The Believer

by Kym Davis Boyles

  “Mimi, I no longer have expectations of anything or anyone in my life. I just trust God every minute of my life.”

  Mimi began taking small steps again leaving Aaron standing and watching her. Then she turned around. “You made a fool out of me. I fell in love with a man that I knew nothing about. You did unthinkable things for money and your wishes and your 'sorries' will never fix that!” She pointed her finger at him.

  Aaron lowered his head and closed his eyes. “I know that.”

  It wasn’t good enough. Nothing Aaron said would be good enough for the pain she felt. “What kind of person does what you did?” Mimi asked with her large brown eyes watering after she promised herself that she wouldn’t cry. “I never knew anyone like that, much less let them into my life.”

  Aaron reached out and wiped her tears from her face; she jumped at his touch. “I’m sorry,” Aaron apologized, wide eyed at her reaction. “I didn’t mean to touch you without asking first.” Mimi stared at him. “Mimi, that man that you knew was an awful man and I didn’t want you to fall in love with him because you deserved so much better,” Aaron said.

  Mimi caught her breath and looked around to see how much attention she’d drawn to herself in her emotional outburst. Fortunately, everyone was in their own created, momentary worlds.

  “Mimi, I take full responsibility for my actions. I know now that Sam was a great man. It was heinous what I did and I spend every waking hour trying to make up for my deeds only to realize that I’m no closer to making up for it today than I was yesterday. If it wasn’t for my faith in God, I would probably have ended my own life already. Only by His grace am I still alive.”

  Mimi stared at him then looked at the couple in front of them sitting on a picnic table holding hands and staring into each other’s' eyes. “I don’t know what to do. I want to walk away and never look back.”

  “And you are entitled to that,” Aaron said.

  Mimi wiped her eyes. She knew that her rage wasn’t solely directed at him but that she was also angry at herself for trusting and loving him.

  “Mimi, you can beat up on me all day but you can’t hurt me any more than I already hurt. God forgave me when I couldn’t forgive myself but I’m still here and because of Jesus, I can’t give up. God has a purpose for my life and even these bars can’t stop that.”

  Mimi exhaled and looked with teary eyes around the enclosed yard, wondering how she’d gotten herself into this mess and what she had really expected to find once she was here.

  Aaron walked over to Mimi and looked her into the eyes. “I regret the life I’ve lived but I don’t regret meeting you because you are the most beautiful thing that God ever put in my path and it’s because of you that I know Jesus.” Aaron smiled. “You changed my life; even behind bars, I feel free.”

  Even feeling like she felt, she wanted to smile. It was something about hearing the story of grace that did that. She looked down at her watch. Aaron sighed and looked away with disappointment. “I know you have a long drive but I appreciate that you came. Thank you,” he said, staring in her eyes.

  “I have a few more minutes if that’s okay,” she said, looking over at an empty picnic table.

  Aaron’s eyes lit up. “Okay, can I get you something from the vending machine? Chips? Nuts?”

  Mimi nodded, walking toward the empty table. “Sure.”

  Chapter 40

  Leon’s naked body lay beneath the sheet with his right leg on top of it as he heaped shrimp-fried rice down his throat directly from the Chinese food container. It might as well have been caviar as good as it tasted compared to the awful prison food. Leon was focused on the football game on the television set when he heard Charlotte vomiting in the bathroom.

  “What’s wrong with you? It sounds like you’re excavating a lung,” Leon yelled into the bathroom with a mouth full of rice. He heard the toilet flush and Charlotte walked out of the bathroom tying the big pink robe around her waist. She dabbed her red eyes and climbed back into bed with him. “I said, what’s wrong with you?” he asked her again, staring.

  “I think it’s the Chinese food,” she said, leaning back on the headboard.

  “How come I’m not sick then?” Leon asked.

  “You didn’t eat the egg foo yung,” Charlotte said with the tissue up to her mouth.

  Leon rolled his eyes. She doesn’t need to be eating it either. As a matter of fact, she needs to slow down on her eating. Leon looked back at the television set and dug through the remaining rice in his container with his chopsticks.

  “That place isn’t going to be the same,” Charlotte said, flipping her tissue looking for a dry spot and then dabbing her eyes.

  “Charlotte, what are you talking about now?”

  “Frost,” she shot back at him. “His funeral is Saturday and I don’t know if I can stand to see him lying in that casket like that.”

  Leon looked sharply over at her with his mouth pouted. “If his wife can stand it then surely you should be able to.”

  Charlotte’s nostril flared as she glared over at Leon. “You’re changing,” Charlotte said.

  Leon stared at the television set. “What?”

  “You. A close colleague of mine was killed and you act like we’re discussing the weather.”

  Leon looked at her, realizing that maybe he was getting too comfortable with her. He couldn’t afford to do that just yet. He placed his hand on her thigh. “I’m sorry. I know he was your friend and I was just thinking how he seemed to make it his mission to want to crush me and he would have. You know that.”

  “What does that mean? It wasn’t personal with you. He has a family, Leon.”

  Leon stopped and touched her hand. “I’m sorry that your friend was killed. I know it hurts because I had a close friend that was killed. I hope they find whoever did it for everybody’s sake.”

  Charlotte looked at the clock. “Our time’s up. We need to be heading back,” she said, before placing her hand to her mouth and rushing her big body toward the bathroom where Leon heard her vomiting again.

  Chapter 41

  Evan stared down at the document on her desk with a ruler to specifically look at each line item.

  “Line 7, invoice #5, $551.23.”

  Mimi sat across from Evan’s desk with her legs crossed, pen in her hand and a legal pad on her lap. “I got that,” she said checking off the item in her notes.

  Evan looked at the watch on her wrist. “Gracie has her immunization appointment this afternoon.”

  “Oh fun, my angel face is going to act up today,” Mimi laughed.

  “She’s going to be very mad at me,” Evan said. “You want to come?”

  “No thanks,” Mimi said, widening her eyes. “That girl has a set of lungs on her and I can’t do it today.”

  Evan rolled her eyes. “You’re so wrong for that,” Evan said.

  Mimi jotted something down on the legal pad in her lap. “One day I’m going to ask you to accompany me for my babies' shot appointments.”

  Evan smiled at the thought. She couldn’t wait for Mimi to feel what she felt for Gracie. “And I can’t wait. You’re going to be such a great mom.”

  Mimi smiled. “Just like you.”

  Evan winked at her. “Ahhh, thank you sis.” Evan looked back down at the document then back up at Mimi. “You rarely talk like this about babies and stuff.”

  Mimi held the legal pad up to her chest and sighed. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately Ev, I’m not getting any younger and I’ve always seen myself as a wife and a mom.”

  “And you will be when God puts the right man in your path.”

  “I know; I look at you and Greg and how God brought you two together. And now you have this beautiful baby. I know he can do it for me too.”

  Evan smiled. “He will.”

  Mimi took a deep breath and spat out, “I’ve been communicating with Aaron.”

  Evan could feel her smile leave her face, staring up at Mimi. “Communicating? Wh
at does that mean?”

  “We’ve been corresponding,” Mimi said, waiting for Evan’s response while avoiding any eye contact with her. “I paid him a visit in prison.” Speechless, Evan stared down at the invoice feeling as if she’d been hit in the face by a brick. “Say something,” Mimi said.

  “I don’t think this is funny,” Evan said placing the ruler back on line 7.

  Mimi shook her head. “No, Ev, I don’t either.”

  “Okay.” Evan closed her eyes wondering if she was just overreacting. “Was it just to get answers? Because I can understand that.”

  “Maybe at first.” Mimi’s mouth curled up.

  “Is that why you had so much to say about Rick and how you hate his kids?” Evan asked, raising her voice just a little.

  “What?” Mimi laughed. “Are you for real right now? I never said I hated Rick’s kids. This has absolutely nothing to do with Rick.”

  “I can’t believe that you could be so insensitive,” Evan said staring down at the paper even though she wasn’t focusing on it at all.

  Mimi scooted to the edge of her chair. “Don’t you think that people can change and that they deserve forgiveness?”

  “What?” Evan said, feeling her heart rate and voice elevate before lowering her voice, hoping no one outside of her office heard their exchange. “What do you want me to say?”

  Mimi sat back and glared at Evan. “That you don’t agree but as my best friend, you support me.”

  Evan closed her eyes, feeling a rush of heat run through her body. Aaron? Has Mimi lost her mind? “I’m your best friend and I love you but you seriously can’t expect me to say that.”

  Mimi nodded. “I seriously do.” She leaned forward. “I have wrestled long with this and it hasn’t been easy for me.”

  Evan stood up. “It hasn’t? Good thing, because it hasn’t been easy for anyone in that church including Emily and her children. It wasn’t easy for Sundi or Katie or me. So stop, Mimi.”

  “Stop being so judgmental,” Mimi said. “He found Jesus.”

  Evan threw her hands up. “Oh, is that enough for you?”

  “Isn’t it enough for you?” Mimi shot back. “It used to be.”

  Evan frowned, causing little wrinkles in her forehead. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that you should get off your high horse,” Mimi said. “It used to be enough for you that somebody said that they were saved. But for some reason, the blood just doesn’t quite cover Aaron.”

  Evan threw her arms up in the air in frustration. “This is crazy, that man is a killer! Why is this even a conversation?”

  “Because I have feelings for him that didn’t go away,” Mimi answered.

  Evan stood unable to move. She tried to calm the storm of emotions whirling around her. She and Mimi had gone through so much together and Mimi had never left her side so she couldn’t leave hers either. Evan sat back in her chair. “Okay, Mimi, say that he’s telling the truth and he did give his life to Christ, can you seriously imagine a life with him? He’s a convicted murderer who’s doing 15 years at least.”

  “And you think I haven’t considered that? Ev, I hate him for what he did but unlike some of you church folk, I forgive him.”

  Evan stared at Mimi, almost laughing. “We’ve all dealt with this and I’ve forgiven him. But don’t twist this like he didn’t contribute to ruining so many lives.”

  “I’m not but he deserves a second chance like everybody else. You know how excited you get when you hear Greg’s voice? I feel that way when I hear Aaron’s voice, or read his letters,” Mimi stopped and took a breath, “and I found this group who investigates if people are able to have their sentences reconsidered and I asked them to take a look at his case.”

  Evan’s mouth opened. “Tell me that I’m being pranked. Are you serious?”

  “Yes,” Mimi answered her.

  Evan dropped her head. “What is wrong with you? He murdered Sam. He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. He shouldn’t have even been able to cut a deal.”

  “I know he’s changed Ev, and I want to help him.”

  “You want to help you and you’re making a big mistake, Mimi,” Evan said.

  Mimi dropped her pen onto the pad on her lap. “I wasn’t asking for your permission Evan, I just wanted your support.”

  “I’ll always support you but I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t want you holding out hope for this person who doesn’t deserve you.”

  “Oh, do I deserve a preacher or a deacon? Is that who’s worthy of me?” Mimi asked sarcastically.

  Evan and Mimi looked into each other’s eyes. “You’re my best friend and I love you. I just want to be honest with you but no matter what you decide, I’ll be here for you,” Evan said.

  “I appreciate that,” Mimi said, standing up from her chair.

  Evan shook her head. “Mimi, I just want to have one day where the past doesn’t haunt me.”

  Mimi took a deep breath. “Can I be honest with you?”

  Evan crossed her arms, figuring she’d opened herself up for that one. “Go ahead.”

  “You’re so busy running from your past that you’re forgetting your present. You don’t just run this center; you’re also a wife, a mother and a First Lady. You’re here all the time. Take care of home, take care of your marriage and take care of you.”

  Evan cocked her head to the side. “Is this your way of getting back at me?”

  Mimi crossed her arms in front of her body with her materials in hand. “It’s my way of loving you. You have a beautiful family; everything I pray for. Go home and close any doors on your past that you left open in your life so that every time you’re reminded of it, you aren’t so rattled and taken out of character.” Mimi walked out of Evan’s office.

  Evan stared at the door after Mimi left. She looked back at her monitor then pulled up Leon’s email. Mimi was absolutely correct in what she said. She pressed delete.

  Chapter 42

  I picked Gracie up early, come home for dinner. That was all the text read. He hadn’t expected the meeting he was in to last so long and was quite surprised when he looked up and saw that it was after 5:30 when they were walking out. Not having looked at his cell phone the entire meeting, he didn’t know until he walked downstairs to the nursery that Evan had already picked up Gracie. It was that text message that caused him to hurry to his office to wrap a few final things up so he could get home at a decent hour.

  Now Greg was walking into their home, three hours later, unable to leave the church on time because there had been one too many emergencies that had to be taken care of. Opening the front door, Greg noticed first that all the downstairs lights were off. Flickers of multiple soft lights bounced off of the walls from candles placed all around the house. Greg smiled, then closed his eyes taking in the undeniable aroma of seafood from the kitchen and the scent of vanilla candles that attempted to drown it out.

  Walking through the foyer, Greg didn’t stop to put his jacket or keys down. Smiling in anticipation, he headed toward the dining room where the table was set beautifully with a lace table cloth, their china that they had gotten as a wedding gift and never used, and crystal champagne glasses. Greg’s mouth dropped, staring at the hard work Evan had put in for him.

  “You’re late,” Evan said from behind him. He turned around to face her.

  He was speechless as she stood, stunningly beautiful, in the dining room doorway wearing sheer lace lingerie. His jacket and keys fell to the floor as he stared at her. “I was in a …”

  She walked toward him and placed her fingers on his lips. “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad you’re home.”

  He kissed her fingertips. “I’m glad to be home.” He looked around. “Thank you...very much.”

  Evan smiled. “I want to apologize for being distant lately. I want you to know that I love you very much and I thank you for your patience.” She placed her lips on top of his. The phone rang.

  “The phone’s
ringing,” Greg said speaking each syllable between kisses knowing her natural urgency to answer a ringing phone.

  “Ignore it,” Evan said continuing to kiss him.

  “What?” Greg leaned back from her just to see if she was for real. “Are you serious? It’s not like you to ignore a ringing phone.”

  “This is a new day. I realized that I have my priorities in the wrong order. Mimi has Gracie and if it was her then I’d recognize her ringtone. Anybody else will just have to kick the door down to get our attention.”

  Greg smiled and placed his hand on her back, pulling her closer as they kissed deeper. He slowly walked her backward toward the dining room wall where he lifted her arms above her head and began kissing her face, her neck, her body. She struggled to open her eyes.

  “What about the fish and…?” she asked in between breaths.

  “Fried fish on fine china?”

  Evan laughed. “Yes, fried fish on fine china. It’ll get cold.” She tried speaking as he continued kissing her.

  “We can reheat it,” he responded picking her up and walking toward the staircase where he carried her up to their bedroom.

  Evan threw her head back in laughter as Greg placed a stuffed shrimp in her mouth. She chewed as she stared at the letters in front of her. They didn’t end up at the elaborately decorated dining room table as she planned but on a plush purple throw on the floor of their living room eating seafood out of the serving dishes in front of the fire, playing Scrabble.

  “I challenge that,” Evan said, looking at the word Greg placed on the board.

  Greg laughed as he placed a scallop in his mouth. “Dehisce is a word, I promise.”

  Evan shook her head. “I don’t believe you.” She reached behind her for Webster’s Dictionary.

  Greg continued to chew with a slick smirk on his face. "I’m not as dumb as you might imagine.”

  “Maybe not but I just want to make sure,” Evan said, flipping through the dictionary.