by Tyora Moody
Too late. The twins went into action. Each tried to push a church bulletin into Amos’ hand. He was an eligible bachelor and if young women had it bad, women our age certainly had some slim pickings from the male population.
I wasn’t looking myself. God had sent me enough trouble, and I wasn’t trying to look for more.
I sped ahead of Amos down the aisle. We came to church together, but I didn’t have time for wagging tongues. I had more serious matters to be worried about.
We arrived a little late, so I had to make my way down near the front of the already filled pews. I forgot it was the Sunday to honor the graduates, so more occupants were in the sanctuary than usual.
Good thing I had on my comfy shoes. Tyric was getting a little tiresome to hold and I had to create an alternative diaper bag on the fly. That meant I stuffed diapers and bottles in my own bag which already held a drugstore supply. I’m sure the bulging bag didn’t label me a fashion diva. I wasn’t trying to compete with the First Lady or the elite section of the church, but unfortunately that’s where I had to sit this morning.
One head after the other turned to watch as I squeezed my way into the pew. Even when the Missionary Baptist Gospel Choir started singing many people still broke their necks to look in my direction. My cheekbones burned from smiling so hard. These are the benefits of attending a small church. Everybody wanted to be in your business.
Then it hit me. By now most of the congregation probably heard about Mary’s demise. Years ago, Mary and I sat on the same pew, taking turns pinching each other’s children when they got out of order. Those days were precious and now gone forever. My stubbornness caused me to lose more than I imagined.
It really did get bad between us, with some folks in the church choosing sides.
Sometimes it paid to leave other folks out of your business. Didn’t Paul say somewhere to talk to that person and work it out? I should’ve paid better attention to that bible lesson. Maybe Mary wouldn’t have left the church.
“Hello, Miss Eugeena.”
Too busy trying to get Kisha and myself seated I didn’t notice Tamara on the pew beside us. “Hey honey. It’s so good to see you visiting Missionary.” I’d sent out the invitation to her a few times. That Carmen too. It was hard to get young people in church sometime. Missionary Baptist wasn’t the most innovative or contemporary, but we loved to praise the Lord.
“Are these your grandchildren?” Tamara had her eyes on Kisha and then swung them to Tyric who amazingly still slept like a log. “Can I hold him?”
“Well …” I’d just met my own grandson last night. I’m not sure how he would react to a stranger. “Sure, why not.” I passed Tyric’s sleeping body over to Tamara. She looked at him adoringly and then brushed her hands against his face.
I cringed thinking the baby would start screeching. If he did, I would have to grab all our stuff and march right back up the aisle, past the twins, and to the nursery.
Like a trooper, Tyric slept on.
Tamara will make a good mama someday.
The choir picked up the pace of the song with some down home clapping.
Praise the Lord. Everybody ought to praise the Lord.
I looked down at the sweet little one beside me. Kisha clapped her tiny hands off beat to the song and sang, “Praise the Low. Praise the Low.”
I tapped Kisha’s shoulder. “It’s Lord.”
Precious thing smiled and kept right on clapping, “Praise the Low.”
Don’t know if you call it déjà-vu, but I recalled a similar memory with Leesa.
Sitting on the other side of Kisha, Amos bopped his head from side to side. I was surprised he’d chosen to sit on the same pew as us. This was the first time in awhile I’d seen him without a hat. He had a perfectly round bald head, no dents or lumps.
Coming to church this morning had to be difficult for him. He used to come faithfully before his wife died, pushing her down the aisle in a wheelchair during the latter part of her illness.
Deacon Moses shuffled to and then kneeled at the altar. Fifteen minutes later, Kisha wiggled beside me. I thought about pinching her, but then it crossed my mind that I wanted to pinch the deacon. I believed Deacon Moses should have long been finished with that prayer. Really, the man repeated the same request for forgiveness three times. He obviously had a bad week, but did we all need to hear about it.
Oh Lord Jesus, forgive me.
Actually every time the deacon mentioned forgiveness, all I could think about was poor Mary. Her blank eyes stared at me from my memory of finding her ... Was it only yesterday? It felt like a week ago. Now Mary would never know how sorry I was for my stubborn refusal to see the truth.
Tears flooded my eyes and sorrow enveloped my soul.
A flash of gold caught my eyes from the left. It was the offering plate on the move down the pew. At the end of both pews, one of twins was positioned. I felt a little safe being in the middle, but their stares still bothered me.
Tamara passed Tyric back to me. I looked down at his face, really a stranger to me, but he’d taken to me and me to him. I turned to tell Tamara thank you, but she had already reached the end of the pew. She sprinted toward the back. Either she had a bathroom run or was upset about something.
I pulled dollar bills out the side of my pocket book. The pile of money on the offering plate reminded me of what was hidden in my closet back home. I prayed that girl hadn’t robbed a bank or worse. What was really crazy? Why did she leave the money? When I realized Leesa had left Kisha’s booster seat and Tyric’s carrier in my car I’d almost lost it. What was the girl up to?
I laid my thoughts aside as Pastor Jones stood up. The big man hadn’t said a single word, but his ebony forehead glistened under the chandelier that hung above the pulpit. This sermon must be a doozy.
“Church, what do you do when trouble comes? That’s my message this morning.”
My ears pricked up. Trouble had been chasing me for the past twenty-four hours. I wanted God to pull me out the hot grease before I got burned to a crisp.
“From the book of Job, we are familiar with the calamities that hit Job. One by one, his world was rocked. But ole’ Job, he kept his faith in the Lord. If you remember from the passage, his friends came by with their own opinions. Not much help.”
No, they weren’t. I moved Tyric to my other arm. It’s been awhile since I held a child. This child had a heavy head. I always thought it was peculiar the way young mamas carried their child in them carriers. I should’ve brought the carrier in with me. I just about had no feeling in my arm.
“Church, you can’t listen to folks around you. You have to keep your ears tuned into God. We don’t know what his plans are for us, but he knows best.”
Something stirred inside me as Pastor Jones continued. Job was really disappointed in his friends. Instead of being there for him after he had lost it all, the know-it-alls just picked the poor man apart.
I had a friend who was a good person and meant well. Due to my own self-righteousness, I turned my back on her. Now she was gone. Forever.
My world had shifted. I’m glad God was in control because the feeling in the pit of my stomach told me, Sistah, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Chapter 9
I hated to say I should have seen the ambush coming, but I didn’t. Between Pastor Jones’ sermon, my loss of a dear friend and a MIA daughter, I forgot to prepare myself.
Holding Mr. Amos’ hand, Kisha had skipped ahead of me. The sight warmed my heart. As I recalled, Amos had grandkids of his own, but they lived somewhere on the west coast. I’m not even sure if I’d seen any of his kids since his wife died.
Before I reached the vestibule to shake the pastor’s hand, the twins cornered me.
“It’s a sad thing.” Annie Mae shook her head.
This puzzled me, “What’s sad?”
“You know?”
I turned towards Willie Mae. She had a lopsided smile on her face. I wish I knew where this conversation wa
s headed. Those two old biddies were dropping hints like we were in the twilight zone or something.
Other members pushed past us, some giving us ugly looks. It wasn’t my fault the twins decided to interrogate me in the middle of the church aisle.
Willie Mae leaned down and cupped her mouth, whispering. “Mary. It’s a shame about her death.”
“Yeah, we heard you found her.” Annie Mae’s breath floated across my nostrils, a mixture of coffee and tobacco. I didn’t dare inhale again until she moved out my line of breathing. Annie Mae posed as the saint of all saints, but she couldn’t lay down her stronghold with chewing tobacco.
I took two steps backward since Annie Mae insisted on breathing toxic fumes over me. “Yes. Look I’m still ... well, I can’t talk right now.”
Willie Mae pulled her arm down in front of me like a stop sign on a bus. Why wouldn’t these two leave me be and let me pass?
“Honey, you okay? Maybe you should sit down. This must be a shock to you seeing how you two used to be such good friends.”
I didn’t want to and wouldn’t sit down. “I’m fine. Yes, I’m going to miss her.”
“You two never did make up. Oh, but I guess that would’ve been hard considering Mary had a breakdown and everything.” Willie Mae smiled, but her words sliced through the air like a Ninja going in for the kill.
That was her mistake. Mary and I weren’t close for the past five years, but she was a godly person. A bigger woman than I ever could be. I wouldn’t stand for her name to be smeared even before her body was laid in her final resting place.
“Now you two listen here. If I’m not mistaken both of y’all have been through some tough times.” I pointed at each sister, looking them both in the eyes. Annie Mae, her one good eye.
“Mary lost her family and she had a right to grieve. She wasn’t crazy and I won’t hear anything like that come from either of you again.”
Sucking in her breath, Willie Mae touched her chest. “Oh now Eugeena, Annie Mae and I loved Mary as much as you. We know she had it hard. Calm down.”
“Yeah, we were really concerned about you finding her body. The cops must have really wanted to talk to you.”
Oh my Lord!
If I wasn’t still standing in the church sanctuary, I would’ve ... well. I was scared of my thoughts. God said pour good on your enemies head. I needed to walk away now before applying that principle slipped my mind. “Have a blessed afternoon, ladies.”
Before I took two steps, Willie Mae’s voice rang out. “You know the cops been asking questions. We’re church folks and we can’t cover up the truth.”
Annie Mae agreed, “No sister, that wouldn’t be right in the eyes of God.”
I didn’t bother to turn around. I couldn’t. I would’ve seen the same self-righteous smirk on those two women I had seen so many times before. Plus, I was holding my new grandbaby. No time for foolishness. I had enough of that to deal with when I returned home.
Besides I had nothing to hide from the police. So I got angry with an old friend, fussed her out in the church parking lot and then ignored her existence for months. Months turned to years of indifference. I had plenty of opportunities to reconcile our friendship. It became easier to leave the past alone as time went by.
Finally, I reached the pastor. Pastor George Jones was probably my favorite pastor ever. His father, Rev. Tennessee Jones, the one who co-founded this church and who remained the pastor most of the thirty-some years I attended had gone on to glory late last year. His son was about the age of my oldest son and appeared to be holding his own. This couldn’t be an easy assignment for a man in his late-thirties. Most of the congregation knew him when he’d sported nothing but a diaper.
“Sister Patterson, how are you and who’s this cute little fellow?” Pastor Jones touched Tyric’s little hand. Now awake, Tyric peered up at the preacher, looking puzzled by the new face.
“My… my grandchild.” I croaked. I wanted to tell the pastor I could give ole’ Job some competition about having the worst day of your life, but that wasn’t entirely true. Just felt that way. My soul was troubled and even now more so thanks to Willie Mae and Annie Mae. Instead I said, “Pastor Jones, your sermon this morning was something else.”
“I’m glad you liked it, Sister. I am terribly sorry to hear about Sister Fleming’s passing. That’s an awful way to leave this world. I know God has her in his arms.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that. Mary was a dear soul.”
“Well, I spoke to Mary’s eldest sister this morning before service. It looks like the funeral will be on Thursday. She did have a request. Sister Patterson, would you be willing to say a few words on behalf of the church?”
Me?
I remembered Mary’s sister, Natalie. Hadn’t seen her in years. From what I remember, both sisters weren’t that close. Surely, she would know I was not the person who needed to be speaking at her sister’s funeral.
I stared at Pastor Jones. He was pastoring at another church during the time Mary and I had our falling out. Maybe he doesn’t know about the blow up between us. There were few members who didn’t know. I could imagine the smirks on the twins’ faces from the front row on Thursday. Could I even stand beside Mary’s casket and call myself having words to say? The entire scenario seemed a tiny bit awkward.
“Pastor, I don’t know if I’m the right person to speak at her funeral.”
“I know it will be a hard time for you. But please consider. I think you would be the perfect person.”
“Thank you, Pastor. I appreciate you asking me.”
After I stepped outside, it took me a few moments to get adjusted to the early afternoon sun. I used my free hand to wipe some moisture from my eyes. I couldn’t blame it on my bifocals. Through my rapid blinking, I saw the parking lot was pretty empty except for a few cars. I appreciated not having anyone see how torn up I really felt.
Amos smiled when he saw me, but his face changed to concern. “Everything alright?”
“I’m fine. Thanks for looking out for Kisha.”
“My pleasure.”
I buckled Tyric in the car seat and then made sure little Kisha was fastened into her booster seat. I’m happy they have all these safety measures these days. I shudder to think of all the ways my own children traveled in the car.
I still couldn’t believe the audacity of my daughter. Couldn’t she have asked me instead of assuming I would keep her kids while she was Lord knows where?
Amos drove up beside me in his truck. We came in separate vehicles, but he’d followed me over to the church. “You sure you are doing okay, Eugeena?”
He really was a sweet man. “I’m fine, Amos. I hope you enjoyed service this morning.”
“Sure did. I will follow y’all to make sure you get home safe.”
Amos seemed determined to act as my guardian angel. I can’t say I was complaining. After all, I was the one whining to God about being lonely. Have to be careful what you pray for sometimes.
In about ten minutes, I pulled into the driveway of my house. There were still no signs of Leesa’s Altima anywhere. It was the car her dad gave her, probably the last gift she’d received from her dad before he passed. I gave her credit for at least keeping up with the car. It was paid in full and there wasn’t a need for her not to maintain it.
As I unbuckled Tyric, I heard raised voices in the distance. Sounded like a man and a woman. Not wanting to be nosy, I peered through the back window of the car. Across the street, Tamara was waving her hands in a man’s face. Come to think about it, Tamara never did return to her seat after the offering. She must have left the church and went home.
I could only see the man from the backside, but I assumed he must be her husband.
With Kisha dawdling behind me and Tyric in my arms, I glanced back over at the couple. The man proceeded to get in the red sports car, and backed out the driveway. He took off down the street, burning rubber in the process. Poor Tamara stood with her arms folded. If I di
dn’t have the children with me, I would’ve walked over to her. Married life was hard. I should know. As much misery as it brought me I missed Ralph.
Tyric started wailing. Must have meant it was time to eat. I decided to try to reach out to Tamara later.
We had only been in the house all of fifteen minutes when the doorbell rang.
Now who could that be?
Maybe Tamara came over to vent.
Still holding Tyric, who seemed to have become a member of my body, I peeked through the door’s peephole. My visitor’s eyes were hidden behind dark shades, but I could tell from her stance it was a very official visit.
Chapter 10
When I opened the door, I almost expected Detective Wilkes to pull out handcuffs and start spouting my Miranda rights. But of course that would be silly. I didn’t do anything. Still, her showing up at my house a second time in two days couldn’t be good.
I’m sure by now she’d talked to a lot of people and heard all kinds of stories. Especially if Willie Mae or Annie Mae had a chance to bend the detective’s ear for a minute or two. Those drama-starting queens.
“Mrs. Patterson, I’m sorry to catch you after church. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Sure, why don’t you come in? I do need to get these children something to eat if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Take your time.” Detective Wilkes grinned at Kisha and reached her hand out to touch her head. “Hey cutie.”
Kisha shrank back from the detective. Her caramel skin proceeded to radiate a reddish glow followed by an ear-piercing scream. Little Tyric decided to join in with his own squall.
“Good heavens, Kisha. Is that called for?”
Two hysterical kids were going to work my nerves in the worst way possible. I could see the headline now, “Grandmother Loses it in Front of Cop.” I wanted Leesa to pick up her children, not Child Protective Services.
After thirty minutes, I had the two howlers fed and settled down for naps. Maybe I would be allowed an afternoon siesta. Pulling the covers over my head for awhile would be what Eugeena ordered for herself.
