“Oh Lord, go before and behind every one of these precious souls,” he prayed into the megaphone. “Bless each and every one and their households for sharing Your love and Your loveliness today. Thank You, Lord, for them all. In Jesus’ name . . . And everyone said?”
“Amen!” the crowd shouted.
“God is good!” Al shouted, raising his hands to the heavens.
“All the time,” the crowd answered.
“And all the time?” Al asked.
“God is good!” The crowd erupted into applause.
“Yes, Lord,” Al whispered. “Yes, You are.”
Chapter
36
Marquise cradled his daughter in his strong arms as he stood, side-by-side with Al, back at the Kellie Park parking area. A soft August breeze blew gently and comfortably on them. “You know, Pastor Al,” Marquise began, feeling strengthened by the events of the afternoon. “I want us to get something started for Mannford.”
“What have you got in mind, brother?” Al asked.
“I think we should create a task force with the Mannford police. With God’s help, we can act to prevent a tragedy like this, rather than just reacting afterward.”
“What a word! I’m with you 100%,” Al said.
“Let me talk with my man, Tyler. We wanna get this thing started proper.”
“That sounds like a plan. Let’s do it! I know that the Lord will be with us as we go in His name.”
Marquise cupped his brow and looked toward Keiana and Misty, coming toward them. “Oh look, man, here they come. You know, we got us some beautiful women, Pastor Al.” A smile crossed his face. “One, two, three beautiful women, right, Nisha?” Marquise said as he pointed to his little princess and placed his finger on her nose.
“Amen, brother. Amen.” Al clapped Marquise on the shoulder.
Nisha grinned sleepily and clapped her little hands together.
The men chuckled.
“She is pure cuteness,” said Pastor Al.
“I agree,” Marquise said, finding himself smiling again. He seemed to be doing that much more since his life-changing experience at the church.
“Hey, guys.” Misty and Keiana waved as they approached.
“Agree about what, baby?” Keiana said and giggled, as she stood on tiptoes to kiss Marquise and their daughter.
“Baby, we’re just agreeing that we have three super beautiful women here,” Marquise said.
“Amen,” Al said.
“Aww,” both women answered at the same time, beaming.
“So,” Al said as he put his arms around Marquise and Keiana’s shoulders, “when do I get the pleasure of performing the wedding for my two sweet folks?”
Marquise and Keiana looked at each other and raised their eyebrows.
“I’m going to do right by Keiana and give her a proper wedding and a proper marriage,” Marquise said. “We’re going to set a date and do it big.”
“Aww, baby. Thank you!” Keiana said and laid her head on Marquise’s arm.
“Good, brother,” Al said.
“Sure is, guys, and, Keiana, I’m loving that ring.” Misty lifted Keiana’s hand to ooh and aah at it again. “So beautiful.”
“Thanks, sis,” Keiana said and hugged her. Marquise was glad to see that Keiana had certainly made a friend in Misty.
“You did it right, brother,” Al nodded his head in congratulations to Marquise.
“Got’s to, for my girl,” Marquise smiled. “For my girls,” he added, gazing proudly at Keiana and baby Nisha.
“You guys are beautiful,” Misty added. “This whole afternoon has been beautiful. Talk about beautiful. Renee — that sister is bee-u-ti-ful. God’s doing a work in her, and I know that He’s going to do a work through her.”
“And we’ll help her all the way,” Al said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Well, we best get going,” Al said. “We all have a big night ahead of us.”
“We sure do. I know you’ll do good, brotha. Looking forward to it,” Marquise said. “We gon’ roll. We’ll see you tonight. Bye, y’all.”
“See you tonight,” Al and Misty said in unison. The four shared warm hugs before going their separate ways.
Marquise buckled Nisha into her car seat and ran back to open the door for Keiana. With his girls secure, he got in and began to drive. On Sirius XM, John Legend’s “All of Me” was playing. Marquise reached over and intertwined his fingers with Keiana’s. Even baby Nisha seemed quiet and content. Marquise lifted Keiana’s hand to give it a gentle, soft kiss. “I’m lookin’ forward to spending the rest of my life wit’ you, girl. Love you, Ke.”
“Marq, I love you, too, baby, with yo’ fine self!” Keiana scooted over and kissed him. “We’re going to have the time of our life together, boy.” She rubbed her hand gently on the back of his neck as they rode.
“All right, den, girl.” Marq put his sunglasses on, pulled into traffic, and merged onto the beltway.
“Ooh, Marq, you remember that one?” Keiana asked when Maze’s “Happy Feelings” came on.
Marquise chuckled. “Mama used to play that over and over and over again. It does sound good.” Marquise and Keiana rode along, chillin’ to Happy Feelings.
Keiana glanced out the window as they drove. “Oops, baby, we missed our exit.”
“I know. Gotta make one stop,” Marquise said and smiled slyly.
“Marquise, boy, where we going?” Keiana said as she gave him the side eye.
“You’ll see, baby.” He loved that she was going to have to wait to see what he had planned.
“Marquise! Tst.”
Marquise drove another fifteen minutes and then pulled up into an old stately Mannford neighborhood where the branches of towering oaks met overhead to form tunnels of green.
He drove down the street, looking for 1504 Allen Cove. He found the numbers hanging on a handsome craftsman-style house to his right and parked in the driveway. “Just a minute, baby. Let me see if they’re home.” Marquise jumped out of the SUV before Keiana could reply. Running to the wooden porch, he jumped up its three steps and rang the doorbell.
Tyler’s head jerked up from the preseason football game he’d been watching as the doorbell rang. He glanced at Laura who had just gotten her paints out to work on a blank canvas she’d set up. He smiled at her from the other side of the den. Laura returned his smile and nodded toward the door.
Tyler took a quick sip of Pepsi. “Okay, okay, right after this play, honey.”
“Tyler!” she said, laughing.
He stood and walked backward toward the door, not wanting to miss the play on the fourth down with one yard to go. “Yeah!” Tyler yelled, throwing up his arms as the Cowboys successfully converted. He sprinted to the hallway, slid across the floor in his socks, and opened the door. His mouth dropped. There stood Marquise. “Hey, Marquise!” Tyler shouted in delight, pulling his friend into a bear hug. “What an awesome surprise! Come on in.”
Marquise grinned and pointed to the SUV.
Tyler cupped his brow. “Who is that pretty lady you have in there?”
“I’ve got two pretty ladies in there,” Marquise said, grinning.
“Well, what are you waiting for, dude? You all come on in!”
“You sure, man? I don’t want to barge in if you’re in the middle of somethin’.”
“Seriously, Marq! I can TiVo the Cowboy’s game and watch it later.” He threw his arm around his friend and walked to the SUV with him. “Hello, beautiful lady.” He opened Keiana’s door, held out his hand, and assisted her out.
“Thank you, Tyler,” Keiana said with a warm smile.
“I heard you have someone else in here,” Tyler said.
“We sure do.” Marquise opened the back door, unlatched baby Nisha from her car se
at, and presented her proudly.
“Marq, man, she’s beautiful. May I?” Tyler held his hands out for baby Nisha and chuckled as she patted him on the nose. “Let’s go inside. Laura will want to see you.” As they walked into the house, Tyler shouted out, “Laura, honey, we have awesome visitors.”
After a moment, Laura appeared in the hallway. “Hello, hello!”
“Laura, do you remember Marquise from high school?” Tyler asked.
“Yes, of course! Hi, Marq. We had a couple of classes together,” Laura said and hugged Marquise. She held onto his hand as she turned to face Keiana. “And who do we have here, Marq?”
“This is my lovely Keiana and our beautiful little Nisha!”
“Hi, Keiana.” Laura took both of Keiana’s hands in her own, and then the two hugged.
“Oh, my goodness, only by God’s grace did us girls make it through last evening, right Keiana?”
“Boy, you’re absolutely right, Laura.” The two hugged again. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it through that,” Keiana answered. “The Lord sure was watching over us, girl.”
“He sure was, Keiana. Oh, my goodness,” Laura said as she turned her attention to Nisha in Tyler’s arms. Tears formed in her eyes. “Marq, Keiana, she is adorable. Hi, Nisha.” She reached out for the baby girl. When Nisha held her hands toward her, Laura took the baby into her arms. Nisha wrapped her little arms around Laura’s neck and rested her head on her shoulder. Laura laughed in delight and looked around at everyone. “Look, everybody, Nisha likes me. She likes me.”
“Of course, she does, honey,” Tyler said as he bent and kissed Laura and baby Nish. “Come on back, guys!” Tyler felt thrilled to be reunited with his high school buddy and his family. He led the way into the den. “Hey, can I get you something to drink?”
“No, man!” Marquise said. “We won’t keep you and Laura long. Don’t like to drop in unannounced, but I just had to come and see you, man, and tell you thanks again for being there for me last night. I will never forget seeing your face when we made it out of there with no bloodshed. Man, you have always been my brother by a different mother, Ty.”
“Bro, the feelings are mutual,” Tyler answered. “We’ve had each other’s backs ever since our football days, haven’t we?”
“True dat, Ty,” Marquise said. “Hey, Ty — me and Pastor Al were rolling around the idea of a task force with the Mannford police department. It’s always been my goal to make what’s around me better. So let’s make things better in Mannford. This would be a task force between us in the hood and the MPD. As I mentioned to Pastor Al, let’s act to prevent these tragedies instead of reacting after they have happened.”
“That’s so excellent. You’re an awesome person, dude. I’m definitely going to present this idea to Commander Holfield and Police Chief Robinson,” Tyler said. “I’m sure they will get on board as well.”
“Thanks, Ty,” Marquise said. The men shook hands.
“Man,” Ty grinned and pointed at the television. “How ’bout dem boys, Marq?”
“Wait, what? No way, man. Did our boys pull it off against the Patriots? What?” He burst out laughing.
“They did it,” Ty said and grinned, lifting his hand for a fist-bump. “We best catch up with the girls.”
Marquise smiled. “Know you right,” and waited for Tyler to lead the way.
In the meantime, the women had strolled out to Laura’s workshop. Tyler and Marquise joined them to hear Keiana oohing and aahing.
“Your home is beautiful, Laura,” Keiana said.
“Thanks so much. Tyler and I have put a lot of work into it.”
“I can tell. I can also tell that Nisha has taken to you.”
“Yay, I’m so glad!” Laura sing-songed happily. Nisha had fallen asleep, resting comfortably in Laura’s arms.
“Wow, Laura!” Keiana exclaimed as she took in Laura’s artwork. “You’re a very talented lady.”
“Man, Laura,” Marquise said, agreeing with Keiana. “That’s a fact. You are gifted.”
“Thanks, you guys,” Laura said, basking in their praise. “I’ve enjoyed painting every one of them.” She led them from piece to piece. “This is one of my favorites.” She shared a look with Tyler and then lifted the cover off of his portrait.
“That’s you, bro!” Marquise clapped Tyler on the shoulder.
Tyler wrapped his arm around Laura’s waist. “I love it, honey! I don’t know if I’m that good looking though. You made, and make, me better than I am!”
“Oh, Tyler, I captured you just as you are, honey.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
“It is very well done, Laura,” Keiana said as she laid her hand on Laura’s shoulder.
“I was going to wait until everything died down, but I think this is a perfect time,” Laura said. “I have some very awesome news.” She paused to take a deep breath. “I have been asked to do an exhibit to showcase several of my pieces in the Soiree Art Gallery!”
“Wow, honey!” Tyler stood in shock, his mouth agape. He tried to say something, but Laura interrupted.
“Wait, honey, that’s not all,” she said.
“More?” Was all Tyler could manage, his eyes wide.
Laura shared a bright smile. “I’ve also been commissioned to paint a mural of Mannford on the wall of the downtown public library.”
“Laura, honey, that is incredible,” Tyler said. “When did you hear?”
“Last Thursday,” she said, a smile lighting up her beautiful face.
Tyler pulled his fingers through his hair in recognition. Tears burned at the corners of his eyes as he recalled the way he had put her off when she wanted to talk the other morning. He pulled her close again and kissed her forehead.
“Well, Laura,” Marquise spoke up. “Are we invited?”
“Of course, Marquise, seriously?” Laura rolled her eyes.
Tyler and the others laughed together and walked back up the path to the house. He hugged Laura’s side as she strode next to him, content and happy. He watched as Laura rubbed Nisha gently on the back and kissed her soft cheek before handing her back to Keiana.
“She’s so adorable,” Ty said softly, wondering what it would feel like to have a baby with Laura.
“She is,” Laura said and nodded. “I’ve already fallen in love with her.”
Keiana laughed. “I think she has fallen in love with you as well, Laura. She’s very picky about who she goes to.”
“That’s so true,” Marquise added. “While we’re talkin’ ’bout love, I have something to add.”
“What’s that?” Tyler said. “Wait. I know! You love us so much that you’re taking us with you on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Virgin Islands?” He threw his arm around Marquise’s shoulder, as he looked at him hopefully.
“Uh, no, Ty.” Marquise laughed. “Maybe next year, though, bro.”
Everyone laughed.
“All kiddin’ aside, I just wanted to tell you and Laura that me and my sweet Shawty here are getting married.” Marquise bent over and shared a quick kiss and hug with Keiana.
“That is par excellence,” Tyler said and hugged the two of them.
Keiana and Marquise smiled brightly. “Thank you!” they said in unison.
“So many congratulations, guys,” Laura said. “Are we invited to the wedding?”
“Well, of course, Laura, seriously?” Marquise said and rolled his eyes, just as Laura had earlier. Everyone chuckled. “For real though, we’ll let you all in on the details soon.”
“We’re happy for you guys, and it’s so awesome that we’ve come together again. Let’s start hanging out, okay?” Tyler asked. “What say we do a cook-out real soon?”
“That sounds like a plan to me, man,” Marquise answered. “We can all catch us some Cowboy games, too.”
“We’re in — right, Keiana?” Laura said.
“You all don’t have to ask me twice!” Keiana said. Everyone laughed again.
Tyler smiled. This budding friendship felt so good, so natural, so easy.
Tyler and Laura walked their friends out and shared goodbyes in the warm afternoon sunshine.
Just before they pulled out, Marquise rolled down the SUV’s window. “Hey, Ty, are you guys going to the Night of Healing gathering tonight?”
“Yep, we men in blue will be there!”
“I’ll be there as well!” Laura called.
“That’s cool!” Marquise said. “We’ll see you all there.” He and Keiana waved, and with Nisha already asleep in her car seat, they pulled out and rolled down the street toward home.
Chapter
37
Just a few minutes before 4 p.m., Al pulled back into the apartment parking lot, jumped out of the car, and sauntered around to open the passenger door for Misty. “Mrs. Shepherd,” he said, bowing and offering her his hand.
“You may kiss me,” Misty said in a regal tone and then undid the affect by giggling.
“Oh?” Al said, grinning. He grasped his wife’s hand, assisted her gently from the car, and wrapped her in his arms for a sweet kiss. “You didn’t state where I may kiss you.”
“Mr. Shepherd, I think I prefer this here,” and then pulled her husband toward her for a quick kiss on the lips. Misty laughed softly. In the apartment building’s elevator, they shared another kiss and a comforting hug.
“That was an awesome gathering, wasn’t it, honey?” Al said, still feeling the profound sense of satisfaction in doing something good for another person.
“It was awesome! The Lord did a precious work out there today.”
“What a — Oh!”
The elevator lurched to a stop, nearly knocking them off their feet. In an indefinable silence, Al and Misty paused and listened. Suddenly, the elevator cables just above them began to creak. The elevator lights flickered and shut off.
“Al?” Misty said. In alarm, she clutched her husband’s hand.
Al stood still, holding Misty’s hand, and listened as the sound of shrieking metallic waves started surging toward them. The elevator cable wires were unraveling above them. Al realized in a flash that at any moment the elevator could plunge several floors . . . or more.
Three Nights In Mannford Page 24