Chapter 42
Mrs. Turner looked from Kendra to Matthew. “Yes, it sure is a tension filled day.”
For the next ten minutes, neither of them spoke. Matthew picked up a Black Enterprise magazine and read the “Moneywise” article.
Kendra stood up when she saw Pricilla coming toward them. “How is she?”
Pricilla hunched her shoulders. “Unconscious, but she looks a lot better than she did when I saw her earlier.”
“Praise God.” Kendra clasped her hands together. “Aquila feels more like a daughter to me than a secretary. I’ve become rather attached to her.”
Matthew grunted. He stood up and walked toward the window. Kendra blinked back tears. Mrs. Turner observed both of them closely.
Brandon walked back into the waiting room. “Pricilla, I want to spend the night here so I can be around in case Aquila wakes up. Can you take the children home with you?”
“Yes, I’ll take them home, but I’m taking care of them for Aquila’s sake, not because I’m doing any favors for you,” Pricilla stated as she glared at Brandon. “I expect you to call me the minute that she wakes up. And don’t say anything stupid to upset her either,” she ordered.
Brandon was about to retaliate, but Matthew walked swiftly back to where everyone stood.
“We’re going to keep Aquila lifted up in prayer,” he said in a calm manner. “Let’s try to set aside our differences and pray for her.” He gave Pricilla a hug. “We’ll be back tomorrow to see how she’s doing.” He turned to Kendra. “Are you ready?” he asked her coolly.
“Yes, I am,” she answered curtly. Kendra turned around and hugged Pricilla. “We’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Try to get some rest.”
“I will. Thank you for coming, First Lady.”
Pricilla hugged Matthew, and he patted her on the back. Matthew cut his eyes away from the painful look in Kendra’s eyes when she looked at him. Kendra forced a sad smile at Mrs. Turner and followed Matthew to the door. She wondered if Matthew would ever forgive her.
After Matthew had returned back home on Christmas Eve, he had slept in the guest bedroom. He had avoided having a serious conversation with Kendra on Christmas morning. When Kendra approached him to talk, he told her that he didn’t want to discuss the issue. She asked him when could they talk, and he told her no time in the near future. He stayed to himself and would not eat dinner with Hannah and her. Matthew was a stubborn man.
It wasn’t until after the phone call from Pricilla informing them about Aquila that he agreed to do his pastoral duty. They rode to the hospital in silence. Kendra dreaded the ride back home; she knew it would be very uncomfortable. And even worse, she hated going home, knowing the only response that she would get from Matthew would be the silent treatment.
Mrs. Turner waited until they were out of sight. “Girl, what in the world is going on with your pastor and his wife?”
Pricilla frowned. “What do you mean, Mrs. Turner? I didn’t notice anything going on with them.”
“You’re probably too upset about Aquila, ’cause anybody can see that something is not right with those two.”
“I hope they’re okay. But, they’re only human. Pastors and their spouses have marital problems sometimes too, just like everybody else.”
“I suppose so,” Mrs. Turner said doubtfully. “Are you ready? I know Darius, Daniel, and Abigail must be exhausted by now.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m ready. I’m sure they’re scared not knowing what’s going on with their mother.”
Pricilla and Mrs. Turner took the elevator down to the lobby, picked up the children, and drove home.
After they arrived home, Pricilla gave Abigail her bath, and then she supervised the boys as they took a bath.
“Auntie Cilla,” Daniel asked. “Is Mommy coming home tomorrow?”
“No, she won’t be home tomorrow, sweetie. She’s really sick and she needs to stay in the hospital a little while longer,” Pricilla answered.
“Can we go to stay with Daddy at the hotel until she gets better, then?” Darius asked.
“Don’t you want to stay here with me? I’ll take very good care of you guys.”
“I guess so.” Darius looked at Daniel. “I miss Mommy so much.”
“I do too. But we’ll all have to be brave and pray that God will make her better, okay?”
“Okay,” Daniel said. Darius nodded his head in agreement.
“You know what?” Pricilla said to them. They looked at her expectantly. “When you guys finish with your baths, I think that it will be a good idea if you made get well cards for your mother.” They smiled brightly. “I’m gonna go and check on Abigail. No playing around in the tub, now. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Pricilla went and peeped in the bedroom. Abigail had fallen asleep. She tucked her in bed and turned off the light. She went back into the bathroom and instructed the boys to get out of the tub. She helped them dry off, and they put on their pajamas. Pricilla led them to the kitchen table where she placed crayons and paper for them.
“You guys make your cards while I check my e-mail, okay?”
“Okay. Auntie Cilla?” Darius called her name timidly. “We didn’t open our Christmas presents here yet. Daddy bought us some, but we left those at the hotel.”
“Wow. So much has gone on today; I almost forgot it was Christmas.” Pricilla looked at the clock. It was after ten o’clock. “After you make your mother’s cards, you both can open one gift. Tomorrow, you can open them all, okay?” They both nodded eagerly and started working on their cards. Pricilla smiled at them and opened her laptop.
She clicked on the e-mail from Jeffrey and read it.
Hi, Pricilla. Since I can’t call you, I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed our time together last night and today. I have to work tomorrow, and I know that you’re off, but I hope that I’ll hear from you soon. Take care. Love you.
She replied to his e-mail, telling him that she enjoyed their time together also. She informed him about Aquila’s horrible accident and asked that he would pray for Aquila’s recovery. She then replied to an e-mail she’d received from her alleged mother.
Hi, Ms. W, I’m sorry that it took so long to reply to your e-mail. A close friend of mine was in an accident today, and I’ve been at the hospital most of the evening. I would love to get a chance to meet with you tomorrow, but ten o’clock is definitely too early. I will be at WakeMed most of the day checking on my friend. Perhaps we could meet later at around five o’clock? If this is convenient for you, let me know where you’d like to meet. Be blessed.
By the time she’d read and replied to Jeffrey and her alleged mother’s e-mail, the boys had finished their get-well cards. Pricilla praised them for the wonderful work that they had done. They placed the cards on the coffee table and opened their presents. Pricilla let them play with their trucks for thirty minutes and walked them to their bed and tucked them in for the night.
Whew, I am so tired. She was about to close her laptop when she noticed that Ms. W. had e-mailed her back. “Pricilla, I’ll be happy to meet you at WakeMed around five o’clock if that’s convenient for you. I have a four o’clock appointment. Is the lunchroom, okay? Perhaps I can buy you a meal for an early dinner. Be blessed.”
Pricilla responded with, “Yes, that sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow at five o’clock. Oh, how will I know you?”
A few seconds later, she replied. “I’ll have on a North Carolina State cap.”
Pricilla smiled. “Great. I’m a Wolfpack fan also. I’ll wear my cap too.”
Pricilla rose early the next morning and cooked breakfast for the children. She called the hospital to check on Aquila. They said that her condition had improved. While she washed the dishes, the children opened their presents and played with their toys.
She had asked Mrs. Turner the night before if she could babysit because the children weren’t allowed to visit Aquila in ICU. She agreed. An hour later, she was escorting the children over to Mrs. Turner’s house. She made sure that she had their get-well cards before heading off to the hospital. While sitting in her car, waiting for it to warm up, she suddenly began to feel nauseous. Oh my God, after all these years, I’m finally going to meet my mother. She put the car in reverse and backed out into the street when the coast was clear.
Thirty minutes later, she was at the hospital. She went up to the Intensive Care Unit to check on Aquila. The nurse told her that she could only stay for fifteen minutes.
Pricilla walked into the room using stealthy movements. Brandon sat on a chair that was pulled up to Aquila’s bed. His elbows were propped on his legs and his face was cupped between his hands. Pricilla watched him for a moment before she spoke. “How is she, Brandon?” she whispered.
Brandon was startled by Pricilla’s appearance. He jerked his head up and looked at her with bloodshot eyes. He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Her eyes fluttered open a few times, but otherwise, she’s stable, thank God.”
Pricilla glanced at Brandon. “You know, I have a tendency to want to believe that you love Aquila. But it’s a sick kind of love.”
Brandon gave Pricilla an acrid look. “Who are you to judge me, Pricilla? I have made some really bad mistakes with her, but I do love her. I’m seeking counseling for my illness.”
“You don’t have an illness, Brandon,” Pricilla told him critically. “You have a wicked temper, which you reserve especially for Aquila.”
Brandon’s voice deepened. “Say what you will, but I know how I feel about my wife.”
Aquila’s heart-rate machine started beeping faster. The nurse came running into the room. “I don’t know what’s going on with the two of you, but it needs to stop right now. This patient is in enough distress. As a matter of fact, I’m going to ask both of you to leave now.”
Brandon kissed Aquila on the forehead. “I love you,” he told her.
Pricilla whispered in her ear. “Be strong, Aquila. I’m here for you. Your kids are doing fine.” She and Brandon glared at each other and left the room.
Pricilla left the hospital to run some errands. She stopped by Mrs. Turner’s house to check on the children. By the time she got back to the hospital, it was four thirty. She went into a bathroom and freshened up and reapplied her makeup.
Pricilla walked into the lunchroom and sat at the very back, so that she could see her mother when she walked in. She looked at her hands; they trembled. She looked back up. A few feet away, near the cafeteria entrance, was a woman wearing a North Carolina Wolfpack cap. The woman’s cap was pulled down close over her eyes. Pricilla waved at her.
Kendra had walked into the cafeteria entrance at the very moment that Pricilla waved at the woman. Kendra assumed that Pricilla was waving at her. She smiled and waved back at her and proceeded to walk toward her. Diana wheeled her wheelchair alongside Kendra.
Pricilla stood up to greet and hug Kendra. “Hey, First Lady Kendra,” she said cheerfully.”
Kendra smiled warmly as she hugged Pricilla. “Hi, Pricilla.” She looked down at Diana in the wheelchair. “I’d like you to meet Diana. Diana, this is Pricilla; she’s a faithful member of our church.” Diana rolled her wheel chair toward Pricilla with her arms stretched out to hug her.
Before they hugged, Kendra saw Jeffrey approaching them. “Hey, Diana. What are you doing here?” he asked.
Diana looked up at him and frowned slightly. “I had an appointment today, remember? They removed the cast on my arm,” she explained to him. “Kendra was kind enough to bring me to my four o’clock appointment.”
Pricilla looked at Jeffrey quizzically.
Jeffrey introduced them. “Diana, this is Pricilla. I’ve been meaning to tell you about her, but the time never seemed right.”
Diana’s eyes widened. “How long have you two known each other?”
“I’ve been seeing Pricilla for about eighteen months now,” Jeffrey replied casually.
Kendra looked at him incredulously. “Wow, she exclaimed. “You sure know how to keep a secret. ”
Jeffrey looked at Kendra with pride in his eyes. “Yes, I hadn’t planned on keeping Pricilla a secret, but I hadn’t had a chance to tell Diana about her. ” He looked back down at Diana. “I wanted to tell you about her in a different atmosphere. . . ” his voice trailed off. He put Pricilla’s hand in his. “Well, now you know. ”
Diana glanced from him to Pricilla. “Why am I not surprised? ” she asked sarcastically. She looked at Pricilla from head to toe.
Just then, Diana looked up and spotted her husband walking toward them. “Hi, honey. Did your cast removal go all right? ” he asked his wife.
“Yes, it went well, honey. ” Diana looked at her step son. “Michael, ” she called Jeffrey Jr. by his middle name, “does your father know about Pricilla? ”
When the two Jeffrey’s were together, Jeffrey Jr. went by his middle name, Michael.
“Yes, he does, Diana, ” he chuckled. “I’m sorry to keep her a secret from you, but you weren’t too fond of the other girlfriends I had, ” Michael told her.
Diana had managed to run all of his former girlfriends off and he didn’t want to take that chance with Pricilla.
“That’s because they were only after the money that they thought you had. They were definitely up to no good, baby. A mother knows these things, ” Diana quipped.
Jeffrey Sr. patted his son, Jeffrey Michael, on the back. “I agree with your step-mother, Michael. They were gold-diggers, ” he laughed. Jeffrey Sr. glanced from Michael to Pricilla and smiled. “Well, I’m pleased that God has sent you a virtuous woman. ”
“Thank you for the compliment, Dr. Thompson, ” Pricilla responded to him. She cleared her throat nervously as she watched the woman wearing the Wolfpack cap proceeding toward them. “Everybody, please excuse me for a moment, ” she said with a quiver in her voice. “I was just about to meet someone who I think is my ... ” Pricilla choked up. “My mother. ”
“Hi, Pricilla. I’m so glad to see you again. It’s been too long, ” Mable said with a tremble in her voice. She took off the North Carolina Wolfpack cap and blinked back tears.
Kendra looked at Mable and frowned. “Mable? Pricilla is your daughter? ” Mable nodded. “My Lord, this is a small world, ” Kendra exclaimed.
Diana looked perplexed. “Mable, this is the baby you told me about? ”
Mable smiled. “Yes, this is my baby. ” Mable touched Kendra on her arm. “Pricilla’s the daughter that I’ve talked to you about for the last five years. I finally got the nerve up to try and find her. And the Lord answered my prayers. I hadn’t seen her since Social Services took her away from me when I lived in Nashville. ” Mable looked up. “Thank you, Jesus. Lord, you truly are a merciful God. ” She pulled Pricilla close to her. I’ve been waiting for this moment for over twenty-three years. ”She traced her trembling hand around Pricilla’s face. “My sweet, beautiful daughter; you look exactly like you did when you were three years old. ”
Pricilla buried her head into Mable shoulders, and cried.
Jeffrey Michael hugged Pricilla and told her that he was proud of her for finding her mother. They were both relieved to know that Diana wasn’t her mother. Ms. W. turned out to be Mable Woodard.
Pricilla hugged him back and giggled. “Thanks, Michael, she quipped. “I’ll see you later hopefully. ”
Jeffrey Sr. bent down and kissed Diana on the cheek. Tears streamed down Diana’s face as she imagined the joy she’d feel when she met her daughter.
Mable hugged Diana and told her that she believed that when the time came, her reunion with her daughter would be a blessed event also. Kendra and everyone else said good-bye to Pricilla and Mable as they walked outside to get better acquainted.
Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, Sr., and Dr. Jeffrey Michael Thompson, Jr. went back to work.
Kendra looked at Diana. “This has been an interesting afternoon. I would have never guessed in a million years that Mable’s daughter was Pricilla. ”
Diana shook her head. “It’s a small world. She glanced up at Kendra with a confused look on her face. “How did they not know each other though? Mable worked in the soup kitchen and attended church services. And you just said that Pricilla was a faithful member of your church. ”
“That is strange. ” Kendra was thoughtful for a moment. “Mable and her daughter frequented the same place, yet they never met. I’ve known Mable for five years and Pricilla moved here a little over two years ago. ” Kendra sat at the nearest table.
“I don’t understand how they could have basically walked in the same circles, but never got to know each other, ” Diana repeated.
Kendra twisted her wedding band around her finger. “All I can say is that maybe God didn’t allow their paths to cross until He knew that the timing was right. ”
Diana’s eyebrows furrowed. She sighed loudly. “That’s possible because I worked in the soup kitchen for months, and I didn’t meet Pricilla until today. ”
“Well, you only worked on weekdays, and Pricilla didn’t come to church every Sunday because she worked on some Sundays. Maybe that’s how she and Mable missed each other. ” Kendra rubbed her temples. “I don’t know how they missed each other for two years, but I do know that God performed a miracle when He let their paths cross. ”
“I have to agree with you, Kendra. Their reunion was nothing less than a miracle. ”
Kendra stood up slowly. “Come on, Diana. I’m going to go upstairs to see if they’ll let me see Aquila.
Diana pressed her wheelchair button and followed Kendra to the elevator. Once inside, Kendra pressed the elevator button for the fifth floor. Diana and Kendra were silent while they rode on the elevator. Once the elevator door opened, they exited and followed the signs that led to the Intensive Care Unit. Kendra talked to the ICU nurse. She directed them to Aquila’s room. Diana rolled into the room behind Kendra.
Kendra expected to see Brandon sitting in the room with Aquila since he’d spent the night watching over her. He wasn’t there because he’d left an hour before they arrived to go to his hotel room to shower and shave. Kendra was relieved that he wasn’t in the room. Having to introduce Diana to Aquila’s husband, the man that abused her, would have been awkward. The introduction could possibly have had some serious repercussions for Brandon.
Ever since Diana told Kendra the name of her child, Kendra couldn’t wait to introduce them.
“This is Aquila, Diana, ” Kendra stated while she straightened the blanket to cover Aquila’s feet.
Diana looked at Aquila with compassion. “She looks so peaceful. She’s beautiful. Diana rolled up to the bed. “Aquila, I don’t know if you can hear me, but ...” Diana’s eyes filled with tears. “Aquila, I’m your mother, honey. Please, please, be strong and pull through this terrible tragedy so that I can beg you to forgive me for giving you away. ” Diana picked up Aquila’s hand and held it to her face. Teardrops fell onto Aquila’s hand.
Kendra stood at the foot of the bed and watched Aquila force her eyes open. “Thank you, Jesus, ” she whispered. Kendra shed tears of joy for Diana. Her heart hurt for the child that she’d aborted. She wondered if Matthew would be able to forgive her for the desperate decision that she’d made so many years ago.
She smiled through the tears as she watched Diana plead with her daughter to wake up. She pulled a Kleenex from out of the box on the table and wiped her tears away. She thanked God that He had given Diana a second chance to amend her mistake.
Aquila stared at Diana’s head. Maybe I’m dreaming or dead, she thought. Aquila couldn’t believe her eyes or her ears. She’d prayed for her mother all of her life. Her mind was fuzzy. If it were a dream, she didn’t want to wake up. If she were dead, she thought she must have gone to heaven. Her eyes, though unfocused, roamed around the room. She was really groggy, but she thought she saw someone standing at the foot of the bed. Maybe it’s an angel, she thought before she felt the warm tears run down her hand. She forced her head, which felt like it was weighed down with lead, around so she could see the top of the head again. “Momma? ” she said weakly.
Diana jerked her head up. “Yes, sweetheart, she said softly. Diana looked at Kendra and emphatically said, “God has truly been merciful to me. ” She held Aquila’s hand tightly and looked at her with tears in her eyes. “Yes, sweetheart; I’m your mother. ”
Tears spilled from Aquila’s eyes. “I’ve prayed for this day forever, ” she said hoarsely.
“So have I, baby; I’ve carried you in my heart since the day you were born. ”
“How, ” Aquila’s mouth felt like cotton was stuffed inside, “did you find me?”
Diana kissed Aquila’s hand. “It was only by the grace of God that I found you, baby. It never even occurred to me the day that I talked to you in the soup kitchen that you were my daughter. ”
Aquila blinked her eyes several times to clear her vision. She stared at Diana for a moment before she said, “Miss Diana, you’re my mother? ” Aquila asked her in a whisper.
Diana nodded her head. “Please forgive me for giving you away. As long as there is breath left in my body, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make it up to you. ” She dropped her head on Aquila’s bed and sobbed pitiful, heart-wrenching tears.
Aquila smiled slightly, rubbed Diana’s hand softly with her thumb, and drifted back off to sleep.