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Practicing What You Preach

Page 10

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

“Melissa, are you still there?” he said.

  “Yes, I’m still here. Look Marcus, you’re a great person—”

  “Uh-oh, here’s comes the dreaded word,” Marcus said. “But…”

  “But”—I hated that he was right about that word—“I just don’t think we’re compatible.”

  “Wow,” Marcus said. “Talk about misreading the same situation. I thought we hit it off wonderfully. In fact, last night I was even more convinced there was something there.” He paused for a second. “May I ask you something and you give me an honest answer?”

  “Sure,” I said, hoping it was something I could answer honestly.

  “Is it because I have a child? Is that the problem you have with me? Don’t feel bad if that’s what’s bothering you. I promise I’ll not judge you on that. I know there are all these horror stories out about the drama that can come with men who have a child or children with other women—”

  “So you have other children with other women?” I asked, not having thought about that question before.

  “No, I wasn’t talking about myself. I was speaking in general. You’re not trying to change the subject, are you?”

  “No. You brought up other children, and I hadn’t even thought about that. I knew you had the one daughter because you told me that the first time we went out,” I said.

  “And I’ve tried to be up front with you about everything,” Marcus said. “But I don’t understand why a date that seemed to have gone so well in my mind ended up going nowhere. I know you said you were working on a big wedding. Now that it’s over, I’d like to take you out again, or if you’d prefer, we can just hang out together at your place or mine and just talk.”

  I wanted to say yes, Lord knows I wanted to say yes. I really enjoyed being with him and around him. I forced the necessary words out of my mouth. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Tell me why?”

  “It’s nothing about you. It’s me,” I said.

  “That’s a cop-out. So, it’s because of Aaliyah. You just don’t want to have anything more to do with me because I have a child. Admit it.”

  “Marcus, it’s not about your having a child. In fact, seeing how you are with her proves just how great a person you really are.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Marcus said with a touch of sarcasm. “It’s not me, and it’s not my daughter. Okay.”

  “Marcus, please don’t take what I’m saying and try to twist it around.”

  “I asked you to be honest with me,” Marcus said, his tone still even and pleasant. “If you just don’t want to say it, then it’s fine. That’s your right.”

  “It’s not you or your daughter,” I practically yelled.

  “Then what is it?” he asked.

  “It’s because you’re divorced!”

  I waited for him to say he got it. But he didn’t say anything.

  “I’m sorry,” Marcus finally said, “I must be missing something here. It’s because I’m divorced? Not that I’m separated and saying that I plan on getting a divorce, because that I could understand. But you’re saying it’s because I’m already divorced?”

  I sighed hard. “I don’t date divorced men.”

  “Okay. Well, if that’s a rule you have—”

  “It’s not my rule. It’s because of what the Bible says. In several places, the New Testament speaks about divorce, but the one I know I’ve seen is in the fifth chapter of Matthew.” I looked over at where I had put my Bible when I came home from church. “Hold on a second, let me get my Bible and I’ll tell you exactly.” I laid the phone down on the couch and went over and got my Bible.

  I went back and sat on the couch, turned to Matthew 5, and flipped through a few pages, skimming quickly to find the verses I was searching for. When I found them, I picked the phone back up. “Okay, I’m back,” I said.

  “I already know what scripture you’re referring to,” Marcus said.

  “I’m sure you do since you’re a preacher and you should know a lot of what’s in the Bible. I just want to read it again myself. It’s in Matthew five, verses thirty-one and thirty-two. ‘It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.’ Almost the same thing is in other scriptures found in Mark and Luke, I think. And I’ve also heard there’s something in the second chapter of Malachi about God hating divorce, although I admit I’ve never thought enough to find that one for myself.”

  I closed the Bible. “Now, I don’t know the circumstances behind your divorce, and it’s quite possible the acceptable offense was so in your case.” I waited to hear what he had to say now.

  “You know what? I’d like to come over one day, and you and I discuss divorce and the truth behind those scriptures you just read, as well as the others in the Bible,” Marcus said.

  “What’s to discuss? It’s plain what God has to say on the matter. And what I just read to you, those words are in red, which means those are the words that Jesus said. There’s no argument or discussion when it comes to what Jesus has to say regarding a matter.”

  “Melissa, if I can show you what those scriptures you just read are really saying and address it to your satisfaction, will you consider dating me then?”

  “Marcus, you’re a nice guy and all—”

  “If I can show you, will you give me the opportunity to get to know you better? Now, if you’re just really not interested in me at all, then that’s another matter. But if your only objection to me right now is that I’m divorced, and you feel that having a relationship with me that might possibly lead to marriage will cause you to be in sin, then let’s have a discussion, face-to-face, and see where we end up.”

  I thought about what he was saying. I knew that some people, including preachers, had ways of taking scripture and making it fit into what they wanted it to. The scriptures I had read were pretty clear, so I didn’t see any way he could possibly twist them. Still, if there was something I had missed or didn’t know when it came to what the Bible had to say about divorce or, more to the point, remarrying after divorce, then I owed it to myself to become educated. It would be a shame to let a good man get away and find out I was wrong about my reasoning for doing it. The least I could do was hear him out.

  “Okay, Marcus. When is a good day for you?”

  “I’ll have Aaliyah until Thursday. How is Friday night for you?” he said.

  “Friday is fine for me.”

  “Then I guess we have a date,” Marcus said. “Seven o’clock?”

  I started to argue that it wasn’t really a “date” date. But even I knew that was being too trivial.

  “Seven is fine.” I hung up the phone after saying good-bye, then placed my hand over my heart. For some crazy reason, I was missing talking to him already.

  “Okay, God. I really need your help down here. Please don’t let me be bamboozled. If this is not good for me, please don’t allow me to be led astray.”

  Chapter 16

  A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

  —Proverbs 15:23

  Sasha called Marcus on Thursday evening. He had just finished preparing supper for him and Aaliyah. They were about to sit down to eat.

  “Hi, Marcus. How’s my baby doing?” Sasha asked.

  Marcus had to hold himself back from what he really wanted to say. Sasha hadn’t called to check on Aaliyah or say hello since she’d dropped her off last week. “She’s fine,” he said, tamping down any hint of frustration he had with her question. “We were just about to eat.”

  “Oh,” Sasha said in an upbeat voice. “So what all did you cook?”

  “Baked chicken, fresh spinach, and macaroni and cheese.”

  “Macaroni and cheese. Aaliyah’s favorite.”

  “Yep,” Marcus said, his patience
quickly wearing thin. He knew Sasha. When she was chitchatting like this, it meant she was either up to something or she wanted something. “What time are you planning on coming to get her? That way I’ll have all of her things ready when you arrive.”

  “That’s why I called. I was wondering if you could keep her until Saturday. They’re having a surprise birthday party for Memphis’s sister and he wants me to go with him.” Memphis was Sasha’s latest boyfriend. They had been together for a whole six months, which was three months longer than with any of the other guys she had dated since she and Marcus had parted ways. “I promise I’ll be there early Saturday morning, no later than noon. Please.”

  “Sasha, I have plans tomorrow night,” Marcus said.

  “Well, take Aaliyah with you. You know how she likes to hang around you. And you know, technically, this really was your weekend to get her.”

  Marcus shook his head as he listened to Sasha.

  “Come on, Marcus,” Sasha said. “Don’t make me have to beg you. You know you want to spend more time with your daughter. I promise, this will be the last time I ask you to do something like this. I promise.”

  “You mean the last time this week,” Marcus said. “Because we both know this won’t be the last time ever.”

  “Okay, Marcus, whatever. So what do you say? Will you keep her until Saturday?”

  “I told you I’ve already made plans for tomorrow night.”

  “Whatever it is, knowing you, it’s church related. Marcus, just take Aaliyah with you like you usually do. She likes going to church with you.”

  Marcus looked over at his daughter. She looked up at him and smiled as she played with some of the fruit in the bowl on the table.

  “Oh, wait a minute,” Sasha said with a slight giggle. “Are you trying to tell me you have a date? Is that your plan for tomorrow night? Marcus finally has a date.”

  Marcus wasn’t sure how he wanted to answer that. Melissa didn’t consider it a date, but he was looking forward to spending some time with her. He also knew that if Sasha decided she wanted to go out, she had no problem taking Aaliyah and dumping her with anyone who would agree to keep her. That was one of the things that frustrated him the most about Sasha. She never thought any further than her next desired thing.

  He walked over to Aaliyah and took the orange she was rolling on the table like a ball out of her hand and put it back in the fruit bowl. She looked up at him, tilting her head as she wriggled her nose at him. He leaned down and kissed her on the nose, then tapped it lightly.

  He walked away from Aaliyah. “Fine, Sasha. You can get her on Saturday.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Marcus,” Sasha said. “You really are great! I owe you big time for this. Memphis says he has a surprise for me tomorrow. I can’t ask my mother to keep Aaliyah. She’s always too busy. She’s so wrapped up in her new boyfriend, she doesn’t have time for anybody else, let alone to do anything to help me out like she promised she would. I wish my daddy was still here. Things would be different.”

  Marcus had heard all of this before. He really didn’t care to hear it again.

  Sasha’s father had died of a heart attack shortly after Sasha’s divorce to Marcus became final. Their family had always lived the high life, and mother and daughter were never denied when it came to their desires. Even after Sasha was married and Marcus couldn’t give her what she wanted, her father delivered every time. So much so that it frustrated Marcus because he was being treated as less than a man, as someone who couldn’t take care of his bride.

  So when her father died, no one was more shocked than Sasha. She and her mother grieved heavily after his death. And both of them thought they’d be set for life with all the money he’d accumulated and invested over the years. And both were certain he had at least a million-dollar insurance policy that they would share.

  Then came the big surprise. He was broke and heavily in debt. And that insurance policy? It had lapsed the year before. That was why Sasha and her mother both found themselves having to get out and get a job.

  “I’m getting off the phone now,” Marcus said.

  “Yeah, sure. I’m sorry, you did say you and Aaliyah were about to eat. Well, give my baby a kiss for me,” Sasha said.

  “Would you like to say hello?”

  “Oh, yes. Put her on for a second.”

  Sasha talked to Aaliyah for a minute. Aaliyah handed the phone back to Marcus. “She says she wants to talk back to you,” Aaliyah said.

  “Yes,” Marcus said to Sasha.

  “I just wanted to thank you again. For keeping Aaliyah like this and for taking such great care of her. You’re really the best,” Sasha said. “I mean it.”

  “Yeah,” Marcus said, “the best.” He clicked off the phone after she said good-bye and placed it back in its holder. “Are you ready to eat?” Marcus asked Aaliyah as he got Aaliyah’s Dora the Explorer plate out of the cabinet.

  “Yes!”

  He fixed both of their plates and set them down on the table. “I know I told you Mommy was coming to get you today, but how about you stay here with Daddy for a few more days.”

  “Yeah,” she said as she clapped.

  Marcus smiled at her as he pondered what he would do now about Melissa and their date for tomorrow night.

  “Let’s bow our heads and say grace,” he said as he clasped his hands together and looked into the eyes of his daughter as she happily followed his lead.

  Together they began to say the grace he had taught her just as his mother had taught him.

  “God is great and God is good…”

  Chapter 17

  Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

  —Jeremiah 1:9

  I couldn’t quite explain why, but I was really looking forward to seeing Marcus on Friday night. I didn’t consider it an actual date, but I have to admit, I enjoyed being in his presence. It had been four days since we’d talked on Sunday. I was kind of hoping he would stop by Dr. Brewer’s office the way he usually does. He comes in once a month. By my calculations, it was close to the time he should show up.

  I didn’t understand that situation either. Dr. Brewer never had him on his calendar, yet he seemed to show up like clockwork. Whenever he came, Dr. Brewer always saw him, without an appointment, but he never said anything to me about him. It seems I was learning more and more about Marcus Peeples everyday.

  Marcus called me around nine o’clock Thursday night.

  “Are you busy?” he asked right after we both said our hellos.

  “No, just watching a little television.” I couldn’t help but notice how queasy my stomach suddenly felt as soon as I heard his voice. I put my hand on my abdomen to calm myself. “I’m looking forward to my personal Bible study tomorrow,” I said. After I heard the words come out of my mouth, I wish I hadn’t said it quite like that.

  “That’s sort of why I’m calling,” he said. I could hear in his voice that something was wrong. “I have a slight problem.”

  I tried to sound cool. The last thing I needed was for him to think I was actually excited about tomorrow’s get-together. “What’s going on?”

  “I suppose I shouldn’t say a problem. But we may need to reschedule for another day. Maybe Saturday afternoon or night if you’re not already busy. My ex was supposed to get Aaliyah today, but now she needs me to keep her until Saturday.”

  “Oh,” I said, relieved that’s all it was. “That’s fine. Whatever you want to do. We were just going to talk about Bible stuff anyway, so that’s fine.” As soon as those words left my mouth, I lightly tapped my forehead a few times with the heel of my hand.

  He cleared his throat a little. “Well, I was looking forward to talking about that Bible stuff with you.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by that. I was only saying it wasn’t like we had a date or anything.” I’d said the ‘D’ word in a sentence. “I know things come up. Of course,
had you wanted to, you could have brought Aaliyah with you. Not that she would be interested in our discussion, but I do have several children’s DVDs she could watch while we talk.”

  Okay, I could see now that I was really showing just how much I was looking forward to this nondate. I had to fix it so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea and think I was interested in anything more than studying the Bible. “Saturday is fine.”

  “Thank you,” Marcus said.

  “Thanks for what?”

  “For wanting Aaliyah to come over. That means a lot to me. It really does. You just don’t know how much,” he said with a warmth to his voice.

  “I think your daughter is wonderful. And honestly, I love having her around. It wouldn’t have bothered me if you brought her over. But I understand if you’ll feel more comfortable doing this another day.” I paused a few seconds. “Besides, I’m sure you’d rather spend this time with your daughter. You and I can meet anytime. Time with family and friends is precious. We should grab every opportunity with them that we can.”

  He chuckled. “You’re something else.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yeah. That’s right.”

  I suddenly realized we were in a slight flirting mode and that was definitely not where either of us needed to go. He’s divorced, he’s divorced, I told myself. Get a grip! He’s divorced. “So you want to change it to sometime on Saturday?” I asked to get us back on track.

  “Yeah. Any particular time you’d prefer?”

  “Since it’s Saturday, the afternoon works for me,” I said. “What about two o’clock?”

  “Great,” he said.

  So on Saturday, he came to my apartment with his Bible, along with lots and lots of typed papers. “Wow, you’re serious,” I said. I looked at everything he was taking out of his briefcase as we sat next to each other on the couch.

  “Yes, I’m serious. When it comes to the Word of God, I don’t play with that. If I’m going to tell somebody something, I want to have all of my ducks in a row—”

 

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