A Younger Man (Mount Faith Series: Book 7)

by Brenda Barrett

  He needed to show Vanley what was at stake for his ministry if he pursued this Anita thing further. He called Jeremy Glenville, President of the Central Conference of churches, and waited for him to answer the phone. Glenville owed him several favors. Every year he sent a student or two to Bancroft who couldn't afford school fees, and Bancroft had personally financed those students through school.

  Glenville was always grateful to him, and he figured that was why Vanley had gotten his own church so fast as a young man in the ministry. The appointment that Vanley got was a test to see how well he would handle himself in a medium size country church. He didn't want his nephew to fail before he started at the one thing he was most passionate about. He was a good young man, and he didn't want him derailed by Anita Parkinson's secret.

  Jeremy answered the phone with a yawn. "Hello."

  "As the pastor's pastor you need to do better than that," Bancroft said, laughing.

  Jeremy chuckled. "We are running a series of evangelistic meetings and I got home extremely late."

  "Intemperance," Bancroft said teasingly.

  "Look who's talking." Jeremy chuckled. "I know Celeste has given you an intemperance lecture more than once."

  Bancroft laughed. "Listen, I called you to ask a favor. Could you talk to Vanley for me, here's why..."

  When he hung up the phone, he felt better until he had to handle a tearful Davia who entered his office apologizing and ringing her hand.

  Bancroft wondered if Vanley would ever know just how much he had already invested in his personal life for the day.

  He had called HR earlier and had gotten the all clear to send Davia to the Visual and Performing Arts Center and send a temporary replacement for her to Anita's office. All in a day’s work, he thought as he watched Davia walking out of his office after he put her mind at ease.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Vanley considered himself an automaton. He had difficulty sleeping so he was up far earlier than usual. He didn't know why he couldn't shake the constant down feeling that had been dogging him since Anita had stared at him with her icy cold eyes and told him to leave her alone.

  The sting of rejection was still hanging over him like the dark clouds that were forming on the horizon. He sat on his veranda reflecting. This happened in life more often than he knew. People are rejected in love all the time. It paralyzes them for a while and then they moved on.

  He had prayed about it and had gotten his answer years ago. As Pastor Peterson had reminded him the other day, "Trust in the Lord with all of thine heart, and lean not to your own understanding." He had been leaning to his own understanding where Anita was concerned, but up until three nights ago she hadn't given him the big push to stop thinking about her, and even after that, he still hadn't wanted to let her go.

  He felt really out of sorts. He was twenty-five, soon to be twenty-six and he had just gotten a broken heart.

  He was tempted to go see Taj again, this time about his broken heart, but he knew that Jesus was a thousand times more adept at healing a broken heart, especially one in his condition and situation. As a result, he had been praying, but the instant relief he had been expecting was nowhere to be found.

  He got up from the floor and actually entertained the thought about running up to the school again and playing squash, but he didn't have the energy for squash, and he remembered how sore he was from the last session with his uncle.

  He put on his track bottom instead and decided to pick up Davia for work. He had been avoiding her calls for the past couple of days. He needed to apologize to her and make a real effort to see her. He already liked her. Maybe he could love her?

  He didn't know. He had two more weeks of his uncle's ridiculous dating ultimatum. He was even thinking that he didn't even want to hear Anita's secret anymore, he knew enough. He would see Davia under his own steam.

  He pocketed his car keys and walked to the driveway. The first time he had been assigned the four-bedroom house, he yearned to have a family to fill it. At the time, he had had Anita on his mind. Now when he looked back at the house, he felt nothing.

  He drove to Davia's and arrived at the right time. She was just stepping out of her house. She was dressed in a stylish gray suit and carried a matching bag. She looked polished and sophisticated. He realized that she had been gradually transforming herself in the past weeks and he hadn't really noticed, as he should have. He was taking notice now.

  She looked up when he blew the car horn, and waved, a smile lighting up her face.

  "Vanley," she approached the car. "How are you?"

  "Not bad," Vanley said coming out and opening the passenger door for her. She got in. She smelled good, like French vanilla.

  "How are you?" he asked when he got back in the car. "I have been silent for the past week, but I have been thinking about you."

  "I figured you had a lot to deal with," Davia shrugged, "but you are here now. I guess you heard that I was fired."

  "No," Vanley shook his head. "When? Why?"

  "When? The very day after we got back from Kingston. Why? Because I snooped in Anita's files. She knows I was the one who gave you information about her son."

  Vanley cleared his throat. "She said Anton was not her son."

  "Then she's lying," Davia said passionately. "That boy looked just like her. He could be her twin."

  Vanley shrugged. "I am tired of it, all of it: hidden secrets, and trying to decipher what they mean…just tired. I'm ready to simplify my life."

  "Really?" Davia asked.

  "Really," Vanley said. "I am moving on with my life. I'm assuming that you still work at Mount Faith."

  "Yes," Davia said happily, "I am in the Performing Arts Department. It is fun."

  Vanley nodded. "How so?"

  "I work for several lecturers instead of just Anita," Davia said. "Are you still... um... in love with her?"

  "I didn't tell you that I was," Vanley said. "Did I?"

  "You didn't have to," Davia said. "I think it was pretty obvious, the way you said her name, the way you looked after visiting her."

  Vanley shrugged. "I think I'll always love Anita. I just don't think she's the one for me though. I prayed about us. My answers are always a resounding no. I have held out all this time, waiting for God to change his mind, but he hasn't. The answer is still no."

  Davia nodded solemnly and then twisted in her seat and looked at him. "My birthday is tomorrow. I will be twenty-two."

  Vanley looked at her. "Seriously? You are a March girl? My birthday is at the end of March."

  "Want us to have a double celebration?" Davia asked.

  Vanley turned into the Mount Faith campus, "I don't really celebrate birthdays. It was never an emphasis in my house while I was growing up but," he smiled at Davia, "I can make an exception for you. For your birthday present I vow to take you to a new place in Jamaica every free Sunday that I have."

  "Yipee," Davia said excitedly. "That will be fun."

  Vanley stopped the car in front of the building and she reached over and kissed him on the cheek, just narrowly missing his lips. "See you later?"

  "Sure," Vanley said, watching as she walked toward the building. He touched the spot where she had kissed him. It wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite in fact. The dark foreboding cloud burst, and a ray of sunshine named Davia peeped in.

  *****

  Vanley woke up on his birthday with a feeling of anticipation gripping him. It had taken him three weeks to make progress in trying to wipe Anita out of his mind and his heart, but today when he woke up, one thought was churning in his mind. Today was the day that he could find out what the secret was from his uncle. He had earned the right to hear it, fair and square.

  He had dated Davia for three months. In the last three weeks, he had even gotten to like her more than he thought he would have. Apparently, his emotions were not in a deep freeze preserved for Anita as he thought that they had been.

  He headed to the church office. He had a semi-pa
cked day and then he was going to visit his uncle. He was curious to know what he had given up on Anita for. He let himself into the office with his laptop in hand. The office was basic and contained the bare essentials: a desk, a chair behind the desk, and two chairs before the desk, which needed to be rewrapped.

  That was the least of his church's worries now though. They had so many other needs. He had to determine, with the church treasurer and a few other board members how they would be feeding the shut-ins. His church was an aging church, and they had several persons out sick and bed ridden.

  He was psyched up to tackle this newest challenge. That was why he joined the ministry. He was just belatedly getting excited again about his calling. His immersion in Anita and her secrets had robbed him of that. It was good to be back.

  He was smiling when he went into the office. He had just powered up his computer when his phone rang. When he answered, he heard a familiar voice.

  "Vanley how are you?"

  "Hello, Pastor Glenville. How are you?"

  "I am good." Pastor Glenville cleared his throat. "Can I see you? I am in your district at the moment, pretty close to your location."

  "Sure," Vanley said, feeling a bit apprehensive. "I'm in my vestry at church. Just knock on the door when you get here."

  Why would the head pastor of his conference come to see him personally? Usually when this happens to a young pastor he was in trouble. He remembered that the last pastor that this happened to was having an affair with one of his parishioners. That had warranted a visit from several conference officials and a discrete transfer to a church school to serve as a teacher.

  He was not in an affair or scandal. If anything, he was the opposite. He had women problems all right: he was soundly rejected by one who had a secret. He fretted until Pastor Glenville showed up. He was even considering pointing out to Pastor Glenville that today was his birthday so he should deal with him kindly. He was that desperate.

  When Pastor Glenville knocked on his office door, he jumped guiltily. He opened the door, smiling as if he were relaxed, when deep down he felt only apprehension.

  "How are you son?" Pastor Glenville asked warmly.

  Vanley's smile relaxed into a genuine one. Surely, he wasn't in trouble if Pastor Glenville called him son. The old pastor was now completely gray, he observed, and his tall posture now had a slight slouch. He vaguely remembered hearing that Pastor Glenville had been ill for some time.

  "I am well Pastor, just adapting to running my own church. It's been four months now, still getting into the groove of things. Have a seat." He indicated to his chair in front of the desk and Pastor Glenville sat down.

  "Well, well," Pastor Glenville looked around, "I have not been to Bramble in years. It was my first church too, you know, as a young pastor. I spearheaded the building of the church."

  Vanley nodded politely.

  Glenville whistled, his eyes settling on Vanley. "You are looking well, Vanley. I must say you look more mature somehow."

  Maybe Anita's rejection had aged him, Vanley thought fatalistically.

  "Well, today I am one year older." Vanley replied.

  "Ah." Glenville nodded his gray head jerkily. "God's blessings, my boy, and I hope you live to see many more birthdays and grow in the ministry."

  "Thank you, sir." Vanley clasped his hands. So what brings you here? was on the tip of his tongue but he wouldn't dare ask that. He respectfully waited and watched as Pastor Glenville leaned back in his chair.

  "How is the church membership going?"

  Vanley gave him a report. It took him twenty minutes, and he could swear that in his recital, he heard Pastor Glenville snoring, but when he checked, his eyes were wide opened.

  "And what about a prospective wife?" Pastor Glenville asked. "I have been concerned about my pastors and their relationships of late."

  "You don't have to be concerned about me," Vanley said brightly. "I am single."

  "That too is worrying," Pastor Glenville said, "Surely, it's not good for a man to be alone. A man has needs, and I cannot countenance any scandals from you, Pastor Bancroft. Is there anybody you have in mind for a partner?"

  Vanley frowned. Did all new pastors get this kind of grilling from the president of the conference or was this particular line of questioning reserved for only him?

  He thought of Davia. He was seeing her, albeit in a casual way. He had carried her sightseeing for the past couple of weeks. He loved her light uncomplicated company, and then there was Anita.

  "Well, I was thinking of someone," he said slowly.

  Pastor Glenville's eyes lit up. "Vanley, I am happy for you. I know that they have run this over with you at the seminary, regarding the suitability of prospective partners, but let me reiterate a thing or two for you."

  Why him? Vanley thought. What did the elderly pastor know?

  "A pastor's wife has to complement his ministry. She is as much an integral part of this calling to ministry as you are." Glenville cleared his throat. "I have seen so many times that a pastor's weak link is his family."

  He looked at Vanley sternly. "That is why you cannot choose a wife based on just love or fleeting feelings. She has to be an example as much as you are."

  Vanley nodded dutifully.

  "Choose someone humble, someone who loves God, and someone who you can grow with."

  Glenville was warming up. "She cannot be married before or have had children before. You know that, right?"

  Vanley swallowed. "I didn't know that that was written in stone."

  "It is," Glenville said. "It would be the same for you. You couldn't be a pastor in our conference if you were previously married or had a child. We go from 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6." Glenville looked at him, concerned. "You must have missed that particular class in the seminary, Vanley."

  No, he hadn't. He just did not want to hear them dictate to him who he could or could not love. No wonder Anita kept harping on about him giving up his ministry. She probably knew all the rules better than he did.

  Pastor Glenville clasped his hands and settled back in his chair. "If she does not meet these requirements, you can't serve in this church, Vanley."

  Vanley nodded slowly. "I hear you loud and clear."

  Pastor Glenville smiled. "I need to stop by and see another young pastor before I leave this district. I must say, it was nice seeing you again, Vanley."

  Vanley stood up. "Yes, sir, it was nice seeing you too."

  When Pastor Glenville left, he locked the outer door and put his feet on the desk: contemplating his current position. To have Anita's unsuitability for being his wife laid out like that was unexpected, and a little too convenient. He suspected his uncle's hand in this visit. He picked up the phone to call him. Today was the day of the secret and he wanted to hear what it was.

  When Vanley called his uncle on his cell phone and didn't get him, he tried the office. The secretary answered the phone.

  "Oh, Pastor Bancroft. President Bancroft is off the island for two weeks."

  Vanley laughed, his uncle was something else. "When did he leave? Where is he gone?" Vanley asked.

  "He left yesterday evening for an annual conference," the secretary said politely.

  When Vanley hung up the phone he contemplated calling him and bearing the international charges, just to hear Anita's secret, but he thought better of it. His foxy uncle had known that he was going on a conference for two weeks. He deliberately didn't tell him. He just left him hanging, probably reasoning that it would give him more time with Davia.

  He picked up the phone and called Davia.

  She was in a cheerful mood. He invited her to his house for supper. He was baking bread; finally, he had someone to share that particular hobby with. It was well and truly time for him to let go of Anita Parkinson.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Is 'Chi' really a Scrabble word, Vanley?" Davia squealed. They were playing Scrabble at her house on a rainy Sunday.

  Her grandmother was also playi
ng with them. She was nodding. "Yes, it is a word Davia. See—It says so here in the Scrabble dictionary."

  Vanley grinned. "Score the thing. It is on a triple letter score."

  He laughed when Davia frowned. "What does it mean?"

  "It means the circulating life force whose existence and properties are the basis of many Chinese philosophies and medicine," Davia's grandmother read quickly.

  Davia laughed. Vanley watched her as she laughed in wild abandon and then realized, not for the first time over the past two weeks, that her laughter warmed his heart.

  He had let her in, and he was happy that he did. She was gradually changing the way that he thought about relationships. The beauty about liking Davia was that she liked him back, and she openly admitted it. She found his jokes funny. She loved to bake bread with him, and she was fun to be around.

  He has finally letting go of his Anita obsession. He withdrew two letters from the Scrabble bag and realized when he added the two letters on his Scrabble rack that he had spelt the name ANITA. He almost laughed out loud. Yes, Anita still haunted him now and again. He had gradually stopped thinking about her in the way he did before, but he felt as if a part of him would always think about her and wonder what would have happened if they had gotten together. He supposed that in time that feeling would fade. He hoped it would.

  He looked at the word again. What was it that Carol had said her name meant again? Full of grace.

  He smiled and mixed up the letters. He didn't want to think about Anita for too long because inevitably he would start thinking about her secret, and when he thought of her secret he ran what-if-games in his head. His uncle was due back from the conference this evening, but he was restraining himself from going to see him.

  They finished the Scrabble game with him finally winning a game. Davia's grandmother was a pro at the game. She had taken pleasure in whipping him and Davia six games in a row.

  Davia put away the board, disappointed. "I mean, I haven't won even one game today. I got lousy hands. It was as if all the vowels were targeting me."