Lyfe Changing (26 page)

I looked at him confused
but didn’t have time to reply due to Detective Trent entering the
room. “Well Derrick…it didn’t even take you a year to end up back
in jail huh?” I sighed not really in the mood to hear his mockery
tonight. “I guess not…” Detective Trent eyed me suspiciously as if
he was trying to read my mind. “So what happens now Derrick?” “Let
me guess the cell block D…” I said matching his sarcasm. He
chuckled a bit. “Possibly…but not tonight…” I looked at him in
shock. “What? What are you talking about?” He looked to Pastor
Wallace to further explain. “Well as the good Lord may have
it…their letting you go.” I sat back in my chair not believing what
I was hearing. “Really…even with the gun and everything?” “What
gun…” Detective Trent said as if he didn’t know what I was talking
about. I stared at Pastor Wallace he had a bright smile on his
face. “How did you it?” I asked him still in amazement. He took my
hands into his. “Let’s just say the Lord works in mysterious
ways.

Destiny

“It’s alright
miss…everything is going to be ok.” The nurse informed as I
uneasily lay in my hospital bed. This was the night from hell and I
couldn’t believe it had even happened. In the matter of minutes I
had been kidnapped, assaulted, and in the middle of a gun fight.
But by the grace of God I made it out…we all had made it out.
Derrick was permanently ingrained in my mind for the remainder of
the night. I constantly thought about how he had come to my rescue
and was even willingly to put his own life in jeopardy for mine. I
needed him to be here with me more than ever now. But when then
cops took him away there was fear in his eyes…that said he may not
come back this time.

I looked to the nurse who
was about to make her exit until I stopped her. “May I borrow a
phone please?” I asked the nurse. She looked at me sadly before
answering. “Miss you really need your rest now…just try to relax.”
I shook my head. “No I need to talk to somebody…I need to make sure
he is all right.” I slowly sat up. The nurse put a hand on my
shoulder trying to calm me down. “Miss please….” She begged. Seeing
that I was not going to get my way I figured I would just have to
take matters into my own hands, so I attempted to leave my hospital
bed. “Miss please…stop…” “Let me go…” I yelled.

As I lifted my head up and
saw Derrick walking toward me all my worries were pushed outside. A
weak smile spread across my face as he entered the room. He looked
at me and smiled while shaking his head. “It’s alright Nurse
Joy…I’ll make sure she gets back to bed.” Nurse Joy sighed and left
me in Derrick’s hands. He helped me back in bed and without
hesitation embraced me tightly and passionately. I couldn’t help
the joyful tears that escaped my eyes. “How did you get here? What
happened?” I asked in shock that he was actually here beside me.
Derrick put his index finger to my lips to shush me… “Calm down
baby.” “I really needed you Derrick…” I softly whispered to him.
“Well I’m here now…I’m here now.”

Derrick continued to hold
me in fear that if we let each other go we would never embraces
like this again. After a while Derrick laid next to me in my
hospital bed and explained how the cops arrested Julio and how
Pastor Wallace went to his friends at the police station and ended
up saving our lives. I was so glad to hear that, figuring after all
this drama Derrick and I could now have a fresh start together…or
so I thought. Derrick looked down at my hospital bed and I could
tell something was wrong. I lifted his face up to mine. “What’s the
problem?” I asked him not understanding his somberness. Derrick
weakly smiled at me fighting what he really wanted to say but
ultimately came clean. He grabbed my hands and kissed them softly.
“Destiny, I love you…I love so much…I have never felt this way
about any woman in my life…” Derrick was choking up a bit which was
scaring me knowing he was never a man to show emotion. “When I
found out that psycho kidnapped you I damn near lost it…I was
scared.”

I chuckled lightly to lift
the mood. “You were scared?” Derrick nodded. “Yeah…you must have
been petrified huh? I guess that’s just the cons of messing with a
deadbeat convict.” “Derrick don’t say that…” I scolded him, hurt
that he would degrade himself like that. He looked at me sadly.
“It’s true…your life has been nothing but misery since I have been
around…and now this?” Derrick stood up and paced the hospital
floors disappointed. I watched him clearly upset and not knowing
how to comfort him…hell I still needed to be comforted.

“
Derrick you didn’t make
that freak kidnap me…” He looked at me in disbelief. “C’mon
Destiny…the only reason he took you was because he knew I would
come for you…he used you as a pawn to get to me…he almost.” Derrick
stopped himself, not wanting to say what Julio almost did to me. I
lowered my head not wanting to look at him.

“
Destiny you were right…
all this time you were right…I’m no good.” “Derrick I didn’t mean
that.”

I pleaded to him crying not
wanting see were this conversation was going. He turned to look to
me and shook its head. “Doesn’t matter…I’m never going to be able
to give to you what you deserve…I’m never going to be able to do
anything for you but keep you out of my life…I gotta let you go.” I
buried my face into my hands at the sound of those words which were
breaking my heart. Derrick attempted to comfort me but decided
against it. Derrick headed for the door but not before taking one
last look back. “I love you Destiny…don’t forget that.” I couldn’t
help the despair I felt…that the man I wanted so desperately had
left me…and I feared it was for good this time.

22

Don’t know what you
had…

Destiny

“Destiny…I’m really sorry
that this happened girl…” Cat said patting my shoulder. It had been
two weeks since the kidnapping, since the showdown at Julio’s
house, and since Derrick told me it was over. The girls had been
stuck to my side like glue ever since, getting the low down on the
worst experiences of my life. They had said prayers, rented man
hating movies, bought comforting ice cream and cookies, and now
were trying their attempt at words of wisdom. None of the above had
seemed to be working.

“
Yes Destiny…were all glad
you’re safe and ok…” Lucy looked at me sorrowfully. I turned my
gaze from the window to her. “Am I?” They all sighed and shook
their head. Alayah tired of avoiding the obvious decided to get
down to the root of my despair. “Destiny honey you have been
through a lot right now…mentally, physically, spiritually…I’m sorry
but Derrick is the last person you need to be thinking about.” No
one cosigned with her but by the looks on their faces I knew that
they were in agreement. I chuckled in disbelief and shook my head,
saddened that my friends couldn’t understand my pain. “Destiny were
not trying to come down on you…we just think you need to refocus a
bit.”

Meg said seeing my
discomfort to their disapproval of Derrick. I took a deep breath
trying to fight the swelling tears in my eyes. “Focus…How can I
focus when the man I love told me it was over?” Cat grabbed my
hands into hers trying to get through to my thick skull. “Destiny
Derrick loves you…we all know this...when he broke up with you he
did it to protect you and damn it I don’t blame him.” I shot her a
hurt look and snatched my hands away. “What are you saying?” Cat
sighed and looked at me pitifully. “I’m saying that your life has
been a circus since Derrick has been around…from church drama to
the charity ball drama and now this…I don’t know…maybe he did you
both a favor.” “You have to admit things have been crazy lately…”
Lucy chimed in. “Yes…” Alayah nodded.

“…
Kid napping crazy.” I
shook my head not wanting to believe what I was hearing. I love
Derrick, we may have had our ups and downs, but in the end we still
came together. I know how I feel and nobody could tell me
different. Not wanting to listen to any more of this I took a deep
breath and made sure I had their full attention. “Ok listen here…I
am fully aware of what I have been through these past year…and I
don’t deny that it has been crazy but I know one thing and one
thing only…ever since this man has come into my life I have never
felt more complete…I see you girls with your husbands and
boyfriends and that hit by cupid look on your faces and I think to
myself I am never going to feel that way…until now.” The tears were
falling now and I didn’t care, I wanted them to hear me and hear me
good.

“
When I was kidnapped that
was the greatest fear I had ever felt in my life but Derrick came
to save me, he was willing to die for me and I can’t, I won’t
forget that….I love him…that’s all I know…and that’s all that
matters.” The girls were all damn near tears at my admission of
love for Derrick knowing that this was the first time I had ever
expressed such strong feelings for a man before. After calming
breath Alayah spoke up. “Well I guess she told us…” we all couldn’t
help roar into full on laughter but I still felt the heartache from
missing the man I loved.

Derrick

“Amen...Amen…Glory this
morning…” Pastor Wallace said as he entered up onto the pulpit.
Today was the day that the expansion of the church was to be shown
to the whole congregation and a big dinner was going to be held
after service. All of the boys from the working crew were there
with their parents to show them the payoff of their hard work. I
sat beside my grandmother while she wore her Sunday best dress
looking lovely in a pink matching church hat as we got ready for
the word. As expected Pastor Wallace wore his famous canary yellow
suit and a big grin on his medium brown face.

“
What a glorious morning it
is saints…praise the Lord…” “Praise the Lord…” the congregation
repeated. I sat back taking everything all in, with all the hell
that I had been going on this past year, it was finally a relief to
experience some peace. “You know saints I found out something this
Sunday…The Lord works in mysterious ways…when we least expect it
there he is…just when you think it’s over the Lord says no not
yet…” The crowds cheered and amend while the Pastor went on.
“Saints how long is it going to take…before we realize we can trust
God? How long will it take before we realize that all power…. All
power …is in his hands.”

The crowd cheered while
Pastor Wallace eyes focused in on me. As the sermon came to a close
everyone was preparing to see the reveal of the expansion of the
church. That was until I saw Clay grab the mic from the pulpit and
spoke to the congregation. “May I have every body’s attention
please…?” As the crowd began settle down I looked on in disbelief
that Clay was actually going to speak up. He was very dressed up
for the occasion in a blue button up shirt and badge dress pants, a
total difference from his regular t-shirt and jeans. “I hope
everybody enjoyed service today…Pastor Wallace was killing in that
suit.” The crowd chuckled and I did too. Clay was so nervous I
could tell he was shaking…I felt like I was a nervous parent
watching their child perform at a talent show.

“
For all of you guys that
don’t know, me and couple of guys in this congregation got
ourselves into a lot of trouble…and because of that we were
assigned to work at the church for community hours…at first I
thought this was going to be a tortuous experience…tiling and
roofing with talks of hellfire and damnation.” The crowd laughed
again as Clay went on. “But it wasn’t like that…Pastor Wallace
reached out to us…he encouraged us more than any teacher or
counselor I had ever met…he told us to believe in ourselves…to
believe in God…and I will forever be grateful to him for that.”
Everyone clapped as this young man poured his heart out to the
crowd of on lookers. “The guys and I had bonded in ways you
couldn’t even imagine…we formed an unbreakable brotherhood…but we
couldn’t have formed that without the man who really brought us
together…our big brother…Brother Derrick.”

My jaw hit the floor as
Clay said my name and everyone turned around and looked at me. All
the guys from the crew stood up and clapped like they were at a
football game. My grandmother patted my shoulder in admiration. I
weakly smiled at everyone and just hoped that the embarrassment
would fade. “When Derrick came on board on the team I have to admit
we all were a little intimidated…I mean dang the dude is
big.”

Everyone giggled, even me
as I listened to this young man show is respect for me. “But after
a while he became the biggest influence to us all…he was mentor…a
friend…our brother…and the mastermind behind all the construction
that was going on…anyway all I’m trying to say is that Derrick was
a big part of this church expansion…without him none of this would
have happen, so if we could just give him another round applause
for him that would be great.” As the crowd roared I could feel my
face grow hot with embarrassment but unfortunately this public
torture didn’t stop there when Pastor Wallace decided to take the
mic. “Amen…amen…Brother Derrick I say you get on up here boy and
say a little something c’mon.”

My grandmother was grabbing
my arm to pull me up to go up there to speak, but like cement
pavement I wouldn’t budge. “No…no…I’m fine…” I said shaking my
head. Pastor Wallace continued to press on. “C’mon now boy say a
little something to the saints.” The congregations continued to
applaud and encourage me to go up to the mic, even the boys were
egging me on.
Oh God
why
…I thought shaking my head. I
reluctantly got up and made my way to the front, Clay stood by my
side patting my back to encourage me.