The Atonement (30 page)

“Oh, Tim. I think you give me too much credit
and not enough to yourself. I’m not a saint and you’re not the
worst guy in the world. I actually think you’re
pretty…wonderful.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot of things you’d like
to change about me if you could.”

“Maybe. But no one’s perfect. Truth be told,
I think you have way more good qualities than bad ones.”

“You mean that?”

“Of course. Everything you said about me, I
could say about you. I could also add that you’re open-minded, and
you’re not afraid to open yourself to others even though you might
get hurt. Like the way you keep reaching out to your sister.”

“Yeah. I wish I could say things were getting
better between us, but …”

“But she came down to the church and had
dinner with us. It’s a good start if nothing else. Even if she’s
just spying, at least now you two have the chance to get a dialogue
going.”

“More like a monologue. I talk and she either
ignores or insults me – and I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of
why she’s angry with me.”

“Do you think it may have something to do
with your grandfather’s death? You told me she stopped speaking to
you after that.”

“I have no idea. She was really upset when he
died – we all were. It wasn’t until some time afterward that she
started treating me like dirt.”

“She could have been angry about his death
and was taking it out on you.”

“No. We’ve had some really big arguments over
the years since then, and she’s made it pretty clear her gripe is
with me. The fact that I don’t know why she’s angry is probably
what frustrates her more than anything else.”

“I don’t think that’s fair. She can’t expect
you to read her mind.”

“But how could I have hurt her that badly and
not know what I did? I mean she’s my baby sister. If something
bothers her it should be apparent to me, don’t you think?”

“Allen has done things to hurt my feelings
without realizing it, but I didn’t hold it against him. One time
when we were in high school, he ran off to Hershey Park with Daniel
and his other chess club buddies and brings me back, a t-shirt
that’s two sizes too big. I was so mad at the time, I could have
whipped him with that shirt.”

“Because he got you the wrong size?”

“No!” laughed Tamiko, “I was upset because I
was supposed to be his friend and he didn’t even tell me he was
going or invite me to go with them. Plus, he knew I wasn’t doing
anything that weekend.”

“Ooooh! Okay, I get it now.”

“That’s because I explained it to you, which
is my whole point. You can have a situation that can be seen by
different people in different ways. You can’t ever really
understand why she’s upset unless she tells you. Even if you manage
to figure out what it is that set her off, you still won’t know why
that bothers her unless she explains it.”

“Which will be never. That’s why I’ve been
praying for God to reveal to me what it’s all about. Then
hopefully, she’ll want to listen to what I have to say.”

“It may not even take all that. God has a way
of working things out. You just keep reaching out to her.”

“You’re right. And after everything God has
done for me, I shouldn’t doubt him now.”

“Amen.”

“But enough about my family and their
problems. How are things here? Have you and Riley had a chance to
have a girls night out?”

“Not yet, because I’ve had to work, but I’m
looking forward to Friday when we go to see the play you got us
tickets for. Thanks so much again.”

“Any time, Miko. Remember to tell me all
about it when you get back.”

“I will.”

“You better. I’ve been telling you all my
stories, now I want to hear some of yours.”

“Being an only child, I don’t have a lot.
Most of them you’ve heard already, and the rest I know you’ve heard
second hand from Allen.”

“C’mon, Miko. Given how your mom is, I would
think you should have hundreds.”

“She’s not that bad.”

“Miko, you’re 23 years old and she just gave
you an 8:30 visitor curfew. I’d say she’s moving into Eleanor
Russell territory.”

“My mom isn’t controlling, just a little
over-protective, that’s all.”

“I bet – like the secret service. Tell me…”
he said looking around and then leaning towards her “do you think
we’re being recorded right now?”

“Shut up!” said Tamiko chuckling as she
slapped him playfully on the arm.

“That artificial flower arrangement over
there looks suspicious. I think one of the flowers may have a
camera hidden inside. My guess is the yellow one.”

“You’re insane,” she said laughing.

“As a matter of fact, I’ll bet that if I even
approach that staircase over there, an alarm will suddenly go off,
there will be lights flashing, and a net will drop down from the
ceiling…”

“Stop...stop,” said Tamiko gasping between
fits of laughter.

“No, no. Let’s see. I think it could happen,”
said Tim. He got up and slowly walked over to the staircase,
Tamiko’s eyes following him as he went. Just as he was about to put
his foot on the first step, a beeping sound took them by surprise
and they both shrieked in shock. Tim hurried back over to the couch
where he’d been sitting. They both found the irony of the moment
hilarious.

“I was right! I knew it! I’ve initiated the
doomsday sequence!” laughed Tim. Tamiko had rolled off the couch
and was on the floor doubled over with laughter, while the beeping
continued.

“
What’s going on out here?”
asked Pastor Bynum “What’s that beeping? And why are y’all laughing
like that?”

Tamiko tried to explain, but could hardly say
anything because she couldn’t get a handle on her laughter and Tim
was experiencing the same thing. Then just when they had both begun
to compose themselves, Mother Rose suddenly appeared out of thin
air with a timer in her hand from which the beeping sound
originated. When Tim and Tamiko saw her, they both fell back on the
couch laughing.

“There doesn’t seem to be much work going on
here. And what, may I ask, is so amusing?” said Mother Rose.

“It’s nothing. We just didn’t know where…that
sound was coming from,” said Tamiko once she had recovered from her
hilarity.

“Rose, why do you have that timer?” asked
Pastor Bynum.

“Because it is 8:30 and that means visiting
hours at this residence are over.”

“Is this really necessary?” asked the Pastor
as he put the palm of his hand to his face.

“Yes it is. We have rules and it is our duty
as parents to enforce them. Tamiko, I trust you were able to
complete your work before you and your friend decided to start
playing around.”

“Yes, mom. We’re done.”

“Good. Now, as it is already late, I’m sure
that this young man would like to go home…”

“But he missed dinner. Tim, are you sure you
wouldn’t like something to eat before you go, son?” asked Pastor
Bynum.

“Pastor, Tamiko has to get up early for work
tomorrow.”

“Now, Rose, it’s the least we could do after
how he helped Miko. A lot of the restaurants might be closed by the
time he gets home.”

“No, thank you, Pastor Bynum. I’ll be okay. I
have something I can throw in the microwave at home.”

“Are you sure?” asked Tamiko, “I could fix
you a plate to take home if you’d like.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine. I’ll
see you around.”

“Thanks again. I really appreciated your
help.”

“Anytime. Let me know how your assessment
meeting goes.”

“I will, and I’ll pray for you and your
sister.”

“Thanks. We’re going to need it.”

Twenty-eight

So far, the day Allen had planned seemed to
go from bad to worse. He had planned for Callie, Darius, and
himself to attend a children’s fair in Central Park, and then he
and Callie would have dinner on the ferryboat later on, but an
unexpected change in the weather ruined everything. Allen woke up
that morning to find several inches of snow had covered the
sidewalk below his window and it was still coming down fast. He
managed to salvage the day by taking Darius to the Children’s
Museum in lower Manhattan to explore the exhibits. After that, they
had lunch together at Emily Ann’s before they dropped off Darius
with his mom while they got ready for a romantic evening at
Callie’s.

Allen prepared her a homemade candlelight
dinner of her favorites: Chicken parmagian, ravioli, and Caesar’s
salad. Even with the last minute change in plans the day was
turning out to be everything Allen had hoped for. The ambiance
created by the candlelight, the food, and the sound of Callie’s
Stylistic’s CD playing in the background made everything just that
more intimate and romantic. Allen looked at Callie who was sitting
across from him at the table eating her meal and he couldn’t help
noticing how beautiful she was. He loved her smooth ebony skin, and
her long, thick, natural mane that flowed over her shoulders. She
had a long slender face with high cheekbones and a pouty mouth that
he found irresistible, especially when she was wearing that sparkle
lip-gloss like she was tonight. He even noticed the way the
stretchy material of her lavender off the shoulder dress clung to
her slender figure. Allen was drinking her in with his eyes because
he wanted to remember her at this point in time. He wanted to
remember everything, because he knew that this was going to be one
of the most important nights of his life.

“Allen, I have to say, I am having the time
of my life right now,” said Callie, taking a sip of the white wine
Allen bought to go with their dinner.

“Good. That was my intention. I was afraid
this night was going to be a bust with the way the weather turned
out. I originally wanted to take you for dinner on the ferry.”

“I think this is even better. It’s just the
two of us, alone, and far away from the stress of everyone and
everything else.”

“I hear that.”

“
Al, I’ve been thinking and
I want to apologize for making a scene at dinner last
Sunday.”

“
Apology
accepted.”

“
I know your family means
well, but sometimes they’re enough to make a person
snap.”

“
Let’s not waste time
talking about them. I just want us to enjoy what we have right
now.”

“
You’re right. You can’t
know how much I appreciate your taking the time to plan all
this.”

“Callie, I’m your man and I love you. It’s
what I’m supposed to do. But I do have to admit, there is an
ulterior motive for all this.”

“Really? I didn’t think you were capable of
such things.”

“Seriously, Callie, I wanted to talk to you
about us.”

“What about?”

“Do you remember when I talked about how you
and Darius deserved better?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been thinking that you need a brother
that’s ready to make a full commitment, and I was thinking about
whether or not I can be the type of man that could do that for
you.”

“Allen, I told you that I was willing to take
what you could give.”

“You shouldn’t have to settle, Callie. That’s
why I’ve decided…”

Allen paused while he reached into the pocket
of his coat. He took out a little black velvet jewelry box and put
it on the table.

“…to ask you if you would do me the honor of
becoming my wife,” he said as he opened the box to reveal a diamond
ring. The gem wasn’t as large as he had wanted it to be, but he
hoped that she would accept it for now.

Callie looked shocked, but Allen couldn’t
tell if she were happy or just simply horrified. She had put her
hand over her mouth and stared at the ring in the box. As dark as
her complexion was, Allen could see that she was becoming flushed.
He was starting to regret his proposal as he was beginning to think
maybe he hadn’t thought out how much she would be affected by it.
He might have been ready, but there was the possibility that Callie
wasn’t.

“You don’t have to give me a yes or no right
now, but I’d like to know what you’re thinking.”

“Allen, I never thought…” she said as tears
began to drop from her eyes, “I never thought…I can’t
believe…yes!”

“Did I hear you right? Did you just say
‘yes’?”

“Yes! Yes! With all my heart, yes!”

Allen felt relieved. He took the ring out of
the box and put it on her ring finger. It was a little loose, but
neither one of them seemed to care. They got up from their seats to
embrace in a passionate kiss. For Allen it was the realization of
his high school fantasies. The girl of his dreams had just agreed
to be his wife. It made everything he had gone through in the past
several years worthwhile.

“You have no idea how happy you’ve made me
right now,” he said.

“I was thinking the same thing about
you.”

“Now that you’ve said yes, I intend to
dedicate my life to making sure you don’t regret that decision. I
love you, Callie.”

“I love you, too, Allen,” she said before
kissing him again.

“So, when do you think we should have the
ceremony?”

“Soon. I’ve never liked the idea of long
engagements. How about you?”

“It’s going to take time to arrange
everything, not to mention I’d like to get married in nice weather.
Would June be soon enough?”

“I think that would be wonderful.”

“June it is then. I can’t wait to tell
everybody.”

“I can,” she said noticeably crestfallen. “If
no one’s crazy about the idea of us dating, you can imagine how
everyone’s going to feel once they find out we’re engaged.”

“Our announcement is going to be just that –
an announcement. I’m not asking for anyone’s approval. As far as
I’m concerned, they’re going to have two options: they can share in
our happiness or they can sit out quietly.”