The Retreat (22 page)

Will turned most of the lights off on his way out the door. He left the light on in the living room so that his brother wouldn't get scared. A spacious three-bedroom condo could be intimidating to anyone at night. Will grabbed the keys off of his kitchen counter and made his way toward his coat closet next to the door. Will removed his leather jacket and helmet as he exited his condo.

They say riding a motorcycle is the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground. Will could not disagree; he would add that the only thing better than riding his bike on a cool Southern California day was riding it at night. The bike was another one of Quincy's toys that he'd decided to part with; maybe Quincy had come to grips with the fact that he was a little too old to ride motorcycles. In any case, Will was grateful for his bike. Will cautiously exited the parking lot before he began to ride along the street. As soon as he reached the first light before a long straightaway, Will adjusted both his helmet and gloves. He waited for the amber light to turn green, and when it did, Will was off, flying along the cool Long Beach night.

 

Quincy knew that he did not have a whole lot of time to kill. He had not had a thing to eat since breakfast. He had inhaled a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Karen usually had a nice hot meal waiting for him when he got home on Fridays. Quincy would catch a little bit of the game before he headed out with the guys.

“Hey, babe, I'm home! What's for dinner?” Quincy said before he even had a chance to set his briefcase down.

Karen emerged, still in her T-shirt and sweats. She looked refreshed, as if she had just woken up from a two-hour nap. “Hey, babe, how was your day?”

“Fine,” Quincy grumbled.

“You hungry?” Karen asked.

“Yeah, what's for dinner?”

“Well, I wanted to cook steak, but I forgot to take it out in time, so I did not even bother to try to cook it. Then I was going to cook chicken, but I thought about it and I realized that we've been eating a lot of chicken lately, so I thought that you might be tired of it.”

“So what are we having for dinner?” Quincy asked.

Karen dropped her arms from her sides as if in submission. Quincy was not trying to annoy his wife; he just wanted to know what they were having for dinner. He spent the entire day talking and trying to analyze the meaning behind people's words. He just wanted to come home and have chicken or steak.

“I ordered a pizza.” Karen nodded toward the pizza that sat on the dining room table.

“Sweet!” Quincy rushed over and opened the pizza box. He pulled two large slices out and cupped them in his hand as he made his way toward the living room.

“So, anything exciting happen today at work?” Karen asked.

“No, just a regular day.”

That was a lie. The truth was it had been a very active day; Quincy just did not feel talking about it with the Angels playing.

“Well, today my boss went off on every single person in our department. I mean it was a hot mess.”

Karen's voice started to fade and the sound of baseball and the consumption of a pepperoni and sausage pizza became the dominant sounds.

“Did you hear what I just said?” Karen asked

“Yeah, baby, of course I did.” Quincy shrugged.

“What did I just say?”

“Something about today at work.”

Quincy must have answered wrong because she responded with a slap on the shoulders.

“I earned that,” Quincy said.

“You sure did. I listen to you go on and on about architecture and that is not the most fascinating thing to listen to.”

Quincy and Karen had enrolled in marriage counseling as they tried to save their marriage. Quincy would have been lying if he said that he did not suffer an occasional blow to his ego every time the affair was mentioned.

Every day he was getting stronger and every day the Lord was teaching him lessons in both humility and forgiveness. Quincy even felt empathy for Minister Jacobs, who had to step down from ministry until he could resolve some of his personal issues.

“I'm sorry, babe. You know how I am on Friday nights,” Quincy apologized.

Karen lay down on Quincy's lap and started to rub his shins. “I wish you didn't have to go.”

“I know, but I'll be back before you know it.”

Karen sat up and looked Quincy in the eyes. In truth, she did not have to say anything; her eyes told the entire story.

“Thank you for not giving up on us,” Karen said.

It would take some time, but Quincy would convey to her just how much her faith in God had saved him.

 

“You about to get handled in this game,” Will said as he fired his cue ball into the triangle of pool balls. Will managed to knock in a few striped balls, but the majority of the balls remained on the pool table.

“I see I'm going to have to educate the rookie.” Quincy placed chalk on his stick, then he fired a shot and landed a solid green ball into the corner pocket.

“All right, now, don't get too cocky. Remember what happened the last time we played?” Will reminded them.

“I don't know what you're talking about; I was just playing around with you.” Quincy fired a shot and missed a ball.

“I guess you was just playing there too? Huh?” Will asked.

Jamal and Chauncey sat at a table next to the pool table and shared a bowl of nachos.

“Didn't you have a date tonight?” Jamal asked Chauncey.

“Yeah, it didn't go so well. Some people are so heavenly minded that they're no earthly good,” Chauncey replied, stealing his baby sister's line.

“Well, I'm sorry to hear that. So what are you going to do now?”

“I'm just going to continue to be single and on fire for God, and I'm going to have a little talk with Jesus.”

“That's fine, so long as you're not having a little talk with ‘Palm-olina,'” Quincy said as he took another shot.

All the men found Quincy's comment hysterical except for Chauncey. He had a noticeably perturbed look on his face.

“You know what, Brother Page? It just don't make no sense for you to be a Christian and say the type of things you say,” Chauncey commented.

“That's why I go to church. I ain't right and God knows that, but He also knows my heart. You wouldn't go to a hospital and expect folks there to be well, now would you?”

Quincy's comment received both laughter and applause. He promptly bowed to both.

“Get your victories in now, because when I get on, it's a wrap,” Jamal said with his mouth full of nachos.

This was the way their weekly pool meeting went. After the Retreat, the four had made a pact to stay connected. Their Friday nights were not just about playing pool. They encouraged one another to pursue their goals, and they eagerly awaited the next Men's Retreat.

1. Was Quincy right in his assessment that the pastor had an unhealthy relationship with the female members of the congregation?
   
2. Was it appropriate for Pastor Dawkins to meet a woman at a Men's Retreat?
   
3. How was each character affected by his or her father?
   
4. Did the male-dominant view of the story give you a better insight into the male psyche?
   
5. Does Will stand a chance of surviving without the support of his gang and family?
   
6. Were you surprised that Chauncey did not leave the Retreat to be by his brother?
   
7. Do Jamal and Chantel stand a chance of surviving their tumultuous past?
   
8. Did Quincy overreact to Karen's infidelity?
   
9. Was the Men's Retreat a success from the characters' standpoint?
   
10. Did the story show a clear contrast between a man defined by society and a man defined by scripture?
    

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