The Perfect Christian

Book 2: Still Divas Series

by E.N. Joy

Genres: African American Christian; African American Women's Fiction

Synopsis

Mother Doreen thought she'd never love again after the death of her first love, so when a pastor from her hometown proposes, she sees it as a gift from God. As the founder of the Singles Ministry at the New Day Temple of Faith, her departure is bittersweet for the single saints she'll be leaving behind.

Mother Doreen is a little nervous embarking on her new role as a pastor's wife, but everyone agrees that she will make the perfect first lady. After all, no one has known her to be anything other than a perfect Christian. When her imperfect past comes to the forefront, however, her image is shattered. Even with the support of all the single ladies, it's going to take the hand of God for this fairytale wedding to happen. Otherwise, Mother Doreen's happily ever after might quickly turn into a sadly never ever.

Release date: July 1, 2012

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 272

Sample

“Mother Doreen, if you aren’t just the most beautiful bride I’ve seen in all my life . . .” Paige’s words trailed off as she choked back tears. She had never seen her church mother look so happy and so content in all the years she’d known her. It touched her heart knowing that the joy of the day was because of the Lord. The joy of the Lord, since it was not given by man, could not be taken by man. Eternal joy is what Mother Doreen would have. How could that not have brought tears to anyone’s eyes?

“Oh, for Pete’s sake! Are you about to start back up that crying mess?” Unique asked Paige as she stormed in between her and Mother Doreen with pressed powder in hand. “You’ll get her started again too.” She nodded toward Mother Doreen. “And no way is that gonna happen; not after I’ve been here since eight o’clock this morning . . .” She looked down at her watch. “. . . over an hour ago . . . applying this Mary Kay makeup to her face.” Unique pointed the powder puff at Mother Doreen’s made-up face. She then looked at a weeping Paige. “You, on the other hand, Sister Paige, get all your crying out now. Because just as soon as I’m finished touching Mother Doreen up, you’re next.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I always cry at weddings.” Paige wiped away her falling tears, tears that had been contagious since she arrived. Whenever she cried, for some reason, everybody else got to crying too. Unique had already touched up Mother Doreen’s makeup twice thanks to Paige’s domino effect.

“I know every time I start crying, Mother Doreen does too—everybody does, so I’ll cut it out.” Everyone gave Paige a doubting look. “I will. I promise.”

Although Paige had made the statement with such conviction, it meant nothing as she stared at Unique touching up Mother Doreen’s makeup. The older woman looked angelically glamorous. The beauty of the Lord is what Paige thought of the vision before her. And, of course, that thought brought back the waterworks as she burst out crying again.

Every head in the church dressing room turned to Paige. Every eye shot her a look that said, “You better stop crying now, or else.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” Paige apologized again. “I just can’t help it. Mother Doreen has been like a mother to all of us at New Day Temple of Faith. I’m just so ha-ha-happy for her,” Paige cried out.

“That’s it. Somebody get her out of here now,” Unique ordered, pointing to the door.

“I’m so on it,” Deborah offered, who had been standing in the mirror admiring the wonderful job Unique had already done on her makeup. “’Cause she’s about to ruin my makeup too.” Deborah ushered an emotionally torn-up Paige out of the dressing room. On any other day, the room served as the dressing room for both the dance ministry and the changing room for baptism candidates. But today, it was reserved for Mother Doreen and her female bridal party of three, all who were in attendance except for her sister, Bethany, who had yet to arrive at the church.

“Oh, leave my bridesmaid alone.” Mother Doreen smiled at Unique. “The child can’t help it. I spent all night and this morning doing the same thing; crying my eyes out. Ain’t nothing wrong with a few tears to express one’s happiness.” Mother Doreen closed her eyes while Unique pulled out her eye shadow case and touched up Mother Doreen’s eyes. “And if you didn’t have my face all done up, I’d still probably be crying.”

“And I get all that,” Unique said, “and you can go back to all that sniffing and snorting just as soon as you make it down that aisle—but not a minute sooner. I need folks to see all this hard work I’ve done.” Unique paused to hammer in her point. “Do you know how many referrals I got after the last wedding I did? Humph. Don’t call me conceited. Call me convinced. I know I’ve been on my J-O-B today beatin’ y’all’s faces.” She continued the touch-up.

“And a wonderful job you’ve done indeed, Sister Unique. And thanks again for agreeing to do the makeup for my entire bridal party for free. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect gift from you.”

“Trust me,” Unique said with her lips tightened, perfecting Mother Doreen’s eye makeup, “I’m going to end up booking more weddings and Mary Kay parties as a result of my work here today. Folks are going to see all of you and be so wowed, they’ll be hunting me down at the reception,” Unique laughed.

“And I’m sure they will. I thanked you in the program and even added your business Web site,” Mother Doreen winked.

“You didn’t?” Unique said in shock.

“I sure did,” Mother Doreen confirmed. “I mean, that’s the least I can do with you doing it for no charge and all. And with the huge discount you and Sister Tamarra gave me on catering the reception, why I even listed the Web site for the catering business too.”

“You’re too much, woman of God. Just an angel is what you are.” After making that statement, a serious look crossed Unique’s face. “Speaking of Sister Tamarra, how awkward do you think it’s going to be with Sister Paige and Sister Tamarra seeing each other during the reception?”

Paige and Tamarra, once the best of friends, hadn’t seen each other since the day Paige handed Tamarra divorce papers—divorcing her as a best friend. Paige had been devastated to learn that Tamarra had slept with her husband on the morning Paige married him. Paige thought she’d never be able to forgive Tamarra. She forgave her, though, but made it clear that because the bond of trust had been severed, so had their friendship.

Mother Doreen thought for a moment. “I’m sure all will go well. Besides, Tamarra will pretty much just be in the kitchen. Her and Paige more than likely won’t even cross each other’s paths. Before I even asked you guys to cater the event, I talked to Sister Paige about it. She was honored that I even came to her for her input, considering it was my big day. She said it was my wedding day and that it wasn’t about her, not one iota. She wanted me to be happy. Well, having the best cooks in Malvonia, Ohio, prepare my wedding day feast is exactly what’s going to make me happy.”

“Thanks, Mother Doreen. Like I said, you’re an angel.”

Just then, the dressing room door opened. “Okay, I got rid of crybaby,” Deborah told them, closing the door behind her. “She’s in that little bathroom off the kitchen waiting for you to come do her makeup, Sister Unique.” Deborah looked down and patted her lilac dress. As the maid of honor, she was dressed in a gown identical in color to Sister Paige’s bride’s maid dress and Sister Bethany’s matron of honor gown. Although the gowns were the same color, they each were of a different style and fit in order to complement the women’s figures. When Deborah looked up, both Mother Doreen and Unique were staring at her with horrified looks on their faces. Deborah shrugged. “What?”

“What?” Unique said mockingly. “What do you mean what? Uh, hello . . . Sister Tamarra is catering. She’s running back and forth in and out of the kitchen.”

“And?” Once again, Deborah shrugged, still not understanding the dilemma.

“Oh my,” was all Mother Doreen said as sweat beads started to form on her forehead.

Deborah started to sense the seriousness of the matter after noticing Mother Doreen sweating. “I still don’t understand what the big deal is. So Sister Paige is in the bathroom off the kitchen, and Sister Tamarra is in the ki . . .” Both Mother Doreen and Sister Unique could see the lightbulb go off in Deborah’s head. “Oh my is right, Mother Doreen,” Deborah said.

“It’s okay, just calm down,” Unique said. “You two stay in here, and I’ll go get Sister Paige and bring her back in here to do her makeup.” Unique headed to the door and mumbled under her breath, “Hopefully without incident, ’cause Lord knows I don’t want to get caught up in nothing and end up back in jail.” Unique thought of those dreadful months she’d once spent in jail. Being charged with the death of her three children and for being a drug dealer had been devastating. Even though she was released and her name ultimately cleared of all charges, the stench of jail still rested within.

“What did you say?” Mother Doreen asked Unique with a worried look on her face.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” Unique replied with a fake smile. She then looked at Deborah and swallowed hard. “Uh, Sister Deborah, do you mind coming with me?”

“Why?” Deborah asked, already feeling guilty for setting up the situation.

With a stone-cold serious look on her face, Unique replied, “Just in case I need backup.”

“Stop acting like a fool!” Paige scolded herself in the bathroom mirror. She was acting a ridiculous mess if she didn’t say so herself. She thought she could do this. She thought she could stand up as Mother Doreen’s bridesmaids without getting all emotional, but she was failing miserably.

Paige had been a basket case ever since walking into the church and seeing all the wedding décor. She’d held up during the wedding shower and the rehearsal dinner, but actually walking into the wedding-ready church had just set off something inside of her. Memories flooded her mind; memories of what could have been. No—memories of what should have been.

The memories of her own wedding day should have brought nothing but tears of joy to her eyes, but instead, they were tears of hurt and pain. “She slept with Blake on the morning of our wedding. How am I supposed to ever get over that?” Paige asked her reflection in the mirror. “I can forgive, but how do I forget what I’m forgiving ?” Paige wondered why God had granted Himself a sea of forgetfulness but not man; not when it came to things so painful and hurtful anyway. Birthdays, anniversaries, doctors appointments—yeah, those were easy to forget. But what about the stuff people wanted to forget? It just didn’t seem fair.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “This isn’t about you, Paige. Get it together.” And on that note, she grabbed some tissue and began blotting away her tears, leaving bags underneath her eyes. If her skin wasn’t so dark, the bags probably would have been red. That beautiful deep chocolate skin she wasn’t so sure she admired as a child she was now grateful for.

Opening her eyes, she let out a deep breath and smiled at herself in the mirror. The deep pits in her cheeks referred to as dimples nearly sunk in her face. “Okay, now you’re trying too hard. Just be yourself.”

Paige turned on the water and wet her hands. She then wiped away some of the tissue that had gotten stuck to her face. Looking at herself one last time in the mirror, she willed herself not to cry again; that is, unless they were complete and utterly tears of happiness.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, most of the tears Paige had shed thus far had been tears of hurt and pain. Walking into the church this morning had been like walking in on her own self-given surprise pity party. She had no idea all the hurt would come flowing back like salmon down a stream. But it had, and the future was too bright—way too bright—to let the past get the best of her, especially when today was supposed to be about Mother Doreen anyway.

“God, I thank you for who you made me to be,” Paige prayed. “Thank you that what I might have seen as pain and suffering I can now count it all joy. I’m so glad that you know me better than I know myself. I’m so glad that I have a Father in heaven that cares so much about me that He even knows how many hairs are upon my head. So thank you for loving me, God, and never failing me, even when man did. Hallelujah.”

Feeling brand new, rejuvenated, and restored, Paige opened the bathroom door and headed through the kitchen, making her way back to the dressing room. With a smile on her face, she thanked God again for showing up and pulling her out of her rut. Within moments, though, she’d have the devil to thank for showing up and pulling her down into a pit.

“Paige?”

Paige stopped in her tracks. She knew the voice, the voice that had just called out her name.

“Sister Paige, there you are.” Unique sounded like she was almost out of breath. Rightfully so, considering she’d just made a speedy beeline to the kitchen.

Figuring her mind must have been playing tricks on her, Paige shook her head and kept walking toward the kitchen exit. Unique stood panting in the kitchen doorway. Unique had one hand on her chest as she inhaled and exhaled like she’d just run a marathon. Suddenly, Deborah appeared behind Unique, nearly smashing right into the back of Unique.

“Oh, you found her—good,” Deborah exclaimed, just as out of breath as Unique was.

Paige put her hands on her hips and looked back and forth between the two women. “What in the world? You two are acting like there’s a fire somewhere and you’re running to go try to put it out.”

Both Deborah and Unique gave each other knowing looks. Then Unique spoke. “Uh, no fire—no fire at all.”

“Thank God,” Deborah mumbled under her breath with her head down.

“Anyway,” Unique said, walking over to Paige and looping her arm through Paige’s, “let’s go get your makeup done.” Unique began escorting Paige out of the kitchen as if her life depended on it.

“Well, dang, I must be a tore-up, five-alarm fire with the way y’all acting,” Paige huffed.

“Oh no, it’s not that,” Unique assured her. “We just want to make sure everybody’s ready is all.”

“Good, ’cause y’all had me worried there for a minute thinking—”

“Paige?”

Yet again, Paige stopped in her tracks. Once more, she’d heard a voice that she thought she recognized call out her name. Just like before, it had sounded like the voice was coming from behind her, but then Unique had showed up in front of her. All this had led Paige to believe that her mind was playing tricks on her. Was it? Was this entire wedding thing and thinking about the past making her go crazy? She reminded herself that God’s Word said He’d given her a sound mind, so she shook her head—she shook it off—the voice. With Unique’s persistent urging that consisted of the pulling of her arm, Paige continued her exit.

“Paige, is that you? It’s me, Tamarra.”

For the final time Paige stopped in her tracks. Deborah, who had been a step or two in front of Unique and Paige turned around. She was the first to see the owner of the voice: Tamarra. Unique didn’t want to believe it was really her, not after they’d been so close to getting Paige out of that kitchen without incident. But the look on Deborah’s face told her otherwise. Deborah nodding her head confirmed it even more so.

“Come on now, Sister Paige, you can catch up with old friends later. Right now, we’ve got to get your face all did up,” Unique said as she pulled on Paige in an attempt to continue their trek to the dressing room. It was to no avail, though. Unique’s little self had nothing on Paige’s full-figured self.

Not too long ago Paige had gotten down to a size twelve, pushing for a ten, but the final stages of her weight loss had been drastic and unhealthy caused by stress. Once she began to put the pieces of her life back together, it included a few pieces of pizza and a couple pieces of pie as well. But knowing she had diabetes, she got back on track and was now maintaining a size fourteen, fluctuating to a size sixteen every now and then. Of course, this didn’t do Unique any good. She couldn’t budge Paige.

Ignoring Unique’s pleas, Paige slowly turned around. There she had it—proof that her mind hadn’t been playing tricks on her at all. The voice she thought she’d heard, oh, she’d heard it all right. There stood the proof right in front of her—Tamarra—her former best friend.

“You look good,” Tamarra complimented Paige. “Real good.”

Paige just stood there saying nothing.

“And it’s good seeing you.” A smile rested on Tamarra’s face. She was truly being sincere. She missed her best friend; that much was evident as sadness and tears began to form in her eyes.

Still, Paige said nothing and did nothing.

“Well, I guess I better get back to setting up.” Tamarra looked around the kitchen. “It feels good being back at New Day as well. Even if it is only in the kitchen instead of sitting in the sanctuary as a member of the congregation. Lots of memories though.” Tamarra continued to look around. “Lots and lots of memories.” She sighed, remembering the day she decided to leave the church, which had nothing to do with her incident with Paige. She had been engaged to a member of New Day. When things didn’t work out with him and he got together with another member of the church, she knew she couldn’t hang around for the drama.

What exactly was going through Paige’s mind, nobody knew—that was, until a few words were exchanged between the two former best friends and then . . .

Try as she might, everything in Paige wanted to be like Jill Scott’s character in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? When Jill Scott ran into the woman who used to be her former best friend but had slept with her husband, all Jill said to her was “I’m gonna pray for you.” And that’s all Paige wanted to say to Tamarra. But unfortunately, her actions spoke louder than words, because before anybody even had a chance to see it coming, the two women were brawling, and Paige had handfuls of Tamarra’s hair in each of her fists. Paige hoped God was good at math, because if He knew how many hairs were on Tamarra’s head just a second ago, He’d have to do some quick subtraction to figure out how many were left now.

“As God is my witness, I did not throw the first blow,” Paige declared to Mother Doreen as she sat in the dressing room covered in wedding cake.

It took a minute or two, but both Unique and Deborah had managed to separate the fighting divas, better known as Paige and Tamarra. It had been nothing but bad luck though, and timing perhaps, that when they were finally able to pull Paige off of Tamarra, the wedding cake was being carted into the kitchen by a couple of Tamarra’s employees.

Unique and Deborah had been tugging and pulling on Paige, desperately trying to get her off of Tamarra, who squirmed, kicked, and fought underneath Paige on the floor. At first it had been all in vain. Paige had the strength of a madman that her friends couldn’t seem to overpower.

Finally, Unique had managed to get a pretty good grip around Paige’s waist. Deborah, in turn, got a grip around Unique’s waist. On Unique’s countdown of, “One, two, three . . .” both women pulled as if their lives depended on it. Fortunately, this had worked. In one huge pull from Unique and Deborah, Paige lost her grip on Tamarra. Unfortunately, though, upon the sudden release, the three women went flying backward in sort of a spin, slamming into the cake. Paige bore the bulk of the mess.

“Not only is God my witness, but so are Sister Deborah and Unique.” Paige looked at them for support. Support was not what she was about to get though—not from those two.

“My dress,” is all Deborah could say as she looked down at the streak of icing going down the front. “My beautiful dress.” She then looked up at Paige. . .