No Wasted Tears (42 page)

After walking back into the pulpit, Pastor Wheeler said, “I know you all thought that Shekinah Glory was our main guest today, but there is one other guest here to worship with us in song. I had the opportunity to take a wonderful woman to his concert recently while in
Tacoma.”

Adam looked at Destiny. Then he looked up in the balcony of the church. “I’d like for you all to welcome Mr. Smokie Norful to Greater
Community.”

Smokie moved through the sanctuary and walked into the pulpit. After giving Pastor Wheeler a hug, he looked out at the people in the congregation, who were standing on their feet, waiting for him to
sing.

“Oh my God, I love Smokie.” Destiny leaned over to tell Tina. “I can’t believe he’s
here.”

Tina turned to her, smiling.

Smokie waited, and as the musicians were getting ready, he said, “I got a call from Pastor Wheeler about two weeks ago. He asked me to come because he wanted to surprise a very special woman this morning.” He laughed before continuing. “This was the first time I’d been asked to sing a specific song, but after talking to your pastor, I understand why.” Looking out into the audience, he asked, “Destiny, will you please roll your chair down
here?”

“Girl, you better roll up there,” Destiny
heard Tina say as both of her sisters stood. The congregation watched as Destiny moved down the aisle. “Stay right there,” he stated as the band began to play. “This is from Pastor Wheeler to you. Many of you may not know this song, but it’s by an old R & B legend, Willie
Hutch.”

People must have known it because Destiny could hear them whispering all around her. “Pastor is doing this thing right,” was one comment she heard in the
audience.

Sitting there, Destiny looked at Adam. She had no idea what this was about, but she was obedient and sat
where she was as the choir began to sing, “I, oh, I choose you, baby. I choose you baby.” Then Smokie joined in singing, “And I’ll tell you why. You were there when no one else would be in my corner, Destiny, and it’s you that I’ve learned to love and place no one above. Oh, how can I ever thank you, except take you home and make you my lovin’ wife so we can always be together? Oh ain’t that
nice.”

She watched Pastor Wheeler walked down from the pulpit and slowly walk toward her. With each step, she thought of all the things that made him special. People were cheering, and some were even crying as Smokie and Shekinah Glory continued to serenade them. “Oh, I choose you, baby. Destiny, no longer do I have to shop around anymore. No, no, no, no. I’ve found that once-in-a-lifetime girl who I’ve been searching for. My baby, you’re all right. How can I convince you, girl, that you’re truly out of
sight.”

Adam kneeled down, drawing a crying Destiny into his arms. He held her, telling her how much he loved her. Pulling back, he got up and took over the last part of the song. “Destiny, you’re the kind of woman that any man would be proud to know, the kind of woman that’ll have a man bragging anywhere he goes. Oh, I choose you, baby, ‘cuz you’re sugar. Oh, you’re spice, woman, love, you’re everything nice. Oh, my goodness, oh, I feel real bright. Oh, I choose you, baby.” He continued to hold her hand. Adam pulled back, looking at Destiny as she cried. His eyes were filled with love as he reached out to touch her cheek, an offer of comfort and
love.

“You better work that song, Pastor!” was yelled from somewhere in the sanctuary, followed by several, “Yes, Lord!” After the band played the last keys of the song, Pastor Wheeler dropped back down on one
knee.

Someone yelled, “Lord, have
mercy!”

He looked up at the woman who was the other half of him. She was surprised that his hands felt damp and a film of perspiration began to form on his upper
lip.

The feelings that overtook Destiny were indescribable. Happiness
was bubbling up on the inside of her. Through her tears, she smiled as he knelt down in front of her. Then he cleared his throat before looking around one time and setting his eyes back on his
Destiny.

“I wanted to do this in a romantic, sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of way. I hope this”—Adam waved his hand around, indicating everything he’d done during the service—“was romantic enough, because if it isn’t I
could—”

Nodding
her head, Destiny was trying to tell him it had been more than enough, but the words wouldn’t come. Tears kept rolling from her
eyes.

Laughing, he said, “I guess that’s a
yes.”

Destiny placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb up and down his
face.

“I’ve loved you since I met you on the plane. I love you more every day, more than I can ever tell you. My life was empty and incomplete before you came along. Only God
could have found you for me because only he knew what I needed. Destiny, I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I thank God that you love me. You mean everything to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life causing you to love me more. I love you, Destiny.”

The greeters had passed out so much tissue that they didn’t have enough for all of the tears flowing in the sanctuary. One of the sisters on the front row yelled out, “Lord,
he’s
messing us up this morning! I can’t take it. God, send me one just like my
pastor.”

Adam continued, “When you’re not around, I miss you. When I can’t see your smile, it seems like the sun doesn’t shine as bright. Because you’re”—he took a deep breath—“you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. So, Destiny Harper, will you marry
me?”

Destiny continued to look down at him, her hair falling around her face. Adam wiped a tear that fell from her eyes. She knew the answer to the question right away, but she couldn’t believe that this was happening and Adam was asking what she’d hoped he would someday. That someday was today. She shook her head in disbelief that this day had been so glorious and now the man she loved was asking to marry
her.

“Say yes, Destiny. Say yes.” Everyone started chanting, “Say yes.” Looking over at her family, Destiny saw everyone she loved chanting along with everyone else. She smiled from ear to ear as happy tears rolled down her face, she remembered the sermon from earlier in the service, “no wasted tears.” Reaching for her hand, she watched him as he leaned down to kiss her hard on the mouth, pouring all their emotions into the kiss. As they broke apart, she was able to
speak.

“Yes!” she said, resting her forehead against his. Adam pulled a black velvet box from his
pocket.

Adam glanced over to his right. Following his eyes, she looked to see her sisters. Each of them was giving her the thumbs-up with a
smile. Adam placed the three-carat, canary diamond on her finger and sealed it with a kiss.
The organist began playing the first cords of “My Name Is Victory” as the choir joined in, giving God praise for this special moment. Folks all over the audience were praising God for blessing their pastor with a
wife.

Adam broke into a smile as he hugged Destiny. “I love
you.”

Destiny laughed as she threw her arms around Adam’s neck and hugged him, forgetting about everything but the two of them in this
moment.

Praising God right along with the choir, Adam grabbed Destiny’s hand, looked at her, and said, “You’ve just made me very happy, Destiny.” Pulling back, he gazed at her with misty eyes and
smiled.

Destiny pulled his face down to her and said, “You’ve just made me very happy, Adam. I loved you when we first met. I never thought I’d find someone who’d love me for me. No one knows me better, and no one makes me feel the way you do. You see past my past, and you make me feel so special. I know you’re always going to be there for me, and when it all goes wrong, you’ll be there to make it right. I want to wake up in your arms every morning, go to bed with you at night, and do everything in between with you every day for the rest of our
lives.”

Marvin sat in the driver’s seat, knowing he needed to put the key in the ignition and drive away from the church. He didn’t. Couldn’t. His hands were trembling too much. He let out a slow breath, adrenalin, anticipation, and anger racing through him in equal measures. He’d just seen his sons. They had to be his; they looked just like him and they were with
Cynthia.

Marvin forced himself to relax, forced the memories back, memories of their teenage romance, and that unforgettable night. Why hadn’t she told him about them? Well things would be different now, Marvin promised himself. Nothing and no one would keep him from his sons…and certainly not
Cynthia.

Epilogue

Three Years Later


 

“Destiny, push, baby, push!”

The sweat was pouring down from her forehead. The pain was almost unbearable. Her hands squeezed the railings of the bed so hard that they had lost some of their
coloring.

“C’mon, Mrs. Wheeler, just a little bit more. Keep your eyes on your focal
point.”

The nurses were all excited that the world-renowned pastor, author, screenwriter and producer of the movie
No Wasted Te
ars
was in their hospital. The hospital administration had been put on alert earlier today that Mrs. Destiny Wheeler would be a patient. The movie had done better in theaters than any of the critics expected. The first week out, the movie grossed over forty million dollars. Now, nine months later, they were in California for the Golden Globe Awards. But their little bundle of joy was trying to make an early
appearance.

“Mrs. Wheeler, you’re nearly
there!”

“It feels like I’m dying. Baby, please, I changed my mind. Let them give me something for pain. I can’t do it again!” Destiny was crying as she looked at Sara, Willie, and Adam. They were doing everything they could to make her
comfortable.

Adam moved closer to the bedside, taking her hand. “Come on, baby. Dad says all you need to do is push one more time. Little man is looking for his sister.” Adam smiled at their son, who was born five minutes
earlier.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Destiny mustered up all of the strength she had left to
push.

It was almost immediately after that last push that the room was filled with the soft cries of their new baby. Leaning over to kiss her brow, Adam said, “Thank you, Destiny,” as he watched the nurses clean up their
babies.

“It’s a girl,” Dr. Fuller said as he walked their daughter over to the bed for both of them to see. Gently taking the baby in her arms, Destiny smiled at yet another miracle that had been created by their love for each other. Each of their babies were beautiful and the spitting image of the both of
them.

Sara walked over to look at the bundle of joy in her arms. “She’s precious, Destiny, almost identical to you as a
child.”

“I concur,” Willie said from the other side of the bed. “They’re both adorable babies, and I can’t wait to spoil
them.”

Adam took the baby from his wife to place her beside her brother, staring down at their beautiful babies in their hospital
carriers.

“She has your eyes,” Adam said softly, smiling.

“And he has yours,” she mumbled, feeling tears slipping from her
eyes.

It seemed as if they had only been with them for a few minutes before the nurses came back in to take their babies to get baths. Neither one of them were ready for their babies to leave the room. Adam stood, looking at his beautiful wife. Even after twelve hours of labor, he couldn’t help but praise God for the blessings that continued to pour into their lives. It seemed that God was on a continuous journey of rewarding them for every tear they’d shed in their
lives.

“Are you sad about missing the Golden Globes?” Destiny asked him as she watched the nurse leave the room with the
twins.

“Baby, I’m not worried about anything tonight. I just received the best picture award, and you gave them to me. You and those babies mean more to me than any Golden Globe.” Adam leaned over, kissing his
wife.