Vincent looked at Celisha. She was smiling and deeply embarrassed.

"Shana." Vincent cleared his throat and then grinned. "That beautiful woman is my personal assistant, not my girlfriend."

"Oh," Shana giggled. "I'm sorry." "It's okay," Vincent told her.

"So, will you and your assistant be my guest next week?"

Vincent stammered out the words, "I. . .we. . .will be honored to be your guests." He looked over at Celisha once again. "Wouldn't we?" Celisha confirmed with a head nod and a smile.

Shana gasped in excitement. "Really?"

"Really," Vincent replied and then continued with his speech.

"Do you promise," Shana said for security purposes. "I promise," Vincent said. "And not only will I visit your church, but I'll come pick you up so we can ride together."

The smile on that little girl's face lit up the room.

Celisha hoped Vincent would keep his promise; that he wasn't just accepting the little girl's invitation because she'd put him on the spot and he didn't want to appear as though he was Satan himself.

The rest of the event went by smoothly with Vincent receiving a standing ovation from his audience. He hung around and willingly took pictures with anyone that had a camera. Three members of the Rec staff pulled out his latest novel to get his autograph. Each staff member was pleased with the time Vincent had spent with them talking about his books and writing career. He thanked them all for their support and asked that they tell a friend about him and his books.

Celisha was in a different part of the building finishing up a phone call when someone tapped her on her arm. She turned to find the young girl, Shana, standing there.

 

"How may I help you, young lady?" Celisha closed her cell phone.

"What is an. . .umm. . .personal assistant?" she asked.

Celisha smiled at her. "You're interested, huh?"

Shana nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Celisha bent down to get eye level with the girl. "How old are you?"

"Eleven," Shana replied, "and I like to write poems," she added. "So, I was just wondering that since Mr. Vincent writes and has a personal assistant, if I needed one too."

Celisha stood back up. "That's wonderful that you write too, Shana. Well, as a personal assistant for Vincent, I help to keep him organized and up to date on everything. For example, I need to get the name of your church, as well as your address and phone number." Celisha nodded to a bench that sat in the hallway. "Let's go sit down and I'll tell you more about what I do and why I enjoy it so much while you give me the information I need to pass on to Mr. Vincent." Celisha reached for Shana's hand and led her toward the bench.

Celisha and Shana chatted before Celisha saw that Vincent had wrapped up with the staff and was ready to go. Nearly a half hour later, Vincent and Celisha were back on the road. Vincent sat behind the wheel this time.

"I should be upset with you, Vincent." Celisha turned slightly in the seat facing Vincent.

He glanced her way. "Why? What did I do, or forget to do, this time?"

"I've asked you on several occasions to visit my church, and each time you gave me some lame excuse as to why you couldn't. So tell me, why did you grant that little girl's request? Don't get me wrong; I'm glad you said yes, and I hope you won't find a reason to back out. That girl is excited about you going to church with her. But are you going because you want to, or because you didn't have the heart to tell the child, no? I mean, I saw that girl's smile. She probably gets anything she wants out of her daddy with a smile like that."

Vincent shrugged his shoulders.

"That's not an acceptable answer, Vincent. That's a response I'd expect from a child, and you are far from being a child."

"You calling me old?" he smiled.

She folded her arms. "Don't turn this into a joke. I'm serious."

"I know, I know. You're always serious. Too serious sometimes," Vincent said. "You know I can fire you and then this topic would be over."

"Please," she smiled. "You wouldn't fire me if I paid you to." They both smiled at each other.

"If I said my reasons for accepting her invitation were both of those you suggested, would that be acceptable?" he asked.

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"I knew you were going to say that." He slowed for a yellow light that was about to turn red. "I just don't understand a lot of things, Celisha."

"About what?"

"About the man above." He nodded up through the open sunroof.

"Vincent." She unfolded her arms, reaching over to touch his shoulders." You can't find the answer you seek in the streets. You have to read the Bible and go to church to learn. You have to seek Him. You have to make that first step." Celisha paused momentarily and then continued. "I feel your passion through your books. I mean, look at how you had your character, Ménage, seeking a link with God. Something inside you is yearning. Don't go to church because you have to; go because you need to and want to." She removed her hand from his shoulder.

Just as the light turned green, a booming Range Rover blasting Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" pulled up behind them.

"How's that for a coincidence?" Vincent asked.

"I don't believe in coincidences," Celisha replied.

"But what I do believe is that God is trying to tell you something, my friend."

On that note, Vincent sped off, hoping that if God was in fact trying to tell him something, that he could slow down long enough to hear exactly what it was God had to say.