by Pat Simmons
They shared a laugh before she gave him a big hug, then his mother became serious. “There’s one more reason for her to be reserved, if she is a smart woman. We live in a time where men want children—boys and girls—for sexual fantasies and are more attracted to them than the mother. That might be in the back of her mind, and the only thing that can change her is prayer and God revealing your heart to her.”
“You’re right. I never thought of that.” Christian spoke to his brothers and dad. “I’m going home. I didn’t know kids could wear a person out.” Christian headed for the door as his family whooped and cackled behind him.
Later that night, Christian checked the time before calling Joy. He had waited long enough, but he had to speak with her. “Did I disturb you?” he asked when she answered.
“Just relaxing, doing absolutely nothing. I just checked on Mrs. Thomas, and she can’t wait to see Baby Jesus’ house in the morning.”
“I hope I didn’t go overboard.”
“No. The children love it. They keep asking where He is.”
“What did you tell them?” Christian recalled their endless questions, too as they worked.
“That He hasn’t been born yet.” Joy paused. “Listen, about church…I hope you weren’t disappointed that I didn’t make it.” She sighed heavily. “It’s not easy with small children.”
“I’m starting to understand, but the doors are always open, and you do have your personal chauffeur.”
“Really? I thought that was a one-time deal.”
“Joy, I’m here as long as you want. As a matter of fact, why don’t you ask God why I’m in your life.”
She grunted. “I told you, He doesn’t answer my prayers.”
“Somehow, I think He will answer that and others to follow.”
“Hmm.” She cleared her throat. “I never got a chance to ask you about the women’s underwear thing you and Mrs. Thomas were discussing.”
Imagining what was probably going through Joy’s mind, Christian snickered. “It was the brainchild of one of our clients, Stacy Clark, who felt women juggled enough in their hands with a purse and children. It’s a bra with compartments for keys, a credit card and cash and even a cell phone.”
Joy erupted into a fit of laughter. “No, you’re kidding me.” She sniffed, then started giggling. Once Joy caught her breath, she admitted that was a good idea. “I could use one myself.”
“Then you’ll have to buy it yourself, Miss Knight. That is one item I am not bringing to your door,” Christian said sternly and meant it.
“Okay, what else does your firm invest in?”
“Everything. We’re developing a device that will allow drivers to wash their cars by pushing a button inside a car, then my favorite is a programmable lawn mower that will cut your grass like a remote control car.”
“Stop it. People seriously come up with this stuff?”
“Yep, and if it’s a good plan, we invest in the production and marketing. Inventions drive our economy.”
“Wow, I’m impressed.” She paused. He could hear Bethani tell her aunt good night. “Night, sweetie. I love you,” Joy responded, shuffling the phone, maybe to hug her niece. “Sorry, I’m back, now tell me more about these brainy ideas.”
“A brainy idea, Miss Knight, could net the investors millions of dollars in profit. However, one time an obese woman came to our office and said the clothing industry should make pants that talk.”
Christian would never forget the lady who had to tip the scale at four hundred pounds, and asked for seconds on the refreshments they served during their meeting. “She wanted to program tops and pants to calculate how many calories she could have a day, and when she was close to maxing out, her clothes would say something like, “Warning, warning. Two more bites and you will bust out of your pants.”
Joy whooped and gagged for air. Christian joined her until a tear escaped his eye. He shared more funny stories, then Joy took a deep breath and became serious. “I think that we should proceed with caution. Mr. Christmas is all the children talk about when you’re gone.”
“What about you? Do you at least think about me?” Christian gripped the phone. He didn’t want to miss a word.
“I’d rather keep my thoughts to myself—for now.”
That wasn’t what Christian wanted to hear, but he had to accept it. “Okay. Well, I’d better say good night.”
They disconnected. Christian smiled and whispered, “Momma, I listened to every word you said today. I won’t pressure Joy, but the woman really needs to drive this relationship building at a faster speed.”
Chapter 14
Monday was crazy at work as Christian sat in the boardroom with his brothers. They readjusted their budget for the remaining four weeks until Christmas.
“Thanksgiving was definitely a success,” Christian said, trying to focus, but his mind was never far away from Joy and the children. “Hey, do we know anyone connected with Capital Community Bank?”
Nathan frowned and reflected a few minutes. “I don’t know. Why?”
“Joy is in foreclosure.”
“Bro, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but unless you’re praying God’s will, don’t do it,” Nathan advised.
“Joy hasn’t asked,” Christian said, knowing his brother thought he would pay her mortgage.
“Well, if she does, don’t be stupid,” Dave chimed. “You know that’s what happened between me and Alicia, and she didn’t have any children. I was so blind that the woman got an expensive car and a down payment on a condo. Talk about stuck on stupid.” David tapped his chest. “That was me.”
“Prayer is more valuable than money, and I know I’m in God’s will concerning Joy, and I plan to stay there.” Christian slapped his table, using his hand as if it was a gavel and ending any more talk of Joy. “Next topic for discussion.”
When the meeting concluded, Christian went to his office. He wanted to woo Joy and the children. For some unknown reason, the lyrics of The Twelve days of Christmas song came to mind. Christian wondered how he could replace those corny gifts with something more meaningful. There was also the time element. During this time of year, he was busy.
Crossing his arms, Christian wondered who he could he get to help. Just then one of his interns strolled pass his door. Calling her name, Christian waved Tina into his office and told her to have a seat.
“I have a special project if you have free time. It may sound like a simple task, but creativity is the key to pulling this off.” Christian proceeded to give her instructions. “I’ll have my assistant give you the petty cash credit card. I want you to buy a fruit basket and add small gift boxes. Put a card, with a scripture pertaining to God’s gifts, inside each one.” He wrote down Joy’s address where he wanted it delivered.
“Make sure on the name tags you put Joy, Jada, Bethani, Darla, Shane and Baby Jesus…and Mrs. Thomas,” Christian added, “And oh, make sure you have more boxes for the Lord than the others…”
Writing furiously, Tina seemed excited about the project. “Anything else, sir?”
“Yes, please do the same thing each week leading up to Christmas. I know this is not part of your job description, but expect a monetary bonus for Christmas.”
“Thank you, Mr. Andersen.” She grinned brightly. With a mock salute, the intern scurried out of his office to do his bidding.
Christian had his hand on the phone to call Capital Community Bank, then Joy when his secretary knocked and barged through his door. “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Andersen, but the board of directors is calling for an emergency meeting within the hour. Your brothers asked that you meet them back in the boardroom ASAP.”
Frowning, Christian stood. “Now what?”
Leaving his office, he hurried down the hall and turned the corner. Nathan was pacing the boardroom as Christian cleared the doorway. Before he could ask what the emergency was, Nathan froze and blurted out, “Our senior executive at Charity for Kids was indicted this morning for misma
nagement of funds.”
“What?” Christian groaned and flopped in a nearby chair. Rubbing his face, Christian couldn’t believe it. Charity for Kids’ donations this time of year could rival the Salvation Army. Any whisper of wrongdoing could cause contributions to drop. “Okay, before the board members get here, we need to pray first, because more than one hundred families were depending on those funds.” With their heads bowed, Nathan led them in prayer.
***
That evening, Joy dragged herself through her garage door into the kitchen. Arriving home an hour later than normal, she was exhausted and hungry. Voices from the living room headed her way.
“Hi, Mommy,” Jada greeted her, clutching her favorite pillow, which she had supposedly given to Baby Jesus. Chuckling, Joy knew that Jada wasn’t going to go without that for long.
“We got presents. See.” Jada nudged her toward the living room.
Bethani stood from the makeshift nativity scene. Tiny boxes were scattered on top of the garland. “Where did these come from?”
“We got a special delivery basket with shiny fruit and nuts and these pretty little gifts. There were even two boxes for me,” Mrs. Thomas explained and then blushed.
“And Baby Jesus got the most presents,” Darla said excitedly.
“Christian,” Joy surmised.
Mrs. Thomas nodded.
“Well, the next month should be interesting.” Joy needed some good news, considering the bank hadn’t gotten back to her.
“He seems like a nice man. Let him make your life interesting,” Mrs. Thomas advised. Before going home, she said, “See you tomorrow, if it’s the Lord’s will.”
“The Lord’s will,” Joy repeated, just realizing that until Christian said it, she had brushed it aside coming from her neighbor. This was the first day she hadn’t spoken to him since Thanksgiving. If she had energy after checking Bethani’s homework, devoting time with the other three and performing menial tasks that she couldn’t remember at the moment, maybe she would call him. Hours later when she had somewhat of downtime and craved to hear Christian’s voice, she phoned him.
“Hi, my Joy to the world,” Christian answered.
Closing her eyes, Joy smiled as she allowed the warmth of his words to cocoon her. “Hi, Mr. Christmas,” she teased. “Thank you for the basket. It seems strange not to see or talk to you within twenty-four hours.”
“You’re welcome. I know, but my day went downhill at the office before I could call you.”
Concerned, Joy frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Have you heard of Charity for Kids?”
“Yes.”
“That’s one of our nonprofits and the director was indicted for embezzlement. We’re talking about a lot of money. His timing couldn’t be worse. It is a mess. My family and the board of directors met this morning then held a press conference this afternoon. Our call center was slammed with calls from donors threatening to pull funding.”
Christian sounded almost defeated. Joy hurt for him. If she could kiss and make it better like she did her children, she would. Putting her financial troubles on the back burner, Joy asked if there was anything she could do.
“Yes. Will you fast and pray with me? This is more than about money. People need to believe that when they give, it goes for the intended purpose to help those who need it most.”
“Fast and pray?” Evidently, he forgot to whom he was talking. Not only did she not attend church, but how effective were her prayers? “Christian, you’re saying miss a meal?”
“Yeah, baby—I mean, Joy—that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes prayers alone aren’t enough.”
“And the purpose is…”
“Mainly to gather spiritual strength to go up against the demons that wreak havoc in our lives as mentioned in Matthew 17:23. Plus, we can become intercessors for those people who are in situations who need help from prayer partners.”
His explanations sounded good, but miss a meal? She didn’t have enough energy as it was already, but how could she not be there for him? “Well, although I like the sound of being your baby—” It had been so long since the endearing term was directed at her. “I do have reservations about the fasting and praying part. How long do is a fast?”
“Twenty-four hours is the norm without food and water, but some skip breakfast, lunch and pray before dinner,” he explained.
Missing breakfast, the most important meal of the day? Joy sighed. The line was silent as Christian waited for her response. She sighed and gnawed on her bottom lip. “O-okay…I’ll give it my best shot.”
“Thank you.” He seemed relieved. “I guess we’d better hang up. I know you’re probably tired…”
Joy shook her head, not ready to end their connection. She’d rather listen to his voice until she fell asleep.
“And I’m drained…”
Of course. She chided herself for being selfish.
“But I want you to know since I have your permission to call you baby, I won’t make you regret giving me that privilege. Do you want us to pray together?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head. She enjoyed hearing him.
“Father, in the name of Jesus, we come boldly to Your throne of grace, thanking You for the blood You shed for our sins, and the blessings You give us that we don’t deserve. Jesus, the all wise God, You know when things are out of our control. This situation is not our doing, but I’m asking You to dispatch Your angels to fight our battles on behalf of all the families who need You and in Jesus’ name, we thank You. Amen.
“Amen,” Joy repeated and sniffed. She felt the emotions behind each of his words. “I’ll be praying for you tomorrow.” She blinked. What made her say that? Her prayers didn’t work. Maybe now since she was willing to push away her plate, God would hear her. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, babe.”
Closing her eyes, Joy drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 15
The following morning, Joy woke up smiling as she recalled how Christian had called her baby, then she frowned, dreading that she couldn’t eat most of the day. When she got on her knees and said her usual prayer for strength to make it, she added and paused, waiting for more words to come. She strained her mind to think of something eloquent to say. Finally, she said, “Christian needs me like I needed him. Please fill my stomach with invisible food. Please bless others that are in need in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Joy went through her morning routine. After she was dressed and waited for Mrs. Thomas to arrive, Joy was tempted when she made Bethani’s lunch. Suddenly, a PBJ sandwich looked enticing—and she hated peanut butter.
“Auntie, can I have the last apple that came in the fruit basket?” Bethani asked.
“Sure, sweetie.”
Bethani frowned. “Aren’t you making your lunch?”
Her niece was so observant. Joy started carrying her lunch more than a year ago to save money. “Not today.” Washing the apple, Joy placed it in Bethani’s brown bag. Although Joy didn’t attend church, she didn’t discourage Bethani from reading her Bible or watching services streaming live on the internet.
When the doorbell rang, Bethani went to open it, knowing what to ask, regardless of whether it was Mrs. Thomas. Within a few minutes, Joy, Bethani and Darla were ready for work, school, and half day pre-school. Another parent would drop Darla back at home.
“Bethani, have you ever read about fasting in your Bible?”
She bobbed her head. “Things happen when Jesus takes over. Is that why you aren’t eating, Auntie?”
“Yes, I think so.”
As they were about to leave, Bethani stopped her. Grabbing her lunch bag out her backpack, Bethani took the apple out and placed it back in the basket.
“Why did you do that? I thought you wanted that apple.”
“I still do, but you might need some help fasting, so I’ll just eat my sandwich. A preacher said little kids can’t fast like adults, but we can sacrifice something, so I
gave up the apple.”
Joy hugged Bethani. Her late sister always said, ‘Out the mouth of babes comes wisdom.’ Bethani would always remind Joy of Regina with her beauty and wit. “When was the last time your auntie told you she loved you?”
“Every time you kiss me goodnight.”
“Good. Just checking. Now, we’d better hurry.” Joy smiled as they got inside her SUV and buckled up. Bethani’s words gave her energy as if she had gulped down two energy drinks. She felt like she could probably go more than one day without food. Nope, Joy shook her head. Even the supplements of an energy drink wore off. She was definitely eating that evening.
***
On day two of the Charity for Kids fiasco, the company was coping from the fallout. Christian’s parents decided a media blitz would be the best plan of attack, showcasing families that actually had benefited in the past or were in dire need presently.
Weak in his body, Christian had a surge of energy after he prayed. When he was away from home, he would pray for a few seconds or minutes at the top of each hour for consistency. He really got a charge knowing Joy was with him on this. When Nathan called an impromptu meeting, he reminded Christian and David not to become sidetracked.
“Brothers, we’re doing all we can from our end. Hopefully, the media spots will work, and we still have people calling on past donors. We also need to be about our father’s business and make sure our volunteers deliver those home energy kits that include weather strips for the windows and doors to people who requested them.”
David added, “I got extra prayer cloths from Pastor Peyton last Sunday. Christian, I know you’re making stops in the emergency room this week, so feel free to take some with you.”
“Thanks, bro. I plan to make three trips this week.” Christian nodded.
“The rest will go to the homeless shelters. Our vans are stocked with the body warmer blankets,” David said.
“Alfred Harper hit it big time with that invention. Who would have thought an environmentally-friendly material could be used to capture a person’s body temperature and maintain it for up to five hours against frigid winds and moisture?” Nathan asked, adjourning the meeting.
