Drama in the Church Saga (7 page)

Val had only been in Seattle a short time, but she already missed the familiar sounds of Philadelphia. She missed the cheese steaks sold at Jim's on South Street, the familiar sound of Carter n' Sanborn on the radio, and the unity of brotherly love that the city represented. She especially missed Olivia. Olivia was going to have her first child in a couple of months and it hurt Val, because she knew she wouldn't be around to watch the baby grow. Val had thought about going for a visit, but she couldn't leave now. The season home opener was next week and she had to be there, plus she was looking forward to attending a party that the owner of the SuperSonics was throwing. The party would give her the opportunity to get better acquainted with the other players' wives and possibly make some new friends.

 

 

 

Olivia and Bryant lay in her bedroom watching a Bruce Lee movie. Bryant had rented six of them and they were only on the third one. Tired from reading subtitles, Olivia turned over. The baby kept moving and she couldn't find a comfortable position. Bryant noticed her restless behavior and snuggled in closer to her. Olivia enjoyed her time alone with Bryant. He seemed to change into a different person when they were by themselves—more kind and considerate. For the past few months Bryant had been traveling out of town a lot, working in different cities, but now that her due date was quickly approaching, he had promised to stay close to home.

She lay against his chest as he rubbed her stomach. He pulled up her shirt to glorify the roundness of her belly. “Look at all this baby,” he said proudly.

The extra weight was beginning to wear her down. “The baby is getting so big. I wish he would hurry up and come.”

The soft kisses Bryant planted on her neck suggested he wanted more than a simple kiss. His hands gradually moved down around her hips and slid off her panties. Olivia sat up and straddled him, allowing the baby to rest on him.

“By the size of your stomach, he should be a ten-pounder,” Bryant said.

Bryant slid out of his boxers and into her. Olivia frowned as he entered her.

“Are you all right?” He asked.

“Yeah, I'm all right. Just a little uncomfortable.”

“Am I hurting you?”

“No, I'm okay.”

Bryant grabbed her hips and took things really slowly. He didn't want to hurt her or the baby. He looked up into her face and her frown had been replaced with a smile.

He was glad she was enjoying herself. It was the first time in a long time Olivia had allowed Bryant to touch her. Any attempts he made to initiate sex were refused. She always claimed she wasn't feeling well. But just because she refused to give him any, didn't mean he went without. When working out of town, Bryant always managed to meet female companions who were willing to share their love with him.

Over the past year Bryant had enjoyed spending time with Olivia. There was definitely something special about her. Usually, Bryant wasn't attracted to churchgoing women. The women he usually dated drank all day and had sex all night. He was used to the fast, ghetto girls, but Olivia possessed a soft, quiet demeanor and beautiful, subtle looks that could easily be overlooked if one didn't pay close attention. Those qualities were probably what attracted him to her, but what made him continue dating her was her kind, compassionate, and unselfish nature. She was the first girl he had ever met who cared about him unconditionally. Bryant was used to girls trying to use him to pay their rent or pay for daycare. Not Olivia. She asked him how his day was and was sincerely interested in his job and the work he did. He loved those attributes and if he ever decided to settle down he wanted to find a girl just like her. Unfortunately, now was a bad time. There was no place in his world for Olivia. He refused to allow his feelings to interfere with business. Like his uncle always said, “Money first, pussy second.”

It felt so good being inside of her that Bryant couldn't hold back any longer. He exploded inside of her. Exhausted and tired, he still wanted more, but Olivia had other things in mind. She immediately climbed off him and fell fast asleep. He knew that if he attempted to wake her up, it would be in vain, but maybe later he would be able to entice her into a second round.

Bryant turned over and tried to get some sleep. He tossed in bed until the clock read five a.m. Not able to endure any more restless sleep, he surrendered to his insomnia and got up to cook breakfast.

He walked down the hall into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator. Inside was a carton of eggs, bacon, and orange juice. Placing them on the kitchen table, Bryant looked around for a frying pan. He opened one cabinet and found drinking glasses. He pulled one out to pour himself a glass of orange juice. After making several more attempts, he finally found a frying pan.

He threw some bacon into the pan. He watched the bacon slowly turn brown and the sizzling sound drew him into a trance. Getting hot from the stove, Bryant walked over and opened the sliding glass door allowing the autumn breeze to cool off the apartment. He looked out into the forest of trees that expanded across the back of their apartment complex. Thoughts of Daneesha drifted through his mind. She had been calling him, leaving several messages on his voice mail. He knew he needed to go see her soon, but he couldn't leave Olivia right now. She was so close to her due date.

“A penny for your thoughts,” came a voice from behind him.

Bryant turned around. Olivia was standing in the doorway holding her stomach.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

“I think I'm having contractions. About twenty minutes ago I had a sharp pain go up my back.”

Suddenly she grabbed her belly and motioned for the chair. “Bryant, these pains are getting more intense.”

“Do you want to go to the hospital?”

“No, my doctor said that I should try to hold out for as long as possible. Lots of new mothers are sent home from the hospital several times before they are actually admitted.”

“Maybe we shouldn't have made love last night.”

She responded with a look that said
maybe you're right
. She sat in the chair, breathing heavily as if it took all her strength to walk over to that chair.

“Can I get you a glass of orange juice?” he asked.

She nodded. He poured her a glass and placed it in front of her.

“It sure smells good in here. I'm surprised Danyelle hasn't rushed out here yet. Let me go ask her if she's hungry.”

As she attempted to get up from the table, she let out a piercing scream. Bryant turned around. Olivia was frozen with fear. She stared down at the kitchen floor. Her water had broken.

Bryant rushed to her side. “Livie, everything is going to be all right. Do you have a hospital bag ready?”

“It's behind my bedroom door,” she answered breathlessly.

He ran into the bedroom and grabbed the small yellow suitcase. He raced back to her side. “Come on, I'll help you to the car.”

As they were leaving, Danyelle came out of her room. “What's going on? I heard someone scream.”

“Olivia's water broke and I'm taking her to the hospital.” Bryant said. “Danyelle, call the doctor and tell him to meet us at the hospital. His number is next to the telephone in the living room.”

 

 

“Bryant, watch out for the—” Bryant came to a screeching halt just before hitting the back of a trash truck. Olivia held one hand to her heart and the other on the dashboard. She felt another contraction. “Oh no! Here comes another one.” Olivia reached out for Bryant's hand.

“Breathe,” Bryant instructed her. “Breathe out through your mouth.”

“Bryant, this hurts.” She gripped his hand a little tighter. “Can you get me to the hospital—now?” Olivia demanded through clinched teeth.

Bryant put the car in reverse, pulled around the trash truck, and sped off toward the hospital. Ten minutes later they arrived. A nurse wheeled Olivia away in a wheelchair while Bryant was left with the admitting clerk, providing Olivia's information.

Bryant eventually tracked Olivia down in the maternity ward. Her belly was hooked up to a monitor. She was immersed in an episode of Maury Povich. Bryant looked up at the television screen. The caption read, “I'm a man trapped in a woman's body.”

“You appear to be doing better,” Bryant commented.

“I do feel a little better, but I'm still in pain. They gave me some ice chips to chew on.” Olivia pointed to the bowl sitting beside her. “I'd rather have a cheese steak.”

He laughed. “Sweetheart, I'll be right back. I'm going to give Danyelle a call. I want to keep her updated on your progress.” Bryant walked toward the door.

“Hurry back,” she cried out.

Bryant walked out of her room and down the hall to the waiting area. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number.

“Hello.”

“Hello, beautiful,” Bryant said into the phone.

“Bryant, where have you been? I have been calling you leaving messages and you haven't returned any of my phone calls.”

“Daneesha, I've been busy. I told you I had a lot of business to attend to.”

“Yeah, well while you've been out there taking care of business, I got Marquise and Marquita's fathers to relinquish their parental rights. Now, all you have to do is come and sign these papers and you can adopt my kids.”

“That's great. I should be there in two weeks to come sign the papers.”

“Two weeks? I thought we were supposed to be getting married? I haven't spoken to you once to discuss one detail about our nuptials. “

“I thought we decided to wait until after the baby was born. That would give me some time to make some money to support my new family.”

“Well, what about the children? You're the one who said you wanted to adopt my kids, but you're never here to spend any time with them. You act just like their real daddies.”

“Daneesha, I'll be there in two weeks.”

“Marquise, stop hitting your sister!” Daneesha screamed at the children.

Bryant looked up to see Olivia's doctor walking in his direction.

“Listen baby, I have to go, but I'll call you later, I promise.” He hung up before she had a chance to protest.

“Hello, I'm Doctor Purtell. Are you the father of Ms. Benson's baby?”

“Yes, I am. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything is fine. Olivia is coming along beautifully. I just examined her and she is dilating quickly. You should have a new baby within a couple of hours. I just wanted to keep you informed of what was going on.”

“Thanks a lot, Doc.”

Bryant turned and pulled out his cell phone again. “Unc, I'm at University of Penn. I just finished talking with the doctor. He said the baby should be born within the next few hours. Can you get that business together? I want to hurry up and deliver that package and get this over with. Thanks a lot. Call me back when you get a chance.”

Bryant hung up the phone and rushed back to Olivia.

“Push, Push!” Bryant yelled.

“Olivia, give me one big push and I promise you we'll be done,” the doctor pleaded from between her legs.

They had been in the labor room for over an hour. Olivia was pushing and pushing to birth her son, and finally one more push delivered him.

“Here he is,” Dr. Purtell announced. The doctor cleared the baby's nasal passages and passed him to his parents.

“Hello, Bryce Robert Winters,” Olivia cooed as she was handed the baby. She held him as he stretched and squirmed. “Look at our son. Isn't he beautiful?”

Bryant smiled at his son. “He came into the world screaming; yelling just like his momma.” Olivia looked at Bryant and smiled.

“. . . and Lord I ask that you watch out for my cousin Val and Julian while they make crazy dollars out in Seattle. Amen.”

“Amen,” everyone said in unison.

“Thank you, Danyelle, for opening the meeting in prayer,” Elise said, then directed her attention toward the remaining members of their Bible Study group. “Can I get a show of hands of individuals who doubled their prayer time since the last time we met?”

No one raised their hands.

“Okay, who has increased their prayer time by at least twenty-five percent?” Elise asked.

Again, no one raised their hands.

“No one here has increased their prayer time?” Elise asked, astonished.

Olivia spoke up first. “Elise, I've been so busy with the baby. I haven't had time to sit down and pray.”

“Olivia, since you brought it up, let's discuss ‘not having enough time to pray.' I realize that everyone here has a life outside of church. Olivia, you're a new mother. Danyelle, you work. And Tressie, you attend college. All of you have very busy schedules, which can leave you with little time to pray.”

“Elise, I always plan on saying a prayer in the morning or right before I go to bed, but the baby wakes me up at four thirty every morning. That's the start of my day. I feed him and get him washed and dressed. Then I try to clean the house, and by noon, I'm tired. All I want to do is sleep.”

“Olivia, I understand that your days are long. I'm sure everyone here wishes there were more hours in each day to carry out all their responsibilities.”

“I sure do,” Tressie commented.

“Time management is essential to having a successful relationship with God. Designate private time to commune with God. Keep in mind that you don't have to kneel down to pray. You can talk to God anywhere—in your car, on the train, or at your desk before the workday begins. The important thing is that you take the time to speak with God. Thank him for the things he has done for you and tell him about the different things going on in your life. He loves to hear from his children,” Elise pointed out.

“I have set up my cell phone to remind me to pray, but I've found that life is too unexpected to stick to a daily schedule,” Danyelle responded.

“I'm constantly being interrupted with different things which make it hard to maintain a constant prayer life. To pray every day is a lot. Isn't it enough to just pray at Bible Study and church? Do we have to pray every day?”

“Danyelle, what if God said ‘I'm only accepting prayer requests on Sundays and Wednesdays?' Do you realize how chaotic the world would be? Prayers from parents with sick children and people starving in third world countries—their prayers would go unheard. God wants to hear from us every day.”

“I agree with Danyelle,” Olivia commented. “Too many unexpected things can happen during a day to throw you off track.”

“What about you, Tressie? Do you feel the same as Olivia and Danyelle?” Elise asked.

“I did increase my prayer time when you first asked us to. But since then I have slacked off. With school and spending so much time with Payce, I find it difficult to stay committed to my prayer time. It's been a few days since the last time I prayed,” Tressie admitted.

“Ladies, I know it's hard. Satan will do what he has to do to prevent you from speaking with God. His job is to put distance between you and the Lord. If he manages to squeeze a wedge between you and God, things will start happening in your life that will force you to pray. Just keep that in mind.”

A chauffeured limousine pulled up in front of their house at precisely six thirty. Val and Julian were attending a party hosted by the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics. The entire Sonics organization would be in attendance that night—the owner, the general manager, the president, all the players, and their spouses.

Since the season began, Val had only been able to attend one game, and that was the season opener. She was excited to see Julian play in his first professional game. The entire Sonics team ran out onto the court in single file. Julian wore the number three proudly pasted across his back. He stretched with the team at half court. He didn't start the game, but the coach did put him in at the start of the second quarter. He was only in the game for ten minutes, but he scored nine points by making three three-pointers. Val could see the excitement in his face over his spectacular performance. The SuperSonics won the game ninety-nine to ninety-seven.

During the game Val realized how lonely she really was. In Philly, Olivia had always attended Julian's games with her, but in Seattle she was alone. She had been looking forward to attending that night's game, not just to see Julian play, but to possibly make some new friends.

When Val arrived at the Key Arena, an usher escorted her to Julian's reserved seats. Val was well aware of the fact that the women who had seats around hers were either married or dating some of the other players, so she wanted to take the opportunity to get more acquainted with those women. When Val sat down in her seat she flashed a friendly smile to the two women sitting to the right of her, but both responded by rolling their eyes and turning their heads. Surprised by their response, she introduced herself to the women sitting to her left and they too turned their noses up at her. Val was disappointed, but she wasn't going to allow their cold attitude to discourage her from wanting to make friends. She would think of a different way to make friends with them.

They pulled up in front of the Hotel Monaco. The parking lot attendant opened Val's door and helped her step out into the brisk Seattle night air. Julian came up behind her and placed his hand on the small of her back. He led her up the front steps and into the lobby.

Once they were in the elevator the attendant asked, “What floor, sir?”

“We're attending the Sonics party,” Julian replied.

The attendant punched the seventy-sixth floor. Val looked stunning in a gold Cynthia Rowley strapless dress, while her fiancé redefined the term debonair in a black suit made by Marc Jacobs.

Julian pulled at his collar. “I wish we didn't have to dress up.”

“It doesn't hurt to wear a suit every once in a while,” Val responded.

The elevator attendant announced, “Penthouse floor.” The elevator doors opened and they stepped into the breathtaking entrance of the banquet hall.

Val was speechless. Her wide eyes studied the unforgettable Seattle skyline from two walls made entirely of glass. A staircase that resembled the one in
Gone With The Wind
led to an outside balcony.

The room was full of people, leading Val to think she and Julian were the last ones to arrive. The first person to greet them was Mr. Hass, the owner of the team. “Hello, Julian. I've been looking for you all night.”

“Hello, Mr. Haas,” Julian replied, shaking his boss's hand. “How are you doing?”

“I'm doing so much better now that you're here, our star player. There are a dozen people I want to introduce you to.” He noticed Val standing next to Julian. “Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? This must be the beautiful bride-to-be, Valencia.”

Val reached out to shake his hand.

“You look lovely,” Mr. Hass said to Val. He wrapped Val's arm around his. “Please follow me?” For the next two hours Theodore Haas introduced Val and Julian to every employee of the basketball organization. They met everyone from the president to the towel boys. By the middle of the night Val was tired.

Val and Julian had stopped mingling to speak with Carlos and Pilar Torres. Carlos Torres was the only Latino player on the team, and also one of the few Latino players in the entire league. Julian and Carlos entered an intense debate over the future of the team, while Pilar initiated a conversation with Val. “I remember seeing you at the season home opener on Tuesday.”

“Yes, I was there. I don't remember seeing you.”

“Oh no, I don't sit in the players' reserved seats. I usually watch the game from the luxury suites.”

Pilar was a beautiful twenty-eight-year-old mother of three. That did not include the one she was so elegantly carrying in her womb. Her long, black hair was pulled back in a classic 1930s style bun. She wore a form-fitting maroon dress by Nicole Miller that flowed nicely over her growing belly.

Val swallowed the last of her glass of wine. “Could you walk me over to the bar?” Val asked Pilar. “Do you fellas want another drink? I'm heading over to the bar,” Val said.

“No, we're okay,” Julian replied.

The two women walked over to the bar where Val ordered herself another glass of wine.

“Carlos is so excited about Julian joining the team. He really thinks they have a chance at winning the championship this year.” Pilar enunciated her words as slowly as possible. Her thick Spanish accent was hard to understand at times.

“Well, they are off to a good start. If they continue to play like they did on Tuesday, they have a good chance of bringing the trophy to Seattle,” Val said.

“Are you from Seattle?” Pilar asked.

“No, we're both from Philadelphia.”

“So you're not familiar with Seattle at all?”

“No, not really.”

“How about one day next week we have lunch together? We can go shopping and I'll show you around the city.”

“I would really like that. Since I've been here I haven't really had a chance to get out and meet anyone yet.”

“So you've been sitting in the house by yourself while Julian goes to team meetings and practice,” Pilar guessed.

Val nodded her head yes and took a sip from her glass.

“Yes, it was that way for me too when Carlos and I first moved here. But after a while I got accustomed to him not being home. It gets kind of lonely, so I occupy my time with our children.” She leaned her arm against the bar. “Sometimes I have to be both parents to our children. A lot of the time he's on the road, at practice, or out with the fellows.”

“Yes, Julian has not spent a lot of time with me. But I have tried to be understanding. I realize that he's just entering the league and it's going to take him a while to get accustomed to handling the responsibilities of work and home. Once his rookie year is over, we'll get married and things will get better.”

“You don't think that the money and fame will change him? He signed an awfully large contract.”

“I know Julian. Money will never change him.”

“Can I offer you some advice?” Pilar asked while gently placing her hand on Val's arm. Val looked at her suspiciously, waiting on her to continue. “If you want to keep Julian, make him realize that home is with you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Val asked.

“What I mean is that Julian's financial situation has probably multiplied ten times since he's entered the league and the money only gets better each year. A lot of people, namely home wreckers, will be jealous of what you and him have. They will try their hardest to take what's yours. I suggest you do whatever you think is necessary to keep him from leaving you.”

“Oh, I'm not worried. Julian loves me,” Val said with a spark of innocence in her eyes.

“Love doesn't have anything to do with sex,” Pilar replied.

Val glanced over in Julian's direction. She saw a woman across the room licking her lips at him. Julian smiled back at the woman and continued his conversation with Carlos.

Pilar watched the scene unfold between Julian and the stranger. “Just keep in mind, the Sonics organization keeps plenty of women available for the players to play with in their spare time.”

 

 

“Tressie, I promise you I'll call you when I get in.” Payce unlocked the passenger side door for his friend, Darshon. “Tressie, I don't know what time I'm going to get in. We're just going out to the club. I have to go. I'll call you later.” He hung up his phone.

“What's going on, player?” Darshon yelled out. Payce held out his fist and Darshon responded back with a pound.

“I was on the phone with my girl. She's asking me a million questions. Where am I going? Who am I going with? When will I be home? You would think we were married.”

“She acts like that because that's what she wants. That's what they all want. They want the man to willingly put on the handcuffs and walk down the aisle of matrimony.”

Payce laughed at his friend.

“Is that the girl you met at your father's church conference?”

Payce nodded his head.

“You've been seeing her for a while. Be careful, man. Church women are the worst. Women already think they're right about everything, but a church woman will pull out her Bible and recite scripture to prove she's right.”