E love series box set, p.6
E Love Series Box Set, page 6
“I tell you what. If you can get here in the next fifteen minutes or so, I will call my next appointment, who happens to be my wife, and push our meeting back an hour. First Lady and I were meeting to pick some fabric, and I’m sure she would not mind sharing her time with the fabulous Mr. Marshall. Especially, since you are always at her beck and call,” Pastor Strong said with a throaty laugh.
“I’m on my way,” Steven said hanging up his phone and shifting his car in Drive. He knew God granted favor and grace to make the best of a dangerous situation by getting wise counsel.
Steven sped to Faith Temple Cathedral, breaking all kinds of driving laws. He asked the Lord to cover him from the police and sat in Pastor Roderick Prince Strong’s office ten minutes after he hung up from their call.
Pastor opened his side door to allow Steven to walk straight into his office. Steven, of course, felt grateful because he looked terrible and did not want Mrs. Boone to see the guilt on his face. Pastor greeted him with the usual man hug and stretched his hand towards the seat in front of his desk.
“By the look on your face, Steven, I know something is going on. What is it, my brother?” Pastor Strong affectionately called all of his men in the church, brother.
“There’s no good way to say this than to come out with it. I cheated on Priscilla. Pastor. The worst part: it’s with Crystal Shelley, my sister Emily’s best friend.”
“Oh, I see. So is this affair still going on?”
“No. Lord knows I have been regretting it every single day,” Steven cried out as a tear rolled down his cheek.
“First of all, let’s pray. Father, we thank You for Your divine wisdom and Your slowness of judgment. We pray You will send Your glory in this meeting, and set Your angels of mercy and grace ever before us. We trust You, and now we depend on You to make every crooked thing straight, and every wrong thing right, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
By the time the prayer ended, Steven cried like a hurt little boy. After a while, he pulled himself together and began to explain what happened and how it happened. Pastor Strong listened attentively, nodding his head as a sign of complete listening.
When Steven finished, Pastor Strong spoke.
“Steven, you must do everything in your power with the help of the Lord to make your marriage work. The fact you came to me is a sign you are now ready. Cleansing and God’s faithfulness to clean you comes after confession. Now, my brother what is your next move?”
“Scilla is at a retreat, and I know without a doubt she prepared to leave me. I kept watching her moving vigorously, and somehow I believe she knew. But knowing my wife, she would rip my gut out and leave me with my face in the mud. I cannot blame her because I know I betrayed her love and trust. I don’t want my marriage to be over.”
“So, my brother, you need to put on your knee pads for praying and your gloves for fighting the enemy whereas it concerns your marriage. You know she will have tons of questions, and you have to answer until her mind is content. Priscilla is a smart woman, Steven, and she may already know. You have to come clean before her. I feel like the Lord has already moved somehow, but you have to show her and Him you are ready to fight the good fight. You must prove what you have is an enduring love.”
“We do, and I am, Pastor, with everything in me. This affair, made me sick. I cannot keep food down. Every morning I’m sick. Every night I’m worried. And if you ask me, I have become a nervous wreck.”
“My brother, that’s how I felt when Destiny became pregnant. Could Priscilla or this other woman be expecting?”
“I know Crystal is not because I used protection, and I would not spill in her period. I tried to be protective as I cheated, but I know there is no such thing. Priscilla went to the doctor before she left and said everything went well. I felt like she lied. Oh, my! Could she be pregnant? Oh, God! Could I be having a baby?”
“No my brother. You couldn’t be, but your wife could,” Pastor Strong said, causing a tearful Steven to smirk, and then they both burst into laughter.
Pastor and Steven talked for another fifteen minutes and ended their meeting the same way it began, with a prayer. Although he felt so much better, he still needed to find a way to fix this mess and keep his family together.
After twenty minutes passed, Serafine gently picked Priscilla up by her arms so she could stand. After she steadied her, she led her towards her bed and ushered her to lie down. Then she pulled the covers over her and tucked her in, as a mother would do her child.
Serafine had always taken care of Priscilla, and it appeared nothing changed. Her sister’s keeper who now vowed distance would never keep them apart. Priscilla needed her, and with the baby coming, she would do everything in her power to be there for her.
It wasn’t long before Priscilla fell asleep. Serafine peered out of their window at the lake surrounded by fluorescent lights. Something else kept Priscilla from telling Steven about the baby, primarily if they never discussed having a baby. Why did she sense fear? What happened in their marriage? As Serafine analyzed the situation, she asked God to make things clear so she would know how the enemy was attacking them and could render specific prayer.
Serafine wondered if the reason Priscilla had asked her to buy Marshall Mortgage on paper, promising to explain everything later, connected somehow to this. Although she felt awkward doing it, she owed Priscilla because when everyone forgot about her, Priscilla cared enough to go beyond what friends do for one another. Serafine appreciated her, and even more, she loved Priscilla. As if her very own mother gave birth to her.
After remaining in meditation for a while, she rose to do rounds one last time before going to bed. These types of retreats always brought different women together with various situations, but no matter how many differences or circumstances presented, God could take care of them all.
Regina, almost asleep could barely contain herself when her cell phone rang, and the caller identification displayed, “Nathan from La’Shelle’s.” She breathed deep, put on her glasses, and then answered the phone trying to sound sexy, but not sleepy.
“Hello, Nathan.”
“So you did save my number,” he said.
“Why wouldn’t I, or is there something you need to tell me?” Regina asked, knowing if there were something wrong, he would not have revealed his hand.
“No, but yes. I don’t have anything negative to hide. You need to know I am very interested in you because something, let me give Him the honor due, the Spirit is telling me you are wife material, and exactly what I have been praying for.”
Regina, stunned by Nathan’s forwardness, didn’t know how to respond. Yes, she wanted a husband. But, this guy? He looked so darn fine and cute. A waiter? She sat quietly looking at the mirror making faces before she said, “So, you’re a Christian?”
“I am definitely a believer in Jesus Christ, but I am not sure whether I consider myself a Christian more than I do a disciple. To answer your question, I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ who decided to live my life being the best disciple I can be.”
“I understand and believe that is exactly what we all should strive to be, especially if we believe Matthew 28:19.”
“Yes, I perceived something special about you. It is late, so I will say, ‘Goodnight until tomorrow.”
“Goodnight,” Regina replied before pushing the red button on her phone hoping that maybe this is her time.
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
John 15:12
Chapter Thirteen
Staring at the clock on the nightstand table reading 4:00 a.m., Priscilla groaned. The fruit she ate left with her little restroom episode, and if she did not put something in her stomach, she and the baby were going to have a fit. She got up, slipped on her robe, put on her slippers, and headed towards the kitchen.
Priscilla opened the refrigerator and clapped to see Night ham sandwich written on a brown bag. She opened the bag and found a small sandwich made on croissant bread, a package of mustard, an apple, and a chocolate chip cookie. Somehow, she knew Serafine left it there with her in mind.
In college, she would always buy the croissants from a local bakery with ham from the deli. No matter how late after the club, a ham sandwich with mustard, and a red apple made their world smile.
Those were the days, and Steven was right there with us.
She thought about the man she loved sleeping with another woman for months. Thanks to a private investigator hired to follow him, who proved the affair but not the name of the woman.
One night after his supposed late nights at work, he forgot to turn his cell phone off. It buzzed at two in the morning and would not stop.
Finally, she got up and pulled it out of his pockets. She almost lost her mind when she read, “Thank you for the beautiful night. I know God created me to make you happy. Think about the loving and me tonight. Kisses, C. S.”
For days she wore herself out trying to figure out who owned the initials C. S. He’d betrayed her and mustered the nerve to send her those flowers, talking about enduring love. The only thing enduring was the pain she felt in her heart and the feeling of betrayal that kept her angry. She even stopped praying and blamed God for allowing her to love a man, who would sleep with another woman. How could God allow her to be so foolish?
Thanks to Serafine, she no longer blamed God. The prayer exposed the beauty of God’s love and His particular When Priscilla gathered enough evidence about his affair, she purchased another home, sold her business to Serafine on paper, and prepared to leave him.
All of this, then the pregnancy… BOOM.
Her first thought: God is punishing me. She could have exposed his affair and allowed him a chance to repent, but Priscilla’s heart had hardened. Maybe the material things kept her there instead of love. She couldn’t fathom giving him half of any of the stuff she’d worked so hard to get.
Serafine, in a deep dream, saw Steven and another woman. The name Crystal Shelly etched on a piece of paper on an envelope lay on the table. She repeatedly told God “this is wrong.” Then Priscilla stormed in crying and tried to reach them. Her arms were too short. Serafine screamed out to stop Priscilla. She woke up and looked around but did not see Priscilla in bed. Serafine sat up, slung her legs out and stood. She put on slippers and went searching for Priscilla. When she found her sitting at the table eating her ham sandwich, she smiled.
“I see you found your bag.”
“Hey girl, I knew you left it for me. It had Serafine taking care of her sister written all over it.”
“You know I know you and by the way, who is Crystal Shelly?”
“Crystal Shelly is Steven’s sister Emily’s best friend.”
All of a sudden, the C. S. from the phone flashed before Priscilla’s eyes.
“Finne, oh my goodness, Steven cheated with Crystal. I never put it together. How did you come up with her name?”
“I dreamt Steven held her, and an envelope on the table revealed her name. You were sitting nearby crying, trying to get to them. I couldn’t get to you, but God allowed me to see you going through.”
“Oh my God, God is real. Finne, I knew this, but this lets me know how real He truly is. I’ve been praying for the longest God would reveal her to me. I even hired a private investigator, but she always wore long hair and glasses. I couldn’t recognize her face for anything. I’ve only seen her once or twice at his sister’s house, and she left before I could study her face.”
“How long this been going on Scilla?”
“He started claiming to stay at work late about four months ago. Then one night, he left the cell phone on, and she texted him. You know how a phone buzzes to let you know there’s a text message. Well, his wouldn’t stop, so I got up to turn it off and saw written on the screen, Text from My Baby.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I thought it might be one sent from me, but then while reading it, I almost lost it. After thinking long and hard, this chick put a plan in motion. I sold the company to you, bought me another house, and deeded his part of our home to my mother and tricked him into signing the papers. I started spending money like crazy and returning the goods back to have receipts.”
“Oh my, girl you had a plan.”
“Yep. Then I put all the money in Regina’s account. She didn’t know why I deposited such large amounts of money. I told her I wanted to be a silent partner and use whatever money needed to start her business. I can trust Regina like I trust you.”
“Oh Scilla, you’ve been carrying this burden a while.”
“The only thing keeping me from losing my mind is plotting how to leave him and take everything. The fact he tried to play me for a fool baffled me. Only days before I planned to leave for the Bahamas and send him a certified letter of divorce with all the pictures, I found out about this baby. How am I going to raise a child alone?”
“Scilla, you don’t have to. Somehow, you both lost your way. You’ve been so caught up in building Marshall’s Mortgage until Steven became null and void to you. Then he got trapped in the enemy’s web of making him feel like nothing. He naturally took the first bite of bait insisting his worth. Steven probably could care less about this woman, and I believe your love for one another is strong enough to endure.”
“There it goes again …endure. How do you think love can endure this? He did the ultimate no-no when he cheated on me, Finne. How can you love someone and cheat on them at the same time?”
“Do you want to know the answer Scilla?”
“I sure do.”
“Sometimes we allow the enemy to cause us to do everything love does not do. We allow love to fail only if it wasn’t love in the first place. So many of us get married because of lust, and it fails, does not suffer long, is provoked, does not rejoice in the truth, and will not endure anything.” Serafine watched Scilla turn up her lips.
“When you find people whose marriages fail, you find classic cases of lust. Lust camouflages itself as love. It is the devil’s general way of causing the children of God to sin. Notice how God says all the commandments hinge on two: ‘Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.’ We sometimes can do neither because we never learned how to love for real.”
“Oh my. Interesting.”
“We always walked in lust, starting with our parents. As long as they were giving us what we lusted for, we loved them. As soon as they told us ‘No,’ we turned our love off. In reality, some people don’t even love their parents; they lust after what they can give. The same is happening in marriages. Whether it’s good sex, material things, money, or other tangible items, if a man gives us what we want, we think we love him, and he loves us. Maybe, he’s lusting after what’s between our legs. We give it up because of what he buys, and then we have soul ties disguised as if they were birthed through love, when in fact, they are products of lust.”
“Oh my God, Finne. My love for Steven. Was is lust? I thought I loved him and he loved me.”
“Were you suffering when Steven went away on those trips when we were in college? And when he did some stupid stuff, did you put up with many things having patience with him?”
“Yes, and yes I did.”
“Love suffers long. Were you sweet to Steven, always seeking ways to be good to him, and even when things were going well for him you rejoiced in his blessing?”
“Yes. And I did.”
“Love is kind and does not envy. Were you always esteeming Steven higher than yourself and never sought to outshine him or make him look bad?”
“Yes, and I’d never do that.”
“See, Scilla, love does not parade itself and is not puffed up.”
Priscilla put both hands on the side of her face, with her pinky fingers in the corners of her eyes, and shook her head.
“How many times did you put off starting your business to pay for Steven to go back to school? How many times did your dreams go lacking to boost his?”
“So many, Finne, so many times.”
“See, love does not seek its own. How long were you going to hide Steven’s indecencies? How many times did you think things would change? How many times did you pray for God to fix it, and how long were you planning to stay?”
“I don’t know, Finne,” Priscilla answered shaking her head, weighing the question.
“I know you don’t, because, in reality, love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things. And yes, Scilla, love endures all things. Now, can you see anything in all of this?”
“Finne, I see. I loved Steven but allowed the enemy to cause me to walk in ways contrary to love. I am as much to blame as he is.”
“Sounds like someone’s blinders dropped off and now she sees.”
“Yes, but although I love him, it doesn’t mean he loves me. So I am going to give him the opportunity to find out what it is he desires to do. Go to be with her, or stay with me because he loves me and wants to help me raise our child.”
“You go, girl. I take it you’ll be leaving here in a couple of hours.”
“No, I’m going to stay through the first sessions because I believe God is going to speak to me through you. I need to be here like all these other women.” Priscilla sounded more like giving a matter of fact than making a questionable statement.
She smiled. “I know God touched your life and no matter what you did in your past, He’s decided to use you in a huge way sis. Finne whether Steven and I stay together or not, this is your god-child growing in me, and I need you to pray for this baby who I hope is a her and us every day.”
“God already gave me the assignment, but I thank you for the confirmation. I love you so much, and I’ll be there for the birth of our baby and the mending of your marriage.” Serafine hugged her, and they walked back to their room swinging their hands like two little girls.
“You have not slept, Finne. Please close your eyes and get a little nap before the 8 a.m. breakfast time. I love you, and I thank you for being there for each woman here.”
