Talise was in high spirits when she went to work on Monday. She didn’t care about the stares, the gossips, or the fake concern from other employees. It was no longer her battle; she had given her life over to Jesus. Nothing could steal her joy of redemption—not even Kendall.
“Girl, I knew something was up with you,” her coworker, Kendall, said when Talise broke the news. They were idle and waiting for customers.
“Yep.” Talise’s mind was somewhere else.
Although no longer hoping for Ace to come to his senses, Talise wasn’t sure that anything serious would develop between her and the gorgeous, charismatic Minister Thomas. It was encouraging that a man found her attractive while she was pregnant—and with another man’s child—no less.
Any other time, Kendall’s remarks, opinions, and backstabbing comments would grate on her nerves. Not today. She and her baby were doing fine in Jesus. Thank you very much, Lord, she said in her heart.
“I will keep you in perfect peace with your mind stayed on Me,” the Lord responded from Isaiah 26:3.
Talise was thrilled when the Scripture came to her mind. Hours later, Gabrielle strolled through the airport terminal with an extra pep in her step. She carried a small gift bag in one hand. When she made it to Talise’s side, Gabrielle placed the gift on the counter.
“For you,” she said with a wide grin. “You are free to move around the cabin.”
Kendall peeped over Talise’s shoulder. “You’re getting baby shower gifts already?”
Gabrielle mouthed, she knows?
Talise nodded and shrugged.
Gabrielle spoke up. “Actually, this is a gift for Talise’s new birth. I’m sure she talked to you about her experience with Christ. Now she’s a new creature in Christ Jesus. Check it out in Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17 …” She rattled off the passages to Kendall.
What a memory. That was going to be Talise’s goal—to know her Scriptures like that. Last night, she couldn’t read enough of her Bible before she dozed off. Then Sinclaire woke her, begging for the good news. From the Persian Gulf, her sister praised Jesus for what He had done all the way in America.
When Talise felt Gabrielle slightly bump her, she refocused on what her friend was saying. “That ought to keep Miss Thing busy.”
Logging off, Talise gathered her purse and gift. “Thank you,” she said through misty eyes. Besides Sandra’s madness when she shopped for her, this was the second gift she had received since Ace had been gone. He used to lavish her with presents constantly, just because.
“It’s a small token, a salvation gift, to encourage your walk with Jesus.” They briefly hugged and then Talise left so she wouldn’t miss her bus home.
Her apartment, she thought of the third roommate at home. Besides the clutter, her loud, shrieking voice, and untidiness in the kitchen, Myra wasn’t that bad. She could be worse.
Talise sighed, getting on the bus and settling into a seat. About three stops later, Minister Thomas called her.
“Hello, Sister Talise, how was your day?” His voice was deep, but compared to Ace’s, it didn’t make the mark. Still, it was baritone enough to give a woman goose bumps.
“Good. I’ve been happy in Jesus all day. And a friend at work gave me a ‘salvation gift.’ She said it was something to encourage me.”
“I can’t let her outdo me,” he said.
Talise rolled her eyes. She hoped he wasn’t a man who did things to out-best someone else. She liked things that came from a person’s heart, like Ace—she caught herself.
“Richard, please don’t buy me any gifts. I need a friend and a listening ear, not a Sugar Daddy.”
His roar of laughter made her blush. “I’ve never been called that before. A Sugar Daddy. Hmm,” he repeated with a hearty chuckle. “I wouldn’t disrespect you or God. Your friend was very thoughtful. I was only teasing you.”
Talise felt bad for scolding him.
“One thing for sure, no matter how hard we try, we can’t beat God giving us anything.”
Closing her eyes, Talise smiled to herself. She liked him talking about Jesus. Rubbing her stomach, she hoped to wake her baby. It worked.
“I stand corrected.”
“You stand to be appreciated,” Minister Thomas assured her.
They chatted until she reached her bus stop. He told her to be safe. “Call me for anything, whether it’s to explain a Scripture, because you’re hungry, or simply for company. I’ll make myself available.”
“I will. Thank you.”
She grinned at the thought that she could thank her ex’s mother for introducing her to Minister Thomas. Talise wondered how Sandra felt about her going out with the minister. She did say more than once she wanted to be Talise’s friend.
Well, even friends get tested, she thought. Then, just a few minutes later, she was put to the test. When Talise walked into her apartment, she discovered that Myra had left a sink full of dirty dishes instead of loading them into the dishwasher. She and Lois never let that happen.
Talise needed to talk with Lois about their “temporary” roommate. However, she knew she wasn’t in a position to complain because Myra was paying a portion of their monthly rent.
Hungry, she changed quickly and then tackled the task of cleaning up behind Myra before she could cook something to eat. An hour and a half later, Talise had prepared enough salad for all of them, along with baked chicken breasts, roasted potatoes, and warm rolls.
When she finished devouring her meal with a tall glass of milk, Talise showered. Afterward, she slipped into her pajamas and grabbed her Bible, remembering one of the passages Gabrielle had fired off to Kendall.
After being physically satisfied, now she was hungry for the Word. Talise couldn’t believe she had read five chapters before closing her Bible. Some of the passages she had read off and on before but had never got the understanding she had now. Truly amazed at the transformation that had taken place in her life, she whispered, “Thank You, Jesus.”
Lois and Myra strolled through the door as Talise left her bedroom to get a fruit snack from the kitchen.
“Hey, church girl,” Lois teased.
“It’s Sister Talise to you.” She teasingly scrunched up her nose and then nodded at Myra.
“I smell food.” Myra dumped her purse and blazer on a nearby chair and rubbed her empty stomach.
Talise exchanged glances with Lois, who shook her head not to say anything. “I made enough dinner for all of us. I’m getting a snack.”
“Cool. I’ll have some of everything,” Myra said.
Talise sliced her apples and washed grapes. She topped it off with a dab of cream cheese dip. When she headed back to her room, Lois trailed behind her.
Checking over her shoulder to make sure Myra was occupied with piling food on her plate, Lois whispered, “How was I supposed to know she was an undercover ‘junkie’? At work, she’s as neat as a manicured lawn. Five and a half months to go. Just count them down.”
“I’m counting down seventeen weeks before my baby arrives, then I’ll be back on my feet soon after that.”
“Or married, if this Minister Ricky has his way. After you told me what he said …” Lois wiggled a brow.
“He does have a lot going for him, with good looks, the right attitude, and a good rep.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” They exchanged high fives.
Suddenly Myra walked up behind them with her hand up in the air. “Me too,” she chimed in.
Talise high fived her too. When Lois steered Myra in the direction of the kitchen, Talise closed her door. Grabbing her phone, she settled on top of her comforter and called Sandra.
“Talise, I was going to call you. How’s the first day of being a new saint in Christ going?”
“Amazing.” She chuckled and then remembered Gabrielle’s gift. Getting up to retrieve it, Talise reached into the bag and pulled out a small box. In it, she discovered a snow globe with a pair of praying hands inside. Smiling, she carefully removed it, shook it, and held it up to the light.
“So how was dinner?” Sandra asked.
“I didn’t know if you were going to bring it up or tiptoe around it,” Talise said honestly. “I’ve been wondering how you felt about Minister Thomas asking me out.”
Sandra sighed and didn’t respond right away. “The flesh was upset, but my spirit overrode it. Your life is in God’s hands. He wants the best for you and He knows what that means. Whatever it is, I want that for you too. Just promise me one thing.”
Talise held her breath. This could be the moment their friendship ended if she switched personalities on her. “What is it?”
“If Richard turns out to be the man whom God has for you—and I know he is a good man—please don’t keep my grandchild from me.”
Talise’s eyes misted. This woman was truly an example of Christ. She was showing no bias or favoritism on behalf of her son. Like God, Sandra showed no respect of persons. Talise had read that in Romans 2:11. Her opinion of Sandra just moved up a notch.
At that moment, the conversation made Talise question her feelings toward Myra. The woman may not be as tidy as she and Lois, but Myra was helping Talise out. She would definitely have to try harder.
“My child will know the wonderful woman she or he has for a grandmother,” she told Sandra with a sober tone.
Once the ice was broken, they talked about the previous day’s preaching and the baby.
“Hey, guess who’s coming to town next weekend?”
Lord, don’t play. Ace is out of the picture, right? “Who?”
“Eva and the girls. You know Eva is a shopaholic after my own heart. She talked Kidd into needing a shopping spree. They also want you to do their hair, if you feel up to it.”
“I’ll check my client load.” She had so much fun with the Jamieson wives. “Is Grandma BB coming too?” Talise still didn’t know what to make of that complex woman.
“She might be. Eva didn’t know if that’s the weekend she’s renting herself out as a grandma.”
“What?” Talise laughed, startling her baby. She rubbed her stomach.
“Yeah, Eva says she has a franchise where clients contact her for babysitting services from women over sixty. Her marketing strategy is that seniors have more patience than younger women.”
“Hmm. I could see that.”
“She orders a background check, drug test, and credit history on every candidate. If they pass all of that, the women are also required to have gray hair, whether it’s theirs or not. To complete the criteria, every woman has to own at least one pair of Stacy Adams shoes. Otherwise, they can’t work for her,” Sandra told Talise.
“That woman is a character.”
“Yeah, and I want to have her energy and fun when I’m her age.”
After getting off the subject of Grandma BB, they returned to the matter of the hair appointments. “Okay, I’ll try and fit them in around my regular clients, but I won’t be held responsible if I give somebody blonde hair.”
They laughed. Since Sandra was now a regular, high-paying customer, Talise knew what hair products to use on her. For the others, she would rely on the products she already has on hand. It’d take time to really assess their hair. That would have to come later.
“It will be nice to see them again, especially since it sounds like I’m going to miss out on the shopping spree.”
“Humph. You’re probably glad about that! What if I come next Friday? That would be less people on Saturday.”
“That may work.” When Talise yawned, Sandra hurried her off the phone so Talise could get some rest.
The next day at work, Talise thanked Gabrielle for her gift when she came in early. “I really appreciate the praying hands. It’s a lovely gift.”
They hugged and Gabrielle told her, “Remember, if you keep your hands together, you’ll have strength to make it through anything. Now you are free to move around the cabin.”
“I’ll remember that. By the way, if you have time, call me when you get a chance. I want to tell you something.”
“Will do.” Gabrielle said and waved goodbye.
Since Talise had driven to work, she decided to walk to the neighborhood park later that evening for her exercise. She was sitting on the bench when Gabrielle called. Talise filled her in on the dinner with the minister. She told her about his daily phone calls with a Scripture for her to meditate on, accompanied by his commentary.
“I’m honored that you’ve allowed me to be in your circle of friends. Now allow me to give you my opinion, not advice.”
Talise listened.
“You loved Ace, and you haven’t had closure. You still need that. You told me that he called you once—”
“And it wasn’t a good conversation. Every word became colder.”
“Oh, we need to pray for him, Talise.”
“I know. I’m asking God to help me with that, but when I think of Ace, it’s synonymous with hurt, betrayal, and desertion.”
She told Gabrielle how Sandra had treated her warmly when she knew Talise had dinner with another man.
As she listened to Talise’s testimony, Gabrielle whispered, “Thank You, Jesus.”
When she finished talking, Gabrielle brought the subject of Ace back into the discussion. “This minister sounds like a wonderful man who is willing to step in where Ace stepped out. In a perfect world, you and Ace would patch things up and move forward with a happy ending. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen.”
“You sound as if you are about to cry over a man you’ve never met.”
“I’m a romantic. I believe God can make fairy tales come true. I was hoping Ace would come to his senses.”
Talise stood and began to walk back to her apartment as the sun was setting. Before they disconnected, Gabrielle had one last thing to say. “It’s easier to replace people when they’re out of sight, out of mind, and seemingly out of a person’s heart.”
In the back of her mind, Talise had an uneasy feeling about her friend’s words.