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Authors: Sherryle Kiser Jackson

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BOOK: Soon After
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Work so well they won't need me,
Willie thought. “Wait, why do you keeping rushing off?”
Luella's voice was anxious. “I forgot that I have to complete some important business for Sister Pastor.”
“What about the people I asked you about for the Young People's initiative?”
“That's what the membership roles are for, Brother Pastor.” Luella backtracked to his desk. She flipped back the cover and pointed, “See here, I printed a spreadsheet of all our members with children ages eleven to eighteen for the Young Missionaries Program and those who have boys ages six and up for the Scouts. This was based on the combined church census we conducted right after Unification. It should adequately represent our membership. I need to show you how you can sort the database for whatever category you want. Then you can play around with it while you are at work.”
Vanessa had important business; he had time to play, Willie thought. This church had more children than he had members at Harvest Baptist, with not many church structured activities to promote growth and fellowship. The Young Missionaries program could offer the right young people from their congregation the opportunity to train locally and travel across the nation helping others. Far be it for their
administrative assistant,
who was also a member, to help recommend some people for the program. A perfectly formatted document did not tell Willie who to approach to help start a scouting program at church.
What am I complaining for
, he thought,
she had done her job
.
Luella stood at his desk as if she awaited a hall pass. He motioned for her to sit down again. Vanessa was at home, and her assistant would just have to help him with his pressing business.
“So, what do we know about this reporter who called?” Willie said, once again pushing back in his chair, this time to cross his legs.
“She called a couple of times—sounded real anxious to get in touch with you. Then on Thursday people started calling the church after the noon broadcast because they were talking about the fire at your old church again on the news.”
“I wonder what she wants to talk to me about,” Willie said more to himself than to her.
“I don't know,” Luella replied.
“I guess if I don't call her back in a timely fashion, she will have to find someone else for her interview.” He began clicking his ink pen to a rhythm to help him think. “What do you think?”
“I think you should call Sister Pastor. She always knows what to do.”
“Thanks, Luella,” he said abruptly. She stood for a third time and headed for the door. He didn't know what he was hesitant for, or why he needed anyone to justify his actions. It was time for him to take charge. “Get me that reporter's number.”
“I gave it to you with your other messages, Brother Pastor. It's number one on your call back list,” she called to him from the hallway.
He consulted his watch before picking up the phone to dial. It was only one o'clock. It felt as if he had worked a whole day already and it was barely lunch time. He was determined to plow through his membership roles and make some decisions on the Young People's initiative, then get out to see Sister Marshall at the hospital before heading home.
There were two numbers listed for Alexis Montgomery. He chose the latter that appeared to be a cell phone number in hopes of connecting the call directly. She picked up on the third ring.
“This is Alexis.”
“Ms. Montgomery, this is Pastor Willie Green returning your call.”
“Great, I'm glad you got back with me so fast. Like I said I want to move on this story quickly. I'm looking to do a series of angles on this story to propose at the next production meeting in hopes of stretching the story to its fullest potential.”
“I guess you need to help me understand. There was a fire. It made the news. I guess I don't see what is left to report.” He used his first two fingers of his right hand to gesture.
“I don't know if you're familiar with the
Inside 7
segment, but it is our weekly News Magazine where we bring a more in depth coverage on local stories of interest. We get so bogged down with D.C. area politics that this show is devoted to the people of the D.C. Metro area. When I broke the story I knew it had potential, but recent reports and support from our viewers makes us here at Channel 7 believe that this is a story that's worth investigating further.”
“I see,” Willie said although he did not completely see his role in the whole thing.
“I interviewed several people, but you're the only one I could get in contact with again because I had written down the name of your new church. The initial report sparked quite a bit of mail bag response. Many want to reach out to the members of your former church. I'm sure you've been thinking about that to.”
“My wife and I pastor another church,” Willie responded absentmindedly as a surge of guilt took over him. He had not thought about the people, many of which he used to pastor. He had not thought about the community he loved to service. He had not thought about Charley Thompson, the deacon that was so adamant about staying at Harvest that he rallied members behind his back to sign a petition to stop the move to no avail.
“Do you think we can get together this afternoon so we can discuss this further?” Alexis asked.
“I don't know,” Willie said. Indecisiveness once again was taking hold.
“Please, Pastor, you are my only solid lead. I went back to the neighborhood today and everyone talked so highly of the church when it was under your pastorate.”
Willie thought about it. “My afternoon is booked. I have to visit a member in the hospital before heading home this afternoon.”
“I could meet you at your home. The initial interview won't take long. I could even bring something to eat.” Willie could hear the desperation in her voice.
“No,” Willie said, thinking about Vanessa's reaction if a strange woman brought food into their house. “That won't be necessary.”
“Maybe you need to call your wife first and get back to me.”
It was an innocent statement that was said by someone he was sure didn't mean anything by it. “That won't be necessary either. You can meet me at my home around 6:30 this evening. I live at 442 Barney Lane in Temple Hills.”
She thanked him as if she had been waiting all day for that answer. He emptied his lungs out in a puff of air as he replaced the receiver.
After nearly forty-five minutes of staring down at the membership document Luella had prepared for him, he folded the cover back over. He would be taking work home tonight. He prepared himself to leave for the hospital. He looked at their dinner cruise picture and said, ‘Honey, guess who's coming to dinner?”
Chapter 2
Battin' Down the Hatches
Vanessa found herself temporarily caught up in the lives of those appearing in front of the judge on
The People's Court
. One episode in particular pit a mother against her own daughter. It was the case of the college refund. The mother was suing the daughter for the amount of her college tuition after the daughter went off to school in her third year and eloped with someone of a different race. The mother, who was obviously hurt and seeking revenge, claimed she didn't send her daughter to school for marriage, therefore their agreement was broken.
So much for forgiveness
, Vanessa thought. She found herself calling out to the television, “You need to get your butt out of court and heal your family before the Lord comes back and passes down real judgment for your tail.”
When she looked at her bedside clock, she realized it was 1:00
P.M.
She expected Willie to call her when he reached the office to let her know what tasks lay in store for her upon her return, but she was glad he didn't. She hadn't bothered to call him either or check in with Luella. She hadn't realized how hard she had been working until she woke up this morning immobilized.
Vanessa had a gift of discernment. Sometimes it wasn't always a privilege to perceive things beyond what the natural eye could see. Something felt wrong or out of place. Since she could not put her finger on the likely source or severity of the problem, she did nothing. She decided to pray it away. In her relationship with God, she knew Him to be a guide that would send a word in and out of season. Something she would likely preach next week might be the very sustenance for someone's life next month. She thought about her meditations with the Lord, some that led to sermon topics. Wasn't it she that just recently preached, “Battin' down the Hatches,” about the Apostle Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta?
She had told her congregation that being a prisoner, Paul could hardly persuade his captors that the favorable weather they chose to sail in would soon turn deadly. Just like Paul predicted, there was a change of winds and tides, and a powerful storm arose. Before it was all said and done, they had to band the ship with ropes and throw cargo off, eventually crashing off the coast of the island.
Oh Lord not again
, Vanessa thought. She had spent the better part of the morning watching foolishness when she should have been praying. It wasn't that she couldn't handle what the devil threw her way. Paul had received assurance from the Lord that although it appeared the ship may go down, there would be no loss of life—all would be saved; Vanessa didn't feel so sure. Ironically, she remembered using that point in her sermon to get everyone happy when she proclaimed, “Go through the storm. It might seem rough. You may even feel like you're in isolation, shipwrecked with your problem, marooned on an island with despair.
But
your promise is on the other side of the storm. There is a rescue team led by God looking for you.” She had even gotten happy herself.
She didn't want to go through another tumultuous storm. She was tired. The thought made her yawn.
Vanessa set off for the kitchen to scrounge around for something to eat. She picked a few grapes from the fruit bowl to help freshen her mouth from the bag of Doritos she had demolished earlier bedside. She had not thawed anything that could be an entrée for the night's meal. Willie would be home soon and not having something prepped and underway was a cardinal sin in their household, especially since she was home all day.
She wasn't a great cook, but she had gotten a lot better at it with the help of her sister, Keisha, and television cooking shows. She had to take up the art of cooking after marrying Willie last year and deciding she didn't want the women of the congregation cooking for her husband like they did when he was a single man. Call it a peeve, but it is what motivated her from being Pastor Carry-out Queen to Co-Pastor Domestic Diva-in-training. One of her worst fears was that a sexy siren like the Italian celebrity chef, Giada Laurentiis, would steal her man away with her robustly flavorful meals. So she frequently turned on
The Food Network
for ideas and recipes to sample.
Most times Vanessa's dishes didn't even remotely resemble the ones seen on those cooking shows, but she could garnish a plate to look nice. That was her specialty, garnish and ground beef dishes. She had perfected spaghetti meat sauce, meatballs, meatloaf, and hamburgers. She thanked God that Willie wasn't a picky man.
The thought of ground beef sparked her desire for chili, and just like that, dinner plans were made. She unwrapped a block of frozen ground round in the center of a skillet and waited for it to start to sizzle before prying the meat away from the frozen pack as it browned.
From a distance, Vanessa noticed the light blinking on their answering machine that was sitting at the far counter. She remembered from the night before that Willie was too eager to check messages on his office line downstairs after their return. Vanessa had been eager to hit the sack, leaving their personal messages on hold. Figuring that she couldn't escape the present any longer, Vanessa pushed the button to replay her messages after adding water to her pan to speed up her meat's thawing process.
The first message was from Keisha. At first her sister's playful scorn admonishing her for leaving town as if she were the big sister, was misleading. But there was something else in her voice. It was a sadness that Vanessa detected as Keisha ended the message with, “Call me as soon as you get back.”
Something is wrong
, Vanessa thought. She had done more than her share of rescuing her sister in the past and could tell. She hesitated before dialing her sister's work number. Her greeting was chipper enough, but just like a baby who takes a tumble and cries only after realizing that Mommy was there to witness it, Keisha poured on the emotion.
“What's wrong with you?” Vanessa said, taking the phone into the adjoining dining room to take a seat.
“It's Paul,” Keisha said. “Hold on a minute.”
Vanessa's thoughts entertained everything from Paul being gravely ill to the unthinkable. “What's wrong with Paul? Did he have a change of heart?” Vanessa asked as soon as Keisha came back.
“No, Vanessa, why would you ask something like that?” Keisha whined. “Wait, have you talked to him?”
“I've been on vacation. Of course, I haven't spoken to him. It's just that you're so upset. Girl, I could hear the sadness in your voice even on the message. What's wrong?”
“Paul is highly allergic to everything; grass, ragweed, tree pollen, not to mention all his food allergies.”
“So?” Vanessa said in a tone that demanded she serve up the bad news soon. She rubbed her temple and braced herself.
“I can't get married outside. Paul said his allergies are so bad that he'd be miserable the whole time-- even into late fall. Now, I am miserable. I always wanted to get married at the Garden Gazebo.” Again she whined.
Vanessa swallowed relief before getting flustered all over again. “Wait a minute, why aren't you planning on getting married in your daddy's church?”
“You didn't even get married there,” Keisha was quick to point out.
“That was different. Willie had his own church at the time, and I was honoring my husband by getting married at Harvest.”
“Yeah right, Vanessa,” Keisha said doubtful.
“I surely would like to know why you'd think I'd lie about something like this.”
“You didn't press Willie to get married at Mt. Pleasant because just like me you have an issue with our church not having a center aisle.”
Vanessa wanted to end the call right then and there. She never thought the construction of the church would be a deal breaker. She knew trying to convince her sister otherwise was futile.
“Here I am thinking you're having a real issue. As far as I'm concerned you've got three options. You can rent a foreign church with money that could be better served elsewhere so you can have your precious center aisle, or shoot your groom up with so much Benedryl that he can't stand straight so you can get married outside anyway. Option three is get married at Pleasant Harvest if you want your big sister to officiate the wedding.”
There was silence. The babe was back. Vanessa could imagine her sister's pouty mouth and eyes ready to spout tears. This was a big deal to her. Even before the prospect of planning her own wedding, Keisha took over orchestrating Vanessa and Willie's wedding for them. Vanessa wondered how many more months she would have to take of this melodrama.
“When is the wedding?”
“That's just it, Vanessa,” Keisha snipped, “I can't decide whether it should be sooner, like the end of this year, or later. Since an outside wedding is not an option, I was leaning toward—”
Vanessa heard the key in the front door and looked at her watch as her sister droned on about the endless variables that prevented her from picking a wedding date. She pointed to the phone when Willie appeared in the door frame as if he would immediately know who it was. He backed away and began poking around the kitchen.
“Do you love Paul?” Vanessa asked once given a chance.
“Of course I do,” Keisha assured. “What kind of question is that? You sure you haven't spoken to him? Willie either?”
“I know this might sound crazy, but why don't you ask your fiancée where and when he wants to get married,” Vanessa said, hoping not to germinate the seed of doubt she already rooted in her sister's mind. “Listen to me. I bet if I had talked to him he'd say he'd get married anytime and anywhere as long as he was marrying you.”
“Awwww,” Keisha said. Her smile beamed through the phone.
“Well, look; Willie's here, so I'm going to go finish dinner. I'll talk to you later this week,” Vanessa said, hoping her sister would not call her with daily wedding planning updates.
Willie lifted the lid on the ground beef before asking, “Hamburger Helper again?”
“Hello to you too,” Vanessa answered before taking the lid from her husband in one hand. With the other, she began breaking apart the tender meat that had begun to brown for the second time after the half a cup of water boiled out.
Willie stepped behind her and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Spaghetti?”
“Chili,” she said to the tune of yummy.
“What else are we eating with that?”
“Why are you so concerned? Didn't you eat lunch?” Vanessa said, searching for their colander to drain the fat. “Chili is a stand alone meal. It's got kidney beans in it, but if that's not good enough for you, then I'm sure we got some salad in there or something. Now get out of my kitchen. It'll be about another half an hour. I'll call you when I'm done.”
Willie did as he was told. “I invited someone over,” he threw over his shoulder as he departed.
“Wait,” she shouted. “Come again; someone?”
“A young lady,” he added, noticing her eyebrows forming question marks. His smile was as big and as devious as a Cheshire cat's when he returned. “Well, I've been following that polygamy case on the news, and I figure since I am a man of the cloth, and it wasn't unheard of to have multiple wives in biblical days, that I'd invite Alexis over and see if the two of you get along before I ask her to join our family.”
“Don't play with me, Willie Green,” Vanessa said, realizing that his sense of humor was what she loved about him, but also what had come to frustrate her about him lately. She was not in the mood for wisecracks or guests.
“For real, why are you so tense lately?” Willie rubbed her shoulders. “You rested today, right?”
Instead of shrugging his hands off her shoulders like she wanted to, she moved out of his grasp to open the can of beans with the electric can opener.
Was she tense? Did it show that much?
“Is someone coming over or not?”
“Alexis Montgomery, she's a reporter for Channel 7 news. She is the one who interviewed me that day of the fire. They want to do a follow-up story. I don't know exactly, but I guess, the story will be like the history of Harvest.”
Vanessa hurriedly added the rest of the ingredients to a small Dutch oven so that it could slow cook. She took a seat on a nearby barstool. She felt she needed a break. “Gosh, I'm so over Harvest. Every time we try to pull away from that place, someone or something draws
you
right back to it.”
“It's ironic, I know. They say irony is God's intervention, and in some cases His comedy. I figure it can't hurt to talk to the woman,” Willie said, still standing from when he had returned.
Vanessa felt a chill that reminded her of stormy seas. She had to be the voice of reason. “This is not a good idea. Why are we memorializing a burnt building?”
“How about it's the place where I preached my initial sermon as pastor and saved a good many of souls. It's also the place where we got married.” His voice was charged with emotion although he appeared to remain calm.
BOOK: Soon After
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