Guilty of Love (41 page)

“
One time, Heney, and I’m
going late and leaving early.”

Cheney exhaled. “That’s better than
nothing. I guess God will have to work quickly on you.”

“
She’s serious, isn’t she,
about going late?” Parke asked as they walked back to her house to
check on the kids.

“
Yep, but it’s hard to
convince her when I’m still learning and don’t know the right words
or scriptures to say.”

“
It may take us a lifetime
to learn, Sister Cheney Reynolds.”

Laughing, they stepped onto her porch.
“I wish God had saved me sooner. I’m almost positive I would’ve
never gotten involved with Larry.”

“
Hush, woman. That name is
now on our bad word list.”

“
You’re right. Hey, has
Wilma said anything else about the little Parke boy.”

Parke frowned, shaking his head.
“Nope, if that child proves to be mine, nothing is going to stop me
from getting to my boy. Wilma did say the little fella in question
has bounced from one foster home to another.”

Kami dropped her sandwich on the
hardwood floor, making a mad dash to Parke, leaving peanut butter
on his cheek seconds after they walked through the door.

He examined the jelly stain on his
shirt and Kami whimpered, “Sorree.”

“
Miss Cheney,” Sasha’s
voice yelled from upstairs, “I need help packing.”

“
Coming,” Cheney shouted
back, snickering at Parke. Strolling to Dre, she teasingly rubbed
his peach fuzz-covered chin. “I’m going to miss you and your
sister. You two are really good kids. Don’t let anybody say
otherwise.”

Their maternal grandmother was hopping
mad when she learned what happened to Sasha and Dre. The woman had
stormed into family court, demanding custody of her grandchildren.
And Cheney didn’t blame her. She would miss them, but was glad a
bad situation had a certain degree of a happy ending.

Dre flew into Cheney’s arm, hugging
her tightly. “Thank you for taking care of us. I’ll miss you,
Parke, and Kami.” He looked up with tears in his eyes. “Could we
come back and visit?”

Cheney kissed the top of Dre’s
cornrows. “Of course.” She sniffed and exhaled. “Now, I better
check on Sasha.”

Upstairs in the girls’ bedroom, Sasha
sat solemnly in the rocking chair, hugging one of the international
dolls. Cheney walked quietly into the room and settled on the
bed.

The young girl didn’t make eye contact
with her. “You know, I’m glad my Grandma cares about me, even if my
Mama don’t.”

Stretching out on the bedspread,
Cheney patted the space beside her. “Me, too.”

Sasha climbed on the bed and cuddled
in Cheney’s arms for a long time without speaking. “Why doesn’t she
love me?”

Instead of lying, Cheney said what was
in her heart. Didn’t she read in her Bible what Jesus said about
truth? It was in the book of John,
Ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.
It was only one of three
scriptures she knew. She wanted Sasha to be free—body, soul, and
heart. “Sometimes, people, including your mother and me, make
mistakes. Sometimes, we’re scared and do stupid things.”

“
But, I’m her daughter,
Miss Cheney.”

“
I know.” Cheney sighed.
The child she aborted came to mind, but this time, without
experiencing any lingering guilt, she felt redemption. She couldn’t
think of another scripture. “I’ll pray that one day she’ll realize
how important you are to her before it’s too late.” Sasha’s blank
expression showed her lack of understanding.

Later that night Cheney, Parke, and
Kami said a tearful good-bye to Sasha and Dre. Even Parke’s parents
stopped by to say their good-byes, give hugs, and bring gifts.
Parting wasn’t a sweet sorrow, it was an aching
pain.
Eventually, Cheney fell asleep in Sasha’s bed trying to console
Kami who had grown accustomed to the older girl’s brief presence.
Kami’s departure could be any day so Cheney had her on borrowed
time.

Kami drifted off after chanting
Sasha’s name for minutes. The wall Blue’s Clues clock chimed at
10:30. Cheney yawned and decided to close her eyes again for a few
minutes before getting up and going to her own bedroom.

“
Cheney,” a Voice called,
sounding like a loud whisper.

“
Hmmm?” Cheney moaned
without opening an eye.

“
Cheyenne is fine. I
knew her soul before she was conceived. I returned her to Me when
her life no longer existed. She’s resting. Now let your soul
rest
,” the deep Voice rumbled thunderously with so much power
the bedroom shook.

Cheney sprang up; her eyes popped
opened. She scanned the softly lit room. Kami was sound asleep in
the kiddie bed Parke had purchased for her, arguing that the twin
beds were too big. Her burglar alarm was activated, so no one had
broken in.

If what she thought she heard had
really happened, Kami would’ve wakened. Wouldn’t she? Glancing at
the wall clock, it chimed 10:30 again. Disoriented, she padded
across the hall to her bedroom in search of her Bible. Flipping the
pages, she had no idea what she was looking for. Going back and
forth, Cheney kept returning to Jeremiah 1. Her fingers shook when
she saw verse four.
Then the word of the Lord came unto me,
saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before
thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.

“
Whoa, baby.” Malcolm’s
eyes twinkled as he glanced at Hallison from head to toe. “I like
the church look.”

Right.
It had taken Hallison
more than an hour to dress. Her hat matched her suit. The long,
narrow skirt was void of the thigh-high splits Malcolm enjoyed. She
grabbed her old Bible, which she tried reading since running into
Tavia, but nothing stayed in her head. She wondered if God gave the
ministers advance warning that she was coming.

Her fiancé looked shamefully handsome
in his pin-striped suit. He winked when he caught her roaming eye.
His long and curly lashes were his most appealing asset. His silky
beard and mustache hinted of a recent shape-up and trim. Hallison
inhaled his sweet musk-scented cologne. She felt a battle stirring
within, a strange sensation she couldn’t shake.
Will I return
home the same person? Of course, He’s a free-will
God.

Closing the space between them,
Hallison thrust her Bible in Malcolm’s hand. She reached up and
massaged his beard before luring his lips in the most possessive
kiss they had ever shared.

Malcolm frowned, searching Hallison’s
face. “That wasn’t a kiss of love, but sadness. Sweetheart, it’s
going to be okay. No pressure.”

Hallison desperately wanted to
surrender to the power of his brown eyes. They showed his
determination to move her mountains. The only problem was God had
the power, and Malcolm wouldn’t be able to move God’s
mountains.

On the drive to the church, he kept
his voice low, sultry, and husky, describing what he had planned
for their honeymoon. When he turned into the church’s parking lot,
he spotted Parke’s SUV and parked next to it and got
out.

“
What are Cheney and Parke
trying to get out of his SUV?” Hallison asked as they watch them
struggle with something in the back seat.

Shrugging, Malcolm leaned in and
kissed her head. “Just remember, I love you.” His eyes lingered on
her lips before turning to Parke. “What’s wrong? You two need some
help?”

“
Only if you’ve got a
strait jacket,” Cheney solicited with a lifted brow.

Hallison and Malcolm exchanged
looks.

Cheney positioned a fist on her hip,
tapping her shoe on the concrete. “It’s my neighbor. She refuses to
come out after she agreed to come to church.”

“
Not the fearless Grandma
BB?” Hallison chuckled, improving her mood.

“
Yes.” Parke groaned. “She
says it’s her prerogative to be fashionably late, but Cheney and I
don’t want to miss anything, plus, I don’t want Kami to get
restless. I can always throw her over my shoulder and make a grand
entrance.” Parke winked, grinning.

“
Humph! This body is
conditioned like Janet Jackson’s,” Mrs. Beacon defiantly shouted
from the back seat.

While everybody roared with laughter,
in one smooth motion, Parke unbuckled and scooped up the woman so
fast she didn’t know what had happened. He planted her feet on the
ground.

She pointed a manicured red fingernail
at Malcolm and Hallison. “I’ll let you know when you can call me
Grandma BB.”

Adjusting her clothes, Mrs. Beacon
looped her arm through Cheney’s.

“
C’mon, y’all, let’s shake
this joint up.”

Hallison snickered, “She’s worse than
me.”

Malcolm doubled over in laughter, and
tried to compose himself by the time they made it to the front
door. Hallison prepared herself to dislike the church, the people,
the pastor, even the floor tile, but too much Holy Ghost power
seemed to surround her.

Inside the sanctuary, Mrs. Beacon
gripped the bottom of her seat. The choir’s fast-paced song coerced
her feet to tap, then her shoulder lifted to the beat before her
hands met in one clap after another. The next thing Hallison knew,
the woman was swaying in her seat. Focusing on the woman’s antics
had actually allowed Hallison to unwind.

After Parke and Cheney returned from
taking Kami to the church nursery, people flocked—young and old—to
greet Cheney and Parke with hearty handshakes and hugs like they
had known them for years. Some encouraged the couple to keep
walking with God. Malcolm stood to meet them. Hallison only offered
a courteous smile.

She warned her mind to ignore the bass
guitar’s rhythm as Cheney and Parke got up and clapped in sync.
Something deep down inside of her wanted to bust out, and Hallison
didn’t know if she could stop it. Malcolm sat relaxed, swaying in
his seat. Parke and Cheney glowed, not only with the Holy Ghost,
but the love growing between them.

A minister stepped to the podium, also
swaying with the choir. His feet started moving faster than his
body. Restraining himself, he introduced the pastor.

“
Praise the Lord,
everybody,” Elder Scott shouted with as much enthusiasm as the
entire choir before softening his voice to pre-sermon
announcements. “I want to talk about choices for this morning’s
sermon,” he stated as voices hushed around Hallison.

Malcolm squeezed and massaged her
fingers as she cringed inside, sighing.

Mrs. Beacon, who was sandwiched
between the two couples, leaned toward Hallison. “What kind of
message is that? I know he ain’t talkin’ to me,” she stated
matter-of-factly, wrinkling her nose.

“
Turn your Bibles with me
to St. Luke 16:11. Jesus spoke in many parables so those listening
would have an understanding. However the message in verse thirteen
is clear:
“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one,
and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’
Mammon
means material wealth or gain.”

Malcolm relaxed his arm around
Hallison, squeezing her shoulders as he crossed his ankle over a
knee while Mrs. Beacon nudged her in the side. “I ain’t giving up
nothing for God. He’s already got my Henry, He might as well forget
it. I could’ve taken Kami to the park instead of sitting
here.”

The pastor continued, “Many of you
have a nice life and enjoy what you’ve accumulated, but don’t give
God the credit, but one day your soul will be required of you.
Hebrews 9:27:
‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but
after this the judgment’.”

After thirty minutes, Hallison tuned
out the sermon and listened to Mrs. Beacon doze.

Pastor Scott lifted one finger. “I’m
warning you today. You don’t want to be lukewarm with God,” he
admonished before rapidly turned pages in his Bible. “Revelation
3:3 says,
‘Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with
goods, and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.’
God
help each and every one of us today not to fool
ourselves.”

“
Yes, Lord!” a woman
shouted loud behind Mrs. Beacon. Balling up a fist, Mrs. Beacon
lifted an eyebrow and was slowly turning around.

“
It’s okay. You’ll get used
to it,” Cheney whispered, patting her neighbor’s hand.

“
I doubt it,” Mrs. Beacon
spat out before pinching her lips together and flaring her nostrils
like a charging bull. “That man sure does talk too
much.”

Cheney hushed the woman. “He hasn’t
preached an hour yet.”

“
That’s thirty minutes too
long.”

A while later the minister closed his
Bible. “You’ve heard the voice of God today, harden not your
hearts.”

Hallison released an audible sigh.
Even after so many years, she had the service memorized. This was
the part where she had to stay strong and be overcome with guilt
during the altar call. As the congregation was about to stand, the
spirit of God started moving sporadically throughout the sanctuary.
The hairs tingled on Hallison’s body as her heart slammed against
her chest. She no longer felt steady on her feet.