“How’s your ankle holding up?” Sergio-Xavier had snuck up from behind while she was telling Marcus how much she enjoyed his music.
“Fine, and you’re jealous,” she answered back, only to have the two cousins double-team her.
“My little cousin has nothing to be jealous of, seeing how he and Lizzie had you sliding all over the floor,” Marcus teased.
“Babe, make sure you hold on to your seat tonight,” Sergio-Xavier added. “I wouldn’t want you to reinjure that ankle.”
Paige pouted and looked to Shannon for help.
“Sorry. I can’t help you. Everyone in this family is fair game,” Shannon explained.
Paige realized then Sergio-Xavier’s arms were resting around her waist. He was making a public statement that she was his. “Come on. It’s time you met my parents,” she told him. She stepped away, but he didn’t budge.
“I already did. In fact, your dad and I played golf together three days ago.”
Paige’s jaw dropped at the exact second Reyna announced that it was time for the program to begin.
Paige barely touched the four-course meal. Between the butterflies floating around inside her stomach and the incessant questions from the ladies about why their pictures, along with brief bios, were printed in the program, she couldn’t eat. Sergio-Xavier’s fingertips stroking her calf underneath the table didn’t help, either.
Paige uncrossed her legs and, ignoring Sergio-Xavier’s protest, reviewed her speech for the umpteenth time.
“Are you nervous?” Sergio-Xavier directed the question to Paige, but the ladies were so tuned in to their mentor, they became part of the conversation.
A chorus of “Yes,” and “Of course” floated around the table.
“I’m so nervous,” Jasmine said, weighing in. “When the waiter offered me a shrimp cocktail, I said, ‘No thank you. I’m too young to drink.’”
“And I ate my salad with the dinner fork,” another girl added. “Now I don’t know what to do.”
“Stop fretting,” Paige said between giggles. “You’re doing fine, but I would advise you to have some tissues on hand for later.” She took a sip of water without explaining and resumed reading her speech.
Reyna returned to the microphone and announced that it was time for some entertainment.
“That’s my cue! Hold on to your seat, sweetheart.” Sergio-Xavier pointed at the ladies. “One of you might need to sit in her lap to keep her from falling off her seat.” He winked, and Paige rolled her eyes at him as he walked away.
“What’s Dr. Simone talking about?” one of the girls asked, and then they all laughed in Paige’s face once she told them about Lizzie and the floor. The laughter stopped once Sergio-Xavier began playing Lizzie with precision. By the time he finished “The Greatest Love of All,” Paige and the divas were leaning to one side.
Tara recited the spoken word, and representatives from the community gave congratulatory remarks and well wishes to Paige and the DWAP board. When Beverly Stokes introduced Paige to make the presentations, Paige changed the setup at the last minute. Instead of standing at the podium alone, she brought the divas onto the raised platform with her. Ignoring their nervous comments, Paige positioned them on both sides and stood in the middle, at the mounted microphone.
She reached over and handed Sergio-Xavier her index cards, deciding to speak from the heart. “Before I present to them what they believe is a simple recognition certificate for their successful completion of the junior entrepreneur program . . . ,” Paige said, then stopped and chuckled along with the audience. A moment later she continued. “There’s something I’d like to say about these awesome young ladies you’ve so generously invested in.”
Paige took a deep breath and then let the words flow. “When I first met you seven young ladies, honestly, I didn’t like you. I had a misconception about what a diva is. I thought the term meant a sassy mouth, disrespectful, loud hair, long nails, spiked heels, tacky clothes, and an attitude of entitlement. For a long time I didn’t allow myself to see you in any other light. I am ashamed to say, I didn’t envision much of a future for you. I expected you to become another statistic. Your disposition made you difficult to handle, so I basically ignored you and went down the path of least resistance. For that I am so sorry.” Paige’s heart ached at the disappointment on their faces, but she wanted them to get the complete picture.
“Somehow, while riding on my high horse with my head in the clouds, things changed. I ceased being the mentor and became the mentee. I was no longer the instructor, but a student. I learned more from you than I was capable of teaching. Sure, I can teach you about numbers and balancing books, but the seven of you taught me about purpose—my purpose.
“From you I learned that a true diva is not just a mere woman who looks good on the outside, but a woman who is true to herself on the inside. She’s a woman who may not have the best of everything but always makes the best of every situation. She doesn’t lament that she doesn’t have something, but multiplies what she’s given and shares with others. She takes the lead and makes things happen, instead of waiting for a handout. A diva is that ride-or-die chick who will not hesitate to break rules and will go looking for a friend who’s missing in action. Most importantly, a diva is not ashamed or afraid to ask for help, and she admits when she doesn’t have it all together.”
Paige paused and placed her arms on the shoulders of the two girls closest to her. “I’m almost twice your age, but I learned all that from you seven beautiful young ladies. Through you, I have learned my purpose, which is to mentor genuinely and to nurture more ladies like you. I have also rediscovered who I am. The first day we met was the beginning of my journey of finding my way back to me. For that, you’re my hero.”
Paige nodded toward the band, and piano notes filled the air. She proceeded to serenade the divas from her heart with Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” At the conclusion of the song, Paige didn’t see the standing ovation she received. The divas nearly toppled her in a group hug. Sergio-Xavier had to brace her from behind to keep her from falling.
The divas were still shedding tears when Paige announced their names one by one and presented them each with a plaque and a certificate from DWAP for a full scholarship to the college or higher-learning institution of their choice. When she finished, Paige sat down before the girls could topple her. Sergio-Xavier’s arms were no match for the stampede of hugs and kisses from the divas and their family members.
The scene left Paige both emotionally and physically spent, and she had to step outside on the balcony for some air. She smelled Sergio-Xavier’s scent before she felt his arms around her waist.
“Since tonight is all about the divas, I won’t propose formally to you this evening.” He kissed her exposed neck. “Let this serve as an official notice that your days of being Ms. McDaniels are numbered.”
“Oh, really?” She leaned to give him better access.
“Really. It’ll take my contractor ten months to build the house.”
She turned around, filled with a sense of naughtiness. “You know,” she said, fingering his lips, “it’s not like we’re homeless. I mean, we don’t have to wait for the house to have a place to live. I have a house. You have a loft.”
He smiled that wicked grin she loved. “We don’t have to have a big wedding, unless you want one.”
“I hear small weddings and big receptions later are in.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s only one major problem with this plan. Who’s going to tell our mothers?”
“Oh yeah,” Paige said, pouting, and then thought for a moment. Her mother would kill her if she eloped, and she was sure Teresa wanted a big wedding. “Let’s send them a text on the way to the airport.”
Hearty laughter erupted from Sergio-Xavier before he cupped her face and kissed her. “I love you, and I’m very proud of you. Now, let’s go make some babies before all your eggs dry up.”
She
slapped his arm. “That’s why I don’t like you. Your mouth is always ruining the moment.”
“If you’d been kissing me, my mouth would have been too occupied to ruin the moment.”
Instead of a devising a comeback, Paige accepted the dose of her own medicine and gave the doctor what he wanted.
Discussion Questions
1. Paige’s “unforgivable” sin was an abortion. Have you ever done something so horrible, you doubted God’s ability to forgive you? Did you live in a state of self-condemnation and guilt? How did you learn to accept God’s forgiveness?
2. Paige attended church regularly and led the congregation in worship. Yet she struggled with depression. Have you ever had to function in the church while feeling internally broken?
3. Paige prayed daily and mediated, yet her understanding of the Word was misguided. She prayed but failed to listen for the answer to her problems. Do you think this is common for Christians?
4. Paige found it easy to judge those who lived and worshipped differently from her. Is this common within the Christian community?
5. What are your thoughts on Sergio-Xavier’s view of Christians vs. Christ followers?
6. Paige gravitated to Seniyah because Jasmine and the other divas were difficult to deal with. Have you ever settled on the “easy path” because you were afraid of difficulties? Do you feel that Christians assume the “easy road” is God and the road paved with complications is the devil?
7. Jasmine and the divas were anxious to learn and rise above the hood, but they didn’t know how to. What do you feel is the faith community’s responsibility for or obligation to at-risk youth?
8. Sergio-Xavier acknowledged that although he loved Paige, he wasn’t her savior: she needed a healing he couldn’t give her, and therefore he stepped back. In relationships, do you feel more people should adopt this view?
9. Did the real Seniyah surprise you?
10. What are your thoughts on Ms. King’s comment about church folks being dumb and easy to take advantage of?
11. Paige included people from all walks of life to establish and fund her nonprofit organization, and she included the divas’ families. Does this give credence to the saying “It takes a village and everyone can contribute something”?
About the Author
Wanda B. Campbell is an extraordinary and talented writer who brings creativity, a new sense of hope, and restoration through the healing power of God to the Kingdom by way of Christian fiction. She uses real-life, every-day issues to exhort, motivate, and give comfort. Back to Me is Wanda’s ninth published title.
Wanda is a graduate of Castlemont High School in Oakland, California (Go, Knights!), Western Career College, and Boston Reed College. In addition to building a career in health care, she completed Christian ministry studies at the Leadership Institute at Allen Temple and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in biblical studies.
Wanda is a mother of three, currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family, and enjoys spending time with her grandson. Her hobbies include writing and reading, traveling, watching basketball and baseball, and collecting magnets from around the world.
To learn more about the characters in Back to Me, be sure to pick up copies of the novels Silver Lining, Doin’ Me, and Unresolved Issues.
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Back to Me Copyright © 2014 Wanda B. Campbell
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-6016-2679-0
First Trade Paperback Printing November 2014
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.
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