The Perfect Christian

by E. N. Joy

  There were gasps about the sanctuary. “I told you so,” and “I knew those rumors were true” could be heard sprinkled throughout the sanctuary. A handful of folks even had the audacity to get up and leave, taking their gifts they’d left on the gift table out in the foyer with them.

  “I’ll have you know that Mr. Frey here is well aware of Mother Doreen’s past,” Margie interrupted. “So, Mr. Casinoff, you’ve pretty much wasted your time and ours. So if you don’t mind, please remove yourself from the sanctuary. We have a wedding we need to finish up here.”

  Terrance looked at Pastor Frey. “So this is the type of leader you are? This is the type of first lady you are knowingly going to present to your church? I wonder what the parishioners are going to think when the local journalist prints that story in the paper.” He looked at Mother Doreen, Margie, and then Pastor Frey. “Pardon me. Looks like I’m going to have to leave before the nuptials are exchanged. I need to get to Kentucky before it’s too late.” Terrance bowed as if he’d just performed on Broadway and was making a grand exit.

  “No!” Mother Doreen shouted, stopping Terrance in his tracks. “Don’t go. There’s nothing to tell that journalist. There’s no need to make the saints of Living Word think they are going to have someone like me as their first lady.”

  Pastor Frey said nervously, “Doreen, what are you saying?”

  Mother Doreen looked at Pastor Frey with tear-filled eyes and said to him, “I’m sorry, Wallie, but I can’t marry you. The wedding is off.”

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “The coast is clear,” Deborah said, entering the dressing room.

  Mother Doreen had been sitting in there the last hour or so waiting for the coast to clear of all guests who had come to see a wedding that never took place.

  “Some folks ate and lots of people took food to-go in those foam containers. Unique wouldn’t let anybody cut the cake though. She said she was going to freeze it for a couple days just in case you changed your mind.”

  There was silence for a brief moment; and then Mother Doreen spoke. “How’s Pastor Frey?”

  “Other than the times he came back here and you refused to see him, he’s been at that altar praying.” Deborah sat down next to Mother Doreen. “You know I love you, and I have the utmost respect for you. You’re like a mother to me. You’re like a mother to everyone at New Day. And I’m sure you’re going to be like a mother to everyone at Living Word too.”

  Mother Doreen began shaking her head. “That’s not going to happen, Sister Deborah. I can’t take this mess to Kentucky and destroy everything Pastor Frey has worked to build with that congregation. They have to trust his judgment. He’s already been involved in the scandal when he was covering for his once senior pastor’s affair with my sister.”

  “And the church got over that,” Bethany interrupted, “so they’ll get over this too. Trust me; I know what you’re going through.” Bethany entered the room, closing the door behind her. She walked over and sat beside her sister. “You know how hard it was for Uriah, me, and the kids to start going back to Living Word again. It was crazy. People were talking, whispering, gossiping, pointing fingers, and turning up noses. But God wasn’t. Some folks were even bold enough to walk up to Uriah and ask him how on earth he could still be with a woman who cheated on him with his pastor and got pregnant by him. Church folks, the ones who are supposed to be practicing forgiveness, will sometimes be the first people to write you off. But God didn’t write me off.” Bethany went over to Doreen and put her hand on her shoulder. “And God is not going to write you off either. He knows your heart. You’re like the perfect Chri—”

  “No! Don’t you say it!” Mother Doreen stood up in a gust of anger. “I’m not now, nor have I ever been the perfect Christian. And if that’s what I’ve been portraying to people for all these years, then I repent right now in the name of Jesus.” Mother Doreen was in such a huff, it silenced both Deborah and Bethany. They both had shocked looks on their faces. “Jesus was the only perfect somebody who ever walked this earth, and don’t you forget it.”

  Her big sister had spoken. Just like when she was younger, Bethany had planned on taking Mother Doreen’s word as bond, allowing her older sibling to have the final word. But this time she just couldn’t. Too much was at stake, namely her sister’s happiness.

  Bethany stood up and stomped her foot like a spoiled four year old throwing a tantrum. “Now you listen to me, Doreen, and you listen to me right now. You’re as close to perfection as I’ve ever witnessed. No, you’re not God, but God is in you. And the God in you is the only God some folks are ever going to be blessed enough to see. So you better own it. You better own the fact that God chose you to work through all these years; that God gave you a testimony powerful enough to change other people’s lives. Just think about all the people at New Day whose lives you’ve touched.”

  “Like mine.” Deborah stood up to cosign for Bethany.

  “God has a calling on your life,” Bethany continued. “You know that, and everybody else knows that. And He’s requiring that you take that calling to Kentucky—to Living Word.” Bethany walked over to Doreen and placed her hand on her sister’s belly. “God don’t care nothing about a person’s age. He’s birthing a new thing in you. God don’t care how old a woman is in order for Him to impregnate her with something. Ask Sarah from the Bible.”

  Bethany began to rub her hands on Mother Doreen’s stomach as she began to speak in unknown tongues. Deborah extended her hands toward Mother Doreen and began to pray.

  “God is birthing something inside of you, Sis,” Bethany said. “God is requiring more of you. You once said, ‘Lord, wherever you want me to go, I’ll go.’ Did you mean that, Doreen? Did you really mean it? When you said yes to God’s will and yes to God’s way so many years ago, was it a complete yes? Was it a yes to everything or a yes to some things?”

  “It was a complete yes,” Mother Doreen replied with closed eyes. Even with closed eyes, the tears managed to seep through and down her face.

  “Then why is it you are going to allow that Terrance fellow to come up in here like a doctor putting on his rubber gloves and perform an abortion on you?” Upon Bethany saying those words, the entire calm atmosphere changed. Mother Doreen opened her eyes immediately and even Deborah was at loss for words to pray. Noticing words were no longer coming out of Deborah’s mouth, Bethany turned to her and said, “Keep praying, Saint. Please keep praying. The Word says where two or more are gathered . . . I need you to touch and agree with me, Sister Deborah. We need to send this demon off to flight that’s trying to abort what God is birthing in Doreen. Pray!” Bethany demanded.

  Deborah went right back into praying. She was praying harder than ever.

  “That’s right,” Bethany said. “We’re coming up against you, Satan. I know you don’t want to kill, steal, and destroy my sister. No, you ain’t thinking about Doreen. It’s the gifts inside of her that you want to kill, steal, and destroy. See, that’s where folks get it twisted; thinking you’re after them, Satan. But it’s what’s inside of them that you’re really after. It’s what’s inside Doreen that you’re after. But you can’t have it, Satan. This thing inside of my sister will be birthed. I declare it so in the name of Jesus.”

  “Hallelujah!” Mother Doreen cried out as tears continued to flow from her eyes. “Hallelujah!”

  “That’s right, give Him the highest praise,” Bethany ordered her sister as Mother Doreen continued to cry out praises to God. “You can make it through the labor pains, Doreen. I know it’s hard. I know it’s painful, but if you don’t get this thing out, it’s just gon’ die up inside of you. You are not death, but are life. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, I hear you,” Mother Doreen cried. “I hear you.” She turned and embraced Bethany. “Oh, God, thank you for your Word. Thank you so much for bringing forth that word, Sis. I love you, Beth. I really do.”

  “I love you too, Reen. And that’s why I want to see you happy. I kn
ow what makes you happy is doing God’s work. If God didn’t have you on some type of assignment, then you’d be all up in the rest of our business driving us crazy.”

  All the women in the room laughed.

  “You know I love you, Mother Doreen,” Deborah laughed, “but Bethany’s right.”

  “Oooh, y’all ain’t right,” Mother Doreen said as she pulled her arms from around Bethany and wiped her face with her hands.

  “Oooh, and if Unique was in here to see the mess you’ve made of her makeup job . . .” The women shared another laugh until a knock on the door interrupted them. “Speaking of the devil . . .” Deborah tiptoed over to the door, assuming it was Unique. She cracked the door open, and the smile that had been on her face as a remnant of the laughter faded. She turned to face Mother Doreen. “Someone wants to see you. But I’m not sure if you’re ready to see him yet.”

  Mother Doreen took a deep breath and looked at Bethany. “I guess I’m going to have to face Wallace sooner or later. Do you think he’ll forgive me for my little stunt and still want to marry me?”

  Before Bethany could answer, Deborah spoke. “I’m not sure what Pastor Frey is going to do, but he’s not the one who wants to see you.” Deborah opened the door wide enough for Mother Doreen to see Terrance standing in the doorway.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “There you are!” Unique came up behind Terrance. “I saw you still roaming around. Didn’t our pastor ask you to leave?”

  “The sanctuary—but not the church,” Terrance answered. “Besides, I’m not finished with what I came here for.”

  “Oh, you’re finished because I say you’re finished,” Unique spat, kicking off her shoes. “Now I’ve tried to stay saved—Lord knows I have—but there is only so much a girl from the hood can take.”

  Terrance looked at Unique with his nose turned up. He sniffed the air. “I thought I smelled a rat . . . a hood rat. My senses were correct.”

  “Oh no, he didn’t!” Unique started taking her earrings off next.

  “Oh, Lord. Not again,” Deborah said under her breath, and then rushed over to get Unique under control. “Come on, Unique. There are not going to be any more fights today.”

  “Let me go,” Unique demanded, “’cause I’ll fight a man. I promise you I’ll fight a man.”

  “Stop it right now!” Deborah ordered as she dragged Unique out of the room. Once they were no longer visible, Deborah could still be heard saying, “Acting like a bunch of heathens in the house of Lord. I’ma pray for every last one of you. Honestly I am.”

  “Pardon me, Mr. Terrance,” Bethany said as she walked in between Mother Doreen and the gentleman. “I apologize for Sister Unique’s actions. That’s no way for a saint to act and certainly not in God’s own house. Perhaps I can say more diplomatically what my sister in Christ there was trying to say.” Bethany held a smile. “I don’t think my sister wants to see you, speak to you, or have anything to do with you.” She looked back at Mother Doreen. “Isn’t that right, Reen?”

  “Reen—oh, what an endearing term between two sisters,” Terrance said before Mother Doreen could reply to Bethany’s question. “You got any other siblings?” he asked Bethany.

  “Uh, yes, well, no; I mean, I had other siblings, but they’ve gone home to the calling of the Lord,” Bethany answered.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Thank you.” There was a brief moment of silence, and then Bethany was about to speak again, but Terrance spoke instead.

  “I guess you could say I’m an only child. I could have had a sibling—a brother—but he never had a chance in the world.” He looked over Bethany’s shoulder at Mother Doreen. “Nope, never had a chance in the world thanks to your sister here.”

  “Okay, look . . .” Bethany put her hands up. “Pastor might have asked you to leave the sanctuary, but now I’m asking you to leave the church.” She walked over to the door and held it open, signaling for Terrance that he should leave.

  “No,” Terrance said. What surprised both Bethany and Terrance was that Mother Doreen had said the same thing in unison.

  “Wha—what?” Bethany asked with uncertainty. “Come again, Sis.”

  “I said, no—let him stay. I’ll talk to him.”

  “Doreen, I really don’t think that’s a good—”

  “He needs to finish up what he came here for,” Mother Doreen said, walking toward Terrance. “I know what it’s like to be on assignment and don’t finish up the job. It haunts you and always sits in the back of your mind until you go back and do something about it. Well, let’s not give Mr. Casinoff any reason to have to come back for any unfinished business. Let him say all he’s got to say right here and right now.” Mother Doreen looked at Terrance. “All right, Mr. Casinoff?”

  A little caught off guard by Mother Doreen’s support of his not leaving, Terrance replied, “Yes, fine.”

  Bethany looked from Terrance to Mother Doreen, then said, “Okay, Reen, if you insist.” She went to close the door with her still inside of the room.

  “Uh, Bethany, Sis, if you don’t mind, I’m sure Mr. Casinoff here wants to talk to me alone.”

  “It’s Terrance. You can call me Terrance,” he offered. There was something about Mother Doreen showing him formal respect that tugged at his conscious.

  “Fine,” Mother Doreen agreed. “I’m sure Terrance wants to talk to me alone.”

  Bethany walked over to Mother Doreen hastily. “There is no way I’m leaving you in here with this man alone. No telling what a man who will come and interrupt the wedding of complete strangers is capable of—”

  “Beth, please.” Mother Doreen put her hands up. “I’m covered in the blood. I feel protected. I just think there are a few things Mr. Casi . . . Terrance needs to get off his chest, and then he’ll be well on his way.” Mother Doreen looked over at him. “Isn’t that right, Terrance?”

  He swallowed without saying anything. Mother Doreen’s kindness seemed to be eating him alive.

  Once again, Bethany looked at Terrance, and then back at Mother Doreen. “All right, if you say so,” she agreed with much reservation as she walked toward the door. “But if you need me, just shout, because I’m going to be right outside this door . . .” she glared at Terrance as she walked past him to exit, “. . . praying.” On that last note, Bethany left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Mother Doreen at the hands of the enemy.

  Chapter Thirty

  Initially, after Bethany had closed the door behind her, there was silence. Mother Doreen soon broke that silence.

  “Well, Terrance,” she threw her hands up, and then let them fall to her side. “Let’s do this. Finish up what you started; I mean, whatever there is left to finish. Heck, you’ve already interrupted the wedding. You succeeded in stopping the wedding from taking place. Being that that was your goal in coming here in the first place, what else could there possibly be left for you to do? What else is there, Terrance? You came here to have a brotha’s back, as you called it—to keep Pastor Frey from making a mistake by marrying an ex-felon. Well, you succeeded at that. So what else is there? Please, let’s do this so we can both go on with our lives. No, mine might not be the life I thought I was going to live once I walked out of this place today, but I’m not going to fret on that. Sometimes life doesn’t turn out the way we want it to. But you know what? We simply gotta make due. So come on, Terrance. Let’s do this.”

  It was as if Mother Doreen was putting up her dukes and challenging Terrance to a fight just like Unique had done moments ago. Only instead of like it was for Unique, with Mother Doreen, the brawl wasn’t going to be physical. No, Mother Doreen knew better than to try to fight the enemy with flesh. Her pastor had taught her a long time ago that the flesh can’t win battles, not really. It’s the spirit that is victorious over all enemies. So Mother Doreen put on the full armor of God and was in position to fight.

  Terrance didn’t appear to be intimidated one bit though. The same way
Unique professed that she would fight a man, Terrance would definitely fight an old woman . . . with words, of course.

  “I thought I’d be satisfied, but just seeing the wedding being called off wasn’t enough,” Terrance said. “The same way only serving one year in jail hadn’t been enough of a punishment for you for what you did to my mother.”

  “So is that why you’re still here? To punish me some more? Well, you’ve succeeded. For years I lived with the weight of having not told anyone about my past. Do you know that it wasn’t until a year ago that I actually finally shared it with someone?”

  “Well lucky you. I had to hear about what you did every day of my life since I could remember.” Anger filled Terrance’s tone. “I was reminded of my mother’s loss every day my grandma would take me to visit my mother. Probably the same way your former husband was reminded of his loss every time he came to visit you in that jailhouse.” Terrance stepped closer. “Speaking, of which, you were in the joint for about a year. Didn’t you wonder what that husband of yours was up to all that time? I mean, it had to be lonely for ol’ Willie boy out there.”

  Mother Doreen’s eyebrows sunk in at the way Terrance spoke of Willie with such familiarity.

  “Oh, yeah, the same way I did my research on you and everybody else I felt the need to know some things about, I did my research on Willie too.” He snickered. “That Willie was some player, that’s for sure. At least that’s what I heard. I mean, I heard so many things about Willie that I would have never guessed he was a married man.” He shook his head. “I guess that’s what they mean by the good old days, because I’m sure today you can’t find a black woman on earth who would turn a blind eye to all of Willie’s doings. But then again, womenfolk ain’t built like they were back then. Because you have to admit, it takes a certain kind of woman to allow her husband to sleep with other women, drink, hang out in the streets, gamble all their money away, and then lie about it all.” He laughed.