“And you came for that?” Tony asked with a wry twist of his lips. “Must be a slow news day.”
Kari gave Tony’s jacket a little yank to get his attention. “Don’t antagonize them. It’s obvious that what we hoped to accomplish here won’t happen today. Judging by the look of things, it won’t happen at all,” she said with a nod at the members of the congregation cheering for Terrence.
Tony looped his arm under Kari’s, moved forward and hooked his other arm under Aridell’s and guided them away from the cameras. He signaled the rest of the advisors, musicians, Ricky, and the choir to follow. When they made it far enough away, which happened to be near the corner grocery store, everyone circled him.
“Pastor, we need to reschedule and come back another time,” Brother Ray said, looking over his shoulder at the people who were now filing away from the front of the church, small groups at a time.
“Why?” Aridell demanded to know. “The doors are going to be locked every time we show up.” She nudged Tony. “No time like the present. Go out there. Speak your real agenda while the cameras are rolling and let Terrence try to come for you after that.”
“I’m with Aridell,” Sister Janice said, with a simple nod that settled it, at least in her mind. “Tell the media all those good things you’ve been doing. That’ll get the right people in your corner.”
“I don’t have to broadcast that to anyone,” Tony said, giving the women’s shoulder a gentle pat. “It wasn’t done so the world or anyone else could give me any kind of credit.” He followed her gaze to the front doors of the church; the chain glittering under the glare of the street lights. “I’m not letting this play out in the media. Church is already getting enough bad press. Pastors, too. I’m not adding to it.”
Tony was right. One pastor from across town had already been under fire for pocketing money while several female members put their own money up just to keep the church’s lights and gas on. Then he made up some lies about those same members and banned them from the church so he wouldn’t have to make good on the promise to repay them. Unfortunately, repay them he did. They took him and the church to court making their shady deeds a public issue. Another pastor who impregnated one of the pre-teens from his congregation, was currently up on charges of sexual assault of a minor. Not to mention the one who’d been having an affair with the former choir director. Both of whom were married. Oh, and male.
“We’ll just meet at my house next Sunday,” he said to the group. “Sounds good?”
Everyone agreed before coming forward one by one to shake Tony’s hand.
Terrence walked past the group on his way to his vehicle.
“You want this place that bad,” Tony stated to his self-proclaimed enemy. “Then it’s all yours. Same way that God led me here, He’ll use these same feet and walk me to the next opportunity.”
Kari chanced a glance at their nemesis and was met with an expression that was pure evil.
Chapter Seventeen
As the media circus followed Terrence and his people, Aridell moseyed over to her nephew. “Young blood, you’re about to learn the difference between tithers and tippers.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, his mouth pulled into a concerned frown.
She dismissed him with an airy wave. “The church needs a certain amount of prayer, manpower, and money to run. Folks who volunteer their time do a lot of things around here. But there are certain paid positions, for instance minister of music or assistant pastor,” Aridell explained. “You have to make sure they get paid, as well as keep the gas, lights, and telephone on, and pay taxes, all of that. And, of course, you’re going to want money to live on.”
Terrence laughed, eyes crinkling with the effort. “I have the majority of the congregation with me. We’re going to be all right.”
Aridell smiled as she peered around him to the people watching them closely, though they were pretending not to. “There are people who ask God for things all the time, but when it’s time to give Him one of the things He asks, they put a drop in the offering bucket. Those are the tippers. Then there are members like me, who give God ten percent off the top, give themselves that second ten percent, and still drop God a little something extra. Those are the tithers.”
She waited while her meaning caught on. “The group that’s backing Pastor Baltimore? Those are the tithers.” She gave him a wink and relished the alarm in his expression. “I give it three months tops before you’re in financial trouble. Real trouble. Not to mention, if they did a little digging in your past. Then the reporters will have a whole new story.”
The smile that had been ever-present on Terrence’s lips since the media had landed on the church’s doorstep disappeared, replaced by a sudden onslaught of panic. As he put his eyes on the part of the congregation that were sprawled out over the block, Aridell gave him a parting wave and turned on her heels.
On the way home from church, Tony and Kari both were bombarded with texts, emails, and calls from some of the former members; ones that had not been on Tony’s side.
“Maybe we should give them another chance,” Kari said after a few moments. “It seems they’re having second, possibly third, thoughts.
Tony glanced at her from the driver’s seat. “Kari, we’re fighting a battle that the majority of those folks don’t want us to win. We don’t need lukewarm members who keep swaying from one side to the other. We want people to think; to explore; to know God for themselves and know what’s right.”
“I understand all that,” she countered, placing a hand to his cheek. “But you’ve put so much time and money into that place. They’re finally coming around.”
“I don’t need them to come around,” he replied in a low tone. “They can stay right where they’re comfortable. The ones who sided with Terrence are the very ones who’ll be the first to judge the kind of people we’ll be bringing in. And I’m going to be honest with you.” He took his hand off the steering wheel and placed it on her thigh. “They’ll be the first ones to open their mouths to say something to you on the sly. And I’m certainly not going to let that happen.”
“I’m a lot tougher than you think,” she countered, placing her hands over his. “There’s going to be some times when you won’t be able to protect me, Tony. You’ll have to accept that. I’ve been hiding behind you for far too long.” She chanced a glance his way, wondering if dropping a little more information on him would be a good thing. “And Tony, I have to be honest about something else. I don’t believe in God the way Sister Aridell or Brother Ray does. The way you do. I’ve always had issues with religion, with doctrine that seems to limit the value of women. How am I supposed to adore a God who allows such mistreatment of women such as rape and torture? And God just looked the other way. And this whole thing we’re going through with the church only adds to it. It’s hard to believe in God when I keep seeing nothing but ugliness in the world.”
Kari was silent for a few moments, waiting to witness his reaction—which was only the flicker of his eyes, meaning he was processing and thinking of a response. A response that was not immediate in coming.
“I’ve always done what it takes to support you as my husband,” she continued. “But … I’ve never felt what you feel. I’ve wanted it, but it’s never been like that for me. You’re so passionate about this; about life. I see that how you teach changes people, and they get all caught up in the Spirit, but that’s not me. I’m an imperfect Christian, if I’m truly a Christian at all.”
“But that’s what God uses—imperfect people,” he countered, setting his gaze on her for a few seconds before putting his focus on the traffic again. “I never asked you to be perfect. I’m not perfect. I live with the mistakes I’ve made on a daily basis.” Those words swirled around for a long while before he said, “You didn’t sign up for any of this.”
“Of course, I did,” she shot back. “You never kept it a secret that you were going to take this path. I could’ve left long before we got
in so deep.”
“It was deep from day one,” he said, the corners of his lips lifting a little.
To that, she could only smile.
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning, Tony was watching Kari when she stirred from a deep sleep. The minute her eyes focused he said, “Get dressed, baby. I want to take you someplace.”
She reached up to stroke his smooth skin, the color of pure milk chocolate. “And you’re not going to tell me where?”
“Nope.” He smiled, showing those pearly whites and her heart did a little flip.
“I don’t know if I’m liking this mysterious side of you.”
“Good,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Don’t want you to think you have me all figured out.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Not about us,” he replied, sliding a hand across the smooth expanse of her exposed skin. “Never about us.”
An hour later they were on Lake Shore Drive, headed toward the museum campus. They parked in a lot adjacent to a stone building with a dome layered in varied shades of green.
“The Adler Planetarium?” she asked, following him up the steps to the entrance. “Some date this is.” Despite what she said earlier, she was loving his mysterious vibe.
Tony chuckled as he hooked his arm with hers and guided her forward. “It’s not just a date. I’m trying to prove a point, love.”
They walked a short distance to the front desk, where he asked the busty woman behind the counter for two tickets to see Cosmic Wonder. Then they were directed to a theatre and he chose two seats in the rear away from the others so they would have a bit of privacy.
The narrated show began with a vivid and astounding display of the Earth, showing where it stood in relation to the other planets and the sun. It soon zoomed out to the sprinkled white sprays of the Milky Way and the darkened paths of the nearest galaxy.
“You see that?” he whispered after a few moments.
Kari nodded, still not certain if she understood any of the points he was trying to get across with this visit. Part of their world had come to a screeching halt and he wanted to look at planets and stars?
“See where earth is?” Tony asked, stroking her fingers with his.
Then the image zoomed out more, showing the entire expanse of a galaxy, followed by another, and yet another. Everything beyond Earth’s realm seemed … endless. In that moment, she felt small in the scheme of things. Kari tried to keep up with the fast-moving visuals, but her mind and thoughts were going at their own speed.
Was there life on other planets? Were the people like us? Do they believe in the same God? Do they have the same issues on their planets as we have on Earth?
She felt his gaze on her.
“God is so much more than what we see,” he said in a low tone.
Now she understood why he’d brought her here.
She had never given any real thought to the magnificent labor that went into creating this planet, this universe, and so many others. Possibly as much an intricate work as the creation of the human body. So many systems had to work together in perfect harmony to keep a person breathing, living, walking, talking, thinking, and growing. What a wonderful thing that was.
Each person a system within a system, some parts of it good, other parts …
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Awesome in fact. But how can God be powerful enough to do all of this, yet not able to erase sin and human cruelty that has existed for ages?” She took a long slow breath and let it out slowly.
“I understand why you would only see God as a punisher. But that’s not who He is.” Tony paused a moment before continuing in a whisper directly in her ear, “Consider this. I’ve known you for years and still don’t know everything there is to know about you, right?”
She nodded.
“I can only hope to know the most important parts you share with me,” he said in a tone just above a whisper. “It’s the same with God. There’s no way that I, or any other finite person, can fully understand everything about God and how The Creator operates. But parts that are necessary are revealed to me when I pray, or when I ask for understanding. And He is so much more than anything man has ever written, re-written or deliberately altered text about Him.”
Even in the dark, she couldn’t hide the smile that came as it was illuminated in flashes from the display. “You’re so smart,” she whispered back. “That’s why you need to keep teaching people about God.” Her smile disappeared and she peered at him. “How did you ever end up in that drug life in the first place, sweetheart?”
Tony raised his gaze to the ceiling where the display of galaxies, purples, whites, and blacks was nothing short of breathtaking. He stood, gesturing for her to follow him out of the theatre. This part was too important to be told in whispers and if they kept at it, people were going to start giving them the evil eye—as if they hadn’t been already.
They slid out of the tunnel leading away from the theatre, past the registration desk, and out the front door. Soon, they were situated on the grassy area which gave them a beautiful panoramic view of Chicago’s towering skyline and blue-green waters of Lake Michigan.
Tony took Kari’s hand in his. “I was running from the calling a pastor said I had on my life. I was twelve when he said that to me in front of my grandparents, who had dragged me into church that Sunday. I didn’t want to be responsible for people and their lives. After that, I didn’t go back to church.”
Then his life took an ugly turn. Tony’s brother, Damon, skipped out on the last two years of high school and managed to get into owing Malik Price for twenty large. Malik, a man who’d been in the drug trade since age thirteen and worked his way up the deadly ranks, didn’t play about his cash, and Damon, who’d been ducking him for weeks, was about to see the wrong side of the grave.
A single bullet to the leg served enough of a warning where Damon left Chicago for parts unknown. Unfortunately, Malik knew exactly where Damon lived and came to have a not-quite-friendly little chat with the family, bodyguards in tow, demanding his money—in either cash or service.
Tony’s mother, Ruth, had been a praying woman. She had more faith in God to protect their family than in Malik’s ability to kill them. Tony was the exact opposite. He, and everyone else, was well aware of Malik’s handiwork and he wasn’t going to attend one funeral after another until the man had made his point. Money or service.
Ruth had worked two jobs to keep their family afloat. Three daughters and two sons, and a small wooden house that was barely enough space for all of them. Only one of her children had been pulled by the call of the streets. The others had excelled in school and went on to find their success. One became a doctor of optometry, another a human resources administrator, and a third a social worker.
But back then, Tony didn’t trust God where Malik was concerned. He didn’t trust the police either, who were too busy doing their part to make sure the drug-dealer-addict-prison triangle continued. Tony recognized straight out of the gate that if the drug trade ended, then the police’s reason for getting paid would come to a screeching halt. He learned early on that the police were simply generating revenue and feeding a pipeline of bodies to a prison system owned by corporations making a profit off that kind of labor.
So instead of Tony making that trip to Washington, D.C. and taking his place among the freshman class beginning their first semester at Howard University, he was posted up on the corners doing “service”. Time on the streets meant selling the kind of poison that separated users from reality; mothers from children; families from people they no longer recognized as human.
“So, God sat me down in that jail and took away all outside distractions,” he said. “I had no other choice but to listen.” Tony laced his fingers with hers. “One thing I learned is that for some, there’s no such thing as rehabilitation in prison—most inmates spend their sentences learning how to be better criminals.”
“Except you.”
“Except me,” he agreed. “And a few others.”
Kari released the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
“My first night in lock-up, my cellmate tried to test me because I didn’t have the protection that so many others had coming into the joint. Prison has its own system, and the warden and guards can’t be everywhere at once. The inmates know it and use it to their advantage.”
Tony turned to his face upward to take in the wisps of clouds in a sunlit sky that was a stark contrast to the transformation of the galaxies projected onto the ceiling in that theatre they’d vacated. “My cell mate didn’t know me from Adam, and I had no beef with him. But he came at me with a homemade knife just the same.”
Kari shut her eyes against the image that came to mind. Yet another type of cruelty that was unexplainable.
“I had to send a message that I wasn’t the one to try,” Tony explained, shifting his gaze to the traffic streaming along Lake Shore Drive. “When they pulled me off him, he had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital. I didn’t have any problems with anyone after that.” He looked at Kari for a long moment and when she didn’t respond, he listened to the pigeons flapping toward the crumbs of bread that an elderly man tossed on the concrete path that began where the grassy areas ended.
“I wasn’t proud of what I’d done. They could’ve tacked on a few more years. But I did what I had to do so I could live to see the day I’d get out of that place,” Tony said, shifting his gaze to Kari. “There was this older guy who’d been there for a little while. And I saw something so different about him. The way he handled himself and handled others … ” Tony shifted, long legs angling for more space. “I hadn’t seen anything like it. People listened to him. Looked up to him. Respected him. He wasn’t the type of Christian that was praying all the time or spitting Bible verses with every other sentence. He lived his faith, even in a place as dark as that.”
My Time in the Sun Page 11