The Other Side of Goodness (31 page)

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Authors: Vanessa Davis Griggs

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Chapter 48
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
—Romans 11:22
 
 
 
L
awrence and William were in his office discussing the latest problem to present itself: Paris deciding she wanted to adopt Jasmine Noble.
Lawrence knew the truth that Paris
thought
she knew, but in truth, only knew a part of. Yes, Jasmine Noble
was
Lawrence's biological daughter. But not in the way Paris believed it was so.
Paris was convinced Lawrence had had an affair with Jessica Noble. Jessica was dead, as was her husband. And apparently there was no one to take their daughter, Jasmine. Paris didn't know that Jasmine was adopted, so her conclusion was that Lawrence had gotten Jessica pregnant and kept this secret hidden. Things would have gone on without a snag had the child not needed a transplant. And although someone other than a relative could be a match, Paris apparently wasn't buying that reasoning.
Lawrence knew that if things escalated and Paris pursued this, it would inevitably come out that Jessica had adopted Jasmine. That would surely bring only
more
scrutiny to all of this. Lawrence knew it wouldn't be long before Paris would start putting two and two together. If it ever came out that Gabrielle was the birth mother . . . well, it would definitely be like a glimpse of the full Armageddon to come.
He knew how Gabrielle felt about Jasmine. If she was willing to take him on to save her life, she surely wouldn't hesitate to do what she needed to do to hold on to her—now that she apparently had her back.
The only option he had was to stop his daughter Paris.
“William, we're going to have to do something to get my daughter's attention away from trying to adopt this little girl. If she were to get pregnant with her own child, I'm sure she would abandon this pursuit.”
“I can't do anything about her getting pregnant now.” William chuckled.
“I know that,” Lawrence said. “I pray she gets pregnant. But if she doesn't, we're going to have to find some other way to divert her attention. If she tries to take this child from Gabrielle, then I've lost this election for sure.”
“To be candid, you're already losing this election. You're thirty points down in the polls. When black folks found out you switched parties and became a Republican and that you're now spouting off Tea Party talking points, they're running from you like a man running from killer bees. And those Tea Party rallies with those racist posters being broadcast on television aren't helping matters.”
“Well, let's just concentrate on one crisis at a time. You remember that last guy I had you check out for me?”
“You're talking about Darius Connors?”
“Yes. Him. Well, I need you to put someone on him and keep an eye out on both him and my daughter.”
“Are you sure about this? You know you're always reminding me that Paris is family . . . that she's blood.”
“I'm sure. I told Darius that he needed to be careful when he decided he wanted to play in the major league with the big boys. If Paris refuses to heed my warning, then you recall what they used to say when we were growing up.”
William smiled. “A hard head makes for a soft behind.”
“Yeah. She's grown now. So I can't control her the way I could when she was more under my thumb. If Paris won't stop on her own, then I'll just have to help her. And if she happens to fall on her behind in the process, oh well . . .”
“I'll get somebody on this pronto!” William left.
Lawrence looked toward the ceiling. “God, help me. God, help us all!”
Chapter 49
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
—1 John 4:18
 
 
 
H
aving just left Paris, Gabrielle held it together when she got to the car where Zachary and Jasmine were waiting for her.
“Is everything all right?” Zachary asked.
She nodded and forced a smile. “Oh, yeah. Everything's fine.”
“I remember her,” Jasmine said. “She and her sister, Imani, came to see me the day I got to go home.”
“Yes,” Gabrielle said, turning to look at Jasmine, who was in the backseat buckled up. “She most certainly did.”
“She must not have remembered me,” Jasmine said.
Zachary backed out of the parking place. The lights in the lot lit up the car.
“Why do you say that?” Gabrielle asked Jasmine.
“She didn't say hello to me when she saw me. She acted like she didn't even notice or see me.”
Zachary released a short laugh. “Oh, she didn't say hello to me, either,” Zachary said. “I think her mind must have been somewhere else.”
“Yeah, but, my mother says you're always supposed to speak to people you know.” Jasmine got quiet.
Gabrielle tried to see what was going on with Jasmine. She could hear her sniffling. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Jasmine sniffled. “I just miss . . . I just miss my mama.”
“I know you do, sweetheart. But we know she's in a better place now.”
“I know,” Jasmine said. “She's with Jesus. But I miss her so much! I do!”
“I know.” Gabrielle turned around and wiped the tears from her own eyes.
Zachary looked over at Gabrielle. He pulled the car over to the side of the road. Gabrielle smiled at him, jumped out, went and got in the backseat, and put her arm around Jasmine, who was crying hard now. “It's okay. I'm here. And Dr. Z is here. We're going to be here right with you. Okay?”
Jasmine nodded. Gabrielle buckled up in the seat next to her. Zachary pulled back onto the road.
When they reached Gabrielle's house, Zachary got out and came in with them. He stayed until after Jasmine was in bed.
“Come here,” he said to Gabrielle, wrapping his arms around her as soon as she walked into the den.
Gabrielle couldn't hold it together any longer. She completely broke down.
“Oh, baby. I know all of this is hard.” He sat down, pulling her with him. “Did that woman . . . Paris, isn't that her name? Did Paris say something to upset you?”
Gabrielle wiped her eyes and nodded. She pulled away from Zachary's embrace. “She says she plans on taking Jasmine from me.”
“Come again?” Zachary said with an obvious edge to his voice.
Gabrielle primped her mouth a bit before steadying it. “She says she's going to petition to get Jasmine.”
“What does she have to do with any of this?”
“I don't know,” Gabrielle said. “I don't even know where this is coming from. Unless her father is putting her up to it, I can't imagine Paris wanting to raise a child that's not her own.” Gabrielle released a short laugh. “In truth: I can't see her wanting to raise her
own
child. She's the type that would hire a full-time nanny while she sat there watching her fingernail polish dry.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Unless she's changed from the person I knew.” Gabrielle shook her head slowly. “I don't know
where
this is coming from.”
“Okay. So tell me everything she said,” Zachary said.
“Basically she said I wasn't fit to be anybody's mother, especially somebody like Jasmine. She made references back to my days as an exotic dancer. Oh, let me not clean up the way she said it: my days as a stripper. She indicated that Jasmine would fare better in a home with two parents as opposed to being with me. I don't know. Jasmine doesn't know her. How does she think it will benefit that child to have some stranger whisking her away to a home with people she doesn't even know?”
“I know.”
“Jessica left her in my care. She did everything within her power to ensure Jasmine wouldn't suffer too much when she was gone,” Gabrielle said. “I still haven't told Jasmine who I really am or the truth about who she is. I was supposed to. But with everything happening as it did and so fast; I just couldn't bring myself to do it then. Now Paris is here saying I'm not good enough to take care of her and she wants to take Jasmine away from me?” Gabrielle began to shake her head. “No. No. I'm not going to let her. I will fight her until the end.”
“
We're
not going to let her,” Zachary said.
Gabrielle smiled at Zachary. “Thanks for that. But this is my battle. I wouldn't dare involve you in this. It's going to be hard enough on me. I'll not let her drag your name through the mud. This is my battle.”
“No, the battle is not yours; it's the Lord's.” Zachary took her by both her hands. “And you're not going to fight this one alone because, as your husband, I'm not going to
let
you fight it alone. I'm going to be right there by your side every step of the way. Understand?”
Gabrielle frowned. “What?”
Zachary kneeled down on one knee. He reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a black velvet box, and opened it to a princess-cut three-carat diamond ring.
Gabrielle placed her right hand over her mouth and began to shake her head slowly. “Zachary . . .”
Zachary took her left hand and looked lovingly into her eyes. “Gabrielle Mercedes . . .”
Gabrielle started to cry with her right hand still covering her mouth.
“I love you,” Zachary said. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with you as your husband and best friend. I want us to be a family: me, you, and Jasmine. In fact, I can't imagine my life without the two of you in it. I promise to love, honor, cherish, and, yes, fight for our love, every single day of our lives, if I have to. Gabrielle, whatever is in our past is in the past. And on
this
side of goodness, God's goodness, I would be honored if you would say yes to my proposal and agree to be my wife.” He took the ring out of the box and set the box on the floor. He held the ring out to her as he waited for her to answer.
“Zachary,” was all Gabrielle said as tears came streaming down. “But why? Why now?”
“Why now?” He grinned. “Well, because it took them a week to get the ring in that I ordered. Otherwise, I would have asked you last week. Now, will you
please
make me the happiest man in the world and say yes? Yes, you'll be my wife. Let's just forget about everything and everybody. The only people I care about what they think or feel when it comes to us, is you, me, and of course now, Jasmine.”
“Are you sure, Zachary? Are you sure? Because I believe I'm in for the fight of my life if Paris decides to proceed with this as she indicated she would. You know I love you. I love you, Zachary. But I don't want to do anything that might hurt you.”
Zachary stood up, pulled her up, and kissed her. “If that's true, then shut up with the commentary and say yes.” He smiled, holding the ring up to her.
“Hmmm. I don't know.” She shook her head. “If I shut up, then how can I
possibly
open my mouth to say yes? A closed mouth can't speak.”
He grinned. “Gabrielle Mercedes, will you marry me?”
She looked at him hard, then broke out into a huge grin. “Yes!” she said. “Yes, I'll marry you!”
The next thing she knew, he'd slipped the ring onto her finger, and her feet were dangling in the air as he hugged her.
“Hey! Hey!” Jasmine's voice came through the loud laughing they were doing. “What's going on in here?”
Gabrielle dashed over to her and hugged her. “I'm sorry. We woke you up.”
“Oh, I wasn't asleep. I always have a hard time falling asleep,” Jasmine said. “So what are you and Dr. Z so happy about?”
Gabrielle looked up at Zachary, who was also grinning. He came over to them and, kneeling, took Jasmine by both her little hands. “I just asked Miss G to marry me.”
Jasmine's face lit up. “You did? You asked her to marry you? For real? You really did?”
Zachary smiled. “I did.”
Jasmine turned back to Gabrielle. “And did you say yes?” She held her hands together in a prayerlike pleading way.
Gabrielle was grinning hard now. “I did! I said yes!” She held out her hand, showing Jasmine her ring.
Jasmine started jumping up and down, then grabbed them both by their hands and started jumping up and down along with them. “Yay! We're getting married,” she began to sing. “We're getting married.” After about two more times of singing that stanza, she stopped and began rubbing her eyes with her fists and began to cry.
Gabrielle squatted down and hugged her. “Jasmine, what's wrong? What's the matter?”
“I was just thinking. I prayed and asked God for you two to get married. God didn't answer my prayer when I asked Him to heal my mother.” She rubbed her eyes with her hands. “But God answered my prayer with you.” She stopped wiping her eyes and suddenly broke into a humongous grin. “We're getting married! We're going to be a family! I'm so hap-py,” she sang.
Zachary hugged her. “Me, too, Miss Jazz! Me, too! I'm so hap-py! Yes, God
does
answer prayers!” He stood up, looked at Gabrielle, winked, then hugged her. “God
absolutely
answers prayers.”

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