Been There Prayed That (9781622860845) (11 page)

“Are you trying to make me look like a fool or something?” Tamarra yelled as soon as Maeyl opened the door to his apartment. It was Saturday afternoon and she'd driven at least twenty miles over the speed limit trying to get to his house. What should have been a twenty minute drive had only taken her ten minutes tops.

Tamarra knew that obedience was better than sacrifice, but she prayed God's grace and mercy would keep her from the sacrifice of getting a speeding ticket for disobeying man's traffic laws. God's grace and mercy had surely served to be sufficient this time.

She was still sick to her stomach with the information Paige had shared with her at the Golden Coral about Maeyl and Sasha this past Thursday. She had quickly lost her appetite and hadn't eaten a full meal since. Before Paige could stop her, Tamarra had barreled out of the restaurant like a woman on a mission, leaving a trail of smoke behind her. And where there was smoke, there was fire, so it was time to see who was going to walk away with third degree burns.

On the day at the Golden Coral when Paige had enlightened Tamarra with the information about seeing Maeyl and Sasha together, Tamarra had gone straight to Maeyl's place to confront him. Fortunately for Maeyl, he hadn't been home. At the time, Tamarra figured that was a good thing. She had been so fired up that her flesh might have gotten her into some real trouble. But after two more New Day members called her on the phone repeating the same information that Paige had shared with her (that Maeyl and Sasha had been spotted together in the waiting area outside Pastor's office holding hands) she couldn't take it any longer. She'd grabbed her purse and keys and drove straight to Maeyl's house. A phone call was not in order. This deserved a face to face on every level.

It angered her even more that Maeyl hadn't even tried to call her all week to explain his sorry behind. But enough was enough as she stood at his doorstep again, this time finding him at home, ready to confront him about himself.

“Tamarra,” I was just about to call you.

“Like—” Tamarra caught the expletive before hurling it from her tongue. A lot of Christians justified their explicit use of the “D” word and the “H” word by saying that they were in the Bible. Some Christians even went as far as grouping the “A” word for donkey in that category as well, but Tamarra was determined not to be one of those Christians. “Like heck you were,” she stated instead.

“But I was. Honest,” Maeyl proclaimed. “I know I haven't called you all week, but you wouldn't believe the things that have taken place, which is exactly why I was about to call you.”

“Sure you were. And
honest
? What do you know about being honest?” Tamarra folded her arms and stood on the doorstep.

Maeyl let out a sigh, then closed his eyes. “I guess you heard.” Maeyl shook his head as he opened his eyes again. “Those busy body—”

“A busy body don't have nothing to do with you getting busy with Sasha's body.”

Maeyl's mouth dropped wide open. Tamarra couldn't tell whether the expression he wore on his face was one of shock or embarrassment.

“Whoa, hold up!” Maeyl put his hands up in defense. “I don't know what you heard, but—”

“Enough, that's what I heard,” Tamarra said as she brushed Maeyl out of her way, barging into his place. “Enough to know that once again, I've been made a complete fool of when it comes to me and Maeyl Ruebinstein.”

Tamarra threw her car keys on the coffee table and fell onto Maeyl's couch, tired and broken. Tired of being the bearer of a broken heart. When Paige had told her that after church service she'd witnessed Maeyl sitting next to Sasha outside of Pastor's office, Tamarra thought she'd just die right there on the spot. But when Paige added salt to the wound by telling her that the two were holding hands, Tamarra thought she had died. Unable to catch her breath, she really thought she had died, or was dying, one of the two. She felt as though she'd held her breath on the entire ride there. And now here she was in the living room of the man that she loved wondering if she'd ever breathe again.

Closing his front door, Maeyl slothfully joined his woman on the couch. Tamarra, like a child would do, scooted away from Maeyl when he sat next to her.

“Look, Tamarra, I don't know what you heard,” Maeyl started to explain, “but Sasha is someone from my past that I hadn't seen in years up until recently. Don't you think you at least owe it to me to tell you the whole truth of the matter? You know where your jumping to conclusions has gotten us before.”

Tamarra could admit that in the past she'd come up with her own conclusions before seeking the facts. Doing so had caused even more heartache and troubles for everyone. But this time she honestly felt as though she'd come to a true and factual conclusion. The information she'd received had come from a reliable source, someone who would never lie to her or set out to purposely sabotage her relationship. No, Paige was Tamarra's best friend. What she'd told her was pretty much Bible. Tamarra could see that in the agony in Paige's eyes as she'd told her. She could tell poor Paige had been agonizing over whether or not to share what she'd witnessed with her own two eyes for fear of hurting her best friend.

“I'd rather hurt you now with this information,”
Paige had told Tamarra back at the Golden Coral buffet,
“than allow you to be hurt later; when it's too late.”

“I know the truth, Maeyl,” Tamarra said, looking dead into his eyes. She immediately turned away. Those dark brown eyes of his weren't about to hypnotize her and make her forget all about him and Miss Sasha. “After church service last Sunday, you and that woman, Sasha, were sitting outside of Pastor's office holding hands like two lovebirds.”

“That's not true,” Maeyl said.

“Oh, so are you calling my best friend a liar?” Tamarra snapped.

“Yes, no, I mean . . .” Maeyl's words trailed off as he tried to organize his thoughts.

“That's what I thought.” Tamarra dropped her face into her hands. “Maeyl, how could you? I mean, I know I haven't really been there for you these last couple of weeks, and prior to that, you hadn't been there for me either. But still, I thought the bond that we shared was stronger than that, one that some hussy couldn't just walk right up and tear through.”

“Please, Tamarra.” Maeyl was getting frustrated by not being able to share his side of the story. “Just let me explain.”

“What's there to explain?” Tamarra stood up. “You were caught red handed holding that woman's hands. You don't even hold my hands in church.”

“That's not how it was,” Maeyl insisted in a pleading manner as he stood.

“So you weren't holding her hands?”

“Yes, we were holding hands, but it's not what—”

“Oh, no wait.” Tamarra put her hands up and put a forced smile on her face. “I know this game. I can play along. It's called finish the sentence.” Tamarra paced back and forth in a sarcastic manner as if she were having to rack her brain. “It's not what I
think
. Oh no, it's not what it
looked like
. Huh? Is it one of those, Maeyl? Tell me, huh, is it? Don't they teach you men any other lines besides those?” Now Tamarra forced out a chuckle. “Oh, yeah, that's right. They do teach you men another line, ‘It was just that one time. It didn't mean anything.' Tah, are you kidding me? That's what
Lifetime
movies are made of, buddy.” Worn out from all the fast talking and pacing, Tamarra, once again, retreated back to the couch. “I can't do this again. I love you, Maeyl, but I can't . . .” Tamarra's voice broke up as tears fell from her eyes.

She was so overwhelmed. Not just by the situation with Maeyl, but the situation with her family as well. So much was happening and all at once. She just wanted to go crawl up under a rock and die. If Sister Deborah's life was anything like hers, she could see why her fellow church member had gone on a sabbatical. Now, Tamarra wished she'd joined her.

“If you'd just let me explain everything to you about me and Sasha, then you won't have to go through this three ring circus thing you put yourself through whenever something gets misconstrued.”

“No, that's not what I mean. I can't do this again . . . us.” She pointed to her chest and then to Maeyl. “I can't do this my-man-leaving-me-for-another-woman thing again. I just can't do it, Maeyl. So before I let you walk out on me to go be with a blast from your past, please, allow me to save you the trouble.” Tamarra picked up her keys off of the coffee table and made her exit through the door, but not before saying, “Good-bye, Maeyl. It's been real.”

“Lorain, child, are you paying attention to anything that I'm saying to you?” Eleanor snapped at her only child, at the same time snatching a dinner plate from her hand as the two stood in the dining room. It was Lorain's task to dress the table. “I told you to use your grandmother's good china to set the table. Broady ain't the kind of man you use everyday dishes for, he's a bring-out-the-good-stuff kind of man.” Eleanor rolled her eyes and collected the other two everyday plates Lorain had placed on the table.

“Oh, sorry, Mom,” Lorain apologized, scooping up the everyday bowls.

“Oh, child, you done set out the wrong silverware too?” Eleanor began scooping up the eating utensils as well.

Eleanor was reaching her boiling point with her daughter. First Lorain had showed up a half hour late with the ingredients her mother had asked her to pick up. When she did show up, only half of the ingredients were in the bag. She'd forgotten the other items, and since they were already running behind schedule, Eleanor decided to make do.

“My bad, Mom.” Lorain followed her mother into the kitchen, both their hands full of place settings.

“My bad?” Eleanor asked. “What the heck is
my bad
?”

Lorain let out a chuckle. “Oops. I mean, I'm sorry. I think that Unique is starting to rub off on me. That girl is something else.” A smile covered her face as she shook her head, recalling the time she'd spent with Unique and her three children earlier that morning at her house. They'd met up to plan a dinner for the Single's Ministry like the one Mother Doreen and Sister Deborah had planned. Their hopes were to increase membership even more by inviting New Day singles who hadn't yet joined the ministry. Free food had worked for the past leaders, so it was Lorain and Unique's hope that it would work for them too. On top of that, their fellow member, Tamarra, had even landed her a man as a result of the dinner. Word of that indeed would be an added bonus for their efforts.

Ever since her meeting with Pastor and Unique, Lorain had stayed in prayer on the situation regarding Unique and the Single's Ministry. She'd spoken into her own life, reminding herself that it was all about Jesus. It wasn't about her relationship with the folks she had to operate with in the ministries. It was about her relationship with God. She prayed that God would change her own heart and her own ways. That God would change her mindset toward Unique, and that God would give her patience with things that ordinarily might test her. She prayed that God would use her as the solution for any issues that might arise between her and Unique. She found that praying that God change her versus God change someone else had a much better result.

Lorain hadn't been the least bit surprised at how well the meeting had gone. She'd called up Unique a couple of days before and asked her to put the agenda together this time and to include any ideas she had for the ministry. Lorain could hear the excitement in Unique's voice over the phone.

“Are you sure you want me to do it?” Unique had double checked. She'd heard Lorain ask her for her help and ideas, but had she really meant it?

“I'm certain,” Lorain had assured her with pleasure. Lorain was glad to rid herself of some of the hands on tasks, as she wanted to spend some time in the Word seeking scriptures for the ministry. She realized that both Mary and Martha's duties were very important to the kingdom, and that it would be beneficial if she and Unique switched up every now and then.

Unique had even managed a way to include her children by coming up with the idea of having a special event every now and then for singles with children. She expressed to Lorain how difficult it could be for a single person with children to do the dating thing. There were issues of finding babysitters during the courting process, issues of finding a partner who was willing to accept the children, and then there was the issue of when to introduce the children to the mate. With the children being a major factor in the single parent's life, Unique felt that they, too, should be a factor that the Single's Ministry began to focus on.

Lorain couldn't relate since she had no children and didn't plan on having any to call her own. But for those who did, she welcomed Unique's suggestion. She encouraged Unique to pray on the matter for confirmation from God and what He'd have her address and how He'd have her address it. Unique felt as though her worth in the ministry increased each and every time Lorain cheered her on to take the lead, unlike their last meeting in which she felt muzzled by Lorain's authority as leader.

The two women had gotten along better than either of them could have ever imagined. They were strictly about their Father's business, not wasting any time on seeing who could throw the lowest verbal blow. Although at one point Lorain did find herself out of line when Unique's cell phone kept ringing.

“I'm so sorry,” Unique had apologized while she and Lorain worked in the living room. The children were in their usual place in the kitchen with their coloring materials. “I don't know why all my babies' daddies wanna call me at the same time.”

No sooner had Unique apologized did her phone ring again. She looked down at the caller ID. “Shoot, this is Man-Man's daddy again. I gotta take it because he's supposed to be dropping some money by to me later on before he drives out to New York.”

Lorain didn't give her the fake and phony, “Oh, that's okay, girl,” because it wasn't okay. She was sick of that phone ringing off the hook with all those babies' daddies. They had a lot of ground to cover, and how could they do so if she was constantly on the phone?

Although Unique had only been on the phone less than a minute, it felt like ten to Lorain.

“My bad,” Unique had apologized after ending the call. “Sometimes it gets crazy with all of my sons' fathers calling and stuff, but I can't complain. At least them fools do call to check on thangs. They make sure they always with their sons on Father's Day.”

“Whoo, then I bet I was right about you having to install a revolving door on Father's Day for when all of them come through to pick up their kid.” Lorain briefly chuckled at her own insulting joke before she was convicted in her spirit. “But I guess that's good though. At least they are trying to be good daddies,” was her attempt to clean up her comment, but from the look on Unique's face, she didn't know if it was too late.

The hood in Unique had already risen up as her fist balled and she prepared to flex on Lorain. Yep, she wanted to beat girlfriend down right there in her own living room. She'd had enough of her slick comments regarding the status with her children.

“Look, Mommy,” her middle child interrupted as he entered the living room waving a picture he had drawn. “It's you and Miss Lorain.” He handed his mother the picture of two stick figured women holding hands and each holding a Bible. Each character donned a cross necklace around her neck.

“Oh, thank you, baby,” Unique said as her eyes lit up at her child's work. “I'm hanging this one up to shine as soon as we get home.”

Lorain watched as a genuine proudness covered Unique's face. Her heart almost melted. “Yes, that is a beautiful picture,” Lorain complimented the child.

“I'm gonna make you one too, Miss Lorain,” he said, “that way you can have something to hang up until God gives you some kids of your own to make stuff for you. Then you can take mine down and put up theirs. And I won't get mad either.”

“I'd love that,” Lorain smiled, as the child walked away, promising to return in a few minutes with a picture for her.

Unique didn't forgot about the comment Lorain had made prior to her son coming into the living room, but the scene that just played out before her had softened her heart tremendously. The last thing she wanted was for her sons to witness her mopping the floor with Miss Lorain, and then being hauled off to jail.

“Yeah, their daddies would be fools to miss out on their lives,” Unique continued the conversation, but on a much lighter note than she had planned to less than five minutes earlier.

“I must say, Unique, you do a wonderful job with your boys. They are so well mannered. Always clean and cute as little buttons.” Lorain called herself shelling out a compliment, but almost sounded like Mrs. Millie talking about Sophia's kids in the movie
The Color Purple
.

“Yep. I try to keep them looking decent and in order with the money their fathers let me hold. You know, throwing me some change here and there to take care of the kids.”

“What do you mean throwing you some change here and there?” Lorain was confused. She might not have had a child of her own, but she had surely heard of that little something called child support. “Don't the courts tell them what they have to pay, and then it comes right out of their paychecks?”

“Ha!” Unique laughed. “In the perfect world, I guess that's how things are done. But honey, where I come from ain't that same kind of world, and it sure ain't perfect. Most of my sons' fathers hustle for a living. They ain't seen the likes of a paycheck. They set their own wage by how hard they grind out there on them streets.”

“But what if something were to happen to them out there on them streets? If they aren't getting paychecks, then that means that they are not paying into social security, which means that their kids wouldn't receive a dime of social security benefits if they died or got hurt or something and couldn't work for the rest of their lives.”

Unique pondered Lorain's statement momentarily. “Hmm. I never thought about that.”

“And not that I'm trying to be all in your business because this conversation is about the welfare of your children right now, but do you even work? Are you even working a job where you are paying into social security? You know Pastor always reminds us that tomorrow ain't promised.”

Once again, Unique pondered Lorain's statement. Shaking her head, Unique replied, “I just get assistance from the State.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You know, I guess I just been living for today, and all this time I was thinking that I was living for my children's tomorrow.” Unique shook her head again, and Lorain thought she saw tears form in her eyes.

“Well, that's just something to think about,” Lorain told her. “Like my mother used to tell me, ‘Be who you want your children to be.' And since I don't plan on ever needing that advice, I'll give it to you.” Lorain winked, and the two proceeded with the business at hand, not even taking a second thought to how a conversation that could have ended up ugly became a beautiful, enlightening situation.

Just then Lorain had a sudden thought. Perhaps she could help Unique get set up in running her own Mary Kay Cosmetics business like she did on the side. Who knows? She could eventually end up with a pink Cadillac. God was good like that. In addition, she could use training her as an excuse to teach the child how to apply make-up correctly and how to determine the right amount.

Lorain had been so engrossed in thoughts of Unique that she hadn't even heard the doorbell ring or noticed her mother hurry from the kitchen to go answer the door. As a matter of fact, as she exited the kitchen with the good china in hand, she had no idea that the dinner guest had even arrived.

Upon entering the dining room she'd placed the dishes down on the table, and then looked up to see both her mother and her mother's date standing with their arms intertwined. Her mother was wearing a huge Kool-Aid grin on her face like she'd been fishing for hours and had finally reeled in the big catch of the day.

“Sweetie,” Eleanor said to Lorain, “I want you to meet Broady. Broady, this is my only child, Lorain.”

“Nice to meet you, Lorain.” Broady extended his hand. Lorain just stood frozen. There was silence with the exception of the shattering sound of the china dishes clinking against one another as Lorain's hands trembled.

“Honey, aren't you going to say hi?” Eleanor let loose of Broady's arm and slowly approached her daughter. “Sweetie, are you okay?” Lorain placed her hand atop her daughter's chilled and sweaty forehead. “Lorain, honey?”

Lorain remained frozen with her eyes locked on Broady. She was unable to respond to her mother.

Eleanor followed Lorain's eyes to Broady, and then looked back to Lorain. “Sit down, Lorain, darling. You look as though you've seen a ghost.”

Eleanor walked Lorain past Broady and into the living room where she sat her down on the couch. Lorain couldn't speak. She might have appeared as though she'd seen a ghost, but she hadn't. In her mind, she had seen the devil himself.