Sunday Morning – 6:31 a.m.
For the last five minutes, Sasha’s cell phone kept vibrating on the dresser next to her. And although the ringer had been turned off, the buzzing noise was equally annoying. Had Sasha not been worn out from the whirlwind of romance she’d shared with Drake during the course of the night, she would have slapped the phone to the floor. How inconsiderate for anyone to intrude so early in the morning, especially when she and Drake were trying to make up for lost time. But sensing the call may be important, Sasha reached for the phone and decided to shove her annoyance aside.
Drake’s arm was still fastened around her stomach, his unclad body the perfect depiction of youth and stamina. Smiling suddenly, Sasha offered God a silent ‘thank you’ for putting her marriage back on track and for blessing her with a man who knew how to execute his love-making skills. Indeed, last night had been a rhapsodic experience, considering they hadn’t had that many opportunities to practice.
However, although her sleep had been disturbed, she didn’t want the same for Drake. So she carefully moved his arm from around her, quietly propping herself up on her elbows. By this time, her cell phone had stopped vibrating, leaving a blinking green light in its place. It was a brief text from one of the women from the church where Sasha had fellowshipped at one time, explaining that Elder John Dewey had been arrested for attempted murder and sexual abuse of his daughter.
Stunned by the news, Sasha swung her feet out of the bed. She really didn’t want to wake Drake, but this was different. Elder John had been arrested. However, being the detailed woman that she was, Sasha preferred to get the full scope of a matter before running her mouth about something that probably wasn’t true anyway. She hastened to the bathroom and eased the door shut. But just as she was about to redial the number, her phone began vibrating again. It was the same person calling back and Sasha suddenly wondered why the person was being so persistent.
“Hello?”
“Sister, I don’t mean to disturb your rest,” came the rushed female voice. “I got your number from the church’s database…may I speak with your husband…I’m sorry, but this is rather urgent.”
News certainly travels around quickly. How does this woman know that Drake and I are back together or is she assuming that we are? Because it’s a very brazen way to think. “I got a text from you explaining that Elder John had been arrested,” Sasha said, forgoing to fulfil the woman’s request at the moment. “Is any of it true?”
“It’s all true. I’m assuming you haven’t seen the six o’clock news this morning?”
“No…”
“Turn on the TV. The headlines are all over the news stations.”
“Give me a sec.” Sasha opened the bathroom door and hastened to the 32-inch flat screen that was in the room to the far left. She turned it on, lowering the volume till it was just loud enough to make out what the news reporters were saying.
“…if you remember about a week ago, Drake Beckford, the young minister who’d been accused of rape by a former beauty queen, has been released and acquitted of all rape allegations. The victim has retracted her story, claiming that she’d lied to help her father secure the position as the next bishop in charge of El Shaddai Ministries. But in a twist of fate, the victim’s father has now been arrested on charges of attempted murder and sexual abuse of his own daughter…”
“Are you still there?” the female asked, prompting Sasha. “You see? It’s all true.”
Sasha knew that Yasmine had retracted her story, but she had no idea that Yasmine’s father had been behind it all or that he had been sexually abusing her. Sasha shook her head in disbelief. “This is unbelievable…”
“I said the same thing. But you know what this means?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, El Shaddai Ministries doesn’t have a pastor to lead it, especially on a morning like this. That church is going to be teeming with people over the next couple of hours.”
That church? What an impersonal statement to make. “So, what does this have to do with my husband?”
“Isn’t it obvious, sister? This is the hand of God! The entire church has been praying for Minister Beckford ever since this situation began. I, for one, have never believed the accusations against him and trusted that God would make the devil out to be the liar he is. Well, God certainly has! We – and when I say we, I speak as a representative for the wonderful people of El Shaddai Ministries – want you and your husband to take your rightful place as the successors of Rev. Henderson’s legacy. We won’t accept anything else.”
Sasha swallowed her first response, which would have been an outright rejection of what was being told to her. What did she say to a woman who was obviously too excited to make any sense of what she was saying?
“Well, this is a lot to be presented with this morning,” Sasha said. “And I don’t even know if I nor my husband will ever be ready for such a huge step. What about some of the other elders of the church? Have you raised your concerns with them yet?”
“We don’t have to. Everyone wants you and Pastor Beckford – I mean, Minister Beckford. You see? I’m already getting use to the idea of calling your husband, ‘pastor’. This was what Rev. Henderson wanted anyway, for you guys to be our next pair of leaders. A dynamic husband and wife duo who are capable of taking El Shaddai Ministries to the next level. We expect to see you two in church this morning.”
“I’m not sure we will be able to make it…”
“Don’t disappoint us. We all will be waiting to see you and your husband walk through those double doors. Be blessed, woman of God. We love you but Jesus loves you best!”
The woman was gone before Sasha had the opportunity to rebut with another excuse.
“What is going on?”
Sasha turned in response to Drake’s voice. He was standing behind her with a sheet wrapped around his naked frame.
“Elder John has been arrested for attempted murder and sexual abuse of his daughter,” she deadpanned.
“Are you serious?”
Sasha pointed to the flat screen TV. “It’s all over the news…I’m having trouble digesting it myself.”
Drake watched the clips for a few minutes and then turned his attention back to Sasha, his expression one of disbelief. “Who was that on the phone?”
Sasha was hoping her husband hadn’t noticed. But what sense would it make lying to him? “A sister from the church. She wanted to talk to you, but you were asleep. So I handled it.”
“What did she want?”
“Do you want the long or the short version?” Sasha asked.
“Just tell me something; I’m dying to know.”
“Well…our presence is being requested at the church this morning. And if I go according to what the young woman said, I would say that everyone is anticipating our grand return.”
Drake stared at his wife, discerning her troubled spirit. “Why do I get the impression that there’s more behind those words?”
“Because there is…” Sasha closed in the space between her and Drake, giving him eyes that said she would support him in whatever steps he made concerning their future, especially as it related to the church. “They want you to assume the role of pastor, with me assisting you. But of course, I did not give the young woman a decisive answer, because I believe in letting my husband take the lead.”
Drake pulled Sasha closer to him until their lips were inches apart. “I can see a lot of questions in your beautiful eyes, but you rest assured that I will not make a decision that would put our marriage through another strain. As much as I love Rev. Henderson and appreciate all that he’s done for me in my formative years, I must consider what the best move is for us and for our marriage. Being a pastor comes with a lot of responsibilities and sacrifices that I myself don’t feel I’m ready to take on. I would prefer to spend some time getting reacquainted with my wife.”
Sasha touched Drake’s face in an affectionate manner. “You are the one Rev. Henderson chose as his successor…your spiritual inheritance from a man who’d had great confidence in you. Also, becoming pastor of El Shaddai Ministries has always been a long-held dream of yours. I don’t want to be the cause of your discontentment.”
Drake grabbed Sasha’s hand and pressed his lips against it. “A lot has happened since Rev. Henderson died. I almost lost you and I don’t intend for that to happen again. I will be content simply knowing that I’ve been given another chance to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Such sweet words would make any woman feel honored to have a husband like Drake. But this decision was bigger than her and Drake. This was God, orchestrating His divine will – Drake being exonerated of the false rape charges, the reconciliation of her marriage, and the surprise arrest of Elder John. Sasha knew firsthand how serious it was to contend with the Holy Spirit. She moved out of Drake’s embrace, feeling now a strong pull of conviction.
“We both know that the call of God on your life is no ordinary call,” she said. “You can’t just push it aside and pretend to be an average man with an average assignment. Ever since I’ve known you from your childhood, you were always a step ahead of the boys your age.”
“I am more concerned about you and how my decision to lead would affect our fairly new marriage. I don’t want to mess up a second time.”
“Don’t worry about my reservations. I can’t dismiss the signs of how God is making it easy for you to walk into your divine purpose. He gave you favor with the people, despite what Elder John and his daughter tried to do to you.”
“I will pray about it,” Drake said.
“You don’t need to pray about this one, hon. Just show up and God will do the rest. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.”
Drake gazed at Sasha with a new level of appreciation. “You are more amazing than I remembered. How could I have ever been so foolish as to walk away from you?”
Sasha withheld her initial comment. She didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere with words she’d already buried in the grave of forgiveness. Rather, she offered Drake a supportive smile and said, “If the Lord allows, we have our entire lives ahead of us to relearn each other all over again. Let us not give the devil any more chances to steal what belongs to us.”
“Drake smiled in response. “Spoken like a true First Lady...” He extended a hand toward Sasha, beckoning her to return to his embrace. “I’m going in the shower. You’ve given me strength to prepare for this morning’s service. However, I would love for you to join me, Mrs. Beckford. I have some unfinished business I didn’t take care of last night.”
Now Sasha was the one who needed strength because she was too tired to indulge in her husband’s burgeoning sexual appetite. “You’re not in the least saddened about Elder John’s arrest?”
“I am not thinking about Elder John at the moment,” Drake said. “Besides, making love to my darling wife is all the consolation I need to help me cope with the challenges ahead.”
Sasha smiled, despite the discomfort she felt in her lower region. “Oh Lord, what have I done? I’ve created an insatiable beast.”
“As I have told you repeatedly,” Drake grinned, “I am making up for lost time.”