“They’ve been watching us for some time now. They know that Task Force has tabs on our whereabouts and wanted to talk to me alone to inform me about what’s going on. They did what they had to do, to give the impression that they were also Task Force. They didn’t mean to scare you, Mom.”
“Jesus. My Lord. Help me please,” she held her chest.
“They’re working with Derrick Kennedy. The one we met in the auditorium. Mom, I’m okay.” Tavon’s voice cracked with emotion and hugged his brother and sister.
“I’m so thankful to God that you’re safe and sound, alive in my arms again. Thank you, Jesus.”
Joy and Javon joined in with Roya, “Thank you Jesus.”
“I’m so glad that you’re here in one piece. Hallelujah.” Roya mumbled in a foreign language, raising one hand to the sky. Tears of joy flowed from her eyelids. The Lord warned me, is this it?
Javon smiled at Roya. She hugged him. Mr. Hawthorne, Miss Whitley, and Mrs. Greene stood at the doorway as the family sauntered back to the motel door. Tavon waved at neighbors and let them know everything was fine.
Before Roya stepped in the door of her motel room, the police pulled up. She marched over to the police car.
“Hello, Ma’am. We got a call for a kidnapping report,” the officer stepped out of the passenger side of the parked patrol car.
“Thank you for coming out. There was a misunderstanding. The neighbors called you out. My son got home safe and sound. You can ignore this call, but I do appreciate you,” Roya waved them to leave.
“I’ll need your name, phone number, and motel number you’re staying in. We have to write this down for our report,” he explained as he scribbled the information on his notepad. He also wrote down the information from the neighbor that made the call.
Roya hugged all the members of the professors’ committee and thanked them dearly for bringing the award money and plaque, which Tavon had picked off the curb when he returned home.
“That was quite a scare,” Mr. Hawthorne stated.
“How did you find us?” Roya asked them.
No one answered.
Roya folded her hands under her armpits.
“Can I have a moment. Tavon?”
Tavon stepped away from his mother and toward Mr. Hawthorne.
“You didn’t tell your mom that you provided this address?” Mr. Hawthorne lowered his voice and stared at Tavon. He pointed at his cell phone.
Roya interrupted, “You gave him…what!” She shook her head in disbelief.
She whispered, “Thank you for bringing him home safe. Due to unforeseen circumstances, how can they complete the school year?”
“We’ll contact you with options…It’s rather late, after all that happened.”
Roya nodded. Tavon gave a crooked smile and blinked.
After the professorial committee left, Roya scanned through her phone on her music app to play the song by Israel Houghton, Breathe in Me, and praising God by praise dancing around in a circular motion as the Holy Spirit flew in her soul. Javon and Tavon grabbed her hands and danced around in a circle with her. Joy crept between their bodies into the center of the dance. Joy closed her eyes, screaming, “Thank you Jesus, we love you Lord. Hallelujah. Praise you Father. Thank you, God.”
Javon and Tavon wept with their mother as the Holy Spirit touched their spirits and began praising God in a foreign tongue. Joy sang to the words of the next song on the CD, “…all together worthy, all together wonderful to me…Here I am to worship…here I am to bow down…to say that you’re my God.”
“Sing it baby.”
“You’re all together lovely... I’ll never know, how much it cost, to see my sins, up on that cross.”
Her brothers joined in to sing the chorus line with her, repeating, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sins up on that cross.”
Roya’s voice cracked and sounded shaky. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Her voice rose in a beautiful melody as she sang the outro of the song in a foreign tongue.
CHAPTER 15
Scared
Sondrea Willis
Late Fall, Los Angeles, California
Sondrea’s heart thumped speedily. Her throat felt raw. She could hardly gulp down her saliva. She drank a glass of water. After four rings, Sondrea didn’t want to leave a message. Before the fifth ring and voice mail came on, she heard a throaty “Hello,” on the other end.
Sondrea excitedly screamed in Roya’s ear, “I’m officially getting married. Yes, I know that I told you the same thing yesterday,” She laughed. “I really, really need you here.”
“Um. Okay,” Roya said with a lack of enthusiasm.
“You’re my matron of honor. Sunny will be also my best girl like you suggested. I want you both as my special ladies. If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve never known such a wonderful family that I had.”
“Are you getting emotional, Sis?”
“You were hard on me because you loved me so...”
“Okay. Aren’t you at least a bit fazed after realizing how odd it seems that Bernard could handle the people who chased me??”
“Nervous. Yes. Aren’t you?”
Roya realized she couldn’t get Sondrea to focus, and sighed, “Not exactly. Full of joy.”
“Also, Sunny’s the one that kept me in line, gave me encouraging words when I wanted to give up, and kept in touch with me when I was at my lowest. She’s the sweetest woman I’ve ever known. I pray she catches the bouquet so that she’ll be next in line to get married. She’s in her thirties and deserves a good, godly man.”
“Whoa. I’m lost for words. Like I said, I’d love to come. When’s your wedding again?”
“The 4th of July. I’ve already got a plane ticket for you and your kids.”
“Girl, really?”
“I’ve also called a limo to pick you and your family up in an hour. You'll be on it, right?”
“Alright then. I wasn’t expecting this type of notice.”
“I know,” Sondrea replied, drawing out her words. “After what happened, I told you I wanted you home.”
Roya’s eyes widened in realization that Sondrea was aware the call might not be totally private. She responded, “Yes, of course. I need to leave Philadelphia. Some strange things have been going on here! I cannot discuss it on the phone.”
“I gotcha.”
“Be careful, watch your back at all times.”
“Girl, of course.”
“If they cannot get to me, I have acknowledged that they’re willing to hurt anyone who is dear to me, including you. I’m glad my home is in Heaven, but I still miss my loved ones they took. If it weren’t for my boys, and Joy, I’d be very eager to leave this earth behind. Don’t let anyone know that I’ll be in town. You hear me?” Roya pressed the buttons on her phone to switch channels. She learned it from Joshua. If anyone was listening it’d change the frequency and leave a screeching sound in their eardrums.
The sisters said their final farewells and hung up.
Roya
Roya quickly packed. She entered the bathroom where Joy was bathing. She sat on the vinyl floor near the tub to wait, gazing at her beautiful copper-tone daughter.
Joy’s long, curly locks flew in Roya’s face when she turned to toss soap suds at her mother’s chest.
“Girl, what’s wrong with you!”
“I gotcha, Mom,” she giggled.
“Let me wash your back.”
“Okay,” she said, and turned her back for her mother to reach.
Joy climbed out of the tub, and Roya dried her off with a heavy white bath towel.
“Want some help with your sundress?” Roya asked.
“Yeah, please, Mom. It always seems to stick after a bath.”
Roya placed the sundress over Joy’s head as it rolled down over her figure. Joy was spurting nubs, and soon would have to wear a bra. My baby girl will be a woman before I’m ready to let her go. After they left the bath
room, her boys whisked past them, jumping in and out of the shower and rushing each other to put on their t-shirts and jeans.
Roya heard a car honking outside of the motel. She yelled at the boys, “Come on out of that bathroom. Help me with the luggage!” as she opened the door of their motel room.
There stood a handsome bronze-toned man with silky, wavy hair who reached for her luggage to take it to the taxi. The boys raced out of the bathroom.
“Mom, you called a taxi?” Tavon asked after carrying out a couple of the suitcases. Roya scanned the suite to make sure they didn’t leave anything behind. “No. Your aunt, Sondrea did. Let’s go! Get your sister’s luggage, and get in the taxi, boy!”
Javon had already gotten in after all the luggage was taken by the driver. He bounced up and down as if he had ants in his pants on the extra cushioned leather seats. Then, Tavon hopped inside, wondering what was wrong with Javon. He raised his brow and shook his head.
“It’s only a taxi,” Tavon said.
Joy smiled from ear to ear once she climbed inside. Roya couldn’t resist her mother hen instincts, and leaned inside to peer over the seat to check on the kids before seating herself in the front seat with the driver. She smiled to see and hear her children laugh and engage in small talk, and then she focused on the driver once they pulled off. Something about him seemed familiar, as if she’d seen him before or knew him from somewhere. However, Roya couldn’t place the face with a name or location.
Once they arrived at the airport, the driver placed their baggage at the curb. Roya stepped up to the VIP baggage claim outside for Delta airlines to pay the airline attendant for their boarding passes to avoid the long line inside. She checked in five bags with no carry-on except her purse. Their plane was leaving in thirty minutes. There were two long lines. There was a security guard posted and another airline attendant checking boarding tickets. After ten minutes in line, finally they checked her driver’s license and tickets, and flagged her family to go to the security booth. Roya tugged on Joy’s hand and ran to Gate 10 for boarding after leaving the security clearance area. Tavon and Javon raced down the hall, passing bystanders, and stood in the line while their mother finally caught up to them in line.
“Mom, you okay?” Javon concerned about her welfare.
“Yes. I had to stop to catch my breath while I rushed past the crowd. I was worried about the security guards identifying my photo and arresting me since I’m wanted.” She said cautiously.
“Mom. You’re not wanted,” He whispered.
Tavon lowered his masculine voice to avoid spectators overhearing his conversation about the Lord, “Mom, God will never forsake us or leave us. He’ll protect us. We’ll be fine. Trust Him.”
“We don’t have the updated driver’s license, chipped.”
“Everyone had to do it to catch the TSA. Real ID. It’s chipped.” Tavon added and made invisible quotes after saying ‘real ID.’
“When you had to update your driver’s license, and took your photo, it was updated automatically. Long as you are not chipped, here,” He raised her right hand.
She looked at his hand for a long pause and swallowed. “Thanks, Son. You are right. I needed to be reminded,” She whispered.
“Gotcha.” He thumbed.
“Keep an eye on your sister. I’m okay now,” She held the plane tickets in her hand. “Here, Tavon, hand the woman our tickets, and let’s find our seats,” Roya extended her arm to give Tavon the tickets as she held Joy’s hand and surveyed the onlookers over her shoulders and stood in line, ready to walk down the ramp to the airplane to be seated.
Tavon scanned the seat numbers on their tickets. He marched down the walkway to the airplane, where the flight attendant and captain greeted him, and Javon raced next to his side while he looked back at Roya and sister, Joy, trailing behind. Tavon flopped in the seat near the window. Javon sat in the seat next to him near the aisle. No middle seats in first class seating.
Javon cheesed, “no middle seat this trip.” Roya sat across the aisle from the boys, partly because she needed to quickly exit to the restroom, and mostly because she wanted to be between all her kids. Joy sat in the window seat, enjoying her view of the preparations outside.
Ever since the first time the Task Force captured her, she felt the urge to pee more frequently than normal. She also feared if she slept, she’d have nightmares during this ride like the last time she flew on the plane. She also wondered why her kids hardly mentioned their younger siblings or father. Their faces still haunted her. She felt helpless and alone when they died. It had been over a year, but still haunted at her soul and mind from time to time. She was curious how everyone handled it so calmly. Maybe my entire family is in denial.
“Mommy, you look scared,” Joy tapped her mother’s shoulder.
“Joy, I’m fine. Are you scared?” She stared into her daughter’s oval-shaped brown eyes.
“No. I’m with you, Mommy. I’m not scared.”
“Good to hear.”
“Do you still think about Daddy and my younger brother and sister?”
She gave a slight nod. Roya felt her heart in the question. Lord, I was just wondering why they didn’t talk about it!
“Mom, it’s not your fault what has happened to them,” She held her hand in hers. “We loved them too. I see them in my dreams as if we’re all together again,” Joy smiled and hugged on her right arm sitting on the armrest.
Roya’s eyes became watery, holding her pain inside since passengers were still getting on the plane. She could hear the chorus from the song playing in her head, God has not 4got, by Tonex on his O2 album.
“I’m glad to hear this from you. Wow, the year is almost over and my twelve-year-old daughter is so much like me.”
“Yep. Mini-you.”
“Mini-Me. Yes, I prayed that God would have rescued them and we all would’ve gotten out safely.”
“I know you did.”
“Yahweh allowed His angels to rescue me out of that hell, to be here with you and your brothers.” She glanced over at her sons on her right side and then Joy, continuing her speech as she lowered her voice,
“I don’t want to hear that Mom.” Joy cried. Her eyes glistened.
“I might’ve fought the outer world, spiritual realm, to come back to you. I love you so much,” Roya kissed Joy on the cheek and then her forehead, wiping off the tan colored lip gloss off her forehead with her fingertips.
“Mom,” Joy reminded her, “God’s time is different than ours. Remember? He’s the same, yesterday, today, and forever. It’s why Daddy and Junior and Selena wouldn’t even have a chance to miss us.”
Roya’s eyes moistened with tears. She smiled at Joy. “Spoken like a true disciple, sweetheart. Thank you for reminding me.”
Once everyone was seated, the captain’s voice sounded over the loudspeakers, announcing the destination, and the flight attendants went over their safety procedures. Roya prayed in the spirit that her family would make it safely to their destination. She also was in deep thought about her sister’s wedding; does Sondrea really know the man she plans to marry?
Roya asked for headsets to listen to the satellite radio station. Her sons also wanted headsets too and pillows during the flight. The flight attendant gave them what they wanted before the plane got ready for lift off. Then, the brunette flight attendant strapped herself in her seatbelt as the plane started to move and circle around to get in the lane for lift off. Joy squeezed Roya’s hand as she felt the plane moving.
“Mom. Can I get a headset too?”
“Ask the flight attendant after we’re aloft,” she shooed.
Roya prayed with Joy, “Lord, you’ll get us safe and sound to our destination. You’ll remove any fear from us since you have us covered. Your angels are watching over us. We thank you Jesus. Amen.”
Joy followed with a soft “Amen.”
Then her sons also whispered, “Amen.”
A white-haired man balding in the middle, who was
sitting in front of the boys, turned his head around to look down at the boys with an evil glance, in a monotone voice, “What did you just say?”
Roya interjected, “Is there a problem, sir? Those are my sons, if you have something to say to them, you need to address it to me…their mother.” Roya saw the evil glare in his eyes, blood-shot red, as if he’d had no sleep for days.
The middle-aged man turned back around in his seat and ignored her. Roya knew in her spirit that he was a man with the mark. He was a man who didn’t know the God they served. He could also be a man who would report them once they landed. She trusted God would protect them and angels would watch over them. She turned up the sounds on the armrest to listen to the NeoSoul station. The words hit her soul so intensely and overpowering since it spoke about marriage. She closed her eyes, seeing Solomon standing down the aisle, waiting for his bride-to-be slowly pacing down the aisle once they set the actual wedding ceremony after visiting a Justice of the Peace months prior. The love in his eyes, as warm tears ran from his eyes. Roya remembered smiling and her tiara crown nearly toppling off her head. She was so ready to give her life and everything to this man with love in the air. Solomon reached for her hand, to slip a six-carat diamond with platinum coating on her finger. Their love and commitment were golden.
Tears ran down Roya’s face as Joy unbuckled her seatbelt to kiss her cheeks where the warm tears dripped off her cheeks onto her shirt. Roya opened her eyes as the song ended, and wrapped her arms around Joy with a wet kiss planted on her forehead. Seconds later, she directed Joy by pointing at her seat belt and flapped her hands backwards to sit back in her seat and put her seatbelt on. Joy obeyed and buckled in before the flight attendant could catch her without her belt.
Joy ignored the flight attendant and stared out the window in amazement of God’s creation below.
“Joy. You’re staring at God’s creation—the images look smaller, don’t they?”
“Yes. Mom. Reminds me of my doll set I had with toy cars, houses, and nature parts.”
“That’s cute.”
“Mom, stop babying Joy.” She heard one of the twin boys say. Roya didn’t care to see which one voiced it. She gazed at Joy, and cracked a smile.
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