Paula studied the photograph that her personal assistant, Jessie, had discreetly handed to her.
Jessie, Paula's personal assistant had been asked by Paula to keep an eye on Jeremiah Lewis.
Paula's gaze lingered on the intimate images of Jeremiah and the woman he was together with, whom she did not recognize.
Her heart tightened as she looked up to meet Jessie's eyes."Are you certain they're dating?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Ma'am, it's pretty clear," Jessie replied confidently. "Just look at the way they're smiling at each other, and how he touched her every chance he got".
Paula nodded slowly, her mind racing. "Find out who she is. I need to know more about her and her connection with him."
"Yes, ma'am," Jessie responded before leaving the room.
Left alone, Paula sighed deeply, staring at the photos of her ex-husband with a beautiful younger woman at an amusement park, clearly enjoying themselves.
The sight was a bitter reminder that Jeremiah had moved on, and it shattered what she had been trying to build.
***
The ushers had assigned me the responsibility of submitting the offering calculations to the church pastor.
After proving my competence in baptismal class, Matilda, the head usher, had specifically put me in charge of the final figures.
Though this was my first time submitting them directly to the pastor.
When I got there, I was asked to wait in the reception area.
To my surprise, Raymond was already there when I arrived.
As the choir master, it was no surprise that he needed to see the pastor after every service, but sitting next to him felt awkward, especially after our falling out two months ago.
Even at school, when he came to drop off Swanta, I rarely had the chance to greet him.
Now, as I sat down beside him, I greeted him softly, but as expected, he didn't respond. I sighed inwardly.
Moments later, the receptionist called us both into the pastor's office.
The pastor, a handsome man, was watching a movie with intense focus when we entered.
He looked up and smiled warmly. "Wow, the spirit truly is one. I just had a dream about both of you. Please, have a seat."
Raymond and I exchanged puzzled glances.
"What dream, sir?" Raymond asked, his tone steady.
The pastor chuckled softly. "Your God-given partner. You both are going to get married in the future."
I felt a chill run through me. "God would never say that, sir," I replied as politely as I could manage.
The pastor shrugged. "God's plan may not always align with our expectations."
I silently prayed that this wasn't true.
After my painful experience with my deceased husband, the last thing I wanted was to end up with someone like Raymond.
Surprisingly, Raymond said nothing.
Even after the pastor reviewed the calculation records and I left the office, he remained silent.
I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't argue or say anything at all.
As I navigated this new chapter in my life, one centered around my growing faith in Christ, I found comfort in sharing my journey with my best friend, Juliet.
We explored the kingdom together, studying the Bible and applying its teachings to our everyday lives.
It was a welcome change, finding peace in God's word, especially in handling misunderstandings at work.
One day, while calculating the offering and tithe with other ladies in the church's calculation room, Sister Dominic burst in excitedly. "I just heard Brother Ray tell the pastor that he's not in any relationship! What is he waiting for when all the ladies in church are dying for him?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Brother Ray Smith? Church ladies are dying for him?"
"You didn't know? You see Sister Bernie and Dove? The ones with the best voices in the choir? They once had a serious falling out because of him," Sister Dominic shared with relish.
I was surprised by this revelation.
Was it his position as choir master that made him so attractive?
Sister Diana, who was sitting next to me and calculating alongside me, looked at me curiously. "Aren't you secretly interested in him? I see you with his niece a lot. Some people say you got close to her because of him. A lot of girls try to talk to Swanta because she's his niece, but she only gives you her full attention."
I shook my head. "He was my former boss, and his niece is my student. No other special reason."
Sister Patricia grinned knowingly. "I heard that Brother Jeremiah Lewis is Swanta's biological father."
The other ladies gasped in unison.
Sister Patricia winked at me. "And I also heard you like Jeremiah Lewis."
I was taken aback by their assumptions.
Can't a person communicate with brothers in the church without everyone jumping to conclusions?
"I have no feelings for any of them. I see them as my brothers in Christ."
They burst into laughter, clearly not taking me seriously, but I didn't mind.
After all, I was the one in control of my own heart.
After finishing my calculations and offering a quick prayer, I stepped out of the office.
I noticed Juliet chatting and laughing with Raymond, and I smiled, waving at her. "Meet me at the car, Juliet," I called out, and then walked away.
As I approached our car, I saw Swanta standing beside it, clearly waiting for me.
My heart leaped with joy at the sight of her.
"Swanta, my love, how long have you been here?" I asked, genuinely excited.
She glanced around nervously before replying, "I just finished talking to my dad. I told him to hurry before my uncle sees him. How have you been, ma'am?".
I felt a surge of validation—my intuition had always been right. "Why would your uncle be upset if he sees your dad?"
Swanta let out a deep sigh. "Dad hurt Uncle before I was born. Since then, Uncle has never liked him. Even when Mom is obviously in the wrong, Uncle always takes her side. Dad said Uncle's still angry about something that happened before I was born."
Tears welled up in my eyes as I hugged her, heartbroken that this little girl was caught in the middle of so much pain. "Do you want your parents to get back together?" I asked gently.
"How dare you ask her such a question!" Raymond's voice cut through the air, and I realized he had overheard part of our conversation.
I turned to face him, my eyes narrowing."Are you master of your own life, or is God in charge?" I shot back. "If the Holy Spirit is in control, He'll manage your emotions. The first thing He does is remove resentment."
"Your husband may be dead, but have you forgiven him?" Raymond snarled.
"Stop bringing up my husband whenever I talk about your life!" I snapped.
"You have no right to interfere in my life when you haven't dealt with your own issues! You're struggling with unforgiveness, yet you condemn me for the same!"
"You have no idea what I went through with him, so stop bringing it up!"
"And you have no idea about anything, so stop interfering! The next time you try to meddle, I'll make sure you're transferred out of this church!"
"You don't have the authority to transfer me from this church!"
"We'll see about that!" Raymond spat before pulling Swanta into the car and driving off.
As he drove, Raymond glanced sadly at Swanta. "I'm letting you go on Monday," he said quietly.
Swanta gasped. "Letting me go? Where?"
"To your father."
"I'm sorry, Uncle."
"You don't need to apologize. You've already told a stranger that I'm forcing my love on you," he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Swanta began to cry. "I'm sorry, Uncle."
"You don't need to apologize for anything!".Raymond's eyes filled with tears—something Swanta had never seen before.
"I'm sorry for imposing my emotions on you. I was just scared that their constant fighting would affect you. I'm sorry for everything. After all, I'm not your father. I'm sorry for burdening you with my feelings."
"Uncle, please, I'm really sorry."
"Whenever you miss your mother, you can come back to see her."
"Uncle, I'm not leaving you."
"But you are, on Monday morning."
Swanta grasped his hand, her eyes welling up with tears. "The only day I'll let go of this hand is when you get married, Uncle."
His own eyes filled with tears as he replied, "Then it seems I won't be getting married until you go to your husband's home."
"No, Uncle," she insisted, her voice trembling. "I want to see you married before I get married. It's been nearly seven years since we lost Aunt Gretta. There's still hope, Uncle."
He pulled over and embraced her tightly. "I don't know what I would do without you, my dear niece."
She broke down in sobs, clinging to him.