Being able to wait is a sign of true love and patience. Anyone can say I love you but not everyone can wait and prove it's true. Unknown
Stiles zipped through his playlist until he found the perfect song that would help to give him some inner peace as he made the drive back to Houston. He'd been on the road for a little over an hour but it felt like hours. It had been six weeks since he'd stood in the pulpit of his own church and it was time he got back to Full of Grace to tend his flock.
As he listened to “Better” by Hezekiah Walker, his mind began to transform from dwelling on all that had happened over the span of six weeks to a deep spiritual tranquility. His spirit told him that everything would be fine because the God he served was still in control. He continued listening to his playlists of tunes until his phone started ringing, turning off the music.
“Hi, Kareena,” Stiles said into his Bluetooth.
“Hey, how are you?” she asked.
“Glad to be headed back that way.”
Kareena smiled. She was glad that Stiles had finally made the decision to return to Houston. She understood that he had business to handle and things to settle in Memphis, but she missed him and his congregation missed him too.
“I was checking in on you. How much longer before you get here?”
“I still have about four and a half hours to go. Should be there say around six thirty or seven. I was going to stop and get something to eat but I changed my mind. I’m
going to try to push on straight through. I’ll get something when I make it there.”
“I don’t mind preparing something for you. I’ll fry you some chicken. I know that’s your favorite.”
“You don’t have to do that. Why don’t we plan on going out and grabbing something when I get there? And in case I haven’t mentioned it before now, I do miss you.”
Kareena was glad Stiles couldn’t see her blushing. “It’s good to be missed,” she said. “Anyway, I was just calling so I’ll see you in a few hours. Be safe. Talk to you later.”
“Yeah, talk to you later.”
Kareena was a nice woman who Stiles believed would make someone a good wife one day. Stiles didn’t want to even think that his feelings might grow that deeply for her. He didn't want to mess up someone else's life like he'd messed up his own.
Stiles called to check in on Pastor and Josie after he finished talking to Kareena. Pastor still wasn't fairing too well and was really at an all-time low now that Hezekiah banned him from Holy Rock. A piece of his heart had been ripped apart and the pain was unbearable. Stiles could hear the hurt in his father’s voice when he talked to him, but there was nothing he could do to change things because Hezekiah didn’t want anything to do with him either. Several times since their meeting, he had tried calling and texting Hezekiah hoping he could convince him to look at things differently, but Hezekiah refused to talk to him, so Stiles prayed that the state of depression would be lifted from Pastor and that Hezekiah would find it in his heart to forgive him.
Next, after talking to Pastor and Josie for about ten minutes, he dialed Rena's number. He didn't expect her to answer, and she didn't, but he prayed that she would. Rena was right about one thing Stiles admitted to himself - ever since she had been connected to his family, she had gone through a lot of emotional heartbreak. She hadn’t deserved to be treated the way she had by Francesca, by him, or his mother when she was alive. He was, however, grateful that he had an opportunity to apologize to her for all the wrong he'd done, but that was before the shooting. As he listened to her voicemail, his heart went out toward her. She was especially close to her parents, and all Stiles could hope was for Robert to help her through this terrible time.
Stiles drove the remaining hours without stopping. He passed the hours away by listening to his playlist and thinking over all the things that had happened both recently and in the past. He found himself becoming somewhat depressed as he reflected on his life. As he approached the sign that welcomed him to Houston, he smiled slightly and exhaled. It felt good to be back in Houston, far away from the perils of what he left behind in Memphis.
He exhaled again when he turned into his neighborhood. Tapping the remote, and pulling up into his garage, Stiles remained in the car for a few minutes before getting out and going inside. He had no rhyme or reason to why he remained in the car; he just sat there until his spirit nudged him.
Several minutes later, he got out of his car and went inside the house, which looked and smelled fresh and clean. It was good to be able to rely on his weekly housekeeper to keep everything in tiptop shape even while he was out of town. He went to his bedroom and sat his luggage down by the closet. Before he called Kareena to let her know he had made it back, he decided he would take a shower and change clothes.
After he finished showering and getting dressed, he sat down on the sofa in his man cave, turned the television on, and mindlessly began flipping through the hundreds of mostly useless stations. He found himself nodding off, but his phone rang and jerked him out of his sleepy state. He looked at the phone. It was Brian, one of the deacons from church who had also become a good friend.
"What's up, man?" Stiles said when he answered.
"Hey, there Pastor Graham, my friend. I was just checking on you, bro. I know you said you were heading back this way in a few days. What's your status?"
"Actually, I just got back. I left out earlier today. I'm about to go get a bite to eat and then come back home and chill. How have things been while I've been gone?"
"Everything is good. No worries. But we missed you, man. Nothing like hearing you deliver that word up in the pulpit. You know what I mean."
Stiles chuckled, glad to know that he was missed but that things had gone relatively smooth in his absence. He was thankful that he had a great group of people surrounding him who supported his endeavors and understood his flaws, that is the flaws he allowed them to see.
"Glad to hear that. I plan to check out the game tomorrow. Call me if you wanna hang out," Stiles said to Brian.
"Okay, cool. Well, go get you something to eat. I'll talk to ya later."
The men ended their call and Stiles immediately called Kareena. She insisted on coming to pick him up rather than him driving since he'd just made the eight hour drive from Memphis.
"How's your appetite now?" Kareena asked when she arrived at Stiles' house.
"I'm starving. Haven't had a bite to eat since I left Memphis, and that was only a slice of toast and a banana."
"Okay, then what do you say we go to Lucille's. It's on this end of the city so it shouldn't take us long to get there."
"Sounds good to me. You know it's one of my favorite restaurants, and it's dinner time, too."
"Yeah, which means you can get the whole fried chicken, mac and cheese, and those smoked greens you like."
"That's what I'm talking about," Stiles said excitedly. "Let's get outta here."
Along the drive, Kareena caught him up with the various meetings she attended at the church, about attendance in his absence and the lighthearted gossip she always seemed to hear.
Upon arriving at Lucille's, they parked and went inside the busy establishment known for its delicious food. Even though there was a forty minute wait, they decided that it would be well worth the wait to be seated.
Time quickly passed as they chatted and laughed. When they were called for their table, they already knew what they would order.
"I missed you," Kareena confessed while they ate.
Stiles hoped his face didn't display the emotions of hearing Kareena tell him that she missed him. It wasn't like she hadn't said it before, but this time her facial expression and the tone in which she said it, seemed to convey something far deeper. He didn't know if he was just imagining it, but felt that he wasn't.
Reaching across the table, he said, "I missed you too," and tenderly grasped her hand. He gently caressed her fingers and looked into her eyes. "You're beautiful, Kareena."
Kareena blushed. This time she couldn't hide it. "Thank you, Stiles, but where did that come from?"
"It's the truth. You're a beautiful woman inside and out."
"Wow, I don't know what to say."
"No need to say a thing. I just wanted to tell you that. Life is so short. It seems I keep getting reminded of that. I never expected to have to bury my sister and brother-in-law. I mean, I don't know what to pray for anymore," he said sadly. "I'm so messed up inside, so I guess seeing you here, looking at you, hearing your laughter, it just makes me know how blessed I am to be able to call you my friend." He continued to caress her fingers.
Kareena eyed him with deep sympathy to the point she felt like crying, but didn't. "I have no words to say, except that God is in control. That's all we can ever say. As far as us being friends, I'm always going to be here for you. You have brought so much to Full of Grace Ministries. I know my father would be proud of you. I know I am and so is the rest of my family. You are an amazing person, Stiles, and I don't know why you've had to deal with so much pain in your life. But you're a strong man and you are going to be fine."
Stiles stared at her, gazing deep into her eyes. "What do you say we finish this feast of food," he chuckled lightly, hoping she didn't detect the rapid beats of his heart.
‡
"Lucille's never disappoints," Kareena said as they arrived back at Stiles' house.
"Yeah, I'm stuffed. I'll have this for lunch tomorrow," he said, picking up the bag of food he had left from his meal. "And thanks for buying. The next meal is on me, for sure."
"I wanted to buy it. Think of it as a welcome home meal." She giggled.
"Hey, why don't you come inside and have a cup of coffee with me, unless you have other plans for the rest of the evening."
"I don't have other plans. I'll come in for a few minutes but you know I’ve never been a coffee drinker."
"Oh, yea, but I have soda, tea, wine, water."
"Okay. You don't have to twist my arm."
They went inside and Kareena took a seat on the sofa.
"What would you like?"
"Umm, a glass of wine would be nice. On second thought, I'll have a soda. I don't want to drink and drive."
"I don't think one glass of wine would impair you to the point that you can't drive, but if it does, I have two extra bedrooms. It's your choice. Come on in the kitchen and pick out the soda you want. I have several kinds, I'm not a huge soda drinker so I don't know which one to recommend. The housekeeper keeps the cabinet stocked, not me."
"You're so spoiled," Kareena said, laughing. "You know what?"
"What?" replied Stiles.
"I changed my mind again. I think I will have that glass of wine. Do you have red?"
"Sure, I prefer red, too."
Stiles went to the refrigerator and retrieved an unopened bottle of red wine.
"Hey, will you get the wine glasses from out of that cabinet over there," he asked, pointing to the cabinet.
"Ahh, so we're doing this big, huh. Wine glasses and all. I liiike." Kareena giggled again while walking to the cabinet and retrieving two glasses.
Stiles retrieved the wine corkscrew from the cabinet drawer next to the fridge. He opened the bottle of wine and turned around only to bump directly into Kareena who had simultaneously walked up without him noticing. Wine spilled out and onto her dress and on his shirt.
"Dang, I'm sorry. I didn't see you, Kareena." He grabbed a paper towel quickly from the island and began wiping the front of her dress.
"It's okay. I shouldn't have walked up behind you. I should have said something." She blamed herself.
He continued to wipe the wet wine stain nervously until Kareena stopped him, grabbed hold of his hand, and held it next to her bosom.
They looked at each other. Stiles studied her loose wisps of curly thick black hair and her button brown eyes. Sudden silence filled the kitchen. The only sound that could possibly be heard was the pounding of their own heartbeats.
He tried to kiss her but got a cheek and a slow move backward. He didn't know why he wasn't deterred by her move, but he wasn't. Instead he bent down and lightly kissed her lips. This time she didn’t turn away. Instead, in return, standing on tiptoes, she embraced him and placed her arms solid around his neck. She felt her knees weaken as the pressure of his lips increased.
The blood began to pound in her temples, and she momentarily stiffened, but still no words were spoken between them. When Stiles pulled back and looked at her, she was powerless to resist, caught up in her own emotions.
"I missed you so much," he said hungrily as he devoured her lips again. He swooped her trembling frame up in his arms and carried her toward his room.
At first Kareena tried to protest, but her feelings were too far gone, so she relaxed in his arms as they continued to kiss. Though she had never admitted to Stiles that she was in love with him, somehow she believed he knew. She prayed that what she was about to let happen again would not ruin her relationship with Stiles but most of all with God. She didn't want to give in to the desires of her flesh, but her heart said otherwise ─ she listened to her heart.