Commencement

by Lawrence Cherry

  ****

  The Luncheonette wasn’t very busy at all until Allen and his friends arrived. The tiny little establishment was just a few tables and a long counter that ran across the back where the orders were placed. Allen and the others took seats at a table across from an old woman who was nursing a plate of chicken and waffles. Allen sat next to Davis and opposite them were Tamiko and Tim. The one waitress on duty took their order and them left them to themselves.

  “So how do you like Greater Apostolic, Davis? Do you think you’ll stay with us?” asked Allen.

  “Oh, mos def. I like the pastor. He seems mad real, yo. He really knows how to break it down, so you understand. Now I know where Daniel get’s it from”, answered Davis.

  “Tamiko, I know you must be glad to hear that”, Allen said giving her a knowing look.

  Tamiko simply smiled shyly.

  “Pastor Bynum is Tamiko’s dad”, said Allen.

  “Word?!” Davis replied a little unnerved by the revelation.

  “Yes. She is the preacher’s daughter. She grew up in that church.”

  “So did you”, Tamiko reminded Allen.

  “Yeah, Tamiko and I have been friends since kindergarten. Our parents practically raised us together so we’ve both been a part of the church for years.”

  “Whoa, so you like church royalty or somethin’?” asked Davis a little awestruck.

  “I don’t think our church has a ‘royalty’. Although my mom would probably like to think so”, laughed Tamiko.

  “Yeah, man. Her dad doesn’t allow people to head-trip over titles. Everyone is treated with respect, whether you clean the kitchen or on the Deacon board.”

  “Oh. And how long you been there, chief?” Davis asked turning his attention to Tim.

  “I’m not really a member. I go with Tamiko sometimes as a friend, but I’m agnostic.”

  “What’s that? Is that like the Presbyterians or somethin’?”

  “No,” chuckled Tim “It just means that I’m not sure there is a God.”

  “Yeah, I used to be like you, but after everythin’ that’s happened in my life in the past six or seven years, I know there’s a God. True that.”

  “What happened?” asked Allen.

  “I don’t know if you ready for my story. I mean you guys bein’ raised in the church and what not…my life has been kinda…rough, if you knowwhatimean. I don’t know if it’s what you’re used to.”

  Then the waitress came to the table with their coffee. There was silence between them as the waitress placed the cups and condiments on the table. They all thanked her before she left. Then Allen picked up the thread of their conversation again.

  “Look man, just because I’ve grown up in the church, doesn’t mean I’ve always been on the straight and narrow. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my own life and taken a lot of foolish turns that I’ve… I mean, God, had to work out. All of us have. Nobody here is in a position to judge you.”

  Davis paused briefly before he reticently began to relate an episode from his past.

  “I’ll make it short. My life was so rough that I used to think there couldn’t be a God with everythin’ that was goin’ on. There were times when I didn’t care whether I lived or died. To this day I don’t know who my dad is, and my mom had a string of boyfriends that was mad abusive. So I spent a lot of time on the streets tryin’ to get away from it all. Needless to say, I was runnin’ wit’ a bad crowd and eventually it caught up wit’ me. One day a dude took a 45 magnum and blew a hole in my chest. I went down on the pavement. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t say nothin’. Then I started to feel this cold. It started at my feet and was inching it’s way up my body. I knew I was gone. It started getting dark. I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel somebody’s hand on me, and I could hear someone say to me, ‘This is not your end. This is your beginning.’ Next thing I know, I woke up in the hospital and they was tellin’ me that if I wasn’t dead yet, I would be soon. I had a collapsed lung, and I lost like more than a pint of blood. They had the hospital preacher there and my moms and my sister. He asked me if I wanted to give my life to God. I said yeah. I figure if He’s keepin’ me alive, He’s doin’ it for a reason: for me to give Him my life.”

  “Look at how good God is!” gasped Tamiko.

  “And that’s not the end of it. When word got back to the street that I was alive, the dude that put me in the hospital was lookin’ to finish the job. But I thank God that by the time I was ready to go home, I heard that my would-be executioner was in jail, and the others who set him on me was dead. They all got shot up by some dudes that had beef wit’ them. It was like in the Bible when God took care of the Assyrians when they was threatenin’ to get the Israelites. They didn’t have to do nothin’. They just woke up and all they enemies was just dead in the camp.”2 Davis continued.

  “That is some testimony Davis. God has really been good to you”, said Allen.

  “These people who were after you…were they like, gang members? ” asked Tim.

  “Tim!” exclaimed Tamiko at Tim’s brazenness. “It’s okay Davis, you don’t have to answer. It’s not any of our business.”

  “It’s aiight. I ain’t tryin’ to front or nothin’. They were, and drug dealers, too. So was I. But I don’t roll wit’ that no more. I been outta the thug life for a long time now.”

  “Really? It’s seems your conversion experience was quite some time ago. You’re just now beginning to attend church,” Tim continued with his examination.

  “Tim, you don’t just go from being saved to a church going saint overnight. Sometimes people want to take the time and find the right church. Right, Davis?” said Allen in Davis’s defense.

  “Yeah, man. I had been to a few churches before. But in some churches, it’s like you go in and nobody talks to you. Or you go in and you find out that there’s different sections for different kinds of people: saints up front, sinners in the back. There’s even a VIP section.”

  “I hear that!” laughed Allen.

  “I got tired of all the drama. I was just gonna try to study my bible on my own, but then one day I was comin’ down near the park ‘long 135th and I saw this block party. And it wasn’t no ordinary block party neither. They was singing gospel songs, and there was a lot of kids havin’ fun getting’ they faces decorated, young adults playing games. I was just standin’ around wishin’ I could be a part of it, when this dude comes up to me an’ just invites me in. Then when I went in, the atmosphere was really different. Everybody was nice. There was people that would walk up and talk to me like I had known them for years. The old folks wasn’t all suspicious an clannish. Then when Daniel started preachin’ I knew that this was the kind of church that I wanted to be part of.”

  “Well, I think I can speak for everyone, when I say that we are glad to have you, Davis.” said Allen.

  “Yes, we certainly are. Next week, when you come, you meet us out front and then you can come in and sit with us”, offered Tamiko.

  “Aiight, thanks. I’ll do that.”

  “Our folks have Sunday dinners together, too. If you want, and if you have some spare time after studying, maybe you could come to dinner with us”, she continued.

  “You mean like have dinner with the pastor? I don’t know if I’m ready for all that.”

  “He may be the pastor of the church, but he’s still a regular guy.” said Allen.

  “Maybe later on. Tonight I have get that paper ready you guys was helpin’ me wit’. I wanna finish revising it, so I can give it to you tomorrow. Guess that means I’m gonna have to jet”, said Davis rising from his seat. He took out some money to pay for the coffee, when Allen stopped him.

  “No way, man. I let you get the pizza yesterday. Coffee’s on me.”

  “You sure?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks. See you guys around.”

  They all gave their good byes to Davis who left the Luncheonette.

/>   “So what was that about, Tamiko?” asked Tim.

  “What was what about?”

  “First, you’re all shocked when Allen asks him to have coffee with

  us, then you turn around and ask him to Sunday dinner?”

  “He’s a friend of ours, now. Right, Allen?”

  “I don’t see why he can’t be.”

  “Are you kidding me? He’s a gangbanger and drug dealer! What if there are other people that are out to get this guy? Do you really want to risk being a picked off in a “drive –by”? Risk getting arrested just by being with him?”

  “He’s an Ex-gangbanger and an ex-drug dealer. He said he’s been out of that life for years”, said Allen in Davis’s defense.

  “And you really believe that?” asked Tim incredulously.

  “Davis has been working at the Sheraton for four years, and Mr. Hardy likes him. Besides, the whole time that I’ve been working with him, I haven’t noticed anything that would indicate he’s leading a double life as a drug dealer. He’s got too much going on for that. He’s going to night school for crying out loud”, Allen insisted.

  “You’ve known Davis seven days, not seven years, Allen!”

  “I don’t know about anyone else, but I trust him. When he talks he’s

  very …genuine”, Tamiko remarked with a dreamy look.

  “You don’t say”, Tim responded sarcastically.

  “Look, let’s not waste time arguing about Davis. He’s our friend now

  Tim, get used to it. Now let’s go or we’ll be late for dinner.”

  “Fine. I just hope I don’t end up having to say ‘I told you so’”, warned Tim.

  Thirty-Seven