May those who want to see me acquitted shout the joy and say again and again, "How great is the Lord! He is pleased with the success of His servant."
Pslams 35:27
It is late afternoon; public transportation is bombarded with straphangers trying to get to their next destination. Among the many riffraff, Orchid manages to grab a seat by the window. She turns her attention to the window, watching each scenery go by like a flowing river. As the waitress watches each landscape passes, her mind begins to wonder about the series of event. Events that have brought her to this moment. Sooner or later, someone would know the truth about her.
She remembers her interview with Christopher.
Orchid was so nervous; she had no resume. She never heard of a resume. So Christopher asked her to fill out a standard employment form. After completing the resume, he read it. Orchid sat in the chair, overcome with fear…
"Well…it looks like you have no work experience," Christopher stated.
"Y…yes, sir," replied Orchid shyly.
"…That might be a problem."
There was a long pause between the owner and the potential candidate. Orchid sat nervously in the chair, waiting for Christopher's response. She was more nervous and scared because this was not her norm. What was she doing here? She has never been to a bar in her life. She heard of them, but her parents taught her that bars were one of the many "devil's playgrounds" because they serve to devil's nectar, which led to unholy actions.
"…Can you clean," Christopher asked, breaking the silence?
"Yes, sir," she said softly.
"What was that?"
Orchid lifted her head and repeated, "Yes, sir."
"Great! You're hired."
Orchid was shocked.
"What did you say?"
"You're hired. You have the job."
"Thank you, sir."
"Enough with the "sir." Call me, "Chris." That is rule number one."
"Ok…Chris."
"Better. Another thing, change your clothes."
"My…my clothes? What is wrong with my clothes?"
"You are too pretty to look like a Sunday school teacher."
"…Ok…but I…I do not know where to find new clothes."
"What," Christopher exclaimed, looking at the young woman with wide eyes, "You don't know where to shop???"
"No…, Chris."
"Wow. I thought all women shopped…everywhere."
Orchid blushed with embarrassment. Christopher noticed he might have made Orchid feel bad.
"Hey. Hey, it is no big deal," Christopher assured Orchid, "You can go shopping with my wife."
"Really? You want me to go shopping with your wife?"
"Sure. Valentine knows a lot about today's fashion trends. What's your phone number?"
"I…I don't have a phone."
"How come you don't have a phone?"
"I…I…um…well…"
"Are you Amish? If you are, that would explain everything, but…why would you leave your home? No offense, but you guys would never dream leaving…your environment."
Orchid's anxiety began to rise. She didn't want to know the truth, so she quickly went on the offensive.
"Look, I did not like it there. I never intend to go back to the horrible place!"
"Ok. Ok. I'm sorry for upsetting you."
"No. No. It's not your fault. I do not like talking about it."
"Ok…we will never talk about it again.
"Good…that's wonderful."
"Could you do me another favor?"
"Yes."
"Wear your hair down, too."
"Ok."
"Another thing, be a little more…upbeat."
"Ok."
"You are a pretty woman, and…something about you seems endearing."
"Really?"
"Yeah! I think once you come out of that shell, you will be part of the family."
"Family?"
"Yeah! We are all family here. No one is a stranger. I guess that's like our motto."
That made her smile.
"You…you're very kind, Chris."
"Thanks. I try, considering that I am the boss, but…do not let that frighten you. Now, I need you to start as soon as possible. How about tomorrow at 2 pm?"
"Yes, I can work tomorrow at 2 pm."
"Great! I will see you tomorrow, "Goldilocks."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Goldilocks"…as in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"…it's a children's story…"
Orchid was clueless.
"Never mind," said Christopher, "I'll…see you tomorrow, ok?"
"Ok…wait," Orchid exclaimed when a thought came to her head.
"Do you want me to…look like this?"
"Oh yeah…damn…I know. You wait here, and I'll give my wife a call. That way, the two of you can go shopping together."
"Alright."
"Great. Have a seat while I call Valentine, my wife."
"Very well, then."
Christopher smiled and shook his head as he walked to his office.
'A woman. He called me a woman. Thank goodness. I don't know how long I could keep up with this,' she thought, 'They could never know I am only fifteen years old…but I need a job to survive.'
Then she happens to see a young couple with a little boy. The little boy plays with the young woman while he sits on the young man's lap. Orchid then turns her attention back to the window.
'Why couldn't I have a mother and father like his,' she wonders with sadness.
Her parents are religious fanatics, and their interpretation of religion is to, say the least, twisted and dark. Orchid's mother is a housewife while her father works on the assembly line, in the industrial part of the city.
They taught Orchid that God was a merciless God and that He should be feared. Although her father, Mr. Willoughby, works outside of the home to provide for his family, he and his wife share the same perspective of society. Their attitude is that it is a soulless, plastic society under the devil's spell.
Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby thought it would be best that Orchid was homeschooled. Mrs. Willoughby taught her daughter the fundamentals, Writing, Reading, and Math, but her real education lay in the teachings of their version of the Bible. It spoke of God as being a great and powerful being that has zero tolerance for disobedience. Therefore, His followers should worship Him in fear of being sent to hell for all eternity.
Orchid's eyes begin to be misty at the thought of feeling alone and scared. No one can understand Orchid's pain. She is a minor who left her abusive home to roam around a big, unpredictable city with nowhere to go. Orchid continues to ride the train, not knowing her home for the night.
One evening, Zora decides to give Jabari a call. Jabari's brother-in-law, Nevin Nereid, passed away recently, and she worries about him. The phone rings a few times until someone finally picks up the phone.
"Hello," the person answers.
"Hi. This is Zora. May I speak to Jabari, please?"
"Hey, Z.Z.! How's it going?"
"Hey! I was going to ask you the same thing."
"…Oh, that. Well, I'm doing ok. I have been helping my mother with my little nieces and nephew. They may be young, but they understand the concept of life and death. So, they have been taking it pretty hard. Remember when you called me the other day?"
"What day was that?"
"You called on the day when you and Tony broke up."
"Yeah. What about it?"
"I had to pick up the triplets from school that day and take them to my mother's house; their mother had to work late. When I took them to my mama's house, I found out about their father's death…so did they."
"Oh, no! That's terrible."
"Yeah…I stayed with my family until everything was cool."
"Jabari…I feel so bad. If I knew---"
"---Don't feel bad, Z.Z. You didn't know. Besides, I didn't mind consoling you. It gave me some sort of a reprise from my problems. That's part of being a friend."
Zora covers her face and begins to cry. Jabari can hear his friend crying on the other line.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"No…You're so sweet," she replies, trying to gain her composure, "Then again, I have been crying a lot lately. My mom says that it's hormones and it's normal for pregnant women."
"Oh. I see…"
There is dead silence between the two friends until both broke the silence at the same time. They both laugh.
"Ladies, first," Jabari insists.
"…If you need me to stay for a while---"
"Yeah! I mean…sure…if you want. That would be cool...if you're not too busy."
"No, I'll stop by and say, "Hi."
"Cool. I'll see you later."
"Ok. Bye."
"Bye."
Later that day, Zora appears at the door of the Montague residence; she rings the doorbell. It is quite a while until someone finally answered the door because the Montague residence was a brownstone.
Someone peaks through the curtain of the front door. When the person sees that it was Zora, they unlock the door.
"Hey, Zora," Jabari greets. He motions her to come inside his home.
"Thanks," Zora says, walking into the brownstone.
They both walk into the living room and sit on the soft, plush couch.
Jabari asks, "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"Well, I had some crackers on the way here."
"Crackers? That's all?"
"Well, I have morning sickness."
"You're sick??? Are you contagious???? What about the baby????"
"Relax. Relax. It's not that serious; annoying but not serious."
"Zora, you are pregnant. Any sickness could be fatal to this baby."
'He is so cute to be so concerned like this,' Zora thinks to herself.
"The baby is fine. I will be fine," she explained, "Morning sickness is…well…vomiting for no reason."
"Pregnant women vomit for no reason? Weird. Come to think of it, my sister went through the same thing with the triplets."
"It's very annoying. I don't understand. Why is it considered "morning sickness"? I become sick anytime on the day, but I get these weird cravings."
"Like what? Pickles and ice cream?"
"That's gross, Jabari."
"I know it's gross."
"Then why would you say something like that?"
"I hear pregnant women eat those things."
"Not me."
"I'm glad to hear that because it is disgusting. Are you hungry, otherwise?"
"No. I'm more concerned about you."
Jabari pauses and takes a deep breath.
"It's been hard for my family and me," he starts, "Nevin was a good man; he was like another brother to me. I wish I could say the same thing about my sister. I look at her, more like a stranger than a sister. I try to think of her needs, but I feel she uses my kindness to her advantage."
"You are a great person; you don't deserve to be mistreated by anyone, especially your sister."
"Mama says that my sister only wants attention. I guess she's right. I worry about my little nieces and nephew. They are still children…I guess we can relate to each other; all of us don't have our fathers."
"I lost my father. Remember?"
"Yeah! That's right! I'm sorry."
"It's ok. My dad died when I was a little girl, too, but my mother and I have been doing fine. Now…my baby won't have a daddy either."
Jabari feels sad. Yes, he is in the morning over the death in his family, but he is morning over a broken home and perhaps Zora's broken dreams. Jabari wants to ask her for her hand in marriage, but…it does not seem to be the appropriate time. Plus, if he wants to tell Zora to be his wife, it should be perfect.
"Zora…"
"Yeah?"
"…I'm here for you. I will always be here for you…and the baby. You don't ever have to be alone again."
Zora is so overwhelmed with emotion, she begins to cry.
"I…I didn't mean to upset you."
Through her crying, she says, "I'm not upset. I'm happy. I'm so blessed to have a friend like you. Thanks. Jabari."
Jabari cannot help but give her a warm embrace.
The triplets are spending the weekend at their Uncle M.J.'s home. Everyone is having a great time until the loud banging on the door.
"Who is that banging on my door," wonders Malcolm Jr?
He looks through the peephole. It is his sister, Sabine, and a gentleman, who accompanies her; she looks furious. Malcolm Jr. takes a deep breath. He does not want to deal with her, but Sabine is their mother. Therefore, M.J. has no choice. When he unlocks the door, Sabine pushes the door open. A gentleman waits for her by the door.
"Where are my children, M.J.," demands Sabine.
"They are in the living room watching television. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"NO! What the hell is wrong with you? I told you to bring my children home at 5 pm. It is now 6:30 pm. They have to prepare for school tomorrow."
"Sorry, sis. We were having so much fun, we lost track of time."
"Oh, really?"
"Really!"
"I have news for everybody. FUNTIME is over!"
Sabine storms into the living room and turns off the television. The triplets are upset.
"Everyone, get up! It's time to leave!"
"Sabine, you can't storm into people's homes like this!"
"You should have thought about that when you kept my children out all night."
"It's only 7 pm. Relax."
"Look, man, we only want to take the children home, so they can go to school," Sabine's friend explains.
"Who are you," Malcolm Jr. asked sternly?
"Chauncey Francis," he says, putting his hand out for a handshake, "Your sister and I have been seeing each other."
When Malcolm Jr. refuses to reciprocate the gesture, he put his hand down to his sides.
Chauncey continues, "With much respect, we only want to take the children home. We did not come to fight."
"Maybe you didn't, partner, but your girl needs to get put on a leash."
"I know Sabine is your sister, but she's my woman, and I don't appreciate you talking about her like that."
Malcolm Jr. laughs.
"Your woman, huh? I hope you could handle her."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
M.J. laughs and says, "…nothing, man. You're right. I should have respect for…your woman."
Sabine gathers the children together with their things. Suddenly, the two men quickly stop conversing. She looks at them strangely.
"What's going on here," Sabine asks, "Did I walk into something?"
"No, baby. Not at all. We should head home before it gets too late."
Sabine senses that perhaps Malcolm put a bug in Chauncey's ear.
"Sure," Sabine agrees, "but can you watch my babies for a minute. I need to have a heart-to-heart with my big brother."
"…ok…"
Sabine walks Malcolm Jr. to the bathroom and closes the door so that they can have their privacy.
"So what's going on with you and my man," Sabine asked angrily.
"We were conversing about this, and that…you know, man stuff," Malcolm Jr. nonchalantly replies.
"Oh really…like what kind of man stuff?"
"Women. We weren't talking about women. We were talking about you. Another victim you have wrapped around your finger, I see."
"Victim. No M.J., Chance wants to be with me because he's really into me, unlike Nevin. He was nothing but a deadbeat and a "skittle" but not Chance. Chance owns a nightclub, and if I play my cards right, we might get married. Oh! By the way,…you're invited to the wedding."
"Sabine, spare me. The only thing in your eyes is "dollar signs."
"At least, I have a real man who can do for my family, unlike that "undercover fag."
"Undercover fag…that's a damn shame."
"It's a damn shame that it's true."
"…ok. Let's say for the sake of the argument that Nevin was gay. He was a good father to the children, unlike you."
"I'm a damn good mother AND father to those children; they are the ones who want to be ungrateful bastards…taking after their father," Sabine says, looking off into the distance.
M.J. is getting more and more disgusted.
"So, tell me? Why was Argentina eating like she was going to the electric chair," he asked?
"She's greedy."
"O.H.! That would explain the headaches and stomach cramps she felt while they were here. When I fed her, she felt better."
"That girl eats whatever she wants to eat. Argentina didn't want to eat her vegetables. So I taught her a lesson."
"So, you starved her."
"…I WORK HARD TO PROVIDE----"
"We are not talking about you! We are talking about your daughter!"
"…I have to take my children home," she says, darting to the front door.
"Why are you running," he asked, following her?
She stops in her tracks.
"I'm not running," she replies, "I want to leave. Nevin may have been a good father, in your opinion, but the "good" father left my children to be with his gay lover. He did not fall from grace, and he damn sure did not drop out of the sky. M.J., you can defend Nevin and deny the truth if you want, but it doesn't matter anymore. Nevin is gone. Chance is here---"
"Chance? His name is "Chance"? Are you kidding me," Malcolm Jr?
"Chauncey is his full name."
"Oh. So, what are you going to call Chauncey when the two of you break up? A crumb-snatching bum?"
"Chance is a keeper."
"Yeah…I bet."
"What does that supposed to mean? Chance is the man who is going to provide my children and me everything we want."
"Everything you want?"
"…and need, of course."
"I swear you are the worse kind of female, beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. Nevin was too good for you. You chased that Nevin away. When he saw the real you, he couldn't take it anymore. You wanted to punish him for leaving you. So, you punished him by keeping him from his children. You and I both know that he would never leave his children, but he would leave you. This dude waiting at my front door, Chance…Chance doesn't stand a chance."
Sabine is getting annoyed.
"You know what? I'm done with this pointless conversation," Sabine replies to her brother, "It's getting late, thanks to you."
Sabine storms from around the corner and grabs Corinthian.
"Open the door, Chance."
Chauncey asks, "Is everything ok?"
"Everything will be ok when we get out of here."
"O…K."
Chauncey is unlocking the door, but according to his girlfriend, he isn't moving fast enough.
"Never mind," Sabine exclaimed.
Sabine pushes Chauncey out of the way and unlocked the door. When she opens the door, she corrals her children out of the apartment. Malcolm Jr. stands by and watches his sister, her children, and her boyfriend leaves his home. Before Chauncey departs the home, he looks at M.J. M.J. shakes his head at the young man. Then, he goes to catch up with his girlfriend and her triplets.
"Sabine! Sabine! Girl, what's wrong with you," Chauncey ask, concerned but upset by her behavior.
"Why were you talking behind my back to my brother," prosecutes Sabine.
"Your brother came to me negatively about you. If anything, I was trying to defend you."
"Don't try to defend me. DEFEND ME!!!!"
'Is this woman for real,' he thinks to himself?
The elevator finally reaches their floor. Everyone boards the elevator and rides it to the main floor.
"Sabine, what did you want me to do? Punch him," Sabine asks?
"You should have done something," scolds Sabine.
"Sweetheart, I don't know what type of man you usually date, but I am not the type who likes to use his fist unless I am provoked."
"He was provoking to you!"
"Baby, your brother was not provoking me to do anything."
"Like hell he did!! Let me tell you something. I'm not telling you to resort to violence. However, I don't care if it was a random dude or any of my brothers, I am your woman! Why do you always have to be a damn peacemaker?"
"I don't know what happened between you and your brother, but don't take it out on me. I'm on your side."
There is no rationalizing or reasoning with Sabine. On the way to the train station, she complained about every man in her life, except her father.
"My daddy was the only real man in my life," Sabine continues to rant, "He was only one that made me feel special and beautiful. Most of all, if ANYONE, especially my mother and my brothers, was out of line with me, he was my knight in shiny armor. Now that he's gone…"
"Sabine, I can never be your father," Chauncey explains, "In fact, I don't want to be your father. I could only be me. Take it or leave it."
"Chance, I'm not saying to should change."
"Good, because I don't plan on changing for anybody. I'm a successful businessman----"
"I know that Chance but----"
"Hold on. I'm not done."
Sabine senses the sternness in his voice, which suddenly causes her to become attentive.
"I became very successful because came from a humble beginning," Chauncey explains, "My parents did all they could to provide for ten children. Now, they never have to worry about money again. For you to insult my manhood, is total disrespect. As for your late husband, I don't know this dude, and he might not have walked around with a halo…but something about him made you marry him and have three beautiful children. Plus, the man is dead. Let him rest in peace."
"You 'son-of-bitch,' Sabine barks, "who in the hell do you think, you are? Then, you have the nerve to talk like that in front of my children. You know nothing about me, and if you were a real man, you would have shown my stupid-ass brother who had the bigger balls but, you can't….and you don't."
It is closing time. Orchid and her colleagues are cleaning Newkirk's for the night. While gathering the used beer bottles and drinking glasses from the tables, she notices a picture of a man over the front door. She cannot take her eyes off the picture; she is so intrigued.
'Oh my goodness,' Orchid thinks to herself, 'What a beautiful man.'
She stops cleaning. Orchid feels she has to get closer to get a better look at the picture; Orchid walks closer and closer.
'This man is more gorgeous up close,' she thinks to herself.
The waitress reaches out to touch the picture until a voice calls out to her.
"Hey. Hey! Orchid!"
"What," she exclaims as she abruptly turns to see Isham standing in front of her!
"What are doing," Isham asks, "Why are you staring at a picture of Jesus?"
"Jesus? This…this is Jesus?"
"Yeah. Well…He is God…and the Holy Spirit. Either way, He is the same person. Don't tell me you never saw a picture of Jesus."
Orchid does not want to seem out of touch.
"...of course," she exclaims, "I…I never saw a picture of…Jesus like this."
"What do you mean "like this"? There is only one picture of Jesus, and this is it."
"Well…," Orchid begins hesitantly, "Growing up, I saw Jesus in a different light."
"What do you mean, "a different light," Isham asks?
"Well…, I always saw Jesus as a being to be feared and only to be feared. He punishes those who cannot resist the temptations of evil."
"The only person I fear is Satan…and my parents."
He laughs.
The waitress walks away, feeling somewhat ashamed of her perspective of Jesus; she continues to clean the tables. When the bartender notices, she goes back to work, he follows her.
Isham says as Orchid continues cleaning the tables, "Joking aside, Jesus is to be feared, but He loves us and He forgives us for our sins. Jesus loved us enough to die for our sins."
"Jesus…is love?"
"Yeah. Who taught you that God was so…evil?"
Orchid stops cleaning and sits down at one of the tables; Isham joins her.
"My parents," Orchid starts, "They are heavily into religion; they see the world as evil, and they saw that their only salvation is the Lord. I guess that was their reason for hiding me from the world…so I will not be exposed to its evil. I...I did not have much of a childhood. I was homeschooled, and I did not have any friends. I was restricted to a lot of things, basking in the sun's rays and the gentle breeze…admiring the beautiful flowers…laughing…playing…enjoying my childhood."
"Damn…," starts Isham.
Orchid looks at him with shock.
"Oh…I meant to say, sorry to hear that," Isham says, correcting himself.
He cannot believe someone so beautiful could go through such horror.
"Things took a turn for the worst when I became older," Orchid continues, "My body was changing, and they knew it. I was punished for that too because…to them…I was losing my innocence…they saw me as…becoming dirty…like the world."
"That's ridiculous! They punished you for going through puberty," Isham asks?
"If you want to call it that."
"No, you were going through puberty. No one has control over puberty."
"Exactly! I had no control of it, but my parents did not see it that way. When my mother noticed my chest, it was bigger than usual; she told me that my…my… "dairy pillows" were emerging."
"Your dairy…what?"
"My dairy pillows."
"Dairy pillows? What is that?"
She motions her hands around her chest.
"Breasts?"
"Yes…Breasts."
"Oh. Well, breasts have other names like…" tits"…" boobs"…"
"I…I think I will refer to them as breasts."
"Ok. I want you to know that there is nothing dirty about a woman's body; it's one of God's many outstanding creations…besides a man's body, like mine."
They both laugh.
"So…when she saw your breasts develop, what happened," Isham curiously asks?
"I told her it's not my fault," Orchid explains, "I did not want them. I never wanted them. I told her that maybe I was ill. Then, she slapped me. She slapped me so hard…I fell to the floor. I had my hand on my cheek, but when I took my hand away, I saw the side of my hand bleeding. The blood came from the side of my mouth. I begged her not the hit me again while trying to rise to my feet…"
"Did she hit you again?"
"No. Instead, my mother grabbed me by my hair, dragged me down the steps, and threw me down on my knees. Then she ordered me to say the "Act of Contrition, ten times. After I said my prayers, my mother told me to go to my room. I was on my knees for so long, my knees were raw and began to blister. I had to arise slowly because I was in so much pain. I went up to my room and laid on my bed. I cried silently because I was scared, confused, and in pain. When my father came home, my mother told him she discovered my…breasts. After the torture, he put me through that night…I am surprised I am still alive."
Isham shakes his head with shame.
He gently takes her by her hand and tells her, "Babe, I…I…"
Orchid continues, "They taught me that if a person lives his or her life righteously, punishment will not come upon them. However, if a person lives in sin, God will punish him or her with mighty wrath. Perhaps my changing body resulted in me…wanting to live in sin."
"No. No. Please don't say that. The pain and torture your parents put you through was not your fault."
"What about now?"
"…especially now. Don't worry; you are safe. Your parents can't hurt you. Do you know if they bothered to look for you?"
"I…I do not know. I hope not. Even though this is a…a bar, the people here are so kind and warm. You are kind and warm. Thank you."
"For what?"
"You sat and listened to my troubles…"
Orchid begins to cry.
"You did not make me feel shame once. This the first time I opened my soul to anyone," she says through her tears, "My soul is so ugly."
Isham kindly gives her some tissue to wipe her tears.
"Thank you," Orchid says, taking the tissue.
Isham says, "Don't be silly. Why would you say that your soul is ugly?"
"My soul is infested with scars. It is sick from…years of pain, torture, and sadness."
"Orchid, your soul may have scars, and it may be sick, but it can heal. There is a saying that goes, "Time heals all wombs."
"Well, it will take a lot of time to heal the wombs I have endured."
"Do you know what else heals wombs?"
"What is that?"
"Love and forgiveness."
Orchid looks to Isham and gives him a warm embrace. He returns the embrace and holds her tight.
'She smells so good. Her hair is so soft. Perhaps I should follow my advice,' Isham thinks to himself.