Epilogue
After Aquila was strong enough to sit up in the hospital, Diana explained to her why she gave her up for adoption. Initially, Aquila was confused about her mother’s decision, but over the weeks, she tried to understand Diana’s reasoning.
Diana shared her life’s story with Aquila to help her get a better understanding. Aquila told Diana that although their plight in life was different, she could identify with her being a young impoverished girl, with little to no choices in life. Being the meek, kindhearted person that she was, Aquila forgave Diana, and in her heart, she carried no malice toward her.
Diana told her that for years her heart had been broken over her decision. Aquila let her know that God had heard both of their prayers because Psalm 34:18 states: The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Within three months of their reunion, Diana and Aquila’s mother/daughter bond was as natural as breathing air.
A month after Aquila was released from the hospital, Diana, with the help of Sydney and June, hosted a dinner party for Aquila to meet her family members. Sydney’s daughter, Teresa, was thrilled to meet her first cousin. Teresa’s children and Aquila’s children were about the same age, so they bonded right away. Pricilla, Mable, Matthew, and Kendra attended the dinner also. Since Mrs. Turner had become an integral part of Aquila’s life, Diana invited her to come too. But Mrs. Turner declined because she and her husband, John, had already made plans to go on a Mediterranean cruise to celebrate his retirement.
It was the first week in June. Diana and Jeffrey’s house was full. Aquila and the children moved in with them shortly after Aquila was released from the hospital. Diana felt blessed to share the five thousand square foot house with her new found family. Originally, she had felt unwelcomed in Jeffrey’s huge home when she moved into it. She believed now that God had ordained her to marry Jeffrey, a great provider who was more than willing to provide a place for her daughter and grandchildren.
Diana had a permanent limp from the injury of the crushed leg, but she didn’t mind, she was grateful that she could walk. Daniel bustled into the kitchen after Diana had called the children into the kitchen.
“Yes, Grandma?” Daniel answered enthusiastically. Darius raced into the room behind Daniel.
“Are you guys ready? It’s the last day of school,” Diana exclaimed. “You should be excited.”
“We are excited, Grandma,” Darius replied. He hopped up on the barstool smiling with his two front teeth missing.
When they moved into the house with Diana and Jeffrey, the children were withdrawn; they felt displaced. They clung to Aquila and wouldn’t sleep in the bedrooms that had been assigned to them. They claimed that the house was too big and scary. Every night they ended up in Aquila’s queen-sized bed with her. It was not an ideal place for them to be because Aquila was still healing from her injuries.
They wanted to go back to Pricilla’s house to live. Aquila explained to them that Pricilla’s house was being renovated, so no one could live in it until it was fixed. Pricilla visited them as often as she could when she wasn’t working. She suggested that Jeffrey and Diana put them in the same bedroom, like they were at her house. It worked. They stopped going to Aquila’s room and slept soundly.
Once Jeffrey adjusted to having small children in the house, he planned activities for the boys at least once a week. He took them to little league practice, fishing, or rode his bicycle in the neighborhood with them.
Abigail was satisfied as long as she was with Aquila or Diana.
Diana held her hands over her ears. “Look, you guys are going to have to stop calling me Grandma.”
“But you are our grandma,” Abigail said as she put her arms around Diana.
Diana picked her up. “Yes, I am, baby, but I can’t stand that name. It makes me feel like an old woman. I know what I want you guys to call me.”
“What?” Darius and Daniel asked her simultaneously.
Call me, ‘Mama D.’ I like the sound of that. From now on, I’m Mama D. Is that clear?”
“Yes, ma’am, Grandma.” Diana cut her eyes at Daniel. “I mean, Mama D.” He laughed.
Aquila walked down the stairs that led to the kitchen while she talked to Pricilla on the phone. “Girl, I’m amazed that I didn’t see the strong resemblance between you and Ms. Mable before.”
“I can’t believe that she was right under my nose for two years, and we didn’t meet until six months ago,” Pricilla exclaimed.
“Now I understand why Ms. Mable looked so familiar to me. Your mother must have been the spitting image of you when she was young.”
“She was,” Pricilla agreed. “When you get a chance, I’ll show you the pictures she has of herself in a photo album. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she was me.”
Aquila giggled. “That’s awesome. Well, I’ll talk to you later.”
Pricilla laughed. “Okay. Bye.”
Aquila hung up her cell phone and hobbled into the kitchen. “Momma, are you sure that you don’t mind taking them to school? I can postpone my physical therapy appointment.”
“I don’t mind, honey. You need to get your physical therapy so that your shoulder can heal properly. If you’re going to enter college in the fall, you need to be physically fit, so you can concentrate solely on your education.”
Aquila smiled broadly and kissed Diana on her right cheek. “Okay, Momma.” She hesitated before she spoke again. “Brandon just called.”
Diana scanned Aquila’s face and put her left hand on her hip. “What did he want?”
“He wanted to let me know that he had put the child support money in the mail. He wants to keep the children during the summer months. I told him that I would have to pray about it. Aquila leaned against the kitchen’s center island and sniffed the tulips that Gregory had sent to her.
It turns out that the tulips that she had received at work several months ago were sent by Gregory Penn. Gregory was the owner of the cleaning service that the church utilized. He had overheard Kendra and Aquila talking about the beautiful red roses that Matthew had sent Kendra. He heard Aquila say that the roses were exquisite, but that she preferred tulips. He thought that Aquila was beautiful, but despite the happy façade she wore, she seemed really sad. The next week, Gregory had tulips delivered to her office.
He had more tulips sent to her office with a card attached, wishing her a speedy recovery because he didn’t have her home address. This time he signed his name. Kendra had made a special trip to Diana’s house to deliver them to Aquila.
“That’s the thing to do; pray about it,” Diana assured her. “Do you trust him to keep the children? I hope that he’s not trying to talk you into reconciling with him.”
“Absolutely not,” Aquila said with a frown on her face. “He’s finally accepted the fact that we are over.”
“Well, he must really have humbled himself and tried to get his life right with God the way that he promised you before he left Raleigh.” Diana sat down at the kitchen table. “I’m just glad that he agreed to give you a divorce in exchange for you not pressing charges against him.”
“I am too, Momma. After I showed him those pictures that Pricilla took of the bruises I had after he had beat me up, he readily agreed to give me a divorce. He knew he would do some jail time.” Aquila walked to the refrigerator and got the orange juice. She reached up in the cabinet to get a juice glass. “Plus, he knew that with having a record, he would lose his job as an air traffic controller.” She smiled as she said, “It feels so good not to have to look over my shoulders anymore. I wish him God speed, but I’m glad to be free of him.” She poured the juice in her glass.
“God is a healer, baby. And a miracle worker; believe me, I know. God changed me, so I know he can change anybody. Brandon is no exception where God’s power is concerned.”
“Amen.” Aquila sipped her juice and admired her flowers.
“It looks like you have a secret admirer already,” Diana joked.
Aquila blushed. “Oh. Gregory is a nice man, but I’m not attracted to him.” She frowned slightly. “Besides, I have to get a divorce from Brandon before I can even think about another man.”
Diana laughed heartily. “I know what you mean.” She raised her eyebrows at Aquila. “But only God knows what the future holds.”
Aquila waved off Diana. “Momma, you’re going to be late for work. Look at the time.”
Diana looked at the clock on the wall. It was seven thirty-four. “Wow. Come on, kids, let’s go,” she yelled to Darius and Daniel, who had gone into the family room to look at cartoons. “I don’t want to hear Jeffrey’s mouth because I’m a few minutes late. I’m glad that Jeffrey finally opened his medical practice, but it’s hard having your husband as your boss,” she laughed.
When Mable introduced Pricilla to her younger brothers, Adrian, eighteen, and Andre, seventeen, they received Pricilla well. Over the years, they had witnessed the depressed state that their mother suffered while yearning for the daughter she’d lost.
They encouraged her to search for her daughter on the Internet. Mable was basically computer illiterate until they taught her how to use a computer and the Internet. So during her leisure time, she searched for Pricilla until she found her.
Mable’s first order of business was to ask Pricilla to forgive her for letting Social Services take her away. Mable explained to her about the kind of life that she’d lived in Nashville. She admitted to Pricilla that she was on drugs, which resulted in her losing Pricilla because she was too strung out and high to take care of her.
Mable answered any questions that Pricilla asked. During the first few weeks after Mable told her about the sordid life that she’d live in Nashville, Pricilla distanced herself from Mable emotionally. She found it hard to accept Mable’s irrational dependency on drugs to the point that she would leave her with neighbors for days. Mable told her that one day, when she had come home from off of a high, her neighbor had reported her behavior to Social Services and that’s how she’d lost her. Mable explained to Pricilla that she couldn’t stay clean long enough to prove to Social Services that she could take care of her. She told her that years had passed before she found sobriety, and by then, Pricilla had been adopted.
Pricilla felt bitterness toward her mother until Matthew and Kendra counseled and prayed for her. Matthew asked her to meditate on Ephesians 4:31 and 32: Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Pricilla forgave her mother and thanked God that He allowed them to reunite. She testified to Ephesians 3:20: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. She attributed that scripture to the fact that she had read in a magazine years ago that Raleigh was chosen to be the second best city to live in. She thought that she was moving to Raleigh to make a better life for herself. But now she realized that God was so awesome that He directed her steps in order that her desire to find her mother could be fulfilled.
Over the course of six months, Pricilla and Mable’s relationship grew stronger. But it took time for them to bond like mother and daughter.
Pricilla had her house renovated with the addition of an upstairs master bedroom and bath. She signed the deed over to Mable so that she and her brothers would have a decent home to live in.
Pricilla and Jeffrey had set a date to get married. Jeffrey moved out of his parentshouse so Aquila and the children could move in. He purchased a three-bedroom, two-bath house through Gloria, Pricilla’s co-worker, for them to start their marriage in. He was proud to furnish it with his mother, Denise’s, furniture and paintings.
Kendra and Diana sat at the table having lunch in their favorite restaurant. “Diana,” Kendra said, beaming, “Matthew and I have gone to counseling, and we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re gonna stay together. I reminded him of the scriptures that he quoted to Pricilla when she was going through with bitterness toward Mable. Diana nodded. “He realized that not only must he preach forgiveness, but he must practice it too. ”
Diana smiled and nodded. “I prayed fervently that the Lord would work it out for the two of you. I also apologized to Jeffrey for accusing him of cheating on me. I investigated those secret phone calls he made; and the time he spent away from home was to get his business started. ”
Kendra giggled. “I’m happy that he wasn’t cheating too. I know Jeffrey seems to be a man of integrity. But you can’t be too naïve when it comes to protecting your marriage. ” Diana nodded her head in agreement.
“I have more good news, ” Kendra said excitedly. “The cancer is in remission. ”
Diana clapped her hands lightly. “Kendra, that is so wonderful. God is a good God, ” she exclaimed. They agreed in a quiet prayer that God would continue to have mercy on her and heal her completely. They prayed Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
“I decree that it is so and it is done, in Jesus name, ” Diana stated.
Kendra nodded. “Amen and amen. ”
Moments passed before either of them spoke. “Diana, we are so blessed. God allowed you to find your daughter, Sydney, and you reconciled. And Mable found her daughter. ”
Kendra inhaled deeply before she continued. “And the miraculous thing is that Aquila and Pricilla have been together practically their whole lives. It’s just amazing to me, ” Kendra exclaimed. “God is awesome. ”
Diana’s face beamed with happiness. “Yes, He is. It’s as though God directed all of our lives to interweave at His appointed time. ”
“And I found forgiveness in God for what I did, ” Kendra added. “Matthew and I have considered asking someone to be a surrogate mother for us. ”
Diana gazed at Kendra. “Are you guys sure about that? ” That can get to be kind of messy sometimes if the woman changes her mind and wants to keep the baby. ”
Kendra’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yes, we’ve considered that too. I just want Matthew to have his own child. ”
Diana looked at Kendra with compassion. “I understand. ”
“We’re still praying about what to do. But if the Lord directs us not to do it, then we’re going to adopt two children. ” She clasped her hands together in a prayer mold. “Either way, I’m finally going to be a mother, ” Kendra said excitedly. “Can you believe it? ”
“That’s great, Kendra, ” Diana said, exhilarated. “Now I’m a firm believer that God is a forgiving God and will always be near us, even in the midst of making desperate decisions. ”
“I agree with you, Diana, ” Kendra stated. “God is a merciful God. ”
Diana opened her wallet to retrieve a debit card to pay for their meal. She looked at the picture of Aquila and the children and smiled. “Amen and amen. ”