Drama in the Church Saga

by Dynah Zale

  “Oh! So you care about Jonah. Is something going on between the two of you?”

  Again Val put her head down. She was guilty.

  “I knew it!” Olivia jumped up from her seat. “It was so obvious when you brought him to church.” Olivia danced around.

  “Don’t get so excited. My life isn’t as grand as yours. You might be mad at me after I tell you how I’ve been acting.”

  Val then told her about the kiss they shared and how she had been avoiding him.

  “Why are you hiding from the man?” Olivia placed her hands on her hips with attitude.

  “I think I’m falling in love with him.”

  “It’s okay to have feelings for another man so soon after Julian. He wouldn’t want you to be by yourself. You’re too beautiful for that, but I am concerned about your living arrangements.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’m not going to do anything I don’t want to do,” Val said.

  “That’s what worries me. Once that lust settles in, it’s so much easier to give in than stand up for your beliefs.” Olivia sighed. “Girl, whatever you do, don’t give in. If Jonah is as real as he portrayed himself to be when he was at Bible study, then he’ll wait. Plus, I know you wouldn’t fall in love with just anybody.”

  Her eyes followed Jonah up the steps and into the building. She was ready to give the performance of a lifetime.

  When Jonah emerged from the group home with Hope in his arms, Caitlyn jumped out of her car and ran over to them.

  “Hey, Jonah!” Caitlyn waved. “And there’s my little girl.”

  Hope frowned her face when Caitlyn pinched her cheeks.

  “I thought today was my Saturday.” She threw Jonah an innocent look. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s my Saturday, but I could be wrong. Let me go back inside and check with Mrs. Chambers.”

  He turned to go back inside, but Caitlyn stopped him.

  “There’s no need to do that.” Caitlyn was the master of manipulation. “You already signed her out, so you two go ahead and enjoy your time together. I’m a little disappointed that we won’t be able to fly the kites I bought, but we can do that next Saturday.”

  Caitlyn faked disappointment and sulked as she turned away.

  “Why don’t you join us?” Jonah didn’t want her to feel left out. Jonah hated to see any woman upset. Besides, he knew how he would feel if he couldn’t spend any time with Hope. “There’s no reason why we can’t spend time with her together.”

  Caitlyn played like she didn’t want to intrude, but a little prodding from Jonah and she easily gave in.

  They climbed into her car and headed toward the park.

  Hope, Jonah and Caitlyn looked like a family together at the park. Hope jumped for joy at the different kites her father flew in the air.

  Later, they walked over to the playground and allowed Hope to play in the sandbox while Jonah and Caitlyn talked.

  “How many kites did you buy?” Jonah’s arms were tired. “Every time I thought we were finally done, you pulled another one out your bag.”

  Caitlyn laughed. “I bought one of every kind at the toy store.”

  Jonah giggled to himself.

  “I know you’re probably thinking I’m trying to buy Hope’s affection, but that’s not true. Material things are the only way I know how to show someone that I care. That’s how I was raised. I know nothing else.”

  Jonah felt sorry for her. “Hope and I were homeless for almost six months. For her last birthday, I bought her a lollipop. That was the only thing I could afford. I felt like a failure. But to her it was the best present in the world. She wrapped her arms around my neck and planted a huge kiss on my cheek. Then she told me I was the best daddy ever.” The pleasant memory left a smile on his face.

  “You really love her, don’t you?” Caitlyn could hear in his voice how much he loved her.

  They watched Hope play with another little girl in the sandbox.

  “You can come visit her when we move back to Seattle.”

  Jonah twisted his head in Caitlyn’s direction at warp speed. “How can you be so sure you’re going to win this case?” He stormed away, regretting that he’d invited her along.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you.” She walked up behind him. “But I know she’s my child.”

  “I’ll do anything. Please don’t take her from me. She needs me,” Jonah pleaded.

  “What about me? Don’t you think I want what’s best for my daughter? A little girl needs her mother. There are things that only a mother can teach her child.”

  “We were fine,” Jonah said more to himself than to her. “Me, her and Val.”

  Hearing Val’s name made Caitlyn’s blood boil. “Do you think I would allow Val to be a mother to my child?” Caitlyn spat. “That will never happen. She may have gotten Hope’s father, but she will never get Hope.”

  Caitlyn stomped off toward the sandbox.

  A moment passed before Jonah realized what she said, and he ran to catch her. He spun her around to face him. “What did you mean by Val had Hope’s father?”

  “Julian. She took Julian from me. They were planning to get married, but his plane crashed and . . .”

  Astonishment covered Jonah’s face. It was apparent he wasn’t aware of Val’s relationship with Julian. He walked a few feet away from her.

  “She didn’t tell you about Julian?”

  “She . . .” he stuttered. “She told me she was engaged, but she didn’t say to whom.”

  A fury of excitement danced around inside of Caitlyn. She couldn’t believe her luck. There’s nothing like the taste of sweet revenge. She had waited a long time for this day, and she didn’t even have to arrange for this to happen.

  “I’m not surprised she kept who she really was a secret. If it weren’t for her, I think Julian and I would have stayed together, and I would have never put Hope up for adoption.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?” Jonah had to know their history.

  Right before Caitlyn began her story, Hope ran over to tell her father she was hungry.

  “Why don’t we go get something to eat and then take Hope back to the children’s home?” Caitlyn suggested. “Afterward, I’ll answer any questions you have for me.”

  Three hours later, Jonah and Caitlyn sat on the sofa in her hotel suite.

  “Julian and I were in love.” This was the story Caitlyn had concocted in her mind. “As a matter of fact, I’m still in love with him. Julian started his career playing for the Seattle Supersonics. We met at a mixer that my uncle, who happens to own the team, threw for the entire basketball organization. We were hot and heavy from the start.” She stood up and walked over to the bar to pour herself a drink. “There was nothing tame, innocent or endearing about our courtship. From our first night together, we both knew we were meant to be together; except there was one problem.”

  “Val?”

  “Yes.” Caitlyn took a sip from her glass. “They were already engaged, but it wasn’t going to last. They were having their share of problems. So we kept our relationship hidden from her, until the tabloids took a picture of us together in Aspen. Our picture was plastered on every newsstand in the country.

  “Once our relationship was out in the open, Julian asked Val to move out of the house. When she moved out, I moved in. The morning I found out I was pregnant, Val came back to the house and physically attacked me.”

  Jonah gave her a strange look.

  “Yes, she pushed me to the ground, jumped on top of me and slammed my head into the floor until it bled.” Fake tears poured from her eyes. “I was terrified. Luckily, Julian had come home early and pulled her off me.”

  “That sounds nothing like the Val I know,” Jonah replied.

  “Then you really don’t know her. My lawyers issued a restraining order against her a few months ago because she attacked me again! At the cemetery! That girl is crazy.”

  Jonah couldn’t believe they were talking about the same woman. “So what hap
pened between you and Julian?”

  “We were happy, but all that changed when the league found out he was using steroids during the regular season. Our life was turned upside down. He lost everything: his endorsements, his teammates turned against him, and there were rumors going around that the organization was trying to trade him. He was humiliated, and after the league temporarily suspended him, he fell into a depressed state.”

  Caitlyn sat back down next to him. “Determined to stand by my man, I told him that my love for him couldn’t be swayed. Then my uncle came by the house to let him know he had been traded to New York. He was furious, and that’s when he turned on me. He thought I knew about the trade and accused me of deceiving him. I know he was just upset, but what he said hurt,” she cried. “He threw me out the house and moved back to the East Coast. I never saw him again. That’s why he didn’t know about the baby. I never got a chance to tell him, and he wouldn’t take any of my calls. I wish I did get a chance to tell him because maybe, if I did, we could have been a family. I would have never given Hope away, and he would never have been on that plane.”

  Caitlyn played the wounded actress well. The tears flowed freely. Everything she told Jonah was a lie, but he believed every word of it.

  “I’m sorry. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot.”

  “That’s why I say you can’t trust Val.” Caitlyn dried her tears with the back of her hand. “I suspect she had something to do with the NBA finding out about Julian’s steroid use.”

  “Why would she do that?” Jonah couldn’t believe she would be that vengeful.

  “Val was so angry when she left Seattle, I think she would have shot us both if someone had given her a pistol.” She sat up straight. “After Julian left Seattle, I moved back in with my parents. I overheard my uncle telling my father that the request to have Julian’s urine tested came straight from the NBA offices in New York. It’s rare that they would do something like that.

  “Who else would tip off the NBA? I know it was her. That’s why I say be careful. She is a very conniving person.”

  Jonah had so many thoughts going through his mind. The biggest question he kept asking himself was, Why did Val keep her fiancé’s identity a secret from him? He didn’t want to believe that she was responsible for the downfall of her fiancé, but if she could ruin the man she loved, what would she do to him? Jonah wasn’t sure what he should do. He had confided in her some personal aspects of his life. Would she use that against me? He needed time to think.

  “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?” Jonah looked like he was about to cry. “I mean, I’ll sleep out here on the couch, but I don’t think I want to go back to Val’s tonight.”

  “Sure, that’s no problem. I’ll go get you some extra blankets from out the bedroom.” On her way out of the room Caitlyn thought to herself, Once again I win, and this time Val won’t get a second chance to take what’s rightfully mine.

  Val felt rejuvenated after her visit with Olivia. Spending time with her cousin had always been therapeutic for her. She entered her house and called out for Jonah. It was quiet. “He must still be out with Hope.”

  She kicked off her sneakers at the door and turned to her favorite channel, Lifetime. While watching television, she decided to take Olivia’s advice and tell Jonah about her and Julian.

  Lately, God had been speaking to her heart about being honest, but she kept pushing the Lord out of her head. Today, He put Olivia in her face to tell her what she already knew. It was time to come clean. She had waited long enough. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

  Stretched out on her fluffy couch pillows, she drifted off to sleep.

  When she awoke it was morning and the television was still on. The women from the sitcom The Golden Girls were gathered in their living room talking. She got up and turned the television off. “I must have been tired. I didn’t even hear Jonah come in last night.”

  She climbed the stairs and went straight to his bedroom. She knocked on the door. When he didn’t answer, she knocked again, but still no answer. She slowly cracked open the door and called out his name. Stepping inside his bedroom, she saw that his bed hadn’t been slept in.

  The worst entered her mind. There was a lot of crime in Philadelphia. She prayed nothing happened to him. He could have been shot, robbed or mugged. Anything was possible living in the city.

  She raced back down the stairs to find her cell phone. If he called and she didn’t answer, she was sure he would have left a message. When she reached the kitchen, she heard the back door swing open. It was Jonah.

  She ran and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I was worried when I couldn’t find you.”

  Jonah gave her the cold shoulder and merely brushed past her. He started up the stairs.

  Val followed. “Jonah, there is something really important I need to speak with you about.”

  Jonah glanced over his shoulder and gave her an ugly look, but he didn’t stop his stride.

  “Jonah! I’m trying to talk to you.”

  When he walked into his room he grabbed a handful of clothes and stuffed them in his duffel bag. Then he gathered his sneakers and work clothes.

  “Jonah, what’s going on? Why are you packing your things?” Val was confused.

  “I can’t live here any longer,” he shouted at her.

  She stepped back. He was angry, but she had no idea why. “Jonah, what’s wrong? You can talk to me about anything.”

  “Why don’t we talk about how you were engaged to Hope’s biological father?” His unsuspecting words were hurled in her face.

  How did he find out? “Jonah, I was going to tell you, but—”

  He charged toward her and pointed in her face. “If you were going to tell me, then why did I have to hear it from Caitlyn? Stop with the lies. What were you trying to do? Play me for a fool? Were you going to set me up and try to take my daughter from me? Tell me, what was the game?”

  “Jonah, I,” she hesitated, “I wanted to tell you, but when we first met I was trying to erase all memories of Julian from my life. Then came the revelation about Hope’s true paternity. It took me a few days to believe it was true.”

  “That’s why you left the courtroom in such a hurry that morning.”

  Val confirmed his suspicions.

  “And now. What’s your excuse for not saying anything after all these weeks of being together? I’ve been confiding in you, trusting you, inviting you to spend time with me and my daughter.”

  Val wanted to tell him that she was scared, but at the moment he didn’t look like he would be sympathetic to her needs. She had never seen him this angry.

  He raced back down the stairs.

  Val stood in the middle of his bedroom, her heart beating out of control. An overwhelmingly frightening feeling took over her body. She knew that if she allowed Jonah to leave her house, she would never see him again. She chased after him.

  “Where are you going?” she cried. “You can’t leave me.”

  “I’m going to go stay with Caitlyn.”

  Val’s face turned to horror.

  “It looks like she’s the only person who can be honest with me.”

  Flashbacks of when Julian betrayed her to be with Caitlyn played out right before her eyes. “Jonah, I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know that she can not be trusted.”

  “That’s funny, because she said the same thing about you. Besides, she made me an offer I can’t refuse. We already know that once the DNA results come back that Caitlyn is going to get full custody of Hope. So she has graciously invited me to move back to Seattle with her, so that I could be close to Hope. I’ll be living with her.”

  “Is that where you stayed last night?”

  Jonah rolled his eyes. “Not that it’s any of your business.” He stressed his words. “But if you must know, I did stay the night with her last night.” He picked up a few of Hope’s toys from out of the living room.

  Sh
e couldn’t believe he had fallen for Caitlyn’s tricks. Still in a daze, she heard a knock at the door.

  When she answered, Caitlyn stood on her back step with a taunting smile on her lips.

  “Hi! Is Jonah around?”

  Caitlyn’s innocent, sweet voice was a disguise. She tried to sound completely harmless, but Val was on to her. Val slammed the door in her face and walked away.

  Jonah witnessed everything. He practically knocked over Val to open the door.

  “Don’t be mad with her.” he said to Val. “She just did what was right.”

  Jonah apologized for Val’s rude behavior. “It’s okay.”

  Then Caitlyn whispered, “I told you she was violent.” She took the bags he held in his hand. “I’ll take these out to the car.”

  “Okay! I’ll just be a few more minutes. I need to double-check to make sure I have everything.” Jonah jogged back up the stairs.

  When he did, Val caught up with Caitlyn out by the car.

  “Whatever you’re planning, it’s not going to work.”

  “It looks like it already did. This must feel like déjà vu to you, losing yet another man to me.” She pointed to herself. “Don’t worry. This time you won’t be getting him back.” She turned and walked away.

  “That’s what you think. Game on.”

  Caitlyn and Jonah pulled off in the car. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Yeah! I’m fine. I feel like I was living with the enemy. It’s scary because I had no idea she could be so nasty.”

  “Jonah, I think you made the right decision to get away from her. At any time she could have gotten Julian’s family to come and take Hope away from you and there is nothing you could have done about it.” Caitlyn hit the gas pedal to beat the red light. “Thankfully, his family has no chance of taking her from me. From now on, you and I will be Hope’s parents. Why don’t we get married?”