“I hit him. The nurse called Security. It’s a wonder they didn’t have me carted off to jail. I was escorted off the property and told if I came back that the next time I would be arrested.”

  “Is Dad all right?” Xavier asked. “Did you hurt him?”

  “You’re asking if she hurt him? Who cares if she hurt him? He better be glad it wasn’t me or I would be in jail and he’d be in the ground! Then we would see if that Will is real?” Khalil said, balling up and slamming his fist into the open palm of his other hand.

  Xavier hugged his mother, pulling her against him. She laid her head on his shoulder and wiped more tears from her face. “It’s going to be all right, Ma. I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”

  Khalil wasn’t so understanding. “Ma, you’re a grown woman. You mean to tell me that you had no idea that you weren’t on any of Dad’s bank accounts? Come on, now.” Khalil threw up a hand in disgust and irritation.

  Fancy looked up at her son. “I trusted Hezekiah. I had no reason not to. He said for my protection and benefit it was better if he handled things.”

  “And you fell for that bunch of crap?” Khalil shook his head.

  “Back off, Khalil. Ma said she trusted him, and that was between Ma and Dad, so leave it alone.”

  “Yeah, but look who it’s between now. Us! We have to sort through this mess. Might as well tell her what else you found out. Get it all out in the open.”

  Fancy raised her head and looked at Xavier and then at Khalil.

  “What? I don’t think I can take anything more.”

  “You need to know, Ma. And after this, you need to get a lawyer and take him for every penny he has,” Khalil said.

  “We’ll talk about it some other time,” Xavier said, looking at his brother and rolling his eyes.

  “No, tell her now,” Khalil demanded.

  Xavier paused, exhaled, and then started talking. “You know those financial files I found showing that Dad was paying George and embezzling money from the church?”

  “Yes. What?”

  “Well, I kept digging and I found another hidden file. It was a PDF password protected file, but I managed to hack into it. I found close to a hundred thousand dollars unaccounted for, Ma.” Xavier said.

  “Oh, God, this can’t be real. None of this can be real.”

  “I know for sure now that Dad’s been embezzling money from Holy Rock.” Xavier paused. “It’s the only way he would have that kind of money.”

  “What? Where is this money?” Fancy asked.

  “I don’t know. Could be hidden at the house somewhere,” answered Xavier.

  “I’m confused. Where at home?” asked Fancy.

  “I don’t know if it’s there or not. That’s just my guess. It could be in that safety deposit box he has; at that condo; it could be anywhere. I doubt that he would put it in a bank. That would be too easy to trace.”

  “This is like a dream, no, it’s more like a freaking nightmare. Something off of Forty-eight Hours or Dateline,” Fancy said. She placed her hand on the side of her like she was trying to keep herself from passing out.

  “Xavier, take Ma home.” Khalil ordered his brother like he was his father or something.

  Xavier nodded, stood up, and reached down and took his mother’s hand to help her stand.

  “Ma, try to get some rest. Don’t try to contact Dad. Don’t say a word to anyone. Me and Xavier got this,” Khalil tried to reassure her.

  Fancy got up and slowly allowed Xavier to lead her to the door. “You know what? Now that I think about it, Hezekiah had some remodeling done when we first moved into that house. Maybe he put in a safe somewhere. I don’t know,” Fancy said, shaking her head.

  “And let me guess,” Khalil said sarcastically. “You had no idea what kind of remodeling because he kept you clueless, huh?”

  “That’s not fair,” Fancy said.

  “Give her a break, bruh,” Xavier said forcefully, cutting his eyes at his brother.

  “Okay, look, Ma,” Khalil said and walked up to her. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault that you trusted him the way that you did. Anyway, I love you.” He embraced his mother, and kissed her on her forehead. “Xavier, you drive Ma’s car. If you want me to I’ll get Omar to follow you and bring you back to the church so we can finish our talk.”

  “There’s no need for Xavier to drive me home. I can make it by myself,” Fancy tried to convince Khalil, but failed.

  “No, Xavier will take you. You’re too upset. Oh, and let Xavier keep that Will.”

  “Yeah, Ma. I’m going to see what I can find out,” Xavier said.

  “Tonight being Bible Study and mid-week praise, you won’t hear from me until later or tomorrow morning,” Khalil reminded her.

  “That’s fine. I’m going to go home, have a glass, or two, of wine, and lay it down.”

  “Are you going to be okay at home by yourself?” Khalil asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll drop you off and then I’ll come back home as soon as church is over, “Xavier also reassured her.

  “You two are the best sons a mother could have. I love you so much,” she said, still teary-eyed.

  Chapter 24

  “Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.” Alan Watts

  Stiles sat, leaning back in his chair and thinking of this evening’s message. He delivered his message around the passage of scripture in Matthew chapter five verse twenty-two.

  “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Many of you have heard that I recently discovered that I have a brother. He’s a couple of years younger than I am, and the manner in which we found out about one another was not a pleasant one. Nonetheless, I have a brother. I wish I could say that since this discovery that everything has been great and that we have bonded and are glad to be in each other’s lives. But that has not been the case. My brother is angry. He is angry with me; he is angry with our father; he is angry I believe even at God. Now I don’t want you to get it twisted. I’m not preaching this message this evening to war against my brother. I’m preaching this message to you or anyone out there who may be holding anger in your heart, harboring hate, or seeking revenge for a wrong that was done to you. I’m preaching to you who are stuck in the pit of despair because of the way you were unjustly treated, especially by a family member, maybe even your sibling, or your parents. I’m here to tell you, and to encourage you to release your anger. Release it to God. Do not allow your anger to fester and torment you. Do not be a fool. Release it. I’m trying as much as I possibly can to reach out to my brother; to let him know that I want a relationship with him. That I want to get to know him.”

  Stiles continued to share his powerful message with an attentive audience. The more he spoke, the more his own spirit was pricked. He too was wrestling with feelings of anger. It wasn’t just Hezekiah who was resentful; for Stiles it was the whole idea of how the realization came to be that they were brothers.

  “This message is not just for you,” he continued. “This message is for me as well. I’m still holding on to some unresolved issues that have turned into anger. I ask God daily to help me to let it go. I’m telling you that we need to pray for one another. We need to pray that we will let go of the anger we have, the malice, and the hate. Replace it with love, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness and compassion…”

  After Stiles finished his weekly midweek message he returned to his church office to gather his things to go home for the evening, when Fancy and Hezekiah fell on his mind. He hadn’t talked to either of them since his visit a few weeks prior. He had called his brother but like always, Hezekiah didn’t want anything to do with him. Stiles understood how difficult it was for the guy to communicate verbally, but he still wanted to check in on him. For Hezekiah to treat him like he was the blame for what happened between Pastor and Margaret, Stiles couldn’t understand that. He longed to have a relationship with Hezekiah. After everything and everyone he’d lost, it would be good to know that he still had family other than Pastor. He had lost Rena, his sister Francesca, Tim, the Jacksons, his baby girl, his mother, both of his mothers…he’d lost everything, even the love that could come from having a good woman in his life. He needed someone in his life who he could love again, trust again. That could be his brother, if only Hezekiah was willing, which he wasn’t. It hurt Stiles all over again. The feelings of rejection seemed like too much to take at times, yet he knew that he had to persevere.

  He picked up his cell phone from off of his desk and searched through his Contacts until he found Fancy’s number. He had talked to her about a week ago and she told him that Hezekiah had refused to see her, their sons, and anyone associated with Holy Rock. Stiles couldn’t understand Hezekiah’s way of thinking. Perhaps, his mind was somewhat clouded because of the stroke. If that was the case, Stiles hoped that Fancy would check on getting the guy some counseling or a psych eval.

  Pastor told Stiles that he too had gone to see Hezekiah, but like the others, he had been turned away and told that Hezekiah had visitor restrictions.

  He pushed the Call button and listened as the phone started ringing.

  A knock on his office door prompted him to end the call before Fancy answered.

  “Yes, come in,” he said to whoever was on the other side.

  Stiles watched as the doorknob turned slightly and the door slowly opened.

  Kareena stuck her head inside. “Hi, there. You busy?” she asked.

  “No, come on in,” he said slightly rising from his chair.

  “Don’t get up,” she said before he completely stood and she walked inside his office. She closed the door behind her. “That was a great message. But then again, you are a powerful preacher, so all of your sermons are soul stirring,” she complimented.

  Stiles leaned back in his chair again. “Thank you, Kareena.” Stiles smiled, and clasped his hands together.

  “I was just checking to see if you’d like to go have dessert or coffee before you end your evening.”

  “Well, ummm I actually could use a little more than dessert. The food they served at the mid-week Fellowship this evening was good, but it didn’t keep me full for very long; I’m still hungry.”

  “You’re probably hungry because you preach so hard and you burn off those calories in no time. But if you want some company, then I’ll be glad to go with you. What do you have a taste for?”

  “And River?”

  “Huh?” Kareena folded her arms and appeared confused.

  “River? You two don’t have plans this evening?”

  “River and I are just friends. I’ve told you that before—many times before,” she said, almost sounding a tad bit irritated. “But to answer your question, no, River and I do not have plans for tonight, tomorrow night or the next night.”

  Stiles raised both palms and made an awkward face at Kareena. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get the lady upset.” He smiled and Kareena pouted her lips and unfolded her arms.

  “What’s it going to be?” she said.

  Stiles picked up his phone, stood, walked from around the desk, and extended his hand out toward Kareena.

  Kareena took hold of his hand and smiled.

  “Shall we?” he said and escorted her to the door. “Do you want to follow me in your car, or ride with me? I can bring you back here to pick up your car after we’re done. Better still, I’ll follow you to your house to drop off your car. That way you don’t have to worry about backtracking to the church. I can just take you home afterwards.”

  “Yeah, I like that idea better,” she agreed.

  “Tell you what. Why don’t you go ahead. I’m going to put some things away and I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Okay, I’m out of here. I’ll see you in a few. Oh, did you decide where you want to go?” she asked.

  “I was thinking we could go to Mikki’s.”

  “Yum, sounds good. I’m working up an appetite myself now. See you in a little bit.”

  “Okay. I’m right behind you,” Stiles said as Kareena walked out of the office and up the hallway.

  He watched until she disappeared from his view and then stepped back into his office to make sure he shut down his laptop and put it away, among some other things. He closed his door and his phone rang.

  He looked at it; it was Fancy.

  “Fancy, how are you?”

  “Hi, Stiles. I saw that you called. Things could be better, much better, but tell me how things are with you?”

  “What is it, Fancy?” he asked, noting the tension in her voice.

  Fancy explained everything to him. Hearing his voice on the other end of the phone was something that she needed. She had no one else who she felt that she could trust and really open up to about everything that was going on in her life with Hezekiah. Initially, when she saw that he had called, she told herself not to say a word about the latest drama going on, but as soon as she heard his voice on the other end of her phone, she suddenly found herself spilling her guts. She didn’t spare any of the awful, hurting details.

  He walked over to one of the chairs in his office, propped his feet on his desk and sat back, giving Fancy his full attention. For the next half hour or so she talked and Stiles listened. It was horrible what Hezekiah had done and this had nothing to do with him having a stroke. From the way Fancy explained things, the things Hezekiah had done were well in place before he got sick. Hearing about his affair with Detria to this new thing about a Will and stashed money was like a made for TV movie.

  “Look, why don’t I make a visit to Memphis. I’ll try to talk to my brother….yet again. Plus, I can talk to the boys again, give them some advice if they want to accept it,” Stiles offered.

  “I don’t think so, Stiles. You have a life and a church in Houston. I can’t expect you to run to Memphis every time I have a situation. And your brother, well it would be different if he accepted you as his brother and you two had a relationship, but you and I both know that it’s nothing like that.”

  “Yeah, you got that right. I just do not understand why he’s so set against me when I’m in the same situation he’s in. I had no idea about him. But the one thing that’s different on my end is that I do want a relationship with him. I have nobody, absolutely nobody,” Stiles lamented.

  “What about your friend?”

  “What friend? Leo? Leo is one of my closest friends. He’s like a brother to me, but he’s in Memphis, too and he has a wife, kid, a family of his own. And dudes don’t run to other dudes with their problems like, well, like most women do.”

  “I was actually talking about the woman you’re seeing there. What’s her name? Karen?”

  Stiles jumped up out of the chair.

  “Oh, my gosh! Dang it,” he yelled.

  “Stiles, what is it?”

  “It’s Kareena. Her name is Kareena and I’m supposed to be picking her up for dinner. That was over half an hour ago. Look, I’ll call you and let you know when I’m coming, okay, Fancy?”

  “Okay, and I’m sorry I caused you to miss out on your date.”

  “It was no date, just dinner with a friend, but thanks. I gotta go. And I’ll be praying for you. Talk to you later.”

  He ended the call, and rushed out of his office. He locked the door behind him and then ran up the hallway and outside to the private area where he parked his car. On the way, he called Kareena.

  “Hello,” she said, sounding like she was upset and rightfully so. “You could have just told me that you wanted to dine alone.”

  “Kareena, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. A call came in from Memphis and I got caught up. I totally forgot that we were having dinner.”

  “Well, Mikki’s is about to close anyway. I forgot they close at eight o’clock, so going to eat there is out of the question.”

  “We’ll find somewhere to eat. This is Houston, remember?”

  “Yeah, I guess. But that’s only if you’re sure you still want to go. Is everything all right in Memphis?” she asked. Her irritation turned to concern.

  “Yeah, of course I still want to go. I’m even hungrier now,” he said and chuckled lightly. “As for Memphis, well, things aren’t too good,” he replied as he got in his car and headed to Kareena’s house as they continued talking. “There’s a lot going on.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be taking a drive to the M-town in the next week or so.”

  “You sure are making a lot of trips to Memphis. Do you think that’s healthy?”

  “I don’t know about healthy; but is it necessary? Yes. They’re the only family I have left. I won’t turn my back on them. Even if that means…”

  “Means what, Stiles?” Kareena asked as she stood in the picture window of her living room glancing outside so she would see him when he drove up. “Moving back to Memphis?”

  Stiles was quiet and silence filled the phone lines between them. “I’ll be there in five minutes,” he said, breaking the awkward silence and ending the call.

  Kareena had brought up something that he hadn’t thought about. Would he ever consider moving back to Memphis? Were things that crucial that he needed to at least contemplate moving and if he did what would he do if he returned? Start a church of his own? See if he could work at Holy Rock alongside Khalil, possibly groom his nephew? Be there for Fancy and help her in any way he could while trying to establish a real relationship with Hezekiah?

  Stiles turned on the street leading to Kareena’s neighborhood. He took several more turns before arriving at her apartment complex.

  Chapter 25

  “I wish I could go back to the day I first met you and just walk away.” Unknown

  “Are you sure about this?” Fancy asked.

  “I’m more than sure. I’m not going to leave you to handle this on your own,” Stiles explained. He planned a trip to Memphis after talking to Fancy and learning everything that had been going on. Whether Hezekiah liked it or not, he was going to talk to him. Hopefully, he could talk some sense into his brother. “I’ll be driving up there Sunday afternoon after the end of worship service.”

 

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