No Wasted Tears (16 page)

They loved each other. Their future was all mapped out. They had an adorable daughter and a son on the way. Life. Cynthia couldn’t get her head around it. It made her chest tight to think of how her life could have turned out if she hadn’t gotten pregnant. There was no way she’d have made a different decision about her sons; they meant the world to her. Yes, her relationship with her parents had been jeopardized but she’d done it without their help. God had blessed them. She thought back to the night before she left for college, to the things they’d said to her. They both had agreed that her relationship with Marvin would only lead to a dead end, and with her father’s help it had. Then one month after going to college she found out she was
pregnant.

She twisted in bed, rolling over to her side. It was a time when she thought things were going to turn out differently and not end up in such a disaster. Even worse, she hadn’t been around family to receive comfort and support from them because they’d pushed her out of their life when she’d needed them the most. Marvin had no idea she’d been pregnant or had his sons. She could still remember the conversations they shared about their future, and the way Marvin had looked at her when they were in love. She was drifting toward sleep when an insidious little thought weaseled its way into her mind: now that she was back in Seattle and Marvin was still free, maybe, just maybe, things could change between them. Her eyes snapped open. Her heart kicked out an urgent, panicky beat. Don’t even think about it. Not for a second. What would he say about the
boys?

But she was wide-awake and the thought was lodged in her brain, glowing like her night-light.

She was free to love again. That’s if Marvin was interested in a second time
around?

“Don’t be an idiot,” she said out
loud.

Chapter 13

Destiny was on her way out the door when the phone rang. She glanced at her watch. It was already ten minutes past the time she was supposed to leave for the office. She reached for the phone. “Hello?”

She heard someone on the other line, but no one responded, so she repeated her greeting. “Hello?”

When the person continued to breathe in her ear and refused to say anything, Destiny decided she had more important things to do. Already late, she hung up the phone. She continued toward the door, remembering to lock it on the way out. Some people evidently had nothing better to do than to play on the
phone.

Sitting at her desk, Destiny decided to make the phone call she had been putting off all day. She and Adam had agreed to talk today about plans for this week. They had enjoyed a wonderful dinner after church on Sunday. Adam had taken her to SkyCity, the Space Needle’s five-hundred-foot-high restaurant, for a wonderful brunch. After a wonderful meal and delightful conversation, they had walked through the Space Needle’s Pavilion. It was the most unique shopping
experience.

Then she had gone home only to have another haunting nightmare. They disturbed her sleep, like the surprise spring storms that ran rapid throughout the south. Since coming to Seattle, she had fought hard to push all thoughts of Stanley and the past from her mind. She had started to believe she was succeeding. Despite the gloomy rainy climate of Seattle, the lab she ran at Kintama Chemicals kept her so busy that somehow being immersed in work for days on end she wouldn’t have time to think of him or see his evil face. Last week she had talked to the secretary at Greater Community about support groups for battered women. She was excited to find that they did in fact have a support group, which met once a
week.

She had been debating about inviting Adam to dinner. She had all the right reasons for why she shouldn’t but they fell short of a legitimate reason. All of her haggling about it was causing her day to drag. The one good thing about today was that her test results were just what they’d been looking for in their latest research. So things in the lab had actually gone fairly smoothly. Maybe because she’d slept like the dead last night after her nightmare. She couldn’t remember when she’d been out cold like
that.

Her cell phone rang. “Saved by the bell.” She’d been about to go off on another long analysis of why she should call Adam. One glance at the screen and she smiled. Tina.

The conversation lasted nearly an hour. Tina updated her on things with Taylor and her pregnancy. Her descriptions of Taylor’s antics were hilarious. Her stories about Richard obsessing with the baby showed how in tune with one another they were, even in pregnancy. The perfect couple. That was what Destiny
wanted.

She heaved a big, loud sigh. She could go to lunch early. But eating wouldn’t help. If talking to Tina for the better part of an hour didn’t do the trick, nothing
would.

There was only one thing to
do.

Call him. And see if he’d accept. After all they were friends and hadn’t they said they’d get
together?

The only question left was what kind of friends? She chewed her lip, pondering that for a minute. The kind of friends who supported each other through thick and thin in life or the kind that would eventually become a couple and all that it
entails?

A grin stretched across her
lips.

She picked up the phone and
dialed.

“Hello?” he answered softly, his thick voice barely
audible.

“Hi,” she responded, suddenly embarrassed that she called at all. He had told her that Monday was a rest day for
him.

“I was just thinking about calling you. How’s your day been going in the
lab?”

“Everything’s fine. It’s been busy but I’ve had a breakthrough in some research, and since I had a few minutes, I thought I would take a break to call
you.”

“You could have called me early this morning. It would have been nice hearing your voice,” he responded, a hint of a smile in his
voice.

“You probably were sleeping, especially after delivering such a wonderful message on Sunday. I didn’t want to disturb
you.”

Adam laughed softly before he said, “I enjoyed our day. You were such a joy to be
with.”

Destiny could feel herself blushing profusely. She tried hard but couldn’t stifle her giggle. It was very difficult to stay focused with Adam when he was being so charming. “Thank you. I had a good time as
well.”

“Don’t you want to see me again?” he asked, his voice taking on a serious but cautious
tone.

Destiny sighed heavily and then took a deep breath before proceeding. “Yes, I do, if you would like
to.”

Adam laughed to himself. “Well, that’s good to know. So, Miss Destiny, when can we plan on getting
together?”

Smiling, she replied, “Well, my schedule is fairly full these days, Pastor Wheeler, but I guess I can squeeze you in sometime between now and
forever.”

“Well, that’s really wonderful to know. How does this evening look, say around
seven?”

“Let me check my schedule.” She paused for a minute before responding with a laugh. “I guess if I have to see you again, then tonight at seven will be perfect, and we can eat at the house. Auntie would love it, and please don’t be late. Auntie likes to eat on
time.”

Adam smiled into the phone. “Me late? Never. I’ll see you tonight at
seven.”

“I’m looking forward to
it.”

“Not as much as I
am.”

Pulling into the driveway, Destiny gave a peaceful sigh. Tina’s car was in the driveway, which caused her spirits to lift automatically. Getting out of the car, she performed her normal ritual of scanning the area around the house. Walking up the porch steps to unlock the front door. She stuck the key in the lock without a second thought to look behind her. That probably would not have been smart if it was dark outside. She had taken a self-defense class before moving to Seattle. The fact that she had to take all of these precautious perturbed her more than anything right now. If Stanley had had something in mind, wouldn’t he have already made his
move?

It had been quite a while and there were only a few phone calls that concerned her right now. The decision she made to move here was imperative in order to put as much distance
between him and her
as possible. She stuck her key in the lock, thankful for her new life in Seattle. She heard the latch disconnect then she push the door
open.

As soon as she stepped inside she automatically reached for the light switch. Realizing it was still daylight, she chuckled nervously to herself. With each passing day her paranoia was getting
worst.

After turning around she gasped with surprise when she saw everyone staring curiously at her, “Hi, guys,” there was some nervous tension in her voice. She managed a smile. Her stomach was churning. They had seen her caution as she entered the house. So she decided to act as if nothing was
wrong.

Dropping her bags to the floor, Destiny sank down in the first chair she found. Cynthia must have been walking from the kitchen, along with Sara, because each of them had a tray of refreshments. Sweet smells wafted from the kitchen, filling the room with their aroma. Destiny could already taste the ham with its pineapple glaze. The biscuits sent her nose into overdrive, and she swore one of the smells was collard
greens.

“Hi, Miss Destiny,” she heard David and Jonathan say as they headed her way. From behind them she heard the voice of
Taylor.

“Hi, Auntie,” she said as they all ran to grab her at
once.

“Hey, guys, I didn’t expect to see all of you today. What have you been doing?” she inquired after giving each of them a
hug.

Taylor hugged her before saying, “We’ve been waiting on you, Auntie. I have a recital, and we came to pick up David and Jonathan. Do you want to
go?”

“Not this time, guys, but next time for sure.” She smiled before making her way around the room to give everyone a hug and
kiss.

“Destiny, I feel as though I have known Cynthia forever instead of just a few months. We could not stop talking during lunch last week. We shared so many aspects of our lives—Taylor, her sons, and the new addition on the way.” She looked down and laid a hand on her growing stomach and smiled
brightly.

“Cynthia, you and Destiny have become family. I prayed that God would send Destiny to Seattle, but he cared enough to send both of
you.”

They all squeezed hands, smiling at one another. In the distance they could hear Sara singing in the kitchen as if she didn’t have a care in the world. They all settled back down in the living room. Destiny pulled off her heels, stretching out her toes while giving them a break for the first time today. After closing her eyes, enjoying the moment, she opened her eyes only to find both women looking at
her.

“Well?” they said in unison. Tina and Cynthia looked at each other and fell into a spell of
laughter.

“Well, what?” Destiny asked as if she didn’t have a clue as to what they were talking
about.