The Fall of the Prodigal

by Michelle Lindo-Rice

  Michael headed into the kitchen. “Josie, I have to meet Keith at the church. Would you mind if John and Olivia stayed with you?”

  “Leave them. They’ll be all right,” she said, washing the breakfast pots and pans. He’d never seen a more hardworking woman. She worked nonstop. Gina’s house was immaculate.

  Walking over to John and Olivia, Michael crouched to let them know he was leaving. “Daddy will be right back, okay? I won’t be gone long.” John sniffed. Olivia’s bottom chin wobbled. His heart melted. “Oh, guys, I promise I’m coming back.”

  “Okay,” they said.

  Olivia pulled on his pants. “Daddy, we go to closet?”

  What did she say? Michael bent over. He asked her to repeat what she’d said.

  “Do we go closet now?”

  John wailed. “I don’t want to go in closet.”

  Did Lauren put his children in the closet when she would leave the house? Michael thought of the time Lauren showed up at his penthouse alone. Surely, Lauren had not left them unattended for hours.

  Josie stopped her tasks, openly listening to the exchange.

  Michael’s eyes collided with her horrified ones. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Josie nodded.

  Michael was a strong man but his insides mushed up at that thought. Anything could have happened to them. The possibilities crippled him.

  He gazed on his children. His love for them overflowed. The world could not contain it. He grabbed a paper towel to wipe their runny noses. “John, Olivia, you won’t be going in the closet. You’ll be here with Josie.”

  “Yay! Josie,” Olivia yelled and ran over to hug the older woman around the leg. John followed gripping her other leg.

  “Go ahead, Mr. Michael, they’ll be fine. Go, do what you have to do.” He noticed her cheeks were red and knew she had also been moved by the situation.

  Michael drove to the church with record speed. The entire drive he replayed John and Olivia’s faces as they asked about going in the closet. To children that age, the closet was a dark and scary place. He thought of Lauren and wished her dead. A feeling akin to hate rose within him.

  When he sped into the parking lot, Michael noticed the three cars. One was Keith’s; one was Bill’s; and the other? Wait. That was Lauren’s car.

  Michael punched the steering wheel. He was going to knock Lauren to the floor when he saw her. He stomped into the church. It was eerily quiet. Michael senses went into overdrive. Something did not feel right.

  He made his way to Keith’s office and peered inside but it was empty.

  His heart rate increased. Where was everyone? He heard a yell and spun around. Cautious, he made his way toward the sound, hating every echo and creak of his shoes on the tile.

  When he turned the corner, he stopped. Garbed in her wedding dress, Lauren had a pistol waving it around in the hallway leading to the children’s room. She raged, “I have four bullets and I’m not afraid to use them.”

  Mindy’s eyes rounded and her huge intake of breath alerted Lauren to his presence. She greeted him with a maniacal smile.

  “Well, bullet number four has found an owner. Come and join the rest.”

  Her cackle bounced off the walls. Lauren was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Michael eyed the gun. He made up his mind he was not going down without a fight. “Lauren, put the gun away and let’s have a conversation.”

  “No! I’m done talking. You and your brother took my children. All my years of planning are ruined.” She gave Michael a spiteful look. “When I shoot you, I’ll be sure to watch you bleed out.”

  Michael blurted out, “We’ll see about that, you poor excuse for a mother. You locked our children in a closet? Why did you do it?”

  “I . . .” Her face filled with shame. “Nothing happened to them. I . . .”

  Keith gestured to him to keep her talking as he inched closer to her.

  “What did you mean last night when you said if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have children?”

  Her chin rose. “I saved the condoms. I knew you couldn’t have children. I collected your tired, slow semen and paid good money for artificial insemination.”

  Michael glared. “That’s illegal and plumb crazy you’d do something like that without my consent.”

  “Well it worked.” She snorted. “Only you didn’t believe me. You kicked me out. It wasn’t until I watched your brother professing his love for Gina that a plan formed.”

  A light bulb went off. He jabbed a finger at her. “You planted the condoms at the hotel and in my house!”

  “Bingo,” she boasted.

  “Why would you keep those condoms all these years? They were old and of no use.” To Michael that was sheer stupidity.

  Lauren shrugged. “I don’t know.” For once, she seemed a little unsure. Then she squared her shoulders. “It worked, didn’t it? They still served their purpose.”

  “You used me and took advantage of me and my family,” Keith hurled.

  She lifted her chin. “Yes, you were too in love with your wife and God not to see it. I wanted Michael. I wanted the fairytale. Your God was taking too long. I took matters into my own hands. Imagine my good fortune when you presented me with your home on a platter.”

  “My daughter was impressionable. Why did you have to include her in your scheme?” Bill stormed toward her. Michael knew from past dealings Bill was not a man to be messed with.

  “She was stupid. An easy pawn. It was fate when I met Mindy at Dr. Forrester’s. I’ve been her patient for the past two years and had never met another patient. There must have been some scheduling snafu that day. Whatever, Mindy and I became fast friends. I never met somebody so desperate for attention in all my life.” Lauren rolled back on her heels. Looking at Michael, she said, “I had to endure Mindy’s childish mooning over you but it was worth it to see your name plastered all over the papers.”

  “Bill, get back!” Michael shouted.

  “Yeah, Bill, you’d better listen to your friend.” Lauren snorted. It was only when Mindy grabbed his arm that he retreated.

  Keep her talking, Michael told himself. He crossed his arms. “If all this was to get me, why didn’t you accept my proposal the first time? Why tell me about a boyfriend?”

  “A girl can’t appear too eager. She has to play a little hard to get,” Lauren said. “And, how did you not miss that Martin Weston has your initials? You should’ve figured that out but then I forget that underneath those tailor-made suits is an imbecile. You were dumb to let me go.”

  “No, kicking you out was the smartest thing I ever did,” Michael shot back.

  Keith gave him the signal. Both men pounced. Caught off guard, Lauren swayed in several directions. The gun fell from her hand and hit the floor with a bang.

  “No!” Michael screamed as it expelled a single, fatal shot.

  Epilogue

  “This is the happiest day of my life. I’m walking my daughter down the aisle.” Noel cried, not caring who saw.

  Verona wiped her father’s cheeks. “Don’t start. My makeup is flawless and I’m not about to ruin it with waterworks.”

  Elijah came inside the house. “Everyone’s waiting and Michael is yelling he’s coming in here for you if you don’t get a move on.”

  “Tell that mule head this is my day and I won’t be rushed because of his impatience,” she glared.

  Elijah grinned, and left to rejoin Michael and Keith at the makeshift altar in the gardens of what used to be Lauren’s home. Verona and Michael would be raising John and Olivia there, as it was the only home the children had ever known. It was traumatic enough their mother had died a few months ago. Uprooting them would be too much. Verona and Michael would tell them the whole sordid tale of how Lauren died by a gunshot wound one day. For now, they told the twins Lauren was in heaven. Which was a lie.

  Michael was not selling the penthouse, though. He was having the rooms redone and equipped for young children.

  Verona
touched her tiger pendant and smiled. Her life was complete. Her son and Michael were building a relationship but it was not without its trials. Elijah bristled when Michael corrected him about something. Michael felt she had been too generous with the Hummer she had bought Elijah. And, on it went. But, all was well.

  John and Olivia entangled themselves in folds of her gown. Her mother came running after them.

  “I can’t keep them still,” she fussed, though she laughed at their antics.

  Verona bent to kiss them. God had given her children. She now understood what her father meant about adoption. Olivia was the cutest flower girl and John was taking his job as ring bearer very seriously.

  Taking Noel’s hand, she said, “I’m ready.”

  Gina came and smoothed her Badgley Mischka gown. “I have to do my job as the matron of honor and let me just say you are stunning. Michael won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.”

  Mindy rounded the corner. “I hear the music playing. We have to go.” She served as Verona’s only bridesmaid. The young woman had been floored when Verona asked her. Mindy was so intent on not missing a step during rehearsal Verona had to tell her she needed to relax and have fun.

  As Verona focused on Michael, calmness seeped through her being. She was on the right path to the man God had perfected for her. He was obstinate and stubborn, but he was hers. She could live with that.

  Reading Group Questions

  1. Keith and Michael were estranged. Keith spent years in prayer for Michael to return home. God answered, though not in the way Keith expected. Have you ever sought God’s help for something but were unprepared for how He responded?

  2. Michael held on to past hurts, which made him bitter and distrustful. Forgiveness frees us. Is there a past situation in your life which you need to let go of? Share with your reading group.

  3. Recall how Michael felt when Gina touched him of her own volition. How did it make him feel? What did that touch tell Michael about Gina’s feelings even though she hadn’t said a word? Share a time when a touch brought you comfort.

  4. Keith called for a time of fasting and prayer. How did that help Michael’s case? Give other examples from the Bible where God fought man’s battle for him. Share a time when you may have fasted and prayed about a matter and the results.

  5. Mindy battled mental illness. She sought both psychiatric and spiritual help. Do you think it should be one or the other? Is it possible to be saved and still struggle with a mental illness?

  6. Verona felt God was punishing her when she learned she was unable to have more children. Does God punish women in this way? For instance, some women who have had abortions feel God punishes them by closing their womb or by giving them sick children.

  7. Verona was in love with Michael for years but kept it hidden. Share an experience where you had feelings for someone who may not have returned your feelings. What did you do about it? Do you regret your actions or inaction?

  8. Do you agree with Noel and Louisa Stachs’s reasons for giving up Verona’s son for adoption? In your opinion, is there ever a good reason for adoption? What do you think of the idea of open adoption?

  9. Lauren brazenly stole Michael’s sperm and used it in artificial insemination to get pregnant. This was entrapment and highly unethical behavior. How do you feel about women who trap men into marriage and/or relationships through children?

  10. Michael felt the honorable thing to do was marry Lauren because she was the mother of his children. Other than being in love, what are the necessary ingredients for a healthy marriage?

  11. Keith stated that there was no way he would marry someone other than for love. Do you share his belief? Would you marry a poor man you loved or a rich man who could provide you security?

  12. Looking at the title, The Fall of the Prodigal, explain how both Michael and Verona were kinds of prodigals. Talk about their journey “home.”

  About the Author

  Michelle Lindo-Rice enjoys crafting women’s fiction with themes centered around the four “F” words: Faith, Friendship, Family, and Forgiveness. Her first published work, Sing A New Song, was a Black Expressions featured selection. Originally from Jamaica West Indies, Michelle Lindo-Rice calls herself a lifelong learner.

  She has earned degrees from New York University, SUNY at Stony Brook, and Teachers College, Columbia University. When she moved to Florida, she enrolled in Argosy University where she completed her Education Specialist degree in Education Leadership. A pastor’s kid, Michelle upholds the faith, preaching, teaching, and ministering through praise and worship.

  For more information about her other books, or to leave an encouraging word, you can reach Michelle online at Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Stumbledupon, Twitter @mlindorice, Pinterest, Google+. To learn more about her books, please join her mailing list at www.michellelindorice.com.

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  What We Believe:

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  The Fall of the Prodigal Copyright © 2015

  Michelle Lindo-Rice

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  ISBN: 978-1-6016-2698-1

  This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.

  Distributed by Kensington Corp.

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