Dream come true, p.6
Dream Come True, page 6
“There’s my lovely Leah.” Her father entered her room with his normal warm greeting and a Bible in hand. “I just finished my online Bible study with the men’s group, and wanted to check on you before I hit the sack.”
“You don’t have to sit with me every night, Daddy. I know how busy you are, and I don’t want to take you away from more important matters.”
Bishop Davison pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. “Please tell me who would be more important than my daughter in her time of need?”
Eyes downcast, Leah unloaded a mountain of guilt as she said, “I guess I just feel like I sorta got what I deserved and I shouldn’t be getting sympathy from anyone, especially not you, Daddy.”
“Oh, daughter.” Bishop leaned back in his seat and looked down at the Bible in his hand. “You know, the Lord works in mysterious ways. I was going to leave my Bible in my office after my meeting, but decided I would take it with me in case I wanted to read more before falling asleep.” He opened his Bible and flipped some pages. “But I think I’m going to read in here with you, if that’s alright.”
Leah looked at him like, do-I-have-a-choice. “It’s your house, Daddy.”
Bishop Davison opened his Bible to Luke, chapter fifteen. He was about to read, but then looked as if he had a better thought and handed the Bible to her. “This story is about the prodigal son. He came home to his father and asked to be treated like the servants because he didn’t feel worthy. You’re home now, and just like this prodigal son, you don’t think you deserve to be treated like family. But here’s the thing, daughter... you are and always will be family.”
Leah had read the story numerous times throughout the years. But she still wasn’t feeling it. “Yeah, but,” Leah formed her mouth to give her father the full list of reasons why he shouldn’t consider her family anymore as she took the Bible from him.
He lifted a hand. “But nothing, Leah. I could no more turn my back on you than God could turn His back on me when I fall short.”
“And you still love me?” Her voice sounded timid. She had asked a question, but wasn’t sure if the answer would be in her favor.
Bishop sat down on the bed next to his daughter. Looking directly at her, his eyes filling with love, he told her, “I love you all the way to the moon and back.”
Her heart tightened as she heard those words... the same words he used to say when she was a kid. She remembered telling him, ‘that’s a lot of loving’, and he had said, ‘you better know it’.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She wrapped her good arm around her father. “Oh Daddy, I’m so sorry. I’m truly sorry for everything. Just please tell me that you forgive me.”
Tears ran down his cheeks. He pulled out of the embrace and put Leah’s hands in his. “I forgave you a long time ago. It’s time for you to forgive yourself.”
Her father’s words hit her like lightening striking a tree. The thunderous sound of ‘forgive yourself’ rolled around in her ears until it got down in her soul. She wanted to forgive herself... she wanted to accept all the kindness her family had to give, but she was so ashamed of what she had done that it was easier said than done.
Her father stood and began walking out of her room. Then he paused and pointed toward the Bible. “Read that chapter.”
“Okay Daddy, I will.”
The next morning when she woke up, she heard noises coming from Larissa’s room. She heard Larissa yell, “Just forget it, Solomon. There’s no way we can make this work. We have to postpone the wedding.” Then the flood of tears came.
Hearing Larissa cry like that made Leah feel like the worse cousin in the world. Why had she ignored Larissa’s plea for help with planning her wedding? Leah knew how demanding Larissa’s job was, after all, the girl was a doctor.
By the time Leah heard Larissa blow her nose and hiccup at the same time, she’d had enough. Leah banged her fist against the wall. “Larissa, come to my room or I’m going to hop over there on my crutch.”
She heard Larissa moving around in the room, a few more sniffles, then she popped her head in Leah’s room, tissue pressed against her nose. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you. Do you need me to get you anything?”
“I need you to get yourself in this room and tell me what’s going on.” Every night after Larissa got off work, she came home and waited on Leah like she was Florence from the Jeffersons. Leah wasn’t about to see Larissa this despondent and do nothing. “Why are you crying? And why are you postponing your wedding?”
Flopping on the bed next to Leah, Larissa let out a long, dejected sigh. “It’s too overwhelming for me right now. Aunt Alma has been helping me but I can’t ask her to do that while she’s worried about you.”
Her mother was a no-nonsense, it-is-what-it-is kind of woman. Leah, rarely saw her frazzled by anything life threw at her. So, she was surprised to hear Larissa say that her mother was worried about her. “She hasn’t said anything like that to me. You and that big brain of yours might be over thinking things.”
Shaking her head, Larissa said, “I know her, Leah. She’s worried about you. And as a doctor I’m worried also. Blood clotting can be a serious thing. So, I’m not about to ask Aunt Alma to focus on my wedding right now.”
Leah was moved by her cousin’s words. Larissa was willing to postpone her wedding to care for her, even after how terrible she’d been to her. Leah’s eyes watered. Guilt hung on her like a heavy winter coat. “You’re not postponing anything. The wedding is next month, right?”
“Yes, but the caterer cancelled, the wrong flowers were ordered and I don’t have the time or the skill to put this thing together.”
“Well, that’s why you have me.”
Larissa’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me. We’re family. What good is having an annoying family, if we can’t help each other in our time of need. Right?”
“You’re not supposed to be moving around too much for another week and a half.”
Leah waved her hand and pointed to the pillows under her legs. then said, “Girl please, I can put your wedding together while I lay in this bed. I’m already doing a few things for another event. Let me help out, okay?”
With a look of unease, Larissa asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
After all Larissa had done for her this past week and how much she was willing to give up, it made Leah sad that her cousin didn’t trust her. “I’m sorry for how I’ve been treating you. I promise that I won’t let you down.”
Larissa leaned into Leah and gave her a gentle hug. She then rushed out of the room and came back holding a huge binder that held a few pages. “Here’s everything I’ve been working on.”
Taking the binder and skimming through it, Leah laughed. “You’ve hardly done anything. You really do need me. Especially since y’all insist on doing this quickie, shotgun wedding.”
“Cookies, anyone?” Alma stood in the doorway holding a tray with fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies and a pot of hot tea with lemons on a saucer.
Leah dropped the wedding book onto the bed next to her and then put her hand over her face. “Mom, not your ooey, gooey, chocolate chip cookies? How much weight do you want me to gain?”
“I’ve got a wedding dress to fit into.” Larissa held up her hands as if she was fending off a vampire trying to bite her neck.
Rolling her eyes heavenward, Alma stepped further into the room. The sweet smell of chocolate mixed with sugar and a hint of cinnamon drifted over to them. Leah and Larissa moaned like trapped animals. “You girls don’t need to worry about a few extra pounds. Talk to me about weight gain when you get in your sixties. Then I might have some sympathy.”
Leah took the sling off her arm and reached for the cookies. “Give them to me.”
A look of alarm crossed Alma’s face. “I don’t think you should do that.”
“My arm feels fine. And I’m tired of that sling.”
Alma glanced over at Larissa.
Larissa nodded her approval. “She’s worn it for five days already. It was for precautionary measure more than anything, anyway. I saw the x-ray at the hospital and the bones weren’t broken. So, if her arm is feeling better, she doesn’t have to wear it.”
For a moment it looked like Alma was holding her breath. Then she exhaled. “Thank You, Jesus.”
“Stop worrying so much, Aunt Alma. Leah is here with us. She survived that attack. And she is healing nicely.”
Leah’s eyes roamed from Larissa to her mother. She caught something between the two of them, like they’d been talking about her. She wondered if they knew she was lying about her attacker. But she wasn’t ready to go there so she took two cookies off the tray and stuffed her mouth.
Her mother poured tea in the tea cups. “So, what are you two doing?” she asked.
Happy to make this about Larissa, rather than herself, Leah quickly said, “I’m helping this sad, sad woman with her wedding.”
Larissa lowered her head. “Yes, I am sad when it comes to putting a wedding together. I admit it. I’m so thankful I will only do this once in a lifetime.”
Alma smiled. “Leah is the best at handling these sorts of things.” She turned to Leah. “But are you up for something like this?”
“I can make calls from my bed, Mama. And I can just use my laptop for anything else that needs to be done.”
Alma pulled up a chair and rubbed her hands together. “I want to help too, I hope y’all didn’t decide on anything without me. Larissa is the first girl in this family to get married and I want to be involved.”
“Of course, I want your help, Aunt Alma. You’re like my mother, so I don’t want to do this without you.” Larissa and Alma hugged.
Leah added, “You and daddy will be footing the bill, so you might as well see how much we are going to stick you with.”
“Haha, very funny.” Alma shook her head.
“I’m just saying... we do need that checkbook.” Leah nudged Larissa. “Don’t be shy girl, weddings aren’t cheap. You might be a doctor, but you’ve got bills. And don’t forget about the student loans you took out for med school.” Her parents had paid for all four years for each of them but they tightened the purse strings on anything after that bachelor’s degree.
“Larissa and I have already discussed a budget. I trust her to spend wisely.” Alma glanced at the wedding book, then scrunched her nose. She glanced at Larissa. “You don’t have much done. This wedding is in five weeks.”
Larissa sounded defensive, “I have the sanctuary and the reception hall.”
“Thank God your uncle is a pastor and that we turned the building behind the church into a recreational center. Or you wouldn’t have either,” Alma told her with a chuckle.
Leah’s cell rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Cory. She answered the phone and gave her mother and Larissa the eye. But they ignored her and just sat there, pretending to look at Larissa’s hardly-anything-in-it wedding book, while they listened in on her conversation.
“You on a break?” she asked Cory.
“Taking a few minutes. I wanted to check on you. You didn’t sound so good when we talked the other night.”
Laughing, a little awkwardly, she told him, “That was the pain pills. But you’ll be happy to know that I haven’t needed any pain medication at all today.”
“That’s great, Leah.”
He sounded so excited for her, like it mattered to him whether she got well or not. She wished she could spend all day talking to him. Hearing that baritone as he said her name. But she knew he had to get back to work and her mother and Larissa were sitting on her bed. So, she kept it business like. “Are things going well with Donna?”
“She’s doing a wonderful job, but I’d like to run a few ideas by you. I could come by later, if that’s okay.”
Smiling into the phone, Leah assured him, “As long as it’s not too late, I’m sure my parents won’t mind seeing you again.”
They hung up. Before Leah could even bring the subject of Cory stopping by, her mother asked, “Who was that, dear?”
As if she hadn’t been listening to every word of the conversation. “It was Cory, Mom. He wants to stop by later. Is that alright with you?”
“Is it alright?” Alma hopped off the bed. “The boy was brought up in the church. He’s handsome as the dickens and from what his mama told me, he’s earning good money.” Alma gave her daughter a quick inspection. “Let me get the hot comb and my rollers in here. I need to fix your hair.”
Laughing, Leah turned to Larissa. “Can you believe her? Acting like I’ve got an appointment with the Queen or something.”
“Girl this is better than some queen. Cory Parker is coming to see you and that brother has got it going on.” Larissa took the wedding book from her. “We can look this over later. After you get out of the shower, I’m going to give you a makeover.”
“You know I don’t wear a bunch of makeup.”
“We’re not going to overdo it, just enough for Cory to see who you are, for real – for real, know what I mean?” Larissa winked at her and then left the room.
Leah leaned back against the headboard. What was supposed to be a quiet day in bed had turned into a makeover session. Leah, was happy Tamara was still in Atlanta because the former cheerleader of the family would have her practicing poses and carrying on.
~Chapter Nine
Try as he might, Cory hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Leah since he found her on the ground in the parking garage being pummeled by some lunatic.
His own cousin had been the victim of abuse so he could relate. It wasn’t the I’m-trying-to-steal-your-purse type of beat down. Erlene had married a man who liked to make his point with his fist and his foot. The family begged and pleaded with Erlene to leave her abuser.
When she finally did leave, she came to stay with him for a while. Cory welcomed his cousin as his house guest and had encouraged her not to live in fear and to get out of the house and do something with her life.
That turned out to be the worst advice he could have given. Erlene took a job at a flower shop in Uptown. She loved flowers and could make things grow like nobody’s business. Unfortunately, Erlene didn’t get a chance to show her boss at that flower shop how much of a green thumb she had because her husband followed her from Cory’s house to the flower shop, and shot Erlene and two other workers that day.
Cory had felt hollow for a long time after Erlene’s death. The way Cory saw it, he had sent his cousin to her death. How does one atone for something like that?
A knock at his open door pulled Cory back to the present. His boss, R.L. McMaster was at his door and he didn’t look happy. “Come in.”
R.L. took the seat in front of Cory’s desk. “You looked lost in thought. I almost didn’t want to knock on your door when I saw the expression on your face.”
I was, Cory wanted to say. But he and R.L. weren’t friends. They were business associates. He didn’t air his personal business at work. “I’m good, just thinking.”
“Are you sure you’re good?” The look on R.L’s face indicated that he didn’t believe him. “Because I’m getting a different vibe.”
Adjusting himself in his seat, Cory straightened. “Excuse me?” R.L. was a busy man, making money and crushing it. He didn’t spend a lot of time talking just to chit-chat. If he said something to you, there was a reason behind it. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“I know you have an IPO closing in a month but you have been spending less time in the office lately. That’s not like you. So, I’ve got to ask... what’s going on here?”
Cory’s eyebrow lifted. He bit back his annoyance. “Nothing’s going on?”
“You didn’t take my call a couple of days ago.”
The unspoken rule at the firm was that investment bankers were always on call. Don’t lose or break your phone because there were no excuses for missing a call that could make the bank millions. But Leah had needed him the other night. He saw the fear in her eyes when he walked up on her. It had brought thoughts of Erlene back to mind and how much he wished he had been there for his cousin when she needed him most. But he wasn’t going to explain himself to R.L.
“The IPO for Delish Foods is moving along. We are planning an event in the next three weeks to rebuild investor confidence. The event planner I’m working with has secured the location and all of the invites are going out this week.”
“Sounds good. But are you personally working with the potential investors to ensure they stay in our corner on this one? If too many investors drop out, that’s game over and this IPO will be the downfall for us all.”
So now R.L. felt the need to tell him how to do his job. “How many IPOs have I closed since I’ve been with this company, R.L.?”
R.L. stood. “No need to get your back up, Cory. The stakes are high on this one.”
“Aren’t the stakes high on every IPO we deliver?”
R.L. made his way to the door, but before leaving Cory’s office, he said, “You’re up for a promotion. Question is, how bad do you want it?”
Cory fumed inside as he watched R.L. walk away with the casual stride of a man on top of the world. How dare R.L. question his commitment to this job. He’d given this place seventy to eighty hours a week since day one. Sacrificed family and friends. He hadn’t attended church in years. And he wasn’t raised that way. His mother was always making sly comments about his lack of—as she put it—forsaking-to-assemble-himself.
“Marcia! Get me the investor file for Delish Foods,” Cory yelled out to his assistant.
Marcia rushed into his office, holding a file while pointing at the telephone on his desk. “We’re more civilized around here. I know my desk is right outside your office, but you don’t have to yell. Pick up your phone and call.”
Cory smiled, Marcia was the type of person who’d tell you about yourself and still expect to collect a paycheck. But she was alright with him, because she kept him organized. “I gotcha. I’m just having a day.”
