Gold Hill (55 page)

MJ sat down, but Tanesha
was pretty sure he didn’t move Honey off his lap. She wondered for
a moment if she should call the midwife Camille. She was about to
move when she caught Delphie’s look. Delphie shook her head and
gave her the “don’t you dare” look she usually reserved for the
kids. Tanesha settled in her seat. Jeraine put his arm around
her.

“
I’d like each of you to
remember a moment you felt love,” Delphie said. “It might be the
moment you met your child. It could be the moment you met your
first love. It might even be the love you felt from your mother or
father. Join me now in remembering a moment of love.”

Delphie lit the pink taper
candle on the altar.

“
Yvonne, do you remember
the moment you knew you loved Rodney?” Delphie asked.

“
When he found me under
the hay in the barn,” Yvonne’s sweet voice drifted through the
chapel. “I remember.”

“
Rodney, do you remember
the moment you knew you loved Yvonne?” Delphie asked.

“
The first time she said
my name,” Rodney’s deep voice came out like a rumble of thunder.
“It was the first real word she said. She wasn’t more than a year
old. My heart kind of seized.
I . . . ”

Rodney looked over to see
Yvonne smiling at him.

“
Hasn’t unseized yet,” he
added.

The audience
chuckled.

“
If you’ve been in love,
please take a moment and remember the moment you knew you were in
love.”

Delphie looked out over the
audience. People moved closer to each other. Katy laid her head in
what was left of Jill’s lap while Paddie rested against her. Tears
ran down Tanesha’s face. Delphie smiled to herself. It was
happening just like Celia said it would.

“
Sometimes, for some
people, life gets in the way of love,” Delphie said. “We have love
and then, in a moment, life breaks our love in two.”

Delphie picked up the lit
pink taper candle and broke it in half. She put the lit portion
back in the holder and broke the unlit portion in half again. She
put the two pieces into small holders and moved them in front of
the lit candle.

“
Yvonne, have you ever,
even for a moment stopped loving Rodney?” Delphie asked.

“
Never,” Yvonne
said.

“
Did you ever believe he
didn’t love you?”

“
No,” Yvonne said. “I
believed he shouldn’t love me. But I couldn’t imagine that
he . . . that he . . . didn’t love
me. I don’t think I could have survived that.”

“
Have you ever doubted his
love?”

“
I doubted that he could
still love me after . . . what I had become, what
I’d done, what I was. I prayed that if there was any way, he
could . . . but
I . . . ”

A fat tear dropped down
Yvonne’s face.

Delphie held out the candle
lighter. Yvonne stepped forward. Delphie looked up.

“
Will you join me?”
Delphie asked. “Repeat after me. My
love . . . ”

“
My love,” Yvonne said
along with everyone, but the only voice she heard was the low
timber of Rodney’s voice.”

“
. . . washes
away . . . ”

“
. . . washes away,” Yvonne said with everyone
else.

“
. . . my
doubt . . . ”

“
. . . my
doubt,” Yvonne said with everyone.

“
I am worthy of being
loved.”

“
I am worthy of being
loved,” Yvonne said with everyone. She heard a few sniffles behind
her but dared not look.

“
You may light your
candle,” Delphie said.

Yvonne lit the piece of
pink candle. Delphie nodded and she went back to stand next to
Rodney. He took her hand.

“
Rodney.”

“
Oh lord,” Rodney said. A
few people chuckled. Delphie smiled.

“
Rodney, have you ever,
even for a moment stopped loving Yvonne?”

“
Not since the moment I
met her,” Rodney said.

“
Did you ever believe she
didn’t love you?”

“
Never,” Rodney said. “She
has this ability to love that . . . Only the Lord
himself can love better.”

“
Have you ever doubted her
love?”

“
In the dark moments, the
evil violence and the horror . . . ” Rodney’s
deep voice came like a sigh. He fell to his knees. His large hands
covered his face.

“
Dad!” Tanesha jumped up
to rush to him. Delphie gestured for her to sit down. A shocked
silence fell over the chapel.

“
I am not worthy of her
love,” Rodney said.

Yvonne dropped down to
him.

“
They need your help,”
Delphie said to the audience. “Will you love them?”

“
I love you!” Tanesha ran
forward. She wrapped herself around her mother and
father.

“
I love you!” Dionne’s
voice launched a chorus of voices around the chapel. The sound of
“I love you” from voices young and old filled the air with sound. A
tinkle of piano music joined the sound until the piano came to a
halt.

“
I love you!” Katy’s voice
gave the last blessing.

“
Jeraine?” Delphie
gestured for him to get Tanesha.

Jeraine peeled Tanesha off
her parents and held her tight. He led her back to their seats.
Delphie nodded to Bumpie and Dionne. They helped Yvonne and Rodney
to their feet. Bumpie held Rodney in place. Yvonne put her arm
around him.

“
Rodney?” Delphie
asked.

“
Yes ma’am,” Rodney
said.

Delphie held out the candle
lighter. Bumpie helped Rodney step forward.

“
Everyone now, they need
your help?” Delphie asked. “Repeat after me. My
love . . . ”

“
My love,” Rodney’s voice
was so low it was barely audible under the crowd.

“
. . . washes
away . . . ”

“
. . . washes away,” Rodney said with everyone
else.

“
. . . my
doubt . . . ”

Rodney’s eyes went to the
heavens.

“
You can do it,” a man’s
voice yelled from the audience.

“
Just let it go,” Sam
yelled.

“
I love you Dad,” Tanesha
said.

“
My love washes away my
doubt,” Delphie repeated.

“
My love washes
away . . . ” Rodney swallowed hard. He turned
to look at Yvonne.

“
I love you, Rodney,”
Yvonne said.

He nodded and looked back
at Delphie.

“
What am I supposed to
say?” he asked.

“
My love washes away my
doubt,” Delphie said.

Rodney nodded to Bumpie and
his best friend stepped back. He looked at the window in front of
them. A dark skinned man and woman held a two year old child that
looked just like Tanesha. From the farthest corner of his mind, he
remembered holding his daughter for the first time. A flood of
emotion came over him. He wiped his eyes and smiled.

“
My love washes away my
doubt,” Rodney said. “I am worthy of being loved.”

The audience
cheered.

“
Will you join him?”
Delphie asked. “I am worthy of being loved.”

“
I am worthy of being
loved,” everyone said.

“
You may light your
candle,” Delphie said.

Rodney took the lighter
from Delphie and lit the piece of pink candle. The audience
cheered. Delphie nodded. He hugged Yvonne.

“
Rodney and Yvonne would
like to make a new vow,” Delphie said. “One they won’t have to
break.”

The chapel became very
still.

“
Yvonne?” Delphie asked.
“Your vow?”

Yvonne took a piece of
paper from up her sleeve. Tanesha had written her vow down and
helped her hide it right there.

“
My soul belongs to you,”
Yvonne said. “My love belongs to you.”

“
Rodney?”

“
My soul belongs to you,”
Rodney said. “My love belongs to you.”

“
Yvonne?”

“
For the rest of my life,
I am yours – mind, body, and spirit,” Yvonne said.

“
For the rest of my life,
I am yours – mind, body, and spirit,” Rodney said without being
prompted.

Delphie nodded and Rodney
swooped Yvonne up in a kiss. Everyone cheered. When the cheering
died down, Delphie said:

“
Rodney and Yvonne need
our help,” Delphie said. “In order to seal the reforging of this
love, this vow, this unbreakable bond, we must add the power of our
love.

“
Will you
help?”

“
We will,” the audience
responded.

“
Good, that’s very good,”
Delphie smiled. “As you’ve done with word, do now with your
heart.”

Delphie lit a green pillar
candle.

“
Close your eyes,” Delphie
said. “In your mind, imagine love. Give it shape and
color.”

Delphie let the silence
drag.

“
Full of love.”

She waited a few more
minutes.

“
Full of love.”

She allowed more time to
pass.

“
Imagine your love growing
like an unbreakable balloon,” Delphie said. “It grows larger and
larger and larger until it fills the room. Slowly, ever so slowly,
it grows to fill the city, the country, and the world.”

“
I see it Mommy,” Katy
whispered to Jill.

“
I see it too,” Delphie
whispered back. To the audience, she said, “You may open your
eyes.”

A murmur went through the
crowd. The ceremony was almost over.

“
With the love in your
heart, please greet your neighbor,” Delphie said. “We have done
something incredible today. We have repaired a broken vow and
reforged a perfect love. We’ve consecrated this sanctuary with the
power of our love. We are now and forever family.”

Delphie watched everyone
greet each other. The energy and noise in the chapel rose. Nash and
Noelle came to her side. She gave them packages of small green
candles.

“
Before we leave,” Delphie
said. Nash and Noelle went to the end of each pew to hand out the
candles. “Please take this candle. We have a small reception with
cake, champagne, and some appetizers in the ballroom. If you’re
able to stay, please light your candle and set it on your table. If
you’re not able to stay, please take this candle to your home and
light it. Let the candle burn down to send the love we’ve shared
here out into the world.

“
Know that you are welcome
in this sanctuary any time. Feel free to come in mind, body, and
spirit.”

“
Now,” Delphie said. “May
I introduce you to Rodney and Yvonne Smith.”

The audience
applauded.

“
Kiss, kiss, kiss,” a
chant began at the back of the chapel.

Rodney kissed Yvonne again
and everyone cheered.

“
Before we leave, MJ?”
Delphie asked.

MJ stood up with Honey in
his arms.

“
They are waiting for you
upstairs,” Delphie said. “You know where to go?”

“
We’re going to go to the
hospital,” MJ said.

“
We worked this out while
you were gone. The doctor is on call and the midwife is waiting
upstairs. Blane?” Delphie nodded to Blane. He slipped out of the
pew and jogged out of the chapel. “Everyone please. MJ and Honey
need to get upstairs and have a baby.”

MJ moved past the people in
his row and ran out of the chapel.

“
Steve? Colin? Off you
go,” Delphie said.

Steve Roper and Colin
Hargreaves got up and ran after them.

“
Let’s give them some time
to get where they need to go,” Delphie said. “If you can spare one,
please send a prayer for Honey and the baby. Feel free to come
celebrate in the ballroom. If we’re lucky, we’ll welcome a baby
soon.”

They waited a few minutes
and Delphie nodded to Yvonne and Rodney. Like royalty, they walked
down the aisle and everyone followed them.

“
How did it go?” Sam asked
when the chapel was almost empty. He helped Delphie out of her
robe.

“
Perfectly,” Delphie said.
“Thanks for waiting for me.”

“
Shall we go help Honey?”
Sam asked.

“
Let’s.”

Arm in arm, they went
upstairs to wait for the arrival of their second
grandchild.

~~~~~~~~

Saturday early morning –
2:15 a.m.

“
You know they closed
Pete’s Kitchen for remodeling,” U.S. Marshal Jasper said to his
partner U.S. Marshal Kowalski.

“
Oh that’s right,” U.S.
Marshal Kowlaski pulled the dark sedan to a stop at the corner of
Race and Colfax. “There’s Mama’s Café.”

“
Let’s just go to the 7-11
there,” U.S. Marshal Jasper said. “They make coffee all
night.”