by Pat Simmons
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The following Friday, Pepper drove into a packed parking lot at Bethesda Temple Church for the annual Good Friday concert.
“Girl, what time do you think this thing will be over?” Monica complained from the passenger seat of Pepper’s car. “It’ll be crazy getting out of here, and I hope there’s time for me to still go out to this jazz club.”
“Hush,” Pepper commanded at the same time she was able to squeeze in her car between two hefty-size SUVs. “I’m guessing a couple of hours.”
“Then add another couple of hours getting out of this shopping mall parking lot.”
Pepper shook her head as she got out of her car and examined her attire before going in. She chose a floral pastel dress and pink jacket with sleeves that ended at her elbows. She had been getting compliments since she purchased it—from the salesclerk to a guy pumping gas next to her car to Monica when she picked her up. She hoped Drake liked it, and then crossed her fingers that no one else would upstage her tonight.
The past five days had been torture without his voice, smile, and touch. She chided herself for feeling a bit of jealousy. This was what she wanted for Drake—to spend time with God.
Strutting in her stilettos, Monica kept pace with Pepper’s long legs as they crossed the parking lot to the entrance. Once inside, an usher scrambled to find them two seats together on the first floor. Monica winked when a handsome brother scooted down to make room. Monica beat Pepper in the pew to claim the seat. Amused, Pepper snickered. A moment earlier, her friend couldn’t wait for the program to end before it started, so she could leave. The usher waited until they were situated, then handed them programs and left. Pepper immediately verified the Logan Brothers were scheduled to sing. When Drake showed up at her office, she was surprised. When he gave her the invitation that listed the Logan Brothers singing at a sister church, she was floored.
It wasn’t long before the lights flickered, the drums rolled, and the trumpets blew, announcing the choir’s march into the sanctuary, singing, “Jesus Rose from the Dead.”
Almost instantly, Pepper was on her feet, clapping, Monica remained seated next to the good-looking gentleman. As Pepper sang along, she scanned the sanctuary for any sign of Drake or his brothers. Nothing. She refocused and got in the mindset of praising Jesus.
When the tempo slowed, many remained standing to the Georgia Mass Choir’s rendition of “No Greater Love.” But Pepper took her seat and perused the program again. The intermission was one song away before the special guests, the Logan Brothers, would make their appearance. Pepper’s heart thumped with anticipation.
Pepper never thought to ask Drake about the range of music his brothers sang. Lord, let Your anointing fall, she prayed as Monica nudged her.
“You think Drake would serenade you in church?” she whispered.
“Lord, I hope not.”
The master of ceremonies stepped to the podium as the organist softly played and the choir made their exit. Drake and his brothers came from another direction and climbed the steps into the pulpit area. They were all the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome in blue suits. There was not one ounce of imperfection on any of the brothers. Pepper craned her neck to see if Paige was in the audience. If so, she doubted Monica would want to change seats away from the cute brother to sit with her. Facing the stage again, Pepper wondered if Drake had pinpointed her location in the audience. Seconds later, it appeared he had as their eyes made the connection. When he winked, she smiled.
God, only You can keep me from going crazy over that man.
I can present you faultless, God spoke.
“Thank You, as long as you have my back,” Pepper said, not realizing she had spoken out loud.
“What?” Monica turned to her.
Pepper didn’t take her eyes off of the group. “Oh, I’m just talking to Jesus.”
“Humph. You better be trying to kiss and make up with that hunk on the stage, because the women in here are salivating.”
Pepper didn’t feel threatened. She wanted things to work out between her and Drake, but she couldn’t get past her stipulations, which really weren’t hers, were they, but God’s? The only thing she could do was watch and pray.
To Pepper’s relief, there were no solos as Drake and his brothers sang two songs. She closed her eyes, and through the musical instruments and the brothers’ harmonizing, Pepper recognized Drake’s voice. As the song ended, Pepper’s lids fluttered open and she dreaded the sight. Drake was about to take center stage.
The man was dangerous with a microphone in his hand. Monica nudged her. “Here comes your encore performance.”
Pepper groaned and held her breathing, hoping by telepathy that Drake knew she would hurt him if he pulled another stunt like that again.
“I would like to dedicate this song to a special person in my life. It would be safe to say I took God for granted. He sent a wonderful woman in my life…”
Please don’t say it. Please leave me out of this. Pepper was experiencing a pre-menopausal moment as a hot flash came over her.
“Since my lady’s bashful, I won’t call her out—this time—but thank you for showing me your passion for Christ.”
With tears clouding her vision, Pepper mouthed her thank you. Drake nodded, then bowed his head. When he began to sing, “How Great Thou Art”, he held the audience captive. The Logan Brothers’ harmony was unmatched.
Before long, the congregation was on their feet with lifted hands. The awe of the Holy Ghost fell. Drake’s melodious words faded and an explosion of holy tongues filled his mouth. The movement of the Holy Ghost was swift as it swept through the sanctuary.
Some shouted praises of hallelujah; others wept in worship. Pepper was no exception as her tears fell unchecked. The power was so commanding that it could cause the dead to stir. People were laying hands on others for prayer, healing, and other manifestations of the Holy Ghost.
The phrase “program subject to change” that was usually printed in tiny font at the bottom of program booklets really did manifest that night. The Spirit was still moving when the choir returned. An hour or so later, the mistress of ceremonies concluded the concert, but not without more musical selections and bouts of praise.
“Praise God for His mercy, everybody,” the mistress of ceremonies said. “We have several candidates that want to be baptized in Jesus’ name tonight, so they can rise with Him in the resurrection. Let’s praise God because they have repented of their sins. This may take a while. If you need to leave, then may God bless you and protect you until we meet again. For those who will stay for the baptism, take off your seatbelts because we are going to do some rejoicing tonight for what God is about to do in these people’s lives.”
Monica didn’t move as she sat next to the brother she introduced to Pepper as Al. Pepper shook her head in amusement. She guessed if Al got up to leave, Monica would, too.
Three ministers were standing in the pool waiting on the baptismal candidates. Pepper started counting until she recognized the build and what facial features she could identify from a distance. It was Drake.
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as tears spilled. Her heart pounded as she counted down the seconds to what she was about to witness. One minister in the pool lifted his hand. “My dear brother, Drake Logan, upon the confession of your sins and the confidence that we have concerning the death, burial, and grand resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I now indeed baptize you in the name under heaven by which men must be saved and the name that causes demons to tremble and that name is Jesus for the remission of your sins. Amen.”
Drake was dunked under the water and almost leaped up with a roar of praise. Pumping his fist in the air, he shouted, “Hallelujah.”
“Hallelujah,” Pepper repeated. She tried to clap the loudest. When the anointing touched her, Pepper joined others dancing in the aisles as they praised God for the souls saved. Every muscle in her body got a complete workout. Later that ni
ght at home, she collapsed in bed without removing her church clothes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sleeping like a baby after rejoicing all night, Pepper was annoyed by the ringing of the phone. Not bothering to open her eyes, Pepper fumbled for the phone. “Hello.”
“I never knew. I never knew that one-on-one experience with God still existed,” Drake said in awe.
Pepper opened her eyes and smiled. Her Holy Ghost experience many years ago was still fresh in her mind. It was one of those moments a person never forgot, but it was hard to explain. Pepper scooted up and adjusted the cordless on her shoulder. During the middle of the night, she had gotten up and changed into her pajamas. She glanced at the clock: 5:56 A.M.
“Although, it has been a while since I attended your church, I still remember your pastor asking the question, ‘How can you neglect so great a salvation?’ When I really thought about it, I couldn’t.”
For more than an hour, Pepper cried, prayed and rejoiced with Drake, then he rushed her off the phone so he could shower and dress before coming to get her and taking her to breakfast.
At eight-thirty, Drake rang the bell. They embraced almost immediately after Pepper opened her door. As the hug lingered, Pepper silently praised God for Drake’s salvation again. When they pulled away, Pepper sniffed. Drake cupped her face before delivering an explosive kiss on her lips. He nibbled until she giggled.
“Am I breakfast?”
“Yeah, you are,” he whispered, “but I need real food. Are you ready to go to The Boathouse in Forest Park?”
“When I checked online, The Boathouse serves brunch, not breakfast.”
He wiggled a brow. “Then I guess we have a lot to talk about until then.”
“Definitely.” After another tight embrace, Pepper grabbed her jacket and purse then locked up. They strolled hand in hand to the car. During the half-hour ride to Forest Park, home to the Muny, an outdoor theater that hosted summer plays, Drake talked nonstop about his experience with Jesus.
“You know, babe, when you mentioned the Holy Ghost, the subject always seemed foreign to me. Last night, we were all in the prayer room together, praising God and testifying about our experiences when a difference language of tongues exploded around me. A few people had the interpretation, but a couple of altar workers referred us to 1 Corinthians 14:28 where it said when there is no interpretation, the conversation is between me and God. So I guess last night, it was about me and Jesus.” He grinned. “But this morning when I prayed, God took control of my tongues again and I heard Him say He was pleased.” Drake paused. “I can’t explain how that made me feel to know Jesus and I were having this one-on-one talk.”
Pepper didn’t interrupt as she allowed Drake to express the overwhelming jubilation of experiencing a special closeness with God. She glanced at her watch. They still had more than an hour, so they toured the Jewel House nearby, which she described as a solarium, popular for weddings.
Although Pepper was full of happiness, she was drained from the energy it took to walk up the inclines in the park. She suggested they head to the restaurant at the Post-Dispatch Lake. “This is beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” His eyes worshipped her. Although there was a small crowd gathered, they didn’t have to wait to go inside, but Drake stopped her. “I can honestly say I love Jesus.” He smiled. “And I can honestly say I’m in love with you.”
Pepper swallowed. Her eyes misted as she stepped closer. “Somewhere between you paying for my Shirley Temple and this very moment, I succumbed to fate and fell hard for you, but I was kicking and screaming about it because I felt like I was compromising.”
“Sweetheart,” he wrapped his arms around her waist, “A woman should never compromise.” He brushed a kiss on her lips. “I wouldn’t and you didn’t either.”
“Thank you. Without you physically lifting me, you’ve been carrying my heart. I love you, too.”
Drake snickered. “Really? I can sweep you off your feet right now and carry you to our table.”
“Don’t you dare, please. Will I always be on guard of your antics in public?”
He opened the door and allowed her to walk in first. As she glanced over her shoulder, he brushed a kiss on her lips. “I am a man in love and cannot be held responsible for my actions.”
“You better be.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Not even a week later
“Sweetheart, Paige has been bugging me about double dating again,” Drake mentioned during their daily call while they both were at work. Their daily routine included sharing a scripture over the phone every morning. Pepper had changed his life, and it all started with that dress.
The night of the Good Friday concert, Drake realized simply saying he was sorry for his wrongdoing was just the beginning of his Christian work. It was a daily affirmation that began with getting up a few minutes early to pray and read his Bible. Having Pepper in his life was truly a blessing from God.
“Hmmm, on one condition.”
“Name it.” His woman was always the bargainer.
“Find out what Paige is wearing. If it’s black, I’ll put on white.”
“Gotcha.” He laughed. “That’s easy.”
The following Saturday night, despite their coordinated efforts, Paige and Pepper wore red dresses. Pepper had changed her mind at the last minute. As they were seated at Bristol restaurant, Paige joked.
“I really did plan to wear black, but my honey saw me in this, and the rest is history, but I see we do have the same taste when it comes to men—the Logan brothers.”
Drake wrapped his arms around Pepper’s shoulder. “There’s no comparison. She definitely has the better man.”
Epilogue
“I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to go to Six Flags or when the neighborhood carnivals come to town,” Pepper said to Drake as they window-shopped at St. Louis Mills one Saturday.
“I’ll take you to as many as you want, even if it’s every weekend.” It was early spring, so the amusement park season was just beginning.
“Watch it, Drake Logan. I might hold you to that.” Pepper nudged him playfully.
As they strolled through the food court to get to the other side of the mall, they decided to grab a bite to eat. Pepper liked the Mills because it was a family-oriented mall. Besides the movie theater, the St. Louis Blues team practiced at the ice hockey rink that was part of the complex, the Indy 500 Speedway had miniature bumper cars that were a popular attraction, and the kiddie locomotive that gave passengers a ride around the Mills reminded Pepper of a scene from Alice in Wonderland.
“How about Subway? That ought to hold us until we eat dinner later,” Drake suggested. After they ordered and selected a spot, Drake reached across the table and held Pepper’s hands as he blessed their food, always ending with his thanks to God for his salvation and Pepper.
They did very little talking as they people-watched, especially the children whose eyes lit up at the lure of a colorful full scale carousel in the center of the food court. Drake also seemed fascinated as if the ride was bringing back childhood memories.
As the carousel geared up for another round of fun-seekers, Pepper and Drake quietly watched. Then Drake wrapped up his trash and swiped hers off the table. “Come on, let’s go.”
“You’re ready to leave already?”
“No, let’s take a ride.” He was already heading toward the food court’s center of attraction.
“What? You can’t be serious?” Pepper giggled, but felt a rush of excitement as her heart pounded at the impromptu entertainment. “The only adults on board are protecting their children from falling.”
Drake squeezed her hand. “Do you want me to go borrow somebody’s child in order for you to ride with me?”
“You probably would bribe some mother too. You have no shame, Mr. Logan.”
“Now that’s an idea—bribery.” He teased, biting his bottom lip. “Why wait for the carnivals to come to town when we ca
n take a ride now?” A few minutes later, they stood in line waiting for their turn after Drake paid their admission. When the carousel stopped and let its passengers off, the two scrambled to claim their horses.
“You know that little boy was eying this one,” she fussed at Drake in a whisper.
Drake shrugged and caught her off guard as he swept her off her feet and positioned her on a horse. She held on to the pole as the carousel began. It was a carefree moment she would never forget. They didn’t get off until after Drake paid for two more rounds.
“That was fun.” Pepper laughed.
“It was. Come on, let’s finish our window shopping.”
Pepper was content as they talked and walked. When they passed a bridal shop, Drake lingered at the window as if he was in a trance.
“What’s wrong?”
“I always wondered what my wife would look like on our wedding day. Will her hair be curled, straight, or in a bob? Will her eyes sparkle all the way to the altar? How would she smell? Would her skin be soft? Would she trust me to love her…”
Pepper believed that Drake had forgotten about her presence. Still, she was intrigued and moved by the sincerity of his words. She touched his arm. Drake looked at her with the oddest expression. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I see you in that dress,” he said with such awe.
“Me?” She pointed to her chest. “Not in that. I can do better than that.”
“The day I saw you in that green dress, I knew I wanted you. Today as I look at this wedding grown, I realize I don’t want to see any other woman in it, but you.”
Pepper’s eyes misted. She was speechless. She didn’t want to assume he was proposing. “What are you saying?”
