Drama in the Church Saga (39 page)

Before returning to the bathroom Val straightened out her composure. “I also picked up a few items for you. I'm not sure if they'll fit, but I figured you could use them.”

Jonah helped Hope step out of the tub and dry off. “Thanks. If you don't mind, can you help Hope get dressed? I'm going to use the hallway bathroom to wash up and change. It won't take me long.”

“Sure.” While Val helped Hope get dressed, she figured this may be her only chance at finding out any details about Hope and her father. “Hope, do you know your last name?”

Hope was aloof toward her. She didn't speak and avoided looking in Val's direction.

“Where's your mommy?”

The little girl's eyes were emotionless.

“She's not going to answer you.” Jonah snuck up from behind Val. “She still considers you a stranger, and so do I.”

“I was just trying to—” Val was at a loss for words.

“You were just trying to find out about me and my daughter. If you wanted to know about her mother you could have asked me.” Jonah grabbed Hope's coat and shoes and threw on his own hat, coat and shoes. “Come on, Hope. Let's go.”

“Please don't go. I brought you something to eat. At least eat first.”

“That's all right. You may try to lift my fingerprints from off the glasses.” He grabbed Hope's hand, and they left out the door.

Val watched them walk down her sidewalk, away from the house. She prayed he took Hope somewhere nice with the twenty dollars she slipped inside his coat pocket.

Colin dribbled the basketball in front of Dean, teasing him. “Come on, Dean. What's the problem?” He grinned. “You're wheezing like an old man.”

“Old man.” Dean stole the ball out of Colin's hands and stepped around him to make an easy basket.

Dean laughed, threw the ball to Colin and slowly made his way over to the benches. He grabbed his Temple sports bottle and collapsed onto the bench.

It wasn't unusual to find the two men at war on the basketball court any given Saturday. Colin was very athletic and loved all sports. Dean wasn't as competitive as Colin, but there were some sports he excelled at, and one of them was basketball.

“Man, what's up with you?” Colin watched him drink the entire container. “We usually play at least three of four games before you need a break. We haven't even finished the first game.”

Dean grinned. “I'm getting old. Everybody can't be as young as you.” Colin sat down next to him.

“So finish telling me what happened when you went into Baxter's office.”

“Well, I didn't go in there going ballistic. I prayed that morning and asked the Holy Spirit, ‘What would Jesus do?' I really didn't expect God to answer, but He did. When I walked into Baxter's office, I felt tranquility overcome me. It was like being in a room filled with the presence of the Lord. I calmly and professionally explained to Baxter how offended I was by what he said. In the end he apologized and said that he didn't mean anything by it.”

“Do you believe him?” Dean wasn't convinced it was that easy. “I mean, there is such a thing as unintentional racism. Some people are bigots and they don't even know it.”

“I thought about that when it first happened, but I'm not going to hold this one incident against him. It happened, he apologized, that's the end of it.”

“Well, I have some great news to share,” Dean stated loudly. “I asked Olivia to marry me.”

“Congratulations!” Colin gave Dean a firm handshake. “I knew it would only be a matter of time.”

“I couldn't allow her to get away from me. She completes me. Every time I look at her I see my blessing. I can't stop praising God for having favor on me. When she's in my presence, I feel like she has me under a spell, because no other woman can compare.”

“Dean, a lot of people don't realize how blessed they are to have a woman like Olivia until it's too late.” Colin stood up and dribbled the basketball.

“Man, I'd be honored if you stood up with me as my best man at my wedding.”

Colin was caught off guard by Dean's request. He wasn't expecting Dean to ask him to be a part of the wedding. “I wouldn't miss it for the world.” He held the basketball in his hand. “What's up with your grandpa? You haven't said anything about his case. You know the whole church stands behind him. Those allegations are preposterous.”

“I can't worry about my grandpa. I'm going to go on with my life. I wish him the best.”

Colin gave an awkward look. “Man, I know it may be hard to read the horrible things they print in the daily newspaper, but don't allow one reporter's opinion of the case put doubt in your mind about a man who has been like a martyr to the black community.”

“What if you put all your trust in my grandpa and he's not what you thought he was?”

Colin guessed there was more to the story than what he knew. “He's only a man, and man shouldn't judge man. We can't expect him not to have made any mistakes. Your grandpa has genuine love in his heart for God and all God's children. Black or white. Latino or Asian. It doesn't matter to him. Maybe you need to do some soul-searching and ask God to reveal what's blinding your heart from seeing the truth. I'll pray for you, and when you're ready to share, I'll be here.”

“Colin, there is something I haven't told you yet.”

Colin saw fear in his friend's eyes.

Before Dean could say anything, his breathing became erratic. He clutched at his chest and fell to the ground.

“Dean!” Colin hollered out. He tilted Dean's head back and tried to breathe life back into him. He pumped down on his chest for three counts and tried again. Seconds later Dean was gasping for air. Colin pulled his cell phone out of his gym bag and dialed 9-1-1.

Colin told the operator where they were, and it seemed like a lifetime before he heard the ambulance sirens in the background. “Hold on, Dean! The paramedics are on the way.” Colin could see Dean was still having a hard time breathing on his own.

Finally, the paramedics arrived. They lifted Dean onto a stretcher and placed an oxygen mask over his face. As they rolled him away, he reached out for Colin and moved the mask from his face.

Colin bent down close to his mouth. Dean whispered Olivia's name. Colin ran to his car, and the first thing he did was call Olivia.

 

 

Across town at the bridal boutique Olivia, Val and Danyelle searched for dresses. Olivia searched the racks for the perfect gown. Plus, she had to find dresses for her maid of honor, Danyelle, and bridesmaids, Tressie and Val.

“Val, are you sure you're all right?” Olivia asked from inside the changing room. She worried that Val would have a mental breakdown from being around so many wedding dresses.

“Would you stop asking me that? I'm fine.” Val looked around for Danyelle. She spotted her lounging in one of the plush leather chairs. Her feet were propped up on the footstool while drinking sparkling apple cider and munching on sweet strawberries from a fruit tray.

Val walked over and poured herself a glass. “Look what the cat done drug in.” Val sipped from her glass and watched Tressie sashay through the store like a runway model.

Danyelle turned around just in time to see Tressie pick up a burgundy bridesmaid dress from off the rack.

“I love this. They have this hanging in the window. This is the dress for me.”

Danyelle studied the dress. “It's cute, but they don't have that dress in the color we need.”

“We already checked.” Val sat down in the lounge chair next to Danyelle.

“Damn.” Tressie looked up towards the sky. “Lord, I didn't mean that. Maybe I can get Livie to change the color,” Tressie reasoned out loud.

“I don't think so,” Danyelle told her. “Anyway, it's too late for Olivia to change the color scheme of the reception.”

“I wouldn't change the colors anyway,” Olivia hollered from the dressing room, “because it's my wedding.”

Tressie sucked her teeth and leaned against the wall. “Where you been at?” Val asked.

“You were supposed to meet us here forty five minutes ago.”

“They had me sitting in court all day long for jury selection. It was a complete waste of time,” Tressie replied.

“I guess that means you weren't chosen,” Danyelle said.

“I think I would have been chosen if it weren't for the fact that every black man that entered the courtroom in shackles and jailhouse clothes I knew.”

Val and Danyelle laughed. “I couldn't believe it. I knew every single one of those guys. It was embarrassing. Once I found the courage to raise my hand, the judge would call me out, and then I had to ask to be excused because I was an acquaintance of the defendant. It got to the point where the judge would start the selection off by asking me, did I know the accused.”

Danyelle laughed even harder. “I even saw Payce's best friend, Darshon, there.”

“That goes to show you that you need to start having a better choice of friends,” Val said.

“All those people are from my past. It's not my fault that fate brought a bunch of shady characters in my life.”

“Don't blame fate for your mistakes,” Danyelle replied. They waited outside the dressing room another ten minutes before Danyelle got tired of eating fruit. She stood up and marched toward the stall Olivia was in. She banged on the dressing room door. “Would you hurry up? Livie, it doesn't take that long to try on no dress.”

Customers standing close by turned to look at the commotion Danyelle was causing. Olivia slightly opened the door and looked around for her sister. “How can you expect me to do this all by myself? Most of these dresses weigh more than I do. Could you help me out?” She turned around so Danyelle could button up the back of the dress she had on.

“Okay, you two are making a scene.” Val stepped in between the two of them. She turned toward Danyelle. “Stop upsetting the bride-to-be.”

The perky and vibrant Bridal Boutique sales clerk came over with more dresses for Olivia to try on. “Here you are.” She handed Danyelle four more wedding dresses.

“More dresses?” Danyelle questioned.

“Yes, your sister said she would like to try these on, and since you're not only the bride's sister, but also the maid of honor I figured that you could hold the dresses while she tries each one on.”

“I thought that was your job,” Danyelle dryly replied, but the sales clerk giggled her way to the far end of the store.

Olivia spun around to face the girls. Like children with a staring problem each one of her friends looked at her, but didn't say a word. The smile quickly faded from Olivia's face. “What's wrong?” She stood in front of the mirror. “Does the dress look that bad?” She turned toward them.

Danyelle set the dresses she was holding down on a nearby chair and walked up to her sister with tears in her eyes. “Livie, you look just like Mommy. If I hadn't seen you go into that room, I would have thought you were her.”

Olivia was relieved. “You really think so?”

Danyelle turned her sister around to face the mirror. “I think this is the dress for you.”

Olivia didn't realize how much this dress resembled her mother's. The simple country linen dress with delicate pearl beading was practically an exact replica.

“Oh, my!” Madge, the sales clerk, walked up and placed her hand over her open mouth. “I have never seen a bride look lovelier. Isn't she breathtaking?” She nudged Danyelle.

“I think I'm going to take it,” Olivia said.

“All right.” She took one final glance at the dress. “I don't even think it needs any alterations. If you go into the dressing room I'll bag this up for you.”

Tressie helped Olivia unsnap the back buttons, and Olivia went back into the dressing room to change.

Olivia admired herself in the mirror. It was still hard for her to believe she was getting married. “Olivia!” Her sister's big mouth frightened her. “What's taking you so long? The sales lady is out here waiting for you.”

Olivia pulled the dress over the top of her head and put back on her own clothes. As she was tying up her sneakers, she noticed a missed call on her cell phone.

As she listened to her messages she got scared when she heard Colin's message. He didn't say what happened, but he did say he was on the way to the hospital and that she should get there as soon as possible.

Adrenaline pumped Olivia's heart so fast that she broke out in a sweat. The walls seemed to close in around her and she couldn't breathe. She grabbed hold of the wall and finished putting on her sneakers then dashed out of the store and toward her car.

“Olivia! Olivia!” Danyelle called after her sister, but Olivia never turned around.

 

 

In the hospital Colin sat next to a sleeping Dean. He hadn't left Dean's side since they arrived. Colin pushed back in his chair. Scenes of how Dean collapsed to the ground flashed before his eyes. That was a scary moment for Colin.

A doctor entered the emergency room cubicle and introduced himself. “Has he been sleeping long?” the doctor asked.

“Since, I've been here,” Colin replied.

“I'm not 'sleep.” Dean rubbed his eyes to adjust to the bright light. “Just resting my eyes.”

“Good. Is it all right if I speak in front of your friend?” After Dean nodded, the doctor sat on the side of Dean's hospital bed. “I spoke with your doctor and he told me that he was very clear when he explained that, because of your condition, you were instructed to take it easy.”

“Doc, I was just playing a little ball,” Dean complained.

“Basketball is too much for your body to handle. You may have thought the weather was cool enough for you to run up and down the basketball court under the sun, but that drains your energy. That is why you collapsed. You have to get some rest, Mr. West. No more strenuous exercise.” He handed Dean a few papers and a pen. “Sign here and you can go.”

Dean signed his release forms and threw his legs over the side of the bed.

“Man, what condition is the doctor talking about?” Colin asked.

“Man, I'm sick.”

Colin looked down at Dean's shaking hands and knew that Dean was scared. “What's wrong with you?”

Then the white curtain opened up, and in rushed Olivia. “Honey, what happened?” She ran and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.” He gave Colin a look to keep quiet. “I think we were playing a little bit too hard. The doctor said I was dehydrated and exhausted. He recommended rest.”

Olivia helped him down from off the bed. “Well, no more basketball for you.”

They walked out of the emergency room together, leaving Colin to wonder what was wrong with his friend.