“The only people I owe my loyalty to are those who never made me question theirs.” Loveoflifequotes.com
As planned, Stiles arrived Sunday afternoon, and Fancy couldn’t be happier to see him. After today’s earlier events at Holy Rock, she needed a reprieve of some sort and who better than Stiles to help her regain a clear head. Khalil had said that he’d seen Hezekiah and that slime ball, George, at church, but he seemed to have vanished before she saw him.
Though Fancy didn’t see Hezekiah, she did see Detria Graham with her parents. The poor Mackey’s. To have someone like Detria Graham as a daughter was something Fancy wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. She noticed the little boy standing next to Detria when she was in line to greet Khalil. He favored Detria to the point that Fancy assumed it must have been Detria’s son. Fancy heard that the boy lived with his father because Detria didn’t have time to be a mother. She didn’t want to say that she hated anyone, but what Fancy would say is that Detria was on a very short list of people she disliked immensely.
“It’s good to see you. I’m glad you had a good trip,” Fancy told Stiles as she gladly welcomed him into her home.
“Thanks, I’m glad I’m here, too. How are you?” he asked.
“We’ll talk about that later. For now, are you hungry?”
“Yep, I sure am.” He patted his stomach. “Have you already had dinner?” he asked.
“No, not dinner, just a light lunch after church. Would you like to go out to eat or would you like me to order something to pick up to eat here?”
“Let’s go pick something up. Better yet, I can go and I’ll bring it back.”
“No, I’ll go with you, and I’ll drive; you’ve been on the road for the past nine hours at least.”
Stiles raised up a hand to show his palms. “Nooo, I thought I told you. I’ve decided to stop trying to make that drive. I booked a flight and of course got here in a couple of hours. I had a rental car reserved, swooped it up, and here I am. I can’t do that driving thing anymore, especially since it seems that I’m coming to Memphis so often “
“Good for you. I’m glad you didn’t drive. You’re right; it can be exhausting. It’s not like it’s a two hour drive. Come on and sit down for a minute and we can decide what to eat. You can leave your bag right there. We’ll move it later. I’m not expecting anyone to come barging over here. You know what I mean?”
Stiles laughed, sat down his bag, and followed Fancy into the family room.
“You want to take off your coat?” she asked.
“Yeah, sure. It’s getting cold out there, isn’t it?” he said, making small talk as he took off his overcoat.
“Yeah, it is. Who knows; we might have an early winter,” she remarked, and took his coat as he removed it. She hung it up on a brush bronzed coat rack standing inside the entrance into the family room.
“So, how are things going?” he asked again.
“So much has happened. I told you quite a bit already over the phone and through text, but you know there’s nothing like that one on one, face to face kinda talk.” She giggled nervously. “But let’s talk first about what you want to eat.”
“Umm, something light will work for me. I can eat Subway. I noticed one on the way over here.”
“You can do better than that. What about calling a take out from Chili’s? They have a special—two appetizers, two entrees and a dessert for twenty bucks.”
“Sounds like a winner,” he said and laughed lightly. He enjoyed Fancy’s company as much as she enjoyed his. It felt good to have someone to talk to and to have someone who easily confided in him. He cared deeply for Kareena but he didn’t think he would talk to her as openly as he did around Fancy. It was probably because he and Fancy had Holy Rock in common and he’d gotten to know her when he was the senior pastor. Added to that, she was an attractive woman, she was smart, funny and she had a way of making him feel at ease when they talked.
“Okay, I’ll pull up the menu on my phone and we can decide what we’re going to order.”
She sat down next to him on the loveseat and they perused the menu until they decided what they would order. Fancy ordered their food online and then they chatted for a few more minutes afterward before they got ready to go pick up their dinner.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to run upstairs and get my jacket. Oh, you can come with me. Get your luggage and I’ll show you your room.”
“Good deal,” he said and went into the foyer and retrieved his luggage.
Fancy felt comfortable around Stiles, but he also had a way of making her a little giddy too, and she didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because it was the only time she seemed to laugh. Everything was so serious and she hardly ever had the chance to just relax and laugh. Stiles could bring that part out of her. He was someone she felt that she could easily talk to and she needed that person; someone to openly confide in without having the feeling that her trust would be betrayed.
On the way to Chili’s they made small talk. He told her that all of the evacuees were gone from Full of Grace and the church was finally returning to normal. He shared with her about the membership growth and even though it was slow, he was grateful to God for any growth.
“And what about Kareena? How are the two of you getting along?” Fancy asked as they turned on to Chili’s parking lot and drove up to Takeout Parking to wait for the server to bring their order to the car.
“She won’t admit it, but I think she really likes this River guy. And that’s cool. Kareena is a good girl and she deserves someone that’s ready for a relationship. I think this could be the guy.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. I mean, who wouldn’t be interested in Kareena? She’s a beautiful woman inside and out.” Stiles said.
“If she’s so beautiful why don’t you tell her how you feel about her? How can you just up and let some other guy move in on her when you know you have feelings for the woman?”
“I…I just can’t do it.”
“Maybe what you really mean is you just can’t do it with Kareena.”
The carhop appeared at the window with their order, which had already been paid for online. Fancy checked it to make sure they’d gotten everything right before they left and returned home.
“Let’s sit in the dining room,” Fancy suggested.
“Okay.”
They took a seat across from each other at the rectangular table. Fancy got two glasses of ice and brought them to the table along with a pitcher of sweet tea with lemons and some silverware. The carhop had put plastic utensils inside the bag but Fancy preferred using regular silverware if she had the choice. She went back into the kitchen and retrieved two dinner plates and began opening the bags of food and placing them onto the plates.
Stiles immediately poured himself a glass of tea while Fancy transferred the food onto the plates.
“Ummm, this is good,” he complimented.
“Thanks. Hezekiah loves sweet tea with lemons, and so do the boys.”
“Well, now you can add this guy to that list,” Stiles said and took another deep swallow. “You made this?”
“Of course, I made it. I used fresh tea bags too, no instant tea.”
“You should consider marketing this. It’s just that good.” He took another swallow and the glass of tea was gone.
“Help yourself,” she said as she began to uncover her food and he poured himself another glass of tea.
She finally sat down. Stiles blessed their food and they immediately started eating. After several bites of food they started talking, Fancy first. She told him everything about the fake Will, the bank accounts that she had discovered that she didn’t have access to, all the way up to the dynamic sermon Khalil had shared today.
Stiles had a way of helping her find that peaceful place. Their phone conversations had increased over time and each time they spoke, she ended the phone conversation feeling calmer and less stressed. He didn’t preach to her but he somehow had the uncanny ability to talk to her in such a manner that it soothed her spirit. She needed soothing and she needed peace more than ever. Knowing that her husband of the past twenty-four years was a cheater, a scam artist, and a liar had hurt her to the core.
“I bet Holy Rock went wild after hearing that message, and for him to say that about his own father, my brother, well that part I don’t know about.”
“What is it you don’t know about?” Khalil said, as he suddenly appeared in the doorway of the dining room, startling both Fancy and Stiles.
“Oh, well good evening Pastor McCoy. How are you?” Stiles said with a mouthful of food, he’d just placed in his mouth after he spoke his last sentence.
Stiles chewed his food while Khalil leaned down and gingerly kissed his mother on her cheek. “Hi, Ma. I was on my way home and thought I’d swoop by right quick. I saw this strange car and wondered who was here. But I have my answer. So, what is it you don’t know about?”
“Your mother was telling me about the message you delivered today. I’m proud of you. If you let God direct your steps, you can’t fail. If you put yourself into the equation and you tell your sheep what you want them to hear, then you can find yourself on a road of despair.”
“So you’re saying that what I said about my father was not God talking, but it was me?” Khalil looked at Stiles, folded his arms, and stood beside his mother, while looking Stiles face on.
“You said that, not me. Who am I to second guess what you preach about? That’s between you and God. I’m just saying, study to show thyself approved. Always listen and expect to hear from God and then follow his directions. Second Timothy four and two says preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. You got that,” Stiles said, covering his mouth with the paper napkin he pulled out of the Chili’s bag and swallowing the last bit of remaining food in his mouth.
“Okay, let’s not get into preaching tonight. Stiles came for a few days; he’s going to see if he can see Hezekiah….again,” Fancy said, sounding discouraged.
“Good luck on that,” Khalil said. “To be honest, I don’t even know why you’re wasting your time trying to have a relationship with him. He’s gone mad or something. I don’t think it’s worth it; especially with you coming all the way from Houston every few weeks—unless you have another agenda.” Khalil eyed Stiles suspiciously.
“Khalil, stop it,” Fancy said, interrupting her son’s words that echoed his obvious distrust of Stiles.
“I’m outta here. Oh, where you staying?” Khalil asked Stiles as he stopped and turned around before leaving from out of the living room.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I invited him to stay here,” Fancy answered again.
Khalil smirked. “Gnite, Ma.”
“Gnite, son.” She wiped her mouth and stood up from the table. “Excuse me, Stiles.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m good. Take your time,” Stiles replied and started eating again.
“Have you seen your brother?”
“No, not since I left church. He said he was going to hang out with some of the guys from the youth ministry. Did you call or text him?”
“No, I didn’t. I don’t want to treat him like he’s a baby. He always has complained that I do, so I’m trying to give him breathing space.”
“Good for you, Ma. Let him grow up. Maybe it’ll make a man outta him. I mean a real man,” Khalil said and smiled.
“Stop that, Khalil. Don’t make fun of your brother. That’s not nice.”
“Who’s making fun of him? I’m just sayin’.”
His text message notifier started chiming and then his phone started vibrating. He looked at it quickly but he really didn’t need to because he already knew who it was—Dee. She was acting like a maniac, like a stalker. She had been blowing up his phone ever since he caught her with his father and George. Did she think he was sitting on stupid or something? Did she think the sex was that good that he would fool with her after what he saw? He’d already backtracked once to help his brother get out of the mess he’d gotten himself into, but now that all of that was over, he had no use or concern for the likes of Detria Graham ever again.
Gnite again, Ma. You don’t have to walk me to the door. I’ll lock up,” Khalil said and walked through the foyer and out of the front door.
As soon as he opened the door and walked outside and up to his car, the headlights of another car sparkled brightly, almost blinding him. He raised a hand to his head to see if he could make out who was pulling up on him in front of his mother’s house. Xavier, he thought. The lights went out and Khalil proceeded to look around before he fully opened the door to his ride. It wasn’t his brother; it was Detria.
“What the…what are you doing here?” Khalil said. “Are you crazy?”
Detria got out of the car. It was very seldom that she drove because of her one arm and because she said she didn’t like driving that much since the accident, which proved that much more to Khalil that this broad was nuts.
“What you doing driving?”
“I can drive you know. I just don’t like to drive. But since a certain someone has been avoiding me I thought I should pay that certain someone a visit, a personal visit. You know?’
“Which means you had to be following me, or how else would you know I was here?”
“I wouldn’t say that. Let’s just say, your car does stand out, so when I saw it, I thought I’d trail you to see if I could steal a minute of your precious time.”
Khalil walked up on Detria, put his hand around her neck, and squeezed it to the point that her feet almost left the ground. She gagged and turned a deep purplish red in the face. “You must not know who you messing with, Dee. I’m warning you, leave me alone. I don’t want to see you, I don’t want you at Holy Rock, I don’t want you anywhere you might even think I might be. Do you hear me?” He released her and she fell to her knees and onto the ground next to her car. Tears gushed from her eyes.
“Khalil, I’m sorry. I promise you there’s nothing going on between your father and me. It’s not like you think.”
“That’s it…I don’t think anything, Dee. I don’t care about you, my father, George, none of y’all. You’re nothing to me. Oh, and one more thing.” He left her struggling to get up while he walked over to his car, opened the door, and reached into the center console for his wallet. He got the wallet, opened it, and pulled out a card. He walked back over to Detria and just as she stood up, still trembling and crying, he threw the card at her. “It’s maxed out. I don’t need it anymore. I got everything I wanted. Now get off my mother’s property before I call the police and have you arrested for littering ‘cause you’re nothing but trash.”
He walked back to his car, leaving Dee standing there crying. She bent down and picked up the card and got inside her car. He watched as she used her one arm to try to put on her seatbelt, but she failed at the attempt, probably because she was physically and emotionally upset. He chuckled, shook his head, and drove off.
“Stupid broad,” he mumbled and shot off down the street, leaving her far far behind.
Detria cried all the way home. She almost had several close call accidents, clouded by her teary vision and her broken heart. She’d yet again gotten herself involved with another man who didn’t care about her the way she cared about him, but she blamed herself for this one. She was stupid and dumb to get involved with both Hezekiah and Khalil anyway. She hated herself right now.
When she stopped at the traffic light, she hurriedly reached into her purse and pulled out the tiny round and pink single pill compact. She opened it with expertise using her one hand and leaned down, and put a big scoop of white powder underneath her longest fingernail and brought it up to her nose, and like magic the white substance disappeared. She shook her head from side to side as she felt the rush. Quickly she closed the compact and set it on her lap just as the light changed from red to green.
Her tears continued to pour, but she began to feel some calm as she sped down the cold, dark highway.
Her car phone rang. It was Skip. “What is it?” she said as soon as she pushed the answer button on her steering wheel.
“Where is my son?” he bellowed.
Detria had forgotten all about Elijah. He was still at her parents’ house where she left him after church.
“Uhhh, he’s at my parents,” she answered with much attitude.
“You were supposed to have him home hours ago. Bring him home. Now,” Skip ordered into the phone.
“I’m not bringing him anywhere. You want him. You go get him,” she screamed back and abruptly ended the call.
Skip called back several more times and each time, Detria hit the IGNORE button as her tears turned to laughter and she sped home.
Hours later, Xavier pulled into the driveway and hit the remote control to the three-car garage. He saw the black Toyota Prius parked to the side and wondered who could be at the house at this time of night.
“Ma, you got company or nah?” Xavier texted.
He pulled into the garage but his mother hadn’t responded. He called her on the phone. He didn’t want to walk in on any surprises. It wasn’t like he expected his mother to have some man up in the house, but he wanted to know for his own sake whose car that was before he just up and walked inside.
“Xavier, I was just about to answer your text. Where are you?”
“I’m about to come in the house. Whose ride is that?”
“It’s your uncle’s.”
“My who?”
“Stiles,” she giggled into the phone.
“Why is she all giggles?” he asked himself. “What’s he doing here at this time of night? It’s one thirty in the morning.
“He came to Memphis for a few days to try and see Hezekiah again, so I invited him to stay here. Anyway, come on in the house. Why are we talking on the phone if you’re downstairs?”
“Yeah, okay.” Xavier ended the call, hit the remote to let down the garage, and walked inside the door leading into the kitchen from the garage.
He stopped to get himself a cold bottle of water out of the fridge but opted for pouring himself a tall glass of sweet tea when he saw his mother had made a pitcher. He took off up the stairs, two at a time, and headed toward his room.
“Xavier,” his mother said, peeping her head out of her bedroom door. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Why you ask that?” He turned around to face her.
“I haven’t seen you since this morning at church. Out with friends?” she asked curiously, stepping into the hall with folded arms dressed in a pink sleeveless gown that rested right above her knees.
“Yeah, I was with some friends,” he quickly answered like he didn’t want to get into a conversation about it. “Anyway, good night, Ma.”
“Goodnight, Zay,” she said and went back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Xavier took a shower and prepared himself for bed. He had a long, fulfilling day and he was ready to lay it down. For the first time in a while, he had been able to let loose and put aside some of the things that had been troubling in his life. He was especially glad that the drug case was over and done with because he felt he could move on with his life. It was a new norm for him because he wasn’t going to be at Xavier University like he had dreamed and he wasn’t going to be with Raymone like he once thought, but hanging with Eliana, her twin brother, Ian and some other people from Holy Rock, had made him feel that maybe he could have a rewarding, successful life right where he was, at least for the time being.
He wasn’t expecting to meet Ian, but when another girl in the group asked Eliana if she wanted to join them for a late lunch after church, Eliana accepted and asked if she could bring her brother along. Of course, no one had objections about that; the more the merrier. About ten of them went out to eat and from there they spent the rest of the evening together. Eliana invited everybody to come over to her house to play some board games. Out of the ten of them five accepted her invitation and the others said they already had other plans. Xavier was one of those who accepted her invitation.
Eliana had a one-bedroom apartment that was cute and quaint. Everyone gathered in her cramped living room on the floor and laughed, talked, and played Monikers, a fun board game followed by a couple rounds of Uno Deluxe.
By ten o’clock everyone was saying goodnight because most had to work the following Monday morning.
Ian and Xavier hit it off almost immediately when Eliana introduced them to each other. They laughed, talked, and had fun playing the board games and cards. They left out with the rest of the party.
“It was nice meeting you,” Xavier told Ian. Both of them were shy, which was apparent in the soft tone of their voices. Standing outside in the cold air, they continued to make small talk.
“It was nice meeting you too. My sister is usually a good judge of character, so when she told me she had someone she wanted me to meet I felt like she would be cool.”
“She?” Xavier frowned.
Ian laughed. “Yeah. She’s always trying to set me up with some girl or other, but this time, well this time, it wasn’t a girl…it was you.” He looked at Xavier and then quickly looked away.
Xavier remained quiet. “Your sister seems cool. I haven’t talked to her that much. I see her at Holy Rock but she’s my brother’s admin so she doesn’t have to do much for me. But today I saw her in a whole new light. She’s funny and actually very likeable.”
“Yep, that’s Eliana for you. I’m not as open as she is. I know we’re twins, but people aren’t drawn to me the same way they seem drawn to her. She meets no strangers.” Ian chuckled.
“Yeah, my brother is like that too. He’s the senior pastor of Holy Rock, Pastor Khalil McCoy. I’m amazed at how he gets up there Sunday after Sunday and preaches, and then he’s so charismatic and people love him.”
“I guess we have our own good qualities,” Ian said. “For instance, you’re funny yourself. I had a good time tonight watching you laugh and have fun. And when we were partners on one of the games, that was fun.”
“Yeah, it was,” Xavier said. “You live close by?” he asked Ian.
“I live in this same complex, on the other end and closer to the leasing office. What about you? Where do you live?”
“I’m still at home with my mother. My father had a stroke and he’s in a nursing home, so she’s in that big house all alone, well, except I live there with her, you know. It’s about thirty minutes from here, closer to Holy Rock but on the other side.”
“Cool.”
“You wanna have a nightcap before you strike out for home?” offered Ian. “And by nightcap I mean coffee, soda or hot chocolate.” He smiled and showed off a perfect set of pearly white teeth. “I don’t drink, except on very special occasions,” he clarified.
“Neither do I,” said Xavier. “Umm, that’s something we have in common.” He smiled.
“Okay, hop in your car and follow me.”
They arrived at Ian’s apartment in less than three minutes. He lived in an upstairs unit just like Eliana. Ian unlocked the door to his apartment and ushered his new friend inside allowing him to freely look around the six hundred and fifty square foot space.
Ian’s apartment was about the same size and layout of his sister’s. It was perfectly designed and the layout was welcoming and masculine with pops of color and quaint pieces of art lining the walls.
“Nice place,” Xavier complimented. “I can’t wait to move into my own space.”
“You prefer hot chocolate, soda, water, or coffee?”
“A bottle of water and some hot chocolate would be right on time.”
“Okay, hot chocolate coming up, with whip cream on top and a bottled water,” Ian said and laughed then offered him a seat on the sofa in the living room, which flowed into the open kitchen area.
Xavier sat down and continued to look around.
“What’s holding you up?”
“Huh?”
“What’s keeping you from moving into your own spot? Ian asked.
“I don’t know. I think I’m using my mother being alone as an excuse, and then I thought I would be away from Memphis by this time.”
“Away where?”
“New Orleans.”
“The Big Easy, huh? Doing what?” replied Ian.
“I was going to attend Xavier University this fall.”
“Oh, yea. What happened?” Ian asked with genuine curiosity.
Xavier gave him a shortened version of his reasons for not attending the college.
“Well, like I’m sure you’ve heard a ton of times, all things happen for a reason.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard it more than I care to hear it.”
“Here you go,” Ian said, bringing the cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and bottled water to Xavier on a small serving tray.
“Thanks,” Xavier said, reaching for the tray and setting it on the table in front of him.
They talked while both of them sipped on hot chocolate and cold water. It was after one a.m. before Xavier and Ian parted ways with promises to see each other again real soon.