Two Weeks Later

NEARLY FOUR hundred miles of roadway lay between Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia, but Josiah shifted the gears and enjoyed the smooth ride as his high performance sports car jetted down I-85 South. It was Saturday, just after twelve noon, and the traffic had been very cooperative so far. He was more than halfway there, kept alert by the music that blasted through his car speakers, the bottle of Coca-Cola that stood in his beverage holder, and the seven hours of sound sleep he’d been graced with last night. It was the first night of uninterrupted slumber that Josiah had gotten in quite awhile.

By the time he finished teaching the software workshop to the executives at Moniker, he had already resigned to the fact that the trip to Atlanta was inevitable. Bishop Lumpkin had been praying that he go, Craig and Danielle had been encouraging him to go, and God had been ordering him to go. But everyone who knew Josiah Tucker knew that he did nothing without proper planning.

There were loose ends at work that needed to be tied. With his new promotion, came new responsibilities, and although he had earned the extended leave time, Josiah couldn’t just walk away without first making sure the work in his in-box was done. In an economy like this one, wherein job seekers were plentiful and employment opportunities were scarce, that was just too big of a risk to take, no matter how much of an asset he was to MacGyver.

His request for time off came with no explanation, and it had taken everyone by surprise. Within two hours of the submission of his formal written request, word began sweeping through the office that industry competition was courting Josiah for positions in their corporations. Josiah had no doubt of who had started the rumor.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lillian had claimed when he stood at her desk and confronted her about the gossip. She’d tried to look innocent, but her corrective lenses seemed to magnify the guilt in her eyes.

And Mickey apparently thought there was some truth to the rumor because he looked increasingly nervous as Josiah’s leave time neared. Off and on throughout the past two weeks, he’d asked Josiah a million and one questions.

“Is everything okay? Is there anything that you want to talk to me about, Josiah? Your office … is it to your complete liking? Are you satisfied with the benefits package that came with your promotion? Josiah, you’d tell me if there was a problem, wouldn’t you?” Mickey was sweating bullets, and he was bordering on looking terrified when Josiah walked out of the office yesterday evening without working his normal overtime.

“He’s scared because he knows if you leave here, his two-year marriage to Mrs. Money Grubber will be over in a flash,” Lillian whispered while they walked together to the parking lot. “Everybody knows that Barbie doll married him for his money. Even he knows it. I mean, look at her and look at him. If Mr. Colt wasn’t the head man at MacGyver, she would have never given him a second look. I hear she’s got another man—her personal trainer, no lesson the side. I guess she took a lesson from that basketball star’s wife. Her personal trainer is doing more than just keeping her physically fit, if you know what I mean. You best believe that the only reason why Mr. Colt trumps this other man is because his paycheck has more zeroes on it.”

One of these days, Josiah reasoned within himself, he would do the Christian thing and stop Lillian’s gossiping rants. But today wasn’t the day. His eyes urged her to continue, and she did.

“The way I understand it, there is a clause in the will regarding who heads this Fortune 500 company. Mr. MacGyver was old, but he wasn’t nobody’s fool. He wasn’t about to just up and leave the business he spent his life building in the hands of just anybody and let them run it into the ground. If the business starts losing money, or if its integrity is put in question, Mrs. MacGyver has the legal right to take it away and pass it to the next oldest living male relative.”

Josiah wondered how Lillian knew all of this, but he didn’t ask.

“If Mr. Colt loses you, he loses this company. If he loses this company, he loses his bank account. If he loses his bank account, he loses his trophy wife.” She finally took a breath and looked over the rims of her glasses at Josiah as they prepared to get into their separate vehicles. With a finger pointed in his direction, she said, “You need to ask for a raise, Mr. Tucker. You’re sitting on a gold mine. You’re worth more than you know.”

Even now, Josiah laughed at the thought of it all. If nothing else, Lillian Wilkes made MacGyver Technologies a more interesting place of employment. Whether her words regarding the extent of his value were fact or fiction, he didn’t know. But quite frankly, he wasn’t brave enough right now to flex his muscles and find out. He was plenty satisfied with his biweekly paycheck. There was no need to push the envelope.

The sounds of Myron Butler’s song “Stronger” rang out from the console where his cell phone rested, indicating that he had an incoming call. Josiah lowered the volume of his radio, checked the caller ID screen, and then pressed the button on the Bluetooth that was already attached to his ear.

“What’s up, Craig?”

“Hey, JT. Where you at?” Craig sounded like he’d just awakened, which was very possible. He always slept late on Saturdays.

Josiah looked around for a sign that would tell him exactly what city he was in, but didn’t see one. Glancing at his GPS screen, he said, “Still on I-85 South, all I know. The bulk of the ride is on this stretch. All total, I have to do about 360 miles on it. Got about another 120 to go before I merge onto 75 South.”

Through a yawn, Craig asked, “You’ll basically be there by the time you do that, right?”

Josiah nodded his head like his friend could see him. “Once I get on 75, I’ll pretty much be in the center of Atlanta. It’s just a matter of finding what I’m looking for after that.”

“I still can’t believe you didn’t fly,” Craig said. “Ain’t no way I would’ve driven seven hours when I could have flown.”

“It’s six hours, and I’m making good time. The traffic and the weather are perfect, so I’ll easily shave thirty or forty minutes off of what the GPS estimated at the start of the trip.”

Craig laughed. “Traffic and weather nothing. You’re probably driving like somebody crazy, and that’s why you’re making good time.”

“That too.” Glancing at the speedometer, Josiah laughed with him, and at the same time checked his side and rearview mirrors for any signs of police cars sneaking up from behind. Since the economy took a nosedive, they seemed to have a greater presence on the highway. Probably needed to write more tickets, to bring in more money, and help save their precinct from having to downsize.

“That’s still too long of a drive, if you ask me,” Craig said.

“I didn’t ask you,” Josiah replied in sarcasm. “Like I told you before, I’m driving because I don’t know how long or how short my stay will be. I would have had to purchase a one-way ticket to fly to Atlanta, and then another one-way ticket to fly back home.”

“And?” Craig challenged. “It’s not like you can’t afford it.”

Josiah rolled his eyes. “That’s not the point. I’m gonna need a car to get around while I’m in Atlanta anyway.”

“That’s what places like Avis, Hertz, and Enterprise are for. You’ve been sleep deprived for weeks. Driving probably wasn’t the safest choice.”

“I slept just fine last night, and why rent a car when I have a perfectly good one that I can drive?” Josiah asked. He wasn’t at all fooled by Craig’s feigned concern. “You just wanted me to leave my car at home so you could drive it while I’m away.”

“Don’t see it as me driving it,” Craig said. “I would have been babysitting it until you returned.”

Josiah laughed.

“Come on, man,” Craig pressed. “Everybody can’t make the kind of dough that pays for an Audi. Not an R8 anyway. Have mercy on a brotha.”

Josiah laughed harder. “You’re a nut. It’s not like it’s a half-million dollar set of wheels. A hundred ten can put you behind the wheel of one of these, one fifty if you get the additional perks that I have.”

“Are you trying to make me cuss?” Craig blurted. “I teach high school, JT. Granted, dealing with knuckleheaded children that have only been half raised ought to pay enough for me to ride pretty like that without it being a weight on my wallet, but it doesn’t. Teaching is a job you do for love, not for money. Compared to you, I pretty much work pro bono. A hundred fifty thousand dollars on a car? Man, you must be on crack if you …”

Josiah inhaled and tightened his jaws as he heard Craig’s voice trail. Even before Craig said anything, Josiah knew he hadn’t meant it in a cruel way, but simple things like that were tender spots with him.

“Sorry,” Craig said. “You know I wasn’t trying to make a joke about your—”

“I know,” Josiah said, exhaling. Why did his mother have to be a crackhead? Why did she have to be a prostitute? Why did she have to make his life so complicated? Why did she have to die?

A brief silence lapsed before Craig changed the subject entirely “So were you able to get any clues as to where your foster folks live?”

The song that was streaming from his speakers now was one that Josiah didn’t particularly care for, so he turned off the radio. Then lending Craig his full attention once again, he answered, “No. But once I get into the city, I’ll map my way to Decatur; that was the area where they were when I lived with them. I figure that if I can find my way to the old house, I stand a chance of talking to the current tenants, or maybe some of the neighbors. It’s been a long time, but I’m sure everybody hasn’t moved out of the neighborhood. Somebody there should know where my parents … I mean, the Smiths moved to.”

“Well, keep me up to date on what’s what,” Craig requested. “Me and Dani have a date to scout out some florists this afternoon. Seems kind of early to be picking out flowers to me, but she says it’s not.”

“You’re about seven months out now,” Josiah observed. “I’m pretty sure she’s on track. Brides probably know these things. She’s probably going by some book that tells her when to do what. Time flies, Craig. It’ll be December before you know it.”

“I know.” Josiah could tell Craig was smiling. “My dad told me to just roll with it, so that’s what I’m doing. The wedding day is her day, so I’m gonna let her have it. Whatever it takes to get to the honeymoon.”

Josiah chuckled. “So the day is hers, but the night is yours?”

“There you go.”

Josiah laughed some more. He could always count on Craig for a good humor break. “I’m gonna feel like a third wheel once you guys tie the knot.” It wasn’t the first time he’d thought about how their friendship might change. Life decisions like marriage had a tendency to do that. “I’d better start getting used to not hanging with you so much, huh?”

“Nonsense,” Craig declared. “You’re my boy, and that’s not gonna change. Besides, who’s to say that you won’t be hooking up with somebody soon? Me and Dani would love to have another saved couple to hang out with.”

“Now you’re talking crazy,” Josiah said. “It’s not that simple to find Miss Right.”

“Women are a dime a dozen, JT.”

“If what I wanted were twelve women who, all total, didn’t equal to more than ten cents, you’d be right. But who wants a ‘dime a dozen’ woman? If that was all I required, I could have been hitched a long time ago. Between church and work, the crop is plentiful, but you were an eligible bachelor right along with me for a while. You know how hard it can be to find somebody special.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Craig said.

Josiah continued. “You were fortunate to find the right one. She’s got those three ingredients that we always talk about. Beautiful, brilliant, and Bible-believing. Danielle is a triple B, and that’s not easy to find. All the intriguing women I’ve been meeting lately have two out of three, and the one that they’re missing isn’t one that I’m willing to negotiate on.” He thought of Ana when he said that last part.

“Well, look on the bright side,” Craig responded. “You’re on your way to Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve never been there, but I hear that it’s about the churchiest city in the south. Dani’s cousin lives there, and he says there’s a church on every other corner, and the women there are in a class by themselves. They don’t call it Hotlanta for nothing. So if you can find beautiful, brilliant, and Bible-believing anywhere, you should be able to find it there.”

Josiah smiled. “Maybe. But I’m not gonna be down here long enough for all of that. I’m headed to Hotlanta to find my foster parents, not a woman.” He sighed. “I suppose when God is ready for me to settle down, He’ll lead me to her. In the meantime, I just need Him to lead me to Thomas and Joanne Smith.”

“So what’s your plan?” Craig asked. “I know you have one. You always do. You gonna try and drive straight to their old neighborhood once you’re in town?”

Josiah moved over one lane to allow a car that was too close on his bumper for comfort to pass. “I booked a room at the Hampton Inn in Stone Mountain, so I’m going to get checked in and get a little rest before doing anything else. I figured that since I didn’t know how long I’d be staying, I’d find nice, quiet accommodations that weren’t too pricey.”

“I’ll say it again,” Craig interjected. “It’s not like you can’t afford it.”

Josiah scowled. “Just because I have a few dollars doesn’t mean I’m gonna spend them unnecessarily.”

“Apparently,” Craig mumbled.

“Did you or did you not take the same Faithful Financial Fitness class that I took at the church? Didn’t you hear anything that was being said? We can have income today and don’t have an idea of our outcome tomorrow. God requires us to be good stewards and He—”

“Okay, JT, I hear you. I took the six-week-long class and have a certificate to prove it. I don’t need a refresher course from you. Fine … so you got a room at a Hampton Inn in Stone Mountain.”

Josiah shook his head from side to side. If Craig had ever been as poor as he had been at one time, maybe he’d understand why he was so careful with his money. “The area of Stone Mountain where I’ll be lodging is very near Decatur. I figured it would be convenient for me to do my searching during the day and get back to the hotel without any problem.”

“What are you gonna do if you find them?”

Josiah had given that probability a lot of thought over the past few days. “I’m hoping that they will welcome me back into their lives. A lot depends on that. I really need this. Bishop Lumpkin was right. Family is the missing link that has me feeling so disconnected and at times, broken. Mama robbed me of family twice. She didn’t mean to, God rest her soul. But she did. The first time was when she had the state take me from the Smiths, and the second was when she went off and got herself killed. I feel so lost. I can’t even explain what it feels like, but I feel lost and incomplete. The only time in my life that I ever felt like I belonged was when I was with the Smiths. I need to find them.”

After a few seconds of quiet, Craig said, “What if you don’t?”

That was a possibility that Josiah had tried not to think about as he prepared himself for his road trip. If he didn’t find Thomas and Joanne Smith, he didn’t know what he’d do. They were his last hope. Without them, the nightmares would continue, and he would keep being tormented by the dreadful childhood memories that always overshadowed the good ones.

Shifting gears and moving into the far left lane, Josiah’s answer was solemn. “I can’t even allow myself to deal with the possibility of failure. I have to find them. I don’t really have a choice here. God knows that I need to find them, and He’s got to help me do it.”