Drama in the Church Saga

by Dynah Zale

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “I’m fine.” He pulled his truck into a parking space right beside the church bus. “We’re here,” he announced loudly enough to wake up each one of his passengers.

  The girls looked around and stretched their arms and legs as much as they could before getting out. Dean unloaded the bags and offered to carry them for the ladies, but Olivia insisted they could carry their own bags.

  Dean’s lack of energy left Olivia concerned. It may have been his job that was wearing him out, but to be on the safe side she was going to make a doctor’s appointment for him when they returned home.

  Olivia puckered her lips for the quick peck Dean placed square on her lips then watched as he walked toward the men’s cabins, located on the left side of the lake.

  Dean walked as if he were carrying a barrel full of adversity on his back. His head hung down low, his shoulders slumped over and his legs wobbled unsteadily. The invisible burden slowed down his journey. With each step he was losing momentum.

  She wondered what the burden was that was weighing him down. It had to be something important because he rarely kept anything from her. They shared everything.

  “What did you do that for?” Tressie complained, referring to Dean’s offer to carry their bags. “I can’t carry all these bags by myself.”

  “No one told you to bring five pieces of luggage for a three-day trip.” Olivia lifted her bags over her shoulder and set out to find their cabin.

  After being pointed in the wrong direction several different times, the girls finally found their cabin.

  “This is not what I expected when the brochure I read said luxury log cabins,” Tressie moaned. “Where is the plush king-size beds, huge garden-style bathtubs, wood-burning fireplace, television and microwave?”

  “Do I have to remind you that this is a singles Christian retreat? Your focus is supposed to be on God’s will for your life, not the amenities included with this cabin.” Olivia pulled out her hiking boots and slipped them on her feet. “Are you ready for our hike?”

  “Yes!” Danyelle exclaimed. “This is the best part of the trip.”

  Hiking to the mountaintop became an annual ritual for the girls since their first visit to the camp three years prior. Olivia called it “A Spiritual Cleansing.” Each one of them struggled with uphill battles every day in their personal lives. Every once in a while someone might stumble along the way or stray from their given paths, but fortunately they had God to put them back on track.

  The girls started up the steep trail that seemed so much harder to climb than the previous year. They hiked less than a mile before Danyelle rested against a nearby tree. “I’m sorry, but I’m tired. Can’t we rest a moment before going any farther?”

  “No.” Olivia pulled her sister along. “We’re not going to stop until we reach the top.”

  Another half hour passed before Tressie noticed that Olivia was losing her momentum. It was too soon for Olivia to get tired, so Tressie struck up conversation. “Livie, do you think you and Dean will get married soon? You two have been dating for a while and the next step is marriage.” Tressie hung onto Danyelle’s arm to keep her balance, while Olivia and Val helped one another a few feet behind them.

  “I’m not sure. We’ve talked about marriage, but I think Dean has so much going on, with his grandpa being arrested.”

  “Has Dean learned anything new?” Danyelle asked between breaths.

  “No. Every time I ask him about it he says he doesn’t want to talk. A few weeks ago he was determined to find his grandpa the best defense lawyer in the state, and now he acts like he doesn’t care.”

  “Well, until you find out what’s up with his family, I think you need to hold off on any marriage plans. I don’t need my sister marrying into bigotry,” Danyelle screamed. “Plus, I think you need to take my advice.”

  Olivia gave her a puzzled look.

  “Sex. You can’t buy a car without giving it a test drive. How can you marry a man without knowing how he is in bed?”

  Olivia’s face turned red. She gripped Val’s hand so tight that Val winced in pain. “Look who’s talking. That chastity belt you wear around your waist has never been taken off and, until it is, don’t talk to me about sex.”

  “I’m not ashamed of my virginity,” Danyelle proudly announced. “But I’m not walking down that aisle without first getting in that man’s pants.”

  “What would Mommy say if she heard you talking like that?” Olivia shouted.

  “I realize we were raised on the ‘no sex until after marriage’ principle, but times have changed. How many people actually wait?”

  “Unfortunately not many, but we should learn from other people’s mistakes. We are taught to be wise through Biblical principles,” Olivia explained.

  “Imagine your wedding day.” Danyelle turned to look her sister in the eye. “You, dressed in a flawless white wedding gown that symbolizes your purity. You’ve saved yourself for this man and are giving him a gift that is priceless. Then comes the honeymoon. You two are in bed, getting ready to get busy, then come to find out he’s this big.” Danyelle used her thumb and pointer finger to measure an inch. “You ain’t feel anything. What are you going to do?”

  Everyone was surprised when Val was the first one to laugh out loud. “You know we joke a lot about Danyelle smoking too much weed, but she does come up with some convincing arguments.” She turned to Olivia. “Your sister has a point.”

  “Not you too!” Olivia complained.

  “You can’t divorce him or send him back to his momma,” Danyelle ranted on. “Or would you file for annulment?” Danyelle asked. “What would you do?”

  “Marriage is about so much more than sex. When I was with Bryant, we moved so fast that we never got a chance to know one another. I want it to be different with Dean,” Olivia defended herself.

  Danyelle pressed the issue. “Having sex can only bring the two of you closer. Dean is a cool guy, but he’s still a man.” Danyelle tilted her head to the side and considered her next words carefully. “Unless Dean’s a virgin?” she spat.

  Olivia’s body instantly turned tense and she stopped climbing. “Not that it’s any of your business, but my man is far from a virgin.”

  “Livie, don’t misunderstand my point. I know you’re worth the wait and Dean is a great guy, but don’t ignore the obvious. For one, he loves you and adores your son. Second, he does everything he can for you. Lastly, he works to give you money, keep gas in your car and help out with your monthly utility bills. How much longer do you think it’s going to be before he gets sick of putting all his eggs in your basket without getting anything in return?”

  Olivia reflected on Danyelle’s mini-sermon. Am I being selfish? She never considered the possibility that Dean may want to have sex. Olivia loved Dean and didn’t want to lose him. In her heart she knew that sex would never keep a man, but Danyelle’s argument sounded so convincing.

  “Look!” Tressie pointed to a narrow trail that looked like a shortcut to the top. “We can go through here.”

  “I don’t know, Tressie.” Olivia looked skeptical of the path Tressie had found. “I think we should stay on the designated path.”

  But it was too late. Danyelle was already following Tressie through the thick brush of bushes.

  Olivia followed, and it wasn’t long before the girls made it to the top.

  “See, I told you this was a quicker route,” Tressie shouted.

  “Yeah, but was it worth it? My arms have scratches from the thorns and pointy sticks,” Danyelle complained.

  At the mountaintop, each girl found a huge rock to relax on and basked in God’s glory. Sunrays trickled down from heaven, painting a beautiful array of pink and yellow light across the sky. Total silence surrounded them.

  “If I was you, I would go ahead and enjoy Dean in as many ways as I could,” Val said. “If you don’t take advantage of the opportunity, it could be snatched away from you and
you’ll never get to feel the touch of his hands over your body.”

  Tressie, Danyelle and Olivia looked at one another. They knew Val was regretting her decision to wait until after she was married to consummate her relationship with Julian.

  Chapter 9

  Anxious to get back to their cabin and get ready for dinner, the girls retreated back down the mountain trail. “Thank God the climb is always easier going down than the climb up,” Danyelle hollered, out of breath.

  In their absence, the campgrounds grew into a stampede of activity. Buses carrying passengers from different churches passed them by. Men and women, young and old, hauled luggage, duffle bags and coolers in search of their cabins.

  “Look at the shortage of men around here,” Tressie griped. “I knew I should’ve stayed home.”

  The moment the girls stepped foot in their cabin, the bickering between Danyelle and Tressie began. They fussed over who would be the first to take a shower. Then they argued over who would sleep closest to the window. The final straw came when Danyelle threatened to put Tressie’s things out.

  “Would you two stop it?”

  Olivia was tired of hearing them act like children. She snatched her cell phone off her bed and stormed outside to call her son. Pressing the number three speed-dial number on her phone, she called her aunt. “Hey, Auntie, how’s everything?” Olivia shouted.

  “Olivia!” Val’s mom sounded relieved to hear from her. “Did everyone get there safely?” Her aunt wasn’t as concerned about everyone as she was about Val. That’s why she sounded the way she did.

  “We had no problems, and everyone is fine,” Olivia replied.

  “Good!” She released a sigh of relief. “I know you’re anxious to talk with Bryce, so here he is.”

  “Mommy, we’ve been waiting for you to call,” Bryce sounded upset.

  “Why honey? Is everything okay?” Worry filled Olivia’s mind.

  “Aunt Stephie was going to take me to Chuck E. Cheese, but she said we couldn’t leave until after you called. Can we go now?” He spoke away from the phone and toward his aunt.

  Olivia could hear her in the background telling Bryce they could leave once he hung up the phone.

  “Bryce, I’m not going to hold you up. I just wanted to make sure you were all right and tell you that I miss you.”

  “I miss you too, Mommy.”

  She thought he was going to hand the phone back to Aunt Stephie, but he continued to talk.

  “Mom, why couldn’t Kennedy and Clinton come with me? Aunt Stephie said it was okay.”

  “Bryce, I explained this to you before we left home. It was time for Kennedy and Clinton to get their shots. The kennel is going to take care of that and give them each a bath. By the time we pick them up on Monday, they will be as good as new.”

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  Olivia wasn’t sure if he was satisfied with that answer, but he handed the phone back to his aunt and went to the guest room to get his jacket.

  “Olivia, don’t worry about us,” Aunt Stephie said. “We’ll be fine. Enjoy your trip and make sure my daughter has some fun while she’s there.”

  When Olivia hung up the phone, her heart stung a little from the way Bryce brushed her off for Chuck E. Cheese. The hardest part of being a mother was watching her child become so independent. He demonstrated new self-reliance in the mornings by dressing himself and rushing off to class without giving her a kiss good-bye. She could feel him pulling away from her, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Dean warned her that eventually she would have to allow her boy to grow into a man.

  After dinner a small group of campers gathered around a bonfire to sing church hymns. The sky was clear, the fire blazed high, and the songs they sang sounded like a professional mass choir. Part of the reason was due to Danyelle. She had taken the initiative to divide everyone into groups and instructed everyone on different song arrangements. When it came to music, Danyelle was a professional.

  Late into the night, Olivia announced she was tired. “Danyelle, I’m glad you’re the musically inclined one in the family, because I can’t sing one more song. My tonsils hurt. I’m going to bed.” Olivia placed her hand on Danyelle’s shoulder.

  “You’re leaving already?” Then Danyelle noticed that everyone was leaving. “It’s still early.”

  “It’s close to midnight. We’re tired.” Tressie lifted herself up from off the log she was sitting on.

  Olivia ran to catch up with Dean. “Are we still going canoeing in the morning?”

  His eyes flashed an affirmative response. “I’ll meet you on the dock.” They kissed good-night and retired for the night.

  “Danyelle, are you going to walk back to the cabin with us?” Tressie asked.

  Disheartened that her singers had bailed, Danyelle looked over her shoulder and responded with a no. “I think I’m going to sit out here a bit longer and review a couple pages of notes from class. I have an exam Monday morning, and I need to be prepared for it.”

  The girls left her alone, and Danyelle picked up a three-ring binder that sat at her feet. She flipped it open to the first page and began testing her memory. To help her relax, she grabbed her book bag and pulled out the only blunt she had brought with her. She used the bonfire to spark it up.

  I can study better once I get a few puffs in. Danyelle took a small hit and focused her attention back on her schoolwork.

  “Can I join you?” Startled, Danyelle jumped up and dropped her notebook to the ground. It was Colin Montgomery. She quickly hid the blunt behind her back and smiled in his direction. Why is it that this man always manages to find me when I’m trying to get high?

  “I’m sorry, did I scare you?” He walked around to one of the logs that was positioned around the campfire and picked up her notebook. “I’m glad to see my star pupil is studying. I wish all my students were like you.”

  Danyelle wanted to respond, but the smoke that filled her lungs prevented her from saying anything. She didn’t want to blow smoke in the reverend’s face, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Her eyes began to water. The smoke started to choke her. She finally had to let it out. Loudly, she coughed, bending over to release the smell of marijuana into the air.

  “Are you all right?” The reverend patted her on the back. “You know you really shouldn’t be smoking out here.”

  Danyelle cleared her throat, her face red from embarrassment. This was the second time he had caught her. She pushed his hand away and told him she was okay.

  An uncomfortable silence filled the air.

  “Does it help you to study alone?” He walked around to the opposite side of the fire, where she could barely see his face.

  “Yes, there are fewer disturbances. I can concentrate and retain more. I have this teacher who likes to kill us with scripture.” She gave him a playful smile.

  “Sounds like a man after my own heart.” He walked around the fire closer to her, but she backed away.

  She still held the blunt behind her back as it slowly burned.

  When he realized she was intentionally avoiding him, he stopped coming toward her. He tried a different approach. “What did Jesus say is the first great commandment?”

  “We are commanded to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul,” she replied with ease.

  “And the second?”

  “Love our neighbors as ourselves.”

  Their eyes locked. The bonfire danced around them, and their body temperature rose ten degrees.

  Danyelle felt an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of her stomach. She shifted her eyes away from him. It was the first time she felt nervous being the center of attraction.

  “Danyelle, you are a mysterious young lady. What made you enroll in Bible College?”

  “Although my parents are gone, they left my sister and I with a gift that I consider priceless: a Bible full of God’s infinite wisdom.” She pointed toward her Bible. “Daddy would often tell us that securing the Lord’s Word in our hea
rts would benefit us later on in life.”

  “It’s obvious that your parents were a big part of your life.”

  She smiled to herself. “I really wish my dad were around to see my nephew. Bryce walks just like him.” She laughed out loud.

  “I’m sure they would be so proud of you.”

  He reached out to hand Danyelle back the notebook she’d dropped earlier. When she grabbed a hold of it, he used it to pull her closer to him. Then he kissed her.

  The feel of lips locked around hers was something she had never experienced before. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his tongue wrestling with hers.

  They kissed for thirty seconds before she abruptly pulled away. She couldn’t believe she had just experienced her first kiss and it was with the pastor of her church.

  “Reverend, I’m sorry. I don’t—” Danyelle stuttered.

  “Don’t be sorry.” He gently kissed her again. “It was my pleasure.” He checked the time on his wristwatch. “I have to get back to the cabin. The men are waiting on me to lead them in prayer. Would you like for me to walk you back to your cabin?”

  She looked at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face, but he laughed at her response and asked the question again.

  This time she replied, “No, Reverend. I’m okay.”

  Then, as he disappeared into the night she couldn’t help but wish he had kissed her again.

  Chapter 10

  At the midnight hour West tossed from side to side. His sleeping mind replayed the last time he saw his son alive.

  “Pop, are you sure you don’t want to go?”

  “Son, I’ve been to plenty of these charity events. I’ve got so many invitations this month that it won’t hurt if I miss this one. The same people you see tonight will be the same people I see next month at the next gala event.”

  “Belinda and I really appreciate this.”

  “I’m glad to do it. I know how excited she is to finally get out of the house. Since she had the baby, you two don’t go out anymore. It’s okay to get a break and go out to dinner every once in the while.” Judge West took his eight-month-old grandson into his arms. “Plus, I think this would be a great place for you to network with other young lawyers.”