked good. She was always the talkative one, so Destiny knew before she left she would be drilled on everything from Stanley to her trip to Seattle.
“To answer your first question, Auntie sends her love. And I can’t believe how much you have grown,” she said, rubbing Tina’s stomach again, “and Taylor as well. She’s beautiful.”
“Come on, you guys. Let’s go eat lunch before all of my hard work in the kitchen goes to waste.” Tina was heading for the door. “Come on, Destiny. We have a lot of catching up to do. We may as well get started.”
After a satisfying lunch, Tina sat with Destiny in the family room as they both looked out over the gorgeous view of her backyard. It was everything Tina had told her and more.
“So tell me about Pastor Adam Wheeler,” Tina said, breaking the silence between them. “You sat next to this handsome brother all the way from Charleston to Seattle. For you to visit his church and join, he had to have made a great impression.”
Hearing a noise, Destiny looked around to see if Richard had returned. Seeing no one, her attention went back to Tina. She’d told Tina about meeting Adam while they were cleaning up the kitchen earlier. “I’m a little nervous, Tina. I really like him a lot, but I don’t know about dating a pastor so we agreed to be friends for now.”
Tina scratched her head. “Girl, being a pastor is what he does, but a natural born man is what he is. His title does not change the fact that he is like any other man. He just has a calling on his life to do God’s work.”
They both looked at each other and laughed as they gave each other high fives. “I know that’s right!”
“So you’re nervous, huh?” Tina asked.
“I guess it’s just that I wan
t to do everything right, Tina. I don’t want to mess this up. I believe that I deserve to be loved by a good man. But I’ve had so many mess-ups in my life that I’m a little scared. I did do one thing I’m proud of.” She paused for a second. “On Sunday, I gave my life to the Lord.” Destiny used her hand to wipe the tears that were falling.
“Oh, my God, I prayed that you would come to know Jesus and the true nature of his love. He won’t fail you, Destiny. He’ll be there every step of the way on your journey to discovering yourself.” Tina took her time and looked Destiny right in the eyes while placing her hands on Destiny’s heart.
“You have the Holy Spirit within you, Destiny, to help you become more and more like Jesus. When we have an experience with the power of God like you did on Sunday, our lives begin to change. You, Destiny, are now empowered to walk in authority like Jesus. That’s why you were able to walk away from the place you were in because when you discover who you are, you can move from where you are to where you need to be.”
She breathed out a sigh of relief because her sister understood what she was feeling without her having to explain. “I’ve never felt like this, Tina.” She closed her eyes and laid her head back on the sofa where they were sitting, her body relaxing before she looked over at Tina. “This morning I woke to the phone ringing, and do you know who it was? It was Adam. He said he was calling to pray with me and to give me a scripture to meditate on for the day. It was just what I needed. Listen to this—” Destiny pulled a sticky note from her pocket—Psalm 66:17-19. Sitting upright again she read, ‘“I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.’”
“And then we prayed together. Can you believe it? I have never prayed with a man on the phone before. I feel free for the first time in my life. I know that my life is going to be different. I’m so ready for God to show me what to do next in my walk with him. I started going to church last year in Charleston, and my bishop was great. His preaching gave me the courage I needed to leave. I feel better than I have in years but I still have a ways to go. God, I’m so happy!”
Destiny jumped up from the sofa, danced around in a circle, and pulled Tina up to join her. They were both laughing and crying tears of joy. “I could shout it to the mountain tops!” Destiny lifted her hands, giving God silent praise for the wonderful things he had done and was still doing in her life.
Tina grabbed both of Destiny’s hands, and, looking at her, she said, “Well, I might as well give you something else to celebrate. The baby’s a boy!”
Destiny dropped Tina’s hands, jumping up and down with joy. This time she ran around the sofa and began to dance.
“Oh, my God, oh, my God, you’re going to have a boy! I’m so happy for you, Tina!” Destiny flopped back down on the sofa, touching Tina’s stomach.
“I have only five more months to go. Destiny, I’m so happy because now Taylor will have a brother and Richard will have a boy to share his love of football with, although Taylor thinks she’s the next Seahawks quarterback.” Tina grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and wiped her eyes.
“Destiny, I want you to know that from the day Richard and I brought Taylor home from the hospital, we loved her just like she was our own. We had read every book, and besides, we went to all of the doctor’s visits so we were ready for anything. She is such a precious child, and I don’t know what our lives would be like if she weren’t in it.” Now the tears were falling from both of their eyes.
“Tina, you know I didn’t know anything about the Lord when I got pregnant. I thought I would lose my mind, especially after finding out that I was pregnant after the rape. But you and Richard were truly angels sent to me by God. I knew I couldn’t destroy a life. She deserved to be here even though I didn’t deserve to be raped. God is a giver of life, not a taker. Remember that verse you quoted to me on the night I delivered her? Psalms 77:14: ‘You are the God who performs miracles. You display your power among the people.’ I never forgot that scripture because he used me to give you a miracle, and he showed both of us his power.” They both leaned in to hug each other.
“I know that I’ll have to share what happened to me with Adam, especially if we are going to have a relationship. But I want to see how it goes first, and then I will tell him everything. But in the meantime, I’m going to develop a relationship with the Lord and let him take care of the rest.” Tina reached for Destiny’s hand and squeezed it tightly.
“I’ve never been so proud of you, Destiny. You are going to be just fine.” Tina raised her eyebrow. “But you know that, don’t you?”
“I know you and Richard love me, and it means the world to me. When we were in college, you, Shawn, and Uncle Willie were always family. I felt this way because you all showed me love unconditionally, and I’ll always love all of you for it. I cherish all of the time we spent together as a family during breaks, and those long weekends were great being able to share them with you all.” Destiny reached for her glass of iced tea that was sitting on the coffee table and took a sip as she listened for Tina’s response.
“You know we enjoyed you as much as you enjoyed us; now enough about me. Tell me, what do you think of Cynthia and the boys?” she quizzed and waited for an answer.
“Tina, I absolutely love Cynthia, and once you meet her, I think you will also. We connected the moment we met at the airport. The twins are the most adorable little boys. They are older than Taylor by three years. I have to give her credit because as a single mother she has done a wonderful job of raising them. They are very polite and well mannered.” Destiny reached over and touched Tina’s hand to emphasize her statement.
“You know Auntie kept the twins when we were in Charleston,” she stated.
“I remember Sara telling me about two boys.” Tina smiled at Destiny because she could imagine them both in her mind.
“I spent time with them, but I never had the opportunity to meet their mother until we arrived in Seattle. Can you believe that we were on the same flight?”
The shock of what Destiny shared showed on her friend’s face. “Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me.”
“I wouldn’t lie about something like this, Tina. She was sitting in the seat in front of us. But, girl, this tops it all!” Destiny hit her legs with her hands. “Can you believe that the father of her twins is Adam’s brother, Marvin? The sticky part about all of this is that he doesn’t even know they exist.” Destiny could tell by the expression in Tina’s face that she was shocked by this revelation.
“You mean to tell me that her twins are Marvin Wheeler’s?” She asked with alarm in her voice and questions in her eyes. “Richard and I met him last year at a fundraiser during the Christmas holidays. He’s a generous man and gives large donations to charities around the city. His generosity made such a great impression on us, and we became rather fond of him, friends actually. It’s not often that you find young, single, black males giving back to their communities, but I can truly say Marvin Wheeler is an outstanding individual. Is she going to keep the boys a secret?” Tina inquired with questioning eyes.
“Heavens no. You won’t believe this, but there is another twist in this whole situation. When Cynthia left Charleston, she applied for a position with M and W Enterprises Real Estate Investors Inc.” Destiny chuckled when she saw the raise of Tina’s eyebrows in recognition of the company’s name.
“Am I correct in assuming that she didn’t know that Marvin owned M and W?” Tina began to laugh uncontrollably. “The Bible says that my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. God is so awesome. He orchestrated this whole thing. Look at this.”
Tina slapped her thighs with her hands. Then she lifted up her fingers to illustrate her point. “Number one, you and Adam meet on the plane.” She raised one finger. “Number two, Cynthia just so happens to sit in the seat in front of both of you.” The second
finger went up. “Number three, Adam is the pastor of one of the largest churches in the city, and his brother just so happens to be Cynthia’s babies’ daddy and her new boss. Now tell me that God didn’t set this all up. It has his handy work all over it.”
Tina threw both of her hands up. “Let me throw this in for good measure. Richard and I have been trying to decide on a ministry to join, and we had thought about Pastor Wheeler, but now I know why we waited. However, this Sunday, we will be the newest members of Greater Community.
Tina looked over at Destiny and added, “Plus, he likes you, and you seem to like him as well. Am I correct?” Tina suggested in her usual helpful voice.
“It’s true. I do like him. Adam’s sweet, and I believe we’ve gotten to know a little about each other.” Destiny stated.
“I just feel God all over this thing. Don’t worry about Adam. He’s going to do only what God directs him to do and nothing else,” Tina told Destiny. She didn’t explain further.
Then Destiny focused on Tina. “The truth is, Tina, I don’t know enough about the Word of God to be completely comfortable talking to Adam about the things of God or Stanley for that matter.”
Looking at Destiny like she had grown a second head, Tina responded, “are you concerned about Stanley finding you here?”
She nodded. “I find myself double checking everything and I constantly have nightmares about him.” Destiny abruptly stopped talking and smiled meekly. “I’ve been going on and on about everything but that. But in all honesty it scares me to death.”
“I’m sorry.” Tina’s expression became thoughtful. “I should have asked you about him sooner. I know that it’s been a difficult time for you.” Her voice was unsteady. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner about your feelings?”
No Wasted Tears Page 9