21

“Oh, I missed you, sweet niece.” Auntie Margaretta threw her arms around Nia before she could even get in the door.

Nia had found a ride back to Atlanta so Auntie hadn’t had to drive all that way to get her. “I missed you too.” Nia hugged her back. How could Sunny have asked her not to come home for Christmas?

They both settled on the couch. “So tell me all about this boyfriend.” Auntie had a big smile on her face.

“Not a boyfriend, but a good friend. He’s so sweet and he loves music as much as I do.”

“And he’s a Christian?”

“Plans to be a preacher.”

“Perfect.”

“He’s white.”

“People are people, Nia. He can be blue or purple as far as I’m concerned as long as he treats you good. Does he do that?”

She nodded. “Very much so. And he doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. So no pressure in that direction.”

Auntie’s smile grew even larger. “I think I like this boy. A lot.”

“So do I, but we’re really just friends right now. Have you seen Keisha?”

“Sadly, no. Her mother hasn’t talked with her in almost a month, and she’s worried sick. It’s such a sad situation.”

“I’ll find her while I’m home and try to talk some sense into her.” Nia shook her head. “I can’t believe she’s acting this way. It makes me think she was never really a Christian to begin with.”

“I know that’s so easy to think, but this is when the grace of God needs to kick in. It’s not our place to judge people. We’re just supposed to love them.”

“That’s not all that easy to do. I’m so mad at her for the way she’s acting. The things she’s doing.”

“Mad’s OK, but you still gotta love her.”

“Oh, I do, but I don’t know how to help her.”

“Keep praying for her and for the right words when you see her.”

Later, they were sitting at the table after eating when Auntie got that look on her face. “We need to talk.”

“About what?” Her stomach twisted. She knew that look. Very well.

“Cooper stopped in the other day when he was in town.”

“Oh. I know I should have told you about my decision before this, but I really needed time to process the whole thing. And I wasn’t quite sure how to tell you.”

“Process? That must be college terminology. And don’t worry, I’m not upset that you didn’t tell me. That was certainly your right. I just want to talk about it with you. That’s what you and I do. We talk. We share our lives with each other. Right?”

Auntie’s words brought on a wave of guilt. Not just about not telling her about the Puzzle House decision but about Sunny. But a promise was a promise. “You’re right. I just didn’t feel strong enough to talk about it then. It’s still painful. For years I thought I would become a healer and live at Puzzle House.”

“And that can still happen.”

“I don’t think so and it felt wrong to let Cooper think that when obviously God has other ideas about what I should be doing.” She still might become a healer, but it probably wouldn’t be at Puzzle House. It would be with Sunny and the people at Helping Hands. “I still want to serve God, but I’m just not sure how or where that will be.”

“And that makes perfect sense. You’re still in your David years. Remember David was well into his adulthood before he actually became king. You’re just becoming an adult. I just want you to keep an open mind about your options.”

“I know you and Cooper keep telling me to be patient, but it’s more than impatience. It’s…” What was it? “It’s a feeling I have. I just don’t think Puzzle House is the right place for me.”

Her aunt gave her a surprised look. “Sometimes our feelings lie to us, Nia. Be careful about listening to them. We should listen to the Holy Spirit, not our feelings.”

She’d had enough of this discussion. Nia stood up. “Thanks, Auntie. I’m going to see if I can find Keisha.”

“Her mama is worried sick. About her and the baby. If you see her, make sure you tell her that her mama wants her to come home.”

“I will. I can’t believe she changed her phone number, and I have no way to get hold of her.”

“You can just imagine how her mother feels.”