“Girl, tell the truth and shame the devil. You know you did something to get these.” Vangie lowered her voice. “The last time I got a bouquet like this, I almost got arrested for lewd behavior while operating a motor vehicle.”
“Vangie, you need Jesus, quick!” Starla said once she stopped laughing.
“Pray for a sista.” Although she laughed, Vangie was serious. “Who is he?”
“My husband.” Starla blushed.
Vangie’s face contorted. “You ain’t right!” Vangie slapped her hands on her hips. “You come in here every day, acting like nothing’s new, when all along you’ve been holding back. What kind of friend are you?”
Starla waved Vangie’s tantrum off. “Girl, shut up. Leon and I are not together. He’s just spending time with the boys.” As the words left her mouth, Starla questioned their validity.
“The boys are really going to love these,” Vangie said sarcastically, pointing at the roses.
“They sure will,” Starla agreed, and Vangie rolled her eyes.
“Real talk, are you and Leon getting back together?”
Starla hunched her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. Starla attempted to steer the conversation away from her and Leon. “Don’t these smell heavenly?” she asked after sniffing the petals.
“Lose the mask; this is me, girl.”
Starla rolled her eyes. “I can’t stand you.”
“But how do you feel about Leon?” Vangie sat down in Starla’s chair as if it were her own. “Do you want to reconcile?”
“You know I love my . . . my . . . Girl, Leon has been so good to me lately, I can’t think of anything bad to call him.” The women shared a laugh. “He’s better than the old Leon because now he’s saved, but I don’t know if I can trust him enough to live as husband and wife again.”
Vangie waved her hands in the air. “Explain to me how you trusted Leon when he wasn’t saved, but now that he is, you’re having a hard time.”
“It’s hard, Vangie. It hurt so badly when he left and I lost so much, I don’t know if I have enough in me to try again. I’ve been praying, but I’m still not sure.”
“Until you figure it out, be careful, if you know what I mean.” Vangie narrowed her eyes at Starla, and she knew precisely what Vangie was referring to.
“I don’t have any intentions of sleeping with Leon, but if I do, we are married.”
“True, but if you’re not sure you want to commit to him, sex will only complicate things.”
“As always, you’re right.” Starla grabbed Vangie’s arm and pulled her upright. “Now get out of my chair, I have work to do.”
Long after Vangie went back to her desk, Starla pulled the card from her pocket and read the printed words:
Meet me at Kincaid’s 7:00,
L
“Leon, why are you making this so hard?” she grumbled. Leon knew Kincaid’s was one of her favorite steak and seafood restaurants. She wondered if he could afford Kincaid’s, until she recalled Leon’s vow to spend his last dime and breathe pleasing her. And right now Starla was very pleased. She hummed while phoning and arranging for her next-door neighbor to watch the boys for the evening.
Starla prayed fervently the entire ten-minute drive from her townhouse complex to Kincaid’s and still didn’t have an answer to her dilemma. Was she ready to take another chance on Leon? Or could she walk away and leave her heart with him? She stepped from her Camry and decided the only walking she was prepared to do was inside the restaurant to enjoy a five-star seafood meal.
Once inside the waterfront establishment in Oakland’s Jack London Square, Starla expected to see Leon, but that wasn’t to be.
“I’m glad you decided to accept my invitation.”
Starla spun around to stand face-to-face with Lewis Mason. Flabbergasted, Starla repeatedly opened her mouth to speak, but only one word would come. “Lewis?”
“You are absolutely beautiful this evening,” Lewis said in reference to the form-fitting black dress that stopped just above Starla’s knees.
“Thank you,” Starla managed. She’d anticipated hearing those exact words from her husband.
“Mr. Mason, your table is ready,” someone announced from behind.
Lewis extended his arm to Starla and the two followed the host to a corner table with an unobstructed view of the bay. “Your waiter will be with you momentarily.”
“Thank you,” Lewis replied, but Starla was still trying to figure out how she’d ended up in a romantic dinner setting with Lewis Mason.
“How are you feeling this evening, Starla?” Lewis smiled as if being with Starla this way was exactly what he wanted and was the natural thing to do.
“I . . . I’m confused. Lewis, I didn’t know the flowers were from you. I thought I was meeting my husband.”
Lewis placed his enormous hands on the table, making sure his two-carat diamond ring and Movado were on parade. “Why would you think that? Surely Leon can’t afford long-stem roses and this restaurant with his income.”
“Never mind,” Starla mumbled, and looked out the window. She’d been so excited about seeing Leon that the thought never occurred to her that Leon had given her his entire paycheck two days ago.
Once the waiter introduced himself and had taken their drink orders, Starla cut to the chase.
“Lewis, what’s the meaning of this? I thought you and I were friends.”
“We are friends,” Lewis said, then leaned back in his chair. “I told you a few days ago I was going to turn up the heat.”
“I thought you meant in prayer.”
Lewis raised an eyebrow. “I did mean in prayer, but you and I aren’t praying for the same thing.”
“I’m praying for what direction to take in my marriage. What are you praying for?”
Before Lewis could respond, the waiter returned with their beverages and took their dinner order.
“Lewis, what are you praying for?” Starla repeated once the waiter left.
“Starla, I’m going to lay my cards on the table. I’m praying you will realize that Leon isn’t the one for you, and that you will divorce him and marry me.” Starla’s eyes bucked and her mouth gaped. Lewis continued. “Starla, I have been attracted to you for quite some time, and I feel that you and I would be good together. The boys like me and I can provide a good life along with stability. You and the boys will never want for anything. That’s a lot more than Leon Scott can provide.”
Starla swallowed a big gulp of water. Lewis had laid his cards on the table, but Starla wished he’d pick them back up and throw the deck out the window into the bay. “Lewis, you’re forgetting something: I don’t love you, I love Leon.”
The declaration didn’t ruffle Lewis’s feathers one bit. He didn’t flinch or adjust his posture. “I know you don’t love me, but in time you will. Besides, you married for love the first time and look what that got you: a drunk who left you with nothing. Next time around, try marrying someone who loves you instead.” Lewis sipped his Roy Rogers and allowed his words to marinate in Starla’s head.
“Lewis, are you trying to tell me that you’re in love with me?” Starla finally asked, while at the same time praying he’d deny it.
“Yes, Starla, I believe I am.”
Lord, what am I going to do? Starla’s mind screamed so loud, she wondered if Lewis heard it. She couldn’t run anymore; she had to make a decision, for real now. Either she would continue life with Leon or start a new one with Lewis. Once again, she looked out the window. Whatever her decision, she wasn’t going to make it tonight. With her appetite dissipated, Starla wasn’t going to eat, either.
“Lewis, I’m sorry, but this is too overwhelming for me. I have to go.” Starla pushed her chair back and stood to leave. Lewis stood also.
“Starla, I know it’s going to take some time for you to adapt to the idea. Take all the time you need. I’ll always be here for you and the boys.”
Starla hurried out the door before the tears
fell and blurred her vision. Leon had told her those exact words years before, and he left her alone and without a house, with two little boys to raise.
Chapter 10
“Kevin, this doesn’t make any sense! I have been calling you for three days and you won’t return my calls. I know you’re there, you’re letting the devil work through that caller ID to avoid my calls. I am still your mother and your pastor, and I know you haven’t forgotten what the Word says about obeying your parents. Now, because I am your mother and I’m saved, I have already forgiven you for that outrageous, not to mention unjustified, display of disrespect. Shoot, Kevin, stop acting stubborn like your father and call me, or else I’m coming down to that hospital!”
Kevin calmly pressed the delete message button on his cell phone. His mother had left similar messages on both his home phone and office line. He would have returned her calls if she would only admit that she was wrong for manipulating him into filing for divorce. Yes, he was frustrated with his life and needed to move on, but it was his mother’s constant pushing that coerced him. Pastor Jennings relentlessly hounded him about how wrong Marlissa was for him. “She’s not saved.” “She’s mean.” “She’s disrespectful.” She’d say anything to paint a bad picture of Marlissa. Right now, Marlissa was looking pretty good.
The new Marlissa was sweet and thoughtful. Remembering Kevin’s early-morning prayer time, Marlissa called him every day and joined him over the phone. The first day, the gesture astonished him to the point that he couldn’t pray. Kevin held the line silently and listened to her pray for his spiritual and physical strength, then for guidance and success in the surgeries he was to perform that morning. Of course, she wouldn’t let the horns of the altar loose without praying for the complete restoration of their marriage. “That was beautiful. Thank you,” was his humble response.
Following Tuesday’s prayer session, Kevin wanted to see her. After his last surgery, he dropped by the insurance office to invite her to a movie. The depth of the disappointment he felt at her decline surprised even him.
“I would love to, but I have to work at Macy’s. Maybe this weekend?” Marlissa offered.
“Maybe,” he said. “I’ll call you later.” Before he left, Marlissa pacified him with a light hug. Thinking back now, Kevin regretted not giving into the temptation to enjoy the softness of her glossed lips.
Kevin’s cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID. Relieved that it wasn’t his mother, he answered.
“Hello, Dr. Jennings.” It was Marlissa.
“Hey.” Kevin’s body instantly relaxed at the sound of her voice.
“Is this a bad time? I don’t want anything, just wanted to see how the clinic is going.”
Marlissa really didn’t want anything. Kevin was totally aware that her frequent calls were to demonstrate to him how committed she was to rebuilding their marriage, and that he was important to her. “I hope you’re not working too hard.”
“I have a full schedule this afternoon, but I’ll be fine.”
“You’re already fine.” Marlissa tried her hand at flirting. “Both physically and spiritually, you’re the finest man I know.”
Kevin interpreted the declaration as a compliment he couldn’t receive with so much hanging over them. “Marlissa, I have to run, my patients are waiting. I’ll talk to you later.” Before she could say good-bye, Kevin disconnected. He sat at his desk and second-guessed the brush-off, but only momentarily.
Marlissa waited anxiously for Pastor Drake to continue his Bible Study series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Tonight’s fruit was meekness. Marlissa had just propped her notebook on her lap when Kevin’s long frame filled the seat next to her. Marlissa’s pen, notebook, and jaw all fell at the same time.
“Kevin?”
“Hope you don’t mind me intruding, but I wanted to check out Bible Study,” Kevin said after replacing the items in her lap.
“I don’t mind at all.” Marlissa smiled. “Why don’t you sit on the end? That’ll leave more room for you to stretch your leg.”
“Thanks, but this new prosthesis is quite comfortable.”
“You’re going to love Pastor Drake’s Bible Study teachings. He really knows how to break the Word down to where even I can understand it.” Marlissa lifted her eyes toward the podium as Pastor Drake began.
Pastor Drake’s approach was new to Kevin. Unlike his mother, Pastor Drake didn’t prolong time by discussing irrelevant information. Pastor Drake didn’t preach; he taught and stayed on point. Pastor Jennings would start off teaching, but before the session was over, she’d be walking across the platform, whooping and hollering about something that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic.
Kevin was blessed by Pastor Drake’s teaching, but what touched him most and almost brought him to tears was Marlissa’s behavior. It was an awesome sight: her paying attention and taking notes like she was a student in class for the first time. “Thank you, Lord,” he whispered. Enjoying church service with Marlissa was something he’d prayed for too many times to count. It was a desire he’d written off as fantasy, but tonight it was his reality. Kevin decided to let his guard down, and seized the moment. As she started on her third page, Kevin casually positioned his arm around Marlissa, and she paused long enough to offer him a smile, then continued writing.
“Come on, I want you to meet Pastor Drake.” After the benediction Marlissa grabbed Kevin’s arm and started toward the dais, but before they reached Pastor Drake, one of the church mothers he’d seen sitting in the front row blocked their path.
“You must be Kevin,” the elderly woman stated. “You had better be, sitting so close to my baby in church. And I saw your arm around her.”
“Mother, I—” Kevin didn’t finish before another mother approached.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you. Marlissa talks about you all the time. But she didn’t tell us how handsome you are.”
Kevin looked down at Marlissa. She beamed with joy, and he wondered if he’d ever seen her that happy before.
“Daughter, is this who I think it is?” Kevin turned to find Pastor Drake standing directly behind him. Surrounded by the two women and Pastor Drake, Kevin felt like he was being inspected for the FDA’s seal of approval. Each bore a smile, but he could tell they were scanning him. Marlissa finally stopped blushing long enough to introduce him to the fruit inspectors.
“Kevin, this is Pastor and First Lady Drake.” She then gestured to the petite elderly woman who had begun the interrogation. “This is Leon’s mother, Mother Scott.” Marlissa then interlocked her arm with Kevin’s. “Everyone, this is my husband, Dr. Kevin Jennings.”
Kevin politely greeted the aggressive group.
“I understand Pastor Rosalie Jennings is your mother. I haven’t seen her in years, how is she?” Pastor Drake inquired.
“She’s fine.” Kevin’s short response didn’t seem to alarm Pastor Drake at all.
“How does it feel to be the top eye doctor at Sutter?” Mother Scott asked, then stepped closer and added, “I’ve been seeing black spots here lately, what do you think it could be?”
Kevin attempted not to laugh too hard at the stranger who moments earlier had reprimanded him for touching his wife and now wanted free medical advice. “Mother, I can’t diagnose a problem without a complete eye exam.”
“Humph, and you call yourself an expert.” Mother Scott shook her head. “I’m going to give you a try anyway because Marlissa says you’re the best, and I trust my baby’s opinion. Besides, you’re saved, so it can’t hurt.”
This time Kevin laughed out loud and so did everyone else. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mother.” He handed her a business card. “I’d be glad to see you, just call the clinic and schedule an appointment. Tell them to book you for this Friday.”
“Thank you.” Kevin had won her over, Mother Scott was blushing.
“Once you get your eyes checked, you can stop misreading the announcements,” First Lady Drake teased. “Last Sunday,
you announced to the church that a special hearse would be here at six o’clock for anyone needing a ride to Sacramento. What you should have said was there was a special choir rehearsal at six o’clock for the upcoming engagement in Sacramento.”
Mother Scott wasn’t blushing anymore, now that everyone was laughing at her.
“Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll make sure you read the announcements correctly from now on.” Kevin’s words didn’t offer much comfort.
“Mother Scott, God knows your heart,” Pastor Drake said before First Lady and Mother Scott let loose in the house of the Lord. “Dr. Jennings, I hope you enjoyed Bible Study,” he said, turning to Kevin.
“Please, ‘Kevin’ is fine. I enjoyed it immensely, I’m sure I’ll be back.”
“I pray that you will.” Pastor Drake paused before his next statement. “Restoration Ministries has a marriage clinic that meets on the third Thursday of the month. The two of you might want to sit in on a session.”
Marlissa felt Kevin’s arm muscles tense, but she continued smiling.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kevin politely responded. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you all. I’ll see you on Friday,” he said to Mother Scott, who was still brooding.
“I didn’t know you are so close to your pastor,” Kevin said as he and Marlissa exited the vestibule.
“Kevin, I’ll always be grateful to the leaders of this church. They took me in when I was sick, wanting to die, and nursed me back to life. They showed me how to love myself when I didn’t even like myself.”
“They’re very protective of you.”
“That’s because they’ve invested a lot into me,” Marlissa answered, fishing her keys from her purse.
Slowly making their way across the parking lot, Kevin realized he wasn’t ready to leave Marlissa’s company. She’d just entered the code on the keyless entry pad when he asked, “It’s just a little after eight. Do you want to hang out at Starbucks for a while?”
“Sure,” she answered quickly.
Silver Lining Page 7
