Saved Folk in the House

by Sonnie Beverly

  “You want to go meet them?” Nikki asked.

  “Maybe later,” Mia said as she simply observed them swinging and playing on the jungle gym.

  When they made their way back, the friendly neighbor was removing the wax from his fire-engine-red Mustang. He made eye contact with Nikki, and they both just smiled this time.

  The apartment was beginning to look like home. Now that all the dishes were put away, they could give the fast-food restaurants a break and fix a home-cooked meal. The next morning, Nikki went grocery shopping. She let the children sleep and locked the dead bolt, leaving the extra key in the lock on the inside in case of an emergency. She had learned a long time ago not to take the children grocery shopping if she wanted to stay within her budget.

  After she got in the minivan, she remembered she had left the shopping list on the kitchen counter. As she headed back toward her apartment, the friendly neighbor came out his door in shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops. He was clearly athletic. His skin was the color of black coffee with a hint of cream, and he was about six-two with muscles everywhere. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world and nowhere to go. Nikki wondered why he wasn’t at work. He looked young enough to live with his parents, but that wouldn’t make sense because she had seen the couple around his age go into the same apartment the other day.

  Mind your business, girl, she thought before saying, “Beautiful day.”

  “Sure is,” he responded, flashing a huge smile.

  Nikki wanted to ask him what he did for a living, but resisted the urge.

  “Well, have a good one,” she said as she ran up to the apartment to retrieve the list. When she came back out, he was reaching inside his glove compartment. He looked up, and they smiled at each other. Then she was gone.

  Nikki spent two hundred dollars at the grocery store. That should hold them for at least a week. Yeah, right. She’d have to go back in a couple of days for milk, if nothing else. Taj drank it like it was water. He said he had to grow, and milk was going to make it happen.

  When she got back, her neighbor’s red Mustang was gone. Where’s my smiling, friendly neighbor now to help me take these groceries upstairs?

  Chapter Nineteen

  The children were up and dressed. Each of them made several trips to the car to retrieve all of the grocery bags. After they put the food away, they put the last of the empty storage boxes in the van to take to the Dumpster.

  “I think it’s time to check out Way Maker Ministries. If it’s anything like it seems on TV, that will definitely be our new church home,” Nikki informed her crew.

  She had been a faithful partner with WMM for almost three years. Tapes and books from the ministry filled her bookshelves in Virginia, since she couldn’t resist ordering just about every product they offered. WMM was a major factor in her choosing Atlanta as their new home.

  After calling and getting directions, they all piled into the minivan and made their way to the Dumpster, then the church. Upon arriving at the church, they saw a few people walking around who appeared to work there, but no services were being held, so they decided to leave. Nikki was satisfied that they knew how to get there and that it was a relatively easy trip. They continued to ride around, locating the necessary shopping spots. They ended up on a highway not far from their apartment and saw a mall located off an exit. They checked it out and found it had everything they could possibly need: movie theater, bookstore, and nice places to eat. Having a good sense of their surroundings, they headed for home.

  Later that day, Nikki fixed a feast of smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes with gravy, collard greens, corn on the cob, and hot buttered biscuits to offset some of the fast food they had overindulged in. The meal turned out wonderfully. They ate so much, all they could do was fall out in the middle of the living room floor in front of the TV. They watched the Disney Channel until they all fell asleep right where they lay.

  The sun rose gloriously on Sunday morning. It seemed to have an extra special shine to Nikki.

  “Let’s go!” she shouted in all of her excitement. “I can’t wait to get on the inside of Way Maker Ministries. Come on, kids, get in the van.”

  They grabbed their Bibles, pencils, and pads, and the girls brought cute little purses. Shay had done her own as well as her sister’s hair. She was very talented in creating fashionable styles decorated with bows, twists, and ties to hold their braids in place.

  During the TV broadcasts, Nikki had noticed how members of the congregation dressed and she knew casual attire would be appropriate. The two girls wore the same-colored sundresses except that Shay’s had flowers and Mia’s had butterflies. Mia’s sandals were flat, but Shay had talked her mother into letting her wear a small heel. Taj looked handsome in his polo shirt, khaki shorts, and closed-toe sandals. Although he and Shay were the same height, she was slightly taller when she wore her heels, forcing him to subconsciously tiptoe when he was next to her. Nikki, too, dressed comfortably in a sundress and sandals. They quickly filed out the door and got in the minivan.

  “Buckle up,” Shay instructed.

  After seeing a crash dummies commercial and learning that you could get a ticket for not using seat belts, Shay assumed the responsibility for making sure her family rode in safety. Even if they were already buckled up, Shay said it anyway. It became a habit. Sometimes they needed the reminder, sometimes they didn’t. But they got it whether they needed it or not. That was her job.

  Nikki was pleased with them when they acted responsibly. Shay, like her brother, sought to make her mother happy, mostly because she couldn’t stand it when Nikki yelled at her. So Shay, too, studied her mother to learn what it was that she had to do to keep her calm and content.

  When they pulled up on the campus of WMM, they were amazed at what they saw. There was a sea of vehicles on acres and acres of land, people galore trying to get into several buildings, as well as an army of parking attendants and policemen directing traffic. There were lines and lines of people looking like they were waiting to get into a music concert.

  When she called earlier to find out what time service started, Nikki was told seven o’clock, nine o’clock, and eleven o’clock on Sunday mornings and seven o’clock on Wednesday evenings. She chose the nine o’clock service because it wasn’t too early or too late. The scene outside so excited them that they could hardly wait to get on the inside. Some people were dressed up in suits and hats, while others were dressed down in jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers. Never had she seen that at her old church, Richmond Baptist. The men always had on ties and jackets. You could hardly see the pulpit for the hats that more than half the women wore.

  Nikki was directed to the children’s church to deliver the kids to their appropriate classes. Shay and Taj were in the same class, since they were only a year apart in age, and Mia’s class was across the hall. Once they were all settled, Nikki went over to the main building and got in one of the lines that led into the sanctuary. The lines went out of the exit doors and wrapped around the building. Nikki carefully followed the instructions that the ushers yelled at the worshippers and flowed right in with the crowd. She got pushed through the door, down the hallway into the sanctuary, and into a seat. The music ushered them in. The crowd was praising and worshipping God.

  This is what the Bible means by entering into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, she thought. It all flowed smoothly, even though there were so many people. Being one in the Spirit was the only way order could be kept—and flowing in obedience to the instructions of the ushers, of course.

  Once settled in her seat, Nikki looked around. As she took it all in, joy came out of her in the form of uncontrollable tears. She let them flow freely, laughing out loud, shouting, “Hallelujah.” Lifting her hands in praise, clapping, rocking side to side, and stomping her feet, Nikki realized she had never felt so close to God before. This was nothing like the praise and worship at her old church. She knew she was home. Following the praise team, ev
en though the songs were not familiar, she joined in the praise and worship. She cried some more and thanked the Lord for bringing her to Way Maker’s.

  After praise and worship was over and the congregation squeezed into their seats like sardines, Nikki managed to regain control of herself and her tears. Ushers were walking the aisles with tissues and offered her some. Wiping her eyes, she took in more of her surroundings. The sanctuary was exactly like it looked on TV, with wooden pews, stained-glass windows, and live plants and flowers decorating the pulpit. The band was to the left of the choir, and TV cameras were all over. The baptismal pool was behind the choir, and there was a balcony. It was a traditional sanctuary except for the cameras, although a much larger, more modern place of worship was under construction nearby. It hit her that this was the scene that she had been viewing every week on TV for the last few years. The revelation almost overwhelmed her, and she rocked back and forth in her seat thanking Jesus.

  After the announcements and other preliminaries, she began to settle down. Pastor Freeman arrived and Nikki froze. She could not take her eyes off him. Here in the same room with her was her link to everything her heart desired. She closed her eyes and remembered watching him on TV at home in Virginia, then opened them to see him right there in the flesh. He had always spoken directly to whatever she was going through at the time, providing comfort and direction. At first, she had thought that somehow he personally knew about her, her divorce and fears about single parenting. Then she realized that he did not, but that the Holy Spirit ministering through him knew her and loved her dearly. She kept opening and closing her eyes until the tears flowed again as the revelation of where God had brought her embraced her. She had been delivered, and her future was brighter than ever.

  When the pastor got up to preach, all the people disappeared in Nikki’s mind, and no one was there but the two of them. After a few minutes, Pastor Freeman disappeared too, and only Nikki and the Word of God that was coming out of his mouth were there. The Word had taken on a life all its own. It was no longer just a man standing there talking directly to Nikki who began filling her, molding her, and anointing her for whatever God led her to do. The most powerful force there is, the Word of God itself, was ministering to her, pouring itself right into her spirit. It was the most transforming experience of her life.

  At the end of the message, Pastor Freeman was ushered out ahead of the crowd, and Nikki watched him leave. She felt numb. After service, as the crowd pushed her out the door, she staggered toward the minivan. Then, realizing she had not picked up the children, she turned around, still dazed a bit—what the pastor called drunk in the Spirit—and headed back to get in the line at the children’s church.

  By the time everyone was retrieved, she was almost back to normal.

  “How did you like church?” she asked on the drive home.

  “It was great,” Taj said.

  “We had fun,” Mia jumped in. “We read our Bibles, watched videos about Jesus, played games, and won prizes. Look what I won,” she said, showing Nikki a pad and pencil set. “Thanks for making me learn my books of the Bible, Mommy. I won because I knew the four Gospels.”

  “I loved it too, Mommy,” Shay said. It took a lot to impress Shay. If she loved it, that said a lot to Nikki. “How was your church, Mommy?”

  “Just plain awesome. I can’t wait for the next time. I heard somebody say that the weekly Bible study is just like Sunday service. I’m so looking forward to Wednesday,” Nikki said.

  Getting something to eat and relaxing were next on their agenda. They went to a pancake restaurant because Nikki was too keyed up to cook. The food was pretty good and made everyone feel full and sleepy.

  “I’m going to lay down for a couple of hours. What are you guys going to do?” Nikki asked as she opened the door and they all filed into the apartment.

  “I’m sleepy too,” Shay said.

  “Me too,” Taj agreed.

  “Me three,” Mia said, yawning.

  Everyone quickly changed clothes, found a comfortable spot, and went straight to sleep. Nikki dozed off, dreaming about how she was, without a doubt, sure that God had brought her to the right place.

  Chapter Twenty

  Nikki spent the day on the phone, getting instructions to register the children for school. She learned that they needed to visit the health department to get their immunization records certified. She gathered all of the appropriate papers, and they were on their way.

  Outside, her smiling neighbor was wiping down his car again.

  What does he do? Nikki’s curiosity was getting the best of her. “Hi. My name is Nikki Riley. This is my son, Taj, and my daughters, Shay and Mia,” she said, offering her hand to shake.

  “I’m Randy Jordan. Nice to meet you,” he replied, shaking her hand.

  Quickly thinking of something to say, Nikki asked, “Randy, do you know a good barber? Since we just moved here, I have to find one for my son.”

  “My roommate cuts hair.”

  “Really? Does he cut yours?” Nikki asked, checking out his haircut and concluding that if his roommate cut it, he was worth a try. She wondered if that cute guy with the girl was his roommate.

  “Yes, he cuts mine.”

  “Is he expensive, and does he make house calls?” Nikki asked jokingly, but really wanting to know. “What’s his name?” she continued before he had a chance to respond to her previous inquiry.

  “Kevin,” Randy said, hesitating before answering the other questions. There was a pause as Nikki examined Randy’s haircut again.

  “What do you think, Taj?” Nikki asked her son.

  “We can try him out,” Taj said, nodding.

  “Will you ask him if he will cut Taj’s hair for me, please?”

  “Sure, I’ll ask him when he gets in tonight.”

  With that settled and noticing that the writing on his T-shirt read “RHS Football Coaching Staff,” she asked, “What’s RHS?”

  “Riverdale High School, where I teach,” Randy answered.

  Finally! Mystery solved. He’s a teacher, and they have the summers off. That’s why he’s walking around here with nothing to do all day. “What do you teach?” she asked.

  “History,” he said.

  “Interesting. You coach football too?”

  “Yeah. I coach the wide receivers.”

  “Cool,” Nikki responded, visibly impressed. She always thought teachers and coaches were the most important people in the world. She knew many young men who survived the streets only because of their high school coaches. They replaced a lot of the absent fathers and helped get some of the players into college, many of them on scholarship. And teachers in general, but especially high school teachers, had the toughest job in the world. To motivate high school students to do well and prepare them for life had to take a special type of individual.

  “Where are you from?” Randy asked.

  “Virginia,” Taj answered.

  “Richmond, Virginia,” Mia said, “and I want to go back. I miss my granddaddy.”

  “That’s our cue to leave,” Nikki said. “See you later, Randy.”

  “Bye. Nice meeting you,” he said.

  They got in the minivan, directions in hand, and headed to the health department. After all of the shots and tests were taken, they had to wait for the records to be updated. Finally, they left with all the required paperwork completed.

  “That took forever. Let’s go get something to eat,” Nikki said as they headed to the car.

  As they were walking into the apartment, Nikki heard a door shut downstairs. She hesitated and looked to see who it was. She spotted the first guy she had met, this time accompanied by a young boy. She went in the apartment thinking, He has a son about Taj’s age.

  Later that night, there was a knock on the door. When Nikki looked through the peephole, she saw a vaguely familiar face. She opened the door with the chain still on to get a better look at the big, good-looking guy. He resembled a linebacker and wore
shorts and a T-shirt, showcasing his thick neck, broad chest, and muscular legs. Between the tall and thin basketball type and the shorter, more muscular and strong football type, she preferred the football type, being drawn to strength. Her ex-husband, Sam, had been that way when they first met, before he let his body deteriorate from drugs.

  “Hi. I’m Kevin Washington from downstairs. My roommate said your son needed a barber.” He spoke without smiling.

  “Oh,” she said, closing the door, removing the chain, and opening it all the way so that he could enter. “Come in.”

  Kevin came in without saying a word and stood stiffly by the door as Nikki locked it. She turned to him and snuck another quick complete view.

  So serious, Nikki thought. “Hi, I’m Nikki. My son needs a haircut like yesterday,” she said, trying to loosen him up.

  “I have time now,” Kevin said, still serious.

  He doesn’t mess around, she thought. “How much do you charge?” she asked.

  “Six dollars.”

  “Okay. Can you cut it here?” she asked, thinking that was a good deal, hoping she would get more than her money’s worth in terms of quality. Haircuts back home had gone up to ten dollars.

  “Sure. I’ll go get my clippers. I’ll be right back,” he said as he turned and let himself out.

  A few minutes later, when he returned, Kevin looked around her living room and said, “Wow! It’s like night and day.” He was obviously impressed.

  “What is?” Nikki asked.

  “Your apartment compared to ours,” he said.

  That’s a refreshing touch of honesty, she thought. “Thanks, I guess,” she said, not wanting to sound presumptuous.

  “No, this is nice. It’s hooked up,” Kevin said, still not smiling.

  This is a serious guy. “Well, thank you very much. Now, where do you want to cut my son’s hair?”

  “The kitchen will be fine. The light is probably better in there than anywhere else.”