Drama in the Church Saga (33 page)

“Hypnotized by his words, the crowd digested his sincerity and walked away believing every word he said. No one questioned or doubted his position. They assumed because he took an oath to uphold equality for all that he had done his job. The Grand Wizard turned to me and said, ‘See what he did? He's a lawyer who has mastered the art of persuasion. His body language and voice tone represents a trustworthy man. He is one of our most valuable assets. That's why I couldn't allow you to get charged with killing that boy. One day you're going to be standing at that podium speaking the same words he did today.'

“That next semester I enrolled in law school. The brotherhood paid for every bit of my education. Through huge charitable donations, my entire college education was paid for.

“While I was away at school the one phrase I couldn't get out of my head was when that prosecutor called that man the Prince of Darkness. I wondered if that was how people viewed me. I thought I was doing the Lord's work by upholding racial justice. That is when I did something that I rarely did. I prayed on it. I mean I prayed morning noon and night. I asked God to ease the tension that was bothering me every day.

“After graduation, I was still confused about the purpose for my life. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to the brotherhood and do the things they expected me to do. I ran away and that is how I landed in Washington, DC.

“That's where I met your grandmother. She came from a very rich liberal family, and her passion in life was to help the less fortunate. She organized various charity events throughout the city, and it was only because of her that I began to understand that things aren't always what they seem. Your grandmother wasn't a lawyer, but she sure debated like one.” He laughed. “She could quote me facts and figures on everything from inequality in education to unfair hiring practices. I loved her passion. That's one of the reasons why I married her.” The judge lingered in the moment. “Life was good for us. We were married, bought a house, then along came your father. I couldn't have been happier.”

 

“I'm curious. What made you two sign up for a singles retreat?” Danyelle lodged her head between Dean and Olivia. “After close to two years of dating, I consider neither of you single.”

Dean glared at Danyelle from behind the wheel of his Lincoln Navigator. Her witty sarcasm was annoying, especially when he knew they had a three-hour road trip ahead of them. He should have listened to Olivia when she suggested Danyelle ride to the resort on the church bus.
It isn't too late,
he thought. Members were still loading the bus, and if Danyelle kept running her mouth, Dean was very close to putting her bags on the curb.

“Dean and I look forward to strengthening our relationship with Christ this weekend. Reverend Simms reminded us how important it is for Christian couples to have Jesus as their foundation.” Olivia adjusted her seat belt in the front passenger seat.

“The life we build together will endure a few tremors and probably a few earthquakes that will make us feel like the world is going to swallow us whole. But, if the structure we build is set on solid ground and not sinking sand, we will get through the hard times.” Dean caressed Olivia's hand.

“That was corny.” Danyelle rolled her eyes. Her suspicions were finally confirmed. Dean was a fool ridiculously in love. Olivia was just as hopeless as her boyfriend. Danyelle watched them smile lovingly at one another. She sucked her teeth.

Danyelle was a pessimist when it came to matters of the heart, and she preferred to live her life according to the teachings of Paul the Apostle. He wrote in the book of Corinthians that it's best to stay unmarried and focus on the work of the Lord. Paul never condemned those who did get married, but Danyelle knew marriage was not for her. She always thought that being married was a full-time job. That was too much work.

Danyelle sat back in her seat and accidentally bumped into Val. “Sorry.”

Val never acknowledged Danyelle's apology. Instead, she continued to stare out the window.

Danyelle was fully aware that Val was probably still mourning the death of her boyfriend, but she felt like her own safety was in danger. She feared that Val would unravel at any moment and take her anger out on the wrong person.

Careful not to make any sudden movements, Danyelle cautiously whispered in her sister's ear, “I don't think it's wise for her to be around people.” Danyelle nodded her head in Val's direction. “She looks unstable. Look at her.”

“She's fine,” Olivia insisted. “Aunt Stephie and I agreed it would do her some good to get out the house and immerse herself in some fresh mountain air.”

“I haven't heard her speak in weeks,” Danyelle replied.

Olivia noticed that since Julian's death Val had turned into a recluse. Everything about her had changed. Buried along with Julian was that friendly, outgoing and confident black woman Olivia admired her whole life, leaving behind someone she didn't recognize. Val had crawled into her own private cocoon and watched the world as it passed her by.

“Danyelle, please sit back and be quiet.” Olivia pulled out a book from her bag and shoved it toward her sister. “Here, read this.”

“This is Bryce's Winnie the Pooh book,” Danyelle complained.

A headache quickly formed at the corners of Olivia's temples from Danyelle's constant chatter. She lay back on the headrest.

Suddenly, she shot straight up from the abrupt knocking on her window. Tressie stood outside waving her hand and motioned for Olivia to roll her window down.

She pushed the power window down. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes settled on the small carry-on luggage bags sitting next to Tressie's feet. Olivia jumped out of the truck. “Oh! No! You're not going with us. You told me you didn't want to go on the retreat.”

“Dean, could you put my bags in the back please?” Tressie looked over Olivia's shoulder and directed her request toward Dean.

He obediently got out and made room in the trunk for Tressie's things.

“You can't go! There are no more tickets left,” Olivia objected. “The church sold out weeks ago.”

Tressie dug in her purse and pulled out her ticket, then slowly waved it in Olivia's face.

“Where did you get that from?” Olivia asked.

“Ms. Young.” Tressie smacked on a piece of Bubblicious gum. “She said her bunions were giving her trouble and she wasn't up for making the long trip. So I offered to buy her ticket.” Tressie cocked her head to the side and gave Olivia an overconfident smile, while ordering Danyelle to scoot over.

Olivia pulled her sunglasses down from the top of her head and over her eyes. Any ideas she had about this being a nice relaxing oasis for her and Dean to escape to were now wiped away. With Danyelle, Val, and now Tressie tagging along, she was bound to get no rest at all.

Their journey up to the mountains was a quiet one. Everyone slept most of the way, and just before they arrived at the resort campgrounds Olivia mentioned to Dean how tired he looked.

“I am tired,” he replied. “I need to take a nap before dinner, if that's okay with you.”

“Sure. I know how exhausting it was for you to do all the driving. Plus, having to deal with my sister didn't help any.” Olivia cracked a smile, but Dean didn't seem amused. He looked like he was worried about something.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“I'm fine.” He pulled his truck into a parking space right beside the church bus. “We're here,” he announced loudly enough to wake up each one of his passengers.

The girls looked around and stretched their arms and legs as much as they could before getting out. Dean unloaded the bags and offered to carry them for the ladies, but Olivia insisted they could carry their own bags.

Dean's lack of energy left Olivia concerned. It may have been his job that was wearing him out, but to be on the safe side she was going to make a doctor's appointment for him when they returned home.

Olivia puckered her lips for the quick peck Dean placed square on her lips then watched as he walked toward the men's cabins, located on the left side of the lake.

Dean walked as if he were carrying a barrel full of adversity on his back. His head hung down low, his shoulders slumped over and his legs wobbled unsteadily. The invisible burden slowed down his journey. With each step he was losing momentum.

She wondered what the burden was that was weighing him down. It had to be something important because he rarely kept anything from her. They shared everything.

“What did you do that for?” Tressie complained, referring to Dean's offer to carry their bags. “I can't carry all these bags by myself.”

“No one told you to bring five pieces of luggage for a three-day trip.” Olivia lifted her bags over her shoulder and set out to find their cabin.

After being pointed in the wrong direction several different times, the girls finally found their cabin.

“This is not what I expected when the brochure I read said luxury log cabins,” Tressie moaned. “Where is the plush king-size beds, huge garden-style bathtubs, wood-burning fireplace, television and microwave?”

“Do I have to remind you that this is a singles Christian retreat? Your focus is supposed to be on God's will for your life, not the amenities included with this cabin.” Olivia pulled out her hiking boots and slipped them on her feet. “Are you ready for our hike?”

“Yes!” Danyelle exclaimed. “This is the best part of the trip.”

Hiking to the mountaintop became an annual ritual for the girls since their first visit to the camp three years prior. Olivia called it “A Spiritual Cleansing.” Each one of them struggled with uphill battles every day in their personal lives. Every once in a while someone might stumble along the way or stray from their given paths, but fortunately they had God to put them back on track.

The girls started up the steep trail that seemed so much harder to climb than the previous year. They hiked less than a mile before Danyelle rested against a nearby tree. “I'm sorry, but I'm tired. Can't we rest a moment before going any farther?”

“No.” Olivia pulled her sister along. “We're not going to stop until we reach the top.”

Another half hour passed before Tressie noticed that Olivia was losing her momentum. It was too soon for Olivia to get tired, so Tressie struck up conversation. “Livie, do you think you and Dean will get married soon? You two have been dating for a while and the next step is marriage.” Tressie hung onto Danyelle's arm to keep her balance, while Olivia and Val helped one another a few feet behind them.

“I'm not sure. We've talked about marriage, but I think Dean has so much going on, with his grandpa being arrested.”

“Has Dean learned anything new?” Danyelle asked between breaths.

“No. Every time I ask him about it he says he doesn't want to talk. A few weeks ago he was determined to find his grandpa the best defense lawyer in the state, and now he acts like he doesn't care.”

“Well, until you find out what's up with his family, I think you need to hold off on any marriage plans. I don't need my sister marrying into bigotry,” Danyelle screamed. “Plus, I think you need to take my advice.”

Olivia gave her a puzzled look.

“Sex. You can't buy a car without giving it a test drive. How can you marry a man without knowing how he is in bed?”

Olivia's face turned red. She gripped Val's hand so tight that Val winced in pain. “Look who's talking. That chastity belt you wear around your waist has never been taken off and, until it is, don't talk to me about sex.”

“I'm not ashamed of my virginity,” Danyelle proudly announced. “But I'm not walking down that aisle without first getting in that man's pants.”

“What would Mommy say if she heard you talking like that?” Olivia shouted.

“I realize we were raised on the ‘no sex until after marriage' principle, but times have changed. How many people actually wait?”

“Unfortunately not many, but we should learn from other people's mistakes. We are taught to be wise through Biblical principles,” Olivia explained.

“Imagine your wedding day.” Danyelle turned to look her sister in the eye. “You, dressed in a flawless white wedding gown that symbolizes your purity. You've saved yourself for this man and are giving him a gift that is priceless. Then comes the honeymoon. You two are in bed, getting ready to get busy, then come to find out he's this big.” Danyelle used her thumb and pointer finger to measure an inch. “You ain't feel anything. What are you going to do?”

Everyone was surprised when Val was the first one to laugh out loud. “You know we joke a lot about Danyelle smoking too much weed, but she does come up with some convincing arguments.” She turned to Olivia. “Your sister has a point.”

“Not you too!” Olivia complained.

“You can't divorce him or send him back to his momma,” Danyelle ranted on. “Or would you file for annulment?” Danyelle asked. “What would you do?”

“Marriage is about so much more than sex. When I was with Bryant, we moved so fast that we never got a chance to know one another. I want it to be different with Dean,” Olivia defended herself.

Danyelle pressed the issue. “Having sex can only bring the two of you closer. Dean is a cool guy, but he's still a man.” Danyelle tilted her head to the side and considered her next words carefully. “Unless Dean's a virgin?” she spat.

Olivia's body instantly turned tense and she stopped climbing. “Not that it's any of your business, but my man is far from a virgin.”

“Livie, don't misunderstand my point. I know you're worth the wait and Dean is a great guy, but don't ignore the obvious. For one, he loves you and adores your son. Second, he does everything he can for you. Lastly, he works to give you money, keep gas in your car and help out with your monthly utility bills. How much longer do you think it's going to be before he gets sick of putting all his eggs in your basket without getting anything in return?”

Olivia reflected on Danyelle's mini-sermon.
Am I being selfish?
She never considered the possibility that Dean may want to have sex. Olivia loved Dean and didn't want to lose him. In her heart she knew that sex would never keep a man, but Danyelle's argument sounded so convincing.

“Look!” Tressie pointed to a narrow trail that looked like a shortcut to the top. “We can go through here.”

“I don't know, Tressie.” Olivia looked skeptical of the path Tressie had found. “I think we should stay on the designated path.”

But it was too late. Danyelle was already following Tressie through the thick brush of bushes.

Olivia followed, and it wasn't long before the girls made it to the top.

“See, I told you this was a quicker route,” Tressie shouted.

“Yeah, but was it worth it? My arms have scratches from the thorns and pointy sticks,” Danyelle complained.

At the mountaintop, each girl found a huge rock to relax on and basked in God's glory. Sunrays trickled down from heaven, painting a beautiful array of pink and yellow light across the sky. Total silence surrounded them.

“If I was you, I would go ahead and enjoy Dean in as many ways as I could,” Val said. “If you don't take advantage of the opportunity, it could be snatched away from you and you'll never get to feel the touch of his hands over your body.”

Tressie, Danyelle and Olivia looked at one another. They knew Val was regretting her decision to wait until after she was married to consummate her relationship with Julian.