One Prayer Away (31 page)

Doubling in laughter, Beverly slipped her arm around Mitchell's body and gave him a quick squeeze. “I don't think what happened between you and Chris had anything to do with God's punishment,” she told him. “But it
is
said that He has a sense of humor, so who knows?”

After all of the conversation that had just been exchanged between the two of them, Beverly noticed that Mitchell seemed to shut down without warning. He sat with his eyes cast toward the floor as if he'd suddenly been entranced by the pattern in which the flooring had been laid.

“What is it, hon?” she pried.

“Grandma Kate used to say that,” he whispered. “She didn't do much church, but she always said that God had a sense of humor.”

“You still miss her, don't you?”

Mitchell nodded. “I miss both of my grandparents. It gets worse at Christmastime.”

“I imagine so,” Beverly said. “What're you doing for the holiday? You need to surround yourself with friends.”

“Chris and Lisa are going to visit Chris's family in California. I was supposed to go as well. I hadn't checked with them, but I'm almost sure that I've been scratched from that deal.”

“Fine then,” Beverly said as she rose to her feet and began walking toward the stairs. “I'm going to go upstairs and get some clothes on; then when I come back down, we're going to eat breakfast together and then pack so we can head out to Houston.”

“Houston?”

“Uh-huh,” she said through heavy breaths. It had been much easier coming down the steps than it was going back up. “Make sure you pack a nice suit to wear to the Christmas banquet tomorrow night.”

Twenty-Six

V
irtue never ate before dancing, so when Elder Bradley told her that he wanted her to be the closer for the Christmas banquet, she knew that she'd have a long wait before being able to satisfy the hunger that the smell of the buffet-style meal had activated. The wait also put her on edge for another reason. When Beverly had walked into the house yesterday afternoon and immediately announced that Mitchell had come with her and was staying at a hotel near the church, Virtue literally had to catch her breath.

“I couldn't let him spend Christmas by himself, Virtue,” Beverly had defended. “He just lost his best friend, and he doesn't have any family to speak of. I wasn't going to leave without inviting him to come. Now, if you don't want anything to do with him, fine. You don't have to interact with him at all. He's staying in a room that's miles away from our house, and he's coming to the banquet as my date, not yours. So you don't have to do anything; you don't have to say anything; you don't even have to look at him if you don't want to. I hear you're pretty good at that.”

Virtue had given Beverly a look of warning for her sarcasm. After a moment of thought, she said, “Did you just call him your
date
?”

“That's right,” Beverly had said.

“Mitchell is a thirty-one-year-old man, Beverly,” Virtue had made the mistake of pointing out.

“And what am I?” Beverly challenged. “A fifty-five-year-old mattress? I'm a woman. I'm a mature woman, and he's a man who happens to be just a few years younger. Umph,” she grunted. “That sweetens the pot, if you ask me.”

Virtue had known that Beverly was pulling her leg, but at that moment it felt as if she were using both hands. Virtue felt a twinge of jealousy but hid it behind a melodramatic laugh.

She was surprised that she hadn't seen Fynn at all. Virtue expected to at least see him in passing as he prepared the youth ministry for the part they would play in the banquet. Virtue felt relief in not seeing him. She didn't need the added pressure before her performance. She hated that they couldn't at least remain friends, especially with both of them leading ministries within the same church, but Beverly had been right. Virtue had to take charge, put her foot down, and be firm. Fynn's personality wasn't the flexible type, and he wasn't one who could be convinced that his way of thinking was warped. The only way to deal with him was to
not
deal with him. Being his friend wasn't important enough to Virtue for her to have to suffer through his useless lectures.

She'd chosen not to mix and mingle with the people who packed out the decorated dining hall. Just knowing that Mitchell was somewhere out there in the crowd made her more nervous than ever. Virtue knew that no matter what Beverly said, she wouldn't be able to realistically avoid Mitchell for the entire night, but for now, she needed to. From the room where Virtue waited, she could hear the
goings-on that took place on the other side of the wall. Right now, Elder Bradley was bringing the Christmas message for the year. Virtue knew that she only had a few more minutes to calm herself. Her cue to enter would come directly after the sermon ended.

 

 

Mitchell sat beside Beverly and enjoyed his meal while exchanging small talk with the others who sat with them. All eyes seemed to turn toward him and Beverly when they walked into the building together. It was clear that everyone wanted to know the identity of the strange man who escorted her and the status of their relationship. The stares made Mitchell uncomfortable, but Beverly was enjoying every minute of it.

Despite the age difference, even Mitchell had to admit that they made an eye-catching pair. He wore a navy single-breasted blue suit, and Beverly looked smashing in her floor-length silver gown that caught reflections of the soft light provided by the candles. As Elder Bradley began winding down his message, Beverly excused herself. When Mitchell stood with her as a show of respect, he unintentionally added fuel to the flame of gossip that had started the moment they walked in.

“I just want to say thank you and God bless you to everyone who bundled up on a night of record low temperatures and came to spend your Christmas Eve with us. Whether you are a member of Temple of Jerusalem or a friend of the ministry, we thank you. There is plenty of food left and a few more hours left in the night. We are coming to the end of our program, but by no means do you have to be in any hurry to leave. I encourage you to stay and fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ for as long as you wish. As we end our program we have a special, special treat for you.”

As Elder Bradley said the words into the microphone, Mitchell heard Virtue's name spoken from the mouths of several of those in the crowd, and many of them had already begun to clap in anticipation. He couldn't help but feel proud knowing that she had made such an impact.

“I call her God's angel of praise,” Elder Bradley said. “You call her Virtue. Please give her a warm welcome as she interprets for us this evening.”

Mitchell felt a million butterflies take flight in his stomach as he stood with the others while Virtue walked gracefully onto the stage. She struck a pose and stood as still as a mannequin as the audience members returned to their seats. The music started, but as soon as Virtue was about to make her first move, the music stopped, the banquet room darkened, and everything was brought to a standstill. The electrical power had gone out. Had it not been for the dozens of candles still illuminated throughout the building, they would have been in complete darkness. But because of them, they had a beautiful low-light setting. Elder Bradley took the stage and tinkered with the sound system, but nothing happened.

“Well, the weatherman did tell us that tonight's low temperatures might cause some electrical problems,” he said, his voice echoing through the open space. “But God is still good.”

“Amen,” the crowd responded.

“Is Beverly Oliver in the building?” the pastor called. “Our church organist isn't here tonight, but God always has a ram in the bush, and Sister Beverly can be our ram tonight. We need to see Virtue dance.”

Mitchell looked at the empty seat beside him. Beverly hadn't yet returned from her restroom break.

“She stepped out,” someone took the liberty of announcing to the pastor.

Mitchell looked toward the stage and saw Virtue standing there fidgeting. He remembered from their days
of courtship and in the early stages of their marriage how important Virtue said it was for a dancer's concentration not to be broken. He could tell that hers already had been, but the longer she had to wait, the worse it would become. Standing from his seat, he took a deep breath and buttoned his suit jacket as he headed to the front of the room. He could hear murmurs around him as he passed the strategically placed tables.

“Do you play, young man?” Elder Bradley asked.

“Yes, sir,” Mitchell responded.

“Wonderful,” Elder Bradley said as he walked to the side of the stage to greet him as he ascended the stairs. “What's your name?” he whispered.

As soon as Mitchell answered the question, he knew that his name was not foreign to the pastor. The two men locked eyes for a moment, and then Elder Bradley turned and looked at Virtue as if seeking her approval. She stared at Mitchell for a moment and then gave her pastor the nod that he needed.

“Let's give Brother . . . Brother Mitchell a hand,” Elder Bradley said. As the thunderous applause resonated through the building, he stepped off the stage and took his seat on the floor at the head table.

Mitchell adjusted his frames on his face and waited for Virtue to strike her pose. This was a first. In all the time that they'd spent together, Mitchell had never provided the music for one of her routines. The butterflies in his stomach were still in full flight, but he placed his fingers on the keys and began to play a soft introduction. And as if they had rehearsed together, Virtue began dancing. Mitchell was sure that his version wasn't the exact one on the CD, but Virtue moved in perfect sync to his melody. Halfway through the song, it felt as if his fingers had disconnected themselves from his body. Even in Mitchell's opinion, the song had never been played with more power or meaning than he now provided.

It had been years since he'd observed Virtue in her element. Mitchell hadn't forgotten how beautiful she was or how well she moved across a stage, but even with the years that had lapsed, she'd never been lovelier, nor had she ever danced more gracefully than she did right now. Seeing Virtue in a setting such as this one and performing to a song that was brought to life by his gifted fingers almost brought Mitchell to tears. A glow about her could be seen as she swayed and gestured, so much so that Mitchell believed they could blow out the candles and he would still be able to see her in spite of the darkness.