One Prayer Away (8 page)

“Maybe next week,” Mitchell said. “I have some research to do anyway, so I need to be near my laptop. I'll catch you guys later.”

With a wave of his hand, he made an escape and walked through the maze of vehicles pulling from the lot, finally reaching his own. Once inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. Revealing his marriage may have unburdened him to a certain extent, but talking about the failure of it was still painfully difficult. Mitchell joined the fight to escape the parking lot and headed toward home. During the drive, he saw Christmas lights that were left on to twinkle even during the daytime hours. The city of Dallas had sprung into the holiday season as soon as Thanksgiving had passed, but there was no festive lighting beckoning for Mitchell as he turned into his driveway. The December holiday was no longer a favorite of his.

As soon as he changed into more comfortable clothes, he fired up his computer and then went into the kitchen to start dinner. He preheated the oven while he took the fish from the refrigerator where it had been marinating in the spicy mixture for the past fourteen hours. Laying four fillets in the foil-lined pan, he placed them in the oven and set the timer for half an hour. That would give him enough time to make headway on the project ahead of him.

Saying a quick prayer before typing the name “Virtue Lynne Andrews” in the search criteria of his laptop, Mitchell watched while the hour-glass-shaped icon made its calculations. Regardless of what Lisa said, he thought Virtue's name was both beautiful and appropriate.

Seven

W
hen she'd graduated from Hope College, Virtue had had big dreams of performing before thousands of people who would admire and adore her as she entertained them with the grace and beauty of creative dance. In a sense, she was living her dream, but not in the manner that her limited foresight had planned. Instead of swaying on a stage somewhere in Harlem or on Broadway, Virtue found herself doing so to the sounds of worship music at Temple of Jerusalem Church. God had taken a talent that some dubbed secular and made it useful for His glory.

It had taken some time, but Virtue had finally come to the understanding that God knew all along what she needed most, and it didn't involve bright lights and curtain calls. Leading the praise team at her church was a result of her salvation from an existence that had begun to feel hollow and meaningless. Escaping from her abusive marriage may have been the right thing to do, but it was in no way the easy way out. Leaving Mitchell was most likely the hardest thing Virtue had ever done in her life, and it had had a
long-lasting effect on her. Hardly a day had passed in the seven years since she had walked away that she didn't think of him in some way. Virtue always found herself wondering where Mitchell was, what he was doing,
how
he was doing. Some time ago, she'd even resigned herself to the fact that he'd most likely drunk himself to death or perhaps been killed as he drove his car in an impaired state of mind. The fact that she even cared one way or the other would often make her angry with herself.

Sunday mornings had at one time been like another phase of therapy that helped to get her beyond the worries of everyday life. Being in church, hearing the Word of God, and dancing had all been much-needed aspects of her graduation from what Beverly often called “a broken yesterday to a bright tomorrow.” It had taken time, and not a single step of her deliverance was easy, but Virtue had passed all of her tests with flying colors. Now, as the music blared through the speaker system and the harmonic sounds of the Voices of Jerusalem began to sing along, giving her and the dance troupe their cue, Virtue felt as though she needed this breakthrough as much as she needed the one she'd gotten the very first time she'd taken the floor.

Holding a long colorful strand of cloth in her hand, she led the line of a half-dozen chosen ones who burst through the back doors of the church and worshiped God using the powerful dramatization of dance. As the leader of the dance ministry, Virtue rarely was among the ones who performed. Instead she worked behind the scenes, teaching the steps to the teenagers and younger adults who put them into action on Sunday mornings. So today the membership was delighted to see Virtue take the lead. Although at thirty-one she was older than all of the other troupe members, Virtue was by far the most graceful, most powerful, and most emotional. Because of her formal training, her technique was often flawless, and her ability
to bring a song to life frequently brought worshipful tears to the eyes of the onlookers. For her, it was more than a gift; it was a passion and a divine calling. Today was one of those days when there were tearstained cheeks throughout the sanctuary. Kirk Franklin's one-time hit “The Reason Why We Sing” had never been so moving.

Having finished their routine and made their exit, Virtue and the others scampered back to the dressing room. She gave them a few quick reminders as they prepared the outfits for their next performance. While they readied for the next song that signaled their reentrance, Virtue slipped into her own dressing room and into her own clothes. The performance they'd just completed would be her only active involvement for the day. Over the last three years since she'd taken over the position that had been left vacant by a scandal that resulted in the demotion of her predecessor, Virtue had done wonders with the dance troupe. The roster had grown both physically and spiritually under her leadership, and the routines were more anointed and charismatic. Elder Bradley often called Virtue “God's angel of praise.” The congregation, for the most part, agreed.

“Excuse me, Virtue. I haven't heard anything since I turned in my application to join the dance ministry two Sundays ago. Did you get the paperwork? I know y'all ain't trying to discriminate.”

Renee Bell was one of the very few who disagreed with Elder Bradley's view and Virtue knew why. Renee's sister Dondra had been the former leader of the praise dancers, and when “secret sins” that no one seemed to want to talk about were revealed, Elder Bradley wasted no time relieving both her and her coconspirator from their leadership duties. For a full twelve months, the church functioned without a dance troupe. Elder Bradley often said that they'd do without one before he allowed such atrocities to go on in God's house. Upon her dismissal, Dondra (along
with the husband of one of the church's most dedicated ushers) chose to leave the ministry altogether and take their affair elsewhere. It was a scandal that rocked Temple of Jerusalem, but the church and those who were injured the most survived.

Maybe
that
was why Beverly had connected so well with Virtue. Although it wasn't a subject that they discussed frequently, Virtue could imagine the level of betrayal that Beverly had endured when she found out that her husband, who also happened to be on the ministerial board, was not only
capable
of being unfaithful, but was a
practicing
adulterer. Virtue imagined that it must have felt much like the betrayal she suffered through when she was forced to accept the fact that her husband was an abuser—both of alcohol and of her.

“Yes, Renee, I received your paperwork. And no, we're not discriminating; we're just not taking in any new members right now.”

Virtue was glad that she didn't have to struggle with the decision of whether or not to be honest. Her explanation was true. The two slots that had been open for the troupe had been filled just before she got Renee's application. Virtue remembered breathing a sigh of relief and sending soft praises to heaven when she retrieved Renee's submission from her in-box. She wouldn't have chosen her anyway. Virtue wasn't naive enough to believe that Renee would come without drama. She was still extremely bitter about her sister's firing, and Virtue knew that Renee wouldn't be a positive addition to the ministry. The members of the dance troupe complemented one another well. Adding Renee to the mix could be just the ingredient that would make them lose their spiritual synchronization. Choosing her would be like rolling out the welcome mat for trouble.

“You lying,” Renee accused as she reached between the pages of her Bible and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “It says right here in the church bulletin that there are
openings for the dance team. Lying ain't no better sin than any other. You need to be taken down from your position.”

Renee tried very little to hide her animosity toward everyone who she felt had wronged her sister, therefore disrespecting her entire family. Virtue found it amazing that Renee seemed not to be able to see that Dondra had brought the harsh actions upon herself. Virtue turned her eyes briefly to the ceiling before looking back in Renee's direction and taking the paper that the woman held eye-level to Virtue's face.

“This bulletin is dated three Sundays ago, Renee. Had you turned in your application at that time, it would have been considered along with the other eight that we received. We filled the available slots last week, and the new dancers are going through the standard training period before they will be released to perform. So no lies are being told here. As with the other six applicants that were not chosen, we will keep your paperwork on file should another need for growth arise.”

Snatching the bulletin from Virtue's hand and then taking a quick look at the date, Renee huffed in suppressed anger before crumpling it into a mangled mass. Satisfied that she had caused the paper enough pain, Renee then took it and shoved it into the pocket of Virtue's jacket.

“You can do the same with my application,” Renee said. “You can ball it up and stick it in your pocket . . . or
wherever
else it'll fit. I don't care to be your second choice. For the record, I don't believe for a minute that the positions have already been filled. But if they have, it's your loss, not mine.”

With that, Renee tossed Virtue a condescending look and then turned to walk away. As she brushed past Beverly, who was headed in their direction, a coy grin crossed Renee's face, and she made a U-turn that brought her right back to the place she'd just left. The expression on her face told them, even before her words did, that she'd dare not let an
opportunity pass when she could say something that could ruffle the feathers of both the women she despised most.

Snapping her fingers as though she'd inadvertently left out some pertinent piece of information, Renee looked directly at Beverly and said, “Oh, by the way, my sister is pregnant. She's giving Lester the baby that you apparently never could. I guess he finally found a
real
woman. They're getting married too. Would either of you like a formal invitation?”

“Renee!” Virtue was livid. She wanted to say more . . . far more than she even should have, in fact. Fierce, offensive words that she hadn't sputtered in years were slowly forming in a sea of fury that was rising from Virtue's belly. Beverly's touch to her arm stopped what probably would have been a reaction that Virtue would have regretted later.

Beverly's eyes locked into Renee's and remained there. “No, thank you,” she said with a smile that appeared just as genuine as Renee's ill-timed revelation. “But please give her my condolences, will you? I'm sure she'll find out more sooner than later that my barrenness isn't
really
what caused Lester to stray.”

Beverly's cool composure clearly wasn't the reaction that Renee had hoped to see. And her sharp prediction wasn't what she'd hoped to hear either. Renee's smirk disappeared and was replaced by narrowed eyes that seemed to give a hint of warning just before she walked away. To Virtue it almost felt like a silent threat. While she didn't fear Renee, Virtue often wondered why the resentful sibling continued to make Temple of Jerusalem her home. It was obvious that she wasn't happy there. During services, she sat stone-faced and, for the most part, was unresponsive throughout, no matter how spirited the atmosphere was. Sometimes Virtue wondered if Renee was just there to see if the church would eventually die from the venomous spirit that she brought along with her every time she walked through the doors.