Crowning Glory

by Pat Simmons

  “My dear sisters, upon the confession of your sins unto the Lord and your exercised faith in Him with the promise we have in the blessed Word of God, concerning His death, burial, and grand resurrection, we baptize both of you for the remission of your sins in the only name under heaven by which men can be saved—Jesus.”

  Both were submerged until the water covered them, then quickly pulled up. One practically danced her way out the pool while tongues exploded from the other woman’s mouth. The scene was repeated until all who wanted to be saved had come.

  After the benediction, the crowd lingered. Levi’s parents crossed the aisle to chat them. His father was tall, dark skinned, and a bear of a man at six-three. Levi’s height was a cross between him and his mother’s petite stature. She opened her arms. Levi didn’t disappoint her, giving her a hug.

  “I feel refreshed.” She sighed and fanned herself. “I’m glad I didn’t miss this sermon and the wonderful evidence of God accepting our praise and worship.”

  Sharon Tolliver was biracial and a religious oddity. She had delicate skin and features and was still a beauty. Short and soft-spoken, she could get lost in a crowd, but when she wanted to be heard, his mother would roar until others took notice.

  Not only was he of mixed heritage, Levi was also considered a Jew because of his mother. Although she acknowledged her Jewish roots, she converted to Christianity after attending a Jews for Jesus crusade years before she married.

  Levi’s maternal grandmother was a carrier of a defective gene that caused Tay-Sachs. If his mother had married another Jew who was also a carrier, they had a one-in-four chance their offspring would develop it. The disease predominately strikes babies of Jewish descent, and they usually die before they reach their fifth birthday. Because of ignorance and fear, his mother made a conscience effort to marry outside her race.

  However, Sharon wasn’t completely detached from her Jewish roots. She gave her three sons Hebrew names: Levi—the oldest; and twins Seth and Solomon.

  “You’re coming to the house for dinner, aren’t you? You don’t have to eat alone since Jesetta has Dori until this evening,” Sharon told Levi.

  Hungry or not, at the moment, his craving was to swing by Karyn’s apartment to talk. And that had been his problem, dominating the conversation. Karyn had politely listened as if she identified with his pain. Did she lose a loved one in a tragic way?

  “Not this evening, Mom. I have other plans.” He brushed a kiss on her cheek, shook hands with his father, and left. He was almost at Karyn’s apartment building, then scratched his mission. She might not welcome a surprise visit. Women were known for the curlers in the hair and the face mask thing going on behind closed doors.

  What I start, I finish. I need no man’s help. Be patient, God whispered.

  So Levi headed home to warm up leftovers. While he waited for Dori to get there, he read passages from his Bible until he dozed off. It didn’t seem long before the doorbell buzzed, announcing Dori’s arrival and whatever storm Jet was stirring up. His sister-in-law always had a complaint about something.

  Opening his door, Levi hugged his daughter and then Jet, but didn’t invite her inside. “Thanks, I better get Dori ready for bed.”

  Jet didn’t take the hint as she tried to widen the gap, but the door wasn’t budging. “Hold on, Levi. I wanted to chat with you about that Karyn woman Dori talked about.”

  “Later.” Levi kissed her cheek, signaling good night, then added a little pressure to close the door. He loved Jet, but he chose the times he wanted to deal us her.

  An hour or so later, Levi had tucked Dori in bed in her room.

  “I like Miss Karyn,” she said without prompting.

  “Me too.” Levi grinned as he sat at the foot of the bed and sunk into the layers of comforters in the sea of colors from a box of crayons. The toy-inspired lamps, animal murals on the walls, and other accessories were Jet’s idea. She had made his daughter a fan of animal prints. Dori even had dozens of flannel pajamas with giraffes, monkeys, even Winnie the Pooh. It was a bit busy for him, but Dori loved it. That was all that mattered to him; his daughter’s happiness.

  “Did she look like Cinderella in her shoes, Daddy?” Her expression was hopeful.

  Levi shook his head. He had bought Karyn a dress not shoes.

  “How about the Princess in the movie?” she referred to Princess and the Frog.

  “Nope.”

  Dori sighed, clearly frustrated. She sat up in her bed. He was about to rub her hair, then thought twice about it. His sister-in-law had his little girl’s hair washed; her scalp oiled, and then styled with four long and twisted ponytails. Levi gave Jet her kudos sometimes. If he didn’t remember to put a satin scarf on it, Jet would have a fit. Dori did look adorable; a younger version of her mother.

  She also had that same determined look as her aunt. Dori wanted to know and now. “Daddy, how pretty was she?”

  “She was as beautiful as an angel.” Levi recalled her perfect smile, long lashes, curls galore, and the misshaped nails—yet she was a glorious sight to him.

  “Do you think she likes me?” Worry and tearful eyes took over Dori’s face.

  Levi scooted closer and pulled his daughter from under the covers. He squeezed her without crushing her small frame. “Here’s a secret,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Okay.” She waited with widened eyes.

  “She likes you better than she likes me.”

  “Really?” Dori jumped on her father’s lap and clapped her hands in glee.

  “All she wanted to talk about was Dori, Dori, Dori.” And stupid me, I couldn’t stop talking about your mother. That tidbit earned him a squeeze around his neck.

  “Yay.”

  “The next time you have a date, can I go?”

  What? Are you kiddin’ me? I need to earn my own brownie points. Who knows? Maybe Dori was his brownie point. “We’ll see. Now, go to sleep my little butterball.”

  “That’s a turkey, Daddy.” She giggled.

  “I forgot how smart you are. Anyway, you have pre-school tomorrow.” Standing, he lifted her in the air and turned her around as if she were a fairy about to take flight. Dori laughed as she stretched out her arms. He brought her down and smacked a juicy kiss on her cheek. Levi tucked her back in under the cover. “Good night.” He turned off the lamp, leaving a night light to guide her way to her bathroom during the night.

  “Daddy?”

  He was near her door when he stopped and turned back around. “Huh?”

  “I’m real smart because Miss Karyn gives me all the big kids’ books.”

  “Umm-mm.” Miss Karyn put a dent in his wallet every time he walked into Bookshelves Unlimited, but that bookstore was the greatest investment he had ever made.

  CHAPTER 11

  Squatting, Karyn was stocking shelves for the bookstore’s Black Friday sale when she felt a presence, then recognized a deep voice behind her. The cologne was unmistakable. Standing, Karyn turned around. Through Levi’s designer glasses, she connected with his clear brown eyes. She didn’t linger there as she looked for and wasn’t disappointed to see his twin dimples outlining a tentative smile.

  It was their first contact since the doomed date a few weeks ago. They sized up each other. Yes, she missed him and decided she wasn’t going to play coy about it—only if he asked. It wasn’t Saturday and he didn’t have Dori, so why was he there?

  “Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?”

  No sorry I haven’t called? Then Karyn slightly remembered his request for her number on the way home from their dinner, but she was too distracted to respond.

  Although her lips confessed she didn’t think they would be a good fit, her heart held on for signs of life that some type of relationship could be formed. “Hi, Levi.”

  Breaking eye contact and looking away didn’t camouflage his embarrassment. It was the same soft vulnerable side he leaked the night of their date. Since meeting him, Karyn had never seen him lack confiden
ce. He was always patient with his daughter, polite to the staff, and complimentary toward her.

  Even when they were on the date, he didn’t shy away from his hurtful past. She liked that in him—being human—acknowledging his pain, but pressing on. Without Levi knowing it, he was teaching her a lesson.

  He grunted. “I got ahead of myself. Forgive me?” He held a straight face, but somewhere a tease was hiding in his words.

  Karyn nodded, mesmerized by his overwhelming presence. She missed him.

  Clearing his throat, he clicked his heels and stood at attention. There was the tease. She wanted to laugh at his playfulness. They both wrestled to keep a blank face.

  “Good evening, Karyn. How are you?”

  “I’m well,” she answered. Levi’s closeness allowed her to indulge in his cologne. “I’m sorry, but I do have plans. My church is sponsoring a soup kitchen. I volunteered a while back to help. I’ve been warned that it will be a long day, then I’ll have to turn around and be back here at five the next morning for the pre-dawn early bird specials.”

  Karyn was getting exhausted just thinking about the upcoming hectic schedule in twenty-four hours. She shook her head, amused, which opened the door for Levi to smile. “I can’t believe people really get up at that hour.”

  He didn’t appear too happy with her news. Stuffing his hands forcefully in his pants pockets, Levi leaned against a shelf. “My brother’s girlfriend has a two-hundred-mile radius limit for staking out a bargain. She never goes gorilla hunting alone. She always has her contingency of backup shoppers ready to go at a wash-your-face, brush-your-teeth moment.”

  His eyes twinkled before silence drifted between them. “Since you won’t accept Thanksgiving dinner, I would think a foot massage from a spa or someplace else is what you need, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t accept that from me either.”

  Shaking her head, Karyn whispered, “No, I wouldn’t.” But she withheld a moan at the thought of such an extravagant service. Although the personal attention from Levi would be a fantasy, the intimacy would be too much of a temptation. Plus, she was ticklish, and if he touched her too much, she was sure she would forget who Jesus was.

  “How about a ride home?”

  Karyn hesitated. What did she want from Levi? More importantly, what did he want from her? She reflected on her scolding from Halo, Buttercup, and the van riders who ordered her not to excavate the past, but move forward. But any change of plans, including transportation, needed approval.

  “Thank you, but I’m working a double shift.” It wasn’t an excuse. She volunteered so others could go home to get a jump-start on their Thanksgiving dinner. Karyn was not about to tell him she needed the extra money.

  “Excuse me.” Patrice shoved herself between them with her back to Levi, obstructing Karyn’s view. “I’m not about to stock the shelves all by myself. If you’re not going to help, why don’t you clock out? Isn’t that what a break is for?” Patrice stormed away, scowling and cutting her eyes at Levi. “They let anybody work here.”

  Levi’s nostrils flared. “Is she your boss? Her people skills are lacking.”

  “She thinks she’s everybody’s boss. Today she’s having a good day. I’ve learned to pick my battles.” Karyn felt naughty. “Besides, she has friends in low places.”

  On the surface, Patrice was kind, concerned, cheerful, but she was also self-absorbed. She would manipulate any situation and person. Although she was working a double shift as Karyn was, the woman complained she was too tired to stay on the register and her back was aching so she couldn’t pick up crates of books. Finally, the manager—desperate for help—assigned Patrice to assist customers. All Patrice did was point them in the right direction, sometimes the wrong direction, not caring.

  “What time do you get off?” he whispered, glancing around. “I don’t believe in letting a woman push my buttons, but if she keeps acting like that toward you, I may have to consider fighting her like a man.”

  “Stop it.” Karyn lifted her hands as if to push him back. Levi cupped her fists inside his. They stared. She blushed.

  “What time?” He pressed her.

  “Closing.”

  Checking the time on his cell phone, Levi nodded. “That’s in six hours. I’ll be back.” He didn’t wait for her confirmation as he left the store. That was the second time he had told her what he was going to do and left before she could put up an argument.

  Karyn sucked in her breath, flattered. Now she had to get permission to accept a ride home instead of catching the bus. “Maybe this will work,” Karyn mumbled.

  “I don’t mean to be a grouch, but I…” Patrice returned.

  Tuning out her nemesis, Karyn hummed a tune and returned to her task.

  The evening progressed with no further interaction with Patrice, so Karyn clocked out for her last break to call her counselor. She walked out into the mall as she tapped in the number to the center on her cell phone.

  “New Beginnings,” her counselor answered.

  “Hi Monica.” She bobbed her head and rushed on before the woman drew any conclusions. “Yes, everything’s fine. I was hoping you would okay me to get a ride home from Levi Tolliver.” Karyn held her breath.

  “He’s the man who took you out to dinner a few weeks ago,” Monica stated after a long pause. “I’ll okay it this once since you’re working overtime, but don’t make this a habit. We have to follow the center rules of advance requests with no favoritism.”

  Karyn exhaled, thanked her, and disconnected.

  By the time Karyn clocked back in, the customers had thinned and the bookstore was peaceful. She walked over to an older woman strolling through the kid’s section.

  “Do you think you can get this customer? I’m on the phone. Man, I’ve got to do everything,” Patrice yelled rudely from across the store in front of a teenage girl.

  Karyn cringed with embarrassment. Her coworker was not only unprofessional, tacky, and crazy all for the price of one. After assisting a few customers, Karyn headed to the customer service desk.

  “Look,” Patrice snapped, “if you want to ship something to your daddy in prison, you’re going to have to know his prison badge number. Go ask your momma and come back after the holiday.”

  In tears, the teenager was about to turn away. Karyn considered violating parole just to knock Patrice’s eyes crossed, then back straight again. She immediately repented for her thoughts. Karyn didn’t want to be left behind when Christ returned.

  Plus, Karyn needed the job. Checking the Yes box indicating she was a felon on applications wasn’t something she wanted to look forward to. On the company’s pre-employment assessment test, Karyn remembered the question about turning in an employee if he or she was caught stealing. Yes, was the right answer, but what could she do when Patrice’s crime was simply rude? Karyn couldn’t fathom how Patrice would treat her if she knew about Karyn’s past. Probably not good.

  It had been months since Karyn had reached out to Patrice when she was having a bad day. “Jesus’s sole purpose of coming, dying, and rising from the dead was to keep everyone from hell.”

  Patrice had grunted. “Hell can’t come fast enough.”

  God spoke firmly to Karyn not to cast His pearls before swine. That had frightened Karyn, so she shut her mouth and walked away. Patrice was on her own.

  Sniffing back tears, the girl who was a few inches taller than Karyn and couldn’t be any more than twelve or thirteen, turned around. She had big expressive brown eyes.

  “How can I help you, sweetie?” Karyn stopped her from leaving.

  “I just wanted to send my daddy a book of poems. I thought if I told y’all the jail, you could send it. I can’t ask my mom because she’s in jail too.”

  Karyn’s heart broke for the young victim who was the remnant of sin. She wondered if the girl meant prison instead of jail—which was most likely, a shorter stay. “Come on. Let’s see what we can find out.” Wrapping her arm around the teenager, Karyn gently gui
ded her to the other end of customer service desk where a computer was located. Typing the web address for the Federal Bureau of Prison’s homepage, she waited then clicked on inmate locator. “What’s your daddy’s name?”

  “David King,” she whispered.

  She entered it and sixteen men with that name popped up. Most had been released, including an eighty-one-year-old man. Sadness descended on Karyn. A soft melody of a song swept through her head. I once was lost, but now I’m found. God not only allowed her to be set free, but the icing was He picked her out to save her. “I think I found him. He is in Menard Medium security.”

  The girl nodded and her eyes sparkled. “Yeah.”

  Karyn scribbled down the prisoner number and mailing address.

  “Can I see him?” Her expression was hopeful as she pointed to the computer.

  “What’s your name?” Karyn wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Prison ID photos weren’t glamour shots. The only person Karyn knew who smiled when processed through the system was Russell Simmons’ former wife, Kimora Lee. The woman had money and clout behind it. She could afford to smile.

  “Tiffany.”

  “Your daddy’s not going to look happy. It might make you sad,” Karyn tried to warn her. The man looked as if he had been roughed up during and after he landed in prison. Karyn wouldn’t wish anybody to go to sleep with that image stuck in their mind.

  “Oh, I’ve seen his picture before whenever I can sneak and use the computer at the library. It’s cool. That’s why I want to send him some poems to make him happy.”

  “You can’t see him this time, hon. Now, let’s see if we can find another book that’s paperback, so we can order it?”

  Tiffany twisted her lips in disappointment. Too bad. Karyn wasn’t budging. Politicians argued people were sent away as punishment, not to be punished. The truth was anybody caged in a cold cell, sometimes taking a cold shower, with twenty-four hours a day to think about why they did what they did and to ask if it was worth it was being punished. It was punishment for Tiffany King who was growing up without her mother and father. Karyn silently prayed the cycle would be broken.