“How are my grandbabies?”
“Doing good. We’ve met some really nice people. Taj couldn’t be better. We have two big football players who happen to be college graduates, teachers, football coaches, and real good role models for him living right under us. I’ve also met a really good friend, Erica, from the church. She took us out, and we had a ball, so you can relax,” Nikki said.
“Not until I see for myself. Did your mother tell you that we plan to come this weekend?”
“Yeah, she said you’d fill me in on the details. Can’t wait to see you. What time will you get here?”
“We’re leaving Friday morning. We’re going to take our time, enjoy the scenery. Need anything?” Jim asked.
“Just some hugs,” Nikki answered.
“Got plenty of them. We’ll see you Friday around four, sweetheart.”
“Okay, Daddy. Tell Ma I’ll talk to her later.”
“I will. Bye, baby.”
“Bye, Daddy. Love you.”
“Love you too, baby. See ya soon.”
After breakfast on Friday, Nikki and the kids cleaned the apartment spick-and-span, then she called Erica.
“Hey, whatcha doin’ this weekend?”
“Just running some errands. What’s up?” Erica asked.
“I want you to meet my parents.”
“I would love to meet them. Where are they?”
“They’ll be here later today.”
“Maybe I can stop by after work,” Erica said.
“Do that. They’ll probably just want to chill tonight after that long ride, so we’ll be here. Just stop on by.”
“Cool. How’re the kids?”
“Blessed. We had the best time the other day. Thanks again for that.”
“Girl, I bet I had more fun than anybody,” Erica said.
“You were into it, girl, that’s for sure.”
“Running around with kids keeps me young,” Erica said.
“I hear ya,” Nikki said, laughing.
“Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
Nikki looked through the peephole later that day and saw her father. She swung the door open. “Daddy!” she shouted, practically choking him as she hugged him tightly. The children came flying out of their rooms.
“Granddaddy! Grandma!” They jumped on Jim, almost knocking him down. He managed to make his way to the sofa and sit down while they hugged and kissed him all over. Nikki hugged her mother. When she finished, the kids grabbed Jean.
“My babies, my precious babies. Thank God you’re all right,” Jean cried.
“Oh, Ma. Of course they’re all right,” Nikki said.
When they all felt they had sufficiently hugged and kissed, Nikki said, “Sit down, relax, get comfortable. I’ll go get your stuff out of the car.”
“I’ll have to help you with the suitcase, Nikki,” Jim said. “It’s pretty heavy.” He got up, and together they went outside to the Caddy.
“Let me see if Kevin and Randy are home,” Nikki said. “I want to introduce you to our neighbors.”
When she knocked on the door, Randy opened it.
“Hey, I want you guys to meet my parents. They came down for a visit. Is Kevin here?”
“Yeah, I’ll get him. We’ll be right out,” Randy said.
The two guys came over to the car while Nikki and her dad were getting the bags out.
“Daddy, this is Randy and this is Kevin. They are really good neighbors.”
“You are some big guys,” Jim said, sticking out his hand.
They smiled as they took turns shaking Jim’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, sir. Let us get those bags for you,” Kevin said.
“Thanks, man,” Jim said.
Randy and Kevin followed Nikki and Jim up to the apartment with the suitcase and other bags.
“Just put them anywhere,” Nikki instructed.
Nikki went on about the guys as if she was introducing the evening’s speakers to an audience.
“They both graduated from Atlanta State University. They played on the championship football team together, and they are teachers at Riverdale High School. They aspire to be NFL coaches, and they are excellent role models for our children, especially our young black boys. I’m pretty lucky to have them for my neighbors and friends,” Nikki praised.
Kevin and Randy were blushing and grinning from ear to ear. Neither one of them could say a word. Nikki wasn’t just praising the guys to make them or her parents feel good. She really and truly believed what she said.
“Well, since my daughter speaks so highly of you, you must be all right,” Jean said.
“Nice to meet you,” Randy said.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Kevin said, looking shy again.
Nikki concluded that if Kevin didn’t know a person, he went into some type of shell, but after he got to know people, he was quite talkative.
“Hope to see you again before you leave,” Randy said as they walked toward the door.
“Thanks for the help,” Jim said.
“Anytime,” Kevin replied, and they were gone.
“They seem like nice young men,” Jean said.
“The best,” Nikki confirmed.
“Do you like them, Shay?” Jim asked.
“Yes. They’re cool,” she answered.
“They’re real nice, Granddaddy,” Mia said.
“They said I can go to football practice with them and be on the field during games, Granddaddy,” Taj exclaimed.
“All right, then,” Jim said. Then leaning into Nikki’s ear, he said, “You still watch them.”
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I watch as well as pray.”
“That’s my girl. Now, where’s the bathroom?”
“I’ll give you a tour, Granddaddy,” Taj said.
As her parents made themselves at home, Nikki checked on dinner. She prayed that it tasted as good as it looked.
“Are you guys ready for something to eat? I cooked your favorite, Daddy, steak with grilled onions and mushroom gravy and roasted potatoes with a fresh spinach salad on the side.”
“That sounds delicious, baby. Jean—”
“I’ll fix your plate,” his wife responded before he could ask.
“Not too much now, I’m cutting back,” Jim said.
“I’m the only one who knows what cutting back means,” Jean told Nikki.
“Okay, Ma. I’ll fix the kids’ plates,” Nikki said, opting to serve from the stove.
While they were eating, there was a knock at the door. It was Erica. Nikki answered it and made the introductions.
“Get a plate,” she instructed Erica.
“Okay,” Erica said, and helped herself. “Your daughter sure can cook, Mrs. Harris. So can that adorable grandson of yours. I’ve tasted his baked chicken that he said you taught him to make, Mr. Harris. Simply delicious.”
“That’s my boy,” Jim said proudly.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal. After dinner, the children crashed all over their granddaddy in front of the TV.
“I’m going to unpack some things, Nikki. Nice meeting you, Erica,” Jean said, getting up to go into Taj’s room. Taj had graciously given it up to his grandparents.
“Wonderful meeting you, Mrs. Harris, and you too, Mr. Harris,” Erica said. “Will you be coming to church during your visit?”
“Don’t know yet,” Jim said, basking in the love that was being poured on him.
“Well, enjoy your visit. I’m going to go on home, Nikki. Got some work to do.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later, and thanks for coming by.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it,” Erica said.
After Erica left, Nikki took fresh towels to her mother.
“These people sure do appear to be nice, but you keep your antennas up. Can’t be too careful where my babies are concerned,” Jean said.
“I know, Ma.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Everything appeared to be in
place and everyone seemed to be satisfied after Nikki’s parents had checked things out for themselves. After her parents left, Nikki decided to touch base with Erica.
“Way Maker Ministries. This is Tonya. How may I direct your call?”
“Sister Erica Scott, please?”
“Just one moment, please.”
“Personnel, this is Sister Erica Scott, how may I help you?”
“Hi, sis. Are you busy?”
“Hey, girl. Always busy. How are Mom and Dad?”
“Gone. Left this morning. The older you get, the more you hate to leave home, I guess. They couldn’t make it a week without thinking they were missing something back home, but we really enjoyed the time we did have with them.”
“Did they make it to church?” Erica asked.
“No, and I didn’t make them feel bad about it either.”
“Good for you.”
“I went to register for my classes.”
“Good.”
“While I was up there, I looked at the board and saw my job posted. What’s the status?” Nikki asked.
“It won’t close for another couple of weeks, then I’ll give all the qualified applications to the controller. Once he decides who he wants to interview, we’ll set it up and give you a call.”
“Sounds great. I should be done with all my classes by then.”
“It would be great if you could get them done that fast.”
“Then it’s done. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
Nikki pulled out several translations of the Bible, her notebook, audiotapes, Bible commentaries, and several other study guides and began to dig into the Word of God. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with God in this manner as He revealed Himself to her and she became more and more intimate with Him. Just as she was getting deep into her study, the phone rang.
“You have a collect call from Rae. Press or say one to accept the charges,” a recorded voice said.
“One,” Nikki said.
The call was connected.
“Nikki, this is my one phone call.”
“Your one phone call? What the heck does that mean?”
“It means I’m locked up.”
“And you call me three states away?”
“I know. I couldn’t think of anyone else to call.”
“Where’s Darius?”
“Girl, my babies’ daddy is locked up himself.”
“Dang. What did you do?”
“The crack house I was dealing in got raided, and I couldn’t get out fast enough, trying to get all my stuff. Some of the people who were in there with me got away, but I was not leaving my stuff.”
“Rae, you done lost your mind.”
“I know, Nikki. I saw the light in that padded wagon. I said to myself, Look what I’m doing. I could have gotten away if I had left it, but I wasn’t thinking. You know how I am about my stuff. It’s my livelihood, but I thought about all of that on the ride down here. Everything you’ve said to me came to mind, and I know this isn’t it. I’m for real, Nikki. You know I would not be calling all the way to Georgia and asking you to call Aunt Jean if I wasn’t serious. I’ve been this route too many times, had too many close calls, and I see now that it’s just not worth it. I’m ready for some help now.”
“Fine time to see the light. You might be on your own. Ma wants nothing to do with the lifestyle you’ve chosen to live, so I know she’s not coming to get you. Your father and his wife still won’t have anything to do with you?”
“Not a thing. I terrorized them, remember?”
“How could I forget? You robbed the people blind after all they tried to do for you. Dang near drove the poor woman crazy. What about your kids’ aunt? Do you want me to call her for you, since you’ve used your one phone call on me?”
“I’d hate to do that with all she’s doing for my kids. No, I’ll think of something else. I gotta go, cuz.”
“All I know to do is pray,” Nikki said, playing with her hair.
“I will definitely do that. Bye.”
Once school started for the children, Nikki had more time on her hands to study. She got the most out of her new-members classes and looked forward to graduation.
Nikki’s daily routine while she believed God for the accountant position included driving the children to the school bus stop in the mornings. She allowed them to walk home from the bus stop with the large group after school. After the children were off, Nikki spent her mornings at the church taking her new-members classes and was home waiting for them when they arrived back from school.
When the new members’ final exam came, she passed and was ready to graduate. Kevin and Randy were invited to the event. The graduates had to be there early for more than three hundred of them to line up and get their instructions. Randy couldn’t make it to the graduation, but Kevin came and brought the children with him so they wouldn’t have to sit around waiting for so long. Nikki heard them clapping for her when her name was called to receive her certificate. It was a special moment in her life. After the ceremony, the graduates were instructed to go over to the fellowship hall. She met Kevin and the children outside.
“I have to go to the reception now. Do you want to come?” Nikki asked the kids.
“Not really,” Taj said, speaking for himself and the girls, who were shaking their heads in agreement.
“I’ll take the kids on home with me, then. Just stop by when you finish up here,” Kevin said. “And congratulations!”
Nikki gave him a big hug. “You’re a sweetheart. Thanks,” she said.
She hugged and kissed each child before telling them she would see them shortly. She went to the reception, where all the graduates gathered in order to be recruited by the different ministries. The hall was overwhelming. There were so many ministries to choose from, including Children’s, Nursing Home, Parking, Athletic, Dance, Substance Abuse, Singles, and Marriage. There was something for everyone. She got some juice and cookies and wandered around in almost a daze. This is an awesome church, and I’m a part of it. I don’t know what to choose.
The various ministry groups were literally calling out to her. They had candy, pens, and pads as incentives. There were flyers, banners, and all kinds of things to make their ministries look like the best one to join. Nikki couldn’t think straight. All she could do was thank God that she was an official part of such a great work.
She gathered handouts from most of the ministries to read later. The entire graduation experience was almost as amazing as the first time she was in the sanctuary when she couldn’t stop crying. She felt tears of joy welling up and decided to leave so that she could let them flow freely. She ran to the minivan and praised God all the way home.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Now that Nikki had graduated from new-members class and her paperwork was submitted for the only job she ever truly wanted, she had to find something productive to do. She couldn’t decide which ministry to join . . . besides, she was too preoccupied with the accountant position. She decided to call Erica.
“Hey, Erica. Any word on my job?”
“I’m waiting on the controller to tell me who he wants to interview. I’ll let you know once things are all set.”
“Okay.” Nikki sighed. “Talk to you later.”
“Patience, sister,” Erica said.
Nikki had been thriving on all the activity. Now that things were quieting down, she was going through thrill withdrawals. She looked at the list of ministries again.
Later that day, the phone rang.
“Hello,” Nikki answered.
“This is Sister Erica Scott from Way Maker Ministries personnel department. May I please speak with Sister Nicole Riley?”
“Girl, what?” Niki responded, excited to hear the official tone in Erica’s voice.
Erica laughed at Nikki’s impatience.
“Can you come in for an interview Monday at ten?”
“Yes, I can. Are there any special instructi
ons?” Nikki asked, sounding as professional as Erica.
“Yes. When you come into the lobby, go to the receptionist’s desk and let her know that you’re here to interview for the accounting position. She will instruct you from there.”
“Do I need to bring anything?”
“You can bring a calculator because you will be given a test.”
“What! You are the testingest people I have ever seen,” Nikki said, all professionalism gone.
They both laughed.
“You’ll be fine, girl,” Erica said.
“What kind of test?” Nikki asked.
“An accounting test. The controller is a stickler for giving tests to prove one’s competency. You can handle that, right?”
“I told you I got this.”
“Handle your business, then. I’ll talk to you later. Got to set up more interviews,” Erica said.
“What does my competition look like?” she asked.
“Bye, Nikki.”
“Just teasing. See, you’re rubbing off on me already.”
As soon as Nikki hung up with Erica, the phone rang again. It was Rae.
“Cuz, I got somebody to get me out.”
“Who?” Nikki asked.
“One of my suppliers. He said I was a good customer and it was the least he could do. He knew I was good for the money. I didn’t want to go that route, but my choices were limited.”
“Guess you had to do what you had to do.”
“Yep. It doesn’t look good, cuz. I met with a lawyer, who said he can probably get me eighteen months.”
“Dang.”
“That’s what I say. You were right, cuz. Fine time to finally see the light.”
“Well, keep hope alive and know that Jesus is with you, no matter what.”
“I don’t know why I keep calling you. That’s all you ever say.”
“Because you’re beginning to believe it the more you hear me say it. Faith comes by hearing. Plus, you feel better after you hang up, that’s why.”
“I don’t know why I feel better. You don’t do anything but talk, but you’re right. I do feel better after talking to you.”
“Then let’s keep talking. What do you want to talk about?”
“About my mom.”
“Okay. My Aunt Tee. A raving beauty. Sweet as she could be. Called me Niecy. Made the best iced tea.”
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