Drama in the Church Saga

by Dynah Zale

  The police pushed him into the waiting police transport and closed the door. Tressie watched the local affiliate stations air that statement for two days straight. Tressie feared for her life. She knew what Jabril could do to her, even from behind prison walls. During his trial, television stations replayed the threat against her life. Jabril was found guilty and sentenced to fifteen years, plus an additional eighteen months was added to his time for the televised threat he made on Tressie’s life. Some time had passed before Tressie felt safe enough to date again.

  “When I first laid eyes on Payce, I knew he was the one,” Tressie continued. “I just wanted to share my story with everyone here so that you would continue to pray.”

  “Thank you,” Elise said to Tressie. “It is important to pray without ceasing. Pray to the Lord about the things you want and continue to pray for them until he answers your prayer. But keep in mind that the things you pray for must be in accordance with the will of God. Don’t ask the Lord to give you someone else’s husband because that is not going to happen. Don’t ask the Lord to successfully see you through on robbing a bank because it’s not going to happen. God is not going to give you or put things in your life that are going to harm you, so if you’re praying about something, and he doesn’t answer, then perhaps the Lord doesn’t want you to have it. Some things were not meant to be.”

  Olivia thought about herself and Bryant. She had prayed to the Lord every day about them getting married, but she was beginning to think it was useless. She had brought up the subject of marriage to him the other day, and he quickly changed the subject. Perhaps Elise was right. Maybe some things were not meant to be.

  MID OCTOBER 2003

  Val hung up the telephone as Julian walked into the kitchen.

  “Olivia said to tell you hello.”

  “How is she doing?” he asked.

  “She’s doing well. She said she’s getting bigger and bigger every day.”

  “I bet she looks funny with her big belly and skinny body,” Julian replied.

  Val smiled at the thought of her cousin being pregnant. “Julian, where are you going?” Val asked as he kissed her and grabbed his keys.

  “Oh, I have a meeting with the general manager.”

  “What time will you be back?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure, but don’t wait up.”

  “Julian, you have gone out every night this week. You said you were going to take me out last night and you couldn’t because practice ran late. When are you going to be able to spend some time with me? I sit in this house night after night, alone.”

  “Valencia, please don’t complain. I try the best I can to get home to you at a decent hour. I’m sorry I couldn’t take you out last night, but you know how important it is for me to grow with this team. I have to learn everything I can in order to adapt to this new environment. I have to learn new plays, get accustomed to how the other players make advances on the court, and on top of all that, the general manager has asked me to attend a few important meetings concerning the team’s future. That’s a lot of responsibility for the rookie of the team.” Julian took her hand in his. “I promise you that when things settle down I’ll spend all my extra time with you. All right?”

  Val watched through the living room window as Julian pulled out of their driveway. She was not looking forward to sitting in that big house by herself, again. Is this what she had to look forward to once they got married? Val and Julian had moved to Seattle the first week in September. Julian bought a large house in an exclusive section of suburban Seattle. The five-bedroom house had everything: a swimming pool, two car garage, home theater room, and state-of-the-art kitchen, but even with all those luxuries, she was still lonely.

  Before their move out west, Val had been accepted to the University of Washington. She planned on continuing her education so she could graduate on time, but Julian suggested she take a year off. He thought it would be good for her to begin their wedding plans. She reluctantly agreed, but lately every time she mentioned the wedding to Julian, he changed the subject or insisted that they talk about it later.

  Val had only been in Seattle a short time, but she already missed the familiar sounds of Philadelphia. She missed the cheese steaks sold at Jim’s on South Street, the familiar sound of Carter n’ Sanborn on the radio, and the unity of brotherly love that the city represented. She especially missed Olivia. Olivia was going to have her first child in a couple of months and it hurt Val, because she knew she wouldn’t be around to watch the baby grow. Val had thought about going for a visit, but she couldn’t leave now. The season home opener was next week and she had to be there, plus she was looking forward to attending a party that the owner of the SuperSonics was throwing. The party would give her the opportunity to get better acquainted with the other players’ wives and possibly make some new friends.

  NOVEMBER 2003

  Olivia and Bryant lay in her bedroom watching a Bruce Lee movie. Bryant had rented six of them and they were only on the third one. Tired from reading subtitles, Olivia turned over. The baby kept moving and she couldn’t find a comfortable position. Bryant noticed her restless behavior and snuggled in closer to her. Olivia enjoyed her time alone with Bryant. He seemed to change into a different person when they were by themselves—more kind and considerate. For the past few months Bryant had been traveling out of town a lot, working in different cities, but now that her due date was quickly approaching, he had promised to stay close to home.

  She lay against his chest as he rubbed her stomach. He pulled up her shirt to glorify the roundness of her belly. “Look at all this baby,” he said proudly.

  The extra weight was beginning to wear her down. “The baby is getting so big. I wish he would hurry up and come.”

  The soft kisses Bryant planted on her neck suggested he wanted more than a simple kiss. His hands gradually moved down around her hips and slid off her panties. Olivia sat up and straddled him, allowing the baby to rest on him.

  “By the size of your stomach, he should be a ten-pounder,” Bryant said.

  Bryant slid out of his boxers and into her. Olivia frowned as he entered her.

  “Are you all right?” He asked.

  “Yeah, I’m all right. Just a little uncomfortable.”

  “Am I hurting you?”

  “No, I’m okay.”

  Bryant grabbed her hips and took things really slowly. He didn’t want to hurt her or the baby. He looked up into her face and her frown had been replaced with a smile.

  He was glad she was enjoying herself. It was the first time in a long time Olivia had allowed Bryant to touch her. Any attempts he made to initiate sex were refused. She always claimed she wasn’t feeling well. But just because she refused to give him any, didn’t mean he went without. When working out of town, Bryant always managed to meet female companions who were willing to share their love with him.

  Over the past year Bryant had enjoyed spending time with Olivia. There was definitely something special about her. Usually, Bryant wasn’t attracted to churchgoing women. The women he usually dated drank all day and had sex all night. He was used to the fast, ghetto girls, but Olivia possessed a soft, quiet demeanor and beautiful, subtle looks that could easily be overlooked if one didn’t pay close attention. Those qualities were probably what attracted him to her, but what made him continue dating her was her kind, compassionate, and unselfish nature. She was the first girl he had ever met who cared about him unconditionally. Bryant was used to girls trying to use him to pay their rent or pay for daycare. Not Olivia. She asked him how his day was and was sincerely interested in his job and the work he did. He loved those attributes and if he ever decided to settle down he wanted to find a girl just like her. Unfortunately, now was a bad time. There was no place in his world for Olivia. He refused to allow his feelings to interfere with business. Like his uncle always said, “Money first, pussy second.”

  It felt so good being inside of her that Bryant couldn’t hold back any longer. He
exploded inside of her. Exhausted and tired, he still wanted more, but Olivia had other things in mind. She immediately climbed off him and fell fast asleep. He knew that if he attempted to wake her up, it would be in vain, but maybe later he would be able to entice her into a second round.

  Bryant turned over and tried to get some sleep. He tossed in bed until the clock read five a.m. Not able to endure any more restless sleep, he surrendered to his insomnia and got up to cook breakfast.

  He walked down the hall into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator. Inside was a carton of eggs, bacon, and orange juice. Placing them on the kitchen table, Bryant looked around for a frying pan. He opened one cabinet and found drinking glasses. He pulled one out to pour himself a glass of orange juice. After making several more attempts, he finally found a frying pan.

  He threw some bacon into the pan. He watched the bacon slowly turn brown and the sizzling sound drew him into a trance. Getting hot from the stove, Bryant walked over and opened the sliding glass door allowing the autumn breeze to cool off the apartment. He looked out into the forest of trees that expanded across the back of their apartment complex. Thoughts of Daneesha drifted through his mind. She had been calling him, leaving several messages on his voice mail. He knew he needed to go see her soon, but he couldn’t leave Olivia right now. She was so close to her due date.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” came a voice from behind him.

  Bryant turned around. Olivia was standing in the doorway holding her stomach.

  “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

  “I think I’m having contractions. About twenty minutes ago I had a sharp pain go up my back.”

  Suddenly she grabbed her belly and motioned for the chair. “Bryant, these pains are getting more intense.”

  “Do you want to go to the hospital?”

  “No, my doctor said that I should try to hold out for as long as possible. Lots of new mothers are sent home from the hospital several times before they are actually admitted.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have made love last night.”

  She responded with a look that said maybe you’re right. She sat in the chair, breathing heavily as if it took all her strength to walk over to that chair.

  “Can I get you a glass of orange juice?” he asked.

  She nodded. He poured her a glass and placed it in front of her.

  “It sure smells good in here. I’m surprised Danyelle hasn’t rushed out here yet. Let me go ask her if she’s hungry.”

  As she attempted to get up from the table, she let out a piercing scream. Bryant turned around. Olivia was frozen with fear. She stared down at the kitchen floor. Her water had broken.

  Bryant rushed to her side. “Livie, everything is going to be all right. Do you have a hospital bag ready?”

  “It’s behind my bedroom door,” she answered breathlessly.

  He ran into the bedroom and grabbed the small yellow suitcase. He raced back to her side. “Come on, I’ll help you to the car.”

  As they were leaving, Danyelle came out of her room. “What’s going on? I heard someone scream.”

  “Olivia’s water broke and I’m taking her to the hospital.” Bryant said. “Danyelle, call the doctor and tell him to meet us at the hospital. His number is next to the telephone in the living room.”

  “Bryant, watch out for the—” Bryant came to a screeching halt just before hitting the back of a trash truck. Olivia held one hand to her heart and the other on the dashboard. She felt another contraction. “Oh no! Here comes another one.” Olivia reached out for Bryant’s hand.

  “Breathe,” Bryant instructed her. “Breathe out through your mouth.”

  “Bryant, this hurts.” She gripped his hand a little tighter. “Can you get me to the hospital—now?” Olivia demanded through clinched teeth.

  Bryant put the car in reverse, pulled around the trash truck, and sped off toward the hospital. Ten minutes later they arrived. A nurse wheeled Olivia away in a wheelchair while Bryant was left with the admitting clerk, providing Olivia’s information.

  Bryant eventually tracked Olivia down in the maternity ward. Her belly was hooked up to a monitor. She was immersed in an episode of Maury Povich. Bryant looked up at the television screen. The caption read, “I’m a man trapped in a woman’s body.”

  “You appear to be doing better,” Bryant commented.

  “I do feel a little better, but I’m still in pain. They gave me some ice chips to chew on.” Olivia pointed to the bowl sitting beside her. “I’d rather have a cheese steak.”

  He laughed. “Sweetheart, I’ll be right back. I’m going to give Danyelle a call. I want to keep her updated on your progress.” Bryant walked toward the door.

  “Hurry back,” she cried out.

  Bryant walked out of her room and down the hall to the waiting area. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, beautiful,” Bryant said into the phone.

  “Bryant, where have you been? I have been calling you leaving messages and you haven’t returned any of my phone calls.”

  “Daneesha, I’ve been busy. I told you I had a lot of business to attend to.”

  “Yeah, well while you’ve been out there taking care of business, I got Marquise and Marquita’s fathers to relinquish their parental rights. Now, all you have to do is come and sign these papers and you can adopt my kids.”

  “That’s great. I should be there in two weeks to come sign the papers.”

  “Two weeks? I thought we were supposed to be getting married? I haven’t spoken to you once to discuss one detail about our nuptials. “

  “I thought we decided to wait until after the baby was born. That would give me some time to make some money to support my new family.”

  “Well, what about the children? You’re the one who said you wanted to adopt my kids, but you’re never here to spend any time with them. You act just like their real daddies.”

  “Daneesha, I’ll be there in two weeks.”

  “Marquise, stop hitting your sister!” Daneesha screamed at the children.

  Bryant looked up to see Olivia’s doctor walking in his direction.

  “Listen baby, I have to go, but I’ll call you later, I promise.” He hung up before she had a chance to protest.

  “Hello, I’m Doctor Purtell. Are you the father of Ms. Benson’s baby?”

  “Yes, I am. Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. Olivia is coming along beautifully. I just examined her and she is dilating quickly. You should have a new baby within a couple of hours. I just wanted to keep you informed of what was going on.”

  “Thanks a lot, Doc.”

  Bryant turned and pulled out his cell phone again. “Unc, I’m at University of Penn. I just finished talking with the doctor. He said the baby should be born within the next few hours. Can you get that business together? I want to hurry up and deliver that package and get this over with. Thanks a lot. Call me back when you get a chance.”

  Bryant hung up the phone and rushed back to Olivia.

  “Push, Push!” Bryant yelled.

  “Olivia, give me one big push and I promise you we’ll be done,” the doctor pleaded from between her legs.

  They had been in the labor room for over an hour. Olivia was pushing and pushing to birth her son, and finally one more push delivered him.

  “Here he is,” Dr. Purtell announced. The doctor cleared the baby’s nasal passages and passed him to his parents.

  “Hello, Bryce Robert Winters,” Olivia cooed as she was handed the baby. She held him as he stretched and squirmed. “Look at our son. Isn’t he beautiful?”

  Bryant smiled at his son. “He came into the world screaming; yelling just like his momma.” Olivia looked at Bryant and smiled.

  Chapter 5

  DECEMBER 2003

  “. . . and Lord I ask that you watch out for my cousin Val and Julian while they make crazy dollars out in Seattle. Amen.�
�

  “Amen,” everyone said in unison.

  “Thank you, Danyelle, for opening the meeting in prayer,” Elise said, then directed her attention toward the remaining members of their Bible Study group. “Can I get a show of hands of individuals who doubled their prayer time since the last time we met?”

  No one raised their hands.

  “Okay, who has increased their prayer time by at least twenty-five percent?” Elise asked.

  Again, no one raised their hands.

  “No one here has increased their prayer time?” Elise asked, astonished.

  Olivia spoke up first. “Elise, I’ve been so busy with the baby. I haven’t had time to sit down and pray.”

  “Olivia, since you brought it up, let’s discuss ‘not having enough time to pray.’ I realize that everyone here has a life outside of church. Olivia, you’re a new mother. Danyelle, you work. And Tressie, you attend college. All of you have very busy schedules, which can leave you with little time to pray.”

  “Elise, I always plan on saying a prayer in the morning or right before I go to bed, but the baby wakes me up at four thirty every morning. That’s the start of my day. I feed him and get him washed and dressed. Then I try to clean the house, and by noon, I’m tired. All I want to do is sleep.”

  “Olivia, I understand that your days are long. I’m sure everyone here wishes there were more hours in each day to carry out all their responsibilities.”

  “I sure do,” Tressie commented.

  “Time management is essential to having a successful relationship with God. Designate private time to commune with God. Keep in mind that you don’t have to kneel down to pray. You can talk to God anywhere—in your car, on the train, or at your desk before the workday begins. The important thing is that you take the time to speak with God. Thank him for the things he has done for you and tell him about the different things going on in your life. He loves to hear from his children,” Elise pointed out.