Delilah spent most of the week filling out job applications. Although William begged her to stay at Trusts Enterprise, Delilah had given him her written resignation. In return, he gave her a nice nest egg to tide her over until another job came along. She wanted to repair her relationship with God, and cutting ties with William and his company was one way to start.
It was a beautiful Friday morning, so she gathered up her laptop and decided to sit on her porch to surf the Internet for a job. An unfamiliar car pulled up in front of her house. A man dressed in a police uniform strode up her walkway. She immediately put her laptop down on the side and stood up. “May I help you?”
“Are you Delilah Baker?” he asked.
“Yes,” she responded.
The man handed her a sheet of paper. “You’ve been served.”
Delilah looked down at the paper. “What in the world? What’s this?”
“Ma’am, the information is on the paper.”
Delilah read the paper, and before she finished, the process server was back in his car. “Ain’t this a blip?” Delilah retrieved her cell phone from her purse and called Keisha. “You’re never going to believe this. Samson has filed a restraining order against me and has banned me from coming to the church.”
Even Keisha was caught off guard. “Delilah, I don’t know what to tell you. Leave them people alone. You’re always welcome to come to my church.”
“It’s that wife of his. I bet she’s behind this.”
“Now, Delilah, don’t go doing anything crazy.”
“Oh, he ain’t seen crazy yet.” Delilah ended the call with Keisha. She could no longer concentrate on looking for a new job. She picked up the laptop and the paper she had just gotten from the process server and went into her house.
Later that evening, Delilah drove by the church. She saw Samson’s car in the parking lot and kept driving. She drove to his house. Julia’s car was parked outside. Delilah laughed out loud at the thought of how Samson had tried to outsmart her but failed. The restraining order required Delilah to stay clear of the church, but Julia’s name wasn’t mentioned in the document.
Delilah pulled off her sunshades and placed them on the dashboard. She exited her car like a woman on a mission. She rang the doorbell and waited, purposely turning her back toward the peephole.
“May I help you?” Julia answered the door.
Delilah slowly turned around. “Me and you have something to talk about.”
“You’re not supposed to be here.” Julia blocked the entranceway.
“I already know Samson’s not here. I saw his SUV at the church.”
“Well, he’ll be here any minute. I just got off the phone with him.”
“Then it’s to your advantage that we hurry up and talk.”
“Delilah, I don’t have all day to play with you.”
“Oh, you think this is a game. Whose idea was it to put a restraining order out against me?”
Julia smiled. She folded up her arms. “It was my baby’s. I wished I would have come up with the idea though, and we would have been rid of you long before now.”
“Go ahead and smile now, but don’t forget that I know a little secret, a secret neither one of you would want to get out.”
Delilah turned to walk away. “Wait!” Julia said.
Smiling, Delilah turned back around. “So can I come in? These heels weren’t meant for standing.”
Julia moved from the entranceway and Delilah walked in. She followed Julia to the kitchen. “I was cooking. You talk. I’ll cook.”
Delilah sat down and watched what could have easily been a good friend, but Julia had determined the state of their relationship the moment she told Samson she would marry him. “What happened to the baby you had when you were sixteen?” Delilah asked.
“Frankly, it’s none of your business.”
Delilah crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “Does Samson know about this baby? I can wait around, and we can tell him together,” Delilah threatened.
“If it’ll get you out of here, fine. I’ll tell you.”
“I knew we could work together.”
In a monotone voice, Julia explained her past. “I was too young. My parents thought it was best.”
“You’ve been selfish all your life. Just like your husband.”
Julia slammed the oven mitt down on the counter. “Don’t go judging me.”
“I’m not like you, Julia. I never judged you in the sense that you judged me. You and your buddies always tried to make me feel inferior, like you were all that and here I was a measly sinner without hope for redemption. But thank Jesus I know about His grace and mercy and that in His eyes we’ve all sinned and fallen short.”
“Now that you’ve had your come-to-Jesus moment, you can leave.” Julia put back on the oven mitt and removed a pan covered with foil from the oven.
“I wonder what would happen if you accidentally burned yourself.”
Julia looked at Delilah. Delilah laughed. “You’re crazy, you know that.”
“No, Julia. You haven’t seen crazy yet.” Delilah winked her eye. She stood up and said before leaving, “Tell your husband I stopped by. And your secret”—she paused—“it’s safe with me—for now.”