Love Survives: The BWWM Interracial Romance Collection (Volume 1)

by Dez Burke

  They sang a few hymns, which were led by a young girl no more than thirteen and then it was the scripture reading and all eyes turned to Chevaine. She read from book of Samuel after which Brother Thomas took over.

  “I once was blind but now I see!” he began and Chevaine mentally rolled her eyes.

  “Yeah,” some of the members agreed.

  “….and he saved a wretch like me,” Brother Thomas continued in his high pitched voice. He was quite animated at the prospects of delivering the sermon in front of the new pastor.

  Brother Thomas had lost all his teeth and had to wear dentures, full crown, which didn’t fit so well. It was very difficult for him to speak, so some of the words came out garbled.

  “When I survey she wondush crosh, on wish my princt of glory dite….,” he continued. Chevaine who was sitting next to John had to translate, “When I survey the wondrous cross on which my prince of glory died.”

  Bother Thomas was in high gear, “My wichest game I count but lost, to save a wetch like me!” My richest gain I count but lost to save a wretch like me. If he knew the words of the songs he was reciting it would have been a tolerable sermon.

  “When is he going to start preaching?” John whispered to Chevaine.

  “He is preaching,” she whispered back.

  ***

  Monday turned out to be a busy one. The truck which was supposed to be used to transport the pastor was still at the garage but Robert the taxi driver was willing to take them wherever they wanted to go. He was not from the community and was the lone taxi owner who was willing to take passengers into the remote community of Cotton Tree Hill, that and the fact that he was seeing a woman there. The roads were terrible and Chevaine worried that the taxi would not last long, so she opted that they walk most of the journey, which suited John well.

  Breakfast was a meal of fried dumplings with ackee and codfish, a meal which John thought was too rich for the morning. He was used to toast, eggs, and coffee, but after a robust breakfast like that he felt he could face anything.

  As soon as he was done he got up and took his plate to the kitchen which adjoined the small dining room. Chevaine was surprised, as she never expected him to do that. She quickly got up from the table and followed him to the kitchen.

  “You don’t have to do that, Pastor,” as she tried to take the plate and mug from him their hands brushed against each other. It was strange for Chevaine for she could not recognize the sensation. For hours afterward she still felt a burning where his hand had touched her.

  “I know, but I would really like to,” he answered. She hadn’t realized how mature and rich his voice sounded.

  Suddenly, adding to her disappointment about the man who would be leading their flock, awkwardness developed between them. Silently, they cleaned up the kitchen and dining area. John knew he should say something but words failed him then. Chevaine wasn’t sure if her discomfort was showing or if John noticed, but she knew she could not let it compromise their situation. She was a Christian and she should be able to handle anything.

  After breakfast, it was time to meet all the people who would be instrumental in getting the building going as well as those members who would be taking care of Pastor McCrary. They spent the morning at the site where the church would be built. All the men from the community with construction experience and some laborers were there, along with the women. In all, there must have been over two dozen people at the work site.

  John felt welcomed and he started to feel at ease with his new church family. There was only one person whose approval he wanted and it would take some convincing to get it. She did her job well and took notes of everything. He worried that when the new school year commenced in September Chevaine would be too tired to fulfill her role as teacher. She had been running around getting everything organized and it seemed she thought little about herself in the process.

  That entire day, John could not help but admire the gentle way she dealt with everyone. He observed that she was much revered by her community and so much was expected of her as well.

  He was only one day in Cotton Tree Hill and already he felt like he belonged. The surrounding hills were lush and green and he could see the main town and city below. The church, when built, would have a bird’s eye view of the flat lands. He noticed that almost everyone had a farm where they cultivated cash crops as well as medium and long term produce.

  Chevaine also noticed how the new pastor interacted with the community. He was quickly accepted by most and he looked at ease among her people. As they moved around talking to everyone and getting things ready for the new church, she noticed how his brown hair curled on his forehead and nape at the moisture from the heat. It wasn’t very hot in the hills and there were gusts of light cool breeze every so often, but she realized that Canada was quite a bit cooler than Jamaica, even in the summer. He wasn’t used to the higher temperature of the Tropics.

  They made a stop at the worksite once and she saw how helpful he was as well. She also noticed how different he looked in jeans and t-shirt, unlike the suit he wore the day before. Now he looked like a regular tourist and she could easily see that he had muscles. Chevaine had never thought that ‘pastor’ and ‘muscles’ could belong in the same sentence before and chuckled to herself for thinking so. When he walked, the muscles in his thighs moved and his pecs and biceps would contract and expand as he helped lift things.

  By the time evening came, she was beginning to accept that he knew what he was doing after all. She still felt awkward around him even though her admiration had surfaced. It was confusing for Chevaine because she was usually a confident person.

  ***

  He’d been in Cotton Tree Hill two weeks and the building of the church was coming along just fine. He did notice that the men worked at a leisurely pace but that was okay with John. This way he got to know them better amid the joking and chattering. He also noticed there was a young man who kept staring at Chevaine whenever she was around. Somehow this bothered John.

  He had grown to depend on Chevaine and this young man was way out of her league anyway. She needed someone mature and compassionate, someone she could relate to on her own level. John told himself his feelings were based on his protective nature and convinced himself he was only looking out for Chevaine’s best interests.

  The relationship took a sharp detour before she could realize what was happening. They spent almost every waking moment together and without her realizing it, she had grown quite comfortable around Pastor McCrary. She even admired the way he handled situations which called for a firm hand like the time Brother Martin and Brother Thomas had a falling out over whose land the breadfruit tree belonged to.

  The breadfruit tree was on the center of the line between the two parcels of land and both men laid claim to it. It reached a point where no one wanted the other to benefit from its fruits so it was left to Pastor McCrary to sort it out.

  “You both realize that since I am not a lawyer and have no idea about your land policies here, that I have to deal with this according to the Biblical laws?” he asked hoping they would understand.

  Brother Martin calmly replied, “Just do your thing Pastor, no law is better than God’s law!”

  After questioning both men about when the lands were purchased and how long the breadfruit tree had been there it seemed that the tree had grown there long after the lands were acquired. Both men had other trees on other sections of their land so Pastor McCrary decided to pull a Solomon’s trick on them.

  “There is only one solution gentlemen,” he told them, looking both men in the eye.

  “What’s dat, Paasta?” Brother Thomas inquired in his broken language.

  “Bring your axes,” he replied.

  “What for?” Brother Martin asked.

  “You not see him want to cut down di breadfruit tree?” Brother Thomas cried.

  “What say you gentlemen? Do we just get rid of the thing or do we leave it be?”

  Both men hesi
tated. They were both farmers who spent their lives planting, not destroying. Unlike the women in the Bible, these men did not want to see the tree destroyed. Solomon had gotten his answer as to whom the baby belonged when he offered to split the child down the middle. Of course he would not have killed a child but he knew the rightful owner of the baby would not allow the child to die.

  In this case, both men refused to let the tree be torn down and agreed that sharing the crop and caring for it was the best alternative. They shook hands and decided that no tree would come between them again, that is, until they discovered a mango tree on the line about a half mile up the hill.

  The whole thing was amusing to watch and Chevaine wanted to burst out laughing several times as her pastor handled the situation with finesse, and the farmers’ obvious astonishment at the prospect of the breadfruit tree being cut down.

  “That was something, Pastor,” she complimented the man, a smile playing at the corners of her pink luscious lips. What was most captivating about her was her calm spirit and the way she would solve problems like the farmers’ dispute effortlessly, without breaking a sweat. John could hardly take his eyes away as he thought how pretty her lips were. Then he noticed how radiant her skin was as well.

  “Pastor, are you alright?” The man seemed to have zoned out, she thought that maybe he was missing his own church in Canada.

  “Yes, I’m sorry. I knew they wouldn’t want the tree cut down,” he chuckled and tried to breathe normally. He knew what was happening to him and he tried to suppress it. His pulse had sped up and his breathing became a little shallow. Lord, please help me to control my emotions, he silently prayed.

  “You’re going to get a lot of that to deal with, especially among the older folks. As you may have noticed, the community is void of its young people, except for a few,” she informed him.

  “Why is it so? And why haven’t you left as well?” John asked her,

  “They leave because the city offers better opportunities or they want to live exciting lives. I stayed because I love it here and I wanted to come back and teach.”

  “But with your qualifications you could get a job anywhere,” he insisted.

  “I didn’t want a job anywhere. I wanted a job right here,” she replied. “What about you?”

  “What about me?” he asked, puzzled by her question.

  “You are so young. How long have you been a pastor?”

  “Oh, I often get that,” he laughed. “I left high school at seventeen and went straight to college where I did my pastoral studies. It was unheard of and unusual, but somehow it happened, even my parents were surprised that they accepted me at that age.” Now she understood a little more about the man. He told her his initial studies took three years and then he further studied while being a junior pastor at his church.

  They got to know each other a little better while they were getting a little office set up right beside the pastor’s cottage. There was a little old house there and it was close enough to the church grounds to be able to serve its purpose even after the building was completed. The space was already cleaned and a desk put in place, even the telephone was also already installed. All that was needed were some shelves and a filing cabinet.

  Today, Chevaine and John were putting up some curtains and decorating with some potted plants her mother had donated. They had to use a stool for her to stand on so she could reach the hook on the wall. The curtains where blue lace which should let the breeze in as there was no need for fans or air conditioners in the cool hills of Cotton Tree Hill. As she tipped to get to the final hook she felt the stool wobble a little. Before she could catch her balance, she was falling.

  John was standing beside her and felt, rather than saw, the movement. With reflexes born of a past as a high school soccer player, he swiftly reached out and broke her fall. It happened so fast that before Chevaine knew what was happening she found herself in Pastor McCrary’s arms and just for a moment, their eyes locked.

  In that very moment, a caught the electricity between the man and woman. Chevaine quickly pulled herself away as young church brother entered the office. She felt flushed and a bit nervous. She had never been this aware of someone’s presence before and it unnerved her a bit.

  “Gregory, what are you doing here?” she asked the man who entered gingerly.

  “I came to meet the Pastor,” he replied. “And to see how you were doing.”

  “Pastor McCrary, this is Gregory, he works in the city.”

  “Hello Gregory, nice to meet you,” John stretched his hand out and Gregory took it. There was something about the hand shake that John couldn’t quite put his finger on. “So, what do you do in the city?”

  “I’m a teacher. Chev and I went to teacher’s college together,” Gregory said as he looked at Chevaine with a longing in his eyes. “But as of September I’ll be teaching at our local primary school.”

  “What?” It was Chevaine who spoke, clearly shocked by Gregory’s announcement. “You’re coming back to live?” she asked. John could hear distaste in her voice and wondered what was going on between the two.

  “That’s great, Gregory, I’m sure you are much needed here. It’s so good to see another youth return to his home to lay down some roots.” Gregory laughed at the Pastor’s attempt at a joke. He looked over at Chevaine fluffing the curtains and saw that she was not happy at his news.

  “So Chev, aren’t you happy for me?”

  “Sure Greg, I am just surprised that’s all,” she lied. It was unlike her to lie but she preferred that to hurting someone’s feeling with the truth. It was a flaw she had to deal with but it wasn’t all bad as it showed that she was considerate and compassionate.

  Gregory had been after Chevaine for a long time and it was no secret how he felt about her. But Chevaine did not feel the same and often felt quite uncomfortable about it. They had known each other since they were kids growing up in a community where everybody knew each other, like one big family. Plus, she could not get past his shenanigans of three years ago.

  Gregory hung around for a bit talking with John while Chevaine went on an errand. After Gregory was gone, John was left with his thoughts as he realized how he had grown attached to Chevaine. He wondered how she felt about him as well. Something happened between them when she fell in his arms and he wondered what would have happened if Gregory hadn’t showed up.

  Chevaine had her own inner conflicts to deal with and they all had to do with her pastor. Gregory was non-existent as far as she was concerned. He was a nice guy and she liked him, but she had no intimate feeling towards him and she had made it clear to him numerous times. The man just would not give up.

  There was a moment there when she fell from the stool and John caught her. Something happened between them that was so powerful; though no words were spoken, it was clear he felt it as well. At one point she thought he was going to kiss her and her heart almost exploded in her chest.

  When she got back from her errand, Gregory was gone but so was the electric charge between Chevaine and the pastor. They completed the job in silence, each with their own thoughts and emotions to deal with. It wasn’t an unpleasant or awkward situation, just a bit confusing for both as none of them expected this to happen.

  For the weeks leading up to the beginning of the new school year, Chevaine was consumed with her growing attraction to John, which she secretly called him. He was handsome with deep blue eyes and brown hair which would curl at the slightest bit of moisture. He had developed a tan which suited him well. Chevaine had never seen a more handsome white man and she wondered what it would be like to be kissed by his pink lips.

  Every morning as she entered the office her heart would skip a beat with the anticipation of seeing him. She prayed that school would start soon, which would give her a break to settle her thoughts. She decided that being around him was not helping and hoped that after September she would not feel the same.

  Meanwhile, John prayed for guidance, courage, and cont
rol. He asked God to show him what to do and in the meantime help him control his feelings for Chevaine.

  Chapter Two

  “Gregory, leave me be,” she insisted, her voice cracking a little.

  “Not until you go out with me,” he replied, ignoring her.

  Chevaine found that quite amusing and burst out laughing. “Ha-ha-ha, that’s funny, where will we go to, silly? There is nowhere in Cotton Tree to go on a date.” Chevaine laughed.

  “I meant, in the city. We could go to the movies or have dinner,” Gregory pleaded, his voice like a little boy begging for ice cream.

  ‘I don’t think so, Gregory, you know I don’t like the city, plus you lost your chance a long time ago,” she answered.

  “Are you seeing someone, Chevaine? I’ve noticed how you are around me. We used to be friends but now it’s like you can’t stand being around me.”

  “You know why, Gregory!” she interrupted coldly.

  “That was a long time ago and I did say I was sorry. It’s someone else, I knew it,” he assumed.

  “No, I’m not seeing anyone and that’s not true, we are still friends.” She regretted saying that the moment it came out of her mouth.

  “Then why can’t two friends spend time together? We could go on a picnic right here in Cotton Tree Hill. Tell you what, I’ll pick you up at eleven tomorrow.” Before Chevaine could reply, Gregory rode off on his new bike. She knew he tricked her and she didn’t like it one bit. But he was in for a big surprise, there was no way she was going on a picnic with him.

  It was Friday and they were going home from teaching class. They both taught at the primary school in the community. Chevaine stomped home, peeved that Gregory would work his way into getting a date, but no way was she giving in that easily. Plus, she was really looking forward to catching up on church business that Saturday. She seethed all the way to her front door.