“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot
Filming started the first Sunday. Khalil was running around Holy Rock like the church was on fire.
“Settle down, Khalil. Everything is taken care of and in place,” Fancy assured him.
“Yeah, man. You don’t want to be showing how nervous you are on television, now do you?” Xavier said as Omar nodded in agreement.
“Omar, are you sure the cameras are in place and the colors we have on are cool?”
“Chill out. Didn’t you just hear the first lady and your brother? Everything is going as it should. Now, get ready to go out of this office and deliver a powerful word. That’s all your assignment requires. We got everything else handled.”
Khalil exhaled, walked into his office bathroom, stood in the floor length mirror, and surveyed his distinguished signature attire of jeans, suit coat, and button up shirt. Once he was satisfied with his fashion he exited the bathroom.
“Let’s do this,” he said, looking at Fancy, Xavier, and Omar. Eliana appeared.
“Eliana,” Khalil smiled. She looked sexy and beautiful as always. He had to keep himself together, no time for his mind to start wandering down that lane.
“Good morning, Pastor Khalil. Good morning, First Lady, Xavier, Omar.”
Each of the others said hello, but Fancy barely opened her mouth. Fancy eyed the young girl with a look of I know you want my son but you have to go through me first since you haven’t done what I asked you to do. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Eliana, Ian was the problem. If that gay boy wasn’t attached to Eliana, Fancy would feel differently, but because Eliana came with the baggage of her brother, Fancy decided she would have to see if there was a better match for Khalil. Being senior pastor of Holy Rock and now with this new television ministry, they didn’t have any place for church gossip and rumors to start circulating about her sons—namely Xavier and that awful Ian.
Eliana arrived at Holy Rock bright and early to support Khalil on his big day. This television ministry was extremely important and she wanted to do whatever she could to help him be at ease and to assure that things went smoothly from an administrative end.
“Just checking to see if there’s anything you need me to do before we go live. I’m so excited. God is really blessing Holy Rock—and you too, of course. You are the face of this ministry. And I should add, the mouthpiece too. You’re going to lead thousands, no hundreds of thousands, to Christ through this ministry, Pastor. I’m claiming it!”
“Settle down, Eliana,” Fancy stepped in between Eliana and Khalil and gave the girl a hard stare. “Look, thank you for your prayers and those strong words,” and then she turned to face Khalil, “but we need to get to the sanctuary, honey. It’s show time.” Fancy turned, rolled her eyes at Eliana, and strutted to the office door.
Omar trotted past her and opened the door. “You heard the first lady—show time.” He stretched out a hand and did a half bow for everyone to walk past.
When they entered the sanctuary, Khalil felt another surge of excitement race through his body. This was a day he would forever remember. He could see the dollar signs and the endless numbers behind them. Yeah, this was going to line his pockets more than he could ever imagine and he was ready to collect.
The church was packed to overflow. This wasn’t unusual, but today extra chairs lined the aisles, all three overflow rooms were filled to capacity and there was not a seat left in the balcony.
Xavier was positioned at the front of the sanctuary and took his usual seat across the aisle and to the left from where his mother always sat. He looked over his shoulder, people watching. People poured into the sanctuary. He saw Leo, his wife, and children enter and walk down the aisle a few rows to his right. Looking at that slime ball, no one would guess he was on the down low. He hated dude, and he wasn’t going to let him get away with assaulting him. He just had to figure out what he was going to do and when.
Leo, without warning, met Xavier’s eyes. He smiled and winked then turned to escort his wife to the church pew.
Xavier quickly looked away and turned his focus to the front of the church. “Bastard,” he said underneath his breath.
Xavier remained in the sanctuary until right before Khalil approached the pulpit to deliver his message. He went to the finance office to monitor online giving and determine the amount of money Holy Rock would rake in during live Sunday broadcast.
As the donations began pouring in, particularly at the end of Khalil’s message, Xavier was totally surprised. People were giving like crazy! “Pastor Khalil will be glad to see this,” he said to one of the finance guys working alongside him. “Looks like we’ve struck gold! Holy Rock is on the map.”
The other guys and women in the finance room began to cheer and praise God. It was wild. Xavier laughed.
Hezekiah sat up in his bed watching Holy Rock’s broadcast. The choir had grown considerably, the sanctuary was filled to over capacity. As television cameras scanned the sanctuary, he saw his soon to be ex-wife and a lump formed in his throat. She looked good—real good. He caught a glimpse of his baby boy. He was totally disgusted by Xavier’s admission of being gay.
“Got him working at Holy Rock when that boy should be shipped as far away from the church as possible,” Hezekiah mouthed, talking to himself. “Number one mistake for you, Khalil. You don’t need to surround yourself with the likes of your wanna be a girl brother. Then again, you’re young and stupid yourself. Can’t believe you would allow this either, Fancy.”
Hezekiah was at home alone. Isabella had returned to Arlington to pack her and her child’s clothes. He didn’t send her alone; he had Benny to take her. He found and leased a small apartment in Piperton for her so she would be nearby. That way he could monitor her drug intake, and have her close by to help care for him.
He continued watching Holy Rock’s broadcast until the credits rolled. Hearing his son preach caused him jealousy rather than making him proud.
Khalil and Fancy stole his ministry and the church from under him and he didn’t see how he would ever forgive them. He called Fancy on the false pretense of missing her and wanting to see if she wanted to reconcile when he had no intention of doing so. When she practically bit off his head he had his answer—she was a bitter woman. He didn’t see why she would be bitter when she was the one who wronged him. It wasn’t his fault that she didn’t put up a fuss about the house, cars, bank accounts, none of it being in her name. That was dumb on her part and now that their marriage was at an end, he was glad that she wasn’t bright enough to demand they have joint accounts. “Stupid,” he said aloud and laughed. “Stupid, stupid broad.”
Khalil invited his mother, brother, Omar and his girl, and Eliana to a late lunch after the last church service. It was time to celebrate. The broadcast had gone better than expected with ratings through the roof, the television stations told him.
Xavier remained at Holy Rock to tabulate the money.
“Hey, what’s it look like, Zay?”
“Man, you won’t believe this. I told you before you left folks were giving, but I had no idea it was like this. It’s crazy. Today’s three offerings brought in six figures man, the television and social media giving is in the tens of thousands. I’m telling you, you’re on fire.”
“Thank you, Lord,” Khalil almost screamed as he stumped his feet underneath the table and shook his head. “We’re in the m…we’re blessed,” he quickly changed his words.
“This is the first broadcast so I’m telling you, you should expect people’s giving to increase. Look out, your love offerings are going to be outta this world, bruh. Shooot, I might need to start preaching.” Xavier and Khalil laughed.
“Whoohoo, God is good. Okay, keep tabulating, Zay. We’ll talk more later. I’m about to get my eat on. Oh, and Zay?”
“Yeah?”
“You got something coming, for real!” He ended the call and looked around at the table of people. “Order whatever you want! God’s footing the tab today.”
Fancy blinked, then focused her gaze. “What did Xavier say, honey? How did it go?” Fancy asked.
“Ma, let’s just put it like this—you remember that verse, Proverbs uhhh, the one about the wealth of the wicked being stored up for the righteous?”
Fancy smiled. “Yes, that’s in Proverbs.”
“Well, let me put it this way,” he said as he threw back his head and roared with laughter, “that wealth is being transferred as we speak.”