Humbled (22 page)

The atmosphere in the hospital room unnerved Joel, causing him to feel restless. It was 9:20 a.m. He looked over at his wife and found her sleeping comfortably, which put him at ease. Joel was about to get up and go grab a cup of coffee when there was a tug in his spirit. He hadn't experienced such a sensation since the earlier years of his tenure as CEO of DMI. Those were the days when he and God spoke daily, when he trusted the Lord to confirm each decision he made. He reared back in the seat, tapped his fingertips together and reflected. Those days had passed, but God was still God. And Joel was still alive, which meant there was time to make amends.

The tug in his spirit grew stronger, and he chose not to resist. The church mother's admonishment had stuck to him like premium Velcro. He'd done too much on his own for too long. He gave a deep sigh. He was tired of running and clamoring for solutions to his man-made problems. Only a fool would find himself in a hole and keep digging. Well, Joel resigned himself to the fact that his foolish days were over. As of right now, this instant, he decided this was his day, his time to fix the root of his problem. Marrying Zarah for professional purposes, chopping up DMI for financial gain, and fighting his brother for control of DMI weren't at the core of his struggles. He couldn't even blame Madeline, regardless of the slander and malice she'd mercilessly released over the years. She wasn't his problem. Zarah, Don, and Abigail weren't the source of his anguish. Truthfully, Tamara wasn't, either.

As Joel sat back and meditated on his path to destruction, the road ahead, which had seemed blurred and rocky a few hours ago, was quite clear. If he traced his missteps to the source of his despair, Joel was certain they would lead directly to the feet of Jesus. When he had elected to abandon God's plan for his life and to pursue his own agenda, the anointing and unprecedented favor he'd relished for months had left him. It dawned on Joel that his plan represented his will. God's plan represented God's will. The revelation was like an anvil dropping from the sky and waking him into consciousness. So many decisions flashed before him. He felt spiritually naked.

Zarah stirred and turned from lying on her left side to her right, but she didn't wake up. Joel continued with the spiritual purging exercise in progress. He prayed that she would stay asleep awhile longer, because Joel didn't want to abandon this self-assessment he was undergoing. His spirit was leaping within as his soul cried out for redemption and salvation. They were double-teaming him. He had no choice but to seek God for forgiveness and restoration, confident he didn't have the knowledge, strength, or temperance to manage his life successfully.

In that moment a water main burst in his soul, and he was humbled and fell to his knees. Tears streamed down Joel's cheeks as he prayed silently so as not to wake Zarah. He repented and pleaded with God for forgiveness, even though Joel knew begging wasn't God's way. He had to ask his Father only once and believe by faith that it was done, according to His will. Joel thought about the countless instances when he hadn't been obedient. He'd grown accustom to ignoring God's messages and blowing right through blockades in his path. The results hadn't been pleasant, but that was the Joel of old. This Joel, the one humbled before God, had suffered sufficiently. He was eager to listen, to take instruction.

Joel rose from his knees with a twinkle in his eyes and vigor in his step. He believed his burden had been lifted and his restart button had been pressed. He was alive and couldn't wait to show God how serious he was about making changes and being a faithful steward of his second chance.

He checked on Zarah once again. She was in a tranquil state, and he was grateful to see her resting. He'd use the break to make a few calls. He went into the hallway to call his mother. Joel knew she'd want an update, and he was pleased to give her some good news.

“Mom, Zarah is resting comfortably.”

“Good, good,” she said. “How long does she have to stay in the hospital?”

“I'm not sure, but the doctor said the baby's heartbeat is strong.”

“Well, that's good, but did you find out why she was bleeding?”

Joel's glee dipped. The uncertainty about Zarah's condition was bugging him. He had continuously contemplated moving her to Henry Ford and hadn't ruled out the possibility. “No, not yet.”

“Well, then, we'll have to keep a close eye on Ms. Zarah.”

“I guess so,” he said, wanting to do more.

“I'll let you get back to Zarah. And I'll see you at the hospital in a few hours. Then you can get some relief and let me sit with her this afternoon.”

“Mom, I don't want to burden you with my responsibilities.”

“Don't insult me, son. You and Zarah are my family, which makes you my responsibility.”

He was glad to have her and wouldn't complain. He graciously accepted her support and ended the call.

Next up was Don, who happened to be in his office when Joel called.

“Don, I'm glad I caught you.”

“What's up?”

Joel didn't want to mince words. He wanted to be direct, without revealing too much personal information about Zarah's condition. It was a private matter and didn't warrant public attention. He'd safeguard his immediate family's business. “I'm calling about the board meeting Zarah has with the board of directors tomorrow.”

“What about it?” Don asked. Joel detected the sharpness in his brother's voice, but he wasn't going to be drawn into a verbal feud.

“Zarah has been ill the past couple of days and can't attend the meeting.”

“I'm sorry to hear that she's sick. I hope she gets better soon.”

Joel thanked Don for the well wishes.

“As you probably know, we were going to discuss the Harmonious Energy and West Coast division acquisition proposals.” Don hesitated before adding, “I guess we'll have to cancel this session, but the DMI board is eager to walk through the proposal details. How soon can we reschedule?”

Joel hated to tell him the truth, but he had no choice. “Zarah's going to be out indefinitely.”

“Really? Just how sick is she?”

Joel had already opened the box marked PRIVATE. He might as well pour out the contents for Don. “She's in the hospital due to complications from the pregnancy.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear this. She'll be in my prayers.” Joel welcomed prayers, especially from someone who he knew had a love for the Lord and could get a request beyond the ceiling. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Don asked.

“Not much. Just pray. The rest is on me. The doctor says she's under too much stress. So she'll have to ease up on the DMI and Harmonious Energy front.”

“I totally understand,” Don said, sincerity ringing out.

Joel was encouraged. “If the baby has any chance, she needs take it easy for quite a while.”

“Agreed, so take care of home and let me know what I can do to help. And don't worry about the board meeting. I'll take care of it. When the timing is right, we can reschedule. God will work it out. All right?” Don told him.

“All right,” Joel replied.

After the conversation was over, the old Joel wanted to rear his head. A notion popped into his mind. He could go ahead with the meeting and use the situation as an opportunity to assume control of Harmonious Energy while Zarah was out of commission. As quickly as the notion flew into his mind, Joel's spirit kicked it out. He wasn't going to betray Zarah. More importantly, he wasn't going to squander the second chance God had given him. This was his turn to make things right, and that was precisely what Joel intended on doing with God's help.

Don was stunned. He pondered the news from Joel. He couldn't ignore the adverse implications for DMI and the family. The Harmonious Energy divestiture was officially on hold, and there wasn't a single thing Don could do. He trotted off to his mother's office.

When he plopped into a seat, she asked, “What's that look for?”

“What look?”

“The one that says we have trouble,” Madeline said, taking off her reading glasses and setting them on the desk. She clasped her hands together and placed them on top of her notepad. “Come on. Out with it. Tell me what's on your mind. I'm ready.”

Don chuckled at how well his mother knew him. “You're right. We have trouble.”

Madeline squirmed in her chair but kept glaring at him.

“The Harmonious Energy and West Coast division deals are on hold.”

“What?” she shouted, forgoing decorum. “Why?”

“I just received a call from Joel.”

“I should have known this has something to do with him.” She tossed a bunch of paper clips in the air, and Don watched as they landed on the desk. “What has he screwed up?”

Don leaned in. “Nothing. It's Zarah. She's sick and can't attend the board meeting.”

“So move it back a few days.”

Don shook his head. “Won't work. She needs to be out longer.”

“Fine,” Madeline said, flailing her hand in the air. “Push it out a few weeks, a month, whatever. Just get the meeting rescheduled.”

“Mother, it's not going to happen.”

“Why not?” she snapped.

“Because I'm not willing to participate in this battle for the West Coast division. I'm done. We've been fighting for decades. How long is long enough?” he told her. “I'm tired of this, and you should be too.”

“I'm never tired of fighting for what's right,” she retorted.

“What's right? How do you know what's right? Did God come down from heaven and tell you to pursue the West Coast division?” he asked boldly, without crossing the line of respect.

Madeline fidgeted and shifted her gaze away.

“Well, did He?” She cut her gaze at him. “I didn't think so.”

Madeline opened her desk drawer and appeared to be shuffling through it for something. He realized it was difficult for her to have this conversation, but Don wasn't going to stop until he had conveyed the truth.

“Look, I'm engaging in a fresh round of DMI wars with innocent casualties like Zarah having to pay the price. I'm not doing it,” he said forcefully. “I'm done. This is it for me.” Clarity overwhelmed him. It was as if God had opened the heavens and poured out the insight he'd been seeking for months. “I'm dropping out of the bidding war over the West Coast division.”

“You can't do that.”

“I can, and I am.” Don refused to contribute any further to Zarah's health challenges. He was certain God had a better plan. “Zarah is sick, and Joel said it has to do with stress.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, but she's the one who wanted to tout herself as a businesswoman. This job is not for the fainthearted.”

“Regardless of how she got involved, I'm not contributing to the demise of another Mitchell under the guise of restoring our family business.” He was well aware of the destructive nature his family exhibited once they locked themselves into the DMI world. They were willing to win at all costs. “There's no wisdom in regaining ownership of the division if it comes at the price of destroying the same family we've spent years hoping to reunite.”

“Humph,” Madeline responded, which was as close as he was going to get to an affirmation from her. “So you're just going to give up despite the massive work we've put in, that I've put into regaining control of DMI for you and your sister? I guess my efforts don't count.”

He was far beyond allowing guilt or pity to sway his judgment. He had compassion for his mother's perspective but a greater desire to honor God's leading. He'd sought the Lord for an answer on how to proceed. Now that he had the answer, nothing or no one was going to prevent him from obeying. “I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm content letting Joel and Tamara battle it out without me.”

“You bet I don't want to hear that. I think you're being overdramatic. Zarah is sick and needs a few days of rest. That's it. She'll feel better in a week, and we can continue as planned with the board meeting.”

Don saw that his mother wasn't going to be reasonable without having all the information to consider. So he obliged. “Zarah isn't going to be better in a few days. Not according to Joel. She's in the hospital, dealing with complications related to her pregnancy. When I spoke to him, he sounded worried and was very concerned about Zarah avoiding stressful situations,” he said, squinting one eye. Stress might as well be the Mitchell family's nickname. No one could be a bona fide Mitchell and live without a healthy dose of it. Unfortunately, Zarah was no exception.

Madeline fumbled in her desk drawer again. Pulling out nothing, as he had suspected would happen, she peered at him and said, “You should have told me about the complicated pregnancy in the first place.”

“Would it have made a difference?”

“Yes, it would have,” she said. “I'm not a monster, you know. I have feelings for people.”

He chuckled. He watched as her gaze roamed around the room and finally landed on him.

“Then that's it. We're done,” she said as her voice cracked. “My dream is officially dead,” she added, this time opening the drawer and plucking out a handful of tissues. “Don, could you please excuse me. I need to finish a report.”

His instinct was to rush to her and provide comfort, but he didn't. She needed to be alone and grieve the loss of her dream, and he understood. His heart was breaking for her, but his resolve was invigorated. Trusting in God's plan and getting off the roller coaster of unforgiveness and perpetual family strife gave him the comfort he needed. He left his mother's office, certain better days were ahead for him and them.