Still talking about the associate minister and the revival set up.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Chapter 24
I'm talking about the associate minister of Redeemed who coordinated the revival. Let's see if the pastor tells the preacher why he doesn't like single preachers.
I won! But the story isn't over yet!
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Chapter 23
Another chapter introducing a character. I have about 5 or 6 more chapters that involve the characters.
I'm going to have to finish this in December.
I'm going to have to finish this in December.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Chapters 20, 21, 22
Added more about the parents. They're backstory is both cute and interesting. I'm done with the parents. Still working on other characters. I have about 5-7 chapters about characters. Gotta keep going.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Chapter 19
The parents are working through some things in this chapter. I think this chapter shows the dynamic of the family.
Friday, November 16, 2018
Chapter 18
The pastor of Redeemed Baptist Church is dealing with some things, but hopefully, the revival will give him some clarity.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Chapter 17
Worked on another chapter. I'm introducing the parents right now. I'm excited because I get to write about how they met. Awe... Love...
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Chapter 15 & 16
Well... Cornelia felt that she needed more chapters than her sister Victoria got (which as two), so thees two chapters are about Cornelia too.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Monday, November 12, 2018
Chapters 12 & 13
Chapters 12 & 13 written today.
Today was a little hard because I wrote about a character (Victoria Nixon) who is having major romantic and familial issues in her life. She only wanted to listen to sad R&B songs, so I've been listening to the sad songs.
#1 on the list... "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" by Deborah Cox
Today was a little hard because I wrote about a character (Victoria Nixon) who is having major romantic and familial issues in her life. She only wanted to listen to sad R&B songs, so I've been listening to the sad songs.
#1 on the list... "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" by Deborah Cox
-------
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Chapters 10 & 11
I wrote Chapters 10 & 11. Two more characters introduced today. I have a whole lot more characters to introduce.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Chapters 8 & 9
Chapters 8 & 9 finished today. I'm introducing my characters today. The first two in the books. Let's see what happens tomorrow.
Chapters 5, 6, & 7
Yesterday, I wrote chapters 5-7. It was hard.
On Saturday, I learned that my godsister died. She won her battle with cancer.
One of the chapters I wrote yesterday dealt with the death of a young lady. It was part of a back story. It was hard to write because I had my godsister and her family on my heart. At one point, I was crying.
After I finished with my writing for the day, I got a text telling me that a friend of mine lost her brother.
This has been hard.
On Saturday, I learned that my godsister died. She won her battle with cancer.
One of the chapters I wrote yesterday dealt with the death of a young lady. It was part of a back story. It was hard to write because I had my godsister and her family on my heart. At one point, I was crying.
After I finished with my writing for the day, I got a text telling me that a friend of mine lost her brother.
This has been hard.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Friday, November 2, 2018
Chapter 2
The Set-Up
Proverbs 19:21 New Living Translation (NLT)
You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
-------
Chapter 2
It was
unusually warm for this fall day in the state of Maddocha. The leaves had been changing and the weather
had been cooling down. That’s why it was
weird to feel the heat of the sun bearing down on the 12th day of November. It was usually cool enough to wear a sweater
or a light jacket. But, today, neither
was really needed.
The city of
Alexander, Maddocha was enjoying the unusually warm weather. People bustled around downtown. The city was a hip upscale city. It boasted of chic shops that had the latest
fashions, technology, and transportation.
It was one of the priciest cities in the state of Maddocha, which is why
most of the people who lived there were upwardly mobile, well-to-do, middle
class families.
The city
had the best rated school district of the state; paying the best salary for
teachers in the state. The teachers were
the best educated, best trained, and well-recognized, this included both the public
and private schools. Education was a
highly valued commodity in the city.
The higher
education in the city was among the best colleges and universities. Many companies sent their employees to the
schools in the city. Top professionals
in their departments were professors at the schools in the city. The higher education institutions in the city
were among the best rated schools in the state.
The median
age for the city was 45 years of age.
The largest section of the population was 35 and under. Alexander was the hottest city for upwardly
mobile 25 to 40-year-old couples with children.
If you wanted to be somebody, you lived in the city of Alexander,
Maddocha.
The
downtown area was filled with quick paced people, moving about, trying to find
some place to eat. Various groups of
people walked and talked business, fashion, technology, and life as they moved
around the neatly landscaped sidewalks.
Well-manicured sternbergia lined the curbs, painting the in brilliant
colors. Beautiful sourwood trees shined
brightly, lavishing the city with its brilliant crimson, purplish-red, and
yellow leaves. Autumn was in full bloom
and the foliage made sure to proclaim it throughout the city.
Cornelia
Nixon watched the people as she and Courtland Brigham drove through the
downtown area heading towards the Alexander airport. They were on their way to pick up the guest
preacher for the revival that week. He
was arriving around 1:30 pm, so they headed out of from Cornelia’s place of
employment with more than enough time to get to the airport on time. traffic in alexander wasn’t that bad during
lunch, but they didn’t want to take any chances. Cornelia watched cars go by them driving the
stated speed limit. The car they were in
dragged a little behind the flow of traffic.
Mr. Brigham, better known as Deacon Brig was a very cautious driver.
The buzz of
traffic kept Cornelia company. Deacon
Brig was focused on the road and made no attempt to talk to her. she looked at him several times, but he
seemed to be in his own world. the quiet
was getting on her nerves. There was no
music to fill the air because Deacon Brig didn’t like to ride with the radio
on. She shrugged her shoulders and
huffed. Deacon Brig kept his eyes on the
road. Cornelia sighed. The man still made no attempt to even
acknowledge her presence.
A blue Ford
Focus slid over in their lane in front of their car. Cornelia looked at the license plate. It read… “FRD 9391.” She laughed.
“Deacon
Brig, the license plate on that Ford Focus starts with FRD. That’s funny isn’t it?”
He
grunted. She made a face.
“Are you
really going to drive this whole time without talking to me?”
He grunted
again. She rolled her eyes.
“If you
aren’t going to talk to me, then I’m going to turn the radio on. I’m about to go crazy in here listening to my
thoughts.”
She reached
for the radio. He touched her hand.
“Girl, if
you don’t leave my radio alone.”
She twisted
her lips. “Well then, talk to me or
something.”
“Lawd…
Child… What do you want to talk about?”
She looked
at the side of his face. “Why did you
ask me to come with you to pick up this dude?”
He blew a
breath. “That’s what you want to talk
about. Really?”
“Yes. Why did you ask me? You usually ask James or Hander to come with
you. I don’t understand why you asked
me.”
“I asked
you because I wanted to ask you. We
hadn’t spent any time together in a while.
I thought this would be a good time to do so. Have we talked enough?”
Cornelia
looked at the man. His eyes were
blinking rapidly. Based on their past
interaction, that meant he wasn’t telling the whole truth. He may not have been lying, but he wasn’t
telling her everything.
“Papa B,
what’s really going on? Why am I here?”
She hadn’t
called him that since she was about 19 years old. That was her and his daughter, Angel’s name
for him. He quickly looked at her and
then looked back at the road. He was
silent.
“So, you
not gonna answer me. Seriously?”
He was
silent. He was the loudest man ever when
he was silent. She shook her head.
“You know
you wrong for this. You just not gonna
answer me.”
He looked
at her, then made a face. He turned back
to look at the road.
“I told you
why I invited you. Leave it alone.”
Cornelia
made a face. She looked at Deacon Brig
one more time. his eyes were on the road
and that was the end of the conversation.
***
Deacon Brig
focused on the road. The only other
person who could peer deep into his eyes and read his mind was his daughter,
Angel. She and Cornelia were best
friends, and somehow, Cornelia had the power to read his mind through his eyes.
Lord, please forgive me. You know how Leonora is. I tried to say no, but, it’s darn near
impossible to say no to that woman when her mind is made up. Lord, just let this go smoothly. Please.
His
thoughts lead him back to yesterday.
***
Deacon Brig
was trying checking the men’s restroom before he was going to leave the church
on Sunday. As he was walking to his car,
Leonora Nixon-Caldwell approached him.
He stared at her for a few minutes before he took out his keys to get
into his car. She had a look of treachery
on her face and he wasn’t sure he wanted any part of what she had on her mind.
She was
about 3 feet from him, when she said, “Brig.
I know you see me walking toward you.
Don’t you get in that car.”
He rolled
his eyes. “You are bossy as all get
out. What do you want? I’m trying to go home. I got stuff I need to do.”
She reached
him. “I need to talk to you, right
quick.”
“What is
it?”
She smiled
at him. “You look nice tonight. Brown is a great color on you.”
“Woman stop
buttering me up. What do you want?”
She
laughed. “You are one cantankerous old
man. Good grief.”
“Keep it
up. I’m going to get in my car and drive
off from you. Keep it up.”
She rubbed
his arm. “Don’t act like that. I just need a favor that’s all.”
“What is
it, woman?”
She blew a
breath at him. “Alright. Who are you taking with you to pick up the
preacher tomorrow?”
He made a
face. “First of all, who said I was
going to pick him up?”
She batted
her eyes rapidly. “You always go pick up
the speakers, so quit that. Who are you
taking with you?”
“Who said I
was taking anyone with me?”
She rubbed
that back of her neck. “Would you quit
giving me a hard time and answer my question?”
“You’re
taking the fun out of this.”
She rolled
her eyes. “Courtland Wesley
Brigham. Answer me, please. I thought you were ready to go.”
He laughed. “It’s more fun to stand here and torture
you.”
She
starched her hair. “Can you just answer
me? Hurry up before Henry comes out here
looking for me. I ain’t in the mood to
deal with him right now.”
He shook
his head. “What has he done now?”
“Don’t
worry about that. Just answer my
question.”
Her eyes
glossed over with tears. He touched her
arm. She looked away from him.
“Alright. I’m taking James or Hander. I have to call them when I get home. I didn’t see them today.”
Her eyes
gleamed. “Take Cornelia with you.”
“Wait, you
want me to take Cornelia with me to go pick up the male preacher?”
She
smiled. “Yes. That’s what I want you to do.”
“Why?”
She rubbed
her eyebrows. “Do I have to explain
myself? Just do it for me.”
He shook
his head. “Naw, uhh uhh. You ain’t about to get me mixed up in
whatever scheme you are cooking up. Uhh
uhh, Leonora. I don’t want to be in the
middle of this. Woman, naw.”
She touched
his arm. “What makes you think I’m
cooking up a scheme? I just think it would
be good for you and Cornelia to spend some time together.”
He touched
his head with both of his hands and ran his hands over his full head of hair.
“Woman, I
was born at night, but not last night.
You know good and fare well that ain’t why you asking me this. You trying to fix her up with that
preacher. Have mercy. Pastor is going to come looking for me. woman, you gonna get me in trouble. Pastor already told me to not let ya’ll crazy
women get near the preacher.”
Leonora
rolled her eyes. “He’s about to get on
my last nerve. He talked to you
already.”
“Yes, he
said he didn’t want any of ya’ll talking to him and trying to fix him up with
any woman from the church. Pastor was
adamant about it. I don’t want to get on
his bad side. Quarles’s already in
trouble for inviting the single preacher.
I ain’t getting involved in this.”
She rubbed
his arm. “Brig, please. Please.
You know Cornelia. She ain’t ever
going to get married. At the rate my
silly daughters are going, none of them are going to get married and have some
kids. I just want my babies to meet a
good man and get married.”
“How do you
even know if he is a good man?”
“Old
man. Just invite her to ride with
you. That’s all you have to do. Just ask her.
you don’t have to say anything to the preacher.”
He
laughed. “What if it doesn’t turn out
like you want it to turn out?”
“I don’t
even know what I want to happen.”
He shook
his head. “I’ll call her and ask
her. I’m not going to beg her or
anything. If she says ‘no,’ then she
says ‘no’. you can’t hold it against
me.”
“Fair
enough. no pressure. Just ask her.
Call her now.”
He
huffed. “I’m not about to call her right
now. I’ll do it later.”
“Brig. Call her now.
If you don’t do it now, you’ll talk yourself out of it. Call her now.”
He rubbed
his head. “I done told you, I’ll call
her. if you don’t trust me, then, I’m
not going to ask her. Back up off me and
let me do this my way.”
Her
shoulder wilted. “Fine. Just do it today.”
“I’m
getting in my car. I told you, I’ll ask
her.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
He rolled
his eyes. “Whatever. If I get caught by Pastor. I’m dropping all kinds of dimes and telling
on you. You can believe that.”
She laughed
as she started to walk off. “Thank you,
Brig. Love you like pre-k girls love
pink.”
He opened
his car door. “Whatever woman. Bye.”
She waved
her hands as she waved back towards the church building.
***
Sunday
night, just before going to bed, Deacon Brig picked up the phone and dialed
Cornelia’s number. The phone rung four
times before she picked it up.
“Hello,
Cornelia, it’s Deacon Brig.”
She
exuberantly responded, “Hey, Deacon Brig.
What’s going on?”
“Nothing
baby girl. Just wanted to check on you.”
She smiled
through the phone. “Thanks. I saw you at church today. I didn’t get to speak to you because you
looked busy.”
“Yes, I’m
always busy. It’s always something to do
at the church.
She
laughed. “You need to tell them you’re
retired.”
“They don’t
care.”
She
laughed.
“I don’t
want to keep you too long. What’s on your
schedule tomorrow?”
She was
silent for a moment. “Nothing, I don’t
have any classes on tomorrow. I was just
going to do some planning for next week.
Why?”
“I wanted
to see if you wanted to ride with me tomorrow?”
She was
quiet. “Ride with you where?”
“No where
in particular. Just want to spend a
little time with you.”
She asked,
“Where are you going?”
“You can
come ride with me or sit in a stuffy office and look at a computer. I think you need to get out of that stuffy
building and come hang out with me.
it’ll be fun.”
She
laughed. “I think you’re up to
something, but I guess I’ll ride with you.”
“That’s
good. Have a good night, sweetie.”
“Yes sir,
you, too.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow at 11:45 in the morning.”
“Okay, I’ll
be at the college.”
“Alright. Bye.”
“Bye,
Deacon Brig.”
***
Deacon Brig
swerved slightly to get back in his lane.
He blinked his eyes rapidly. He
shook his head. He glanced at Cornelia
quickly. She was looking out the
window. He reached down and turned the
radio on. She looked at him and
smiled. He focused back on the road.
This is going to be a mess!
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Chapter 1
Revival Time
Psalm 85:6 New Living Translation (NLT)
Won’t you revive us again,
so your people can rejoice in you?
so your people can rejoice in you?
-------
Chapter 1
Rev. Omry
Quarles was standing behind the pulpit of Redeemed for Service Baptist Church
on Sunday morning. His dark blue suit
perfectly starched with a light blue shirt and gray and blue tie set to match.
“Anybody
excited about revival time.”
A few
people in the crowd said, “Yes sir.”
He looked
at the people to his right and walked to the edge of the pulpit.
“Let me get
close to the people on my right. Maybe ya’ll
can hear me then. Anybody excited about
revival time.”
There were
a few enthusiastic responses from the right side of the church.
Rev.
Quarles quickly moved to the left side of the building.
He said, “I
know the left side of the building is ready.
Anybody ready for revival.”
The left
side of the building was noisy with their responses. About three people stood up and clapped.
“Alright, I
think ya’ll are getting excited about revival.
Let’s see what they have to say in the balcony.”
He put his
hands over his eyebrows and stared at the people in the balcony. They jumped up and started clapping.
He said,
“Are ya’ll excited about the revival?”
The people
in the balcony let out a thunderous roar that could be heard down the street
from the church.
Rev.
Quarles walked back behind the podium.
“That’s what I’m talking about.
We have a dynamite speaker, and we want him to feel welcome. and we want him to see that we are excited
and ready to hear the Word that the Lord has given him. AMEN!”
The
congregation shouted, “AMEN!”
“The
speaker’s name is Rev. Abel Darden, IV.
He’s a mighty man of God and he has a dynamic and dynamite Word to bring
to us on based on our theme: “I Will Strengthen You!” from Isaiah 41:10.
Anybody need to be strengthened?”
The
congregation clapped and shouted words of affirmation. They needed to be strengthened.
“The world
is going crazy all around us, and we need the Lord’s strength to help us carry
on. Be sure to be here every night of
the revival, November the 12th through the 16th. It’s going to bless you greatly. Be sure to be here on Wednesday and Friday
night because refreshments will be served.
Our refreshment community said they are ready to serve the body.”
He looked
in the direction of the chairperson for the refreshment community and smiled at
her.
“Be sure to
invite a friend. We all need more strength,
but we can’t be selfish and hog it all for ourselves. Invite a friend. Here’s the schedule… Monday night, the mass choir will sing. Tuesday night, the men will sing. Come on men.
Let’s show the ladies how we do it.
We are the heads.”
Men from
all over the congregation stood up and clapped.
“Wednesday
night, the ladies will sing. It’s lady’s
night.”
The ladies
stood in a force that tripled the men.
They clapped riotously, making the church building shake.
“Alright,
ladies. That’s how you do it. Youth, we didn’t forget ya’ll. Your night to sing is Thursday night. Friday night.
Look at your neighbor and say Friday night.
“Friday
night.” Friday night.”
‘Friday
night we will be having a special guest church to come and fellowship with
us. Triumph Through Christ Baptist
Church will be our special guest.”
A booming
sound of applause filled the air.
“Yes
sir. We want to be here to make our
guest feel welcome. So, we’ll see you
next week. It’s going to be a mighty
move of God you don’t want to miss. God
bless you and see you on tomorrow night.”
He sat down
in his seat on the pulpit. He was
smiling ear to ear. He looked at his
wife. She smiled back at him.
***
Pastor
Henry T. Caldwell watched Rev. Quarles peacock his way back to his seat. Pastor Caldwell shook his head.
“He acting
like he did something big. Wait until I
get him in my office. I’m going to tell
him about himself. He just ignored my
wishes. This will be the last time I let
him be in charge of anything just ain’t listen!”
He rolled
eyes as he watched Quarles continue bragging to his wife.
Pastor
Caldwell leaned over to Minister Darnell Thornburg. “Thornburg.
Get to my wife, Mother Stolkes, and Mama Bennie before they walk out of
this building. I need to talk to them
before they leave the church. Make sure
you get all three of them.:
Minister
Thornburg nodded.
***
Rev Quarles
couldn’t figure out what Pastor Caldwell could possibly want to talk to him
about. the revival was set up to be a
huge success and everything had been set for weeks. There was nothing left to discuss.
A young man
walked past Rev. Quarles. A few seconds
later, Pastor Caldwell walked to the door and motioned for Quarles to come into
the room.
Pastor
Caldwell sat down in his chair behind his desk, “Quarles, have a seat. I need to talk to you about the revival.”
Quarles sat
down. “What do you need to talk about?”
Pastor
Caldwell leaned forward in his chair.
“Why did you invite this preacher to come preach here?”
Quarles
made a face. “Because he’s an excellent
preacher and he is becoming a well-sought out minister. I’m glad we were able to get him now.”
“I’ve heard
about him. He’s a great preacher, but
he’s a single preacher. I told you to
make sure the preacher was married. I
said that several times. I don’t like
single preachers.”
Quarles
twisted his nose and lips. “What
difference does it make if he’s married or not?
The focus should be on the Word of God, not his marital status.”
I don’t
care one bit about his marital status.
It has to do with what occurs here with the local body. I don’t want any mess to get started. Him being single is going to open a can of
worms that wouldn’t have to be dealt with if you would’ve done like I asked you
to do. Get a married preacher! Was that too hard to understand?”
Quarles
starched his ear, then his scratched his head.
“I don’t understand why you’re reacting this way. This makes no sense to me. I thought we wanted to do what’s best for the
people… and getting a dynamic preacher like Reverend Darden is the best thing
for the people.”
The phone rang
in the pastor’s office. He held up a
finger at Quarles.
“Okay. Tell them I’ll be there to get them in a few
minutes. Yes, I need them to wait.”
Quarles
shook his head as the pastor talked on the phone. He was hoping that his action regarding the
revival would gratify Pastor Caldwell, but it seems to have done the
opposite. He was very confused by the
turn of events.
Pastor
Caldwell hung up the phone.
“Quarles, the
best thing for the people would be to do as I told you to do and get a single
preacher. I don’t have time to fully
explain it, but I have my reasons for requesting what I requested. I have people waiting on me, so we’ll have to
finish this later.”
Pastor
Caldwell stood up and walked to the door.
“Have a nice afternoon Rev. Quarles.”
Rev.
Quarles slumped his shoulders and languished as he left the room.
First Lady
Caldwell smiled at Rev. Quarles. “You
did a great job with the revival announcement.
I’m so excited about it. God
bless you, son.”
Rev.
Quarles smiled as he walked by her without even responding. I wish you’d tell pastor that.
Mama Bennie
looked at him as he walked out the door.
She looked back at the first lady.
“What’s
wrong with him? He can’t speak.”
Mother
Stolkes said, “I don’t know, child, but he walks by me one more time like that…
it’s going to be a problem. He needs to
act like he got some sense.”
Before
either of the other two ladies could respond, Pastor Caldwell motioned them
into the office.
***
Pastor
Caldwell motioned for the three ladies to sit down at the table in his small
conference room. “Hello ladies. I need to speak to ya’ll about a matter of
importance regarding the revival.”
As they sat
down, Mother Annabel Stolkes said, “Pastor, what do you need us for. It sounds like Quarles has everything under control. I don’t think there’s much we can do to
help. I’ve heard a lot about what he and
the team put together for the revival, and it sounds awesome.”
Mother
Maizy Bernal, better known as Mama Bennie said, “Annabel, child, I heard they
got it together. I heard the men have
been rehearsing like crazy to sang the house down on Tuesday night. And you know Cedrick is going to have the
mass choir singing like angels. It’s
going to be glorious.”
Pastor Caldwell
blew a long hard breath. “Ladies,
please, we’re getting side tracked. What
I want to talk to you about has nothing to do with any of that. I want to talk about the preacher for the
revival.”
First lady
Leonora Nixon-Caldwell smiled. “Oh
honey. I saw him preaching on
YouTube. He’s good. I mean real good. We’re going to enjoy him.”
Mama Bennie
said, “Alicia showed me one of his videos.
Honey let me tell you. He is very
handsome.”
Mother
Stolkes slapped Mama Bennie on her arm.
“Girl, you better hush.”
Pastor
Caldwell rolled his eyes. “Ladies,
please. We are bringing him hear to
preach, not to find a wife.”
Mother
Stolkes said, “So, he’s not married.”
Mama Bennie
smiled. First Lady Caldwell made a
pleased face.
Mother
Stolkes rubbed her hands together. “Oh,
so he’s single. Lawd have mercy. What you say, child?”
The three
ladies began talking amongst themselves.
Pastor Caldwell looked towards the ceiling.
Lord, please help me to not kill Quarles.
He slapped
his hands on the table. All three ladies
looked at him with astonished looks on their faces.
Mama Bennie
looked at Mother Stolkes and said, “Did he just slap his hand on the table at
us?”
Mother Stolkes
replied, “Girl, naw. There must have
been a bug or something on the table he was hitting at. Ain’t now way that was directed at us. We ain’t nobody’s kids. Got up in here using improper English. He done bumped his head.”
Pastor
Caldwell waved his hands in the air.
“Ladies I meant no harm. I just
need to say my piece and get out of here.
I’m hungry and I want to go get something to eat.”
Mother
Stolkes said, “Your hunger got you acting crazy. Maybe you need to eat a bigger breakfast next
time… slapping your hand at me like I’m some kind of child. You got the wrong one.”
First Lady
Caldwell touched Mother Stolkes’ leg.
“Calm down before you get your blood pressure up. You know he didn’t mean it like it came
across. He has more respect for us than
that. Let’s let him say what he needs to
say because he must be very hungry to come across so rudely.”
She looked
at her husband and then smiled. “Go
ahead darling. Speak your piece.”
He put his
elbows on the table, then rub his head with his hands. He took a deep breath.
“Ladies I’m
asking you all not to approach the preacher and try to set him up on a date
with your girls. Just leave him alone
and let him treat. We are not running
dating game here.”
Mother Stolkes
blew a quick breath. Mama Bennie rolled
her eyes as she twisted her neck. First
Lady Caldwell tilted her head sideways and glared at him.
“Ladies, I
understand that this may be a little harsh, but the three of you have a
reputation for pushing your girls off on guest preachers who come her and are single. Nobody wants to get involved with your
girls.”
First Lady
Caldwell twisted her head to the other side.
“You do realize the girls that nobody wants are your four daughters,
don’t you?”
Mama Bennie
made a stunned face and pressed her fist into Mother Stolkes leg. Mother Stolkes nudged Mama Bennie back. First Lady Caldwell touched the bridge of her
nose with her index finger and her thumb.
“I don’t
mean any disrespect, but who are you to tell us who we can and can’t approach
at this church?”
Pastor
Caldwell stared at his wife. “I’m the
pastor that’s who I am. I’m tired of
hearing that I have a bunch of women running around the church trying chase any
single man that comes to the church. And
if he’s a preacher, it’s worse. This
church shouldn’t have that kind of reputation.
And I mean to put an end to it right now.”
Mama Bennie
scrunched her eyebrows. “Pastor, you
done jumped off the deep end on this one.
None of our girls, as you put it, are chasing anyone. You act like all they’re trying to do is get
some man to fall into bed with them.”
Mother
Stolkes chimed in. “I mean good grief,
is it so bad that we want our girls to find good quality Christian men? What’s the harm in that? You are tripping right now.”
“I am in no
way, shape, or form tripping. I meant
what I said. I don’t want any of you
bothering the preacher. Let the man do
what he came here to do – which is preach and then go on about his
business. I don’t want him to leave here
talking about any female member of this church threw themselves at him. Understand.”
Mama Bennie
stood up and grabbed her purse in a huff.
She left the office muttering.
“This negro done bumped his head, talking to me like I ain’t got no
sense. It’s about to be on and popping
around here. He done lost his mind.”
Mother Stolkes
looked at Mama Bennie as she left the office, then back at Pastor
Caldwell. “See, now you got her using
improper English. You done upset all
three of us. This ain’t right
pastor. You got us messed up on this
one.”
She stood
up, grabbed her purse and Bible, then scuttled out of the pastor’s office.
First Lady
Caldwell sat in the church glaring at her husband.
He leaned
forward to try to touch her hand. She
moved her hand out of the way.
“I know
your upset dear, but I needed to say this.”
She didn’t
respond. She just sat in the chair,
staring at him.
“Look,
sweetheart we can talk about this more after we get something to eat.”
The first
lady stood up, gathered her belongings, and slowly walked out of her husband’s
office. As she reached the door, she
stopped, turned and looked at him, then turn back around and left his office.
He stood
alone in the small conference, paralyzed and too scared to move.
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