The Perfect Christian (3 page)
Read The Perfect Christian Online
Authors: E. N. Joy
Chapter Four
It was an hour after the time of eleven
A.M.
in which the wedding was supposed to officially start, but at last, with a whole lot of praying and reasoning, Mother Doreen was ready to proceed. After Unique, Paige, and Deborah sat with her, cried with her, and prayed with her, Mother Doreen realized she was being anything but godly in thinking God was making bad things occur to keep her from getting married.
A.M.
in which the wedding was supposed to officially start, but at last, with a whole lot of praying and reasoning, Mother Doreen was ready to proceed. After Unique, Paige, and Deborah sat with her, cried with her, and prayed with her, Mother Doreen realized she was being anything but godly in thinking God was making bad things occur to keep her from getting married.
“Would God really have to go through all that?” Unique had asked. “I mean, if He didn't want you to marry that man, aren't you and God cool enough where He would just come out and say it?”
“Yeah, I agree,” Paige had cosigned. “I've heard of God placing a ram in the bush, but I've never known Him to be one to beat around the bush.”
“Oh yes, good point,” Unique nodded.
Mother Doreen took in their words, and then said with a nod, “I guess when you put it like that . . .”
“You mean you guess when we make it plain,” Unique questioned, “like God does?”
“Yes,” Mother Doreen smiled. “Exactly how God does. And if God didn't want me getting married, He would have made it plain and just said so. But He didn't.”
“And since He didn't, what does that mean?” Deborah waited with baited breath along with the other women before Mother Doreen finally replied.
“It means . . .” Mother Doreen stood up from the chair she'd been sitting in and waved her ring finger, “I's getting married.”
All the women stood up and cheered. They hugged and planted kisses on Mother Doreen's cheek as a sign of their support.
At that moment, all set well with her spirit, and there was peace in her decision to move forth with the wedding.
In all actuality, the wedding could have started half an hour ago, but thirty minutes ago, Bethany still hadn't made it in from Kentucky. As it had been planned, Bethany would have spent the last couple of nights with Mother Doreen in preparation for her forthcoming nuptials, but she'd had a spell with her diabetes and had been hospitalized just three days prior to when she was to head out for Malvonia. Bethany had missed the rehearsal dinner, but had proclaimed that no devil in hell could keep her from her sister's wedding. The doctor reluctantly, and with caution, released her from the hospital that morning. Her husband, Uriah, loaded her up and their two kids, Hudson and Sadie, and hit the road. Bethany made it just in time to come in on the tail end of all the prayers and reasoning the other women were doing with Mother Doreen in efforts to convince her to go ahead with the wedding.
“I'm here!” Bethany had exclaimed once she'd entered the dressing room. “Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything?”
All the women could do was shoot each other looks, and then burst out laughing.
“What? What's so funny?” a confused Bethany had asked before the women began to fill her in on the day's events.
It was Bethany's final input that had confirmed in Mother Doreen's spirit that God did not want her to leave her future husband at the altar. “God wants the best for His best,” Bethany had told her older sister.
As Mother Doreen now prepared to go down the aisle, being escorted by one of the older deacons of the church, she thanked God for both her biological sister and her sisters in Christ. They were true friends indeed. They were caring friends as well. To Mother Doreen's surprise, so was that young girl, Unique. Mother Doreen had misjudged the child. With all that makeup peddling and some of Unique's antics, Mother Doreen had recalled back when she herself used to run the Single's Ministry, she didn't think the girl had any Word in her. But in that dressing room, Unique had quoted scripture that not even Mother Doreen knew was in the pages of the Bible. And boy, oh boy, could that little thing pray. By the time Unique sent up a word regarding Mother Doreen's nuptials and life with her soon-to-be-husband, everybody in the room needed their makeup done over . . . again.
All was well now. The dresses had been cleaned up. Hair had been fixed. Makeup was done to perfection. Unique had worked a miracle with the groom's cake and the cupcakes, transforming them into a beautiful wedding cake to replace the one that had been destroyed. It was so spectacular, that no one would be the wiser that it wasn't the original three-tier cake that had been demolished.
Yes, all was well, and Mother Doreen was just minutes away from becoming Mrs. Wallace Frey. The twinkle in her eyes and the permanent smile on her face was even further confirmation that all was well.
The song in which the flower girl, Sakaya, who was the daughter of the leader of the New Day's Tape and Sound Booth Ministry, walked down the aisle came to an end. There was a moment of silence. As Mother Doreen stared at the closed double doors leading inside the sanctuary, she knew the time was now at hand. In two seconds, the audience would be asked to stand in order to receive the bride. Two seconds after that, “Here Comes the Bride” would begin to play. Two seconds after that, the doors would open, and two seconds after that, Mother Doreen would begin her trek to the man God had for her.
Two, four, six, eightâMother Doreen took her first step into the sanctuary. Unique was going to kill her, because, by the third step, tears were streaming down her face, smearing her makeup. She had no idea she would be so overcome with emotion. She also had no idea it would look and feel as if she was living out a fairy tale. After all, she was almost seventy years old. Most would assume her life was pretty much over, yet the God she served said that was not so. The God she served said there was no age limit on what He could do in a saint's life. Look at Sarah from the Bible; she laughed when God said He'd give her new life in the form of Isaac in her womb. She laughed because she was so up in age she thought it was impossible. Unlike Sarah, though, Mother Doreen hadn't laughed. She cried.
There were many nights, unbeknownst to anyone around her, in which Mother Doreen had longed for the companionship of a man. True companionship, not like it had been with her deceased former husband, Willie, God rest his soul. Staying with Willie had been more so out of debt, that how Mother Doreen saw it, rather than out of love. She'd felt indebted to him.
Oh, she'd loved old Willie; yes, indeed, with all her heart she loved every ounce of that man. But she hadn't been in love with him. Not at the end. Not after so many disappointing and devastating things had taken place in their marriage. But she stayed faithful and loyal, never leaving or forsaking Willie in all of his shortcomings, such as the gambling, cheating, drinking, lying, and so on. But when all was said and done, Willie never left nor had he forsaken Mother Doreen. Sure, her shortcomings in the marriage could never measure up in number to all of Willie's. Mother Doreen had been what most would have considered to be the perfect wife. But most didn't know about that one huge mistake Mother Doreen had made that would change her and Willie's marriageâher and Willie's livesâforever.
But that was the past. That one mistake had gotten Mother Doreen caught up in a nightmare. Today, she was living out a dream come true. Today, God was doing for her what He'd done for Sarah. He was giving her a new life; a new life to share with Wallace. Who says almost being seventy years old means it has to be the end? Mother Doreen was living proof that seventy could be the beginning. Age had nothing to do with what God could and would do for a person. And Mother Doreen sure was glad about what God was doing for her.
She took the tissue Unique had forced her to carry cupped in her hand around the stem of the bouquet and wiped her eyes. Correction, she'd dabbed her eyes just as Unique had showed her how to do. Small dabs would prevent her makeup from smearing. Unique, who stood on the end of a pew smiling, winked at Mother Doreen, giving her a sign that she'd correctly managed to wipe away her tears without wiping away and messing up her makeup.
While all eyes were on the bride and the double doors were still open, Unique snuck out of the sanctuary to go prepare for the reception. Needless to say, Tamarra had left the church after her fight with Paige, leaving the serving duties for Unique and the other workers.
By the time Mother Doreen made it down to the altar, her cheeks and jaws were aching from smiling so hard and so much. She'd managed to dab away all her tears, but when she saw Wallace crying a river, and being the debonair man that he was trying to fight them back, she started crying all over again. The two were a bawling mess down there, but it was beautifulâbeautiful indeed.
They both managed to keep it together long enough for Pastor Margie to remind them and the entire sanctuary why they were all gathered there today. Mother Doreen and Wallace just stood there, facing each other, holding hands, crying tears of joy together. They were so engrossed in the spiritual connection that tied them that when Pastor Margie asked if there was anyone in attendance that had just cause why the two should not be joined in holy matrimony, they almost didn't hear the man in the back of the church stand up and say, “I do. I have a very good reason why no man in his right mind should marry that woman.”
Chapter Five
Who was that man?
Mother Doreen pondered. Now that Mother Doreen thought about it, she recalled that man's face. The man who'd just stood up, interrupting her wedding ceremony with claims that he had just cause why Mother Doreen and Wallace shouldn't be marriedâMother Doreen recognized him. She didn't recognize him from a previous encounter or from the grocery store or anything like that. She recognized his face from only minutes ago. Just minutes ago was the first time Mother Doreen had ever laid eyes on the man; of that she was sure.
Mother Doreen pondered. Now that Mother Doreen thought about it, she recalled that man's face. The man who'd just stood up, interrupting her wedding ceremony with claims that he had just cause why Mother Doreen and Wallace shouldn't be marriedâMother Doreen recognized him. She didn't recognize him from a previous encounter or from the grocery store or anything like that. She recognized his face from only minutes ago. Just minutes ago was the first time Mother Doreen had ever laid eyes on the man; of that she was sure.
Out of all the hundred fifty or so guests in attendance, that man's face had stood out to Mother Doreen. Ironically enough, the man stood out because Mother Doreen hadn't recognized him at all. It was that and the fact that all the other hundred forty-nine guests were smiling, but this man wasn't. Why hadn't he been smiling? Mother Doreen had briefly wondered as she'd been making her way down the aisle. Was it because Mother Doreen had ruined her makeup with tears and now folks weren't going to be able to get a decent picture of her coming down the aisle? Yes, that could have been it. After all, like many of the others, the man had had his cell phone out snapping pictures. Or had it been a digital camera? Or even a disposable one? At the moment, Mother Doreen couldn't recall. And why was she worried about something so trivial anyway? What she needed to be concerned with was why had this manâthis man who Mother Doreen knew to be a complete strangerâwant to interrupt her wedding.
Perhaps it was just all a joke. Perhaps the man was some crazy distant cousin of Wallace's playing some kind of untimely joke. They'd probably played jokes on each other all the time as kids and this was the ultimate payback. It was possible. Wallace had cousins, lots of them; from all over. Mother Doreen's mind was scrambling for answers. But it was Pastor Margie who had the good sense to quickly just come right out and ask the man just what everyone in the sanctuary wanted to know.
“Who are you?” Pastor Margie asked. She tried not to sound so badgering, but she was somewhat upset. Who would have the audacity to try to ruin one of the best days of one of her best member's life? And on top of that, Pastor Margie considered Mother Doreen a good friend. Why, the two had even been temporary roommates once upon a time. Why was this man doing this to her friend? Pastor Margie would ask that question too. “And why are you speaking out?”
One could hear a church mouse go tinkle on a cotton ball it was so quiet. Everyone waited in anticipation for the man to respond.
“Right now, who I am isn't as important as why I'm speaking out.” The man, looking to be in his forties, sounded and looked like a very studious man. He stood about five feet ten. His light skin complexion was smooth as he glared over the rim of his dark framed eyeglasses. He had a tight haircut and was dressed in what looked to be a very snazzy suit. When he stepped out from the pew to the middle of the aisle, his shiny dress shoes twinkled like a star in a midnight sky. When he spoke those few little words, he annunciated every single sound of every single letter to perfection. He commanded attention, and not just because he'd spoken out during the middle of a wedding ceremony, but because he just had this certain aura about him.
“Then why are you speaking out?” Pastor Margie asked again.
“You asked if there was anyone in attendance that had just cause why the two should not be joined in holy matrimony. Well, I have just cause; and that, Pastor, is my reason for speaking out.”
Pastor Margie swallowed, almost afraid to ask her next question, but knew she had to in order to move forward with the wedding nuptials. “And what might that cause be?”
“She knows.” He pointed and stared accusingly at Mother Doreen, who stood shocked and confused. “Please don't add insult to injury by standing up there like the perfect little bride acting as if you have no idea whatsoever why this man shouldn't marry you.” He looked at Wallace. “If I were you, I'd get out of here right now, run, and never look back.” His attention turned back to Mother Doreen, but he was still speaking to Wallace. “She'll ruin your life and go on with her own as if she didn't have a care in the world.”
His evil stare caused Mother Doreen to look away. She felt as though she were staring evil right in the face. It didn't matter how dressed up, smart, and handsome this man looked, he meant harm . . . and she appeared to be his target. But why? She'd never met this man before in her life. Therefore, there was no way he knew her. This had to have been some mistake. For a minute there, Mother Doreen had allowed her mind to wander down the same thought path as earlierâthat God was trying to give her a sign that she should not wed Wallace. But she'd come too far. She'd come all the way down that church aisle. No way He would have brought her this far . . . only to leave her here . . . alone . . . without a husband.
Frustrated as frustrated could be at this point, Mother Doreen spoke up. “Look, sir, I have no idea who you are, and you surely don't know me. Maybe I have the same name as someone you thought you knew,” Mother Doreen tried to reason. “I don't know what your deal is.” She threw her hands up and let them drop to her side. “All I know is that this wedding is already almost two hours late in getting started.” She looked at Wallace. “And if I have to wait even one more minute to marry this wonderful man, then I'm going to lose my mind.”
“How fitting you should say that,” the man chuckled, “lose your mind. Considering that's exactly what happened to my mother thanks to you.”
Still, Mother Doreen was very confused, and it showed on her exasperated face. “Child, I don't know you or your mama.” Mother Doreen pointed her finger at the man. “But if I ever do meet your mother, I'm certainly going to tell her about your actions here today, and I'm sure she won't be too proud about it.”
“Lauren Casinoff,” were the words he said. Lauren Casinoff were the words that shot from his mouth like a hot bullet, and they landed right in Mother Doreen's gut. The force was so hard that it shot her back into Wallace's arms. Her limp body felt lifeless. The bullet of a word had hit a major organ; two to be exact. It had hit her heart. It had hit her brain. The blow to her brain shook Mother Doreen from the present, all the way back to the past. It was far back into the past leading up to the day when the name Lauren Casinoff would alter her life, and now, all these years later, possibly come back to destroy it.
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