Drama in the Church Saga (4 page)

“Yes,” she replied and again the house erupted into a thunderous roar.

Olivia watched her cousin accept Julian's marriage proposal. She thought it was so romantic how Julian surprised Val. She knew that Val's lifelong dream was coming true. Once again she wished Bryant looked at her the same way Julian looked at Val. Olivia looked around the room for Bryant, but did not see him. She walked into the kitchen, but he wasn't there either. She walked to the back door and found him talking on his cell phone.

“I'll guarantee delivery by the end of the year. Trust me, you'll have your package,” Bryant said into the phone. Bryant had his back toward the door, not realizing that Olivia was standing behind him.

Olivia never heard him talk like that before. She wondered what he was talking about and whom he was talking to.
Was Bryant dealing drugs?

“Bryant!” Olivia opened the door and walked onto the back patio.

Bryant turned around. “I'll have to call you back,” he said into the phone.

He walked over to her with his arms wide open. “Hey, baby, did I miss anything? Did Julian get picked yet?”

“Yeah, he was just selected by Seattle.”

“That's great. I can't wait to congratulate him. Come on, let's go back inside.”

“Wait a minute. Who were you talking to on the phone?”

“Oh, that was nobody. It was an old friend from down south. He wanted to know if I could get him a few cases of shrimp. I work with a guy from Baltimore who can get cases of shrimp at a cheap price.”

Olivia looked at him, unsure if she should believe his story.

He noticed the worried look on her face. He gave her hug and said, “Don't worry, it was nothing.”

Elise stumbled into the house with a purse, briefcase, and a Bible all in one hand. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and tried to regain her balance. She laid her Bible down on the small vestibule table and walked across the marble floor that expanded throughout the front foyer. The clickity-clack of her high heel shoes echoed throughout the empty room. She walked into the kitchen, expecting to find her husband slaving over the stove, but to her surprise, he wasn't there. She walked over and opened the oven door. Inside was a pot roast with potatoes. The aroma drifted past her nose, provoking her stomach to growl. From the den, Elise heard the sound of clacking computer keys. She followed the sound and there was her husband, with his eyes glued to the computer screen.

“Hey, baby!” Elise said in an attempt to grab her husband's attention. Preoccupied with the article he was reading online, he lifted his hand and casually waved to his wife. She walked across the room, sat on his lap, and peered at the screen to see what had him so absorbed. The title of the article was, “Is Impotency Hereditary?”

Elise's temperature immediately rose. Unable to control her anger, she jumped off his lap and stormed into the kitchen. Miles could sense an impending argument. He got up and followed her.

“Elise, I'm trying to find answers to what's wrong with me.”

“Miles, you've been tested and your results came back fine. Why do you insist there's something medically wrong with you? The doctor told you to relax.”

Uncontrollably, Miles's ears began to twitch, a sure sign that he was frustrated over a situation he couldn't control. She walked over and held his ears in her hands. She looked into her husband's eyes through his glasses. Her husband was not the best looking man, but his ordinary looks were appealing to her. He wasn't stylish nor was he athletic, but he was a man who loved the Lord, and that was so much more attractive than a man who worshipped himself or the material things around him.

“I've been relaxing. I took a month off from work and I haven't done anything, but . . .”

“Sit at the computer and search for medical reasons why you can't keep an erection,” Elise said, finishing his sentence for him.

He looked at her strangely. This was the first time they had acknowledged his problem out loud.

“We've been married for six years, and I never had a problem until we decided to have a family.”

Elise pulled two plates down from the top cabinet. “Well, you've been seeing a therapist. What does she say?”

“I told Dr. Johnson how I witnessed my father rape and beat my mother repeatedly. She thought my sexual deficiencies had something to do with what I saw as a child. She said that I might be suppressing my feelings of how scared I am of becoming a parent. That traumatic experience could be causing my body to react in a negative way, subconsciously, resulting in my inability to . . . you know.”

“I didn't realize that experience affected you so deeply.”

“Neither did I. Now I just have to find a way to live with it, because no matter what happens, I can't erase my past. I'm more concerned about the children we were planning. I know how excited you are to start a family.”

“We just have to be patient. One day the Lord is going to bless us with a house full of kids. If we continue to pray, God will answer our prayers.”

“I've been praying and he hasn't answered them yet.”

“He will. Just remember, it's all in his time, not ours.”

Elise fixed their plates to eat. They sat down at the dining room table in silence until Miles couldn't suppress his feelings any longer. “Elise, what are we going to do if my condition becomes permanent?” Miles blurted out. “I've been having problems for the past three months. How long can I expect you to wait for me?”

Elise never thought about what would happen if Miles's condition never improved. She realized that sex was a very important part of any marriage. She thought for a moment,
I can do without sex for a while
. But what would she do if he never got better? She looked over at her husband and saw the worried look on his face.

“Elise, I have a responsibility as a man to satisfy you. What's going to happen to our marriage if I can't please you? I can't expect you to live the rest of your life celibate because I have a sexual affliction.”

He pulled his chair closer to her and grabbed her hand. “Maybe we should start thinking about what we're going to do if this condition persists.”

“I haven't really thought that far ahead,” Elise replied.

“First, I need you to know that my number one aspiration in life is to make you happy. You should never be sad, mad, or lonely.” He held his head not sure if he should tell her what he had been thinking. “What would you think if I suggested that we explore an open marriage?”

“Open marriage! What is that?”

“It's kind of like having an affair, except you have your spouse's permission to see other people.”

“Miles, you can't be serious!” she yelled.

“Hear me out. I know it sounds unorthodox, but it can work. I wouldn't ask you any questions about where you've been or who you've been with.

The only thing I would ask is that you choose someone I didn't know.”

Elise got up and walked over to the refrigerator. She filled her glass with ice. “Miles, a marriage is not based on sex. It's based on our commitment to one another. This is a battle we have to fight together. I love you and only you.” She walked over and kissed him on the lips. “‘Til death do us part.”

He smiled, relieved that she wanted to fight for their marriage. He pulled Elise down on his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

“I love you,” Elise said. “Sex is about sharing yourself with someone you love. I love the way you wrap your arms around me at night. I love the way our bodies come together as one. If I have to wait a lifetime, that's what I'll do. I'll wait out this impotency thing, and God will fix everything.”

She took a deep breath before finishing her thoughts. “If our situation doesn't change by the end of the year, we can begin to think about getting a surrogate or possibly doing in vitro. Whatever it takes, we will have a baby together.”

Miles kissed Elise passionately on the lips.

 

 

“Elise, I hate going to these conference meetings.”

“Tressie, yesterday you said you were looking forward to going,” Elise shot back.

Elise and Tressie were on their way to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The youth of the A.M.E. Church were holding their quarterly meeting, where they collectively discussed ways to promote Christ and reach out to the community. In the past they had food drives, charity events, and church carnivals.

This year the conference president, Payne Boyd, said he wanted the church to “take things to the next level.” Tressie wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but she did know from past experience that when Payne had a vision he would drive himself and those around him insane until he achieved his desired goal.

His last project, “Renaissance Children,” focused on getting children reacquainted with Christ. He was determined to increase Sunday School attendance across the state of Pennsylvania by at least fifty percent. The project required that Tressie, as the conference secretary, travel with Payne to different churches to promote his campaign. Having to deal with Payne's bossy, pushy, and rude attitude was torture for Tressie. They argued all the time and never agreed on anything.

They arrived at the A.M.E. District Diamond Center just in time for the start of morning church services. Tressie took her place behind the podium as the morning emcee. A lot of different A.M.E. churches throughout the state attended the conference meeting, so the huge sanctuary was crowded and allowed for standing room only.

“I would like to welcome everyone here this morning and thank you for attending the third quarter conference meeting.” The congregation applauded. “First, I would like to introduce our conference president, Payne Boyd. He is going to deliver the official welcome.”

Tressie stepped down as Payne stood up and straightened his suit. On his way to the podium he gave Tressie a snide grin. As Payne addressed the congregation, Tressie had thoughts of pushing him out of the pulpit and into the audience. She mouthed a silent prayer: “Lord, forgive me for the mischievous things that just ran through my head.”

After the morning service concluded, Payne called a meeting with all cabinet members. Tressie followed Payne into the back office, took a seat, and pulled out a pen and a pad of paper to take notes.

“First, I would like to address the attendance issue. I need for all members who hold office positions to be present at all quarterly meetings. If there is an . . .”

“Excuse me,” Tressie interrupted. “Wouldn't it be wise if we opened with prayer first?”

“Of course. I was going to say a prayer after I addressed the attendance issue, but if you'd like for us to pray first, we will.”

After prayer he again addressed the issue of attendance. During his speech there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Payne commanded.

When the door opened Tressie looked up and locked eyes with the man of her dreams. The handsome stranger stared back at her. An electric current drew them both into a trance that neither could break.

“Payce, you wanted something?” Payne asked his twin brother.

“Um, yeah. I came in here to tell you that Daddy has made arrangements for you to catch a ride home with Deacon Law.”

“All right, thanks,” Payne replied.

Before Payce closed the door behind him, he winked at Tressie, planting a smile on her face that lasted for the remainder of the meeting.

After the meeting concluded, Mariah, the treasurer, walked over to speak with Tressie. “Hey, girl!”

“Hey, Mariah. What's up with you?”

“Nothing much. What about you?” Mariah grinned. “I saw you checking out Payne's brother.”

The smile dropped from Tressie's face. “Payne's brother? Where?”

“The guy who interrupted our meeting, Payne's twin.”

“Twin!”

“Yes. You didn't notice?” Mariah asked.

“No!”

“That's probably because he had a wave cap on his head. They look exactly alike. He's been locked up for the past year for selling drugs. Since his release, I heard he has been trying to get his life together.”

“I bet that's really hard with a brother like Payne.”

They laughed together and walked out of the office.

“Girl, give me a call. Maybe we can hang out sometime.” Tressie waved good-bye to Mariah and went to track down Elise.

On the ride home Tressie was so excited about her brief encounter with Payce. She couldn't wait to fill Elise in. “Elise, we had a connection. He looked deep into my eyes and I looked into his. That is going to be my new man. I've got to find him.”

“Tressie, slow down. You just met the guy.”

“Elise, he is what I've been praying for. I prayed for a thug. He is the man I'm supposed to marry.”

“Tressie, you didn't even speak to him.”

“I didn't have to. We spoke through our eyes,” she explained.

Elise laughed, thinking Tressie really had lost it.

“Listen, I prayed to the Lord for a thug. You should have seen him.” She began counting off her fingers. “He had a wave cap on his head, a white T-shirt, a pair of baggy shorts, and Timberland boots.”

“Well, for someone who only saw him for less than a minute, you sure did get a good look at his wardrobe.”

“I know.” She rattled on. “I was so mesmerized by his eyes that I didn't even notice that he resembled Payne. I didn't even notice they were twins until Mariah told me. Imagine me having to spend my entire life looking into Payne's face—the person I despise the most.”

Elise laughed.

The following morning Elise decided to go for an early morning jog. Running was a stress reliever for her. It helped to clear her mind of the most recent burdens that were testing her faith. Her biggest concern was Miles and the sex that hadn't existed in their marriage for months. She had to admit, it was hard for her to go from having sex just about every day to three months of consecutive celibacy. She was frustrated and unsure of what to do.

Elise stretched her legs in preparation for her run. Each time she ran the three-mile perimeter around the park, she compared it to running the race of life. She believed that Christians who crossed life's finish line by enduring trials and tribulations would receive an abundance of blessings at the end. But not everyone will finish the race. Some people choose to spend their lives taking shortcuts and following their own plans that lead them off God's desired course. Over time, they get tired of trying to make it to the finish line and quit the race. Unfortunately, a lot of people miss out on what God has to offer them.

Elise took a deep breath and started around the park. The intake of fresh air into her lungs invigorated her. Jogging along the path, she tried to think of alternative ways she could satisfy her sexual desires without committing adultery.
I should invest in a vibrator
, she thought. Although she had never used one before, she had heard they could be quite helpful. She knew that they came in different sizes, but she didn't know what size she would need. She hoped they came with a user's manual. She didn't want to injure herself.

She was quickly approaching the end of the trail. Determined to finish the three-mile trail, she picked up her pace and circled the lake at high speed. Her legs were shaky and her joints ached. Ahead of her, she could see the marker where she started. Two steps from crossing the finish line, she was knocked to the ground with an intense pain that paralyzed her leg. She held her leg while a stream of blood flowed from the gash.