by E. N. Joy
Lynox wiped a falling tear from Deborah’s eye as she listened intently to Lynox’s words. “Your son is a part of you—the woman I love. Any man who loves you, how could he not love that big a part of you? And God knows I love you. This entire situation . . . it’s taught me something about myself and made me face an issue I’d just assumed I couldn’t deal with. And that’s the issue of being with a woman who had a child. I’d never given it a chance. I just had all these preconceived notions about baby daddy drama that I knew I didn’t want to deal with. I know your situation is different, but I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart that even if Tyson’s father were alive, I’d still want you as my girl.”
Lynox placed his hand on Deborah’s cheek. “So, baby, will you be my girl?” And that was the end of Lynox’s spiel, which he couldn’t have written any better for a lead male character in one of his novels. This was straight from his heart.
Deborah wanted to pinch herself to make sure this was all real. So she did. And then she pinched Lynox.
“Ouch! What was that for?” He rubbed the spot on his arm that she’d just pinched.
“My pinch was to make sure I was awake and not dreaming all this. Your pinch was to make sure you were real—that I wasn’t imagining all this. Because you do know those pills my doc prescribed me have some side effects that—”
“Pills?” Lynox was puzzled until Deborah went on to explain about her counseling, therapy, and her happy pills. “Forget about those pills. Those are just temporary. The same way a person never forgets how to ride a bike or how to love, they never forget who they truly are inside. Or as you church folks would say, who God called you to be.” Lynox pointed to Deborah’s heart. “She’s in there, and with God’s help, and mine, and Tyson’s, you aren’t going to need a pill to be that person. You got that?”
“I do,” Deborah cried, trying not to break down. But she was just so moved. “And yes, yes, yes, yes. I will be your girl.” Deborah threw her arms around Lynox’s neck.
Suddenly she heard her son crying. “Oh, my. Tyson must be awake from his nap.”
“Good, because he’s got a helmet to test out!” Lynox exclaimed. “Why don’t you go get him and I’ll adjust these helmets and make sure everything is all good with these bikes.” He pointed to his Hummer. “I literally carried all this stuff straight from the store to your doorstep. So I’m going to test things out. Wouldn’t want perhaps my future readymade family to get hurt,” he smiled, winked, and then turned his attention to the bikes and began poking around at them. He looked so serious, so intent on making sure her and her son were safe. On making sure their hearts were safe. Lynox Chase was a man who would never hurt her. That much she knew. That much she could tell just by watching him now.
And Deborah could have stood there and watched him forever, but when Tyson let out another loud wail, she raced off to get him. A few minutes later she and Tyson joined Lynox for a bike ride. As he got their helmets on them and Tyson buckled in the seat, they headed off down the sidewalk. And “they” had been right; once a person learned how to ride a bike, they never forget, and Lynox, Deborah, and her son rode off toward the sun.
With each and every pedal, Deborah couldn’t do anything but thank God. He’d given her the fairytale. No, the man of her dreams hadn’t shown up like a knight in shining armor on a horse. He’d shown up in biker gear on a Schwinn. And that was good enough.
Readers’ Guide Questions
1) Do you feel a woman who has had an abortion in the past should tell her new mate about it? Why or why not?
2) Do you have any friends like Deborah, who you feel act nasty sometimes, but have not confronted them about it?
3) How do you feel about the idea that black people raise their children by yelling at and spanking them? Do feel that it is a cultural thing so that makes it okay?
4) Neither Helen nor Unique told their pastor about Deborah’s outburst. Do you think they should have or did they handle it correctly in your opinion?
5) Do you think people like Deborah are rare: those who can be holy and full of the spirit in church, but act like the devil outside of the church?
6) What did you think about Deborah keeping the fact that she had a child a secret from Lynox? Did you agree or understand where she was coming from?
7) Did you get the significance of Deborah’s son’s name not being revealed until the end of the book?
8) Do you think Pastor Margie was wrong for reporting Deborah to Children Services? Do you think Deborah was correct in her assumption that white people overreact to certain situations more so than black people?
9) Did the main character’s not-so-likeable actions make for an awkward read, or do you feel it was good to see such a severely flawed main character?
10) What is your take on Deborah taking prescribed pills to help her cope? Do you feel it was much needed? Or do you feel it was a copout and she should have leaned more on God in hopes that He pulled her through without the use of medication?
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Author Bio
BLESSEDselling author E.N. Joy is the author of Me, Myself and Him, which was her debut work into the Christian fiction genre. Formerly a secular author writing under the names Joylynn M. Jossel and JOY, when she decided to fully dedicate her life to Christ, that meant she had to fully dedicate her work as well. She made a conscious decision that whatever she penned from that point on had to glorify God and His Kingdom.
The “Still Divas” series is a continuance of the “New Day Divas” series, which was incited by her publisher, Carl Weber, but birthed by the Holy Spirit. God used Mr. Weber to pitch the idea to E.N. Joy; sort of plant the seed in her spirit, which she prayed on and eventually the seed was watered and grew into a phenomenal series of books that she is sure will touch readers across the map.
“My goal and prayer with the ‘New Day Divas’ and the ‘Still Divas’ series is to put an end to the church fiction/drama versus Christian fiction dilemma,” E.N. Joy states, “and find a divine medium that pleases both God and the readers.”
With the success of the “New Day Divas” and the “Still Divas” series thus far, it is safe to
say that readers agree this project is one that definitely glorifies God in every aspect, but still manages to display in a godly manner that there are “church folks” (church fiction) and then there are “Christian folks” (Christian fiction) and come Sunday morning, they all end up in the same place.
E.N. Joy currently resides in Reynoldsburg, Ohio where she is working on future “Divas” projects as well as writing songs for and artistically developing the girl group, DJHK Gurls.
You can visit the author at: www.enjoywrites.com
E-mail her at: [email protected] to share with her any feedback from the story as well as any subject matters you might want to see addressed in future “Divas” books.
Urban Books, LLC
78 East Industry Court
Deer Park, NY 11729
The Sunday Only Christian: Still Divas Series Book Three Copyright © 2012 E.N. Joy
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-6228-6063-0
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.
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