The Veil

by K. T. Richey

  “Misha, are you okay?’

  “I don’t understand what happened. I can’t talk about it.” Misha gasped for air as the salty taste of her tears flowed into her mouth.

  “Breathe slowly. Take your time. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Come on, breathe slowly.” Misha couldn’t control the tears that flowed down her face. Judy closed the door and walked to Misha and hugged her. “Do you want to talk about it?” Misha shook her head. “I understand. We won’t talk here. Come on, get yourself together. We don’t want these nosey people all up in your business. Here’s a tissue. I don’t want to be nosey but does this have anything to do with the gift?”

  “What gift?”

  “You know, your gift. I’ve been watching and listening to you since you got here. I know you have the gift. You knew about my husband’s promotion among other things you shouldn’t have known. Did God show you something about your boyfriend? You know not everyone can handle being around someone with the gift. They’re afraid their secrets will be revealed.”

  “How did you know?” Misha looked at Judy.

  “God told me. I know people think I’m a heathen. I believe in God and talk to Him every day. I’m a worshipper too. I don’t go around talking like everyone else here trying to prove they’re so holy. He reveals things to me too. I’ve been through what you’re going through now.”

  Misha sat up in her chair. She wanted to talk to Judy more. She wanted to praise God for sending someone she could talk to. “I don’t want to talk about it here.”

  “I understand. Here, get yourself together. Let’s go to Roscoe’s. We can talk there.”

  “I thought you and your husband have plans. I can’t take you away from your family. I’ll be all right.”

  “He’ll be fine. We’re not leaving until tomorrow anyway. I’ll call him and let him know I’ll be a little late coming home tonight. Right now you need me, and what kind of a friend would I be leaving you like this? Now get yourself together. Let’s walk to my class so I can get my stuff and we’ll walk to the parking lot together.”

  Misha reached into her purse to get out a wet wipe to wipe the now-dried white tearstain from her face, and walked down the quiet hallway with Judy. They quickly walked to the parking lot and on to Roscoe’s. They sat at a table in the back of the restaurant. Misha looked around the almost-empty restaurant. She knew in a couple of hours there would be lines spilling outside the door and onto the sidewalk with people waiting to get in.

  “Misha, what happened?”

  Her tears started to flow again as she told Judy about the incident with the bishop and how Roger reacted. She even told her what her grandmother said about her being born with a veil over her face.

  “You were born with a veil?” Judy’s hands flew to her mouth.

  “That’s what Grandma said. I don’t understand it. That’s just what she said. I don’t know if I believe that old wives’ tale.” Misha didn’t fully believe the story her grandmother told her. She felt it might have been just a part of her grandmother’s James Island background—just another Gullah tale.

  “Well you better because it’s true. If you were born with a veil, you’re a prophet. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “I’m not a prophet. Roger seemed to think the gift was manifested because of my trial sermon.”

  “Trial sermon? You’re a minister?” Judy sat up with her hands fisted on her waist. “Why didn’t you tell me? How long have you been in the ministry?”

  “A few weeks.”

  “You just went in the ministry and you didn’t say anything? I would have come to your trial sermon. I bet you did a good job. What did you preach?”

  “I wouldn’t call it preaching.”

  “Still, you should have told me. I would have liked to have been there. So how are you getting along? I know you still hurt.”

  “It’s been hard. I don’t know why Roger is treating me like this. We used to talk every day and . . .” Misha tried hard to hold back the tears but they seemed to escape no matter how hard she tried. She could no longer walk around as if she wasn’t in pain and she didn’t care. She had just given this man the last three years of her life.

  Judy reached across the table to grip Misha’s hand. “Hey, girl, it’s going to be all right. Everything works for the good to them who love the Lord and are called for His purpose.” She squeezed Misha’s hand. “It will all work out.”

  Misha was hurting too much to let the words melt her pain. She didn’t understand why she had to go through so much hurt in her life. First it was the abuse she received from her mother, now the church and Roger. She wondered how long the pain was going to last. She only wanted it to stop.

  “Misha, I don’t know what’s wrong with that bishop of yours. He’ll probably never find another person to take your place in the church. From what you tell me, you did a lot in the church. A lot of people are not committed like that anymore. He may have to find several people to take your place.” Judy tried to console her.

  “I won’t talk about Bishop. He did what he felt was necessary. I don’t understand it. I did nothing wrong. What I really don’t understand is the way Roger is acting. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be a Christian. How could he just drop me after all we’ve been through?”

  “It’s his loss. You’re a special person. Not everyone can handle the anointing on your life.”

  “I’m not that anointed. I don’t even know what I’m doing. Maybe it wasn’t meant for me to go in the ministry. I don’t know.”

  “Don’t give the enemy a foothold in your mind. He’s messing with you right now. You need to find a good church that will allow you to operate under the anointing that’s in you. Come to my church. You’ll like it. Our pastor is kinda young, but he’s a good minister. It’s a new church and it hasn’t been contaminated by the years of tradition a lot of other churches have. You don’t even have to dress up. I would like for you to come with me.”

  “I thought you and your husband were going out of town this weekend.”

  “We are. You can come with us next week. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

  “Well, I don’t know. Seems like everybody has heard about what Bishop did to me. I don’t know if I can—”

  “Misha, don’t let the enemy keep you at home. It’ll do you good to be in a ministry where we believe in the operation of spiritual gifts. Try it, just once. You don’t have to join.”

  “Thank you, I think I will go with you. I need to be somewhere other than my grandma’s church. I don’t understand a word her pastor is saying except ‘ain’t He all right?’” Misha chuckled at her own statement.

  She loved her grandmother’s pastor but he was old-fashioned and loved to eat the microphone. However, he and the church welcomed her in like they were family. Some of the members who had heard what happened to her called and tried to encourage her and support her.

  Her grandmother was the church mother and sat in the amen corner every Sunday.

  She enjoyed going to church with her grandmother. She was so wise. After church, they would go to a restaurant and have dinner. Her grandmother would tell her stories about the old days and would minister to her in a way no one could. Misha took in every word her grandmother said. At this point in her life, she needed the support of her grandmother. She was the only one who made some sense out of everything that was going on in her life. Even if it was just Gullah tale, it was better than what anybody else was offering her.

  Chapter 6

  Seven months had passed and it was May, the end of the school year, and Misha was looking forward to taking the summer off. She was also glad she didn’t have to worry about money, as she had taken the twelvemonth pay option that divided her salary into twelve months of pay instead of nine. She didn’t want to take another job during the summer. It had been a long winter.

  Thoughts of Roger would sometimes enter her mind and she had to occupy herself with other tasks to keep from thinking about him and what co
uld have happened. Her cousin told her he was dating a girl they knew at the church. She tried to act as if she didn’t care, but she would cry all night and the pain would start all over again. With each report, the tears lessened until they were no more. That either meant she was closer to getting over Roger, or had just become numb to the fact that they may never get back together.

  She was thankful that Judy had invited her to True Life Christian Fellowship. She enjoyed going there, although she had not joined. The pastor, Niles Simpson, welcomed her as a woman of God. He surprised Misha one Sunday by asking for a copy of her ministry license. When she gave it to him, he welcomed her into the pulpit and had allowed her to preach on several occasions. Because of this, people began asking her to preach on special days, like women’s day and singles conferences at other churches in the Atlanta area. She was beginning to enjoy being a Christian and a worker in the Kingdom again.

  Occasionally, the sting of Bishop Moore’s words was still not far from her thoughts. When people asked her about it, she tried to change the subject or use it to minister to people about their own relationship with God. She had purposed in her heart she wasn’t going to say anything bad about him or Roger.

  It was the end of a busy week. She was preparing her students for the final exams the following week. She had given the graduating seniors their exam that day and graded them before the end of the day. She thought she would go see a movie. She was trying hard to do the singles thing they had taught her in singles ministry at the church. She was learning how to enjoy spending time alone.

  “Hey, Misha, what are you doing tonight?” Judy walked into her room wearing a light blue pantsuit, looking so slim no one would ever imagine she had given birth to a bunch of kids. Her hair was cut short, cropped along the sides with tight curls on the back and a long bang that swooped across her forehead.

  “Nothing really.”

  “Well I heard Pastor Shante Patrick is in town tonight at the Rock of Life church. You want to go with me? I know it’s short notice. But I called the church. Service is starting at seven. How ’bout it?”

  “Shante Patrick? Shoot yeah. How much is it?” Excitement filled her.

  “You know she won’t preach at a church that charges admission. It’s free and you can wear what you got on. It’ll be our girls’ night out. Randy is watching the kids for me. You can leave your car at my house and we can go get something to eat. I don’t live too far from here.”

  “Sounds great. But, I promised my mother I would pick up something from the store on my way home. Can I meet you at the church?”

  “Okay. You better be there early. You know people at the Rock don’t play. When they open the doors of the church, they’re ready to go in. Try to get there about six so we can get a good seat.”

  Misha was excited to go to Rock of Life that evening. She had always wanted to go to that church. She had heard so many good things about it and their pastor. She was especially excited about hearing Shante Patrick live and in person. When she was going through her struggle with Roger and Bishop Moore, Judy had given her some CDs by Pastor Patrick. She listened to them over and over. She also went on her Web site and ordered more. She had never heard a lady preacher minister like Pastor Patrick could.

  It was about six-thirty when Misha finally found a parking space near the church. She weaved in and out of the large crowd of people filing into the extremely large auditorium. Misha was taken aback by the mere size of the sanctuary. A man, who acted like he knew her and welcomed her to the church, greeted her at the door. She saw others doing the same. There was a spirit of anticipation in the air. She looked all over for Judy but could not find her. She decided to call her on her cell phone. She punched Judy’s name on her cell phone and waited for her to answer.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m in the bookstore, waiting in line. Go ahead and get us a seat. I want to get this book. I’m almost at the register.”

  Misha looked to her right and could see the crowd of people jammed into the bookstore. She walked through the doors that led to the sanctuary. At the door, a young lady greeted her the same way the man had and offered to help her find a seat.

  They walked toward the front of the sanctuary. Misha could see that the floor of the sanctuary was almost filled, with the exception of a few seats in the first and second rows that had reserved signs in them. The usher took her to a section to the right of the pulpit and showed her a seat. When she sat down, she could barely see the pulpit. She stood up to see if there was a better seat available. She could not find two seats together on the floor. She wished she had arrived earlier.

  Her cell rang. It was Judy trying to locate her. Misha stood until Judy spotted her in the crowd and joined her at their seats.

  “You couldn’t find better seats? I can’t see anything. Well I guess we’ll watch the screens tonight. It’s just a blessing being in the atmosphere. Here, I got you something.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a book and handed it to Misha.

  Misha read the back cover and flipped through a couple of pages. “This looks good. Thank you. Pure Satisfaction: Having an Intimate Relationship with God, M. Bernard Taylor. I never heard of him,” she said.

  “Me either. The title sounded good, so I got it for you.”

  “How much do I owe you?”

  “Nothing. It’s a gift. How long before service starts?”

  “About twenty minutes.”

  “Excuse me, ladies, are the two of you together?” An usher dressed in a blue suit with an ID badge on the jacket leaned down and whispered to them. They both said yes at the same time. “Come with me.” They followed the usher to the center of the church, directly in front of the pulpit. Misha looked up into the balcony that was almost filled up with people. The usher walked to the second row and removed two reserved signs and told them to have a seat.

  “Can you believe what just happened?” Misha was filled with excitement as she looked around the sanctuary at all the people there. She closely examined everyone sitting around them and wondered if they were VIPs of some sort. She wished she had changed her clothes before she drove to the church.

  “Hey, that’s the favor of God. These are great seats,” Judy exclaimed just as a minister walked onto the pulpit and began prayer. The sound of people praying filled the auditorium. Some people walked to the altar and prayed. Misha clasped her hands in front of her, closed her eyes, and began praying. At seven on the dot, the prayer ended. Three women and a man walked onto the pulpit and began singing.

  When Misha opened her eyes, she was surprised to see the first lady of the church sitting directly in front of her. Misha tried to hold her excitement—remembering she was there to worship. She made a mental note to get the video because no one would ever believe she was in the VIP seats. She nudged Judy and discreetly pointed forward. They both sat there feeling so special, and enjoyed the favor God had placed upon them.

  The congregation gave Shante Patrick a standing ovation when she walked onto the pulpit. Misha scanned her from head to toe. She was dressed very classy, from her cropped hairstyle to her brown leather pumps. She was relieved to see a woman of God dressed in a way that did not make her look like the church lady on television comedy shows. After introducing her husband, Max, and sons, who were sitting in the row in front of them, she began her sermon. Misha listened intently to every word that came from her mouth. She could feel the power of her words in her spirit.

  “Y’all know I used to be allergic to bees.” Pastor Patrick walked the stage as she preached. Misha was impressed she didn’t have to use notes to preach. It was like she was talking naturally from her heart.

  “Yes, I used to be allergic to bees. When one stung me, I would get upset, because it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I would break out in hives and swell up. I had to be hospitalized for treatment. People who saw me would be alarmed at how I looked and it felt like I would die at any moment. I became fearful of bees and situations where I felt bees would
be a threat. But one day, I went to an allergist. I was reluctant to be tested for bee sting allergy when the doctor explained how they would place bee venom right under my skin. First they would start in small amounts, and then increase the dosage to see how allergic I was and what type of bees I was allergic to. How many of you know that once you’ve had a bad experience, you just don’t purposely jump into it again?”

  Misha could relate to every word. “That’s right,” she heard Judy say. Others in the sanctuary were also agreeing with her.

  “Well when they put the smallest amount into my skin, immediately I had a reaction. They gave me medication and watched me for about an hour to make sure I was okay. The doctor came to the conclusion I was indeed allergic to bee stings, from multiple types of bees. Duhhhhhh! I should have charged the doctor for that diagnosis.”

  The congregation was on their feet with laughter. Misha could see Reverend Patrick and their sons laughing hard in the front row. Just by the way he was so engaged in his wife’s every word, Misha just somehow knew they had a happy marriage.

  “Well anyway . . .” Pastor Patrick continued trying to hold back her laugh. “Y’all stop laughing. I need to hurry. Anyway, what the doctor did was have me come to his office each week and be injected with a mixture of venom from the bees I was allergic to. They gradually increased the dosage to build my immunity to the stings. This went on for about two years until my body had developed enough antibodies that a bee sting no longer bothered me.”

  Misha immediately caught on to what she was saying. She listened closely as Pastor Patrick left the pulpit and walked down the stairs of the altar and onto the sanctuary floor.

  “See, some of y’all have been stung multiple times whether it was in the church, at home, at work, or in relationships. When you were first stung, you felt like your life was ending. You couldn’t breathe. Your heart was racing. Everybody around you looked at you and wondered what was going on. Some people stayed away from you and others tried to help even though they didn’t know how. When you look back, you’ll see God put you in a place of safety so you could get over your hurt and pain. But each time you ventured out, you were fearful, afraid of being stung again, so you stayed in your own safety net. Each time you tried to venture out you were stung again. What you don’t realize is God was trying to build your immunity.