Is this Brotha For Real???
The following is taken from Chapter 15 of my latest novel, He's Saved...But is He For Real? And opens with Sandy on a date with Jeremiah, a man she recently met at a gas station. Read, and tell me what you think...can you relate to her story at all? Ever met a man like Jeremiah? . . .
Chapter 15
A Gift from Heaven
“Angel, you look gorgeous!” Jeremiah proclaimed while hungrily eyeing Sandy, who sat across from him at the two-seat table in the dimly lit restaurant. She grinned, then used one hand to adjust the big pink satin bow attached to her shoulder on her one-sleeved black minidress.
Sandy could remember buying this dress six months ago from off the clearance rack at her boutique, then partaking of the additional employee discount, which always came in handy. She was excited that she finally had somewhere to wear it. She'd decided to go heavy on the makeup tonight; she figured she hadn't gone out on a date in a long time, so she may as well look the part as much as possible.
“Thank you, Weeping Prophet,” Sandy said. “You don't look too shabby yourself,” she replied in reference to Jeremiah's gray blazer with a black silk shirt underneath with its top three buttons revealing a somewhat hairy chest.
“I try,” Jeremiah said and sat back and jokingly popped his collar. He grabbed his glass of Merlot, took a sip, licked his lips and asked, “So how do you like this spot?”
Sandy looked around the tiny, intimate restaurant she had never patronized. She noticed the set of drums, keyboard and microphone stands and figured a band would start performing soon. The bright orange candle in the center of the small table definitely helped the romantic ambience.
“It's nice,” she replied while looking around at the other patrons, who seemed to be enjoying themselves. Everyone was pretty much coupled up.
“So how was Marcus when you left him?” she asked, hoping her inquiry of concern for his son would cause him to like her even more.
“Oh, he was doing fine,” Jeremiah said. “Glad to be back in Mommy's arms. You know how that goes.”
“Oh,” Sandy said. “How old is he?”
“He's two.”
“Oh, two!” Sandy said as if she'd received a sudden revelation. “That explains why he's getting into everything! You know what they say about those two-year-olds!”
“Oh yeah – terrible twos. I forgot about that.”
The two of them laughed.
“He's still a little more active than my other son was when he was two, thought.” Jeremiah said.
“You other son?” Sandy inquired with a tilted neck.
“Yeah. My other son, Micah. Micah's four now, but when he was two he was a lot quieter than Marcus.”
How many kids does this man have? Sandy thought.
She couldn't take it any longer. It was time to get the lowdown on this man; what is really going on?
“How many kids do you have, Jeremiah?” Sandy asked and took a sip of her cranberry juice on the rocks.
Ever since her almost-fatal incident with Carter, Sandy had taken a vow to never drink another glass of alcohol again. She couldn't trust herself at all after that incident.
“Five.” Jeremiah said cooly.
“Five!” Sandy exclaimed and almost choked on her drink.
“Yeah, five. Three boys and two girls,” he replied like a proud dad.
Sandy was too outdone. She was about ready to ask for the check and catch a cab back home.
“Um, what are their ages?” Sandy asked – as if she really cared at this point.
“Let's see . . . twenty, seventeen, thirteen,” Jeremiah began, counting on his fingers. “Uh, four and two.”
“Who, that's a lot of kids!”
“Yup. Madison, Melanie, Margie, Micah and Marcus.”
“Well, my, my, my,” Sandy said and drained the rest of her cranberry juice. Even though she vowed not to drink again, at this point she was ready to ask for a shot of something.
“Three from my first marriage and two from my last marriage.”
“And you're how old?” Sandy just had to know.
“Thirty-six. I had my first child while I was in high school. I was young and dumb, ya know.”
And extremely fertile, obviously, Sandy thought.
“But I'm different now. I got saved two years ago, after my last child, and now I'm ready to turn my life around!”
“Oh,” Sandy replied.
Jeremiah continued and grabbed Sandy's hand from across the table. “You know what, angel? I prayed for a woman like you.”
I bet you did, Sandy thought and rolled her eyes in the back of her head.
He continued, “You know how the Bible talks about Abraham's servant in the book of Genesis, how he went out to look for a wife for Isaac and how the servant asked God for the woman who offers him water and also offers water to his camels to be a sign that she is to be Isaac's wife?”
“Uh-huh,” Sandy responded, her crystal-blue eyes staring into his, praying he would get to the end of this story real quick so she could figure out a way to hightail it out of there.
“Well, that's kinda how it was when I met you,” said the fertile prophet.
“Excuse me?” Sandy asked.
“Just before I met you at the gas station, I was in my truck, talking to God. I said, 'God!' I said it just like that, I said, 'God, I'm tired of being alone! I'm tired of messing up and picking the wrong ones over and over again. I'm ready to get it right this time!' That's exactly what I said just before I met you. The third time will definitely have to be a charm for me.” Jeremiah scooted closer in his seat and looked Sandy dead in the eye. “I said, 'God, when I go to this gas station, if I see a woman who is five-two, light-skinned with short black hair, and if I find out she loves the Lord and smiles at me real big, then I'll know she's the one for me!' Now how tall are you?”
“Uh, five-four,” Sandy lied. She wasn't about to tell this weirdo that she was really five-two. He was turning out to be a little too spooky for her taste.
“Oh, really? You look five-two to me. But, anyway, that's beside the point. I know a good thing when I see it, and you, Miss Sandra A. More, are definitely a good thing. You my missing rib, girl!”
Sandy laughed lightly as if to say, Why, God, why?
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Read more by ordering your very own copy of, He's Saved...But is He For Real? In bookstores nationwide or click on the following Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Hes-
Order today, and when you're done reading, tell me what you think!
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Licensed minister and speaker, Kim Brooks, is the author of “He's Saved...But is He For Real?” which is the sequel to Black Expressions Bestseller, “He's Fine...But is He Saved?” and non-fiction mini-book, “The Little Black Survival Book for Single Saints.” Kim publishes a monthly E-newsletter for singles entitled, “The Single Heart.” Check out free excerpts, or sign up for a free subscription to her
E-newsletter on www.Kimontheweb.com
Her books are available in bookstores nationwide
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