Watercolored Pearls

by Stacy Hawkins Adams

  Erika wasn't sure if she liked Delaney, but she appreciated that this cousin was so protective of Derrick.

  "Technically, Delaney," she said, "that is why I was there."

  "If I had known who you were, I would have handed you the fishing rod," she said softly. "The only time I've seen Derrick's eyes light up is when he talks about a woman, who just happens to be an employee, named Erika. When Gabrielle told him two weeks ago that you were planning to leave the design firm and that he might not have an excuse to see you again, he was sick.

  "I wanted to call you, but Derrick said you weren't responding to his messages," Delaney said, "and hearing from me might make things worse."

  Derrick kept his eyes on Erika but touched Delaney's shoulder.

  "Thanks, cuz; you've said enough," he said. "Maybe too much."

  Delaney looked from him to Erika and headed for the patio.

  "Nice to meet you, Erika," she said before stepping outside. "I hope I'll see you again."

  When she was gone, Derrick turned to Erika. "She's a little over the top, but she can't help it. She's majoring in theater and dance."

  Erika wanted to laugh, but the other emotions rumbling inside prevented her from expressing herself.

  She was angry, confused, hopeful.

  "I know," Derrick said. He had read it all in her eyes. He pulled her trembling body toward him and hugged her.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered as she rested her head against his chest. "I'm sorry that it took me so long to say this, but I love you."

  Derrick closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of her head. "So, you aren't going to quit your job?"

  Erika smiled.

  "Make me a counteroffer."

  54

  Tawana strolled across the lawn toward her colleagues.

  She could have picked up her pace, but she was purposely savoring this moment.

  Bob, Kent, and Vincent didn't care whether she went by Tawana or Elise. They learned just before Neal's trial about her connection to Grant and the secret Bethany was trying to use to blackmail her. They knew she was a single mother.

  Still, they each told her, she was one of them.

  "You're an excellent attorney, and I hope you aren't looking to go somewhere else next summer," Bob said two nights ago during a dinner the firm hosted for the summer clerks. "Richmond is your home, and so is our firm—if you'd like it to be."

  And then there was Arlen. He had shown Tawana what it meant to have a man as a friend. He challenged her intellectually and pushed her to question the depth of her faith.

  "Don't just believe something about God because you heard it in a sermon or because someone you admire told you," he said one afternoon over lunch. "Ask the hard questions. Read the Bible for yourself and try to figure out what was going on in the culture when those particular passages were written. Know God for yourself."

  He shared his long-term goals with Tawana and even his doubts. He let her help him plan a solo trip to South Africa and Ghana, where he would be going in two weeks to celebrate his thirtieth birthday.

  Most important, Arlen gave her the freedom to be herself.

  "I don't care what you call yourself—Tawana, T. Elise, or 'Tay Tay,'" he had joked. "You shouldn't get hung up on that. Tawana and T. Elise can be the same powerful, beautiful person, with no apologies. You do what feels right."

  Life at Harvard was going to be so much easier after this summer. She just knew it.

  Tawana introduced the law partners and the other summer clerks to Micah and Serena and led them to the table laden with food and beverages. Then she excused herself.

  "I need to take care of something," she told Bob. "I'll be back shortly."

  Tawana found Misha choreographing cheer routines for some of the girls from New Hope, who had come to the party with their parents. She tapped her daughter on the shoulder and whispered in her ear. "Can someone take over for you just for a few minutes? I need to talk with you."

  Misha smiled. Whenever her mother wanted her attention, she was willing to give it.

  She took Tawana's hand and strolled with her to their bedroom. Misha sat at the end of the bed and rested her sneakered feet on the stepladder that she used each night to climb onto the elevated mattress and springboard.

  "What's up, Mommy?"

  Tawana sat next to Misha and kissed her cheek. "Sorry to interrupt you during the party, but I couldn't wait any longer to share this with you."

  Misha looked at her expectantly.

  "You've been so patient with me these past few years, Misha, and I know it's been hard," Tawana said. "Even this summer, this murder trial consumed a lot of my time."

  Misha hugged Tawana. "That's okay, Mommy. I had so much fun with Aunt Serena and with the twins. They're like my little brothers now."

  Tawana smiled and ran her palm across her daughter's braided hair, smoothing it into place.

  "We're heading back to Boston soon, and once again I'll be tied up with my classes and studying," she said. "But I don't want you to ever feel like you're not important to me again."

  She sighed before continuing. "It's not going to be easy, Misha. Mommy has some hard work ahead of her, but I'm going to try to make time for us, even if it's just for a day, so that you and I can do something special together. Starting tomorrow."

  Misha sat up. "What are we going to do?"

  Tawana waved tickets in her hand. "Six Flags tomorrow; Ocean City, Maryland, the rest of the week—just you and me."

  Misha squealed and hugged Tawana so tightly that Tawana couldn't breathe.

  She pulled away and laughed. "I'm glad you're excited, baby. It's long overdue."

  Misha was beaming. "Mommy, I love you. You're showing me who to be when I grow up. I'm going to make you proud."

  They walked hand in hand to the backyard. Misha heard the beginning of the rap song "Chicken Noodle Soup" and took off toward her friends, who were creating a dance routine to the beat.

  Tawana watched her and laughed, thankful that her daughter's childhood was already so different from her own. She looked in the other direction and saw her mother, who sat in a lawn chair, chatting and laughing with a member of the New Hope congregation.

  Mama did her best then, and she's still giving me her all now. Thank you, God.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone slowly open the fence and step into the backyard. He stood there until Micah, at the grill nearby, noticed him.

  Micah passed his tongs to his father-in-law and walked over to Ian, whose eyes were red.

  The men hugged for what seemed an eternity. Micah led Ian into the house. Tawana and Serena glanced at each other, and Serena nodded. Tawana knew what that meant.

  Later tonight they would gather in prayer. For Ian.

  55

  Serena was satisfied.

  This was one of those days she was thankful that God knew her heart, because she didn't know exactly what to pray.

  She looked across the lawn at her boys, who were running and kicking a soccer ball with glee. Nothing else mattered in their world right now, except this moment in time.

  How and when did adults stop being so in tune? Specifically, how and when had she?

  She turned her gaze toward the sky, which was a clear azure blue, peppered with a cloud here and there. When had she stopped fully trusting God to paint the scenes of her life just as perfectly?

  She rounded up Jaden and Jacob and hustled them inside for a potty break. Usually she fought with them to lie down and take their nap. It took at least thirty minutes to get them settled and another thirty before they were snoozing.

  Today, though, she heard God clearly.

  Rest.

  After a light snack, she surprised the boys by taking them into her bedroom and lying between them.

  "Naptime, guys; close your eyes."

  Without a whimper both of them did. They snuggled close to her and, within minutes, both were sleeping soundly.

  Serena thought about t
he dishes waiting for her in the sink; the bills on her desk that needed to be paid; the carpet she had planned to shampoo today.

  This brief reprieve was when she usually played catch-up on the chores. But the stark revelations of the past month lingered with her. So did the blessings from the picnic she and Micah had hosted two weeks ago.

  She hadn't flirted with selling her body like Tawana, or lost her life to preserve a fancy facade like Bethany. Yet just the same, she had been in danger of losing part of herself to something more sinister—to doubt and envy and the desire to be somewhere other than where she was right now.

  She knew she didn't want to look back at these crazy, but tender, years with her family and find them a blur. She didn't want that to be the case with her relationship with God, either.

  She thought about what she did want, like this baby squirming in her belly, her husband's deep kisses, and the scent of love that seemed to be ebbing and flowing in the lives of her friends and family. She wondered what kinds of pearls each of them was in the process of becoming.

  Only God really knew, and for her, that was enough.

  Acknowledgments

  This book is dear to my heart, not only because I loved writing about characters who were growing and maturing in faith and in the changing seasons of their lives, but also because it was a community labor of love.

  Yes, I alone spent hours conducting research and sitting at my laptop writing, but without the tangible support and prayers of relatives, friends, colleagues, and readers, this project may not have left the idea stage. There are so many of you that I may neglect to mention you all. If so, please "charge it to my head, not to my heart!" For those I've mentioned in previous books, your support is still sincerely appreciated.

  First and foremost, I thank God, my heavenly Father, for giving me the gift of writing and for birthing this book through me. I am grateful for the opportunity to pen stories that can encourage and transform readers.

  As always, I thank my immediate and extended family, especially my siblings, who are among my biggest cheerleaders.

  In particular, I thank my beloved children, for understanding when I must "steal away" to write or promote my work. Thank you for believing in me and in my writing ministry.

  I sincerely thank Muriel Miller Branch for her prayers and for providing a sanctuary for me to write whenever needed. Many, many thanks to my fellow writer and author and my first reader, Sharon Shahid, who provided invaluable feedback and encouragement along the way. Special thanks is also due to my second reader, Carol Jackson, and to my writing friends and other encouragers who lent their support as I worked on the anniversary edition of this book: Pat Simmons, Wilbur Athey, and Robin Farmer.

  I am also grateful to the following individuals: Maya Payne Smart, Otesa Miles, Gayle Jessup White, Gwendolyn Richard, Tyora Moody, Bobbie Walker Trussell, Cecil Murphey, Tajuana Eddleton, Jennie Blizzard, Elizabeth Cogar Batty, Amanda Surgner, Steve Laube, Cheryle Rodriguez, the Rev. Drs. Micah and Jacqueline Madison-McCreary, Connie Lambert, the Cannon Family, Joe and Gloria Murphy, and my Spring Creek Baptist Church family.

  To the many bookstores, book clubs, individual readers, media professionals, and fellow writers who have supported my previous work and continue to spread the word about my writing, I sincerely appreciate you.

  May each of you continue to grow in faith, character, and joy in your quest to become the pearl God has destined you to be.

  For His Glory,

  Stacy

  Watercolored Pearls

  Discussion Questions

  * What does the book's title, Watercolored Pearls, convey about the characters?

  * What issues did the characters struggle with that, if openly addressed, could have strengthened their character? Deepened their relationships with each other? Drawn them closer to God?

  * What themes resonated throughout this book?

  * Was Serena's dislike of Bethany valid, or did it reveal her weaknesses and insecurity? As a pastor's wife, was it wrong for her to feel this way?

  * Was Serena's guilt about being overwhelmed with motherhood understandable? Did she have a superwoman (i.e., Proverbs 31 woman) complex?

  * Why was it hard for Tawana to open up to Serena, someone she had always believed loved her unconditionally?

  * Pearls aren't always formed naturally. Cultured pearls have outside help in being formed. How did the characters in this book help each other grow and mature?

  * Can you recall a personal situation or circumstance that played a role in transforming your character and/or your faith?

  * What role does faith play in helping one become a pearl?

  * Did any of these characters use their faith as a crutch, to keep them from growing and developing as they could have?

  * How has this book compelled you to reflect on the "pearls in progress" in your life and how you can nurture them?

  * Has this book encouraged you to view the parasites or "foreign objects" that are shaping you as blessings in disguise? If so, are you growing in a direction that pleases God?

  Stacy Hawkins Adams is an award-winning author, journalist, and inspirational speaker. She and her family live in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. Her other titles featuring the characters in “Watercolored Pearls” are “Speak to My Heart” and “Nothing But the Right Thing,” which are slated for reprint release in early 2015. Her more recent novels include, The Someday List, Coming Home (a 2012 Target stores Recommended Read) and Lead Me Home. Stacy welcomes readers to contact her through her website, www.StacyHawkinsAdams.com and to interact with her online at Facebook.com/StacyInspires or Twitter.com/SHAdams.