Men After God's Own Heart (10 page)
Read Men After God's Own Heart Online
Authors: Dijorn Moss
“But not every girl has a father that's well off like you, Q. They need that support,” Jamal said.
“The way I see it, there's no need for the baby's father to be present in the child's life if he's going to be a negative role model. That's all I'm saying.” Quincy leaned back and hoped that Dwight could read between the lines.
“But that's not in the scriptures,” Chauncey interjected.
“Of course not. It's being practical. The Bible does not have a road map for baby daddies. Isn't it God's will for a man and woman to marry?” Quincy said.
“Of course, but just because it doesn't always happen that way does not mean that the Bible does not have an answer for any situation,” Chauncey replied.
Quincy said, “But there's a practicality in the Bible that you always overlook, Deacon. Faith without work isâ”.
“Is dead,” Will said as he observed his brother, who had just put on some headphones to listen to music.
“There you go. So the question that I have for this young brother right here is, do you have faith, and are you willing to work?” Quincy focused his attention on Dwight, who was clearly lost in the discussion.
“Yeah, man. I'm going to be on my grind, getting it in until the fam is set.”
“I guess that means you're going to work hard. The only other thing I have to say, and then I'll leave it alone, is keep it legit,” Quincy said before he leaned back to rest.
“So, Brother Jamal, how are things with you and Chantel?” Chauncey asked.
“Man, this premarital counseling is no joke. It got us thinking about things and talking about things that never crossed Chantel's and my mind.”
“But it's going good, right?” Chauncey asked.
“We argue more now than we did before. I mean, we argue over stupid stuff, like whether or not to fry the chicken or bake the chicken.”
Quincy laughed, much to his own amusement.
“That's what marriage is about. At first you're going to argue a lot, so it's good that you get started now.”
“I've never heard anyone say arguing is good,” Dwight said.
“It keeps you honest. It creates an environment where you're not pretending, but you're keeping it real. There's nothing wrong with arguing so long as there are ground rules,” Quincy said before he took a sip of his tea.
“Ground rules?” Will asked.
“Yeah. You notice that before every fight the ref reminds the fighters of the ground rules so that it can be a good clean fight? Karen and I's ground rules are as follows.. . .” Quincy started to count on his hand. “Number one, we are not going to use the word
divorce.
Number two, we are not going to compare ourselves to anyone else's marriage, and number three, we are not going to throw anything, including lamps, china, cats, and especially fists.”
divorce.
Number two, we are not going to compare ourselves to anyone else's marriage, and number three, we are not going to throw anything, including lamps, china, cats, and especially fists.”
The men at the table chuckled and nodded. Quincy hoped that Dwight was taking in the information.
“That's something that we should have, but a relationship is different when you live together,” Jamal said.
“I know you and Sister Chantel are not living together,” Chauncey interjected.
The room became incredibly dense and uncomfortable. Quincy knew about Jamal and Chantel living together. He had advised Jamal not to move in and had been willing to help Jamal with other arrangements, but Jamal had insisted that moving in was the best thing to do, and he had asked Quincy to keep this secret to himself and not share it with everyone, especially Chauncey.
“Brother Jamal!” Chauncey said.
“We lived together for a brief moment, until we talked with Pastor Brown and I decided to move out until after the wedding. I'm staying with Will,” Jamal explained.
“Brother Will, you knew about this?” All Chauncey got from Will was a head nod. “How come you didn't tell me?” Chauncey's eyes bounced from Jamal to Will in search of an answer.
“The code,” Will said.
“What code?” Chauncey asked, even more confused.
“The guy code,” Jamal said.
“I'm not gay,” Chauncey shouted, then realized he was talking too loudly and lowered his voice. “I'm not gay.”
“No one is saying you're not a guy, genius. It's just that you walk around so high and mighty that no one wants to tell you anything,” Quincy said.
“I tell you guys everything!” Chauncey huffed.
“Oh really? Then when were you going to tell us about your little dating adventures?” Jamal asked.
At this point, Will was beyond confused. “C, you got a girl?”
“No. It's just that it's not good for a man to be alone. I would like to have a helpmate, so I've tried dating,” Chauncey said.
“You're not going to find her if you're being too judgmental,” Jamal said.
“Brother Jamal, I just want you and Chantel to be covered and for God to bless your relationship. Forgive me for trying to hold you accountable,” Chauncey said.
“Look, C, I appreciate everything you do, but sometimes I just need you to be my brother in Christ and pray with me. As opposed to constantly showing me where I missed it,” Jamal said.
“I don't think I'm that bad,” Chauncey replied, and a score of murmurs from the table followed.
“C, I know I messed up, but I'm trying to do what's right, and I just need you guys' support,” Jamal said.
Chauncey did not respond to Jamal's statement. Quincy wondered what everyone thought about Chauncey dating. Chauncey had expressed his desire to find a wife, but Quincy just had not known until this point the lengths to which Chauncey had gone in order to accomplish this goal.
“Chauncey, what kind of woman are you looking to marry?” Quincy asked.
“Well, she has to be a saved woman,” Chauncey replied.
“We know that,” Quincy said.
“Well, I don't know. The rest is just complicated. Lately it just seems like every time I look up, someone is getting married. You start to wonder if you're going to die alone.” Chauncey started to scratch the back of his neck, which, Quincy knew, was a sign that he was uncertain.
“You're not going to die alone, C. You got your brothers, and you will find a good wife that can put up with you,” Jamal said.
“Lord, have mercy,” Quincy said after a sip from his iced tea.
“You're a good dude, C. God's got a good woman waiting for you,” Will said.
“I'm just wondering if I can be patient to wait on her,” Chauncey replied.
“That's that forty-year-old virgin talking,” Quincy said.
After a moment of awkward silence, everyone proceeded to laugh. Quincy knew that with all that was going on between the four of them, it was going to be an eventful weekend indeed.
Chapter Seventeen
Chauncey
“Lord, forgive me for being distracted.”
Chauncey did not expect to begin his morning with a prayer of repentance. He did not go into a bar or solicit a prostitute, though the environment surrounding the retreat was a distraction. His prayer was more for his growing disdain for being a part of the single men's workshops year after year. He wanted a wife. His brother, Henry, was a clear example of how difficult it was to die alone, with no woman by one's side. Yes, he had his sister, but he had lived too much of his life without a companion. Chauncey was determined not to suffer the same fate as Henry.
He finished up his morning devotional and made his way to the conference room. It was embarrassing for a forty-six-year-old man not to be married. Chauncey arrived at the conference room first, for a workshop that was focused on being a single Christian man of integrity. In light of last year's fiasco with Minister Jacobs, Chauncey had grown skeptical about taking pointers from a single Christian man about being a single Christian man. He needed to be taught by someone who had survived being single.
Dwight entered the conference room and took a seat next to Chauncey. Chauncey was surprised to see that Dwight was up early and was on time, even though the only difference in his appearance from yesterday, when Chauncey first met him, was the fact that he now had on a white tank top instead of a gray one.
“Hey, Brother Dwight. How are you?” Chauncey asked.
“I'm okay. I've never been to one of these before,” Dwight replied.
“Did your father or your grandmother ever take you to church?”
“Man, if my father was to walk in here right now and sit down, I wouldn't even recognize him. My grandmother used to have me in church all Sunday, and I mean all Sunday, from the crack of dawn until late at night. When I got old enough, I got as far away from church as possible.”
Chauncey loved church. He lived for an opportunity to be in God's presence, but he knew that made him different from most men. He noticed that most young men, when they turned eighteen, would run far away from the church. He never knew what caused them to want to turn away from God. All he knew was that God had a hand in bringing them back to church.
“I've never been to one of these, though.” Dwight cleared his throat. “So what are they going to do? Talk to us or something?”
Chauncey chuckled and patted Dwight on the back. “Yes, brother . . . I'm sorry, but you never told me your last name.”
“Oh, I don't like for people to call me by my last name. Just call me Dwight or D.”
“Okay, Brother Dwight. An awesome man of God will come in and talk to us, and you just have to open yourself up and let God speak to you.”
“I don't know. I haven't talked to God in so long, I don't know what to say.” Dwight hung his head in shame.
“Son, God has forgiven you. The question is, will you forgive yourself?”
Will entered the conference room in his signature black T-shirt and jeans. Will had a seat next to Chauncey. Chauncey took a moment to examine his open collared shirt and slacks and wondered if he was overdressed for the occasion.
“Brother Will, how are you?” Chauncey said.
“Good. Just tired,” Will replied.
“Same here, but Mr. Page told me I have to come here,” Dwight said.
“Yeah, man, but it's cool to come and learn about walking right as a single Christian,” Will answered.
“Chauncey, how come you're still single?” Dwight asked.
At first Chauncey was put off by Dwight's question. Chauncey did not want to engage in a discussion about his social life with Dwight.
“Well, I haven't met the woman that God would want me marry, that's all.” Chauncey let out a nervous laughter.
Dwight shook his head. “Man, I don't know. A man your age that ain't married sounds a little suspect to me.”
Will leaned forward to make eye contact with Dwight, who was on the other side of Chauncey. “Hey, man, don't disrespect Chauncey. This man changed my life. If he's waiting for God to bless him with a wife, then I respect that.”
Brother Cage, one of the last single ministers, approached the podium. “Praise the Lord, brothers. Before we get started, we need to pray. We can't do anything without prayer.”
Chauncey followed Brother Cage's lead and bent his head down to pray. Even though Chauncey words were centered in prayer, his thoughts were on Will and Dwight. Chauncey did not know what to do with Will, who was a reformed thug, and Dwight, who was a practicing one. He leaned back in the chair just in case they came to blows.
“My bad, man,” Dwight said to Chauncey.
“Well, Brother Will, I know you have a fan club when it comes to some of the ladies of the church,” Chauncey said.
“To be real with you, C, I'm all about my walk. I'm not trying to get with a woman when my own life is not together.”
Chauncey decided to pan around the room. He felt guilty for not paying attention to the workshop, but it was all a rerun to him. He looked around, and he stopped to examine a brother who looked familiar, but he could not put his figure on it.
“Will.” Chauncey nudged Will. “Haven't we seen that brother from somewhere before?”
“Man, where did you learn how to whisper?” Will asked before he looked in the direction that Chauncey pointed. “That's ole boy who was messing around with Q's wife.”
Will was right. The man was the disgraced minister Jacobs. He had grown a beard and had picked up at least twenty pounds. Minister Jacobs was a clear example of the penalty for not walking in integrity. Chauncey took note.
“I wonder why he's here,” Chauncey said.
“Seriously, C, are you going to talk to me this whole time?” Will replied.
Chauncey did not want to hinder Will's progress and growth as a single man of God, but he could not help but to take frequent glances at Minister Jacobs and wonder what would happen when Quincy found out he was here.
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