by Dynah Zale
“How dare you make decisions about my life? What I do is my business. You had no right to interfere,” Tressie roared.
“I said I was sorry,” Danyelle replied.
“Sorry is not going to change anything. Payce is locked away for three whole years. He won’t speak to me because he thinks I’m the one who sold him out. What am I supposed to do now?” Tressie grabbed her things to leave. “Stay out of my way and out of my life.”
The church door slammed shut after Tressie’s abrupt exit.
At a loss for words, Olivia spoke up, “Why don’t we start the meeting off with prayer? I’ll begin.”
“Jesus, I praise you and thank you for always acknowledging and answering prayers. When we call out your name, you listen. Lord, touch both Tressie and Danyelle. Touch their hearts that they may listen for your voice in everything they do. Jesus, once again I thank you for bringing my son safely home. Amen.”
Danyelle prayed next. “Heavenly Father, I messed up, again. Instead of putting my trust in you, knowing that you are in control of all things, I took matters into my own hands. Now, one of my best friends is angry with me. I ask that you heal her heart from the pain I’ve caused and that one day she’ll be able to forgive me. Amen.”
Val was the last person to pray. “Lord, I thank you for providing me with a place to call home. Friends and family are people I have always taken for granted, but not everyone has a family to call their own. I want to thank you for Julian.” She paused. “Although we didn’t work out the way I had hoped, I know everything was according to your plans. I thank you for carrying me through one of the worst times in my life. I thank you for the memories, the love, and the strength to move on.”
Before everyone could say amen in unison, a male’s voice spoke up.
“Lord, I want to thank you for placing a woman in my life who loved me unconditionally. She loved me when I had nothing and I took that for granted.”
Val lifted her head at the sound of Julian’s voice. He stared back at her. She was shocked to see him there.
“Lord, I ask that you forgive me for the way I treated her. I was blinded by your blessings of money and prestige. I mistreated your gifts, and now I realize what really matters. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone said in unison.
A surprised Olivia stood up to give him a hug. “Welcome home, stranger. We weren’t aware that you were flying in. When did you get here?”
“I flew in yesterday.” He spoke to Olivia, but his eyes never left Val. “I needed to see your cousin. I knew she’d be here. I’ve been calling you at home,” he said to Val.
“I got the messages. We said all we needed to say to each other in Seattle.”
“Can you just hear me out?” he pleaded. “I traveled all the way across the country to apologize to you. I’ve admitted that I was wrong in front of all these people. What more do you want from me?” he cried.
“How about the truth? Don’t act like the only reason you came home is because of me.” She snapped her neck and raised her voice. “Everyone here knows what’s going on. It’s all over the news. You tested positive for steroids. You’ve been suspended from the league for the rest of the season. Julian, how could you do something so stupid?”
“It was the pressure. Everyone expected me to excel, so I had to do something to help me compete.” He tried to justify his actions.
“Were you taking steroids when I was out there?” she asked.
He nodded.
“And you never said anything to me? We used to tell each other everything. What happened?”
“I don’t know,” he replied solemnly. “My whole world just started spinning out of control. I was scared.”
“So you chose Caitlyn’s arms to run to? Was I not there for you?”
“No, this is entirely my fault. That’s why I’m here. I want us to try again,” he begged.
Torn between her love for Julian and his betrayal, she didn’t know what to do. “Where’s Caitlyn?” she asked.
“She left me as soon as the media got word of my steroid use. She said her uncle didn’t think it would look good for his niece to be dating a ball player who uses drugs.”
Hostility drove her words, “So that’s why you’re here. She left you, so I’m supposed to take you back.”
“Valencia, I love you. You know you are the only person I’ve ever loved.” Remorse filled his words.
“Where was the love in Seattle?” she screamed. Calming herself down, she chose her next words carefully. “I’m sorry, but everyone has choices to make in life and you chose Caitlyn. You allowed another woman and sex to come between what we shared.” She pulled her engagement ring off her finger and handed it back to him. “I don’t want it and I don’t want you.”
Silence filled the room and a defeated Julian hung his head down low. Tears welled up in his eyes. He stuck the ring in his pocket and turned to leave.
“Julian, wait a minute.” Olivia stopped him. “Val, can I speak to you for a moment outside?” She grabbed Val’s hand and pulled her out into the church vestibule.
Once they were alone, Olivia motioned for Val to sit down on a nearby bench. “Val, I’m not trying to get in your business like Danyelle did with Tressie, but maybe you should think about what you’re doing?”
“What I’m doing?” she screamed. “What about what he did to me?”
“I’m aware of everything that happened between the two of you, but did you ever think he could really be sorry?”
“Olivia, I don’t believe you’re going to defend him.”
“What he did was wrong, but he deserves a second chance. We all make mistakes; none of us are perfect. You can see he’s been beating himself up over what happened. The man apologized.”
“His apology is not enough,” Val replied.
“Val, the boy is being punished. He’s lost basketball, the respect of his friends, family and fans, and now you. Don’t you think he’s suffered enough?”
Val knew Olivia was right, but she didn’t want to admit it.
“You think I should forgive him?” Val asked.
Olivia nodded her head. “Val, think about it. We do things that are unpleasing to God everyday, and after we’ve fallen on our faces and realized that we were wrong, we drop to our knees and ask for repentance. God readily accepts us back into his loving arms each and every time. So if God can forgive, why can’t you? Julian is only human; he is prone to make mistakes. The good thing is that he’s realized his mistakes.”
“Livie, I’m scared.”
“I know, honey, but that’s a part of life. Don’t think you won’t have to endure heartaches just because you found true love.”
“When did you get so wise?” Val asked. “I used to be the one who gave advice. This is a switch, you telling me what’s best.”
“I guess my experience with Bryant and Bryce made me a stronger person spiritually,” she replied. “Are you ready to go back inside?” Olivia asked.
They entered back into the church just as Danyelle was wrapping up the saga involving Payce and Tressie. “. . . now Payce is in jail and Tressie is mad at me.”
“I sure have missed a lot.” Julian replied.
Val sat down next to Julian and turned toward him. “Julian, you hurt me a lot. The trust I had in you is gone, but I’m willing to try again.” A smile spread across his face. “Don’t think it’s going to be easy. It’s going to be a long time before I totally trust you again.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to.”
“I should let you know. I’m not going back to Seattle. I’m staying right here and finishing out my education, so if you want to be with me, you have to move back to Philly.”
He nodded his head in agreement. “What about the ring?” he asked.
“You keep it. When the time is right, you can slip it back on my finger.”
Tressie was pleasantly surprised as she walked into the prison gymnasium. The brightly colored walls and friendly atmosphere wa
s not what she was expecting.
For a few hours every day the prison’s gymnasium was turned into visiting hall. Here is where inmates got a chance to spend an hour or two with loved ones.
Tressie sat and patiently waited for Payce. She watched as other visitors—mostly women—entered the prison with their children. Women carrying babies and toddlers seated themselves around her, and it wasn’t long before the visiting hall was full of people. She noticed a bunch of guys being escorted into the visiting hall by an armed guard.
Out of nowhere, Payce came and sat down in front of her. Her eyes danced with joy; it had been weeks since she had last seen him.
“Hello, beautiful! Did you miss me?” He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
“Missed you I have,” she replied. “I thought you were still mad at me.”
He moved over to the chair next to hers and grabbed her hand. “At first I was mad, but after I spoke with Darshon, he told me what happened.”
“I’m sorry. I should have never trusted Danyelle.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Danyelle was only trying to look out for you.”
“That’s no excuse. I’m still not speaking to her.”
“Don’t be angry with her. Perhaps what she did was for the best.”
Tressie was surprised to hear him say that. She was sure he would have been just as mad as she was.
“When I called and asked you to run away with me I was being selfish and thinking of only myself. What kind of life would that have been for you? You deserve better than that. Being here has helped me to realize I was wrong. Last night, I recognized that this was all God’s plan and it worked out just the way he planned. God has been trying to get my attention for a long time, and I would never stop to answer his call. Now that I’m here I have to acknowledge him. I’m here for a reason.” He continued, “Tressie, I’m finally getting my life together, and there is nothing here to stop me. I have no distractions. I’ve enrolled in college, and by the time I’m released I’ll be ready to be a productive part of society.” He beamed with pride.
Tressie flashed a phony smile.
“What’s wrong?” He knew her well enough to know that her smile was not genuine.
“What about us?” Her heart pounded in her chest, scared of what his answer would be.
He knew when Darshon told him Tressie was coming to visit she was going to ask about their future together. He loved this girl more than he loved himself. Despite the many times he’d hurt her in the past, her happiness was important to him.
He was up half the night trying to decide if they should continue their relationship with him being behind bars or go their separate ways. His heart told him to hold on tight and never let her go, but his conscience told him that it wouldn’t be fair to her. She was far too beautiful to ask to wait for him.
He softly touched her face. “I want to tell you to wait for me, but I can’t. I love you too much to ask you to put your life on hold. I wasn’t lying when I told you that I want what’s best for you. You are beautiful, smart, and deserve the best. I’m not going to hold you back. As much as it hurt me the last time we were together and I told you to move on, I’m going to tell you again. Go ahead and live your life. As you can see,” he looked around. “I’m not going anywhere. Our paths will cross again.”
Her heart ached; she didn’t want to go on without him. She wished he wasn’t locked up so they could be together. “Three years is a long time.” Tressie sniffled.
“I know, but it isn’t forever.”
“I love you,” she told him and hugged him tightly.
An hour later, Payce stood at the far end of the gymnasium where a group of inmates were in line waiting for a prison guard to escort them back to their cells. Payce turned around one last time and waved good-bye to Tressie.
An inmate standing behind Payce looked up and recognized Tressie. He couldn’t believe his eyes. She was here. He had been thinking about her for years. He wondered what she was doing here. He saw her waving to Payce. He didn’t know who Payce was, but he did know that Payce was the new kid on the block. He had to find out what his relationship was to Tressie.
The stranger walked up to Payce to introduce himself. “Hey man, what’s up? I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Jabril.”
Tressie, Val, Danyelle, Olivia, and the baby all sat in church and listened to the choir finish their first hymn.
Mrs. Simms stood up before the congregation. “The time has come for us to bring our burdens to the Lord. If there is anyone here who has committed a sin that has put a burden on his or her heart, I encourage you to come forward. Maybe you said something nasty or mean to a coworker or even someone in your household. Perhaps you did something that you now regret. It could have been something you did last year and the Holy Spirit has laid it on your heart to ask for forgiveness. Now is the time to repent.”
Everyone remained seated. “Come on, church. It’s hard for me to believe that no one has sinned, for the Bible says, ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’”
Everyone in the congregation still remained seated until Elise walked in through the church doors and up to the front of the church.
Danyelle leaned over to Olivia and whispered. “I have a feeling there’s going to be some drama in the church this morning.”
“Bless you, Sister Elise. Tell us what is plaguing your heart,” Mrs. Simms encouraged her.
“I came up here not to confess my sins to the church and not to ask the church for their forgiveness. I’m here because I love the Lord.”
“Amen,” the congregation replied.
“I am a sinner, but Jesus saved me from sin. That’s why he died on the cross. So the things that I did wrong in the past, present, or future will be forgiven and not held against me.” She took a deep breath. “I made excuses for the church when it wanted to exploit other people’s sins and not confess its own. The church is composed of sinners. There is not one without sin!” she yelled into the congregation. “We have no right to label others as sinners and not look at our own flaws.” She looked over toward Olivia. “Livie, I’m sorry. I’m sorry if we hurt you in any way.” Olivia nodded her head.
Mrs. Simms walked up to Elise and whispered in her ear, “Elise, maybe you should sit down now.”
“No, I’m not finished,” Elise replied. “I need to repent. I’m not going to disclose the details of what has been going on in my life, but I will tell you that the consequences from my sins will last a lifetime.”
The church fell silent.
“I’m leaving the church. From now on anything I do will not be judged by you, but by God.” Elise walked out the church doors and didn’t turn back.
A buzz filled the church. Whispers ran rampant throughout the sanctuary. Reverend Kane called for the church’s attention.
“Can I have everyone’s attention? I also have an announcement to make. Elise was right; we should acknowledge our own sins before we ask anyone else to acknowledge theirs. I have a sin of my own that I’d like to confess. I don’t think I would have ever been able to face who I really am without the help of a good friend who isn’t here right now, but he’s here in spirit.”
“I told you there was going to be drama up in here today,” Danyelle whispered to Olivia again.
Reverend Kane continued, “I’d like to confess before God and the church that I am a lesbian.”
There were no amens shouted through the church. No one caught the Holy Spirit. The only sound came from baby Bryce, trying to make his presence known. A few of the older members looked at the reverend strangely.
“I am sexually attracted to women,” she clarified so everyone understood. “I realize that the church sees this as a sin, but that hasn’t stopped the Lord from loving me.”
She held out her left hand. Mrs. Simms walked over and gripped her hand tightly. “And this is my lover. Mrs. Simms and I have been in a relationship for months.”
Reverend Simms ran over
to them. “Is this true?” he asked his wife.
Mrs. Simms held her head high. “Yes, it is.”
“Shall we?” Reverend Kane asked Mrs. Simms and the two quietly walked around Reverend Simms and out the church doors.
More Drama in the Church
Dedication
Dedicated in loving memory of Alberta Stewart May you
dance among the stars forever.
Acknowledgments
This time around I don’t have too many people to acknowledge. But I would like to express my gratitude to a few special people.
My stylist, Rau’berd at Studio Whisper. You are such a good friend; not just to me, but I’ve witnessed first hand your generosity to others. You are such a giving and caring person. Every customer who has the pleasure of sitting in your chair will leave with not only a fly do but also intoxicated with positive enthusiasm. Every life you come in contact with is encouraged. It’s an honor to call you a friend . . . and FABULOUS HAIR STYLIST ... Love ya
To my new family the EXTENDED FRIENDS BOOK CLUB. I look forward to spending time with you every time we meet. You ladies are not only fun, but also an answer to a lonely writer’s prayer. I prayed for a book club, and as we know . . . God answers prayers. He not only sent me the best group of women to meet with, but also a hoard of new friends.
In Baltimore I made two new friends, Mondel and Tracy at Urban Knowledge Bookstore at Eastpoint Mall. I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together. Mondel, you are now a part of my inner circle. It’s a pleasure conversing with you about different books. Please keep the suggestions coming. Thank you for being so real with me.
I’d like to shout out two special fans. First is Malika D. from Dayton, Ohio. Receiving your e-mails on the regular always makes me laugh. Secondly, I owe plenty of thanks to my MySpace friend Sharlean Frazier, you were always looking out for my best interest. Thanks for the support and encouragement.
