In Times of Trouble (10 page)

“Maybe he's simply a product of his environment. People don't have the same opportunities in life. You can't expect him or his mother to have the same morals and values that you have if they've never been exposed to them.”

“Whatever the case may be, he's a bad influence on Chanelle.”

“Maybe he is. I don't know because I've never met him. What I do know is that Chanelle did have a choice. She didn't have to drink. The problem is not necessarily Kyle. You can sabotage this thing she has with him all you want, but there will be more bad influences that come into her life. If Chanelle doesn't exercise the wisdom she has to make good choices then this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Lisa was forced to admit to herself that Eric had a good point.

“And this Justin character you're trying to hook her up with. Is this the Scotts' son?”

“Yes. . .It's more wishful thinking than anything else. Olivia's my best friend and I know Justin comes from a good home.”

“You can't handpick who Chanelle's going to be with.”

“I realize that,” Lisa said in defeat. She was starting to wonder if she was imitating her mother, who made no secret how much she still loved Lisa's ex. Lisa cringed at the thought that she made Chanelle feel the same way her mother made her feel every time Hattie brought up RJ's name.

“The Scotts are good people.”

“I agree.”

“They do so much for the church and the community. To be as wealthy as they are, they are so humble.”

“Liv told me that she and Isaac have had issues with Justin. You
can never tell. She and Isaac are so close with him. I can't see that type of thing ever happening with Chanelle and me.”

“Be careful that you don't speak continual discord into existence. You know the Bible says that there is power of life and death in our tongues.”

Lisa smiled. “Yes, sir.”

“I don't mean to pry, but how is Chanelle's relationship with her father?”

“As far as I know, things have been great between them. I told you before that he moved here a couple of months ago to head the rehabilitation center that Hope Ministries Church built. Chanelle will be working with him this summer. At first I wasn't crazy about RJ living here, but it's going to work out great for Chanelle. She does need a stable relationship with him. At least the stigma of being his wife and daughter didn't follow us here.”

“What do you mean by stigma
?
Are you ever going to tell me what happened between the two of you?”

Lisa froze in her response and started fiddling with her necklace. Besides Olivia, she hadn't told anyone in Ohio what more than half the residents of Baltimore already knew.

“Something tells me that whatever happened, it was serious enough to still be a sore subject. Does it have anything to do with this?” He reached out and grabbed her necklace charm.

She nodded affirmatively.

“When a woman is referred to as a First Lady, it usually means her husband is in a prominent position. I don't think RJ was any type of politician, so I'm assuming that, in your case, First Lady meant the pastor's wife.”

An uncomfortable, warm sensation fell on Lisa and she wondered how she'd let the conversation venture so far into her previous marriage.

“Am I'm right? Was RJ a pastor?”

Again, she nodded in agreement.

“Whatever happened. . .” Eric would not stop pressing. “. . . know that it has no bearing on how I feel about you. Just please tell me now if you still have feelings for him so I'll know where things stand.”

“No, I don't have feelings for RJ! What would make you think that?”

“I don't know. I guess because you continue to wear the necklace. I'm assuming it's pretty special to you. Is it something he gave you?”

“No. It was a gift the church gave me one year when we celebrated RJ's pastoral anniversary. The necklace does have sentimental value. Not because it reminds me of RJ, but because it reminds me of a time in my life when I felt appreciated, respected and valued; a time that RJ unfairly stripped me of.” Before she could stop herself, Lisa began telling Eric about the horrible things that had taken place in her marriage. She didn't realize how much hostility she still held toward her ex until she started reliving the experience. “I moved here to get away from the scandal.”

“You have nothing to be ashamed about and I pray that God delivers you from the emotional bondage of everything that has happened to you. You're a beautiful person, Lisa. You don't need this necklace to remind you that you're someone important. From the moment I saw you, I realized there was something special about you and I prayed that God would grant me the opportunity to get to know you better. I am blessed that He granted my petition and if it's okay with you, I would like to go on record stating that I am interested in taking this relationship a step further. Are you okay with that?”

“I'm not sure exactly what you mean. . .”

Eric got up from the sofa and onto his knee. Immediately, Lisa's heart began palpitating. Could this be what she thought? When Eric pulled a small box from his back pocket, she was no longer uncertain about his motives. “This may seem sort of sudden and I know you're going through some things, but I believe God has put us together for such a time as this. Will you marry me so we can be one in flesh before God?”

“For such a time as this”
was a direct quote taken from the book of Esther when her cousin, Mordecai, was trying to encourage her to speak to the king on behalf of all the Jews. It wasn't exactly the wording Lisa would have chosen, but it still brought an overwhelming sensation of joy. “I would be honored to.” She fluttered from his approving smile.

Eric flipped open the box and slid a beautiful diamond solitaire onto her finger, causing tears to sprout from her eyes. For the very first time since they'd been “dating” he caressed her lips briefly with his warm, soft ones. The kiss produced a few sparks, but not necessarily fireworks because it was so short.

They spent the rest of the evening in awe, talking and laughing about different things. Neither her mother nor Chanelle came down the remainder of the night. Eric graciously helped Lisa put away the food, load the dishwasher and sample the red velvet cake he had brought for dessert, but the peanut brittle was left untouched.

Eric mentioned that he looked forward to meeting more of Lisa's family members at Chanelle's graduation party. He wasn't intimidated by the fact that RJ would be there at all. Lisa confided in him how upset she had been because her sister wasn't coming. After finding out that Callie's husband had committed suicide last fall, he encouraged Lisa to take it easy on Callie and
not to expect too much from her. “It's rough, in general, anytime someone close to us dies. It took my mother years to get over my father's death, and he died from a heart attack. I'm sure it's especially rough on your sister because her husband took his own life.”

“I know she had a hard time at first and was seeing a counselor, but she seemed to be doing fine until recently.”

“So you say. My guess would be that for whatever reason, she's not really over his death yet. Maybe something has happened to remind her of him. . .an anniversary, a birthday, anything. She might be dealing with depression. Sometimes depressed people do and say things that don't make sense. Just be patient with her and keep praying for her. I'll pray for her, too.”

“You're so right.” Lisa felt bad about how she had reacted toward her sister during their last conversation and made up her mind to call Callie the next day. “I'm so glad God has brought you into my life. Your spirit of wisdom and discernment are a blessing.”

It was way past eleven o'clock and Eric said he should get going. Before leaving, he said a very encouraging and strengthening prayer about everything they had talked about that evening. “I love you, sweetheart,” he said before brushing her lips with a kiss.

Lisa desired a longer encounter, but she allowed him to leave without protest. She shut the door and leaned back as she gazed at her engagement ring with adoration. Any man who could witness such a turbulent explosion, listen to all the junk Lisa had gone through, and
still
want to marry her, was worth keeping!

L
isa was so elated about Eric's proposal that she galloped up the stairs two at a time, bumping into her daughter in the hallway as Chanelle came from the bathroom. The rage Lisa had previously felt toward Chanelle remained dormant, thanks to her feelings of euphoria, but Lisa refused to let her daughter's behavior slide by without saying something. “I don't appreciate the little stunt you pulled tonight. These temper tantrums of yours must stop if you know what's good for you.”

Chanelle leaned against the wall, folding her arms seemingly unbothered by the subtle threat. “I didn't have a tantrum. I'm tired of you acting like I'm some ten-year-old child. Goodness, I'll be eighteen soon.”

“I was going to buy you a car this summer, even after you skipped curfew, because as a mother, I didn't want my baby to have to take the city bus any time you wanted to leave campus. However, since you see fit to remind me that you're almost grown, I'm going to treat you as such. For starters, you can buy your own car this summer and buy your own insurance because that's what grown folk do.”

Chanelle squirmed. “What I mean is—”

“No, save your breath.” Lisa used her hand to simulate a stop sign. “I heard you loud and clear. By the way, you're no longer on punishment. You may be grown and all, but remember that as long as you abide under
my
roof, you will respect me. As for this issue with Kyle, I'll admit I shouldn't have told Stacie that you were dating Justin. For that, I was wrong and I repent. So, if you want to continue seeing Kyle, go right ahead. I'm not going to interfere anymore because grown folks are allowed to date whomever they please.” Lisa smirked as Eric's advice of “staying out of God's way” replayed in her mind.

Suddenly Chanelle's pinched her eyes together into a scowl. “Gee, thanks, but Kyle doesn't want to have anything else to do with me now, thanks to you.” She went into her room, loudly slamming the door.

Under different circumstances, Lisa most likely would've said something to Chanelle about slamming a door that
she
paid for, but all she could think was “Hallelujah!” to Kyle not wanting to communicate with her daughter any longer. Maybe this was God's way of working things out!

Once inside her room, Lisa bounced on her bed and gawked again at her sparkling new diamond. Eric's proposal had come unexpectedly. She hadn't realized that he liked her
that
much. She was eager to tell Liv about the proposal. It was ten until midnight. Lisa knew Isaac was still out of town, so she had no qualms about calling their house this late.

Lisa woke Olivia up, but Liv didn't care. She wanted to know everything that happened and Lisa spared no details, including her daughter's embarrassing performance. The two of them talked for nearly an hour until Lisa's mother peeked inside her room.

“Is everything okay? What's all the noise about?”

“Yes, Mama, everything is fine. Sorry for being so loud. Liv,
I'll call you tomorrow. I'm gonna tell Mama now since she's up.”

“Tell me what?” Her mother stood in the doorway with curiosity reigning through her eyes.

“Eric proposed to me tonight.” She waved her diamond in the air.

“Oh, wow. . .congratulations.” Her enthusiasm seemed forced. “Does Chanelle know?”

“Not yet. I'll tell her tomorrow.”

“Umph. . .just the other day you said y'all were taking things slow. This is sort of sudden, don't you think?”

“No, I don't,” she lied. “It may seem sudden to you because you just met Eric tonight. But, God placed Eric and me together for such a time as this.” As soon as Lisa said the words, she immediately realized that she hadn't sounded as eloquent as she had hoped. The smirk on her mother's face confirmed her thoughts.

“Alrighty then, Mordecai. . .You and Minister Erin—”

“
Eric!”

“Whatever. . .the two of y'all can go 'head and save the Jews together. I'm going back to bed.”

“Mama, wait. . .what do you think of Eric?” Lisa wasn't sure why she felt the need to have her mother's approval, knowing full well of her mom's bias toward RJ.

“I think he's nice. Anything else is irrelevant because if you're happy, then I'm happy for you.”

“C'mon, Mama. You can tell me what you really think. You don't have problems doing so any other time without my asking, so don't hold your tongue now.”

“Okay, I'll be completely honest with you,” she said as though she'd been waiting for the invitation. “I get this feeling that something's not quite right about him.”