The Morning After (28 page)

Still dressed in his church clothes—a pair of chocolate slacks and a white dress shirt with chocolate pinstripes—he stood on the front porch and waited for his mom to finish preparing dinner. Jerrod sniffed the air. It was just too nice of a day to waste it indoors. When T.K. dropped him off at home after church, Jennifer had invited T.K. to stay for dinner, but he'd declined. Jerrod was disappointed, but he understood; just like he understood why T.K. chose not to offer Jennifer the engagement ring he'd purchased for her; even after she announced that her short-lived relationship with Devon was over.

“I want you to understand that this is gonna take some time for me,” T.K. had explained to him after Jennifer left for home that night. “Although she admitted that it was a mistake, that doesn't change the way or the fact that she ditched me when she thought she'd found some other guy who would marry her sooner. Don't get me wrong, kid, I still love your mom, but the mere fact that she did what she did means we have some work to do before we can make this official. Might take a year, might take a month, might take a week. But it's got to be done. You understand that, don't you?”

“Yes, sir,” Jerrod had responded, and he meant it. If he were in T.K.'s shoes, he would have done the same thing, if he had stayed around at all.

His time in Stone Mountain had been good for him and it passed quickly, ending with morning worship at New Hope. The service had been a good one as always, and Toby said he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to come back next Sunday.

T.K. told Jerrod that God had given Toby to him as an assignment. At first, the notion scared Jerrod. He barely had it together himself. He didn't know if he wanted to be responsible for anybody else's spiritual well-being. But after a while, the thought that he could somehow help Toby through his struggles like Essie had helped Jerrod through his, appealed to him. Jerrod looked up in the sky. He hoped that Essie was smiling at his decision to step up to the plate and do what he could to help his friend.

The sun was shining so bright that Jerrod had to cut his sky gazing short. Something had transpired in this community in the time that he had been away. When Jerrod ran off last Saturday after the unplanned meeting with Devon, everything about Braxton Park was jacked up. His mom, her friends, his life; even the weather was messy. Now, eight days later, everything seemed back to normal.

A horn blew and Jerrod waved at Mason and Elaine as they headed out of the subdivision. Maybe things were even better than normal. He'd never seen the two of them sitting so close together in their vehicle. Elaine was so close to Mason that it was hard to tell which of them was navigating. He wondered where they were going. Maybe just for a Sunday drive.

Shoving his hands in his pocket, Jerrod leaned against one of the porch pillars and looked down at the new shoes T.K. purchased for him from Joseph A. Bank yesterday. He'd never owned a pair of brown Florsheims before. He'd never owned a pair of any color Florsheims before. They were so spiffy that all day long, Jerrod had felt the need to take them off and carry them in his hands. Shoes this sharp didn't belong on the ground.

A second horn caught his attention, and he looked up to see Colin's truck heading toward the mouth of the subdivision. He didn't question where they were headed. Colin and Angel always ate out on Sundays. Angel's window was lowered and she waved wildly at Jerrod, grinning the whole while. She had on red, and the color looked pretty against her skin. Jerrod returned her friendly gesture and watched the SUV roll out of sight.

Something had gone on with the two of them too. Jerrod didn't know the details, but Jennifer was having a three-way call with Elaine and Angel about an hour ago (like they hadn't all just seen each other at church), and Jerrod overheard something about another woman. She was somebody's relative—he couldn't determine whose—that Colin had fired from the bank. What that was all about, Jerrod wasn't sure, and he didn't want to ask questions because that would let on to Jennifer that he was eavesdropping. But whatever the problem was, the smile Angel wore on her face a moment ago indicated that it was resolved now.

Taking care not to scrape up his shoes, Jerrod walked down the front steps of his house and strolled into Essie's yard. It just didn't seem right for her house to be so empty and so quiet. That was about to end though. Jerrod also overheard his mom's response when Angel said that she and Colin had decided to sell their own house instead of Essie's. They were going to move the Stephens family into 216 Braxton Way. That news had made Jennifer happy.

Jerrod's mouth curled upward at the thought of the object of his affections living right next door. Made him happy too.

Without even thinking about it, he began climbing Essie's steps, ending up on her front porch. He walked to the rocking chair where Essie used to spend so many hours sitting, singing, and knitting. Not since the morning after her death had he stood this close to her chair. Jerrod remembered the moment well because his nerves jittered inside of him that day; just as they were doing now.

Stepping closer, Jerrod removed the handkerchief from his pants pocket and dusted the seat and back of the chair, then sat. As soon as he did, his anxieties calmed. He felt like a frightened child who had just been delivered to the safety of his mother's lap. The sensation enveloped him, and Jerrod closed his eyes and relished it. Oh, how he missed Essie Mae Richardson.

The sound of the grandfather clock startled him. Jerrod opened his eyes and straightened his back in a single jolt. He looked at his watch. It was 3:43
P.M.
; not a time that the clock would normally chime. Jerrod scrambled out of the chair and faced Essie's front door, his breaths coming faster. Every time he heard that single chime, something major happened. Like when Essie died. And when he was summoned to testify against Big Dog Freddie. And when Colin's coworker got arrested. And when Devon showed up.

“Oh, God,” he panted. Something was about to happen. He could feel it in his bones.

The third horn that blew scared him so bad that he nearly lost his balance when he spun around to face the street.

“What you doing, kid?”

The relief that engulfed him at the sight of T.K. and Toby climbing from the car was almost enough to make Jerrod pass out. He had to take a minute to recompose himself before he could even answer. “Nothing,” he said. “I was just over here looking around and stuff. What y'all doing here?”

T.K. was still dressed in the suit that he wore to church and he pulled the sides of his coat back and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I was on the way home and thought about Jen's invitation, and I thought I'd swing by Midtown, pick Toby back up, and come on over and take her up on it. You think she'll mind the extra company?”

A gleeful beam stretched Jerrod's lips as far as the elasticity of his skin would allow. “Are you kidding me? Mama took her lessons from Ms. Essie. She got enough food to feed all of us two times.”

T.K. controlled his smile, but Jerrod could tell that his coach was as happy to be there as he was to have him there. “Good,” T.K. said, then gestured for Jerrod to join him and Toby on the ground. “Come on. Let's eat.”

Jerrod hesitated and looked back at Essie's house one more time. Without a doubt, he knew that this time, the clock's chime was marking a monumental moment that would lead to something to celebrate. Bolting down the steps, he joined the awaiting men.

Kendra Norman-Bellamy
is a multi-award winning, national bestselling author, columnist, and motivational speaker; as well as the founder of KNB Publications, LLC. She and her literary works have been featured in
Essence
,
Upscale
,
Precious Times
,
HOPE for Women
,
WOW!
,
Global Woman,
and
EKG Literary
magazines. Kendra is the mastermind behind The Writer's Hut (an online support group for creators of literary works), The Writer's Cocoon (a writer's workshop and an expanded focus group), and she is the founder of Cruisin' For Christ (a groundbreaking cruise that celebrates Christian artistries). Kendra is a graduate of Valdosta Technical College and a proud member of the Iota Phi Lambda Sorority. She is a wife and mother of two teenage daughters and resides with her family in metropolitan Atlanta, GA.

Hank Stewart
is an Emmy Award winning poet who is a catalyst for action and a messenger of hope. He has shared the stage with Tavis Smiley, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Joseph Lowery, Congressman John Lewis, the late Rev. Hosea Williams, and the late Johnnie Cochran, to name a few. Additionally, Hank is the author of three self-published books of poetry:
The Answer
,
Second Chance
, and
Be Still And Know
, and his first work of fiction,
Three Fifty-seven
A.M.
, was also co-authored by Kendra Norman-Bellamy. He is the founder of The Stewart Foundation, a non-profit organization whose purpose is largely geared toward the betterment of today's youth. Hank is the doting father of one son and resides in metropolitan Atlanta, GA.

 

UC His Glory Book Club is the spirit-inspired brainchild of Joylynn Jossel, Author and Acquisitions Editor of Urban Christian, and Kendra Norman-Bellamy, Author for Urban Christian. This is an online book club that hosts authors of Urban Christian. We welcome as members all men and women who have a passion for reading Christian-based fiction.

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.

 

Many Blessing to You!

 

Shelia E. Lipsey,
President, UC His Glory Book Club