Redeeming Waters

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

  “From what I heard, on the couch down at the security guards’ house.”

  “You’re kidding me,” King d.Avid said. “I don’t get it. Have you checked with him this morning? Maybe he didn’t want to go last night, but he’s ready this morning.”

  “I’ve checked with him. He hasn’t indicated he wants to go as yet, either.”

  King d.Avid nodded. “Okay. Ask him to come and see me, would you please?”

  “Absolutely,” the driver said, then left, obviously happy to be dismissed.

  Fifteen minutes later, Unzell came in with the driver.

  “Here he is, sir?” the driver said. “I’ll be at my post if you need me.”

  King d.Avid nodded at the driver, who then left. He turned to Unzell. “I’m a bit confused. I told you it was all right for you to go see your wife, spend a little time with her. I was under the impression that’s what you wanted to do as well.”

  “It absolutely is what I want. I still want. In fact, the thought of my wife and being able to hold her in my arms right now is about to drive me stone-cold crazy,” Unzell said.

  “Then why are you still here?”

  “Well, the truth is: everybody who I’ve worked so hard with over these past several months, people who have sacrificed being with their family and friends, some even the parents of small children, they’re still stuck in hotels away from home. They’re still getting up early and staying up into the early morning hours getting things ready so that when you step out onto that stage, everything goes off without a hitch. I am no better than any of them. I’ve done no more than most of them,” Unzell said. “Then for me to have the privilege of coming here to your home, no less, and sitting down to talk with you personally . . . that is a gift and an honor. But it’s also considered to be part of my job. A job I excitedly signed up for, and a job I want to give my very best. But for me to go to my house, lie down with my wife, laugh and have a wonderful time—I’m sorry; I just can’t do that at this time. It’s not right, nor is it fair to my fellow associates still on post.”

  King d.Avid placed his left hand over his mouth and nose as he lowered himself down onto the white couch. He took his hand down. “I see.”

  “Don’t get me wrong: I want to see Brianna so bad, I can taste her. I struggled with going last night. I appreciate the lovely basket you had prepared. I shared the meat and other perishable items with the guys at the guards’ house. The wine and other stuff that will keep, I plan on holding on to and celebrating with my wife. But that will be in the next three or so weeks. The way it’s supposed to be. The same way the rest of the crew will. I pray I have not offended your kindness with my actions, as that is not my intent.”

  King d.Avid looked up and smiled. “No. Actually, you haven’t offended me. Rather, I’m made to feel rather low right now. I’ve not seen anyone as dedicated to their job or cause as you are. You get this whole thing. This is ministry. This is what it is to actually serve. When we’re tempted to do what our flesh cries out for, we must place our flesh under the subjection of our spirit. Even denying ourselves when it’s required.”

  “Oh, and believe me, my flesh is highly upset with me today. Highly! There was a true war going on inside of me last night,” Unzell said. “My flesh is mad because the spirit won out. But I did assure my flesh that when we get home and see our Brianna, he’s going to find himself greatly rewarded for having stood down during this time.”

  King d.Avid balled his hand slightly and began to nod. He looked back up at Unzell. “You’re something else, Brother Unzell. That’s for sure.” King d.Avid stood up. “Listen. Can I get you to join me for lunch later today before you leave going back to New York? It would be my honor to have you as my guest. Plus, we can discuss a few ideas I’d like to see implemented and incorporated into these last few performances. You know: bounce some of my ideas off of you and see what you think about them.”

  “I’m available whenever it’s good for you. As an employee of the firm, I serve at your pleasure. But I do want to get back to the rest of the troops as soon as possible. I’m certain they could greatly use my assistance, especially right about now.”

  “Absolutely. And I hope you don’t feel that I’m being disrespectful of your job or the rest of the crew by having you here during this crucial time.”

  “No. If you believe this is necessary, we’re all here to do what we can to make things work and to work with a spirit of excellence.”

  For lunch, King d.Avid had a feast set up fit for a king, equipped with all kinds of things to eat, drink, and to be merry.

  “I really don’t drink, especially not when I’m on the clock,” Unzell said when wine was being poured into a wineglass for him.

  “Oh, please don’t tell me you’re going to once again insult my hospitality,” King d.Avid said with a small laugh. “This wine is some of the best you’ll find anywhere around. This one alone is a two-thousand-dollar bottle of wine.”

  “Whew! That’s quite a price tag for a bottle of anything,” Unzell said. “I can’t say I’ve ever tasted wine of that great a caliber before.”

  “Then you must give this a try,” King d.Avid said. “It will enhance the taste of the meal just as wine is intended to do. Chef works extremely hard to ensure that everything works together for the sake of our palates.” King d.Avid swirled the contents inside of his wineglass, held the glass up in the air, sniffed, then took a sip.

  “I definitely wouldn’t want to insult anyone’s efforts,” Unzell said. He took a sip from his glass. “This is good,” he said as he smacked. He drank some more. “Really good.”

  “Yes, it is,” King d.Avid said. “Drink up, my friend. There’s plenty more bottles where that one came from.”

  It quickly became obvious that Unzell wasn’t a drinker. It didn’t take much to get him tipsy, then drunk. King d.Avid didn’t drink that much. And when he saw that Unzell was pretty close to being wasted, but not to the point of passing out yet, he sent for his driver.

  “Take him to his house to see his wife. And if she becomes upset because of his”—King d.Avid glanced over at the loud, singing Unzell—“state, please explain to her that it was entirely my fault that he’s had a little too much to drink. But tell her that I hope she accepts my gift of her being able to see her husband again before he flies back to New York.”

  “Yes, sir,” the driver said, stumbling as he helped Unzell to his feet. “Come on, big fellow,” the driver said, almost falling with him. “He’s a good solid one, that’s for certain.”

  “Would you like for me to get you some help to get him in the car?”

  “Yes, you might need to do that. This is a pretty muscular fellow right here. And right now, he’s no joke; I’m talking for real,” the driver said.

  King d.Avid called one of the guards to come in and help with Unzell. The driver and the guard walked an overly thankful, overly grateful, Unzell, who was singing and directing an imaginary choir, out of the house.

  King d.Avid went and sat back in the living room at the baby grand piano. He opened it and began to play one of his favorite melodious worship songs.

  Chapter 29

  And it came to pass in the morning, that David

  wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of

  Uriah.

  —2 Samuel 11:14

  King d.Avid waited to hear back from the driver. He’d been gone for two hours and hadn’t come and given him a status report on how things had gone. He called for the driver.

  “Well?” King d.Avid said to the driver.

  “Well, sir?” the driver said with a puzzled look. “I’m sorry, I don’t follow.”

  “How did it go? With Unzell Waters, how did it go?”

  “You mean after we left from here?” the driver asked as he glanced around the room.

  King d.Avid’s patience was growing thinner by the minute. “Yes, after you left from here.”

  “Oh, he’s doing fine, sir. I believe he’s sleeping i
t off, even as we speak,” the driver said with a satisfied grin.

  “I certainly hope not. I hope he’s having a wonderful time with his wife. I hope, even if he’s not having a wonderful time, when he wakes up, he believes that he did.” It was King d.Avid’s turn to smile now. “If anyone deserves it, that man deserves the best God has to give. I’ve never met anyone like him before. He’s positively the real deal.”

  “I know what you mean,” the driver said. “Everybody is buzzing about him and the level of integrity he shows. He’s pushed all of us to do better in our service to you, and for sure, in our service to the Lord. He’s inspirational, that’s for sure.”

  “I agree with you there,” King d.Avid said. “So tell me: what did his wife say when she saw him. How did she react?”

  “His wife, sir?” the driver said.

  “Yes. His wife was there when he got home, wasn’t she? You didn’t just take him and dump him in his front yard, did you? Please tell me that you didn’t.”

  “Oh, definitely didn’t take him and dump him in his front yard,” the driver said, showing more nervousness the more he spoke. “I definitely didn’t do that, sir.”

  “Ralph, am I going to have to pull every single thing out of you? Now tell me what happened when you took Unzell Waters home,” King d.Avid said.

  Ralph swallowed hard. “Well, King d.Avid, sir. The fact of the matter is—”

  “No. I know you’re not about to say what I think you’re about to say,” King d.Avid said, his voice escalating.

  “I didn’t take him home.”

  King d.Avid jumped up. “Why?” he said, blowing the word out of his mouth as though it were a musical note being pushed through a tenor saxophone.

  “Because he insisted that I not do that. And all of the guards agreed. They’ve taken a liking to him, sir. And in his state, they knew his wife would not be at all happy to see him. It wouldn’t have mattered what I told her as to how he ended up in that state. The man didn’t want to go home. They agreed. So they put him up with them so he could sleep it off,” Ralph said. “He’s asked me to take him to the airport when he awakens so he can get back with the rest of his fellow troopers in New York. He feels they need him and that he’s letting people down by being here if he’s not doing anything constructive.”

  “Fine,” King d.Avid said. “Fine. But let him know, when he awakens, I’d like to see him. I have something I’d like for him to carry back to Jock for me upon his return. Make sure you let him know that, okay?”

  “Yes, sir. As soon as he’s up and about, I’ll do just that. And sir?”

  “Yes,” King d.Avid said as though his patience was past done with talking.

  “I hope you don’t hold this against me. To be honest, if I were to take someone someplace against their protest and their will, it could amount—in theory, that is—to kidnapping. And I’m trying to live right and do right—”

  “It’s not a problem. It’s not even that big of a deal. I tried to do a good deed for someone; it was rejected. That’s life. We move on from here.” King d.Avid forced a smile.

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure Mr. Waters comes to see you when he’s awake.”

  “You may go,” King d.Avid said. He looked out of the glass window and shook his head. “You know, God,” he said as he looked on. “During any other situation, I would be trying to see if we could clone someone like Unzell. The man is a good man, that’s for sure. Stubborn maybe. But a good, decent man. He has some ideas about things that I might not totally agree with, but if there were more people like him, this world would be a much better place. He’s a man of integrity. But then, who am I telling? You know all of this already, don’t You? Still, the question comes back: what do I do now?”

  Unzell came into King d.Avid’s living room apologizing for his recent behavior.

  “I’ve only gotten drunk to that extent twice, back in college,” Unzell said to King d.Avid. “I thought I learned my lesson then. I don’t know what happened. Maybe I should stick with the cheap wine, since it looks like I can’t handle the expensive stuff. Or better yet, just continue not drinking much at all. It’s obvious my system can’t handle it.”

  “No problem,” King d.Avid said. “I feel partially responsible. After all, I was the one who insisted that you drink a glass when you’d clearly stated it was something you would rather not do.”

  “Well, I’m supposed to stand up for my own convictions. Just because you insisted didn’t mean I had to succumb. Talk is cheap. It’s what we do in our actions that matters. I should have stood my ground, then none of this would have ever happened. Although in truth, it is kind of hard to refuse the boss.”

  King d.Avid nodded. “Well, I know you’re anxious to get back to New York. I’m sure everyone misses you and your expertise. If I might trouble you with one more thing: would you be so kind as to hand deliver this letter to Jock for me?”

  “Sure.” Unzell took the envelope and put it in his coat pocket. “I’ll be happy to.”

  “Thanks. It’s important that Jock gets it as soon as possible. What better way to ensure that he receives it, and in a timely manner, than to send it by you on my plane?”

  “I won’t let you down,” Unzell said. “And I’ve enjoyed being able to sit and talk with you like we have this past day and a half. I hope I’ve been of some help to you.”

  “I enjoyed it as well. And I did learn a great deal about you.”

  “I hope most, if not all, is good,” Unzell said with a quizzical look on his face.

  King d.Avid gently patted him on his back as he firmly gripped and shook his hand. “Most definitely.” King d.Avid nodded and smiled. “Most definitely.”

  Chapter 30

  And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

  —2 Samuel 11:15

  Brianna was happy to get the call from Unzell. “You’re for real?” she said. “Really!”

  “Yes, really,” Unzell said. “I got promoted to production manager. I tell you, baby, this is huge. Huge, do you hear me? We’re almost finished with this tour. I have another two weeks—one week of concerts and one week of inventory and final storage—and I’ll be home for a good long while. And now, I’ve gotten promoted to boot! It doesn’t get any better than this. God is faithful to His Word. He’s faithful!”

  “He absolutely is,” Brianna said.

  “So how are you feeling these days?” he asked. “Any better than last we spoke?”

  “Ah, you know how it is. A lot of people have been feeling like this. Tired and listless,” she said, trying to sound somewhat upbeat. “I’ll be fine once you get home. I can’t wait to tell Granddad the news. He’s going to be so proud of you. My husband, production manager!”

  “It’s funny. I was there in Atlanta about a week ago, King d.Avid having sent his personal plane, just for me.” He spoke the last sentence all prim and proper.

  “Yeah,” Brianna said. “You told me after you went back. I still can’t believe you were right here in Atlanta and you didn’t even call or come by to see me . . . your wife.”

  “I know. And it wasn’t because I didn’t want to, believe me. King d.Avid kept insisting that I come home even if it was just for a couple of hours. Of course, I fought the temptation. It was hard, but your man stood strong in the Spirit of the Lord. I was standing, baby. Holding on for dear life, but I was standing. I didn’t budge. Then the next day, I ended up getting drunk . . . almost ended up on your doorstep anyway. I can only imagine how that would have played out with you. Me, show up drunk.”

  “I wouldn’t have been that bad,” Brianna said. “I would have been so glad to see you, I wouldn’t have cared how you came home: sauced, juiced, or toasted.”

  “Yeah, you say that now. But you forget that I’ve come home once or twice a bit out of it. I might have been somewhat impaired those few times, but I know it was not pretty. I mean, you h
it the ceiling! That’s probably why I don’t care to go out much now. If I happen to mess up and come home to you, you surely don’t hold back,” Unzell said.

  “Gosh, you make me sound like a little terror over here,” Brianna said. “Am I really that bad?”

  “Oh, you can hold your own now. No doubt about that. I’m not going to lie. But listen, I’m not calling to go there with you. Not today. I just wanted you to be the first to know that we are moving on up!”

  “Yay! I’m so proud of you, Unzell. Really I am. Congratulations!”

  “See. Now what do you think would have happened had I acquiesced, and failed what apparently was a test?”

  “A test?”

  “Yeah. You know. When I was there with King d.Avid. It’s apparent that this was all a promotion test, to see if I was worthy of the position of production manager. They may have thought they were being slick, but God directed me on what to do. They couldn’t trick me. Whatever they might have really been up to, I’d say I passed with flying colors. I’ve been moved up to the front line! And I’ll be home in about two weeks, less if we quickly get the things into storage. Then you and I will celebrate with a bottle of King d.Avid’s very own stock of expensive wine. It doesn’t get any better than this!”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Brianna said, trying to be sure she smiled when she spoke so he wouldn’t hear the sadness that lingered in her heart.

  “Well, I’m going to get off the phone now. You know we’re super busy. I’m learning more and more about my new position. It’s definitely a lot more work, but you know that your man is up for the challenge,” Unzell said. “One more week of scheduled concerts, then we pack up all of this stuff for storage, and I’ll be home to see my baby. And maybe then, we can work on producing our own baby?”

  He hung up after sending her a kiss through the phone. Brianna sat holding the phone in her hand.

  Brianna placed the phone back into its base. She lay down on the couch, face down, and began to cry.