A Deal With God: The Power of One (19 page)

Deana had the boys prepared. They were in shape, football savvy, disciplined and good at all of the techniques. After practice, the coach pulled Matthew and Mark aside.

“Aren’t you Lester Samuels’ nephews?” the coach asked. The boys were surprised at the question, “he did a bang up job teaching you boys to play football. You boys really looked good out there today.”

“Our Uncle Lester has never taught us anything,” Mark replied. “We barely speak to him.”

“Y’all are trying to tell me you’re kin to a Parade All American football player, come here as polished as you are and won’t give him any credit?” the coach asked.

“Why should he get credit, sir,” Matthew answered. “He never taught us a thing. Our step–mom helped us learn the moves and techniques.”

“Are you really gonna stand there and tell me your 90 pound waitress step–mom taught you to play football this well?” the coach asked as he spit a huge wad of tobacco on the ground and walked away.

“What a jerk,” Mark said.

“I wonder what he has against waitress step–moms?” Matthew asked. “Deana said we gotta respect this guy but it’s gonna be tough.

Mark’s birthday was on a Saturday this year. Deana took Luke to soccer in Claybon and Leon took the boys to football in Athens. Matthew and Mark had a scrimmage game. Leon said they did very well. They all met at the lake at two o’clock and took the boat out for a little while until Deana had to go to work. Leon took the boys for pizza and a movie that night to further celebrate. Mark got to do most of his favorite things in one big day.

The next big day in the Samuels’ household would be Deana’s birthday. “Having my birthday only nine days away from my anniversary probably is not ideal,” Deana lamented to Delores one August evening at work. It’s like having your birthday nine days away from a big holiday. I’d rather have two of my favorite days spread out a little more.”

Sunday August 17th, things were a little tense at the Samuels’ household. It was the last day of summer break. Tomorrow would be back to school for Matthew and Mark and the first day of Kindergarten for Luke. Deana was on the verge of tears the entire day. She wanted to be strong for Luke, but almost every day for two years Deana and Luke had been inseparable. She dreaded the thought of being all alone.

The next morning, her eyes were red and puffy; she hadn’t slept well. At 8:40am Deana buckled Luke’s seat belt as he sat in the passenger seat of her car. They drove to the schoolyard and Deana helped Luke get out of his seat. Luke grabbed onto her and told Deana he didn’t want to go.

Deana’s lower lip quivered. “Remember the talk we had two years ago when we first met? You are now at an age where you have to go to school like your brothers. I promise I’ll be right here at three o’clock to pick you up. I won’t be late.”

Luke started to cry which caused Deana to cry. They were quite a sight standing together balling their eyes out. The teacher had to come out of the classroom and take Luke by the hand into the schoolroom. Deana knew she looked foolish just standing on the sidewalk and waving. But that was her baby, her pride and joy walking away and growing up.

Friday August 22nd, was Deana’s twenty–seventh birthday. Leon had taken off work to celebrate with her. Peggy had sprained her ankle earlier in the week so Mr. Vito couldn’t give her the night off. It was all right. She and Leon had plenty of time to go to the lake while the boys were in school and enjoy a beautiful day together.

“I think I have news that will make you happy,” Leon said, as they drove home from the lake. “Our anniversary is on a Sunday and the next day is Labor Day Monday. Mr. Vito said to make up for you having to work your birthday tonight you can take off that Sunday night. The Johnson’s said they will watch the boys Saturday through late Monday night. I made reservations for a two day second honeymoon back at Hilton Head Island.”

Deana’s eyes lit up. “Leon, I love you so much. You just made my birthday perfect. What a wonderful gift that will be.”

Of all the good times Deana and Leon had shared over the last two years, their honeymoon at Hilton Head Island had been her favorite. She loved the dolphin sightseeing excursion, the red fishing off the Skinner/pontoon boat, the sand castle building and the great restaurants.

This year they even went midnight miniature golfing. Over time, Leon was starting to gain wisdom. He was a much better golfer than Deana, but he knew she was extremely competitive. If Leon were to beat her on the scorecard she would not be happy.

“Is it all right if we don’t keep score and just play for fun?” Leon asked.

“Sure, anything for my hubby.”

Leon and Deana did trick shots and made fools of themselves. You could hear their laughter all the way in the parking lot. The warm breeze was coming in off the Atlantic Ocean and the stars were shining brightly. Round two was even more fun than round one.

An interesting thing happened to Deana and Leon over the last twenty–two months. Yes, they fell in love and got married and were raising children together. They also became best friends.

The next Saturday was a big one for Matthew and Mark. It would be one of the toughest games of the year against a heated rival from the other side of Athens. The boys’ coach wanted to win this game in the worst way.

Their opponent dominated the game for the first three quarters. However, Matthew and Mark’s team trailed by only one touchdown; the score was 14–7.

As the fourth quarter started, the other team had the ball at midfield. Most coaches would have run the ball to kill off much of the remaining time. For some reason, the other coach wanted more than a close victory; he wanted one more touchdown. He had his quarterback take a deep drop and look downfield for an open receiver. As he was looking downfield, Mark executed a perfect inside spin move against their right tackle and crushed the quarterback. The hit caused the ball to pop straight up in the air.

A heavy set defensive tackle caught the ball. He wobbled as he ran but no player on the other team wanted to get in his way. It had been a long game and it was brutally hot. Fifteen seconds after the interception he rumbled into the end zone.

Down by a point, Matthew and Mark’s coach made a gutsy call and signaled in a trick play on the extra point. The holder jogged into the end zone untouched executing a two point conversion. They won the game 15–14. They celebrated like they just won the Super Bowl.

Luke’s soccer team was doing very well. They were undefeated. It was the last game of the season and they were playing a team with only one loss. Luke scored three goals and had one assist. They won 5–1. The parents threw the boys a party and made a big deal over Luke. He loved the lime light.

Matthew and Mark’s football team had five wins and four losses. They were down to their last game as Thanksgiving approached. The team had gone 5–5 the past season, so they were hoping for a win today to finish this season with a better record.

The right tackle Mark was going up against was easily the worst tackle in the division. The coach had Matthew playing right outside linebacker and Mark playing left outside linebacker. Matthew was having a solid season. He had six sacks and over twenty tackles for a loss. He was a good pass rusher and even stronger against the run.

Mark, however, was a beast. He had eleven sacks going into today’s game and led all players in tackles for a loss with thirty–eight. Mark was big, strong and relentless. Even when the other team thought they had him blocked, he still stayed in the play. Today would be no different.

Matthew and Mark’s team scored the first touchdown right before halftime. The second half started with them having a 7–0 lead. The other team would have to try to pass the ball to try to catch up. On third and seven the other quarterback dropped back to pass, Mark used a club move on the right tackle and at full speed leveled the quarterback. A club move is when you punch an offensive lineman’s hands down so he can’t use his hands to grab or block you. The opposition’s most important player had to be carried off the field. Instead of getting a red card or yelled at, Mark was the game’s MVP. He sacked the back–up quarterback three times. They won 21–10 and Mark finished his first season with fifteen sacks. It wasn’t too bad of a rookie campaign.

The sports seasons were over now for the boys. As was agreed to, Special Night for Mark and Matthew were about to kick in. Mark went first that Monday night. Mark and Deana took a slow walk to the park and back. They talked about football, friends and a cute girl Mark liked. Deana talked as little as possible because she wanted to do her best to just listen. Mark seemed to enjoy the two hours with Deana.

The next night with Matthew was similar. Matthew asked when they could go to another concert like last year. Deana said any weeknight except Friday. She told Matthew it would be easier if they could go after the holidays. He agreed. Matthew, like his dad, was easy to talk to. The two hours went very fast.

The following Sunday afternoon with Luke was completely different. Luke asked Deana the most difficult questions Deana had ever been asked.

“Why did God take my first mommy? Why was she even my mommy? Why weren’t you my first mommy?”

“Luke, honey, these are very difficult questions. Only God knows for sure. But, if you want I’ll give you my opinion. However, I can’t promise you my opinion is the right answer.”

“That’s all right,” Luke said. “Just do your best, please.”

“Wow, Luke, this is a tough one,” Deana replied. “As you know, I lost my mother at the same age as you were when you lost your first mother. The difference is, your father was still there for you. I lost my father before I lost my mother. When my mother died, I had no parents and I had no home.”

“I became the property of the State of Florida. That was a bad thing. I ended up being raised by foster parents. Foster parents can be great. Foster parents can be really bad. My foster father did things so bad to me he ended up in jail and I ended up not being able to have biological children.”

“I don’t understand,” Luke replied politely.

“It’s a very complicated adult subject matter, honey,” Deana tried to explain. “My foster father hurt me in a way that caused me a lot of problems. For many, many years I asked God why such bad things happened to me. Then, one Sunday in early November two years ago at Dothan Christian Church, a little boy came and sat on my lap during service. I realized why God put me on the road he put me on. Walking to the park with my beautiful son Luke, I am very grateful to God now.”

CHAPTER 16
PROSPERITY

“10–9–8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1, Happy New Year.” Matthew, Mark, Leon and Deana said simultaneously as they watched the ball drop on television. It was now the year 2015. The boys were almost teenagers and allowed to stay up late for special occasions.

Leon had rebuilt the burn pit and they had fun roasting hot dogs and marshmallows all night. New Year’s Eve was Wednesday night so Deana got four days off in a row like she did the week before for Christmas. Days off from work were a fun thing. The boys were off from school and she enjoyed being with them.

New Year’s Day would be spent watching college football Bowl Games and doing some fishing and picnicking at the lake. January was cold, but if they went around noon and finished by 3pm, it wouldn’t be too bad.

The following Monday night, Mark and Deana went for a walk.

“Have you decided what you want for your annual Special Night, Mark?”

“Yes, once the pro baseball season starts in April, I want to go to Turner field in Atlanta to watch the Braves. Atlanta is going to be a really good team this year.”

“If you can find a game on a Monday or Tuesday night I’ll be glad to take you.”

“Thanks. There’s one more thing I wanted to ask you about. You said I can ask you anything, right? It will just be between you and me?”

“Absolutely. I’ll never tell anyone what you and I talk about; not even your father. I promise.”

“Sometimes when I’m with my girlfriend and we kiss she looks at me like she’s expecting me to go further; to do more than kiss. How do I know what she’s expecting?”

“First of all, Mark, you two are only eleven. Kissing should be as far as it goes. If she wants to go further at eleven, she’ll be pregnant by fifteen. I don’t want to preach to you, but the answer to your question is communication. She has to tell you. You need her permission. It may seem unfair, but you can get in a lot of trouble if you touch a girl inappropriately without her consent.”“Thanks Deana, I’m glad I have you to talk with.”

The following Tuesday, Matthew informed Deana there was a concert in Atlanta he wanted to see. It was a new band that had crossed over on the charts. The band was popular on both the Top 40 and country stations. Deana was more than happy to oblige. Two weeks later, Matthew and Deana enjoyed a show full of good music, state of the art lighting, lasers and pyrotechnics. It was an awesome show and great time.

Mr. Vito’s restaurant was getting busier and busier. It was looking like this would be his best year ever. Having worked with Deana for over two years, it was as if Delores and Peggy were learning to be more like Deana with her attentiveness, attention to detail, and affable style. The restaurant had a pleasant atmosphere and was getting very popular.

A new church member, an older man named Gary, joined Dothan Christian Church. He was a guitar player also. However, he played a solid body electric guitar in contrast to Deana’s hollowed body acoustic. Gary didn’t like to sing, but his guitar playing really complemented Deana and Mrs. Jarvis’ sound.

The next big Special Night was Luke’s. It was a big, three band country concert in Atlanta. Deana was really excited about this show. It was three of her and Luke’s favorite bands.

“School is all right, but I miss going to the beach and the park with you and playing soccer every day. I wish I didn’t have to go to school.” Luke wrinkled his nose in distaste.

“I miss you like crazy, too, Luke. But, it’s part of life. I know going to school is not your favorite thing in the world. The secret is to have fun when you’re not at school, like now. I hope you’re having a fun night.”