Practicing What You Preach

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

  “Wow, you told Mommy all of that?”

  “Yes,” Aaliyah said in her almost-too-grown-up-for-her-age voice. “I tried to help her, but I don’t think I did a good job. So I told her to do what you always tell me to do when I’m sad.”

  Marcus was fascinated as he listened to his little girl. He smiled. “And what’s that?”

  “You know, Daddy. We get down on our knees and we pray. You said that’s the answer to whatever ails us. When we’re sad, we should pray. When we’re happy, we should pray. When we don’t know what to do, we should pray. You said prayer was the answer to whatever is wrong.” Aaliyah looked serious and she stared directly at her father. “Mommy was sad. Mommy was crying. I told her to talk to you if she didn’t think God could fix it. She didn’t want to tell you, so all I knew to do was pray.”

  “You know, you are wise beyond your years,” Marcus said.

  “Mommy says I’m just like you!”

  The phone rang. Marcus got up. He looked at the Caller ID. It was Melissa. He answered it.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey, yourself. What are you doing?”

  “Sitting here eating and talking with Aaliyah,” Marcus said as he looked over at his daughter.

  “I was just thinking about you. I miss you and I just wanted to hear your voice,” Melissa said. “I got your message that you were going to get Aaliyah. Sorry I was out of pocket when you called.”

  “Well, I was thinking about you, too. Why don’t you come over tonight? Aaliyah and I are just going to play a few games. Just like Jell-O, you know: there’s always room for more,” Marcus said, reciting an old television commercial.

  “That’s tempting, but I don’t want to crash your and Aaliyah’s night together.”

  “You wouldn’t be crashing our night. It would be fun. Now, you know how much Aaliyah likes having you around. In fact, I’m starting to get a little jealous the way you two leave me out of the loop when you’re together.”

  “And that’s exactly the reason why I’m not coming over tonight. You and Aaliyah have fun.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way. You were supposed to take that as a good thing,” Marcus said.

  “Oh, I took it as a compliment. I just know how important it is for little girls to have time with their fathers. Well, I would know personally had my father spent a little more time with me before he died.” Melissa made a popping sound with her mouth. “Maybe that explains why some women grow up chasing after the wrong kinds of men. I don’t think your daughter will have that problem when she grows up.”

  “I’m not sure what factors go into how children turn out. My mother raised all of us the exact same way and look what happened with my baby brother. He’s upset with me now because he feels I should shell out more money for a lawyer to get him out of prison. I helped my mother pay off the bill she incurred when he was on trial. But he thinks I should pay some high-powered lawyer he’s found to get him out. So who can say what causes children to do what they do or turn out like they do,” Marcus said.

  “You’re right. Nae-nae’s mother was real strict and very religious. They practically lived at church. You would think that Nae-nae would be in church big time now.”

  “She doesn’t go to church?”

  “She goes, but it’s more out of tradition. Nae-nae became quite cynical about the church. She’s put off by all the money talk from the pulpit when she’s struggling to pay her light bill and keep food on the table. She gets even madder when she’s being told that she’s struggling because she’s not putting even more money in church.”

  “So she doesn’t go to the same church as you?” Marcus asked. “Pastor Landris’s church seems different from most churches I’ve attended. I love going there.”

  “No, I haven’t been able to get her to visit us. She says all these churches are pretty much the same. That’s the downside when preachers and churches disappoint. It can be hard to get back those who have just given up on them completely. Nae-nae still goes to church, her home church, whenever she has to take her mother. And Nae-nae’s mother is not ever going to leave that church. Not until she takes her leave for heaven. That’s just how some people are when it comes to churches. It doesn’t matter whether or not their needs are being met. Many stay out of tradition.”

  Marcus rubbed his goatee. “Well, I think if we could get her to give Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center a chance, we might be able to get her back.”

  Melissa laughed. “Did I miss something? What’s all this we thing? I don’t recall you walking to the front of our church to become a member yet.”

  “I’m thinking seriously about it. I really love Pastor Landris’s teaching. And he and I have talked. He’s positively an impressive man and a man of God. Not perfect, so don’t get me wrong. There are a few things I don’t totally see eye to eye with him on. But ninety-nine percent, he’s right on it.” Marcus looked over at Aaliyah. She was almost finished eating. “You know, you might as well put on your shoes and come on over.”

  “And how do you know I don’t have my shoes on?” Melissa asked.

  It was Marcus’s turn to laugh. “I think I know you pretty well now after four months. So put your shoes on and come over. Aaliyah would love to see you.”

  “I’m finished!” Aaliyah said, holding up her empty plate. She got up from the table and walked toward Marcus. “Can we play the memory card game first?”

  “I hear Aaliyah. You go on and spend time with her. You and I will talk later,” Melissa said.

  “Does that mean you’re coming over?” Marcus asked.

  “Bye.” Melissa softly sang the word.

  “Are you coming over?” Marcus pressed again.

  Melissa giggled. “Bye-e-e.”

  Melissa thought about going to his house. She really did enjoy spending time with both of them. But she also didn’t want to be so selfish that she felt things had to revolve around her. So she decided to stay home, at least for tonight.

  Maybe tomorrow. But tonight—tonight she would leave father and daughter to have their time together.

  Chapter 37

  And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.

  —I Samuel 2:23

  Late Saturday afternoon, Tiffany Connors called and asked me if I could watch her three children for her. I hated saying no, even though I had vowed I would work on that a little more. It wasn’t as if Tiffany asked me to keep her children often or asked me so she could hang out in the streets. Darius hardly ever took her anywhere, but tonight he was taking her out to dinner.

  “It’s the weekend before Valentine’s Day, which I’m sure you already know is Tuesday,” Tiffany said. “Darius wants to take me out tonight instead of Tuesday since it would be easier to get a sitter on the weekend than during the week. The teenager who was coming over just called and said something came up and she can’t do it tonight. I’ve called the one other teen I trust and have used before, but she already has plans. Melissa, I know this is short notice, and if you can’t keep them, it will be okay.”

  “No, it’s not a problem. I can do that for you. What time do you want me to come over?” I said.

  “If you’d prefer, I can bring them to your house. I’m already asking a lot. It’s not like you don’t have your own life and probably your own plans,” Tiffany said.

  Tiffany really was a sweet person. She always seemed to put others first. I couldn’t understand why, with her good looks and smarts, she hadn’t figured out what a jerk Darius was and dumped him. She had to know he was cheating on her. That’s most likely why he was insisting on taking her out tonight instead of on Valentine’s Day. I guarantee you if I call on Tuesday around eight or nine at night and ask her where he is, he’ll not be home. Now if I can see this, surely Tiffany has to be able to.

  Sometimes I just want to shake her and say, “Wake up! How does a beautiful, intelligent, kind woman like you continue to take junk like this off somebody
like him? You either need to put your foot down or tell him to get to stepping.”

  Then I look back over my own life and the lives of so many others, and see I have no room to judge. Why did I let Cass and all the others treat me like dirt the way I had? If I’m so bad, why didn’t I put my own foot down? Why do I let people, not just men, still run over me now and not stand up for myself? It’s funny how we can easily defend other people’s honor, but somehow we fail to see what’s happening with ourselves. I can see where I’ve made a vast improvement over the past guys I’ve chosen to give pieces of my life to. But then again, I wasn’t even trying to talk to Marcus. He didn’t seem my type.

  I was wrong. Maybe that’s the lesson I need to see and take away from all of this. I think I know what’s best for me, but what I tend to go for eventually treats me like I’m nothing and a nobody. When God is in the mix…when I yield to His voice and His leading, I end up with the most remarkable man I could ever have asked for. Granted, it’s only been four months. Still, I can’t help but think of the scriptures that emphasize how in all our ways we should acknowledge God and lean not to our own understanding, to let God direct our path. I now truly understand why.

  “Tiffany,” I said, “I’ll come over there. It makes no sense for you to have to get all three of them ready and drag them to my house when it’s easier for me to come to you. Besides, they’ll feel more comfortable in their own environment.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And I’m not interfering with any plans you may have had?” Tiffany asked.

  I thought about Marcus and how he was spending time with Aaliyah. I had indicated I might come over tonight, but this was all working out just fine. I would call Marcus and let him know what I was doing.

  So I went over to Tiffany’s a little before six o’clock. Darius wasn’t home when I got there, although I was a little early. I played with the children while Tiffany finished getting ready. He had told her to dress for a night out on the town. Suggested she wear a dress he’d uncharacteristically surprised her with. She had definitely dressed up, and then some.

  “Are you sure I look all right in this?” Tiffany asked me as she twirled around in the A-line, beaded, knee-length purple dress for me to get a good look from all angles. “This isn’t something I would ever have bought myself. But Darius said I was worth this splurge even though I was pregnant when he gave it to me back in May.”

  “Well, you look stunning,” I said, and I meant that.

  “For real? I still have a little baby fat.” She smoothed down her abdominal area.

  “I wish I had your body. If I did, I wouldn’t be asking anybody anything,” I said about her size-eight body.

  “Oh, Melissa. You look great with the body you have. I wish I had curves the way you do,” Tiffany said.

  Tiffany and Darius’s five-year-old daughter Jada walked up to Tiffany. “Wow, you look pretty, Mommy.”

  “Oh, thank you, baby.” Tiffany bent down and gave her daughter a big hug and a kiss on the top of her head.

  “Yeah, you look pretty, Mommy,” Dana, her three-year-old daughter, said as she waited for a hug and a kiss from her mother. Tiffany was more than happy to oblige.

  It was past time for Darius to be home. Tiffany checked her watch. I checked mine. It was now seven o’clock. Tiffany paced the floor, picking up a few toys that were scattered around the room. I worked to keep the children occupied so they wouldn’t bother her. At twenty minutes past seven, she called Darius again on his cell phone.

  Darius came through the door just as she was hanging up. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I had to run by the office to get something I left there yesterday.” He kissed Tiffany. “There were folks working overtime on a project due Monday, asking me to help with this and that. I had to let them know I wasn’t getting paid overtime like they were. But you know how hard it is for me to turn away anyone who needs my help. On top of that, I couldn’t find what I went to get. Then I remembered it was in the jacket I had on Thursday.” Darius started laughing. “Wouldn’t you just know? What I was looking for was here at the house the whole time. So I wasted all that time gone for nothing.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” Tiffany said. “You’re here now.”

  I looked at Tiffany like she had lost her ever-loving mind. I couldn’t believe she was actually buying his story.

  “So Darius, what did you go to get?” I asked.

  “Hi, Melissa,” he said, trying not to show just how much he really didn’t like me. He wasn’t doing a great job of it.

  “Hi, Darius. So,” I said, refusing to let him change the subject, which I knew he was planning to do, “what did you go back to your job to get?”

  Tiffany stood there and waited for his answer. Darius looked at her like he couldn’t believe she wasn’t putting a stop to my question.

  He did all sorts of things. Pressed his lips together, puckered them out, scratched his head, then laughed. “It’s a surprise for my wife.”

  “Oh, so does that mean you’re going to go get it and give it to her so I can see what it is?” I said. “You know how nosy I am.” I exaggerated a grin.

  “Yeah, I’m sure you’d like to see what it is, but like I said, it’s a surprise for my wife.” He turned to Tiffany. “Give me a few minutes, and we’ll be on our way. Okay?”

  Tiffany smiled and nodded slightly as he left and trotted up the stairs.

  “Melissa,” Tiffany said, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. Darius and I are like most married couples. We have our share of problems for sure. I’m not as naïve or clueless as you might think. I know you care about me, but let me handle this. Okay?”

  I nodded. “Sure. I didn’t mean to cause any problems or overstep my bounds.” I picked up Dana. Little D. was asleep in his bassinet. “I sure don’t mean to get in your business.”

  Darius returned holding a small box in his hand. “I was going to give this to you tonight,” Darius said. “But since I get the impression I’m under suspicion about having a gift for you, I decided to give it to you now.” He handed a small velvet box to Tiffany.

  Tiffany opened it. “Oh, Darius. It’s beautiful,” she said, taking the ring out of the box.

  “Let me put it on,” Darius said. He took the ring and placed it on the finger next to her ring finger. “I know how much women like jewelry. You can’t go wrong with a ring. That’s what I always say.” He held her hand up and looked at it. “Do you really like it?”

  “Oh, yes!” Tiffany kissed him. “Look,” Tiffany said, showing me the ring.

  “That’s beautiful,” I said, and it was.

  “It’s one carat,” Darius said. “Nothing but the best for my baby.”

  “Well, I suppose you two had better get going,” I said.

  “Yeah, we do need to get going,” Darius said to Tiffany before cutting his eyes over at me and smirking just a little.

  Tiffany hugged me. “If you need me, call. I’ll have my cell phone on,” she said.

  “No, she won’t,” Darius said. “This is our night out. Melissa can handle anything that might come up. Can’t you, Melissa?”

  “Darius is right. Turn your cell phone off and have a great time. We’re going to be fine here.” I looked at the three-year-old I held. “Aren’t we, Dana?”

  Dana nodded.

  I looked down at Jada. “Aren’t we, Jada?”

  “Right,” Jada said with a quick nod.

  “So you two just go and have a great time. And take your time coming home. We’re going to have lots of fun,” I said.

  Tiffany kissed the kids once more and she and Darius left.

  Chapter 38

  And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

  —Luke 14:17

  Marcus took Aaliyah home earlier than he normally did on regular visits. Sasha had called Saturday night and asked him to. But in truth, he was a bit concerned about what w
as going on with her anyway.

  Sasha appeared to be much better Sunday afternoon than when he picked Aaliyah up on Friday. She’d even cooked dinner, including many of his favorite dishes.

  “Now, I just know you’re going to stay and eat with us,” Sasha said, the dining room table set for three when he and Aaliyah arrived.

  Marcus hadn’t planned on staying. In fact, when he had talked to Melissa the previous night, he told her he was going to take her out to dinner after he learned Sasha wanted him to bring Aaliyah home by two o’clock instead of his normal six o’clock. His plan was to take Aaliyah home right after church, then go by and pick up Melissa.

  He and Aaliyah had gone to his church this Sunday. Despite the worship service starting at eleven o’clock (most churches had long ago begun having morning services at either ten thirty or ten forty-five), they didn’t get out of church until around one thirty. Marcus still attended his own church even though he had visited and liked Melissa’s church, Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center. Aaliyah preferred going to Followers of Jesus, but Marcus was both a member and a minister at Divine Conquerors Church. And every since Reverend Walker had learned Marcus had visited Pastor Landris’s church more than a few times, he’d assigned him more duties on Sundays at his own church.

  Melissa had been fine about going out to eat. She usually ate breakfast on Sundays and didn’t care to eat dinner until two or three o’clock anyway.

  Melissa had grown up in a community where at one point they still had the pastor, his wife, and children (if he had any) over for dinner after church. The church members took turns each Sunday hosting the First Family. Their pastor and wife usually ate dinner at their house three times a year because there were some families who either couldn’t afford to or just didn’t want to have the pastor and his wife over.

  Melissa liked having their pastor for dinner because that’s when her family really went all out, cooking all kinds of food. It was a true spread, which was why their pastor, despite forever saying he was going to, could never successfully go on a diet or lose weight.