Saved Folk in the House

by Sonnie Beverly

  “You saw to that.”

  “Thanks for telling me. I’ll let Malik know.”

  “Tell him I said hi.”

  “Okay, sis. I’m having brunch with my husband right now,” she said.

  “Yes! I hear ya, Z. That’s wonderful. Work it out, girl. You can do it. That’s my big sister.”

  “Okay, sis. I love you. Bye,” she said, laughing and hanging up. “Where were we?” she asked her husband.

  Jay rose up, and she met him halfway. They kissed across the table, melting away all hardness and healing all pain, then they sat back down, and he looked deep into her eyes.

  “You understand that it’s time for us to put our family back together?” Jay asked.

  “I understand that perfectly,” Zakia answered.

  “Okay. Then if we’re done here, let’s go tell the boys,” Jay said.

  “I can’t wait to tell them, but why don’t you come over this evening? I need some time to myself to pray. I also need to call Nikki to tell her the good news,” Zakia said.

  “That’s fine,” Jay said.

  At home, after Zakia prayed, she called Nikki.

  “Girl, I have a wonderful surprise for you, but first I want to hear what God has been doing in your life down there in the ATL. I know you’re being blessed,” Zakia said.

  PART TWO

  Real Saved Folk

  Atlanta, Georgia

  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

  MARK 10: 29-30

  Chapter Seventeen

  Finally, the last piece of furniture was in place. The driver of the moving van presented Nikki Riley with a receipt to sign. Once she had checked it over and scribbled her name on the bottom, he left, and Nikki was alone. She looked around at the boxes that needed unpacking, the pictures that had to be hung, and the clothes that needed putting away. Despite all the work ahead, Nikki looked forward to making the new apartment a happy home for her family. The children had helped put a few things away, but now they were all on top of the unmade bed fast asleep in one of the bedrooms. As she looked in on them, she smiled, for they had made it, but not without some drama.

  It had been a long day. The eight-and-a-half-hour drive from Richmond, Virginia, to Atlanta, Georgia, would have been easier had Nikki had some help driving. Long-distance driving was not her forte. Her ex-husband, Sam Riley, usually handled all of the driving when they traveled, while she made all of the arrangements. None of their three children were of driving age, so the Lord had appointed her to handle the trip, which she did with relative ease.

  Nikki’s oldest child and only son, Taj, was quite responsible for ten years old. As they drove down Interstate 85, he drifted in and out of consciousness, trying to stay awake to keep his mother company. He was worn out from helping to get his hysterical sisters into the minivan as they attempted to leave Richmond. Nine-year-old Shay and six-year-old Mia had been clinging, hugging, crying, and slobbering all over their grandfather Jim in Nikki’s parents’ living room before they left for Atlanta.

  Jim Harris was the definition of grandparent, a child’s natural ally. If his grandchildren wanted something, he bought it, no questions asked. Nikki insisted that the kids be made to earn some of the gifts, which always started an argument between her and her dad.

  “They’re just kids. They don’t have to work for anything. Your mother and I are supposed to give them things to make them happy. Besides, I’m grateful for two things: that I can afford to buy them things and that I’m around to see them enjoy the things I can afford to buy them, so let me enjoy myself with my grandchildren, please. Thank you,” Jim would say, and that would be the end of it.

  Nikki’s relationship with her father had become a little strained since she had given him grandchildren. He seemed to usurp her authority because of her strict discipline every chance he got. Her ex-husband, Sam, had been a silent partner on that issue and just allowed Nikki to do whatever she deemed appropriate in all situations, since he was otherwise occupied with his so-called recreational drug use, which eventually led to their divorce a year ago. Sam was in denial about the seriousness of his addiction. Even when Nikki questioned him about his drastic weight loss, he reasoned it away.

  “I’m intentionally losing the fat that my muscle turned into when I stopped working out like I used to when I played football. Once I lose all the fat, I’ll join a gym and rebuild my muscles and get that solid frame back that you love so much,” Sam explained. At one point, his six-one frame held two hundred ten pounds, but that was a long time ago.

  Nikki had grown weary of the lies and deception and finally left him, but only after years of counseling, which led to nowhere. He only went to counseling to appease her. Sam just would not see the danger he was imposing upon his family. Finally, she mustered all the faith and strength she had to divorce him and begin again. Even after the divorce, Sam still believed that she would come back to him.

  As his family prepared to leave Richmond for Atlanta, Sam went to the home of his ex-in-laws to see them off. He just stood and watched, not fully comprehending how Nikki was able to leave him and her roots, as the dramatic scene unfolded right before his eyes.

  “I don’t want to go!” Mia screamed.

  “I love you, Granddaddy,” Shay sobbed, holding on to Jim’s neck for dear life.

  Nikki realized it would take some very gentle coercion to get the girls away from their granddaddy and into the car. “Come on, girls,” she said softly. “We have to go. Granddaddy will be down to visit us, maybe next week, knowing him. He’ll probably be there in time to help us unpack. Come on now.”

  There was no attempt to let go. Jim was holding on just as tight as the girls. Nikki decided she would have to physically pry the girls away from their granddaddy. Nikki pulled Mia up into her arms and carried her outside. Jim, wiping tears from his eyes, followed them, assisting Shay, who was dragging her feet.

  Taj, Sam, and Nikki’s mother, Jean, were all standing by the minivan, which was packed, gassed, and ready to go. Taj, trying to be a man and fight back his tears, helped Nikki put the girls in the backseat as they continued to reach for their father and grandparents. After kissing everybody one last time, Taj got in the front passenger seat.

  “Bye. Love you. See you. Come visit. We’ll call you when we get there,” Nikki said as she pulled off, waving to the teary-eyed people standing in the driveway.

  As they merged onto the interstate, Nikki smiled. She tried to hide her joy as she looked at the kids. The girls were in the backseat wailing like their world was coming to an end. They were hugging each other almost hysterically. Taj looked like he wanted to cry too. In spite of it all, Nikki laughed. She’d stepped out on faith and left. God was indeed her strength.

  As Nikki walked around her new bedroom a few hours later, she was overwhelmed with thanksgiving, excitement, and hopefulness for a bright future. She knew deep down inside that whatever God had in store for her was so awesome that it was going to make everything she had been through to get to Atlanta worth it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was a glorious summer morning. The loud ring of the cell phone startled her awake.

  “Huh? Huh? What?” Nikki asked, waking up, adjusting to the unfamiliar room. For a second, she wondered, Where am I? The phone rang again, jarring her memory as she answered it. “Hello.”

  “So you actually did it. You up and left your family and friends. What are we supposed to do now? We don’t stand a chance in this dog-eat-dog world without you here praying for us,” the female voice said.

  “What’s up, cuz? What? You thought I was joking about moving? Besides, I can pray for my folks from anywhere,” Nikki said, reco
gnizing her cousin Rae Peterson’s voice.

  “Yeah, well, we need you here,” Rae said.

  “Why? You all do whatever you want to do. You don’t listen to me. Sam didn’t and you either.”

  “I do. Matter of fact, something you said to me had to keep me from killing somebody last night.”

  “Rae, girl, what have you gone and done now?”

  “See, I got this page to go make a drop, and when I showed up and gave them the hundred-dollar rock, they said they only had fifty dollars. I told them to give it back so I could cut it in half, and they tried to leave with the whole thing after only paying for half, talking about they good for it. It was two sorry, punk crackheads that I keep saying I’m going to stop dealing with, but I keep going to get that money. It got to the point where I had to pull out my piece and put it to the head of the one who wouldn’t give me my stuff back.”

  “Did he give it back?”

  “Heck yeah, he gave me my rock back. The other one took off running when he saw my nine-millimeter. I cussed him out, took my stuff, and drove off. I did throw the fifty dollars out the window as I pulled off,” Rae explained.

  “Wow, an honest drug dealer,” Nikki said sarcastically.

  “Hey, at least nobody got hurt.”

  “But somebody will get hurt eventually, Rae. Haven’t you learned anything? How many people have to die before you get it? What is wrong with you? Selling drugs, carrying guns.”

  “Nikki, I didn’t go to college, I didn’t finish high school . . . How am I supposed to support my kids? I only weigh one hundred ten pounds, I’m fine as I wanna be, but I don’t like men, so I can’t get paid that way. My street sense and my nine-millimeter are the only things that keep me alive.”

  “And my prayers.”

  “That’s what I’m saying. How could you leave us?”

  “Rae, you’re a responsible adult, and you have to find a better way to survive.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m doing the best I can. Living ain’t cheap.”

  “Who are you telling? My rent is just as much as a mortgage.”

  “Dang, so you’re all settled in?”

  “Hardly. We just got here, so we have a lot of work to do.”

  “Well, I just called to see if you made it there okay. I’ll let you get to work. Keep in touch, cuz. I really do listen to you when you get your preach on, though.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “I do. I’m saved. I said all of those confessions you had me make. I just don’t know how else to make enough money to live and support my kids.”

  “Well, at least you’re saved. I’ll talk to you later, cuz.”

  Hanging up, Nikki prayed for God to keep her cousin, to show her a better way to live. Rae was a painful reminder that not everything in her life was moving in the right direction. She loved her cousin and felt that talking to her whenever she called would help bring the Lord into Rae’s life in a real way. Nikki shook her head as if trying to get rid of the bad thoughts and ran her fingers through her short dark hair. She jumped out of bed and praised the Lord when she realized this was the first day of her new life. Nikki ran into the girls’ room. They were already awake, unpacking their clothes. She grabbed Mia, picked her up, spun her around, and squeezed her until she squealed.

  “Thank You, Lord. We made it! Praise You, Jesus! Glory to God! Hallelujah! Praise You, Father! If I had ten thousand tongues, I couldn’t thank You enough, Father! Praise You, praise You, praise You, praise You, praise You!”

  The children were used to their mother “getting her praise on.” She had taught them that her victory was in her praise. They liked it when she was in praise mode. Then they knew everything was all right, not like when she was quiet and deep in thought, playing with her hair with a serious look on her face. They worried when she was quiet and not smiling because it was her nature to smile and talk all the time, especially about the Word of God.

  Nikki walked through the apartment, maneuvering around the boxes that the movers had left. The apartment was perfect. During Taj’s spring break, he and Nikki had gone to Atlanta to secure a place to live. They were extremely prayed up. They had been very specific with God in their request about apartment size, location, and environment. Nikki had told Taj, a prayer warrior like his mother, a joke about a mouse coming face-to-face with a lion. The mouse prayed, “Lord, please let this be a Christian lion.” The lion prayed, “Lord, thank You for this food,” and ate the mouse. The mouse got exactly what he asked for. From then on, Taj became very specific in his prayers.

  Nikki had taken Taj on her apartment-hunting trip because he was growing into a wise and mature young man. She wanted him to realize how important he was to the family. Taj knew his mother well and was very sensitive to her. In the beginning, his sensitivity was out of survival. To avoid that quick backhand of hers, he had to figure out what he could and couldn’t get away with. But for the past few years, seeing all the stress and pressure she was under, he studied her to learn what he could do to relieve some of her burdens, because he loved her so much.

  Good grades made her happy, so Taj made sure he did well in school. Nikki also loved to laugh, so he became quite the comedian, making her laugh so hard her stomach hurt. He was the man now. He knew what she liked, and his job on the apartment-hunting trip was to help her find it. They both knew the Regency complex was the perfect location for them when they first stepped into the unit that would be their home. It was spacious, open, and bright with all the modern conveniences. There was plenty of storage space, and it overlooked the playground so that Nikki could keep an eye on her brood from inside.

  “I’m going out to get some breakfast. What kind of croissants do you want?” Nikki asked the children.

  “I want bacon, egg, and cheese,” Shay said.

  Hearing the question, Taj came into the girls’ room. “Me too,” he chimed in. “Can I have French toast sticks too? I’m going to need some extra energy with all the work we have to do today.”

  Such a man. I am so proud of him, Nikki thought. “Sure, baby. Anything else? Let’s see, hash browns, juice, milk, and coffee for me, of course.”

  “That’s it for me, Mommy,” Taj said.

  “I want sausage, egg, and cheese,” Mia said.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back. Put the chain on the door, and don’t open it for anyone but me,” she instructed.

  Nikki was back at the apartment complex in about twenty minutes. She pulled the minivan into a parking space beside a couple just getting out of a Honda.

  Oooh, my neighbors, she thought as she got out and retrieved the bags. She wanted to find out what type of people lived around her. Her experience up until that moment had been that folk in Atlanta were very friendly. There was a lot of southern hospitality in the air, so she felt comfortable approaching the couple.

  The man was opening the door to an apartment downstairs. An icebreaking opportunity, she thought.

  “Hello, I’m your new neighbor, Nicole Riley, but everyone calls me Nikki.” Her hands were full, so she couldn’t offer a handshake, but she continued. “I hope we didn’t disturb you too much with all the moving yesterday,” she said, smiling from ear to ear, friendliness, excitement, and joy gushing.

  They both just stared at her.

  Nikki’s first thoughts were, Why are they looking at me so seriously? He’s nice-looking. What runway did she just step off? She is not his wife. Why aren’t they at work in the middle of a weekday? Mind your business, girl.

  After the fashion-model woman finished checking Nikki out from head to toe, she finally said in a serious tone, “Well, you had to move in.”

  The man appeared irritated and said nothing.

  Nikki sensed the tension and decided not to pursue a conversation.

  “Well, have a nice day,” she said, still grinning as she made her way up the steps. The couple just nodded.

  The children were waiting in the living room, ready to dig into the croissants.

  “Le
t’s eat!” she said.

  They attacked the food like they hadn’t eaten in days. It tasted even better than usual to the hungry crew. After they had eaten every speck of breakfast, they went back to unpacking.

  With the sounds from the radio to energize them, the children enjoyed the labor, folding and hanging up clothes and decorating their rooms with their toys and stuffed animals. They sang and danced as they got their new home in order. Once again tired and hungry, they stopped working around seven-thirty and went out for burgers, fries, and shakes. They came home and watched TV until they all fell asleep.

  The next morning, Nikki again went out to get breakfast. On her way back, a different person was coming out of the same unit that she had seen the couple go into the day before. He was smiling.

  “Hi. How’re you doing?” he asked.

  “Fine, thank you,” Nikki said, smiling back, trying to be as friendly as he appeared to be. Although he hesitated as if he wanted to talk to his new neighbor, this was not a good time for her with kids to feed, so she kept walking.

  The weather was gorgeous, perfect for a leisurely stroll, so after they ate, Nikki and the children decided to explore their new neighborhood. The friendly neighbor was out washing his car. They exchanged hellos before Nikki and the children started their walk. Taj and Mia led the way while Nikki and Shay hung back and talked.

  “How are you feeling, baby?” Nikki asked her older daughter.

  “Good. I like our apartment. I miss my friends in Virginia, but I can write them,” Shay said.

  “You can even call them on weekends and talk as much as you want, since my cell phone package includes free long distance on nights and weekends,” Nikki said.

  “Thanks, Mommy. I can’t wait to make new friends here too.”

  “That won’t take you long, precious, not long at all.”

  They strolled along, checking out the Mazdas, Volvos, some nice Fords and Chevys, a few Cadillacs, even BMWs. Plants were hanging out on some of the balconies. Children who seemed to be Mia’s age were playing at a second playground on the other side of the complex. She tapped her mother on the arm.