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Gina was still visibly shaken as Toya drove her home. But she was also embarrassed, so she said, “I’m sorry about all the fuss I made in the store, and how you had to walk out in the dress you were trying on.”
“Girl please, I like my dress. I was going to buy it anyway.”
“Yeah, but you’re weren’t planning on wearing it today, were you? It’s a really pretty dress, and all we’re doing is going home.”
Toya put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Gina, it’s alright. I don’t know what I would have done if I had seen my ex. And just a few days ago, I had a panic attack when I tried to go to the mall, just thinking about who might be lurking around every corner, so I’m not judging you.”
“You’ve been having panic attacks?”
“I used to have them all the time. That’s why I quit my job. But I’m finally free of that.”
Gina’s eyes narrowed at Toya as her voice raised, “Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve unloaded all of my drama on you and all this time I had no idea that you’ve been having panic attacks.”
Toya could tell that Gina was angry. And she had every right to be because Toya hadn’t been totally honest with her friend. She’d sat and listened to Gina tell her whole story of having to move out of the country to get away from some lunatic who didn’t know how to say goodbye, and still, she had said nothing of the lunatic that had caused her panic attacks. “I get why you’re upset. And you’re right. I should have told you what’s been going on with me, and I will. Let’s go hang out at my place and talk.”
Calming down, Gina said, “Thanks, Toya, I really don’t think I’m ready to go home by myself.”
“What are friends for. You can sleep in the guest room tonight if you want to.”
Gina jumped on that. “Let’s stop at my place first, so I can get a few things.”
They did that, then drove around the corner to Toya’s townhouse. Toya made sandwiches and a small side salad for both of them. They sat down in the family room with their food.
Gina said, “I got so worked up, I forgot how hungry I was. She took a few bites of her turkey and swiss sandwich and chewed it like it was lobster. “This is good.”
“You must be starving. It’s just a turkey sandwich. I wish I had stayed in the kitchen with my mother more and learned how to cook. But I think Tia got that gene. So, I do a bunch of sandwiches around here.”
“I understand it. If you look in my kitchen cabinet, you’ll see one type of soup after the next. Quick and easy is the way to go when you’re just cooking for yourself.”
“That’s how I see it. But I’m praying that when God sends my husband, the man will know how to cook.”
The look on Gina’s face changed. Like she was thinking about an unpleasant memory. “You need to be praying for a lot more than that. Trust me, I know.”
“You’re not alone there,” Toya said, as she was now ready to tell her truth. Putting her sandwich down, Toya sighed deeply. “I met this man about a year ago. He was handsome, intelligent, rich, and very attentive. I thought I hit the jackpot. But it turns out that he hated my mother and was only dating me as part of a plot to destroy her.”
Gina’s head went back as if someone had punched her in the face. “Wait... what did you just say?”
“I know it’s hard to believe. But this really happened to me.”
“No, it’s not hard to believe at all, because I lived with a guy who hated your mother. He blamed her for his mother’s death, even though his own father was the one who killed her.” Gina rolled her eyes heavenward, then continued, “When I told him that you and I used to be best friends and that your mom was a nice lady, things got crazy between us.”
How many men in this world could there possibly be out there hating on her mom? This was no coincidence. “What was his name?”
~~~
Marvel had received word from the private investigator that he had looking for Toya that she was once again attending her mom’s church. The investigator said that she had been attending service on Saturdays at eleven in the morning for the last few weeks, so he waited in the parking lot to see which car she would get into. And surprise, surprise.
Not only did Toya walk out of that church, but his long-lost love, Gina was also with her. He had waisted two years of his life searching for that woman. When he finally discovered that she had left the country, he took the hint. She no longer wanted to be with him. He decided to let Gina have fun thinking that she was out of his reach because he needed to focus on putting his plan together so that he could destroy Yvonne Milner.
But now that he had both women in his sight, Marvel figured he must have been living right. Because God was allowing him to kill two birds with one stone. He followed them to the mall and then put a tracking device on Toya’s car.
Since he was able to track them to wherever they decided to go next, Marvel didn’t have to follow them into the mall. But he couldn’t resist letting Gina know that he finally had her in his sights again. She would pay for what she put him through. By the time he was through with Gina, she would beg him to take her back.
His dad told him that in the end, his mom had begged for her life and promised that she would never leave him again. But he just couldn’t trust her anymore. Gina had done nothing to make him believe that he could trust her either. And he sure couldn’t trust Toya. That one was cut from the same cloth as her mother. She was probably poisoning Gina against him at this very moment.
Women needed to know their place. It is always behind a man, not beside him and certainly not out in front trying to outshine him. He would teach them both a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget.
~~~
“Marvel Williams.”
Toya fell back in her seat as if a strong wind had swept her away. “This cannot be happening. You and I must truly be attracted to the same kind of men. Because I actually dated that monster.”
“Oh, he doesn’t come off as a monster at first. He acts more like a Jarrod... kind, attentive, making you feel like he wants to give you the world. But it’s all an act.” Gina jaw tightened as she spoke of Marvel.
Toya shook her head at the memories. “My mom tried to warn me about him, but I wouldn’t listen. Marvel seemed to know me so well, my likes, and even the things I didn’t like, he didn’t like them either. I thought he was the one, so I ignored my mother.”
“You can blame me for that,” Gina said as sorrow filled her eyes. Then she tried to explain herself. “I was just so terrified of him; I never knew what would set him off and land me in the ER. So, I tried my best to keep him calm.”
Toya sympathized with her friend, she recognized the monster in Marvel at the end of their relationship, but Gina lived with him. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Gina. You did what you needed to do in order to survive.”
Tears drifted down Gina’s face. She hit her thigh with her fist. “He was always in a pleasant and calm mood whenever I told stories about all the fun you and I used to have. I thought he was just being nice to me to make up for slapping or pushing me, or even that time, he blacked my eye and broke my arm.
“But to be truthful, I didn’t bother to analyze it too much. Telling my childhood stories kept him calm, and I needed him calm so I could devise a plan of escape.” She looked back at Toya, her eyes implored Toya to understand. “But I never thought he would use those stories to hurt you. I promise I would have just let him beat me rather than turn him loose on you.”
“I believe you, Gina. You are good with me. And don’t worry about Marvel, because we are going to fight this monster together.”
Gina’s eyes widened with fear. “You don’t know him like I do, Toya. The evil that’s in him comes from his father. And that man is on a whole nother level of evil. You remember that guy who ran over the woman in Charlottesville or the man who went into that movie theater and shot and killed all those innocent people.” Toya nodded. “Well, Marvel Senior is that level of evil.”
“You met him?”
Gina shivered as if trying to get a bug off her. “It was about five years ago. Marvel wanted to visit his father. He wanted to introduce me as his future wife to that evil man. Marvel Senior was in a high-security prison, which I totally understood why after our visit. But I had to go through all these security clearances just to have my name added to the list. The first time he hit me was when I said I didn’t want to go through all of that just to sit in a prison with someone for thirty minutes.
“He apologized profusely, and I believed that he hadn’t meant to do it... until I visited his father. That man took one look at me, then turned to his son as if I wasn’t sitting right across from him and said, ‘you’ll have to beat this one to keep her in line.’”
“No, he didn’t.” Toya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could anyone be like that?
“That wasn’t all. He had some sort of sick hold over Marvel. He told his son that he wasn’t happy with the amount of money that he sent every month. He basically blamed Marvel for his imprisonment. He told Marvel that if his silly mother hadn’t got herself knocked up, he wouldn’t have married her and therefore, he wouldn’t be in this situation. So, it was Marvel’s responsibility to take care of him.”
“Okay yes, the man is evil,” Toya agreed with Gina, but then she said, “But it is our responsibility to put the word of God on this situation. Don’t let Marvel make you forget what we learn in Bible study. You’re fearful because of all that you know about Marvel, right?”
Gina’s hands were folded in her lap as she nodded.
“But the word of God tells us that ‘God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love, power land of a sound mind.’”
“I know all of that, Toya, but somehow when it comes to this situation with Marvel, I forget about God and start worrying about what Marvel is going to do next.”
“That’s fair, because like you said, you are afraid.”
“Aren’t you afraid too?”
“I’m not superhuman, so I do have some fear for the situation, especially because Marvel kidnapped me at gunpoint and had plans to kill me.”
Snapping her fingers, Gina said, “That’s why you started having panic attacks, isn’t it?”
“At first, I was okay. People had prayed for me and then I was rescued from Marvel. But later when I had time by myself, I allowed thoughts to flood in... like, why did anyone have to pray about that situation at all? Couldn't God have stopped Marvel from kidnapping me if he had wanted to? Then I thought about my father’s untimely death and that’s when the panic attacks began because I just didn’t trust God anymore.
“I never wanted to admit that to anyone, because how do you tell your pastor parents that you don’t trust God? I’m just so thankful that you called and asked me to attend that Bible study. Each week, my faith kept growing, and I realized that although things do happen in this world that God still loves me. And if He won’t give up on me, I sure won’t ever give up on Him again, no matter what.”
“I wish I was more like you.”
Toya shook her head. “You don’t have to be like me. Just remember God’s word. Take the scripture we just talked about... if God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, then what has He given us.”
Gina answered, “Power, love and a sound mind.”
“Exactly. But let’s not just say the words without dissecting it. Now when I hear the word power, it tells me that I have the power to trust God. I have the power to do something about the situation I’m in, like call the police and alert them to the fact that Marvel Williams is back in town.” As Toya picked up her phone to call the police, she asked Gina, “What does the word power make you think of?”
“I guess,” she began a little timid at first, “I have the power to pray rather than worry about things I can’t control in the first place.”
Toya high five’d her. “And it’s prayer that helps us to have that sound mind that God wants to give us.” After saying that, Toya called the police and informed them that the man she has a protective order against was now back in town.
When she hung up with the police, she called her mother and warned her that Marvel was in town, “Be careful Mom, okay.”
“I will, hon. But I’m more concerned about you. Maybe Thomas and I should drive over there and bring you to the house with us.”
“I’m good Mom. Gina and I are hanging out. She’s going to spend the night with me.” She didn’t bother to tell her mom that Gina was staying over because she was the one who was terrified of Marvel. If Gina wanted anyone else to know her business, she would have to tell them.
When Toya hung up, Gina said, “About that prayer. Do you think we can do some of that now?”
“Absolutely.”