No Wasted Tears (5 page)

She stopped again, the tears flowing steadily down her
face.

“I knew then she was slipping away because she thought your daddy was standing in the door of that hospital room. It was only because I knew he was a pediatrician in Atlanta, and not Charleston that I didn’t correct her, I just let her talk. ‘Sara, tell the story of how we fell in love one night while we danced to Smokey Robinson. Tell her how he sang “The Track of my Tears.” Tell her I chose her and God chose
me.’

“She grabbed my hands, and at that point I could tell she was leaving me. She looked toward the door as if she saw Jesus himself. But it was that same doctor with his surgical mask covering his face, their gazes locked as if they knew each other. Her face began to light up with a happiness that I had not seen since she looked down at you. “I heard her whisper, ‘I knew you were coming. Isn’t she the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen? She has your caramel eyes and brown hair.’ I turned around expecting to see him at the door, but the only person standing there was that doctor with his surgical mask and his
assistant.”

After pondering those thoughts in her mind, Auntie looked out the window of the car, turning slowly to look at
Destiny.

“Destiny, sometimes you’re able to see in hindsight what was right before your eyes. But while you were looking, you missed the important details. I believe it’s true that our view about many things can be blocked by people, jealously, hate, and envy. Really, in my opinion people see what they want to see, baby.”

She patted my leg before continuing. “But in reality there’s always more if we would only allow the way we feel to be eliminated from what we see. Our own insecurities can block us from seeing what could actually bless our lives or become a blessing in our lives. After all the years that Margret has been gone, it’s only now that I realize it was my anger and bitterness over the way my life had turned out that caused me to be jealous of the love Margret
found.”

Sara got quiet, caught up in her own
thoughts.

A tear ran down the side of Sara’s face. With a hand that had seen better days, she wiped it quickly
away.

“Auntie, are you all
right?”

And as if she had been in a trance, she looked at Destiny, wiped the tears, smiled that smile of hers, and said, “I did my best for you. Margret
didn’t want her baby girl working at no club and having babies by some ‘ole no count man. And I kept all those boys that saw you filling out and looking like a china doll away. You were so smart just like your mama, and you loved all that science stuff. Every time I turned around you were either cutting up a frog or working on a concoction to make them better. Even back then your life was already poised for greatness, baby girl.” She patted Destiny’s thigh, after that statement, and closed her eyes. Destiny smiled looking at the road ahead of them moving closer to
Kingstree.

Chapter 3

Coming out of her sleep, caused her head to jerk. Destiny ran her hand through her hair as the fog cleared in her head. She saw his lips moving before hearing his question. Then she noticed the flight attendant standing by her cart. “Would you like something to
drink?”

She put her hand to her aching eyes, she was exhausted. “A Coke, please.”

“Would you like some peanuts to go with
that?”

“No, thank you. Just a
Coke.”

“We’ll be back around in about forty-five minutes. If you need anything before then, just push the over head button to your
right.”

“Adam, can I offer you anything else to make your flight more comfortable?” She noticed the woman serving them was also serving up a view of her ample bosom. The sharp stab of jealously that ran through Destiny was as unexpected as it was unwanted. She turned her head and pretended that she was interested in the blackness outside of the window. Her slender, amber-colored, manicured fingers touched his shirt collar. Destiny could not believe the display that was unfolding before her
eyes.

In a low, rusty voice, Adam responded, “No, thank you. The lady and I will inform you if we need anything
else.”

With that, she pushed the cart to the next set of
seats.

“I didn’t want to disturb you. They say you should never wake a person suddenly from their sleep.” He said, taking a sip of his coffee. “First time for you?” He glanced at her for a brief
moment.

“Huh?” She answered, being jolted out of her thoughts before turning from her
window.

“Is this your first time on a plane?” he clarified as he raised his
eyebrows.

“No, I’ve flown several times,” she answered. “But this is my first trip to Seattle.” She smiled at him “What about
you?”

“Seattle is home for me.” Laughing, he suddenly stopped as if he was pondering his next words. “Will you be traveling far when we
land?”

She felt a little apprehensive about answering him. After all she knew very little about him. But she also knew there was something oddly different about him, something she couldn’t put her finger on. It was the warmth that she felt from his eyes that made her comfortable enough to answer his
question.

“I’m not familiar with the area. But my aunt and I have bought a home in the SeaTac
area.”

“I have a friend that lives in that area. Warren Revis. He
pastors one of the local churches in Seattle. It’s not far from the airport. It’s a beautiful community, very peaceful, and the homes in the area are so reasonably priced. If you need a ride or help with your luggage, I’d be glad to give you one. No pressure, of course.” Adam took another sip of the coffee he
ordered.

Destiny thought that Adam’s offer was kind. “I’m not really sure when I’ll be leaving the airport. I am supposed to be meeting a young woman who will be living with us for a while. She’s flying into Seattle tonight as
well.”

Adam took the napkin from his tray and wiped away the sandwich crumbs from his mouth that he had been
eating.

“It’s no problem. I can give you both a ride. I really don’t mind. It will give me a chance to visit with Warren and his
family.”

She thought about what Adam had said, and it sure would beat paying unnecessary money for a taxi. “Maybe we will accept your
offer.”

“I truly don’t mind at all. Lord knows there have been times when I needed a helping hand and someone was there for
me.”

Adam returned to the coffee he was drinking then turned his head and asked, “So are you nervous about your move to a new state? Maybe your houseguest can help you
adjust.”

Destiny took a drink of her Coke before answering. “Yes, I am a little nervous. I don’t really know our guest; my aunt adopted a young lady that lived next door to her. From what I’ve been told, she’s a wonderful person. She has two twin boys who are five years old. She’s originally from the Seattle area, and is returning for the first time in several
years.”

Destiny was telling Adam about Cynthia’s life. But it was better than telling him about hers. She had never met Cynthia, but her sons were adorable. They had the cutest dimples, curly hair, and brown eyes. Whenever she went to visit her aunt, she would have the boys. Auntie helped Cynthia out while she was going to school. It wasn’t a problem. She had plenty of
room.

“I’m a twin.” Adam made that statement while still studying Destiny. “I have a brother, Marvin, who lives in Seattle as well. He’s a real-estate investor. He made his first fortune when he got out of college and has been successful ever since. As a matter of fact, he just opened his own office. I guess you can tell I’m proud of him. My parents think he’s who shot the bear.” Chuckling, he took another sip of his
coffee.

Destiny looked at Adam and wondered if his parents were proud of him as well. After a long moment she forced herself to meet his gaze once more. “Um…I know this might be a strange question but”—she quickly licked her lips for courage before she continued—“What about you? Are they proud of you as
well?”

Adam looked at Destiny for a moment before his answer. “I guess that came out wrong. They’re proud of both of us. I just traveled a different path than my brother. I graduated from Morehouse School of Religion, and I’m working on my doctorate at the University of Washington’s School of Theology and I’m the pastor of the Greater Community Church of Faith. And now I’m returning home for some much needed rest since I’ve been in Charleston for a convention this past
week.

Destiny turned her head to look out of the window. She saw her reflection, but she also saw something
else.

Suddenly, Adam turned in her direction. Her stomach gave a funny tingle.
Is he wat
ching me? And why on
earth would he do t
hat?
When she looked his way, he wasn’t studying her but finishing the coffee, and his attention was squarely focused on that
task.

She asked, “I thought you were in a conference. Didn’t you get any rest while you were
there?”

There it was again, she thought. A slight pause before he chose his words. “I did get a little rest, but I’ve been attending conferences for a while now. The one thing I’ve learned is that you must manage your time effectively between classes and reuniting with acquaintances.” He seemed caught up in his thoughts once again, but this time it was delight that spread over her face. “I have very little time to relax with all of the workshops. I intend to relax
on Friday, and I have all day Saturday to rest and get ready for Sunday morning. Such is the life of a pastor. I’m lucky. I don’t have a wife, so I can really relax when I get home. What about you? Are you married?” He looked at her ring finger as he
asked.

She blinked when she saw Adam watching her as she looked over at his wedding finger. Was it her imagination or was he smiling? Then again, she really didn’t know him, which was the way she liked it and wanted to keep it. Getting too close to men—especially single, handsome, and apparently nice men—always led to trouble. At least that was her
experience.

“Uh, I’m not married. I thank God for that because if I were, you would be sitting here
alone.”

Nodding
his head with understanding, he replied, “Just thought I’d ask. You never know. These days a lot of couples don’t wear their
rings.”

She blinked again. There he went again, and this time he was definitely smiling and laughing. The gentle curve of his mouth was uplifted. As he laughed, a hint of his dimples came to life in his brown cheeks. She felt a flutter of wonderment and dismissed it. She wasn’t interested in Adam or any man, especially after this last disastrous
relationship.

But she responded, “I believe that if I were married, I would definitely wear my ring because I know that my man would be worthy of wearing it for.” Maybe she had said too much, but it was out
now.

Adam watched Destiny’s facial expressions. A man might think she was made of ice because she didn’t smile much. But all evening he had been watching her. Although this was the picture she wanted to present, he believed there was another person wrapped up in all that hurt. He could see a woman who was vulnerable and damaged by the hurt that had occurred. He’d seen the look on her beautiful face when he asked to hold her
hand.

She wasn’t as tough as she pretended to be. You couldn’t look at her physical appearance to judge this because she was beautiful. She had the most gorgeous hair, which fell on her shoulders, and her eyes were an extraordinary color with specks of gray when the light hit them, but it was the way her shoulders slumped when she spoke that made him curious. Now, as he watched her, he realized just how beautiful, lonely, and maybe even hurt she really
was.

Why he was noticing, he couldn’t really say. He’d given up on women for a while, and trusting them was the part he had to learn all over again. Regina had taught him that lesson well. Regina was the only woman he’d ever proposed to, believing he loved her. And he thought she loved him. That was until she discovered he was returning home to pastor in Seattle and wouldn’t be staying in Atlanta, her
hometown.