Commencement

by Lawrence Cherry

Christmas Eve had finally arrived, and not without a lot of fanfare for Tamiko. Since her first day of vacation was literally the day of the celebration, she had to hustle and make a lot of last minute preparations. Tamiko really did thank God for Tim’s kindness in picking up all of her celebration supplies. Allen helped her make place cards and gift baskets the night before, too. That left Tamiko with just a few hours to decorate and help her mother prepare all of the food. Tamiko had been up since 5:00am working tirelessly with her mother in the church kitchen making all of the desserts. First there was the gingerbread nativity scene, then the famous chocolate covered star cookies and angel cookies that would go in the dessert boxes the guests would be able to take home. Next, the 4-layer vanilla and strawberry birthday cake with white icing and strawberry filling between the layers, and the banana pudding had to be made. Finally, there was the signature chocolate mousse. After the desserts were finished, they had to work on decorating the church hall. Her father and Daniel had moved all of the furniture to its appropriate spots and Tamiko and her mother put up the fancy curtains and the streamers, set up the tables for the gift boxes and dessert boxes, put tablecloths on all of the tables in the dining area with the attendant center pieces and place cards. The stuff for the sound system was in the corner. Jim would usually stop by early and set it up for her, but this year Allen would have to do it. Tamiko tried not to think about Jim. She did miss him terribly. He was not only a big brother to Allen, but to her as well. She couldn’t believe that after all those years growing up together, he was no longer going to be in her life. Well, then again….maybe she could. The last time they were together, Jim was horrible to Davis, and everyone else for no reason. Not to mention he smelled like a brewery. Tamiko suspected what might be going on with Jim, but she knew she couldn’t help him with his problem. All she could do is pray that God change his heart and open his eyes to what was happening. And right now she didn’t have time to dwell on it too long. There was just too much to do.

  Once the hall was decorated, Tamiko moved on to helping her mother with the main course: baked salmon steaks with rosemary and lemon marinade, steamed vegetable medley, and rice pilaf. Next, the hor’deovres had to made. There would only be three kinds: cheese puffs, shrimp cocktails, and fish cakes. After everything was prepared, the china had to be washed and the place settings had to be set at the tables. The food had to be put into steam tables and the hor’deovres had to be set on trays. The punch had to be made and put into one of the large crystal punch bowls they had brought. So did the eggnog. The canned sodas had to be set up in a tub of ice next to the punch bowls. By the time all the celebration preparations were done it was 5:00 and Tamiko had barely enough time to go home, shower and change while the sisters in the church presided over last minute details.

  In honor of the special occasion, Tamiko wore her black short-sleeved merino wool keyhole sweater with princess sleeves, and white trim around the edges. She paired this with an ivory colored pencil skirt and black and white spectator pumps. Tamiko took her hair out of the doobee she had it in all day and unwrapped it. She parted it to one side and just let it fall to her shoulders. Then she put two sparkly hair clips in one side to keep her hair from falling into her face. Then she checked herself in the mirror. Tamiko thought she looked good enough. She just hoped Davis would think she looked good, too. She was so excited that he was coming, and had spent a lot of time making things perfect just for that reason. Tamiko was also hoping that he would like the gift that she got for him when she went shopping with Tim yesterday. She had gotten gifts for all of her friends, but she took special care when choosing Davis’ gift. She didn’t want it to seem romantic, but she did want to show that she cared about him. He wondered if he got her a gift. Even if he gave her a friendly card, she’d be pleased. At least something that showed that he was thinking about her. Realizing the time, Tamiko shook herself out of her train of thought and grabbed her purse and the bag of presents that she had for her friends before heading downstairs to wait for her parents. When she finally came down she found it was they who were waiting for her.

  “It’s about time, baby girl! I was about to come up there.”

  “Sorry, but it takes time to look beautiful.”

  “Tamiko, get your coat” Mother Rose ordered. “We have to get back to greet our guests. I’m hoping Allen is there setting up the sound system.”

  “Don’t worry, mom. He knows. Allen won’t let us down.”

  “That’s because he’s a responsible young man. The kind of man any woman would be lucky to have.”

  “So, are we ready?” asked the Pastor.

  “Yes, sir!”, was Tamiko’s enthusiastic reply.

  Then they all headed out into the car for the 10-minute drive to the church. When they got back, Allen was there indeed, dressed in a prince of whales plaid wool twill suit, blue shirt and red tie, setting up the sound system as promised. After exchanging greetings with the Pastor and Tamiko, Mother Rose went into her usual bit.

  “Hello, Allen. It’s so good to see you”, charmed Mother Rose.

  “Hello, Mother Rose. It’s good to see you, too. I’m almost finished setting everything up.”

  “Thank you so much for your help. Such a sweet young man, and so responsible. I was just telling Tamiko that any woman would be lucky to find a gentleman like you.”

  “Thank you, Mother Rose. You’re too kind”, responded Allen politely.

  “Your parents are on their way, aren’t they?”

  “They should be. They were getting ready when I left. Which songs do you want first?”

  “How about O Little Town of Bethlehem, followed by Silent Night, anything else can go in between, but just make sure that we have Joy to the World and Oh Night Divine towards the end of the evening.”

  “Got it.”

  “And when you’re done, would you be a dear and help Tamiko

  check on the food.”

  “Of course, Mother Rose.”

  Allen finished setting up the auto play for the songs and then went to

  help Tamiko with the food. He went back to the kitchen where he saw Tamiko struggling with the large platters of hor’deovres.

  “How about I take one?” asked Allen taking a platter from Tamiko.

  “Thanks.”

  “Where do they go?”

  “Outside on the front table near the entrance.”

  “I gotta hand it to you and Mother Rose; the place looks fabulous. This looks like one of those swanky affairs Tim’s mom puts on.”

  “Thanks. God only knows how much work this was. I’m exhausted. We’re definitely going to need more people on hand to help next year, God willing. Oh, and thanks for all of your help.”

  “No need. It’s the least I could do. Oh, and what’s with all that stuff over there?”

  “In years past we always have so much stuff left over. I decided that I would just put a lot of the goodies into dessert boxes for people to take home at the end. And then we have the family gifts we give out. It’s just our family Christmas card, a psalm calendar, and a daily devotional day planner.”

  “Sweet.”

  “Did you bring the big surprise?”

  “I gave it to your dad this morning. He has it.”

  “I can’t wait to see Davis’ face. He’s going to be too thrilled!”

  Before Allen got a chance to respond, Mother Rose came rushing into the room in dramatic fashion, with the Pastor not far behind.

  “The guests are arriving! I just saw your parents pull up along with the Hardy’s and the Joyners. Allen, start the music please. I want our guests to be greeted by the sweet melodies of song. Tamiko you need to be up front. Smiles, everyone!”

  Allen turned on the music and not long after, Mother Rose booming voice could be heard welcoming the guests. First were Allen’s parents, then the Hardys. Allen greeted Mr. Hardy before the latter joined the Pastor and his dad in their conversation. Then the Joyners came i
n. Mother Rose curtly greeted Ruth Joyner and her son Daniel. As usual, all the older folks showed up first. Allen and Tamiko struggled to have a conversation with Daniel, but it didn’t go beyond formal inquiries into health and the like. Daniel seemed pleased to have some time to speak with Tamiko, but she didn’t reciprocate. Tamiko was polite, and kind, but she wanted to send the message to Daniel that she was not as interested in him as he was in her. After a while, more guests showed up this time more of the younger folk from the church. Mr. Hardy’s daughter, Dorcas, had shown up. She was around the same age as Tamiko and Allen, but she never really hung out with them. Dorcas was a member of the church in name only. She was wild and street, which probably contributed to the fact that she and Tamiko didn’t like each other. Then finally some of the regular crew showed up. First to arrive was Richard who even in his attempt to be modestly attired, still stuck out like a sore thumb in his Roca Wear black and white pinstripe suit, black gators and matching pimp cane.

  “Merry Christmas, yo.”

  “Hey, man. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas, Richard. You didn’t want to bring Leandra?” asked Tamiko.

  “Man, I quit her like a bad job. Don’t even ask me why ‘cause that would take all night.”

  “Sorry, man.”

  “Don’t be. I sure as hell ain’t. Scuze my language. Now where do I park these gifts?”

  “Right under the Christmas tree over there.”

  Then Tim showed up in a new slate grey wool skinny suit with white shirt and a black skinny tie.

  “Merry Christmas, everyone!”

  “Wow! You look the best I’ve seen you in months, man”, said Allen.

  “Yeah, you look great! Is that a new suit?” asked Tamiko.

  “Yeah. Thanks. All of my others were getting too big, so I decided to get a new one for tonight.”

  “You really do look wonderful. Oh, and thank you for all of your help with the shopping!”

  “It was my pleasure, Miko. I see you really did out do yourself this year!”

  “Thank You.”

  “Put your presents by the tree over there, and then take a load off.”

  Soon the hall was filled with people as guests continued to stream in. Everyone was talking and enjoying the hor’doevres and the cheerful atmosphere of the celebration. The pastor went around offering drinks (of the non-alchoholic persuasion) and Mother Rose made sure to greet everyone who came. Tamiko and Allen sat with their friends who were also enjoying the appetizers and drinks. Everyone who was invited was there, with the exception of one notable person.

  “So where’s the man of the hour?” asked Tim.

  “He should be here in a while. He called me to ask when the par- I mean, celebration was starting”, answered Allen.

  “I hope he gets here soon. My mom is about to get everything started. Maybe I should call him. To see if he’s stuck in traffic or something”, said an anxious Tamiko.

  “Chill, girl. No need to be sweatin’ a brother”, said Richard.

  “I’m not sweating him. I just want everything to turn out alright.”

  “Come on, Miko. Davis is a big boy and he knows his way here”, remarked Tim.

  Mother Rose interrupted the conversation to start the first part of the celebration, which was the prayer.

  “Excuse me everyone, if I may have your attention! Please, everyone take your seats!” she boomed over the mix of voices. “First, I would like to thank you all for coming to our Annual Christmas Celebration. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to share this joyous occasion with all of you in our church family. As you know, we are here to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save us from sin. To start our celebration, I feel it would be most appropriate to dedicate some time in prayer to the Heavenly Father to thank Him for his most blessed sacrifice. Now if you will welcome my best friend and our valiant prayer warrior, Sister Lena Sharpe, who will lead us in prayer.”

  Everyone clapped as Lena approached the mic at the head of the room.

  “I ask that every one take the hand of someone at their table and bow your heads.”

  As everyone complied with Lena’s request, Davis slipped in and over to the table between Richard and Tamiko and placed his bag of gifts on the back of his seat. Tamiko smiled shyly as he took her hand. She then bowed her head hoping her hair would hide her blushing cheeks. Allen and Tim who were on the other side of the table from Tamiko exchanged wary glances. Then Lena continued with her prayer.

  “Heavenly Father, we thank you for blessing us to live to see another Christmas Eve, and giving us the opportunity to come together once again to worship and praise Your Holy Name. We praise you for who You are and what You have done; for all of Your loving kindnesses and tender mercies. Tonight, Lord, we want to thank You for looking down on Your creation and having mercy on us. We want to thank You for sending Your only begotten Son Jesus down to earth to be a propitiation for our sins. Lord, we know we didn’t deserve it, and we thank You for loving us so much, that you looked past what we deserved to provide what we needed. Lord God, as we come together tonight to honor the birth of Your son, we thank You with our love for You and we thank You with our lives that we submit to Your will. Help us all to walk in Your Word and Your Love and to live lives that are acceptable in Your sight. Help us to show love to one another the way that You love us. Amen.”

  Everyone applauded the prayer and Mother Rose stepped back up to the mic.

  “Thank you Lena; a beautiful and moving prayer, as always. At this time, we will take time to reflect on that blessed moment as my husband and our Pastor reads from the Word of God. Pastor Bynum.”

  “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

  “Merry Christmas”, the audience replied in unison.

  “If you have brought your Bibles and would like to read along, I’m going to Luke, Chapter 2, vs. 1 to 21.”

  The Pastor read the scripture to everyone and then followed up with a mini sermon on the importance of celebrating Christ during the Christmas season rather than commercialism, with the giving of gifts symbolizing the gift we were given by God in his Son Jesus. Once the sermon was over. Mother Rose came back to the mic again.

  “Now that we have been fed spiritual food, it’s time to eat of our earthly bounty.” At Mother Rose’s cue, the church volunteers came out dressed in white to serve the guests. They had carts, on which they carried plates of food for the guests. Once everyone had a plate, the Pastor led everyone in the grace. Then the guests all ate and chatted in between bites, and Davis, Tamiko, Allen, Tim and Richard got lost in conversation.

  “What happened Davis? You gave Tamiko quite a scare. For a moment there, she thought you weren’t going to show up”, said Tim straining to be polite.

  “Sorry I came late. You know how traffic is on Christmas Eve with all the last minute shoppers out”, explained Davis.

  “Don’t sweat it, man, as long as you made it”, remarked Allen.

  “And I see you brought gifts”, noticed Tim.

  “Oh, Davis, you didn’t have to do that”, said Tamiko.

  “I wanted to. You’re my friends.”

  “So what do you think of the celebration?” asked Allen.

  “Pretty cool. I’ve never been to a Christmas par- I mean, celebration like this one. Most of the celebrations I’ve been to, it’s just an excuse for people to get sloppy drunk, or some people just come for food, to get they dance on, or to see what they can get. But here we’re keeping it real; remembering the real reason for the season, which is Christ. It can’t get no betta than that. And that was a beautiful prayer your mom gave, Allen.”

  “Thanks. I’ll tell her you said so.”

  “Being here wit’ you all like this…It just makes me just that more grateful to God for all that he’s done to turn my life around. You guys are like his blessing to me.”

  “And you may not know this, but you are just
as much a blessing to us”, said Allen.

  “C’mon, man…”

  “No really. You may not know this, but we’ve had a few friends who’ve decided to go their separate ways. We understand that good friends are hard to find, and even harder to keep.”

  “How about we make another toast: to friendship”, motioned Tim.

  Everyone gave a “here, here” and tapped glasses. Then they finished their dinner, and soon after, Mother Rose brought out the cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, even though it was a few hours too early. Once everyone had cake, it was time to exchange presents. All of the guests gathered around the Christmas tree and got their gifts and handed out presents to other guests exchanging lots of “Merry Christmas” greetings, “God Bless You’s”, hugs, and in some cases tears. Gifts were exchanged, but not opened. Then they went back to their seats and joined Mother Rose in singing Christian carols and finally, Pastor Bynum came to the front to address the revelers.

  “If I could have everyone’s attention, please. There’s one final presentation for the night before we send you home. You all know that we are facing some tough economic times. There are many people who are losing their jobs, struggling to keep their homes, and put food on the table. I just wanted to announce that Greater Apostolic is starting a new initiative. Starting now, we have set up a fund to help those sheep in our pasture who need help keeping their shelter over their head. We will be providing financial assistance and financial counseling for those who are in need.”

  The Pastor’s announcement was met with thunderous applause.

  “Tonight I would like to present the first gift to someone in our community who is present here today. He is an upstanding, well-deserving young man. Davis Martinez.”

  The audience clapped up a storm, especially everyone at the center table. Davis was shocked. All of a sudden his face was bright red. He just stared down at the table. He didn’t move despite the fact that Tamiko was nudging him with her elbow. Allen had to pull him up and push him to the front.

  “Davis, on behalf of Greater Apostolic Church in Christ, I would like to present you with this check. We hope that you will allow us to be a blessing to you and your mother in your time of need.”

  More applause.

  “Thank You, Pastor Bynum. I know you all probably sacrificed to do this, and I am truly grateful and appreciate everythin’…but I can’t accept this gift.”

  “It’s no trouble at all, son. Please, take it. We want you to have it.”

  “No. I can’t. I think it would be best if you put it back in the fund, where it would help someone who truly needs it. Thank you”, he stammered handing the check back to the Pastor.

  Davis rushed away and went back to the table where he collected his coat without saying a word to the others.

  “Davis, what’s wrong?” asked Tamiko.

  “Yeah, man. What’s the deal?” asked Allen.

  Davis ignored their pleas and darted out of the hall. Allen rushed out behind him. Davis was almost out of the parking lot when Allen caught up with him.

  “Davis! Davis, Come on!”

  “No, you come on, man! I thought we was boys! How could you do me like that?!”

  “What are you talking about?!”

  “I’m talkin’ about you putting my business on blast like that! Now you got the whole church thinkin’ I’m some type of gutter rat lookin’ for a handout!”

  “I’m sorry, Davis, but I was only trying to help you!”

  “And I told you I didn’t need your help! What you think I am? Some kinda charity case?”

  “I…we were trying to be a blessing to you! You yourself said you thanked God for…”

  “That was before I realized what you and your crew really think of me. Like I’m some kind of broken toy for you to fix. I thought I had your respect, but now I see all I had was your pity.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “Yes it is! You think you better than me ‘cause I’m from the hood. Cuz I didn’t go to college, and all that. You just like all the other church people out there! You don’t care nothin’ bout people like me.”

  “I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t care!”

  “Yeah, right! I bet you was thinkin’ you help a loser like me, you’d score some saint points wit’ God! Forget you, man!”

  “Davis, wait! Please!”

  But it was no use. Davis kept on going until he disappeared out of sight into the darkness of the evening. Then Tamiko and the others came outside to see what was going on.

  “I heard a lot of yelling. What happened?” asked Tamiko.

  “Let’s just say, I think we’ve lost another friend. And again, it’s all my fault.

  Fifty-Five