The First Lady (35 page)

Deacon Joe Dickens rambled in Savannah’s ear about his speculations. Of course, he hoped that whatever the bishop had in store would mean good things for the deacon’s own standing in the church, perhaps the powerful alliance he had wanted from the beginning. He talked to Savannah about how happy he was that she seemed to be visiting the bishop’s office pretty regularly now, but Savannah just sat quietly. She wondered how her father would react if he knew that the bishop had never once made any romantic overtures toward her, even after all this time. Would he see it as a failure on her part? Probably, she decided, for that always seemed to be the case when things didn’t go the way he wanted. But Savannah had grown stronger in recent months and knew she could weather her father’s disappointment if the bishop announced something Deacon Dickens didn’t like.

Aubrey, who had returned from his sister’s house in D.C. and spent a couple of nights with Marlene at the bishop’s house, had his arm around his mother. She was thrilled to have him with her at the meeting because she was sure the bishop was about to publicly recognize her great strides toward recovery. She had come so far that she was ready for the next phase; she would be moving into her own place again soon.

Lisa Mae and Loretta also felt certain they knew what the bishop was ready to announce to this large crowd. This was it—the big day when Bishop would finally propose. With Loretta’s help, Lisa Mae had successfully weathered the latest storm and controlled her anger over his recently repaired friendship with Sister Monique. Oh, she had her suspicions about why the friendship had ceased for a while, and she knew she would have to keep an eye on Sister Monique now that she was buzzing around again, but Loretta convinced her that it was best to be patient. The bishop was close to a proposal, they felt, and once she became first lady, Lisa Mae could do whatever she had to do to get rid of Sister Monique.

Loretta was relieved that Lisa Mae would soon be wearing an engagement ring. She was getting tired of being her friend’s conscience whenever her temper threatened to get the best of her. In the meantime, Lisa Mae believed she well deserved the upcoming proposal. Not only had she been the model girlfriend, but she had also repeatedly exemplified the makings of the first lady that the church members were hoping for. This would be a day of celebration for everyone, Lisa Mae thought. Then she caught sight of the women who had been her competition.

Well, maybe not everyone will be celebrating, but I sure will.

Bishop Wilson walked in, and the room hushed in an instant. He stood on the platform in front of the microphone and looked out over the crowd. The place was standing room only, just as he had hoped. Still, the fact that all eyes were on him as he prepared to make this monumental announcement made him even more nervous than he’d been. He gathered his thoughts, steadying his hands on the podium to stop their trembling, then cleared his throat and broke the silence.

“I’m glad everybody came out this evening,” he said. “It seems all those whom I stressed to be in attendance have made it, and this is good. I have a lot of important things to say—personal things, in fact. And I want to share them with you all.”

Bishop waited a few moments as he listened to the murmuring that passed over the crowd. No doubt, the members in the audience were again discussing their speculation, even more energized now that he had admitted his announcement was of a personal nature. He looked around the room, then set eyes on Savannah. A big grin appeared on Deacon Dickens’s face, but Savannah avoided the bishop’s gaze, staring straight ahead, afraid to even wonder what might be about to happen.

Bishop Wilson began. “First, brothers and sisters, I’d like to take this opportunity to bring something to your attention. We’ve got a star among us.” He directed his smile at Savannah and said, “Sister Dickens, please stand up.” She was embarrassed by the attention and was confused, but did as the bishop asked.

“How many of you knew Sister Dickens dreamed of becoming a gospel recording star?” The room was silent. People looked around at one another, raising eyebrows and shrugging shoulders. Savannah imagined that her father, sitting beside her, would be rolling his eyes right about now. “I feel we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, need to care more about one another. Fellowship. That’s what I’m trying to say. It only takes a few minutes after Sunday service or Bible study to shake a few hands and find out what’s going on in some of our members’ lives.”

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a CD. Savannah’s eyes grew big. “What I hold in my hand is an out standing

gospel CD, recorded by none other than our very own Sister Savannah Dickens.” Oohs and ahs filled the room, and a few members began to clap.

“Hold on now,” Bishop said, holding up his hand. “I think you should applaud, but before you do, let me add that I feel we should acknowledge her wonderful father, Deacon Joe Dickens. He’s done a fine job with Savannah, and I imagine it would’ve been difficult for her to live out her dream without him around. Deacon, you should be proud. Not many of our children dare to dream, but Savannah did. And not only did she dream, but she also set out for achievement. And here is the end result. Move over, Yolanda Adams, because Savannah Dickens is about to give you some serious competition when her CD is released under the United Gospel Recording label.” Bishop shook the CD in the air. “Deacon, stand proudly next to your daughter so we can all give you a hand.”

The room burst with enthusiastic applause. Deacon Joe stood and hugged Savannah tightly as the members jumped to their feet, and the applause reached a crescendo. Deacon had a new sense of pride as he sat down next to his daughter. Several members reached from behind him to pat him on the back. This was truly a time for him to sit up straight and square his shoulders. Savannah held on to her father’s arm, then gave the bishop a wink. Bishop smiled back at the woman whom he had come to love with a fatherly affection.

When the crowd settled down, Bishop continued. “Next, I’d like to address my best friend of over thirty years—Marlene Hernandez.” Bishop looked directly at Marlene as he spoke. She sat tall and proud in her chair, her son’s hand clasped lovingly in hers. “I don’t think I know a stronger woman. Talk about trials and tribulations … mmm, mmm, mmm. Sister Hernandez has had many. She endured them all, shaping herself into the highly favored woman she is today.”

He shifted his gaze to look out at the crowd. “Brothers and sisters, if you don’t know that God has a plan when it comes to your life, I think you better ask Sister Hernandez, because I believe she knows it better than any of us. Some of us can’t relate to the pain and the struggle Sister Hernandez has gone through. But for those who can, God has fixed it so she can be an instrument to guide them back on the right path.” A few amens were thrown around as Bishop continued to speak.

He turned his attention back to Marlene. “Sister Hernandez, I love you … and you know I love you. In fact, you know now that God loves you.” Marlene nodded and stroked Aubrey’s arm as she listened. “Thank you for your request to start and head a drug intervention program here at First Jamaica Ministries. When I took the idea to the board of trustees, the decision was unanimous to go forth with it. We can’t think of a better person than you. God bless you.” Everyone applauded while Marlene shed a few tears of joy.

The crowd settled quickly. The bishop had already treated them to such uplifting news, but they all knew he had yet to get to the personal things he had promised to address. And his words assured them there was more to come.

“Just so you know, I’m not done yet.”

“Take your time, Bishop,” a woman yelled out.

“Thank you, Sister Boyd. Next, I want to address a woman who’s meant so much to me over these last months since my wife passed away. She’s been everything to me—an assistant, a sister, and a friend. I just don’t think there’s a more valuable woman to this church than Sister Lisa Mae Jones.” Loretta patted Lisa Mae on the back. Lisa Mae flashed a Miss America smile to the crowd, who turned to look at her.

“Sister Jones, will you step up here with me for a moment?”

Though she had been anticipating his proposal for some time now, Lisa Mae was still nervous about the sudden spotlight. She approached the bishop on shaky legs. He took her hand and helped her onto the platform. Lisa looked over the crowd and sought out Loretta, her biggest supporter. When their eyes met, she relaxed, feeling a sense of accomplishment for having made it to this point with the bishop. She felt like a winner.

“Sister Jones, you are extremely wise. And not only that, you’re a faithful servant of the Lord too. After careful consideration with the board, we all agree you should be the first female member of the board of trustees.” The audience roared with applause, and Loretta led the crowd in a standing ovation.

Lisa Mae stood shocked. She was surprised at the announcement, practically taken off her feet. There had never been a female member of the board of trustees, so this was indeed quite an honor.

Lisa Mae heard the cheers and clapping, and knew she was clearly loved by the members of the church. She was extremely proud of this recognition and appreciated the warm feelings and well wishes. But, she suddenly realized as the shock subsided, this was not the recognition she expected to be receiving at this moment.

She turned to the bishop, who held his hands high as he clapped, and she waited for him to say something else. Perhaps he would pull a ring out of his pocket just as he had done with Savannah’s CD. That would be the greatest proposal, she thought, offering her the position of trustee first, then asking her to take the highest position of all—first lady of First Jamaica Ministries.

The bishop took Lisa Mae’s hand and gestured for the crowd to settle down. Her heart skipped a beat as she anticipated his next move. But then, when instead of asking her to marry him, he simply asked, “Would you like to say something, Trustee?” her heart felt as if it might stop beating.

Lisa Mae was at a loss for words. In fact, that’s exactly what she managed to say to the onlookers: “Wow! I’m at a loss for words.” She wished she could have Loretta by her side to advise her now, as Loretta had done so faithfully for the last six months. As she looked at her friend in the audience, she could almost hear Loretta telling her, “It’s okay, Lisa Mae. Just take this honor gracefully. When the time is right, he will ask you, and until then, you just put on that perfect face like only the future first lady can do.”

And Lisa Mae did just that. She smiled graciously at the bishop, then addressed the audience, her voice concealing any trace of disappointment she was feeling. “This honor is something I certainly didn’t see coming; however, I gladly accept it. To the board and to the rest of the congregation, you can count on me. I won’t let you down. Thank you.”

Lisa stepped down off the platform as the applause started again. Back in her seat, Loretta squeezed her hand and nodded proudly. “Who knows?” Loretta whispered. “Maybe he isn’t finished yet.”

Lisa Mae perked up. “Yeah, you’re right,” she replied. Loretta could always restore her hope. “Besides, I’m now a trustee. He thinks a lot more of me than I really knew.”

“The next announcement,” Bishop said, “has to do with my deceased wife, Charlene.” Everyone became silent immediately. With the mention of the former first lady, they suspected he had arrived at the portion of the meeting when he would address the matters of a personal nature. “As some of you know, a series of letters have been circulating over the last months.” Several people nodded, confirming what the bishop had always suspected: nothing traveled faster than church gossip.

Upon mention of the letters, Savannah stole a glance at her father. Loretta and Lisa Mae looked at each other wide-eyed. Marlene and Monique just continued to stare at the bishop, awaiting his next statements.

“Well, I want you to know I recently discovered who was responsible for assisting Charlene with those letters, but that’s not important right now.” The grumbling among some of the more ardent gossipers made it clear that they did think the person’s identity was important. The bishop, however, was not going to satisfy their curiosity. And they were so busy mumbling to each other that they failed to notice Sister Alison suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable.

“I’ve been able to confirm that not only was the stationery Charlene’s, but every one of those letters contained words from her heart. To those who received letters, I thank you for understanding. I know that sometimes what you read could not have been easy for you. I want you to know that no matter what you read, I hold each of you dear in my heart.

“Now I come to the most important reason for bringing you all here today.” He held up a sheet of stationery. “I have one last letter here, and I ask for your patience as I share a portion of it with you.”

A buzz of excitement passed through the crowd. There had been no need for the bishop to ask for their patience, because they were all quite eager to hear what the first lady had set down on paper before her death.

Bishop cleared his throat. “Now, I won’t read the whole letter, because some words should stay between a husband and wife. I will read the end to you. I felt it was important for you to know the final words I read, which helped me reach the decision I came here to share with you all.”

He held up the paper and spoke into the microphone, reading the letter’s final paragraph aloud. “ ‘And so, T.K., I know you are probably surprised by my change of heart. I was surprised myself when I came to this conclusion. But when it comes right down to it, this woman has the fire in her belly to handle anything that might come her way as first lady of First Jamaica Ministries. And even more importantly, I believe she would love you with the total devotion that you deserve. You might encounter some resistance from certain factions within the church, but you and I both know you’ve withstood your share of trials in the past, and with her by your side, you two could get through this one too. So, with my love and blessings, go with your heart.’ ”