Read Men After God's Own Heart Online
Authors: Dijorn Moss
Men After God's Own Heart (21 page)
Chapter Thirty-nine
Titus
This was the first time Titus would be traveling with his wife, Grace. This would be Grace's first trip to Atlanta, and Titus wanted to make the trip special. He did not know how his wife would handle traveling with him. Titus was aware of the change in seasons. Takeout had been replaced with full-course meals. A cold bed with extra space was now warm and occupied. Whenever Titus traveled with his relatively young staff, he would enjoy their youthful lifestyle. They would live out of suitcases, stay up virtually all night, and then live off of their caffeine drug of choice.
“Are you nervous, babe?” Grace said as she emerged from the bathroom in a cotton candy nightgown.
“No. I don't know why, but this year feels different. It feels like the men are hungry for change.”
“Well, that's God, and I know God will put on your heart what to say to them.” Grace made her way to Titus's side of the closet.
Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Grace open his side of the closet, which was organized military style, with his suits on the top rack and his shoes, still in their boxes, on the bottom. She removed his Italian black cotton suit and laid it across the bed.
“Now, how did you know I was going to pick that?”
“You usually wear black when you travel, and you look good in this suit,” Grace said as she found a crimson tie and laid it with the suit. She then laid a garment bag next to the suit and tie, placed them inside the bag, and then zipped it up. Grace hung the suit back on the rack.
Next, she made her way to Titus's dresser, where he had methodically laid out everything, from his watch to his wallet. She continued to pack Titus's overnight bag, which was already half full.
“You're an awesome woman.”
“Why you say that?” Grace shrugged as she tossed a pair of black dress socks into the bag.
“Because you take good care of me.”
“You take good care of your congregation. Besides, you needed it.”
“I was doing okay on my own.” Titus swaggered over to Grace.
“Yeah, but something was missing, and it takes a good woman to see that!”
Chapter Forty
Quincy
Quincy and Karen decided to take Sasha back to her apartment in Berkeley. The drive up was solemn, to say the least. There was not much conversation, except for where to stop to get gas and food. Quincy wanted to make sure that his baby girl and future grandchild made it back safely. He had spent a lot of money so that Sasha could have her own apartment. It was part of his distraction-proof plan, to give her every and any advantage she needed. He knew that this semester would be a wash for Sasha as far as grades went, but he hoped that she could find a way to get back into school. He just needed to adjust his approach.
“Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you,” As they stood in her apartment.Sasha said.
“Baby, I don't think your father and I can handle any more confessions,” Karen said.
“Yeah, this isn't an Usher song,” Quincy replied.
“I know I've disappointed you guys, but I have to tell you that it wasn't the separation that caused me to spin out of control.”
“Oh really? What was it, then?” Quincy asked.
“I just felt like I had no control of my life. You guys have set this standard that made me feel like I had to be perfect, and when I got on my own, I just wanted to loosen up and have fun.”
“You didn't have to be perfect. You just had to be responsible. Your father and I have always wanted what was best for you.”
“Look, people make mistakes, and this right here is a hot mess,” Quincy said. “I'm not going to even lie to you, but you have to remember that everything in life comes with a cost. If you want to be brilliant, it may cost you not being able to have fun most of the time. If you want to have fun, it may cost you reaching your full potential. You have to decide what you want for your life.”
“I know, and I know that God will help me to get my life back on track,” Sasha said.
That was the first time Quincy had even heard Sasha mention God. He realized that God was much more skilled at redemption than he himself was.
“Listen, Sasha, your mother and I have been talking, and we want you to come back home.”
Sasha smiled.
“Before you get all excited, this will not be a picnic,” Quincy added. “You understand me? You're going to have to be accountable and be a responsible parent.”
“Of course, Dad.”
Quincy headed toward the window next to where Sasha's bed use to be to view the cherry blossoms that covered the sidewalks in abundance at Berkeley. “We both want to see you be a good mother, which we know you are more than capable of, but we don't want you to give up on school and a career. You and your child are both going to need it. So if you want, you can move back home, enroll at UCLA or USC, it doesn't matter which, and we will hire a nanny to watch the baby while you're at school. But once you're finished with class and studying, then you are going to be with your child. Partying is over for you until you get back on your feet.”
“Okay, Dad, I will do it. I'll go back to school.”
Quincy looked outside the window again and saw a familiar face.
“I'll be right back,” Quincy said as he headed toward the door.
“But, Dad, we have a reservation for lunch.”
Quincy did not respond; he just headed out the door.
“Dwight!” Quincy said.
Dwight stopped and turned around. He had on a polo shirt and a pair of Dockers, the complete opposite of what he wore the last time Quincy saw him. Quincy had not heard anything from Dwight for a while, and he'd wondered what he had been up to.
“Hey. What's going on, Mr. Page?”
“Nothing much. What's going on with you?”
“Just on my way to school.”
“School.” Quincy nearly choke on his own word.
“Yeah, I enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College. I'm trying to get my GE courses out of the way.”
“So what's with the clothes?”
“I'm trying to dress like the man that I want to be.” Dwight spoke with a lot of pride.
Quincy was blown away by how much Dwight had matured in such a short time span.
“Mr. Page, I never got a chance to thank you for taking me to the men's retreat. I've been reading my Bible since and trying to find a church home.”
Quincy hated how things had turned out between Dwight and Sasha. Sasha had no way of contacting the other potential father, and the pending paternity test after the baby was born made Quincy sick to his stomach. “I apologize for how everything turned out between you and Sasha, but God has a plan for your life, and I can see it. I'm going to tell you something that my father once told me. Few men make their mistake going toward God. Their mistake usually comes from trying to go away from God.”
Dwight put his head down and bit his bottom lip. The situation with Sasha was still a very sore one for Dwight. “Thanks, Mr. Page, and I plan to be there when the baby is born.”
“I believe you,” Quincy said.
The two exchanged handshakes and went about their way. Quincy was moved by the power that the Holy Spirit could produce.
Chapter Forty-one
Will
Will did not like hospitals. He could not find comfort in a place that housed the sick. From the cool temperature, the white walls, and the people walking around in their pajamas, Will had an eerie feeling. But since he became a Christian, he'd realized that church was a lot like a hospital that housed the sick and the afflicted, and like a hospital, the church was designed for recovery, deliverance, and salvation.
It was like Will was looking at his mother for the first time. For years he had avoided eye contact, because he did not want to behold the junkie that had birthed him. If someone asked Will to describe his mother, Will's description would stop at “brown skin and black hair.” He wouldn't be able to describe his mother's eyes, because he had never looked long enough to tell what color they were. Will also wouldn't be able to tell them about his mother's smile, because he never saw her smile until he went to visit her at Promises Recovery Center, a recovery center that worked in partnership with Will's church.
Will had read somewhere that it took twenty-eight days to break a habit. Well, Will believed that his mother was halfway through, and she had never looked better. Sure, her face had wrinkles and scars as a result of a hard lifestyle, but when she smiled, Will was moved to tears, because he was reminded that no matter how much the devil tried to tear a person down, through faith a person could rise from the ashes.
“You look great, Mom,” Will said.
The sun baked their necks, while the wind tickled their skin. The sky was a calming blue, and Will sat there without a worry in the world.
“I can't thank you enough, son. I was in a dark place for so long, and then it was like God shined a light and the darkness scattered.” Carroll got teary-eyed and wiped her eyes.
“No man can do what God has done in both of our lives. He has a purpose for both of us,” Will said.
“I know that's true. He kept me.”
Will felt the kind of love that would cause him to stand in harm's way. While his mother was in recovery for drug abuse, Will was in recovery from toxic anger, which had almost exploded within him.
“Have you talked to Dad?” Will asked.
“Yeah, he called and told me that he was working on something that would get us in a new place.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him that I didn't want to have anything to do with that lifestyle.”
Will started to think of the possibilities of where his father could be. Will knew his father was going to go for a big score, but where? Will forgot about his mother being right in front of him as he contemplated his father's whereabouts. Will decided to think back to all the times his father got caught. Every time his father got released from prison, he would go back to the spot where he got caught and rob it again, this time with success. It was like Odell spent his whole prison term figuring out where he went wrong and correcting his mistakes. Will wished Odell had the same resolve with his family.
That meant that Odell was headed to one place, and it was a risk, but Will had to try. Odell's ego had been damaged, and for that he was willing to risk anything to restore his honor. Time was not a luxury for Will, and he had to find his father before he made a mistake that he would spend the rest of his life regretting.
“Listen, Mom, you stay strong, and let me know if you need anything.”
“Where are you going?” Carroll asked.
“I think you know where,” Will said with a slight smile.
“I'm proud of you, son.”
“So am I! I love you!”
“Oh God, I love you too, and I thank God for you!” Carroll wiped the tears from her eyes.
Will left his mom, thinking of how powerful God's love was if it could restore his family. He just had one more piece left in the puzzle.
Odell being so predictable had its benefits. Will knew that if his father was going to make a big score, then it was going to be a European used car lot in Signal Hill. This car lot was owned by a rich Armenian who loved European cars to the point where he had a car lot full of used BMWs, Mercedes, Porsches, and so on. This was the same car lot that Odell had been pinched for stealing from before. Maybe Will's father thought that the second time would be a charm.
Will approached the car lot with his eyes wide open and his senses running at an all-time high. He couldn't afford to get caught trying to help his father. The Armenian had some of the most expensive cars in the country. His security was formidable but not impenetrable.
The gate had been taken out with a bolt cutter. Will slid his small frame through the gate and noticed that the surveillance camera had also been taken out, which meant he had only a few minutes before someone from security would arrive. Will scurried through the car lot in search of his father. Will could predict any move his father would make, except which car he planned to take.
The sound of a siren caused Will to duck down behind a Mercedes C-Class sedan. He hoped that his heartbeat did not give away his position. Luckily for Will, the siren was for some other matter in the area. Time continued to work against Will. He waited a few more seconds before he resumed his search for his father. Will had scurried across a few more rows of cars when he rolled up on his father, who was trying to steal an Audi A4.
“Dad, don't do this!” Will tried to whisper.
“Get out of here!” Odell waved him on and kept working.
“No, you're not about to ruin your life. That would be your third strike!”
“I ain't got time for one of your family moments,” Odell said as he popped open the door of the Audi.
“Can you give the system another twenty-five years of your life? Is it worth it?” Will's words managed to stop Odell's progress.
“This is all I know,” Odell said, contorting his face to fight back the tears.
“You know it's not. You know your family loves you and desperately wants for us to be a family for once in this life. To not worry about the police busting down our door. Come on, Dad. Don't do this. Just have a talk with your son instead.”
Sirens could be heard in the distance, and Will realized that he was out of time. “It's time to make a decision, and you know what's the right thing to do.”
Odell hesitated, and then he banged his fist on the hood of the car before he closed the door and picked up his tools.
“Dad, there's no time!” Will took Odell by the arm and ran toward the front entrance, and his father followed right along with him. Will got through the gate with ease, but when he turned back, Odell ran back inside the car lot.
“Dad, there's no time!” Will yelled again as the sirens got closer.
There was no response, and it was decision time. Will ran back inside the car lot against his better judgment. He ran right to the Audi his father had tried to steal and discovered that his father had left his tool kit.
“Let's go!” Will took his father by the arm, but Odell fought him off.
“I'm through running, son. Go on without me.”
Will said nothing. He let his actions do all the talking. Will resolved in his mind that he was not going to leave without his father. Will took his father by the arm again and led him to a corner of the car lot that also had a gate. Will took the bolt cutter and cut open the lock. He slid the gate open wide enough for him and his father to get out just as a squad car came to a halt.
The two made it around the corner before they heard the police sirens. There was no way that Odell would've escaped on his own, and Will knew that he had just saved his father from a life in the penitentiary.
“That was a close one,” Odell said, out of breath.
“I know, but this is the last time you run. You understand?” Will asked.
Odell gave Will a head nod, and they made their way to a diner two blocks away from the car dealership.
“Let's go in here and chill until things die down,” Will said as he opened the door for his father. Odell entered the restaurant, and Will followed behind him.
“You can have a seat anywhere,” the hostess said, pointing to an open area.
Will and Odell had a seat at a table with two chairs in the back. Odell hid his tool kit underneath the table. The hostess handed them menus, and Will sat his down in front of him, while Odell thumbed through his.
“Why would you try to rob the place that got you pinched the last time?” Will shrugged his shoulders in confusion.
“Needed to make a play. That car would've had me and your mother set.”
“You wouldn't have made it. You realized that it was too short of a window for you to make it.”
“I could've.” Odell looked at Will for a moment before he shook his head. “Maybe you're right, but how did you know?”
“You also like to boost cars after midnight, when it's late. You wanted to steal from this lot out of pride, since it beat you the first time around.”
“Look at my son. He knows his old man.” Odell cracked a smile.
“I know the car thief. I want to know my father before he started boosting cars.”
“Shoot, I've been doing that for so long, I couldn't tell you what I was like.”
“I know guys who will slug it out with the police before they go to prison. Why do you risk your freedom?” Will asked.
“Because that's the only time I feel free. I steal a car, and I might cruise to Vegas or Phoenix. Heck, I even went to Washington one time. Man, I loved it. Then it was like I was on a leash. I'll get snapped right back to the reality that I have a family and kids, and you know . . . I got to go back.”
“I'm surprised you didn't stay gone,” Will said.
“I thought about it on more than one occasion.”
“But?”
“But that's just it. What if I was killed in a crash or took a bullet? I mean, if I'm around, I can at least count on four people being at my funeral to send me off. If I die out there in the middle of nowhere, I would be a John Doe.”
Will used to have that same fear of dying and no one he loved being around. He didn't want to be born Will and die John.
“Then it's time to start new.”
“I'm too old to start over, son. Maybe that's why I resented you so much. You were able to hit pause on where your life was headed and start over with this religion thing.”
“What can I get for you, gentlemen?” the waitress asked.
“The number three special. Eggs scrambled,” Will said and handed the waitress his menu without looking at her.
“T-bone steak and eggs. I want my steak medium well, and he's paying,” said Odell. Both the waitress and Will let out a smirk before the waitress left.
Will continued the conversation. “Men throughout the Bible made a drastic change in their lives. Moses, Abraham, even Paul.”
“We're not living in the Bible times,” Odell said.
“God's word is still true. You can change. You're still alive. Every moment you live is a chance at redemption.”
“Who's going to hire a middle-aged ex-con?”
“The Salvation Army! I put in a good word for you. They're looking for truck drivers. The pay isn't all that great, but it's honest work.”
“Where am I going to stay?”
“We'll work on that together, but you have to be willing to put this life in your rearview.”
Moments later, the waitress appeared with two hot plates of food. She placed them on the table, and Will bent his head to pray.
“Heavenly Fatherâ” Will began, but he felt someone grab his hand. He looked up to see his father with his head bowed. “Thank you, Jesus!”
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