The Other Side of Divine (26 page)

—Psalm 93:4

 

 

 

T
hirty minutes past the time the wedding was supposed to begin, there was a knock on Gabrielle's dressing room door. Fatima answered it, and after a few words were exchanged, she allowed the person on the other side to enter.

“Hi, Cousin Gabrielle,” Angie said. “I'm sorry to barge in like this and all. Oh, look at you! You look gorgeous! I love that dress! Maybe you can let me use it after you finish with it for when me and my hubby get married.”

“If you're married already, why would you need a gown
or
a wedding, for that matter?” Fatima asked, her nose slightly turned up.

“Oh, we're not actually
married
right now. I just call him my hubby until we make things legal,” Angie said. “You know . . . faith. But I know I would look
good
in that dress. It looks like it cost a fortune. I bet we can get a lot for it on eBay. I buy things off eBay all the time, and I find some great deals. Although that dress has to have cost thousands, I can tell by all the diamonds sewn on it going down diagonally and the pleats crisscrossing on top meeting up with the diamonds.”

“They're not diamonds,” Gabrielle said, trying hard to be patient with her cousin, who was getting on her nerves by being her normal superficial self.

“Well, they look like diamonds,” Angie said. “All sparkly and everything. Look at the detailed ornate design of each piece. And they're all linked together going from the left side at the top diagonally to your right hip. That's a lot of bling! Even if they're not diamonds, whatever they are, they had to cost a pretty penny. And then there are those pleats going across your waist, then some slanting downward—absolutely gorgeous. And I mean that dress is fitting you, too. You go, girl! Got that swirl going on at the bottom. Zachary is going to pass out right there in front of everybody when he sees you. Oh!” She raised her hand. “That reminds me. That's why I came. Zachary sent a message to you by me.”

“When? When did you see Zachary? Is he here?” Gabrielle asked.

“I don't know if he's here or not. But I saw him about two hours ago.”

“You saw him?” Gabrielle asked. “Where?”

“Here,” Angie said as she unwrapped a stick of gum and shoved it in her mouth. “I had my little crumb snatchers with me. They're with Mama now. Oh, Gabrielle, Mama is out there! She wasn't going to come at first, but she didn't want Uncle Bennie tripping like he's been doing here lately. Uncle Bennie has been trying to get everybody in our house to go to church, to walk godly, get on the straight and narrow. Prison sure can mess a person up. That's why I told Jesse he'd better listen to Uncle Bennie, who knows from which he speaks—”

“Angie, please! I want to hear about Zachary? What did Zachary say?” Gabrielle said.

Angie popped her gum a few times and rolled her eyes. “You don't have to be all rude and everything. I was going to get to it. Dang. And y'all supposed to be the bougie folks. He told me to tell you he had an emergency at the hospital, but he'd definitely be back for the wedding, so if he was late, know that he would be back. Oh, and to not cancel the wedding regardless of how late he might be.”

“So why didn't you come and tell somebody that two hours ago when he first told you?” Fatima asked.

Angie slowly turned toward Fatima. “Because”—she popped her gum three times—“I had those bad kids of mine, and I didn't want to be trying to find folks and having to drag them around. So I got in my car and went home. I talked my mother into coming to the wedding, which means I could leave them with her, come back, and find somebody
to
. . . tell. Is that all right with you?” She screwed up her mouth.

Fatima held up both hands, shook her head, and merely walked away.

Angie turned back to Gabrielle. “So I'm going to go back out there and wait for the wedding to start. I sure am glad I went home earlier though. I would have hated to have sat here all this time waiting on some wedding to start. It looks like y'all are just as late starting as people are always accusing my family of being.”

“Thank you, Angie,” Gabrielle said, rubbing the side of her temple as she tried hard to hide her true feelings.

“Okay then. I'm gonna go now. But don't forget what I said about that wedding dress. And those purple satin gowns y'all bridesmaids are wearing with the rhinestones on the top edge of that one shoulder drop with pleats going diagonally and pleats around the waist are banging, too. Although I like
those
two better”—Angie pointed at Tiffany and Tameka's dresses—“they fit better across the stomach. No offense but you”—she pointed at Fatima—“look like you're pregnant in yours.”

“Well, since I
am
pregnant, then no offense taken,” Fatima said.

Angie smiled and left with Fatima gleefully closing the door behind her.

After being sure she was out of earshot, Fatima turned to Gabrielle and said, “Is she for real?”

“Yep,” Gabrielle said.

“And you grew up with her?” Fatima said.

“For a little over fourteen years,” Gabrielle said. “I most certainly did.”

“Well, God bless you, child,” Fatima said. “Because I think I'd have to hurt that one if she was any kin to me.”

Queen knocked on the door and rushed in.

“Why did you knock?” Fatima said.

“Guess who's here?!” Queen said with so much joy everybody knew the answer.

“Zachary,” Miss Crowe said to her niece while clasping her hands together.

“Yes! And Tiffany, he's asking to see you,” Queen said.

“Me?”

“Yes. And please hurry,” Queen said.

“My children?” Tiffany said with complete fear on her face.

“Please don't tell me—”

“Just go. He's down the hall a little ways waiting on you. You'll see him,” Queen said. “Go.” Queen touched Tiffany's hand to calm her some. “Go.”

—John 3:29

 

 

 

T
iffany closed the door and quickly looked down the hall. Her hands instantly went up to her mouth as she ran down the hall, high heels and all. She grabbed up her children, wanting to be able to hold each one individually and collectively all at the same time.

“You're okay! You're all right!” she said as she kissed them.

“Yeah, but it was scary,” Dana said. “Daddy went in there. It's bad, Mama. There were ambulances and bodies being put on stretchers.” She shook her head, unable to say more.

“Scary?” She looked at Dana, then Jade, and finally up at Zachary, who was standing there looking a little worn out.

“It wasn't scary, scary, Mama,” Junior said. “There was an explosion, BOOM! And sirens and policemen and policewomen and about three fire trucks with firemen running around everywhere.”

Tiffany stood up straight and directed her complete attention to Zachary. “What?!”

“Dad's girlfriend,” Jade said. “Apparently she was running or involved in some sort of a meth lab operation or something.”

“What? What are they talking about?” Tiffany asked Zachary as she swiped at her tears, her beautifully made-up face demolished now.

“Darius took the children over to a place where apparently they were cooking up meth—”

“He did what?!”

“Daddy got a call,” Jade said. “Well, actually, Miss Divine got a call on her phone, but she was out at the time. Daddy was on his way out the door to bring us home so we could come to the wedding, the wedding I suppose we've missed now.”

“I don't think you missed it. They wouldn't dare start without
you
,” Zachary said to Jade with a quick wink. “And possibly me.” He grinned. Jade grinned back.

“Oh, yeah,” Jade said, still grinning. “That's right.”

“Back to your father,” Tiffany said to Jade. “I don't believe that man. What was he thinking?”

“Daddy doesn't think,” Junior said. “At least, that's what Miss Divine said when he showed up at that house with the three of us. She asked him what on earth was he thinking bringing us with him to a place like that. She then told him he doesn't think.”

“Junior, I'm sure Mama doesn't care about that,” Jade said to her brother.

“Okay, so your daddy answered Miss Divine's phone on his way to bringing you home like he promised,” Tiffany said. “So why didn't he just drop you off at the house first, and
then
go do whatever stupid thing he was going to do next?”

“That's also what Miss Divine said to Daddy,” Junior said. “Wow, Mom, you and Miss Divine must be twins or something. Y'all say the same things.”

Tiffany placed her hand on top of Junior's head, then looked over at Jade. “So he didn't bring you home. Why didn't somebody call me and tell me what was going on? I've been worried sick about y'all for the past six hours. Why didn't you call me, Jade? Or even you, Dana?”

“I would have called if you would have bought me a cell phone like I asked,” Jade said. “Otherwise, what was I supposed to call you with?”

Tiffany nodded. “I know, I know. I'm not blaming you, any of you.”

“Anyway, it appears Darius answered Divine's phone she accidentally left at the house. It had some kind of a distress message with an address. He went over there and it turns out it was actually a place where they were cooking meth,” Zachary said.

“So my husband . . . their
father
took them to a place where they were cooking meth? Meth?” Tiffany said through clenched teeth.

“In truth, I don't know for sure that Daddy knew that's what they were doing,” Jade said. “He told us to stay in the car. Miss Divine must have looked out and seen him when he drove up. She came out to the car and started blasting him for bringing us and saying all those things Junior just told you she said.”

“Then Daddy and Miss Divine went toward the house and were about to go inside,” Dana said. “And—”

“BOOM!” Junior said. “There was a loud booming noise! It was
so
loud! And the car shook with us in it. So we all jumped out of the car and Jade made us lay flat on the ground.”

“The house exploded? Is Darius . . .” Tiffany looked at Zachary, who was using his eyes to point out that the children were there and there were likely some details they didn't need to discuss in front of them. Tiffany nodded that she understood his coded message. “Hey, they're waiting on you so we can have a wedding,” Tiffany said to the children. “Do you still feel like doing this or would you rather I take us home?”

“Are you kidding me?” Jade said. “I want to stay and be in the wedding.”

“Me too,” Dana said.

“Me three,” Junior said, causing Tiffany and Zachary to laugh.

“Well, okay then. Let's get you three dressed in a hurry, or should I say four since I think they're also waiting on the groom.” Tiffany looked at Zachary and smiled.

“Yeah, I think he might be a
little
bit important,” Dana said. “Dr. Z?”

“Yes?” Zachary said.

“Thank you,” Dana said, hugging him. “Thank you for everything. I hope and pray that Daddy's going to be all right.” She looked up at Zachary, who smiled.

“Yeah, Dr. Z. Thanks for everything,” Jade said. She then looked at her little brother. “Junior.”

“What?”

“Don't you have something you need to say to Dr. Z?”

Junior walked over to Zachary. “Dr. Z, can I please go with you to put on my outfit? I don't want Mama to dress me. The mood she's in right now, she'll be kissing me all over my face and treating me like a little baby. I've been in this place before. Please, Dr. Z. May I go and get dressed with you?”

Zachary smiled and placed his hand on Junior's head as Junior looked up at him with his classic puppy dog eyes routine. “Sure. That's if it's okay with your mother.” Zachary looked at Tiffany, who tearfully nodded.

“I need to go get his suit and bring it out,” Tiffany said. “But we do need to hurry. Everybody has been waiting for a while now.” Tiffany put her arms around her daughters' shoulders and walked them to the dressing room. She hurried back out and held Junior's tux out to Zachary.

“Mama, I can take it,” Junior said. “I'm a big boy. I promise I won't drop it or anything.”

“Yes, you
are
a big boy,” Tiffany said, handing the tux to Junior instead. “You most certainly are.”

Zachary and Junior left, going toward their own dressing area. Tiffany hurried back inside where the women were still gathered.

Tiffany's children were okay. Tiffany now knew there had been an awful explosion. Darius was hurt but alive. But there was still going to be a wedding.

God had heard and answered everybody's prayers.

—Ephesians 4:13

 

 

 

A
t five o'clock in the afternoon, on June 11, in the year of our Lord 2011, Gabrielle Mercedes stood in the hallway as the wedding party began their processional march.

She couldn't see the ones lined up in the hallway with her after they turned the corner. But she knew that Pastor Landris was standing up front with Zachary next to him, and Zachary's father as his best man next to him, along with Zachary's brother Yancey, his cousin, and a colleague in that order. Zachary would be wearing a white tux with a purple cummerbund—purple being the color of royalty and totally Miss Crowe's choice, although it was the color Gabrielle had been planning on . . . either purple or a pretty cobalt blue. The best man and groomsmen were wearing black tuxes with purple cummerbunds.

Junior looked so cute in his little all white tux and purple cummerbund. After Tiffany checked on him to be sure he was properly dressed, she came back and said, “That son of mine is as sharp as a tack!”

All the junior bridesmaids, the bridesmaids, and the matron of honor wore purple with the adults' dresses having one side slanted off the shoulder. The children wore more Cinderella-like ballroom gowns, Gabrielle certain that was more of Jasmine's doing than probably Miss Crowe. They were all
so
beautiful. And Dana, the flower girl, was dressed in all white, a miniature version of a bride, only a ballroom-style dress. As an added touch, Miss Crowe had ensured that every female member of the wedding party was sporting a beautiful tiara, though none matched the one Miss Crowe had for the bride. They were like a queen and a court of princesses.

Every person in the wedding on this day had to feel special.

Wanting to have had a hand in
something
with her wedding dress-up, Gabrielle had found a pair of pretty open-toe, white satin shoes with tiny roses on the straps. They were cute. Even Jasmine had said so, although she'd said it with a small giggle.

But Miss Crowe had one more unexpected surprise for Gabrielle, and she'd apparently enlisted Zachary's cooperation in pulling it off. Gabrielle would learn what that was after she made her way to the altar.

The large mahogany double wooden doors opened and Gabrielle and her father strolled in arm in arm down the long aisle. Bennie glanced over at her and, on more than one occasion, was caught wiping away a tear. Then Zachary almost messed up by trying to take possession of Gabrielle before the appropriate time. Everybody laughed and Zachary wiped his forehead, shaking his head as he smiled adoringly at Gabrielle.

“Take My Breath Away” by Berlin played after the traditional wedding march and what most call the “giving away of the bride.” Only they'd opted to call it the “presenting of the bride” by the father to the groom. “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo was played immediately after the prayer and prior to the lighting of the unity candle, which was followed immediately by a unity sand ceremony that was beyond both touching
and
beautiful.

The unity sand ceremony included a large heart-shaped monogrammed vase with the letter M, and not just two separate smaller vases with different-colored quartz sand, but four.

“The unity sand ceremony symbolizes what are individuals now coming together as one,” Pastor Landris said. “Beginning with the white sand I shall pour first to represent the foundation on which this blessed union is being built: the Word of God and a confession of faith in Jesus Christ.” Pastor Landris poured the white sand from his small vase into the larger heart-shaped vase.

“Now I'll ask Gabrielle and Zachary, the bride and groom, to pour their sand along with Gabrielle's sweet little daughter, Miss Jasmine, as an indication of what was separate, now becoming one—never to be separated as, once mixed, grains of sand can not effectively be separated out.”

The three of them poured their individual vases of sand at the same time: Zachary's indigo blue, Gabrielle's dark pink, and Jasmine's light pink all flowing and mixing, creating a beautiful work of art in the process. Jasmine had the biggest grin on her face as she watched the sands flow and come together.

After that, the wedding ceremony went pretty much as most weddings do with the exchanging of vows and declarations to love, honor, and cherish. But then came the one surprise Gabrielle hadn't known about and wasn't expecting. The one she was certain Miss Crowe, and most assuredly Jasmine, had teamed up with Zachary to do.

One of the ushers from the back walked up the aisle with a glass slipper on a beautifully decorated satin pillow. He held the pillow before Zachary and bowed his head as Zachary took the glass slipper off the pillow and kneeled down before Gabrielle. Gabrielle thought she was absolutely going to lose it at that point.

Pastor Landris was in on it as well. He said, “The prince is promising his kingdom to the one whose foot fits this glass slipper. Others have tried and failed. Gabrielle, Zachary is asking you to place your foot in the slipper.” Pastor Landris looked at Gabrielle, who was blushing at this point, but also praying that the shoe
would
fit, since she hadn't tried it on prior to this, considering she hadn't known any of this would be taking place. What an embarrassment it would be if the shoe
didn't
fit.

Zachary pulled off the shoe she was wearing on her right foot, then carefully and lovingly slipped the glass slipper, which had an oval-shaped Swarovski crystal the size of two thumbs on the top of it, on to her foot. It went on as though it had been custom made for her. She smiled at Zachary, who stood up and took hold of her hand. Then before she knew anything, Miss Crowe stepped forward, holding out the matching glass slipper inside of a see-through plastic box. Zachary took that shoe, kneeled down again, pulled off Gabrielle's other shoe, and slipped on the matching glass slipper. He took her other shoes and placed them in the plastic box Miss Crowe held. Miss Crowe winked at them and went back to her mother-of-the-bride seat.

“In as much as these two have pledged their love and devotion to each other,” Pastor Landris said. “And in as much as the shoe fits”—everybody laughed, interrupting him, although he had to pause because he was laughing as well—“it is with great joy and divine pleasure that I, Pastor George Edward Landris, now pronounce you . . . man and wife.” He looked at Zachary and smiled. “I know you've been waiting a long time for me to say this. Dr. Zachary Wayne Morgan, you may
kiss
your
bride
!”

Zachary looked at Gabrielle with so much love in his eyes. He didn't make a joke out of it or anything. And as she looked at him, she saw one single tear making its way down his face. He lovingly leaned in and sealed their love with a kiss.