“I’m happy to hear that, Erica,” Nikki said.
“I’m so sorry I took my unhappiness out on you,” Erica apologized.
“Girl, give me a hug,” Nikki said, and they both embraced and fought back tears.
Enough was said.
“Great! Now I have some news,” Jada said.
All eyes were on Jada as they watched her remove a small jewelry box from her purse. She slipped on the ring and held out her hand for them to see.
“Warren asked me to marry him last night.”
“What did you say, girl?” Nikki asked, grabbing Jada’s hand to get a closer look.
“What does it look like she said? She’s wearing this rock, isn’t she?” Erica said, taking Jada’s hand from Nikki for a better view.
“She had it in the box, girl. What’s up with that, Jada?” Nikki asked.
“Nothing. I just didn’t want to distract Erica from doing what she came here to do, but I couldn’t resist that bald head, so I said yes!” Jada exclaimed.
“Well, congratulations, girlfriend. I am truly, truly happy for you,” Erica said.
“And you’re next, Erica,” Nikki prophesied.
A distinguished gentleman at the next table was eating alone. He had witnessed the entire scene. He got up and came over to congratulate Jada.
“Hello, my name is Cal Carrington, and I could not help but overhear your conversation. It seems that congratulations are in order,” he said, looking at Jada.
He was quite impressive, immaculately dressed in a chocolate tailored suit and spit-shined shoes. He was tall and slender with a caramel-colored bald head.
“Thank you,” Jada said.
He nodded to Jada, then turned all of his attention to Erica.
“Actually, I was waiting for an opportunity to come over and meet you, lovely sister,” he said, looking deep into Erica’s eyes until she blinked.
“I’m Erica Scott. Nice to meet you, Mr. Carrington,” she said, offering him her hand to shake.
He gently held her hand in both of his instead.
“I was wondering if you would be available for dinner sometime,” he asked, holding her hand like he never wanted to let it go.
“I think that can be arranged,” Erica replied.
Jada leaned over and whispered into Nikki’s ear. “Knowing Erica, they’ll be married before you get back from Africa.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it one bit, not one little bit,” Nikki said.
Out of the Mouths of Saved Babes
Richmond, Virginia
Several Months Later
Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
PROVERBS 24:3-4
S
top jumpin’ on those bunk beds before I come up there and slap you to sleep!” Grace Mitchell shouted to her grandchildren.
Grace was from a time when corporal punishment was in full force. In the sixties, she and her friends Alexis Wilkes, Jean Harris, and Bea Pierce played cards, partied, and traveled from state to state attending concerts and vacationing. Through the decades, they had remained close, starting their own families, surviving tragedies, and getting through this latest epidemic, crack cocaine. After her husband, Herman, died, Grace raised her two daughters, Sharia and Karen, the best way she knew how. She could not understand how her children had gotten caught up in the drug culture, while her friends’ children had turned out so well.
She had custody of her grandchildren while their mother, Sharia, her older daughter, served time at the Women’s Correctional Facility in Goochland, for a drug possession conviction. She had not seen her younger daughter, Karen, in more than a year. Word was that she was strung out, living from crack house to crack house. Grace, in all her sixty-plus years, had never seen the kind of devastation that crack was imposing on her children’s generation. In an effort to save her grandchildren, she became their legal guardian.
“Girl, I’m too old for this,” Grace said on the phone to her friend Jean.” Damon and LaKisha have seen too much. What do I look like trying to raise a seven-year-old think-he’s-grown boy? Not to mention a too-hot-to-trot fourteen-year-old hoochie mama?”
“You have it under control, Grace. I’ve seen you with those kids. I’ll be calling you for advice when Nikki brings the kids here for the summer. Jim won’t be any help. He believes that it’s our duty, honor, and privilege to spoil them rotten,” Jean said.
“Oh, that’s right. You’re going to have all three of your grands this summer. Is the pool ready?” Grace asked.
“Yes, finally. Jim has been out there working from morning till night. Virginia Beach has nothing on my backyard,” Jean said, laughing about how obsessed her husband was with his grandchildren. “Now who are you threatening?”
“Alexis’s grandson, Ahmad, is spending the night with Damon,” Grace said.
“Oh, that’s nice. Where’s LaKisha?” Jean asked.
“Walking around here rolling her eyes and sucking her teeth because she wants to use the phone, which I ain’t paying that mess no mind.”
“Teenagers. Guess I have that to look forward to when Shay gets here. I’d better set some ground rules about long-distance phone calls.”
“Lay down the rules up front, girl. I pay this phone bill, so I better not see her rolling her eyes and sucking her teeth anymore, or she’ll be missing some,” Grace threatened.
“Girl, you put the fear of God in those kids, but somehow they know you love them,” Jean said.
“I loved my girls too, so why they turned out like they did is a mystery to me. I ask God every day, what in the world did I do wrong?”
“Stop blaming yourself. Children have minds of their own and are going to do what they want to do no matter what. We pulled out all the stops trying to convince Nikki not to uproot those kids and move to Atlanta. She went anyway, and it’s probably the best decision she ever made. In the end, they’re going to be all right if we keep the faith. Look at Alexis’s son, Zachary. Boy made the cover of
Black Enterprise
and never went to college, as much as Alexis pushed higher education on him,” Jean said.
“You’re right about what you say. I’m keeping the faith and know that it ain’t over till it’s over. I got a letter from Sharia from jail saying that she and your niece Rae were holding Bible study for the inmates twice a week. Now, I know that was a sign from God that everything was going to be all right,” Grace said, feeling better that her faith was being restored.
“Yes, it is. Nikki told me that Rae had written her all about the positive effect those Bible studies is having on the inmates. She said there is a noticeable decrease in the violence, and they attribute it to more and more of the women joining the Bible studies and learning alternatives to fighting. God is good, works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform,” Jean preached.
“That’s right. Sharia said instead of cussing somebody out, she goes off on them in tongues, confusing the heck out of them. She told me about when she found Rae in the showers one day after she had been attacked and Rae was speaking in tongues. She said Rae blew her mind with the way she handled the incident, and that’s when she joined her in getting the Bible studies started. So He’s a miracle-working God for sure.”
“Who hasn’t brought you this far to leave you.”
“You got that right,” Grace agreed. “Shut that noise up, up there! Girl, let me go find my belt. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Grace, but don’t hurt nobody,” Jean said, laughing.
When Grace got to Damon’s room, the light was out and the boys were snoring, pretending to be asleep.
“Ummmm-huh, you better be asleep,” she threatened as she softly closed the door, smiling to herself.
I
n Atlanta, Nikki and her husband, Kevin, had been planning and packing for their African tour for weeks. She was at a point in her life, being blessed with the right partner, to satisfy her fascination with the Motherland. Taj, Shay, and Mia could not wait to get to Richmond and break in their grandparents’ new swimming pool while their mother and stepfather traveled abroad. Finally, Nikki had a date for her parents to expect them.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Daddy!” Nikki exclaimed.
“Hey, baby. When are you bringing my grandkids to me? The pool is ready and waiting,” Jim said.
“That’s what I called to tell you. We’re coming a few days early. I want to spend some time with Pam before we leave for Africa. I called her after Miss Bea’s heart attack. I haven’t seen my girl in years.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Pam didn’t come home much after she went off to college. Bea and Jean think she let the fact that Micah had that baby by that girl keep her away, so we were glad that she moved back to take care of Bea,” Jim explained.
“Yeah, she was pretty upset about that. Pam called me and vented about it. Then Zakia came back from college pregnant. Boy, I’m glad I had my daddy in the house with me,” Nikki said.
“That happens to girls who have their daddies in the house with them too.”
“That’s right. Plus, both my girls achieved great success in spite of it. I’m so proud of them.”
“Well, both of those babies are all grown up. Micah’s son, Jaron, is in some seriously deep trouble right now. He was arrested for killing somebody.”
“Ma told me. Now, that’s tough. I have so much to talk to Pam about when I get there. We were on the phone for hours the other night. I can’t wait to see her. Imagine, a big-city district attorney putting criminals away.”
“Yeah, most of you kids did all right for yourselves,” Jim said.
“To God be the glory.”
“Well, attorney or not, it’s good for Bea that Pam is with her. Between Grace, Alexis, and your mother, she is well taken care of, but it’s better for her to have Pam around. She’s all the family Bea has. I know if anything were to happen, Taj would take care of me,” Jim said confidently.
“Yes, he would Daddy, and so would I. But nothing is going to happen to you, so quit talking like that,” Nikki said.
“Okay, baby. So when can we expect you?”
“Tomorrow afternoon sometime. You know the kids are little fish, and since school let out, they’ve been just itching to get to that pool.”
“All right, then. Y’all drive safe and get here in one piece.”
“Okay, Daddy. See you tomorrow.”
Jean came into the room with two cups of herbal tea as Jim was hanging up.
“Who was that?” she asked as she handed her husband a cup.
“Nikki. They’ll be here tomorrow. She wants to spend some time with Pam before they go to Africa,” Jim said.
“Good. They were close growing up. They pretended to be sisters, both being the only child. I’m sure Pam’s daughter, Taylor, will hit it off with Mia just like their mothers did,” Jean said.
“I’m sure they will. Taylor is just like Pam, and Mia . . . well, Mia is in a class by herself,” Jim said, smiling with adoration.
“With all the grandkids between us, they should have a ball this summer,” Jean said.
Zachary Wilkes was the most eligible bachelor in the entire state of Virginia. He had made his fortune by putting his hand in diverse businesses, from publishing and distribution to computers and e-commerce to real estate. His mansion was located on the outskirts of Richmond, where he was relaxing in his den when he decided to check on his friend Micah, who answered the phone on the first ring.
“How’s everything going, man?” Zach asked.
Micah had been a little jumpy lately but was keeping the faith.
“The trial date is approaching fast. All I can do is lean on God’s everlasting arms,” he said.
“You have the best attorneys out there. And now with Pam home, single and free, maybe that’s a sign from God that He’s got your back. Besides, you need something or someone to divert your attention. Stress kills. There is nothing else you can do, man. You have stuck by Jaron all the way through this thing. He’s innocent, and my attorneys will prove it. Zakia and Eboni have a serious prayer line going, so no need to stress out,” Zach said.
“I don’t know how I will ever repay you, man,” Micah said.
“Man, please. Jaron is my son too. He is the first of the second generation of Execs. The boy is innocent. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people and got caught up. He’ll be exonerated.”
“I am truly blessed to have friends like you. I really appreciate you being there for Jaron and me.”
“We’re all family, and Zakia lets me know that my finances aren’t for me, but so that all families of the earth can be blessed or something like that. So whatever you or Jaron need, don’t ever hesitate to let me know.”
“Brothers to the end, man. Thanks for everything,” Micah said.
“Anytime, bro. Anything, anytime.”
T
he minivan was packed with suitcases, toys, book bags, and Nikki’s family. Only half an hour behind schedule, Kevin was pulling onto Interstate 85 north.
“I forgot my bikini,” Nikki’s nine-year-old daughter, Mia, said.
“Granddaddy will buy you another one. I need him to buy me a sarong to go with mine to cover my hips,” said Shay, Nikki’s twelve-year-old girl.
“You wish you had some hips,” said Taj, now a teenager.
“Shut up!” Shay yelled.
“Chill out. We have a long ride ahead of us, and it will be a peaceful one, understand?” Nikki threatened.
“Yes, ma’am,” all the children said.
“Good.”
Eight hours later, they pulled into the driveway of Jim and Jean’s spacious home boasting a beautifully manicured lawn. Jim was in the yard keeping himself busy. Jean had been looking out the window every ten minutes for the last hour. When she saw the minivan pull up, she ran outside to greet them.
“You made it!” Jean shouted.
“Granddaddy! Grandma!” Shay yelled.
She ran to greet her grandparents and gave them the biggest hug she could muster.
Mia ran toward Jim and leaped off the ground. Jim caught her in midair and spun her around while she planted kisses all over his face.
Taj, growing bigger and cooler by the day, hugged his grandmother, who kissed and squeezed him back. When Jim finally put Mia down, she hugged her grandmother too, while Jim paused and looked at Taj.