Deceptive Storms (excerpt 3)

Just when it seemed like he couldn’t hold onto sanity for another minute, right after dinner there was knock on the door.  When his father answered, the first voice he heard was Reverend Anderson and his heart sank.  He sat in the living room, where he had been watching television, thinking, “Might as well stick a fork in me and call me done.”  His father led Reverend Anderson and Pastor Cal into the living room and invited them to sit down.  They did and Vernon’s heart thumped so loudly, he just knew everyone could hear it.

“Reverend Jenkins, thank you for agreeing to see us.  We have a rather grave matter to discuss involving Vernon.  But before we get started, has Vernon told you anything about what happened three days ago?” Pastor Cal asked.

“No,” Reverend Jenkins replied stiffly.  “I know something has been going on, but when I asked, he refused to tell me.”

“Vernon,” Reverend Anderson spoke calmly, “Would you like to tell your dad why we’re here?”

“No!  Y’all here you might as well do what you do,” was Vernon’s rebellious response.

Paul sighed, before he turned to Vernon’s father and began to tell him what happened. Until Paul actually pulled the plastic baggy out of the manila envelope that Pastor Cal had been holding, Reverend Jenkins sat in unbelief.  When he saw the bag, he started to get up from his chair, but Pastor Cal motioned for him to sit.

“Vernon, tell your father what this is and where it came from!” Reverend Anderson said.

“How am I supposed know? You brought that in here.  You tell him,” adamantly denying everything.

“Okay, I’ll tell him.” Turning to Vernon’s father, he pulled out his cell phone and showed him the picture taken on the day Paul had seen him with the seedy-looking guy.  Vernon’s father visibly blanched at what he saw.  The veins in his forehead started to pulse and anger was written all over his face.  Before anyone could have anticipated the next move, he was out of his chair and had grabbed Vernon and threw him down on the floor and started punching him.  It took Paul and Cal to get him off Vernon and even then, his fists were still flailing, almost hitting Paul in the face. He was livid!

“Torrance!” Pastor Cal cautioned him.  “This is not the way.  Beating him to a pulp is not going to help.”

“Oh yes, it will,” Torrance responded, breathing heavily.  “It will help me to teach this boy some respect!  I will not tolerate drug use in my house.  If he can’t abide by my rules, then he can get the hell out!”

Paul was still holding onto him, while Cal attended Vernon, who was curled up in a fetal position on the floor.  His hands were protecting what was left of the exposed part of his face, but where his father’s punches had landed, skin was rising in protest of the beating along one whole side of his face.

After carefully checking Vernon over, Cal determined there was no skin broken or broken bones and he helped him to sit back in the chair from which his father had pulled him.

“Torrance, profanity won’t help the matter here.  Please, get yourself in check. We need to talk.  Beating Vernon is not the answer.  At this rate, the only thing we’ll accomplish here is to get him angry enough to leave and then we won’t have any control over what he does.  Calm down!”

“How can you tell me to calm down?  What would you do if this was your son?  I don’t mean the one that’s grown?  But with a baby on the way, you better know how to deal with this nonsense because it’s not going to get better.”

Cal ignored Reverend Jenkins for a moment.  He was not there to discuss his future child; he was there to find a way to keep Vernon out of trouble.

“Vernon, look at me.  I want you to think about what’s going on here and the fact that you have to stop using and selling drugs.  If you keep going in this direction, it will only be a matter of time before you’re arrested.  Look, I know some of the pushers have kids believing they cannot be prosecuted, but the laws are changing. You can and will be prosecuted and there is nothing your father or anyone else will be able to do about it.  Is going to jail what you really want?”

Anyone Out There?

I have been writing prolifically for the past three months--on the blog sites as well as composing and uploading eBooks on Amazon.  While I enjoy writing, I also write for the benefit of others
I'll be the first to admit, I write to vent my frustrations about public education and the lack of parental involvement in the lives of students who are failing miserably.  I vent on my blogs, in poetry, and in my books.

But I also write to educate and analyze scriptures for the benefit of all who wish to know.  Most of my blog posts are scriptural dissections or discussions as well as my books.  I would like to think that they are beneficial to others and that I'm not just writing to take up space.

The fiction that I've written was meant to inform and to entertain.  I love the fact that a number of people had a chance to see a live enactment of Chapter 11 from Trapped.  My baby--first novel--My Father's Gift will have always have a huge place in my heart as well as the second part of the Trilogy, Deceptive Storms.  It would appear from the lack of reviews that these books are not as interesting to others as they are to me.  I can only surmise from others that I've read is that my books are not raunchy enough.  Well, that's really too bad, because I love to write wholesome, moral literature and if that is truly the problem, I guess I should stop writing now, but I won't.

Everything that I've written has been inspired by God and I know He has a plan and I want to see His plan fulfilled in my life.  So, since my readers don't want to comment on what I've written, I'll just have to trust God for the outcome and keep on keeping on--writing all that is in me that will bring Him glory!

Thanks for allowing me the space to think as I write to write as I think!

Deceptive Storms Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtwuKQu4q9Y  Book Trailer for Deceptive Storms--watch and review!  Thanks!

Deceptive Storms "Live"

Deceptive Storms is now available on amazon.com.  http://www.amazon.com/Mary-M.-Hall-Rayford/e/B00BAW31CQ .  If you enjoyed the excerpts, you'll love the book!

Deceptive Storms Excerpt 5

Reverend Jenkins pulled his ego up from the basement and grabbed a jacket.  As he picked up his brief case, he smiled.  “Not yet, not yet,” he thought.  “It will be all right, in good time.”  He whistled a low tune as he headed out the door.  Once in his car, he mentally began practicing a humble posture.  He saw himself, with head bowed, eyes riveted on the pastor, nodding in agreement to whatever was going to be said.  He practiced appearing interested in the pastor’s personal life by determining what kinds of questions he wanted to ask and to feign surprise or interest.  This meeting was important.  He had to make the pastor feel comfortable with him in order to get him where he wanted him—out of the church in disgrace—was his plan.  And he had already figured out how to do it.  With a little bit of help, he would soon be the rightful pastor of Christian Faith Ministries, the way it should have been.

He groaned inwardly when he thought about how he had been cheated with the appointment.  He had been warned when the church joined the ecumenical organization that a church appointment was not automatic, simply because someone had been a member of the church.   He knew that most of the congregation had really enjoyed the ministry of the Recinoire’s; he just didn’t think he had to worry about the appointment.  Wrong.  He had misread the entire situation.  That wouldn’t happen again.  He had plans and nothing was going to get in his way.  “Nothing, nothing, nothing,” he muttered aloud.

Pulling into the parking lot, he took a deep breath, rotated his head and neck to relieve the pressure and prepared to play the role of his life.  He turned off the engine, snatched his brief case off the passenger seat and climbed out of the car.  After locking the doors, he walked confidently into the church, ready to plant the seeds of his plan.

****

“Come in,” Cal responded to the knock on his door.  Looking up from his notepad, he waited.  When Reverend Jenkins entered, he rose, came around his desk, with extended hand to greet him.

Reverend Jenkins took the extended hand and shook it warmly, clasping Cal’s wrist in the process.  Smiling, he sat in the chair indicated and sat back expectantly.  Cal retreated to his chair behind the desk and sat contemplatively. 

“Thanks for getting here so soon,” he began.  “Your message seemed a bit urgent, how can I help you?”

“Well now, Pastor, I didn’t really call you because I needed help.  I called to see how I could help you.  It’s been a pretty busy first year, so I figured, you could use a little more help around here.  I’m at your disposal to do whatever it is you need done,” Reverend Jenkins’ smile stretched across the lower half of his face without reaching his eyes.

“I must admit I’m surprised at your generosity.  You know the rumor-mill has it that you were upset with not getting the position here.”

“I was disappointed.  Now that I’ve had a chance to see what you’ve done in just a short period time, I’m relieved that I was not appointed pastor.  I don’t honestly know if I could have accomplished what you have.  At any rate, I do know about the rumors and I decided that it’s time to put them to rest.  I wanted to make sure that at tonight’s meeting there is no doubt in anyone’s mind about where I stand.  I want to see this church grow into everything God intends for it to be.”

“I appreciate your attitude Reverend Jenkins and I welcome your assistance.  At the moment, I don’t have anything specific in mind, but I’m sure something will surface soon.  We have more than enough to do to keep everyone busy.  Did you have anything specific in mind?”

“Well, you know we could stand raising some money around here to develop the surrounding land.  Our young people are pretty talented and I was actually thinking about having them perform a knock-out concert.”

“That’s a splendid idea!” Cal exclaimed.  “I was thinking about something similar.”

“Wonderful!  Perhaps, we should present this idea at the meeting tonight.  You know, in order to prepare a concert the magnitude that I’m thinking about, we’ll need at least a year to get everything in place.”

“That’s fine.  I’ll just add it to my agenda under new business.  I’m glad we had this chance to talk and I look forward to working with you on this.  I’m sure the congregation will be glad to see us on the same page as well.  How’s your son?  Doesn’t he sing with the youth choir?”

“Yeah, Vernon sings with the choir.  He could do a better job with some additional training, but it keeps him involved in the church.  He’d rather play basketball than sing, but I’m working on him.”

“Perhaps, we can utilize him to organize some basketball tournaments.  I’m sure he knows other young men who would be interested in playing.”

“I’m sure he would.  I’ll run that by him when I see him later.  Well, I’ll get going so you can get ready for tonight. Thanks for taking the time to see me.”  He stood and extended his hand, ready to leave.

“Anytime.” 

Cal stood up and shook hands with Reverend Jenkins across his desk.  As Torrance Jenkins walked out the door, Cal felt as though he heard a faint siren.  He went to the window and looked out, but could not see any reason for an emergency.  He stopped and listened again, but heard nothing.  Shaking his head, wondering if he was hearing things, he sat down and took up his notepad.

(excerpts posted in random order, book available very soon!)