“Lisa, someone just pulled up in the driveway for you,” her sister announced, walking into the kitchen.
“Who is it?” Callie laughed and whispered in their mother’s ear, who also giggled.
Lisa went into the living room and noticed RJ’s goofy grin. “Who’s here?” she pressed.
“It’s a bird. . .it’s a plane. . .it’s super Christian!” He busted out laughing just as the doorbell rang.
“Hello, Sister Hampton.” Her ex-fiancé, Eric, stood at the door. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No, you’re fine. Come on in. May I offer you something to eat or drink?”
“No, thank you.” Eric took a seat on the sofa, acknowledging RJ and the rest of her family who had gathered around.
“Guys, would you mind giving us a few minutes alone?” Lisa inquired of her family who stood like spectators at a carnival.
Even in the hours after their daughter’s funeral, RJ couldn’t stop his testosterone from taking over. He apparently wanted to make it known that he was the man in Lisa’s life now and so he obliged her request to speak with Eric alone, but kissed her on the cheek and said, “Baby, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Eric stared blankly. “I heard about what happened to Chanelle and I wanted to personally offer my condolences.”
“Thank you, Eric. I mean, Minister Freeman. I appreciate you stopping by.”
“How are you doing?”
“My emotions fluctuate throughout the day, but right now I’m fine.”
“I want you to know that I was praying for you and Chanelle during the rape trial.”
“I know. . .I received your email. Thank you so much.”
“No problem. Are you sure you’re holding up okay?” He seemed genuinely concerned.
“I really miss her. We had grown so close. It’s difficult not having her around. I’m glad to at least have a part of her left with me.”
“I’m assuming you’re talking about the baby. Is it going to be all right?”
Lisa didn’t like her grandbaby being referred to as an “it,” but she knew Eric didn’t mean any harm. “Prayerfully so. He’s still in the hospital and will probably be there for a while, but things are definitely going in his favor.” Lisa picked up her digital camera from off the coffee table. “Want to see some pictures of him?”
“Sure. . .” Eric eagerly flipped through the images. “Wow. . .what a tiny little fellow. What’s his name?”
“Chandler Robert Kyle Hampton.”
Eric seemed surprised. “Kyle as in that young man she was seeing?”
“Yep; and Robert, of course after RJ. Turns out that Kyle isn’t so bad of a kid after all. I was just too stuck on outward appearances to give him a chance.”
“Looks like there has been some spiritual growth taking place, huh?”
Lisa wasn’t sure if he had meant that as a compliment or not so she simply nodded.
“I’m glad you shared these pictures with me. He’s adorable.”
“Thanks. . .”
“I heard on the news that Olivia was arrested. Do you think she’s really behind this?”
Lisa nodded sadly. “That’s the way it’s looking. She didn’t actually pull the trigger, but the police found the gunman who turned her in. The prosecutor said it may take a while for her case to go to trial because of all the injunctions Isaac is filing, but they are actively pursing the case. In the meantime, I’ve filed a restraining order against her so she can’t come anywhere near Chandler or me.”
“Who would have thought she would do something like this? It’s horrible. I’ve known Olivia for over a decade through the church, and I never saw such a wicked side of her. I’m no longer part of the ministry at Abundant in Christ. These last few months, I’ve been gone almost every weekend. I started my own church in Sandusky.”
“Really? Congratulations! What’s the name of your church?”
Eric gave a proud look. “The Tabernacle of Jesus. It’s so awesome. I’m really looking forward to the move. I’ve only been able to make it on the weekends, so I’ve been missing choir rehearsal and midweek Bible study. I’m looking forward to attending those things from now on. Services are held at Mother’s house for the time being. She leads Bible study and directs the choir in my absence.”
“Wow, you have enough members for a choir already?”
“We are a blessed congregation, for sure. Mother and I are the only members now, but God is faithful and He will increase our numbers.”
It took all the Holy Ghost power Lisa had to keep from cracking up.
“There’s too much corruption in churches nowadays. The Lord is looking for honest people to do His will. I have a very unique calling on my life. I am anointed.”
“I see. . . RJ, can you come here, please?” she yelled. It didn’t take her knight-in-shining-armor long to appear.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sweetheart, Minister Freeman was just telling me about the church he has started. I thought you would like to sit in on the conversation. It’s rather interesting.”
“Oh, really. . .”
“Yes. I started my own church. It was a big step of faith.”
“Good for you. . .God will reward you for your faithfulness. Isn’t that what Hebrews 11: 6 says, that without faith it’s impossible to please God for he that comes to God must believe that He is and He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him.”
Creases immediately folded into Eric’s forehead and Lisa nudged RJ in the side for picking with him. “Brother Hampton, you were close, but the scripture actually states ‘he that cometh’ not comes, it’s ‘cometh.’ Pardon if I seem agitated. Sister Hampton can tell you that I take it very personally when people misquote the word of God.”
“My bad. . .for some crazy reason I thought comes and cometh were pretty much the same, but clearly they are not.” RJ may have appeared sincere to Eric, but Lisa could tell that he barely restrained himself from laughing.
“Well, I think it’s time for me to go. I need to prepare for Sunday’s sermon anyhow.” Eric got up and walked to the door quickly without waiting for Lisa or Eric to escort him. “Sister Hampton, you’re in my prayers. Brother Hampton, I’m praying for you as well,” he said as he let himself out.
Lisa playfully hit RJ. “Why’d you run that man out like that?”
“Don’t blame me. . .you’re the one who called for help.”
CHAPTER 39
Under the Rug
Spending her days at the hospital sitting with Chandler had become a daily routine for Lisa. As expected, RJ and her parents called several times throughout the day to check on him. Each time, Lisa pretty much said the same thing: Chandler was doing fine. Actually, he was great. He was breathing without the respirator now and doctors said he might be able to come home in another few weeks. When she wasn’t at the hospital, Lisa was busy at home getting the guest room together, which had been converted into a nursery.
Chanelle’s bedroom continued to stand as is. Lisa wasn’t ready to do anything with her daughter’s room yet. It had only been a couple weeks since they’d buried her and she was going to give herself time to grieve, as Pastor Burlington had been sure to tell her many times. Days were still up and down emotionally for her. Chanelle’s funeral was the first time she had to bury someone close to her who had died so violently. Lisa didn’t understand it and she stopped trying to. It would never make sense.
Lisa was in the process of gaining full custody of, and adopting, Chandler. Considering that his dad was in jail and his paternal grandmother was out on bond and facing murder charges, she didn’t think she’d have any problems getting the courts to rule in her favor. Neither Justin nor Olivia had shown any interest in Chandler’s well-being.
Lisa sat in the waiting area, putting together a scrapbook with pictures of Chanelle that she wanted to give to Chandler. The scrapbook would chronicle each stage of Chanelle’s life. Hopefully through this and ot
her mediums, Chandler would have a sense of who his mother was.
Lisa was staring at a kindergarten picture of Chanelle nostalgically when someone walked in the waiting room.
“Hello. . .the nurse told me I could find you in here.”
Quickly wiping her tears before they fell, she looked up to see Pastor Ross, the leader of her former church, coming her way. For a split second Lisa’s muscles contracted, recalling how he had blown her off the day she went in to speak with him about Olivia. She breathed deeply, hoping to swallow those feelings of resentment. She faked a smile, standing up to shake his hand. “Hi, how are you?”
“I’m good, thank you. What about yourself?”
She shrugged. “I’ve had better days and I’ve had worse. What brings you by here?”
“I owe you an apology. I wish I would have done more that day you came by the office.”
“I don’t know what you could’ve done to stop this. I’m not really sure what I was expecting when I came to see you. I guess I just wanted you to listen.”
“You handled yourself quite professionally. I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t been true to the gospel that I’ve been preaching.” He let out a heavy sigh. “The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons. He doesn’t deal with people based on outward appearances, positions, or wealth and He really doesn’t care about titles that people parade around church. Yet, day-after-day, week-after-week, our churches are packed with people—with leaders who operate with the ‘I’m better than you are’ mentality. I was one of them and unfortunately, I treated people differently according to their status.”
“I’ve always known that Olivia Scott was the sweetest person to be around as long as she was able to get her way. When the chips didn’t fall in her favor, things got ugly. I can’t tell you how many members have come to me with issues—serious issues—about one thing or another and, not wanting to rock the boat or risk not getting those huge tithing checks, I did nothing—absolutely nothing. I was supposed to be representing God and I let Olivia and even others, because of their status, influence what went on at Abundant in Christ, rather than God.”
Lisa wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. She definitely was not going to take on a prideful spirit and pour salt in his wounds. She’d made misjudgments about character based on external circumstances as well. “Everyone makes mistakes in judgment from time to time. At least you’re acknowledging it,” she said.
“It wasn’t just Olivia. There were other people in ministry that I should have talked to because of some disturbing things. I’m not saying that as the pastor I should have reprimanded every person for every complaint I received because I’m sure not all were legit. But, I’ve been very good at sweeping things under the rug. There are many times when I’ve received letters from members about things that I ignored. God is not pleased with me and I’m not pleased with myself. For what it’s worth, I want to again say I’m sorry. I could have written you a letter or called you, but I felt the need to do this face-to-face.”
“Thank you, Pastor Ross. It was very big of you to come here.”
“Bless you, but this is not about me getting brownie points. It’s something I’m doing because it’s the right thing to do. I’m sure you probably never want to be a member of Abundant in Christ again, but if you ever decide to come for a visit, you will always be welcome.”
“Thank you.”
“Things will be different if you do come. I’ve cleaned house, letting a lot of individuals who had been key leaders go. As a result, I’ve lost a lot of my big contributors and my staff is virtually non-existent. We’ll likely have to sell the building and move into a smaller place; financially, we’re sinking quickly. But you know what? I have peace.” He chuckled. “I’m sorry. . .I’m unloading all of this on you and you’re probably like ‘why is this man telling me all of this?’ I guess I just feel so bad about how I responded to you; I just want you to know that God has dealt with me. He has literally whupped my behind and it has been nothing pretty.”
“Well, like I said, apology accepted.”
“Hug?”
“Sure, why not?” She smiled.
“Mrs. Hampton, it’s time for Chandler’s next feeding. Do you want me to go ahead and do it since you have company?”
“I’m sorry, Pastor Ross, but I really don’t like to miss his feedings.”
“No problem. I said what I needed to say. You take care and I’ll see you around.”
Lisa gathered up all her photos, said good-bye to him and then headed off to feed her grandbaby.
Epilogue
One year later. . .
The media frenzy was stirred again when Olivia finally went to trial for her part in Chanelle’s murder. Lisa got to the point that she didn’t watch the news much because day in and day out, every station and news reporter seemed to rehash Justin’s rape case before leading into Olivia’s. Lisa got enough of hearing about Olivia whenever she and RJ sat in court during the trial. Lisa thought the pain of losing Chanelle had indeed diminished in some capacity, but she learned that it had only been suppressed. As soon as the trial began, Lisa found herself mourning her daughter’s death again as though it had just happened—and she still hadn’t been able to do anything to Chanelle’s room.
Olivia had refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing despite cell phone records proving communication between her and her co-conspirators, who had taken plea deals, agreeing to testify against her. Documents showed that Olivia had spoken with the gunman minutes prior, and after, he had opened fire on Chanelle. In addition, bank statements confirmed that she had paid him large sums of money. The state had a strong case against her, but she apparently refused any plea deals and wanted to take it to a jury. Perhaps she thought Isaac’s fame and fortune would buy her some sympathy votes.
Each time Lisa saw her former friend come into the courtroom dressed like she was attending some fundraising gala and sitting smugly in the defendant’s chair, she thought about the scripture in Proverbs 16 which talks about pride going before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. A lot of things under the Scotts’ reign were beginning to fall apart. There had been talk of money laundering investigations against Isaac, and Brentson Technologies’ CEO, Neil Criton, was arrested for fraud.
Megan, Lisa’s former assistant, had managed to find a job prior to the company’s downfall. She still kept in touch with Lisa every once in a while. On days when Lisa wanted to feel sorry for herself because her daughter had been murdered, she often thought about Megan who had continued to persevere through life despite having lost her husband in the war. If Megan, who did not yet know Christ, could make it through, Lisa who, had Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior, was certain she would make it.
One of the most difficult parts of sitting through the trial had been when the prosecutor played the 9-1-1 tape of Chanelle calling the police for the jury. Lisa had been told of the tape, but for the first time she had heard the desperation and pain in her daughter’s voice. Though she was praying daily for God to teach her how to forgive Olivia, her progress had regressed quite a bit after that day. She was still moving forward, but Lisa realized it wouldn’t be an automatic or immediate process. Forgiving Olivia was something she had to do continuously, and definitely something she had to work hard at doing.
Despite all the heartache she had gone through as a result of losing Chanelle, Lisa still managed to have joy. At forty, she was the proud grandmother of one-year-old Chandler who kept her on her toes. With a house full of guests, everyone gathered around as Chandler dove into his birthday cake.
“Baby, hurry, get the camera and take the picture!” Lisa yelled to her husband. In a private ceremony back in the summer with just family and friends, Lisa and RJ had remarried. There was no fancy engagement party, only a simple announcement and a backyard barbecue. Lisa didn’t know who was happier about the wedding, her or her mother, who had never stopped loving RJ. Lisa couldn’t have been more honored to have her father walk
her down the aisle—rather grass—as Pastor Burlington stood to officiate. Lisa’s relationship with her father had come a long way. He definitely had more patience than Lisa had ever given him credit for because her mother was still gambling away their money. She was currently on a very expensive losing streak, and Lisa prayed that God would deliver her from this addiction before things got any worse.
RJ’s brother, David, was his best man and Callie stood up as Lisa’s maid of honor. A year after learning she was HIV-positive, Callie was still very healthy. She was taking her medication and not having a single problem with it. She was no longer in therapy over her husband’s suicide and the Callie Jamison Foundation was well on its way to making a mark in the nation. Callie had already received broad recognition for her work after sharing her story on several national television talk shows. In addition to helping RJ at the center when she was needed, Lisa worked behind the scenes helping Callie keep track of all her speaking engagements and donations. The internet and email made it easy for Lisa to assist her sister despite the distance between them.
Once RJ snapped the picture of Chandler, Lisa reached down to wipe his hands when he grabbed a lock of her hair with the other one, decorating it with yellow cake and buttercream icing.
“Now that’s a Kodak moment.” Stacie laughed. She and Kyle, who was now enrolled in college, had continued to be present in Chandler’s life and on a few occasions, Lisa had allowed him to stay overnight with them. Lisa didn’t like to let Chandler out of her sight too much, but she trusted them and she knew that he was always in good hands. Even Chanelle’s best friend, Gericka, was at the party and babysat him at times.
In Times of Trouble Page 24
