Jada stopped by with her boys to visit Nikki and her children. Introductions were made all around.
“Want to play some basketball?” Taj asked the twins, staring back and forth at them.
Matthew and Mark looked at their mother, who looked at Nikki.
“That’s fine. Stop downstairs and see if Kevin will go with you,” Nikki told Taj.
While the girls played in their room, Jada and Nikki sat and talked. Nikki was surprised and a little nervous when Kevin returned with the boys and asked her to call him later, no matter what time.
After Jada and the twins left and the children were all tucked in, Nikki called downstairs.
“Hello,” Kevin answered.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Can I come up just for a minute?”
“Sure.”
One minute later, he was in the apartment facing Nikki. After they settled on the sofa, he began, “I don’t know when it happened, but I am in love with you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did, and I can’t keep it to myself any longer,” Kevin said with a slightly desperate tone, yet his cool still reigned.
Nikki was in shock. She knew something was going on with Kevin, but to hear it forced her to have to deal with it.
“How old are you exactly?” she asked.
“Twenty-nine,” Kevin answered.
“I’m thirty-nine. That’s a whole decade.”
“I can’t tell,” he quickly responded.
“It makes a difference.”
“Not to me it doesn’t. How I feel matters, and this feels right. How does it feel to you?” he asked, taking her hand.
She couldn’t answer. Looking down at his hand holding hers, all she felt was his warmth and love, and it felt right, but she wasn’t ready to admit it. Now that the words had been spoken, she was forced to explore her feelings.
“I need some time,” she said finally.
“I understand. I’m sorry. I just had to let you know how I felt. Call me when you’re ready to talk.”
She nodded. He gently kissed the back of her hand, then got up to let himself out.
“Call me,” he said as he closed the door behind him.
Nikki went in her room and prayed.
Lord, what in the world is going on? Are You setting me up? I don’t know what to do
.
Pastor Freeman preached on peace at the early Sunday service. Nikki wrote down what he said about letting the Umpire of Peace, the Holy Spirit, make the call on the difficult decisions we have to make in our lives. She wrote:
Ask God what to do about Kevin, then wait for Him to respond. An uncomfortable feeling equals “no,” A calm, peaceful feeling means “yes.”
Afterward, Nikki and Jada were in the lobby deciding on where to take the children out for breakfast when Erica walked up.
“What’s up, ladies?” Erica asked.
“Hey, sis,” Nikki said. “Trying to figure out where to go eat breakfast.”
“You were going out to eat without me?” Erica asked, only slightly smiling.
“You are perfectly welcome to join us. Do you know of any good all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets that the children would enjoy?” Jada asked.
“Mamanems Restaurant has the best pancakes, omelets, and lots of other goodies the kids will love,” Erica said.
“Yeah, I’ve been wanting to check out Mamanems,” Nikki said.
“I’ve heard good things about it too. Let’s go there,” Jada decided.
“Well, we can all just meet over there. You know where it is, right?” Erica asked.
“I do,” Nikki said.
“I do too,” Jada said. “See you there in about fifteen minutes.”
At Mamanems, all of the children sat together at a large table in the middle of the restaurant close to the buffet, and Nikki, Erica, and Jada got a quiet booth.
“How’s the studying for the bar going, Jada?” Nikki asked.
“It’s going, girl.”
“How’s Kevin’s crush going, Nikki?” Erica asked.
“What!” Jada exclaimed.
“Yeah, girlfriend got youngblood’s nose wide open,” Erica offered with a hint of sarcasm.
“What? I thought he was just a good neighbor. Like State Farm,” Jada said, chuckling.
“Tell her, Nikki. Tell your girl here about how you can drive a truck up his nose,” Erica insisted.
“Actually, he told me that he was in love with me,” Nikki said.
To their surprise, Erica stood. “Get out of here!” she said.
“Yep,” Nikki said.
“What’s he going to do with you and those kids as young as he is?” Erica asked, still standing, with her hands on her hips.
Both Nikki and Jada looked at Erica silently until she realized there would be no response until she sat down.
“He didn’t propose, Erica. What’s your problem?” Nikki asked.
“I’m just looking out for you is all,” she answered, calming down.
Nikki nodded, doubting Erica’s last words.
“So just how long has this been going on?” Jada asked.
“I’ve been feeling the vibe for a few months now, but last night was the first time he ever mentioned anything to me.”
“It won’t work,” Erica said.
“Why not?” Nikki asked.
“He can’t handle you,” Erica said.
“I don’t need to be ‘handled,’ as long as he can handle himself. Besides, he has goals, dreams, and vision,” Nikki replied.
“Does he have any money, houses, and cars?” Erica asked.
“How materialistic is that?” Nikki asked. She was starting to get perturbed with Erica’s line of questioning.
“You need a man to help you with those kids. He’s a good friend and all, but your rich prince might be right around the corner,” Erica said.
“That’s you, Cinderella. I can take care of me and my babies, and I don’t need a man for that.”
“She’s got a point, Erica. I lived in a mansion when I was married, and we slept in separate bedrooms, so I hear ya, Nikki. I feel the same way,” Jada said.
“Thanks, Jada,” Nikki said.
“So how do you feel about him?” Jada asked.
“I don’t know,” Nikki answered. The Umpire of Peace had yet to make the call.
“Well, just take your time and be honest and true to yourself,” Jada said.
“Yeah, you do that and let us know what he’s bringing to the table,” Erica said. “If you think about it, probably not much, and you deserve more. We are virtuous women, and our price is far above rubies. Read Proverbs 31, girl.”
“See, now, that’s why you had to go to the hospital diving for that bouquet, like catching it was really going to get you a husband. I saw the video,” Nikki said.
“Don’t go there. My side still hurts,” Erica said.
“The way that girl tackled you for that bouquet, you need to let me send that tape to
America’s Funniest Home Videos
. When you win, then you’ll have enough money so you can stop tripping and get a real man and not waste your time waiting for a rich fairy-tale prince,” Nikki said.
“See, she went there, Jada.”
“Yes, you did, Nikki, now apologize,” Jada said.
“I apologize to the wide receiver. But on that wedding video, you went for that pass and that girl tackled your—”
“Nikki!” they yelled.
N
ikki and Kevin had not seen each other since Kevin’s announcement. He made himself stay away until he heard from her. In the meantime, she had begun to entertain some thoughts about him.
What is the point in having a man, a boyfriend? What would we be able to do that we aren’t doing now? Like Pastor asked the teens: “What do you mean you go together? What is the difference between being friends and going together to a Christian?” That’s what I want to know too, Pastor. We can’t sleep together like the world defines going together. If you are seriously striving to walk upright before the Lord, that can only happen in marriage. All the other benefits come under the umbrella of friendship. Everything is cool just the way it is.
Then she did something she had dared not do before. She entertained the thought of being married to Kevin. She couldn’t be afraid to deal with her true feelings. What if he wanted to marry her?
No. It just will not work. Forget about it. He has grown tremendously in the things of God since we first met. I trust him just as much as I trust anybody. He’s ambitious, no-nonsense, and boy, can he sing. I like that,
she thought. Then out loud she asked, “Is that You, God? Throwing in little extra special touches that You know I like in order to let me know that You approve? I wonder what ever happened to that girl I saw him with on that first day. I haven’t seen her anymore and haven’t had the nerve to ask him about her. Doesn’t matter, since she appears to have fallen off the face of the earth. Then there’s my number one priority, Lord, my kids. They adore Kevin and he adores them. I don’t know what Taj would have done without him when we first got here. I respect teachers and coaches to the utmost. I can get up under a mission like that, which inspires and influences our young people to be all they can be. It’s a part of the solution. And I’ll admit it to You, Lord, because You already know. I do love him. But what kind of wife would I make with all my baggage? Umpire of Peace, you make the call.”
Just then a calm peacefulness flooded Nikki’s entire being. When she was done praying, she called Kevin.
“We need to talk.”
“Be right up.”
The children were outside playing with their friends. She and Kevin sat at the dining room table, Kevin at the head, Nikki across from him.
“So what do you have in mind?” Nikki asked.
“I have never felt the way you make me feel. You are smart, funny, open, honest, caring, and absolutely beautiful inside and out. You make me think and laugh. You inspire me and you understand me. I feel your love for me. That feeds my love for you, which feeds your love for me, and our love is just growing out of control, and now we have to do something about it.”
“Something like what?” she asked.
“I know you came to Atlanta to begin a new life, and you have. I just know in my heart that we can have an even greater life together,” he said, then paused for a reaction.
There was none. She was quietly still, listening to every word. He continued.
“The only thing I have that is worthy of you is all my love. Now, you haven’t even shown that you are interested in that type of a relationship with anybody, and that may have something to do with the way I feel about you. But I know for a fact that in addition to everything else, I just want to hold you.”
There. He said it. She exhaled. She had been subconsciously holding her breath. “Nikki, baby, you are a serious sister, and I want you to be my wife.”
Even after all of her praying and preparation, Nikki was still amazed at all he had said.
A cool, confident, and patient Kevin waited silently for a response. Everything she had been thinking about, analyzing, and figuring out made sense and felt right. She had gone on with her life, and Kevin was the only person she could imagine being with as she moved forward. She decided his response to her next question would be the determining factor.
“How will we overcome the obvious challenges that we will face from every direction?” she asked.
“By the Spirit of God that lives inside the both of us. We will overcome them together and as one,” was his eloquent response.
“Then the answer is yes.”
The first challenge was to inform the children. Kevin and Nikki gathered them on the sofa. Holding Nikki’s hand, which did not go unnoticed by any of the children, Kevin began.
“Your mother and I are best friends. I first realized that I loved her a while back. Now we both realize that we love each other and—”
Mia jumped up, cutting him off. “They’re getting married! I’m moving back to Richmond with my daddy!” she yelled.
Nikki thought,
This is not going to be easy,
but she let Kevin handle it just to see him operate under pressure.
“I understand how you feel, Mia,” he said in a calm, soothing voice. “And I will never try to replace your daddy. I love you guys. Your mother and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. We can hang out like we always do. I’m here for you, and I want to make your mother happy. She believes I can make her happy. She deserves to be happy, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, okay,” Mia said, and she went into her room to watch TV.
“Here, Taj,” Shay said, handing him a dollar.
“Thank you very much,” he said, smiling as he took his winnings.
“What’s that for?” Nikki asked.
“Taj bet me a dollar that you two were going to get married. I said you seemed to like things just the way they are, so I bet you wouldn’t. Thanks a lot, Mommy,” Shay said.
“Well, what if I give you your dollar back?” Nikki asked.
“That’ll work,” Shay said.
“Are we all still cool?” Kevin asked.
“I’m cool,” Taj said, stuffing his dollar bill into his pocket.
“Yes, you are, sweetheart,” Nikki said. “What about my girls?”
“I’m fine, Mommy, and I know that little drama queen is too,” Shay said.
“Are we still going to Six Flags tomorrow?” Taj asked.
“Just like we planned,” Kevin said.
“You coming, Mommy?” Shay asked.
“No, baby. I have some business to take care of.”
“I got the kids. You handle your business, baby,” Kevin said.
She planned to do just that. Nikki went to her bedroom to make a couple of calls. First she called Jada.
“Jada, we have to have a meeting after service tomorrow. Let’s get together for brunch.”
“All right. Should we meet in the usual spot?”
“Exactly.”
Next she called Erica. “What’s going on after church?”
“Nothing, why?” Erica asked.
“We’re meeting for brunch.”
“Cool.”
“Meet Jada and me at the usual spot after service.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After church service, they all walked to Nikki’s van.
“Where’re the kids, Nikki?” Erica asked.
“Kevin is taking them to the amusement park after late service,” she responded.
“He’s really pouring it on, isn’t he?” Erica said.
“He’s doing what he’s always done since I met him.”
Nikki had decided to do something different and take her friends to an upscale restaurant in another part of town. The beautiful buffet was supplied with a delectable-looking array of foods from which to choose, including all types of breakfast dishes, fruit and vegetable salads, seafood, and an assortment of roasted and smoked meats. Nikki checked out Erica’s plate and shook her head.