Chapter 20
David sat at the table with Nathan and Jonathan and enjoyed a dinner with two old college friends. With them, he could be himself. No one was trying to impress him, hoping he would do something for them. He didn’t get to hang with Nathan as much as he liked.
The occasion saddened David, however, because this could well be the last time he saw Jonathan alive. His friend’s normally two-hundred-pound frame was now a mere one hundred and twenty-five pounds. He admired Jonathan for the strength he showed, despite knowing that the cancer had spread to all his vital organs.
“David, thank you, brother, for singing for me today,” Jonathan said.
“Anything for you.”
“I wanted to see my two old buddies before I left this side.”
Nathan said, “This is a time to rejoice. You’re going home to be with our Father.”
David smiled, although he felt like crying. “Yes, to your home going. Save a place for me.”
They each held up their glass and toasted.
Two days later, while in between meetings, Nathan called David on his private number. “He’s gone, David. Jonathan’s gone.”
David ended the call as tears flowed down his face. He called Trisha. “Cancel my calls for the next few hours.”
He got on his knees at the foot of his desk and prayed fervently. “Lord, please take this pain away. I know Jonathan is in a better place, because he’s now in your presence. He’s left behind a wife and two children. Lord, be with them and protect them as they deal with their loss. Thank you for letting me spend time with him before he departed this world. It is our selfishness that makes us want our friends and loved ones to be with us forever.
“Lord, please ease the pain for his loved ones. Let them know that you will never leave them or forsake them. Lord, I cry out to you and ask you to have mercy on me, as I know that lately I’ve not been doing what you would want me to do. Lord, I’ve failed you, and I ask that you show mercy on me. Please forgive me, Father, for I can’t control this thing inside of me that won’t let me stop lusting after another man’s wife. Amen.”
David wiped the tears from his face with the handkerchief in his pocket. He stood up and then sat down in the chair behind his desk. He swiveled the chair around and stared out the window. He was in deep thought. The sound of his private phone line ringing broke his trance.
Nathan’s voice was on the other end. “Just calling to check on you.”
“I know we were expecting him to die. Just not this soon.”
“Our time’s not God’s time,” Nathan said.
“It’s still hard. I know he’s in a better place.”
“He’s no longer in pain.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself. If his wife needs anything, and I do mean anything, let me know. I’ll take care of it.”
“I’ve checked with her. Fortunately, Jonathan had a nice life insurance policy before he got diagnosed, and he kept the policy up. Financially, she should be fine.”
“I’m still going to set something up for his kids. That’s the least I can do.”
“That’s nice of you. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”
David hung up with Nathan and called his banker. After allocating funds to Jonathan’s kids, David went back to his normal routine. After putting in a twelve-hour day, he left to go home to his empty house.
Here he was, one of the richest men in the world. He could have any woman he wanted, yet he yearned for one woman. The one woman who seemed to be off-limits. A woman who was another man’s wife.
Thinking about the loss of Jonathan put more things in perspective. Life was too short not to get what he wanted out of it. He wanted Sheba, and as the clock ticked, he knew time was of the essence. Who knew how much time he had left? No one did, so he had to make the rest of his time on earth count.
David picked up the phone and dialed Delilah’s cell phone number. “Delilah, I’ll be in Shreveport tomorrow. Will Sheba be off?”
Delilah responded, “Yes, I think so. I’ll make sure she’s home.”
“Good. See you then. And please don’t let her know I’m coming.”
David called Trisha at home. “Trisha, I’ll be working out of the Shreveport office tomorrow. You can forward all important calls to my cell phone.”
“Yes, sir. You were supposed to be meeting with the head of NBN tomorrow. Do you want me to reschedule it for another day?”
“No need to. Call them and have them meet me at eight, and I can still be in Shreveport by noon.”
“Consider it done.”
David got a restless night of sleep, handled his business the next morning at his Dallas office, and flew to Shreveport to check on operations there. After wrapping up business matters in the Shreveport office, he raced to his rental car, got behind the wheel, and headed to Sheba’s house.