A Sinful Calling (6 page)

N
ormally, Dillon never arrived at the church before nine a.m., and especially not on Wednesdays, because he knew he had to teach Bible study in the evening. But this was one Wednesday morning he hadn't been able to wait to leave the house. Two days had passed since he and Raven had gotten into it over her desire to become co-pastor, and sadly, she still wasn't speaking to him. She was angrier than he'd realized, and last night she'd gone as far as sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms.

Dillon had always loved the fact that he and Raven rarely disagreed about anything, and that they never had to raise their voices. But now she had gone from yelling at him to tossing him the silent treatment. She wanted to be co-pastor, and she didn't want to take no for an answer.

Dillon had even tried talking to her this morning before leaving, but she'd pretended he was invisible. He'd told her how sorry he was, but she'd barely blinked, and this was when he'd left and driven to the church.

He couldn't help trying once more to make things up to her, though, so he picked up his office phone and called her. It rang multiple times until her voice mail came on, so Dillon pressed the button on the base of his phone to get another dial tone. Then he tried her again. He did this two additional times, until she answered.

“Why do you keep calling me over and over like some child?” she spat.

“Because we need to talk. You're upset, and we can't go on like this.”

“You should've thought about that before you gouged a knife in my back.”

“Baby, please. You know that's not true. We just have a difference of opinion is all.”

“Well, if you don't support me on this, don't expect me to support you, either. Not with anything.”

“But you know how some of the members feel about female pastors, right? Even when some of the female ministers have given sermons, not everyone has been happy about it.”

“What does that matter to you? You're my husband, and you're supposed to have my back. It's supposed to be you and me against the world.”

“I do, but why would you want us to take a chance on turning people off? What if people start leaving the church, when our goal right now is to bring in more?”

“That's not going to happen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because this is what God wants. I told you that already. Becoming co-pastor isn't my decision, it's His.”

“Why don't we wait until sometime next year?”

“Why? What difference will that make?”

“We'll be finished with the marketing campaign by then, and I expect that a lot more people will have joined New Faith. We'll be in a better position to make changes and hopefully not lose as many people.”

Dillon didn't believe a word he'd just said, but he was trying to buy more time before simply telling her that this was never going to happen.

“Baby,” she said, softening her tone for some reason, “can't you at least allow me to go before the elder board? Maybe they'd be more open to it than you think.”

Dillon had been hoping she wouldn't suggest that, but maybe explaining her desire to the board in person was exactly what needed to happen. They would never go for it, and once she realized that, maybe she would move on.

“Let me talk to Levi,” he said. “But I'm sure it won't be a problem.”

“Thank you,” she said, seemingly content. “All I need is a chance to talk to them and let them know how good this will be for the church. How great it will be for the ministry.”

“I agree,” he lied.

“Do you think I'll be able to come to the meeting right away next week?”

Dillon closed his eyes, wishing she'd stop pushing so hard. “I don't see why not.”

“Although, I think we both know that even if they all vote no, you still have the right to make me co-pastor. You founded this church, and you can do anything you want.”

“Yeah, but you know I've never had to do that. And I don't want to start. The elders of this church are very loyal to me, and making demands and vetoing the majority's decision will only cause problems.”

“Well, I'm just saying. You can do whatever you want. But maybe that won't be necessary, because I really believe they'll be fine with it. They've always given me free rein with the way I run the women's ministry, so it's not like they don't trust my judgment.”

Dillon knew full well that one thing had nothing to do with the other, but he kept quiet. He wanted to make his case and try to change her mind, but he decided it wasn't worth it. She was speaking to him again, and it was better to leave well enough alone.

Dillon leaned back in his chair. “So are we good?”

“We're very good,” she said with joy in her voice. “And, baby, thank you.”

“You're welcome. But hey, I need to get going. I'll see you this afternoon when you get here, okay?”

“See you then. Bye, baby.”

Dillon set the phone on its base and relaxed even further in his chair. What a day, and already he couldn't wait until next Tuesday so Raven could address the elder board. They'd never go along with her plans, and this would all be over. She wouldn't be happy, but by then, he'd have thought up something else to appease her.

Now, though, as he sat quietly, he reminisced on how far he'd come. How powerful he was within the church and Mitchell's community. But it wasn't enough. It was a nice start, but he wouldn't be satisfied until he was bigger and better than his dad. He wouldn't feel as though he'd arrived until his congregation was larger than Curtis Black's. This was Dillon's number one goal in life, and he was willing to do whatever he had to. Sure, increasing the membership was going to help him get there, but he didn't want to wait years for it to happen. He wanted new members, and more than that, he wanted his
dad's
parishioners. He wanted folks to leave Deliverance Outreach in droves and follow him.

Dillon tossed a number of ideas around in his head but then became furious. His dad was a monster. Dillon had just told this story to his congregation for the umpteenth time on Sunday, but now he thought about it again. His dad had actually disowned him when he was a newborn baby and caused his mom to commit suicide. It was that particular thought that always turned Dillon's anger to sorrow. If only Dillon had gotten to know his mom. If only she'd lived until he'd been old enough to spend time with her and remember it. Because as it was now, he had no memories of her at all. His aunt, Susan, had told him everything she could about her, but it hadn't been the same. Dillon almost wanted to cry, but instead his pain turned to rage and he wanted revenge again. Well before moving back to Atlanta, he'd worked hard to scandalize his father's name, but his plan had failed—thanks to that scatterbrained chick, Melissa, he'd been engaged to.

Dillon hit his desk with his fist but then heard a knock at his door. He took a deep breath, trying to gain some composure.

“Come in.”

When the door opened, his friend Vincent walked in. “Hey, you got a few minutes?”

“Of course, what's up?”

Vincent closed the door and took a seat. “Nothing really, just thought I'd stop by before my day gets started…and to ask you a very important question.”

“What's that?”

“Was it as good as always?”

“Was
what
as good as always?”

Vincent smiled slyly. “Man, come on now. You know exactly what I mean. I'm talking about your girl Porsha. Because I know you went and bedded down that sweet thing…just like you do every Monday afternoon.”

“Man, that was two days ago, and you're just asking me about that?”

“Shoot, better late than never. Now give up the four-one-one.”

“Not much to tell, except the girl is still something else. And it's like I keep saying: Hands down, she's the best I've ever had.”

“I hear you, but you'd better hope Raven never finds out about her.”

“Isn't that the truth? But I don't see how she ever will. Unless you or Porsha get crazy in the head and decide to blab everything to her.”

“Man, please. I think you know me much better than that, and I can't see Porsha saying anything, either. Not when you're givin' her all that good lovin'.”

“Yeah, well, you know how some of these side chicks can get. They become bold and want to be out front and center. They want you to divorce your wife and marry them. As a matter of fact, Porsha has already mentioned that very thing. Says she'll be patient, but I'm not sure for how long.”

Vincent frowned. “You wouldn't actually divorce Raven for her, would you?”

“Of course not, but I do have to make Porsha
think
I would. Gotta keep her happy and convinced, though, that I can't even consider leaving Raven for at least another year. I've already explained to her that all a divorce would do right now is ruin any chance we have of growing the membership. It'll destroy the ministry completely.”

“I just hope she listens to you,” Vincent told him.

“She will. I made things very clear to her on Monday.”

“That's good to hear. You keep her in her place, and there won't be any drama.”

“Exactly.”

“But man, I gotta tell you,” Vincent said, “it's this very kind of thing that makes me not want to ever get married. Dating is more than a notion itself, but that whole ball-and-chain action seems like more trouble than it's worth.”

Dillon shook his head. “You're terrible, and I'm glad you don't say those kinds of things to the young single men at this church. Especially the ones who attend your ministry meetings.”

“Course not. I tell them all the time that it's better to marry than to burn. I teach lessons from First Corinthians seven regularly.”

“Good. None of us is perfect, but I want it to always be known that here at New Faith, we teach and encourage only what the Bible says.”

“No doubt. So what else is up?”

“Well, before you knocked on my door, I was thinking hard about my dad, man.”

“Have you spoken to him?”

“No, not in a while, but lately I've been getting more and more pissed off at him. He really did my mom wrong. He did us both wrong.”

Vincent rubbed the bottom of his chin. “Look, man, you don't have to convince me of anything. I know that's your dad, and I don't mean any disrespect, but that fool should've been brought down a long time ago. Your mom is dead because of him, and who would do something that dirty? Have a friend submit a DNA sample, just so you can deny your own child?”

“I feel the same way, and that's why I won't be satisfied until we take his members from him. When I get done, my dad won't even be able to pay the electric bill over at Deliverance. He won't have more than a hundred people left.”

“Sounds like a great idea to me,” Vincent said.

“We just have to give folks a reason to want to leave there.”

“Well, I've already given you the best idea possible.”

“I know, but I'm just not sure about that. I was hoping we wouldn't have to go that far.”

“Well, it's your call, and I'll do whatever you say. Anything you need, I got you.”

“I appreciate that, man. You've been my ride-or-die for the last three years, and I'll never be able to thank you enough. Still can't believe you moved all the way here from Atlanta just so you could help build the ministry. Especially since you don't have any family in Illinois.”

“It wasn't a problem, and I'm here for you no matter what.”

“I love my wife, my sister, and Levi big time, but with this, I need to do things my way. And I have to do it without either of them knowing about it.”

“I agree. They're all for growing the church, but they'd never go along with trying to ruin your father. Raven might be okay with it, but not Alicia and Levi.”

“That's why this has to remain between you and me. I don't have a real plan yet, but I will.”

“You'll come up with something,” Vincent said. “Just like always.”

A
licia flipped through multiple pages of New Faith's latest financial report, mostly reviewing month-to-date tithing and offering deposits and overall expenditures. She would be meeting with Lynette Reynolds, New Faith's CFO, later this afternoon, but she was glad to see that things were looking pretty good. Actually, they were looking exceptional, as the current numbers were much better than what Lynette had projected at the end of last year. The church and the overall ministry were taking in much more than they were paying out, which was great news for the upcoming marketing campaign. It would take thousands to do the kind of campaign Dillon had in mind, and thankfully, they'd have no problem paying for it. There were also noticeable funds sitting in the building fund account, and this would make all the difference when it was time to either expand at their current location or move to a larger church altogether. Alicia would have preferred the former, since they were situated in such a great location, but with the high rate of members joining all the time, buying or building a new church was likely their only option.

Alicia scanned a few more pages and then took a quick look at the numbers from this past Sunday alone. People were not only giving tithes and offerings, but they'd also seemed to increase their contributions toward each of the thirteen special ministries. Interestingly enough, the women's ministry tended to receive more dollars than the twelve that were led by the elders, which said a lot about Raven and her ability to get what she asked for. This was great when it came to certain areas of business relating to the church, but it was that same charm and intelligence of hers that might push Dillon to support her desire to become co-pastor. Alicia sure hoped it wouldn't, though, because what a disaster that would be. There was just no way it could work, so Alicia prayed Dillon wouldn't let it happen.

Alicia glanced over at her desk calendar and saw that it was July 1. Within seconds, her spirits dropped, because they were only three days away from the Fourth. Since she'd been a child, this had been one of her favorite holidays, but not anymore. Not since she'd married Levi and they hadn't been able to spend it with her family. In the past, she'd sometimes spent holidays with her mom and stepdad and sometimes with her dad and stepmom, and she'd had the time of her life either way. If only they could love and accept Levi the way they were supposed to, she could still be close with all of them. She and Levi did spend time with his mom on holidays, along with some of his other relatives, but it wasn't the same.

She hated this, but no matter how she tried to weigh things, she just couldn't allow them to treat Levi like he was the enemy. It was wrong, and this was the reason she'd stood her ground for so long. But nonetheless, her mom was heavily on her mind and she couldn't help calling her.

Tanya was a counselor, so she dialed her mother's office number and waited.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Tanya said.

“Hey, Mom, how are you?”

“Everything's great. What about you?”

“We're good. Just thought I'd take a break and see what you were up to.”

After a bit of silence Tanya finally said, “It's good to hear your voice.”

There was another pause, and Alicia could tell the conversation was just as awkward for her mom as it was for her.

Alicia waited a little longer and then said, “I know you're probably working, so did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, not at all. I have a few minutes.”

“Good. So what are you and Dad James doing for the Fourth?”

“We're going away for the weekend. Heading down to New Orleans for the Essence
Festival. I thought I mentioned that to you a couple of months ago.”

“Actually, you did. I'd forgotten, though,” she said, thinking how the reason she hadn't remembered was because she and her mom talked a lot less than they used to. Before her marriage to Levi, she and her mom had sometimes chatted on the phone two to three times per day, but now, they were lucky if they spoke twice a month.

“We've never gone, so we're really excited about it,” Tanya said. “Been wanting to get there for years.”

“Mel and I went last summer, and it was a really great time,” Alicia said, referring to her best friend, Melanie Richardson. “One of the best events we've ever traveled to.”

“That's what I've always heard.”

When her mom had first mentioned it to her, Alicia had wondered how two people her mom's and stepdad's ages would even be able to enjoy a music festival. But then she'd realized that there were so many keynote speakers, panels, and old-school singers, anyone could enjoy themselves.

Alicia relaxed farther back in her chair. “It'll be a lot of fun.”

“I believe it will, and hey, how is Levi?”

Alicia was a bit taken aback, because no one in her family ever asked about her husband. Whether they spoke to her by phone or accidentally saw her out in public, they acted as though she were single and lived alone.

“He's fine.”

“That's good. Please tell him I said hello.”

Alicia wasn't sure how to respond, mostly because she was still too shocked that her mom was asking about her son-in-law.

“Honey, what's wrong?”

“I guess I'm just a little surprised that you're asking about him.”

“I know, and I'm sorry for feeling the way I have all this time. But I've also been praying about it and doing a lot of soul-searching, and I realize that it's just not right for us to shun Levi or make things hard for you. We may not like the way the two of you got together or the affair you had, but what's done is done and we all have to move on. I've been asking God for direction, and I know I was wrong.”

Tears filled Alicia's eyes. “Oh my God, Mom. You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say those words. I miss our conversations and visits, and it's been so hard pretending that none of this bothered me. The hardest thing in the world is being married to someone that none of your family members love, or even like for that matter.”

“I can only imagine, sweetheart, and I hope you can forgive us. Your dad James feels the same way, and I know he'll be calling you later. I've been meaning to call you the last couple of days to apologize, but I just couldn't get the nerve up to do it. I was too embarrassed,” she said, sniffling. “It was too hard to admit that I'd distanced myself from my only child and best friend, all because things didn't turn out the way we wanted. So I'm really glad you called me today instead. It was all in God's plan, and there's something else I want you to know. Regardless of how we felt about Phillip's death and your marriage to Levi, we never stopped loving you. You are my baby, and I love you with all my heart.”

“I know that, Mom, and I love you, too. You mean everything to me, but this whole thing has taken a huge toll on me, mentally and emotionally,” she said, wishing she had the courage to tell her mom about the voice that kept torturing her.

“I'm sure it has, and again, I'm very sorry. I also hope your father can eventually find it in his heart to accept Levi, because I know that hurts, too.”

“It does, Mom. Daddy has talked about forgiveness in more sermons than I can count, yet he won't forgive Levi and me. He says he has, but he hasn't.”

“I know this has been tough, but it's just that your dad loved Phillip so much. He loved him like a son, and he's just being stubborn about it. But you just keep praying for things to turn around, and I'll do the same.”

Alicia smiled and wiped her tears. “You have really made my day, Mom.”

“I'm glad, because you've certainly made mine.”

“I'm so relieved.”

“Me too, and hey, I have a session I need to do shortly, so I'm going to have to hang up. But why don't you and Levi plan on coming over for dinner one evening next week when we're back in town?”

“That sounds good. And Mom?”

“Yes?”

“I know I just said this a few minutes ago, but I love you so, so much.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart, and I'll make sure to call you tomorrow before we leave.”

“Talk to you then. Bye, Mom.”

Alicia hung up and wiped the rest of her tears, but the more she thought about her mom and how happy she was right now, the more she cried. Her heart was overjoyed, and she couldn't wait to tell Levi the wonderful news. He would be thrilled to know that his in-laws had decided to accept him and that they were finally inviting him over for dinner.

Alicia was beyond elated…until Phillip crossed her mind. However, just as quickly as negative thoughts eased their way in, she dismissed those feelings and thought only about the conversation she'd had with her mom. She hadn't felt this joyful in a long time, and she was grateful. She was ecstatic, and she couldn't have stopped smiling if she wanted to.