LITMIR.BIZ

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because I thought it was pretty neat. But then I decided he wouldn’t care that her name was Angela Gabriel and that she likes being called Angel, like the angel Gabriel. When I first met Angela and she told me that, I thought she was joking. But her last name really is Gabriel and most folks really do call her Angel Gabriel.

      “The wedding is shaping up to be a major production, although the bride-to-be has done a lot of the work herself,” I said. “But I would love to own an event planning business, not just planning weddings but all types of events, and do it full time.”

      Marcus pulled into a parking space beneath a lamppost, then turned off the ignition. I could see him clearly now with the light shining down on us. He turned toward me. “Then I think you should seriously pursue it.” He smiled, and that’s when I saw them. Dimples.

      I don’t know why I’d never noticed his dimples before. I love dimples. And on top of everything (gorgeous eyes, dimples, and his going to church with me), he—unlike Cass—genuinely listened to me when I talked. He got out of the car, walked around to my side, and opened the door for me just as he had when he picked me up. And even though I was fully capable of getting in and out of a car by myself, I graciously took his proffered hand. He had the gift of making me feel special. He treated me like I was royalty or something. No man had ever opened a car door for me before. But then again, we independent women can have a way of shutting a true gentleman down.

      I couldn’t help but thank God at this point. Here I was with a man who actually listened, seemed to genuinely care, and was not bad on the eyes at all. So far, so good.

      Yet, there is one rule I have found, and it has proved itself time and time again with accuracy, at least in my life, no matter how clichéd it is. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

      But tonight—tonight I’ve decided to suspend all negative thoughts and judgments and just see where this takes me.

      For tonight. And tomorrow…well, tomorrow is yet another day.

      Chapter 4

      That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

      —John 17:21

      Bible study was really good. Pastor Landris has been teaching everyone in the main sanctuary as opposed to the break-out sessions we normally have. He began a study three weeks ago on “Who we are in Christ.” So even though I’m really busy these days, between my job and putting together this wedding, I’m determined not to miss even one lesson. Tapes and CDs are good, but there’s nothing like being there in person.

      “That was a powerful illustration your pastor gave tonight,” Marcus said as we rode to my house. “The way he had that large envelope with the word ‘God’ on the outside, then pulling out a smaller envelope with the word ‘Jesus’ on it.”

      “Wasn’t that great! Oh, I loved that, too!” I matched his tone of excitement. “And when Pastor Landris pulled out that even smaller envelope from inside the envelope with ‘Jesus’ on it, with the word ‘Me,’ and he said that the ‘Me’ was us, I knew it was going to be on then.”

      “I’ve never seen anything like that before. Everybody was sitting on the edge of their seats, literally, including me, waiting to see how he was going to bring all of that together.” Marcus alternated his gaze between me and the road. I was thankful he was keeping his eyes on the road more than on me, specifically since he was so excited.

      “I knew tonight was going to be good! That’s why I love Pastor Landris, and I hate to miss his teachings. He brings the Word in such a way that even the children get it.”

      “I saw those children’s eyes totally fixed on him as he spoke. And the teenagers, my goodness. They were standing up, giving high fives to each other, and praising God.”

      “I know. I saw them. But they’re always like that with Pastor Landris. He’s so good at getting across his message.”

      “Yes, I love how Pastor Landris held up that envelope with the word ‘God’ on it that second time, pulled out the envelope with the word ‘Jesus,’ then started teaching out of John seventeen, twenty-one through twenty-three, visually showing how Jesus abides in God and how when we accept Jesus, we abide in Him by pulling out the ‘Me’ envelope. And if Pastor Landris had stopped right there, that would have been enough for us to chew on for the rest of the week. But then he went and pulled out that card with the word ‘Holy Spirit’ from inside the envelope that said ‘Me’ to show how the Holy Spirit was now in ‘Me’ as ‘Me’ abides in Jesus as ‘Jesus’ abides in ‘God.’ Oh, man.” Marcus slapped the steering wheel with his hand. “That was too awesome! I thought I was going to get up and start running around the sanctuary myself, giving out my own high fives!”

      “And then Pastor Landris flipped the script to show that when Satan or an enemy comes at me, how they have to go through God, through Jesus, just to get to me.” I couldn’t help but grin, thinking about that. “And even then, should my enemies happen to get to me, I still have the Holy Spirit and Jesus inside me. Oh, that was so powerful!”

      “You’re right. That was powerful. He had us all on our feet when it reached that point. I’m going to tell you, I’ve never heard so much praise and shouting in my life. Y’all know how to have church!” Marcus continued to shift his gaze between me and the highway. “I enjoyed myself. Thank you so much for inviting me. Oh, wow! I had an awesome time.”

      Marcus tightened his grip on the steering wheel, then relaxed with a smile across his face. “It’s only eight-fifty. How about we get something to eat?”

      I nodded. “Sounds good to me,” I said. I hadn’t eaten anything since a banana I had during my morning break. I had skipped lunch trying to play catch-up on my errands due to the time I’d lost last night when I took Nae-nae’s mother to the grocery store.

      Marcus stopped at my favorite fast-food place, and I got my usual double-decker hamburger with melted Swiss cheese, sautéed onions, and mushrooms. There was no reason to give him a false impression of me by going for a salad I didn’t really want. He got the same double-decker, only with bacon. We decided to get our orders to go, which worked out perfectly. It gave us a chance to talk in private at my apartment while we ate.

      “So, tell me about yourself.” I took a bite of my hamburger and chewed as I listened.

      “Well, let’s see. I’m twenty-nine. My family moved from Dallas to Birmingham when I was five, and I’ve been here every since.”

      “Do you have any sisters and brothers?”

      He took a big bite of his burger. Barbecue sauce gushed out onto his fingers. He took his napkin and wiped the sauce off. I couldn’t help but think what a waste of good sauce. I’d have just licked it off my fingers and kept going. That’s when it tastes its best.

      “I have two sisters and two brothers,” he said after he swallowed. “I’m the knee baby, which, growing up, could be quite interesting at times.” He bit into his burger again.

      “Do they still live here?” I asked.

      “No.” He chewed, then swallowed hard. “My sisters married and moved away. My older brother is in the military so he moves around a bit. And my baby brother is incarcerated.” The tone in his voice dropped when he spoke of his younger brother.

      I dabbed both corners of my mouth daintily with my paper napkin. “I’m sorry to hear about your baby brother.”

      “Yeah, me too. We were close growing up, so it makes it doubly hard. It was drug related, of course. I tell you, I wish our people would wake up and see how this drug stuff is destroying our families, our communities, and enslaving our men, especially our young men,” he said. “So what about you? Do you have any siblings?”

      I smiled. “I have an older brother. I’m the baby.”

      “Oh, so that must mean you’re

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