by E. N. Joy
The sound of the garage door opening sent her heart racing. Blake was home. Paige never imagined the day fear would race through her body at the arrival of her husband to their abode. She’d imagined her heart racing, but for all the right reasons; her heart eager and anticipating, after being away from him all day, to be in his presence.
“It’s done,” was what Blake said. Paige could feel his presence standing behind her as she sat on the couch. “It’s done and over. I gave her what she wanted. We can move on with our lives now.”
Paige slowly turned around. “What do you mean it’s over? What’s done?”
“My mother. I had my attorney call her attorney up and settle.”
Paige stood up. “What? You mean you paid that woman off? But she didn’t deserve it.”
“I just couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t have that hanging over my head any longer. I was so angry and stressed out by the pending trial. The continuances, testimonies, being in the same room with her. I couldn’t do it. Not to mention having to relive the day she left me.” Blake walked over toward Paige. “And look what it’s doing to me. Look what it’s making me do to you.” He looked down at her arm. “When my mother left me, it didn’t destroy me or my father. I couldn’t allow that woman to come back into my life after all these years and destroy me now. You are my now. You are my tomorrow. She’s yesterday; the past. Besides, it’s just money. I can make it all back. Just give me a year; six months with God’s favor.”
“But that woman—now she’s going to have it made in the shade.” Paige was sick to her stomach at the fact that Blake was paying off that frivolous lawsuit provoked by greed. Why did that stupid magazine have to broadcast his business like that? Had he not been featured in that magazine, the woman would have never looked him up; that is, unless she got sick and needed him to donate a kidney to her something. She’d have just the guts and nerve to ask him for it too. And if he declined, she’d probably sue him for it.
“That woman, as much as I don’t want to admit it, is my mother. The Bible says that a child is to honor his mother and father. She was also my father’s wife. They never divorced. Legally, she was entitled to something. And she did give birth to me. She only took care of me for three years of my life, not counting my nine months in her womb, but she was good to me and Dad when she was there. I don’t remember a whole lot, but I remember what Dad told me. I remember the photo albums too. She had a smile in every picture.” Blake thought back for a moment of all of the photos his father had shown him of his mother. “Although sometimes it seemed as though she was hiding something behind the smile, she still had a smile nonetheless.”
Paige thought about the words Blake had just spoken. Although she didn’t agree with his decision to settle, she appreciated the fact that he loved her so much that he considered her more valuable than the money he’d worked so hard to earn.
“Oh, yeah, and as part of the deal, my sister is going to drop the assault charges against you.”
“Now that’s priceless,” Paige said sarcastically.
“I’m just ready to move on. My attorney is going to draft the papers Monday morning and schedule an appointment for us all to meet up and sign the papers so that I can give her the money. Then she can disappear again for thirty more years.”
Paige walked over to her husband and hugged him with her good arm. “Thank you, Blake. I’m not taking this gesture for granted. Not at all.”
“Good, and I’m done taking you for granted.” He looked down at her injured arm. “And I promise I will never put my hands on you again. You have to know that it wasn’t me. It was just so much going on. I was so angry; so mad. That’s why I made the decision to settle. It wasn’t worth it. I’d rather lose the money than lose my wife.” Blake caught the tear that was flowing down Paige’s cheek with his thumb. He replaced it with a kiss.
Paige closed her eyes and took in the gentle kiss. She never knew a kiss could have so much meaning. That a kiss could mean I love you. That a kiss could mean I’m sorry. One little kiss.
Certainly Jesus felt the same way about Judas’s kiss. Who knew a kiss could mean so many things?
Chapter Thirty-three
“He’s gone! He went and did it without me! He’s gone!”
Mother Doreen had already been exhausted from her conversation with Pastor Frey at the restaurant. When she walked through the door, she’d intended on telling Bethany that it was time for her to go back to Malvonia. That her work in Kentucky was done. There was nothing more she could do. No one needed her. Everyone had everything all figured out on their own. No one wanted to listen to God, let alone a little old woman being used by God; a mere earthly vessel. But somehow, with Bethany screaming and crying like a madwoman, she felt leaving Kentucky to go back to Malvonia wasn’t going to be that easy.
“Calm down, Sis. Just calm down,” Mother Doreen said to her baby sister. “Come on over here and sit down on the couch and tell me what’s going on.” Mother Doreen led a frantic Bethany over to the couch.
“He-he-he . . .” Bethany cried. “We-we-we . . . were supposed to do it together . . . on Monday.” Bethany was absolutely beside herself.
“Please, Bethany, I have no idea what you are trying to say. You have to catch your breath and calm down.”
“Okay. Okay.” Bethany began to do as her older sister instructed. She sat on the couch taking one deep breath after another, looking at her sister for approval that she was doing it properly.
“Yes, that’s it,” Mother Doreen coaxed her. “Now tell me what’s going on.”
“Uriah. He turned himself in to the police today.” The frantic screaming, crying, and tears started all over again. “My husband . . . he’s in jail!”
Bethany sat in her bedroom in disbelief. Both she and Mother Doreen had been so certain that Uriah would be released from jail, at least until his sentencing. Pastor Frey had been certain as well as he’d stood in the back of the courtroom instead of the front with Mother Doreen and Bethany. He hadn’t talked to Mother Doreen since she stormed out of the restaurant last week. She hadn’t even shown up for church that following Sunday, which was the first Sunday of the month, which was also communion Sunday. That was usually when he needed her help the most, and she knew that. Still, she was a no-show. He could hardly preach the Word. Not because Bishop Klein was now sitting front and center, observing his pulpit teachings and etiquette, preparing to make his final report on whether Pastor Frey should remain as the interim pastor or if he himself should take over until a new pastor could be voted in. It was because he kept wondering if Mother Doreen was going to show up for church. She never did.
He tried to call her, but he never got an answer. He even tried calling Bethany’s house. He reasoned that Mother Doreen, upon seeing his number on the caller ID, refused to answer the phone. She’d obviously given everyone else in the household those same instructions. He drove by the house a couple of times but didn’t see her car. And now she’d missed church. Oh, she’d gone back to Malvonia all right, of that he was sure.
Needless to say, he’d felt relieved the next morning when he realized there was a chance that Mother Doreen hadn’t actually packed up and headed back to Ohio. That she was still in Kentucky tending to yet new and unfolding drama in her sister’s home. He realized the chances that she’d stayed were great when he’d read the morning paper. Buried within was a story about a man who’d faked his death to commit insurance fraud. The man had turned himself in to authorities. It stated that the man had a court hearing later that morning. Pastor Frey was quick to cancel his Monday morning appointments, something Mother Doreen typically would have done for him, and go show his support. He prayed the entire drive there.
Mother Doreen and Bethany had both prayed too. Nonetheless, they were all disappointed when Uriah was held in jail, considered a flight risk if let out on bail.
“After all, Your Honor,” the prosecuting attorney had stated, “he managed to drop off from the face of the earth for
months, with his wife not even knowing of his existence and whereabouts.” The attorney had looked over his shoulder at a weeping Bethany. “At least that’s what the defendant says. It’s still yet to be known whether Mrs. Tyson will be a codefendant in this matter.”
“My wife had nothing to do with this,” Uriah had shouted out before the judge slammed his gavel down and demanded order in the court. “The insurance companies aren’t the only victims. My wife and children are just as much victims, if not more.”
Bethany’s weeps grew louder as the judge ordered that Uriah be removed from the court and held in jail. He was escorted out before he could hear that the State was seeking jail time unless the defendant could pay restitution on the thousands of dollars the insurance companies had paid out. Restitution, along with probation and community service—that’s what the State wanted from Uriah. Bethany knew that would be impossible; the money part of the deal anyway. She’d spent ninety percent of the money paying off the house and all the overdue bills. The rest she’d invested to grow interest. Between the disability check she received for her medical condition and the Social Security money she and the kids received as a result of Uriah’s alleged death, she figured she could maintain. But everything had changed now, and of course, Uncle Sam wanted his money back too. Unless God had something in the works, Bethany knew that her husband would be spending the next few years in jail. Perhaps he would have been better off dead.
“Can I come in?” Mother Doreen asked after tapping on Bethany’s bedroom door.
“It’s open. Come in,” Bethany called from the other side of the door.
Mother Doreen entered the room and noticed that Bethany’s face was buried in the Bible. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her sister taking time out to seek God’s Word. It made her heart smile, but she knew not as much as it was making God’s heart smile. “Whatcha doing, Sis?” Mother Doreen walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to Bethany.
Closing the Bible, Bethany replied, “Doing something I should have never stopped doing.” She held the Bible up. “Do you know I used to read this thing religiously every day?” She let it drop to her bed. “God’s got a way of drawing you back to Him.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Mother Doreen stated.
“Are the kids home from school yet?” Bethany asked.
“You know Hudson is over there seeing that grandbaby of yours.”
“Yes, I miss my grandbaby. Haven’t seen her in three days. I can’t wait for her to come spend the weekend with us.”
“Me either,” Mother Doreen agreed.
“Is Sadie over there too? I figured her having a baby niece to tend to will keep her busy enough so she won’t get the notion of having one of her own anytime soon.”
Mother Doreen chuckled. “Actually, Sadie’s downstairs watching television. CNN.”
Bethany looked shocked. “My baby is watching CNN and not that Teen Nick: Degrassi stuff?”
“She said it’s part of an extra credit assignment.”
“She’s been doing a lot of extra credit assignments lately,” Bethany analyzed. “She’s probably just trying to keep her mind off everything going on around here. I wish I could figure out a way to keep my mind off it.” Tears filled Bethany’s eyes. “I just can’t believe Uriah’s in jail. And the bad thing about it is that a part of me wishes he’d never turned himself in. But I know we have to live by man’s laws too.”
“I know, sweetie, but even though Uriah has to pay a debt to man for what he did, God still has the final say. God’s got a way of turning things around that would blow your mind.” Mother Doreen leaned back to get comfortable. “I remember one time—” Before she could proceed with her story, an ear-deafening scream resonated throughout the house.
“Mom! Mom!” Sadie’s scream pierced through the silence.
“Oh my God! Did you hear that?” Bethany jumped up from the bed. “That was Sadie.”
Without saying another word, both Bethany and Mother Doreen ran toward the direction in which Sadie’s yelp was coming from.
“Mom! Mom!” Sadie continued to yell.
Finally Mother Doreen and Bethany made it to the television room where Sadie stood up next to the TV.
“Honey, what is it? What’s wrong?” Bethany asked her daughter as she walked over to her and immediately began examining Sadie’s body for some type of injury.
“Look! Look!” Sadie pointed the remote to the television DVR. She hit a button to rewind what she’d just seen on the television. “It’s about Dad. Watch.”
All three women stood in the room as a CNN Newsroom reporter spoke.
“It’s said that the auto dealer is going to announce a major recall here in the U.S. in the morning,” the reporter said. “At the time, the supplier of the brake hardware had only been in business six months and was offering a major discount to both auto dealers and auto supply stores. Not only did they manufacture hardware for automobiles, but some semi trucks as well. So far, seven major accidents have been reported, three of them including fatalities. The manufacturer is asking that anyone whose vehicle has its product, cease use immediately.”
The reporter then stepped to the side as words scrolled next to her on the green screen. “This is a preliminary list, so far, of the various makes, models, and some store locations that have sold the product. There are also a few garages listed where the owners have used the products on some of the vehicles they’ve repaired.”
“Look! Look! Watch! This is it!” Sadie shouted as she stood by the television and pointed.
Mother Doreen and Bethany watched the words scroll.
“See there? That’s it!” Sadie paused the television. “That’s where Dad gets his truck worked on.”
“She’s right,” Mother Doreen agreed. “I remember the paperwork from when we planned the funeral. That is the name of the company.”
“So y’all think they might have put faulty brakes on Uriah’s truck?” Bethany asked.
“Yes, Mom. So, you see, Dad is not going to have to do all that time in jail.”
“Honey,” Bethany told her daughter, “even if that supplier is responsible for the brakes going out on the truck, that has nothing to do with the decision your father made to fake his death. That still leaves the fact that he owes a lot of money to the insurance companies and the Social Security office.”
“Exactly!” Sadie said with excitement, and then hit PLAY on the DVR.
“One of the largest and most successful law firms has already started the Class Action lawsuit,” the reporter continued. “It’s reported that millions will be paid out to victims. Visit our Web site for more information.”
Both Bethany and Mother Doreen stood there with their jaws dropped.
“See? See? Everything is going to be all right,” Sadie told her mother and aunt with teary eyes. “We’re about to get paid! Daddy can accept the offer for restitution and pay back the insurance companies.” She walked over to her mother. “God worked it out, Mom. God did it.” Sadie hugged her mother as she began to cry.
“Yes, He did, honey,” Bethany agreed as tears streamed down her face. “God worked it out.”
Chapter Thirty-four
Was this déjà vu? Lorain had to ask herself as she, still half asleep, opened the door at three o’clock in the morning to find Unique standing on the other side.
“Can I come in?” Unique stood there with her arms folded.
Lorain looked hesitant.
“Don’t worry, it’s not like last time,” Unique quickly explained. “I know it’s three o’clock in the morning on a Tuesday, but I haven’t been out drinking or backsliding or anything.” Unique looked over her shoulder at the car parked outside at the curb. “My sister let me use her car. I told her it was an emergency.”
Lorain still looked hesitant. She didn’t know if she could trust this girl. For all she knew, she had a knife or gun or something in her purse and had come over to get revenge for what Lorain had done
to her as a baby.
Unique, once again, detected the hesitation in Lorain allowing her inside. “Look, I just want to talk. Tomorrow’s Wednesday. I didn’t want to have to see you in Bible Study and act all funny or trip or anything. I just want to come in and talk, that’s all.”
Finally, Lorain moved to the side to allow Unique to enter. She closed the door and locked it behind them. Turning, she saw Unique getting ready to sit on the couch. “We need to go in the kitchen. My mother’s sleeping here tonight, and I don’t want to wake her. She probably won’t wake up considering the doctor had to give her Valium, but I don’t want to take that chance.”
Unique followed Lorain into the kitchen. Without even asking Unique if she was interested, Lorain prepared each of them a cup of hot chocolate. It only took a couple of minutes because she nuked the milk in the microwave instead of waiting for a pan to boil on the stove. After adding the powered Swiss Miss with itsy-bitsy marshmallows, she stirred, then placed the two cups on the table.
“Be careful. It’s hot,” Lorain warned Unique.
Unique was silent. She simply embraced the mug in her hands, blowing on the chocolate, creating small ripples. “You know, I once had a dream,” Unique started. “Or maybe it was a fantasy . . . or just pure wishful thinking. But it was of my mother and me. Not the foster mother, not the mother who raised me, but my mother; the one whose veins pumped the same blood as mine. The one I never knew. Anyway, it was in the middle of the night. I’d had a nightmare or something, and to sooth me, I guess, she fixed me a cup of hot chocolate. She watched me drink it and told me that everything was going to be all right. It was like the life I’d lived had been nothing but a nightmare. I hadn’t really lived that life. I woke up from it with her there to tell me that everything was okay. That she loved me. That I was her little girl. Hers.” Unique fell silent, sipping some of her hot brew.
“Well,” Lorain decided to speak. Her tone was low and gentle. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
