When David left his prayer room that morning he felt fortified with the strength of God. The scripture he read for his daily devotion was l Peter 4:12,13: Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
He prayed a special prayer that morning for Keith. He couldn’t explain it, but he had a special peace after his prayer, even greater than before. He would keep a sacred consecration in his heart that day.
One thing he knew for certain, the burden on his heart was God-given and it could not be ignored. Yet it could be chiseled away; one prayer at a time. After all, there was some progress he could not deny. He had spoken man to man with his father and he was able to tell him the simple truth. It was days like this that he needed to talk to someone. That someone was Aunt Tillie and thank God, he thought to himself, she’s expecting me.
Work went rather quickly that day. David’s attention was pretty well focused on the report he would give Aunt Tillie. Just like she had prayed, he felt like he had become a prayer warrior. He didn’t intend to brag, but he hoped she would be godly proud of him. After saying good evening to the co-workers he headed in the direction of Aunt Tillies’ home. Three miles away he stopped for flowers. He never wanted to visit empty handed. The selection of lavender and pink silk flowers were arranged so beautifully over the greenery. He didn’t consider himself frugal but he thought they would last longer.
David casually entered the lobby and discovered the receptionist was not at her desk. As a matter of fact, no one else was waiting at that time. He decided this was his chance to knock at her door and surprise her with a beautiful bouquet. The corridor was quieter than normal, considering the dinner hour was just recently ended. Two residents gave him the usual strange stare as he progressed down the hall.
When he arrived at Aunt Tillie’s apartment, the door was ajar. He could see the back of someone who appeared to be leaving. The lady turned and faced him when she realized someone was behind her. “Oh hello David,” a rather strange sounding voice said.
“Hi Sister Marie, I’m surprised to see you here. Are you coming or going?” he asked.
“I was just leaving,” she said. “I guess Rose called you - or maybe not,” she said noticing the flowers in his hand.
“No, Rose hasn’t called me,” he said, “but then again, I haven’t been home to check messages. I needed to see Aunt Tillie about something.”
Sister Marie grabbed his arm and gently pulled him inside the apartment. “Aunt Tillie’s not here, David,” she said somberly. “She went home today.”
“She’s gone back to her house?” he asked innocently.
“No, David. She’s gone to her heavenly home,” Sister Marie said.
She had barely finished the sentence when she put her hand over her mouth to muffle any sound of expressed grief. She had held up very well that day. However, listening to her own words was a bit too much to bear. David stood there as if someone had knocked the wind out of him. His young face instantly changed to show disbelief.
“She’s gone?” he whispered, as if he didn’t believe his ears.
“What happened?” David asked, as if there might have been a mistake. “I just spoke with her last night.”
“She died peacefully in her sleep,” Sister Marie said as the tears began to flow. She went over to David and put her arms around him.
“I know it’s a shock, David, but the Lord knows best.”
“What am I going to do now?” he asked, as if he was desperate for a friend. He wanted to cry but tears would not come. He sat down on the familiar sofa to get a hold of what he had just heard.
“I know she was special to you David. She often told me so,” Sister Marie said, trying to console him.
“She did?” he said in bewilderment.
“Oh yes,” she said reminiscing. “I talked with her nearly every day and visited her at least once a week.”
“I had no idea,” David said. “I didn’t know you two had things in common.”
“Oh yes, David,” she responded. “She was my prayer partner and for the last few years I would go to her to help me understand my visions and dreams.”
David jerked his head from staring at Aunt Tillie’s empty chair.
“You have dreams Sister Marie?” he asked.
“Well I think everyone has dreams,” Sister Marie said. “It’s just that mine seem to be spiritual.”
“I hope you don’t mine my asking you this especially at a time like this, but - could you tell me about one?” he asked.
“Well, once I had this weird dream about people lining up to throw away something into a huge incinerator. It was really strange. They would carry the items like they were carrying sacrifices. I could never see exactly what the items were,” she said sighing.
“You’re the witness,” David mumbled under his breath.
“What did you say?” she asked. “I said that you’re my witness,” David exclaimed.
Had his heart not been so heavy from the news of Aunt Tillie, he would have jumped for joy.
“Sister Marie,” David asked, “did Aunt Tillie ever tell you why I came to visit her so often this year? I’m not referring to when Rose and I came to visit together.”
“No, she never talked specifically about your visits,” said Sister Marie. “I respected her privacy,” she said.
“As it turns out,” David said, “you’re not the only one who needed her help with dreams. She has enfolded to me some great mysteries of God through her prayer life. For a while, I thought I was losing my mind until Aunt Tillie stepped in. It was quite a miracle, yet I know it was all in the plan of God. Last night I shared with her how I was able to pray to God for the understanding of a particular dream and God gave me the interpretation. She seemed to be so happy for me. She did say something about not feeling the best and catching a healing. I wish I had come last night like she had asked me to,” he said regretfully. “She told me she had something for me. I have no idea what it was and now I may never know,” he said.
“Well, I was made her trustee and power of attorney, several years ago,” Sister Marie said. I’ll be back to clean out this place, after funeral arrangements are made,” she said sadly. “If I find anything that I think she wanted you to have, I’ll be more than happy to get it to you.”
“This place feels awfully empty without Aunt Tillie. Did she have any family left?” David asked.
“She’s got some cousins who are rather distant. She always said our church members were her only real family. I spoke to my husband this afternoon about having a memorial service, possibly on Friday. If possible David, I’d like you to speak,” she said.
David hesitated before answering Sister Marie. He took a deep breath then sighed, “I’ll be happy to speak on Aunt Tillies behalf.”
“Will you be alright driving home?” she asked. “You’ve had a terrible shock.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said as he stood up. He looked at the flowers as if he didn’t know what to do with them. Then he handed them to Sister Marie. “Would you please take these?” he asked. “I’d rather not look at them now,” he said.
“I understand,” Sister Marie said as she took the flowers. “Why don’t you get some rest and adjust to this situation. I want you to promise me you’ll call me if you need to talk,” she said.
David nodded his head in agreement. He felt if he opened his mouth, tears might flow. He didn’t want that; not in front of Sister Marie. They left, one behind the other in total silence.
When David arrived home, he noticed his answering machine was flashing. He wanted to ignore the message alert, but he felt obligated to listen to his calls. He pressed the button and began to undress at the same time.
“Mr. Edwards this is Darlene. I just wanted to let you know two things. My husband Keith is conscious and doing great and Mr. Edwards, it’s a miracle, but we’ve reconciled. I’ll talk to you about it soon. Have a great day.” Beep.
“David it’s Rose, if you’re home please pick up the phone. OK. I’ll try to reach you later. I need to tell you something, but I can’t leave the message on this machine.” Beep.
“David it’s Rose calling. Please give me a call as soon as you get home. It’s an emergency.” Beep.
“David -it’s Mom. I just wondered if you heard the news. Give me a call.” End of messages.
David felt drained and exhausted. A few moments earlier, he had felt numb just like the day his father told him he was moving out. He really didn’t feel like speaking to anyone. Instead, he went into his prayer room. He grabbed one horn of his altar and tried to give a prayer of thanksgiving. Only four words escaped his lips.
“Father I thank you.” A flood of tears followed the words, making a small puddle that was absorbed by his vanilla colored carpet, but giving him a much needed release.