And You Call Yourself A Christian (14 page)

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Authors: E. N. Joy

BOOK: And You Call Yourself A Christian
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Chapter Twenty-five
“It's not mine! It's not mine!” Kiki shouted as the guards hauled her out of the cafeteria kicking and screaming.
“Oh yeah?” a guard spat back. “Then how come we found it under your mattress?” The guard shook her head. “And I thought you were smarter than that. You've been here long enough to know that you can't keep nothing away from us. And you know what this means, don't you? Solitary,” the guard answered before Kiki even had time to digest what was being said to her, let alone digest the food she'd just eaten.
“It ain't my knife,” Kiki declared with conviction.
“Oh, so whose is it then, your roommate's?” The guard looked over at Unique who was sitting dumbfounded at the scene going down before her. “What would she need with a blade? Ain't no babies in here to kill.”
The other two assisting guards chuckled at the comment their comrade had made.
“Then again, though, guess she could need it for protection.” The guard shrugged. “But it was found under your mattress. So unless the ghetto princess wants to claim it, you're going down for it.”
Unique had just eaten lunch with Kiki and was just as shocked as Kiki when the guards came and scooped her up. But what really shocked Unique were the very next words that Kiki said.
“It's hers. She needed it for protection.” Kiki looked at Unique with desperation in her eyes. “Tell 'em the truth, Unique. Tell 'em it's yours.”
Unique looked at Kiki like she had lost her mind. She liked the girl and all. Kiki had taken up for her and had her back a couple of times since she'd been locked up, but Unique wasn't about to do no time in the hole for her.
“But it's not mine,” Unique said. She looked at Kiki as if asking her why she was insisting she admit to something like that.
“You needed it for protection, so you copped it.” It was as if Kiki was feeding Unique lines. And she truly expected for Unique to chew them up and swallow them.
Unique shook her head. She was choking on just the thought of fessing up to the ownership of contraband. Especially when it would have been a lie. “But ...” Unique's words trailed off. This was all happening too fast. Life was happening too fast. Unique didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. She felt tormented as she watched the guards drag Kiki farther and farther away from her.
“Unique, just tell them the truth. Trust me. You have to tell them the truth. You needed it for
protection
.” Kiki stressed the word protection. Again, Kiki was pleading desperately with her eyes.
Frozen, Unique couldn't force any words out. Be it the truth or a lie, every letter in the alphabet was stuck in her throat. Then out of nowhere, like it was the voice of someone else rising up out of her, she yelled out, “Wait!”
Just as the guards were about to disappear with Kiki in tow, they stopped upon hearing Unique call out.
The guard who had been doing all the talking began to grin. “Don't tell me ol' girl's got a conscious. She's actually going to take one for the team.” Releasing Kiki with confidence that her counterparts had a good hold on her, the guard strutted toward Unique. Once she was all up in Unique's face, practically nose to nose, she said, “Well, are you claiming the contraband we found in your and your celly's cell? Is it you, or is it her we are going to drag off to the hole?”
With her heart rate the speed of the fastest car in a NASCAR race, sweat began to pop up on Unique's forehead. It reminded her of how New Day's church mother, Mother Doreen, would perspire at the sign of any discord. Well, this scenario went beyond discord if Unique did say so herself.
“Look, we don't have all day. Are you going to fess up or not? Who's taking the rap?”
Unique tightened her lips—on purpose—so that she didn't have to say what she knew Kiki wanted her to say; what she didn't want to say. But something inside of her just kept tugging at her to do it. Just do it. Just do it. Just say it already!
And within seconds, before Unique realized it herself, her hands were extended in front of her, assuming the position to be cuffed. She'd said it, and the words she'd said were about to land her in solitary confinement.
“Well, this one's got some heart,” the guard laughed, looking back at the other two guards, who reluctantly released Kiki, then turned their actions toward Unique.
As the guards cuffed Unique, she tried her best to show that she had heart. Her jaws tightened, she poked out her chest, and she held her head high as she was escorted out of the cafeteria. Upon passing Kiki, she didn't even look her way. Why should she have? There was no turning back at this point.
It was when Unique found herself in a room the size of a closet that she let her emotions erupt. This nightmare was only getting worse. One minute, just when she felt the hand of God was upon her, the next minute she felt as if the devil's foot was stomping her. She was in hell. This had to be hell. Why was God making her live hell on earth? Was it because of the lie she and Lorain were living when it came to the twins? Because she'd denied the twins, had God taken her boys?
Was this her punishment for having all those babies out of wedlock in the first place? For sleeping with every man who told her she was pretty? And for, on occasion, sleeping with one of her babies' daddies just so she could get a little extra ends from him toward child support? Maybe she didn't deserve her boys, such angels. Maybe that's why God sent them back to heaven.
“But I thought you forgave me,” Unique began to cry as she sat on the paper-thin mattress that lay across the floor. The mattress took up pretty much half of the room. “If you forgave me for all those sins, God, then why? Why am I here? I don't understand. I don't understand.” Unique began to heave as the tears flowed more forcefully. Everything in her wanted to curse God, but she just couldn't. She wouldn't. She refused to curse God. She had to remain faithful. She had to trust God. Besides, who else in there could she trust?
Chapter Twenty-six
“Lorain, wait! Lorain, will you wait up please?”
Although Lorain could hear Nicholas calling for her as she made her way through the Olive Garden parking lot, she refused to stop. No way could she face him after the way she'd just showed her butt. If there had ever been a chance in God's creation that they might get back together some day, she'd just completely blown that.
“Lorain, please—baby, wait.”
Arriving at her car and fumbling for her keys, Lorain felt like those women in movies that were being chased and couldn't get away fast enough. Just when she'd managed to get her remote situated in her hand in order to unlock the car, she dropped the keys. Definitely a scene straight out of a movie.
“Here, let me get that for you,” Nicholas said as he bent down to pick up Lorain's keys.
“No, I've got it,” Lorain insisted, bending down, only to clank her head against Nicholas's. “Ouch!” Lorain grabbed her head.
“Yikes,” Nicholas followed suit, grabbing his own head. “I knew you had a hard head, but dang.” Nicholas squinted his eyes and clinched his teeth. He looked up at Lorain whose eyes were watering. “Gee, it really hurt you that bad, huh?”
Lorain nodded her head. “Yes, it hurts ... really bad.” She began to cry a mini pond.
It was obvious to Nicholas that it wasn't the head collision that was hurting her so badly. “Come here.” He opened his arms, signaling for her to rest her head against his chest.
“No, I can't.” This time she shook her head.
“Come here, woman,” Nicholas ordered.
Lorain began taking small steps toward Nicholas until she stood face to face with him. Without saying a word, he took her by the back of her head and gently pulled it to his chest.
“It hurts,” Lorain began to cry. “It really does hurt. Just the loss, and I mean, I've lost everything. The boys, Unique.” She paused. “You.” She looked up at Nicholas with red, wet eyes. “I have lost you, haven't I?”
Nicholas sighed and pulled her head back against his chest. “I don't know, have you? I mean, you know what I want, Lorain. I've made it clear that I want you. Why you don't want me, I have no idea.”
“But I do want you,” Lorain was quick to say. “And I want to give myself to you, all of me. I know that's not something I can do right now though. Nicholas, you know what I'm going through. And I have Victoria and Heaven I have to take care of.”
“But that's all the more reason why you should want me to be there for you. For the twins' sake.” Nicholas pulled away from Lorain and spoke intensely. “Every day in America, 4,184 babies are born to unmarried mothers. That's according to State of America's Children 2008 Report. Over 40 percent of our children grow up in a home without a father. God only knows how much the numbers might have increased since then.” Nicolas rested his hands on each side of Lorain's face. “Baby, I don't want you and the girls to be a part of that study. I want you to be in that 60 percent where a father is present in the child's life. Not just a father, a father figure, or a boyfriend, but a husband. Marry me, Lorain. Stop playing with me, woman, and marry me in the name of Jesus. I mean, my God, woman, I love you, my family loves you, I love your family, and I think your family loves me.”
“Umm, I'm not sure about all that.”
A frown covered Nicholas's face. “What? Your momma don't like me?”
“Oh no, it's not that. Eleanor loves you as if you were her own son,” Lorain assured him. “It's
your
family I'm worried about.” Lorain nodded toward the restaurant.
“Oh, Sherrie? Please, she thought the way you acted in there was the show of a black woman truly in love. I think her exact words were, ‘Bruh, only a woman who really loves you would act like such a fool in public.'” Nicholas couldn't help but chuckle.
“Thanks a lot,” Lorain pouted.
“Seriously. Like Big told Carrie in that movie
Sex and the City
,” Nicholas took his index finger and his middle finger and pointed them at his eyes, and then to Lorain's. “It's just me and you.”
“Yeah, but didn't Big leave Carrie at the altar? And what in the world were you doing watching
Sex and the City
? I thought that was a chick flick.”
Nicholas cleared his throat. “Uh, well, uh, one of the nurses told me about it. Yeah, that's right.” He played down the fact that
Sex and the City
was a guilty pleasure of his after seeing a few episodes in the hospital staff lounge.
“Yeah, right,” Lorain laughed. “Anyway, they'll be no anybody leaving anyone at the altar when we get married, that's for sure.”
“Sooo, are you saying what I think you're saying?”
Lorain closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled. She opened her eyes, looked Nicholas straight in his, and said, “I'm saying it, Doctor Nicholas Wright. I'm saying that I want nothing more than to be your wife.”
Nicholas could hardly believe his ears. “So let me get this straight. Viola Lorain Watson, you agree to marry me, Nicholas Leon Wright?”
“Yes,” Lorain smiled. “Yes yes yes!” she shouted. Before she could even attempt to contain herself, Lorain flung her arms around Nicholas's neck. “I love you, Nicholas. I'm so sorry if I ever made you doubt my love for you. But I love you, I love you, I love you, and I can't wait to walk down that aisle and let the entire world know.”
“And I can't wait to let Momma know. She's going to be so happy.”
Both Nicholas and Lorain looked over to see Sherrie standing behind Nicholas. She had tears in her eyes.
“My brother finally found true love, and a woman of God, at that. I'm so happy for you.” Sherrie spread her arms out wide and began walking toward the newly engaged couple.
Nicholas opened his arms wide, prepared to envelop his little sister in his arms. He was surprised when she strolled right past him and embraced Lorain instead.
“Welcome to the family, sis,” Sherrie said to Lorain. “Girl, we gon' tag team him and get him into heaven yet.”
“Oh no, you don't.” Nicholas shook his head and held up his arms. “Don't you go influencing my wife already, even before she's my wife. Lorain knows how I am about this church and God thing, and she respects that. That's one of the things I love about her. She doesn't preach to me or Bible bash me. So don't go putting ideas in her head.”
“Yeah, well, you can say that now, but in the end, us sisters, especially us sisters in Christ, always stick together.” Sherrie winked at Lorain.
Smiling back, Lorain did what she knew needed to be done. “Look, Sherrie, I'm so sorry for the way I acted in there. That is absolutely not the way I wanted to make my first impression on you.”
“Girl, don't apologize. You got cool points for that. I like the fight in you. My brother needs a woman like that in his life, someone who is bold and ain't afraid to step up when need be.” Sherrie left Lorain's side and walked over to Nicholas. “'Cause this man's got a calling on his life. And you know how women can be when they see that a man has a special gift; a calling. I'm not talking about his being a doctor. Lord knows that alone brings out the gold diggers. I'm talking about that calling on his life to preach God's Word.”
“Oh, now, come on, sis. Not now with all that prophetic prophesy stuff,” Nicholas begged.
“Okay, okay,” Sherrie put her hands up in defeat. “I'll let it go,” she shot her brother a stern look, “for now.” She then walked back over to Lorain. “So, how's it feel about to become the wife of a doctor?” Sherrie asked, then in a whisper said, “and even more so, how's it feel about to become the wife of a future preacher? Because face it, my dear, whether my brother over there wants to acknowledge it or not, he
will
preach the Word. Which means, you, sister-in-law, better get your hat collection in order and your matching shoe game on lock. What kind of first lady would you be if you didn't?”

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