The Pastor's Heart (5 page)

“Let’s get out of here,” Kingston said while retrieving
his wallet to pay their bill.  “I know a nice spot where we can have a great dessert.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sin
clair needed some fresh air so leaving was a good idea.

The sun had just set when
Kingston and Sinclair entered Cooper Bishop Park.  They strolled on the rustic bridge over-looking the beautiful lake while large ducks swam around in the water.  From a distance a man could be seen feeding the ducks at the other side of the lake.

“
This ice cream is delicious.  I think I am in love with this White Chocolate Raspberry,” Sinclair said while eating her ice cream.

“I saw the two other cartons of it in your freezer,” Kingston added.  “But this here Rum Raisin is just fantastic.”

“I can see that, that’s why it’s on your upper lip,” Sinclair joked while pointing to the ice cream sitting on Kingston’s top lip.

Kingston immediately used his napkin to clean his lip as he laughed with Sinclair.             

“Just like you are watching me eat mine I have been watching you eat yours.  But why aren’t you eating the chocolate chips in it.”  Kingston commented as he looked at Sinclair strangely.

“I love white chocolate but not milk chocolate.” 
Sinclair answered as she ate around the chocolate chips.  “White chocolate has a nice balance of sweetness to me.”

“I never met a woman who d
id not like regular chocolate. So buying you milk chocolates just because I wanted to make you smile would be out of the question?” Kingston inquired.

“
Pretty much.” Sinclair replied while still moving around the chocolate chips.

“I still find that so…., “Kingston searched his mind to find the exact word he needed.  “Let me see, remarkable is t
he word that I am looking for.  Most women love chocolate but not you. That’s cool.” Kingston went on.

“It’
s not as sweet as milk chocolate but not as bitter as dark chocolate.  It has a nice balance of its sweetness in my opinion.  But that’s just me,” Sinclair with such enthusiasm.  “Take for instance painting.  You could paint a million pictures, but if you don’t have the right balance of substance those paintings are worthless because you would never see its true beauty.

“Very nice metaphor.  So how did you get into painting? I
mean, besides falling into it.”  Kingston asked with a chuckle remembering her literally falling into her paint earlier in the evening.

“I was shuffled from home to home as a kid in Oregon and I lost a lot of my things whether they were stolen from me or just plain lost in my travels. 
I became very creative so I wouldn’t lose anything anymore.”   Sinclair explained while leisurely walking with Kingston.

“What did you do?” Kingston asked.

“I made it my business to learn something new from every home I lived in.  Whether it was painting, sewing or learning how to stretch a dollar, I learned whatever I could.  I realized that having knowledge was something no one could ever steal away from me.”  Sinclair explained while strolling in the park with Kingston.

“And that is absolutely true.”  Kingston was sim
ply amazed with Sinclair and he couldn’t believe the fantastic night he was having with her.

“So your store is a family business? How long have you had your store?” Sinclair was very
interested in learning about Kingston.

“
My grandfather started the store over fifty years ago and it has been passed down from generation to generation.  It’s a family business so all my siblings work for the store.  I actually started working in the store when I was about eight years old.”  Kingston explained to a very attentive Sinclair

“That must have been cool to work in your family’s store as a kid.” Sinclair smiled at Kingston feeling so at ease being around him.

“It was pretty cool; I was the bag boy in charge of bagging the food for customers.”  Kingston replied as he remembered days of the past.  “I even got tips some times.”

“Oh
that’s great; you get to work with your family all the time, that’s a good thing.”  Sinclair wished she had a family herself.  All the family she ever known was Miss Marjorie and Robyn her best friend.

“
Yes it is.  To show our appreciation to our employees, we give them a paid day off to attend our employee barbeque every year and we have been doing that for the past fifteen years now.  Most of our employees have been with us between four and twenty-nine years and that’s not counting the students who always come back during the summer.”  Kingston proudly boasted.

“That is fabulous! You must be doing something right.  That’s great.” Sinclair spoke through eating her last bit of ice cream.              

“Speaking of great, your garden looks great.  You did a very good job.”  He said as he threw his empty ice cream container in the trash.”  Let me guess, you picked that up as a kid too.”

“
I sure did.  Experience is the best teacher.” Sinclair said as a matter of fact.

“I like that,
I really like that,” Kingston was really enjoying every minute that he spent with Sinclair.  She was beautiful, smart and funny he thought to himself.

“After my landlord Mr. Parker’s wife died, I offered to maintain the garden for him since he loved it so much.  He then reduced my rent by two hundred dollars a month.  I actually love doing it because to me it’s peaceful.  I get a nice apartment, outdoor space and a seriously low rent.  What more could I ask for? ” Sinclair explained while walking closely to Kingston because it was getting darker.

“So, Sinclair why is such a lovely young lady like yourself still single?”  Kingston was enjoying his date with Sinclair and he wanted to know more about her.  “I mean you are beautiful, smart and you have a lot going for you.”

“Well, thank you Kingston but to be honest, I haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Sinclair replied.

“Well what about you? I saw the women at the church giving you the eye.  Why aren’t you taken o
ff the market yet? I am more than sure you have a few ladies to choose from.”  Sinclair asked with great curiosity after remembering the many women who were drooling over him at the church.

Kingston stopped so they could look out into the water.
“I’m waiting for God to send me my queen.  My parents have been married for forty years and I’m looking for the same thing.  Now a day’s people are getting married just for the sake of getting married.  But they are not willing to put the work in that is required to make it work.”

“I t
otally agree; no one is willing to put the work in.  Instead of trying to make it work, it’s pointing fingers at each other about what they did wrong.”  Sinclair said as she looked out into the open water.

“My ex-girlfriend sou
nded just like that literally.  She had a job working as an office manager for a big company when we first met.  We were together for about six months when she just quit her job.  Her explanation was that she assumed we would marry so she didn’t have to work.  I was at a loss for words when she said that.  She had made a major life decision based on what she assumed.”  Kingston explained while looking out into the beautiful scenery.

“What?” Sinclair asked in shock.

“She didn’t even talk to me about it before she quit, she just did it.  God revealed to me who she really was when she did that.  She was a woman out for herself and that was it.  I felt bad that she gave up her job, but I couldn’t be in a relationship where there was no communication.  I believe relationships are built on communication, trust and most importantly, honesty.”  Kingston explained while staring at Sinclair.

“Well our stories are similar in that same sense except mine was reversed.”  Sinclair began to tell Kingston. 

Confused Kingston asked.  “What do you mean?”

“
After my ex lost his job he didn’t want to work anymore, he wanted me to work and to take care of him.  He actually wanted me to close my agency and move in with him in Baltimore because he thought I would make more money there.  I told him I wasn’t closing my business, period.”  Sinclair turned to look back at the open water, when Kingston came closer to her. “That’s just nuts.” Kingston thought the guy was totally selfish.

“He gave me an ultimatum, him or my business.  I c
hanged my number and never looked back.  I don’t believe anyone should ask another person to give up their dreams.  To me that only means they are not for you but for themselves.  And I couldn’t and would not be a part of something like that.” Sinclair explained as Kingston leaned very close to her.

“I
could not agree with you more Miss Madison.”  Kingston said as he held out his arm and Sinclair slipped her arm through.  “No one should ever ask anyone to give up their dreams just to please themselves. Ships are vessels that take more than one person to make it run correctly.  Any relationship or friendship requires the same thing. It’s about helping each other reach their highest potential.  Not watch them wither away while you sit on top and not help them.”

“Very true,” Sinclair agreed.

“Now I have been addicted to Fig Newton’s since I was a kid,” Kingston confessed.

“What
! Confessions on the first date?” Sinclair joked.

They both shared a nice laugh. “Yes, but it’s a good addiction. 
If you take away my Fig Newton’s while you sit and enjoy your white chocolate that would be totally selfish of you.  Not to mention I might go into shock,” Kingston added with a chuckle.  “If you gave me my Newton’s and you had your white chocolate we would both be happy.

“Cute
, but it’s very true.  It’s about helping each other and not helping one’s self.”   Sinclair said while staring at a duck playing in the lake.

Something had been bothering Kingston all night long and he just had to say something
.  “I need to ask you something.” 

“Sure go ahead,” Sinclair simply replied.

“You really can’t cook can you?” he was so baffled he just had to make sure she was serious.  “I think I found more dishes than I found food.  I knew you said you couldn’t cook but I didn’t think you were serious.”  Kingston and Sinclair just started laughing.

“I was not joking at all,
I really can’t cook. Now I can do a lot of things, but cooking is not one of them.  I can change a tire, I can do yard work and I can even paint, but I just cannot cook.”  Sinclair explained to a confused Kingston.

“Wow.  Okay.  But we have to do something about that because
I like to eat.”  Kingston said as they began walking back through the park to his car.

“Oh really? Or is that your way of asking me out on another date?” Sinclair asked curiously.

Kingston boldly responded, “This is my way of asking you out on another date.”  Kingston kissed the back of Sinclair’s hand.  “Would you do me the honor of going out on another date with me?”

Impressed Sinclair simply replied
, “I would love to.”

“And if that didn’t work then yes, that was my way of asking you out again.”  Kingston said as they both started laughing hysterically.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?” Asked the officer swearing her in.

“I do,” Sinclair replied,

“State your name and where you work,” The heavy set officer asked.

“My name is Sinclair Madison and I am the owner and director of Aged Out Foster Care
, Inc.”   Sinclair replied.

The walls of the courtro
om were covered with dark wood panels and had the American flags on either end of the judge’s bench. They were several officers that guarded the prisoners and guarded the door as many attorneys, families and friends came in and out of the courtroom.

Dressed
in an orange jumpsuit, Ronald sat with his hands handcuffed in front of him looking very competent that he would soon be released.  His attorney sat next to him at the defense table ready with all her documents to support Ronald’s case. 

Sinclair sat on the witness stand in the courtroom for the second time in three months
.  Although she hated taking the stand, she had to convince the court not to send Ronald to jail.  

“M
s. Madison, can you please tell us what your agency does?” the young attorney asked.

“My agency is for former foster children
now turned adults that have aged out of the system and no longer qualify for assistance.  My agency picks up where the system left off.  We provide housing, food, clothing and educational resources to them.”  Whenever Sinclair took the stand she got knots in her stomach.

“This is a two part question. 
First, how do you provide such services as not being a state agency?  Second, why can’t these people get these services on their own?” The woman asked while pacing the floor in front of Sinclair.

“
I give them contact information for agencies that deal specifically with their needs.  To answer your second question, coming right out of the system is a very scary thing and not having anyone there to guide you through is even worse.  I show them where to go and how to ask the right questions.”