Been There Prayed That (9781622860845) (19 page)

“Mother Doreen, I got here as soon as I could.” Pastor Frey arrived at the hospital waiting area out of breath. “What's going on?”

“Excuse me for a minute, baby,” Mother Doreen said to Sadie who she had been embracing and rocking in her arms the last half hour.

Sadie was a complete mess. All she kept saying the entire time she, her aunt, and her brother followed behind the ambulance was, “This is all my fault. This is all my fault.” Mother Doreen was doing her best to comfort her niece and let her know that everything was going to be okay, and that no matter what the outcome, she had nothing to do with it. It was all in God's hands.

“Hudson, make sure you stay here with your sister,” Mother Doreen told her nephew who was sitting next to them. “I need to go talk to Pastor Frey—” She paused and looked up at the partially distraught gentleman. While cutting her eyes at him, she said the word, “alone.”

Mother Doreen got up and led Pastor Frey outside of the emergency room doors where the sun was shining and the birds were chirping on this beautiful, yet chilly, November morning.

“Mother Doreen,” Pastor Frey pleaded while placing each of his hands on her shoulders.

Mother Doreen had to admit that there was something about Pastor Frey that she liked, his touch being one of them. There was something so sweet and gentle about him. For a minute there, she was even foolishly falling for him, but had prayed, gouged herself with blessed oil, and fasted for three days, asking God to remove the feelings she was having for him. Feelings that weren't part of the plan, she was sure.

She wanted God to keep her on the straight and narrow in order to fulfill her assignment there in Kentucky. It was clear that she suspected Pastor Frey of being up to no good with her sister, but for some reason, when the two of them were together, he acted like Bethany didn't even exist, never brought her name up or anything. But Mother Doreen knew she couldn't change her initial perception based on that. She was, in fact, wavering and doubtful, which is why she had to have the conversation she was about to have with Pastor Frey in order to clear things up once and for all.

“Please, tell me what's going on.” Pastor Frey was frantic, as he had been ever since Mother Doreen called him on his cell phone just as he was about to enter the church. All he'd had time to do was wave down a fellow member and ask that they relay to Pastor Davidson what was going on, that he wouldn't be in church today in order to go see about Sister Bethany. “How is Sister Bethany? Is she okay?” All of a sudden a horrible thought entered his mind. “The baby—is everything okay with the baby?”

“I'm not sure if everything is okay with Bethany's baby,” Mother Doreen said to him, considering no one had yet updated them on Bethany's condition. “Or should I say I'm not sure if everything is okay with Bethany's and your baby.” She shook her shoulders free of his touch.

Pastor Frey turned beet red. But what Mother Doreen found most peculiar was the complete look of confusion on his face.

“Please, let's not play games, Pastor Frey. I'm way too old for that. And playing games is what you've been doing since I arrived. Playing games with my sister. Playing games with me. But I've figured you out. All you were trying to do was to be a distraction to me—get me all rallied up into thinking you had an interest in me so that I wouldn't detect your interest in my sister. Well, the game ends here, and from the looks of it, no winner will be declared.”

“You've got this all wrong,” Pastor Frey said.

“Do I?” Mother Doreen leaned in close to Pastor Frey's ear. “You and I both know that that baby ain't none of Uriah's, God rest his soul. That's your baby, and you know it. I know it too.”

Just when Mother Doreen thought Pastor Frey couldn't turn any redder, he did. He was as red as the devil is depicted to be.

“Baby? My baby? Mother Doreen, what on God's green earth are you trying to insinuate about me? Anybody who knows me knows that I love the Lord. I delight in God's commandments.” A stern and angry look covered Pastor Frey's face. “And I abide by them. So for you to stand here and accuse me of adultery, and even worse, creating a baby as a result of the act, is nonsense!” Pastor Frey was all in Mother Doreen's case, but she wasn't fazed.

“Humph.” Mother Doreen rolled her eyes. She wasn't about to fall for his well rehearsed act. Standing there acting like he was none the wiser about what she was talking about. Versus stand there and play that little game with him, she decided to get right to the point, which is exactly what she'd intended to do when she phoned him just forty-five minutes ago and told him about Bethany's accident. It sure wasn't for him to run up there to the hospital and act like he was there as part of his ministerial duties. It was to finally lay the cards on the table, which is exactly what she'd just done.

“Like I said, the game is over, Pastor Frey, and it's time for you to follow the advice of John the Baptist and repent.”

“You are making a mistake, a big mistake, Sister Doreen.” Pastor Frey said this with such conviction that Mother Doreen almost believed him. “That baby your sister is carrying is not mine. I would never do such a thing to Brother Uriah. He knew that about me.”

“Well, he may have thought that all the sniffing you did around his wife was in the name of Jesus, but I know better.”

“Believe me when I say I was only doing what God told me to do when it came to being there for your sister.” A weird look suddenly appeared across his face as he hesitantly added. “What God
and
Pastor Davidson told me to do.”

It was at that very moment when a spirit of discernment filled Mother Doreen like never before. Had she, in fact, been distracted? But not by the man whom all this time she'd thought had set out to do so?

Just then, Sadie, followed by Hudson, raced from the double doors.

“Mom's okay,” Sadie cried out, “but the baby is gone!” Sadie fell into her aunt's arms, and the fight they'd had earlier had long been erased, washed away by each of their tears that fell and hit the pavement.

“Hello,” Tamarra answered the phone after seeing Maeyl's number on the caller ID.

“Hi, how are you?” Maeyl asked Tamarra in an upbeat tone.

“I'm good.”

“Did you need something? I saw that you had called me twice. I was in prayer, and you know I don't answer my phones when I'm in prayer.”

“Yeah, I figured you were.”

“God is so good, Tamarra. He really is.”

Maeyl was so perky that Tamarra almost wanted to change her mind about what she was about to do, what she was about to tell him. He hadn't been this happy since—since before finding out he had a daughter. Tamarra knew that Maeyl's total bliss had almost everything to do with the relationship he was forming with Sakaya. Tamarra knew she could never be as equally thrilled about the situation, which is why she had to break things off with Maeyl. The sooner the better. She knew she best do it now before she tried to kid herself and pretend she could go through with continuing a relationship with Maeyl.

“Well, you certainly sound blessed,” Tamarra said. “Look, Maeyl, I was wondering if you could meet me at the park.” For late November, the outdoors was beautiful and still had welcoming weather.

“Are you serious?” Maeyl questioned, still in a perky tone.

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“No, it was just that I promise on everything when I got out of prayer I was going to call you up and ask you if we could meet somewhere. The park will do just as fine. Why don't I call up Sasha and see if she'll let Sakaya—”

“Uh, Maeyl, I was kind of hoping it could just be me and you,” Tamarra said as her skin crawled. She couldn't help it. Every time Maeyl reminded her that he had an extended family now, the green eyed monster showed itself. She was jealous. Jealous of the woman, jealous of the child, or both. She didn't know. She didn't care. She just knew right at that moment, with the way she was feeling, it only confirmed that she was about to do the right thing.

Maeyl paused. “Well, I kind of wanted to do it with Sakaya, but I suppose I could meet you alone. Can you give me about a half hour?”

“Sure,” Tamarra said. “I'll see you then.” Tamarra ended the phone call and sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Breaking up with Maeyl, and then having to see him on a regular at church. Seeing him and Sasha and the child. Perhaps she'd just have to find some place to worship outside of New Day Temple of Faith. But for now, first things first. She went into the bathroom and sprinkled some water and setting lotion on her natural hair. She then went out to her car and headed toward the park, along the way practicing exactly what she was going to say to Maeyl.

 

 

“Yes!” Tamarra screamed. “Yes, Maeyl, I'll marry you.” Those were far from the words she had practiced on the way to the park, but yet those were the words Tamarra had spoken. At the sight of the two carat diamond ring, Tamarra had forgotten all about the reason why she'd asked Maeyl to meet her at the park in the first place.

“She said yes!” Maeyl began to shout to total strangers that passed them by while they sat on the park bench. “She said yes.” He then looked to Tamarra. “You have just made me the happiest man in the world. I knew you'd say yes. I just knew it. While I was praying earlier, when I missed your calls, I'd been praying about you, about us. I needed to make sure that what I was about to do—what my heart wanted so desperately to do—was the right thing. During prayer, I asked God to give me a sign. He didn't give me my answer right then and there, but I knew when I came out of my prayer room and saw that you had called, and then you asked to meet me at the park, I knew it was meant to be. It was at the park that I had envisioned proposing to you and you saying yes. Your calling me was my sign, Tamarra. This, us—” He held her hand he'd just placed the ring on. “We were meant to be.”

A huge smile covered Tamarra's face as she watched tears form in the eyes of her husband to be.

“The only thing different than what I had envisioned,” Maeyl continued, “was Sakaya being here.”

Just at the sound of the child's name, Tamarra's smile faded. Maeyl was too busy telling the couple jogging by that Tamarra had said yes to his proposal to notice. Tamarra didn't know what it was that made her feel this way. The child had never done a thing to her, yet just the thought of her being the result of Maeyl's intimacy with another woman made her feel threatened. She never assumed Maeyl was a virgin. She was sure he'd slept with other women besides Sasha. But there was just something about a cute, little two and a half foot reminder with French braids and beads on the end that she just couldn't stand. But then it dawned on her that she'd better get used to it because she had just agreed to marry the father of the cute, little two and a half foot reminder.

After spending another twenty minutes or so in the park, Maeyl and Tamarra each left toward their individual homes. The two agreed they'd take Sakaya out to dinner tomorrow and share the news with her together.

Tamarra returned home to find a car parked in front of her house with Maryland license plates on it. The only people she knew who would be visiting her from Maryland were her mother and father, but the sporty, little, red Honda wasn't the Chrysler 300 she knew her parents owned. Even if they had decided to get a new car and her mother not tell her, it sure wouldn't have been that hot rod.

The sun was almost all the way down, and with the tinted windows, Tamarra couldn't make out who the single occupant was that sat in the driver's seat. Instead of parking her jeep in her garage, Tamarra pulled up into the driveway and got out. The passenger of the Honda got out too.

“Aunt Tamarra?” the young, female driver called out.

Tamarra stood frozen in her tracks as the petite figure before her began walking in her direction. Tamarra hadn't seen the girl in ages, but she recognized her eyes, her skin complexion, and other tell tale signs. It was Raygene, Raymond's daughter. Tamarra's mother had given the girl her name, a name that Tamarra felt was too close to that of Raymond's, which is yet another reason why she never wanted to have a relationship with the child. Letting Raymond's daughter into her life would have meant having to acknowledge the fact that she even had a brother. She'd written them both off, but now here one of them was standing before her.

“Hi, Aunt Tamarra, it's me, Raygene. Sorry I didn't call first, but since you don't really know me from Adam anyway, I figured, what difference would it make?”

The beautiful, slender, bubbly girl stood before Tamarra looking every bit like her father. With such a warm spirit that shined even in that dark evening, the girl still resembled a dark past of Tamarra's life. One that prevented Tamarra from welcoming the girl with open arms.

“I used Mapquest to find you, and since it was on the way to where I'll be staying—”

“Staying?” Tamarra interrupted.

“Yes, I just transferred to a wonderful graduate program at Ohio State University. I'm going to be living in Columbus near the campus. Looks like we'll practically be neighbors now, living only an hour or so away from each other. Perhaps we can make up for lost time?” Raygene smiled. Tamarra didn't. “But then again, perhaps not. I mean, I'll be busy with my studies and all. And Granny says your catering business keeps you quite busy.”

Tamarra remained silent.

Raygene could see that the wattage in her bright idea hadn't been powerful enough, as Tamarra wasn't the least bit enthused. “Well, it's late and my roommate is expecting me. I should probably get going. I just didn't want to pass family, you know, without at least stopping by to say hi.”

Still, Tamarra said nothing.

“Well, it was good seeing you.” Raygene dug into the purse that was on her arm. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, then began to write something down. “Here.” She handed the paper to Tamarra. “This is where I'll be staying and my phone number. I'd love to hear from you if you ever get the time.”

Tamarra looked down at the paper, but still said nothing.

“Anyway, like I said, I better get going. Hopefully you'll use the number.” From the look on Tamarra's face and her complete silence, Raygene knew Tamarra would not be using her contact information. “Well, good-bye, Aunt Tamarra.”

Tamarra watched the girl get back inside her car and drive away. She then got back inside her own car and hit the remote button to open the garage door. She pulled inside, all in somewhat of a daze. She got out of her car and headed inside, stopping at the trashcan on her way.

She looked down at the piece of paper in her hand. She then looked upward to God. She looked at the paper again before she threw it in the trash and went inside her house.

She knew forming a relationship with Raygene could possibly be a step toward complete healing and forgiveness, but it just wasn't something she was willing to do. Raygene was a part of Raymond, who was a part of her hurtful past. At that moment Tamarra decided for now she would leave her past behind her, all of it, and instead, move forward in her future with Maeyl. Whether she was making the right decision or not, only time would tell.