XLIII

KEEP THY HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE; FOR OUT OF IT ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE

(PROVERBS 4:23)

SEVEN SALLIE (FATHER OF SEVENIA SALLIE GIRL PROPHETESS)

“I have a headache,” my brother Six declared. “I’m gonna take an aspirin and lay down on your bed.”

I immediately knew what he was up to. The two way mirror that was in my closet that looked into my study. I had been about to invite Salena, my former girlfriend of almost twenty years ago, into my home. She was also a woman that was pregnant with my twin brother’s child. My brother was a man who felt himself not good enough for Salena. At least as he sorted out his troubled life.

“Hi,” Salena said meekly when I opened the door. She had forced a smile onto her lovely face. Her big dark brown eyes looked sad. Her long black hair was piled in a bun behind her head. A loose strand ran along her jaw. Even after all these years, her beauty still gave me a jolt.

“Hi,” I said with a warm smile.

“Sorry to just show up,” she said with a sigh. “I needed to get away and I needed to see you.”

I frowned. She needed to see me? Since we became reacquainted a couple years ago, we had established a solid friendship. But I didn’t think it was so tight that she would drive three hours to see me. Her need couldn’t be romantic. I thought I made it clear that wasn’t going to happen. Or did I?

She and I exchanged small talk as I brewed us some relaxing herbal tea. As I led her to my study, I felt a sense of betrayal toward Salena knowing that my brother would be eves dropping. Yet I also thought it might be the only chance to bring Six to his senses and begin working on reestablishing a relationship with the woman he had impregnated.

Six had also became reacquainted with Salena two years previously. They then began to see each other weekly for “Bible studies.” I believe their studies were genuine, yet something else transpired between them that was carnal rather than spiritual.

Salena was very religious and a devout Christian. When she and I dated, we were never intimate because we were saving that for marriage. Then she broke up with me to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather. He was the wealthiest member of her church and took care of her very poor family. Jealousy had almost consumed me at the time. Yet I understood her difficult dilemma. Sort of.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but it was the residue from the green eyed monster that kept me from rekindling what we had after she found herself a widow. I still loved her. I still found her incredibly attractive. But I could not stand the thought of that sweet, beautiful, wholesome teenager losing her virginity to a man in his fifties. I don’t care if they did exchange marriage vows first.

Salena’s marriage produced three children. A girl and two boys. Her daughter and my daughter met at a family gathering. I ended up impregnating Salena’s cousin, and we married. Our girls were approximately the same age. The pair became inseparable best friends after meeting at a family gathering more than a decade after their births.

Then at the age of only fifteen, Salena’s daughter Anna died from leukemia. Less than two months later, my ex-wife died. It was a devastating duel blow for my sweet Sevenia. Her broken heart, shattered mine. The only good thing was that she came to live with me as a result. Life is indeed a strange mix of good and bad.

“So,” I said cheerily and hoped she wouldn’t detect tension in my voice after I glanced at the mirror as we sat down. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Why do you need to see me?”

Salena eased into her chair. She must have been five or six months along and was wearing a maternity dress. She kicked off her low heeled pumps in like manner to my daughter kicking off her shoes, and she crossed one leg over the other. Her toenails were painted candy apple red and perfectly matched her long fingernails. Even pregnant and depressed, she was still elegant and beautiful.

“I patched things up with Salena,” she said.

I frowned. “I didn’t know you two had any discord.”

“Figures she wouldn’t tell you about it,” Salena said with a sentimental smile. “The last time we were together, she and I had a major disagreement over some spiritual, biblical matters. It occurred to me after much prayer, study, and consideration, that she was in the right. So, I apologized, and, not surprisingly, she readily forgave me.”

“Wow, so this disagreement was of such a manner, you needed to ask forgiveness?”

“I behaved impatiently and angrily, as opposed to Sevenia’s typical, non-teenager like, patient manner. I think I knew she was in the right, but I was too proud to admit it.”

“I see,” I said, as I then wondered why she needed to see me rather than Sevenia.

“I want your blessing to stay here for a while.”

“Here?” I asked dumbly. “Well, of course, but Six is currently staying in the spare bedroom. We could set you up with Sevenia in her room. You could have her bed and I know she would be glad to sleep in her sleeping bag.”

“No, no,” she laughed. “What I mean is would you mind if I stayed a few weeks in this area, and checked out your church and studied with Sevenia. I’ve become intrigued with what she has repeatedly referred to as primitive Godliness. I thought that is what I have always had. But Sevenia’s gentle persuasions convinced me that I have been following a lot of tradition along with my Bible.”

“I see, like Jesus said, In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9).

“Yeah,” she said with a sentimental smile. Probably thinking of the spiritual conversations we had when we were in love many moons ago.

“Once again,” I replied with throat clearing cough, “You are still welcome to stay here.”

“You say Six is staying here?” she asked with a solemn frown.

“He is.”

“He told me he was only going to stay here over night and then go to Florida. So he is still here?”

“He is.”

“I see,” she replied with a frown. “Has he gone somewhere?”

“He told me he wasn’t feeling well, and he is recuperating in another room.”

“Oh my,” she said as she put her hands to her checks. “Is it okay that I’m here?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?” I replied. “He knows we’re friends. He’s also well aware that you are expecting his child.”

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed. “But he lost a lot of respect for me when I gave into sexual temptation with him. Understandably so. I mean we had well over a year of Bible studies as platonic friends. Then in one hour of weakness, I prove to be a hypocrite and a harlot. You see, after Anna died, I had started drinking a glass of wine every evening to help me deal with the grief of her death. Over time, one became two, two became three.

“Then Six showed up unexpected one day, and it happened to be on Anna’s birthday. I had had a whole bottle of wine. He joined me in quaffing a second. He got me laughing the way you used to. He replaced my loneliness and heartache with desire. My inhibitions were lowered, my standards clouded, and I kissed him back when he attempted to kiss me. One thing led to another, and…”

Salena waved her hands over the human being growing in her womb.

“It takes two to tango,” I replied, and then glanced angrily at the mirror.  “I always thought my brother to be a stand up guy. I’m stunned he took advantage of you in such a way.”

“Oh no, Seven,” Salena said as she touched my arm. “I’m in no way blaming your brother. It’s my own fault. In all honesty, it was his similarities to you that caused me to give in to him. Obviously, you two aren’t identical twins. But he was behaving in such a way that it seemed like you. When we were in the midst of passion, I even said your name rather than his. Even in my state of inebriation, it was so embarrassing!”

She blushed and smiled shyly, yet seductively. I felt my toes curl knowing that my brother was watching and listening.

“I’ve never stopped loving you, Seven,” she continued with a nervous intensity in her gaze. “I died inside breaking up with you to marry someone else. But my dad no longer had to work twelve hour days roofing. My mother no longer had to clean motel rooms. My siblings no longer wore secondhand clothes that didn’t fit right, and they all went to college fully paid.”

“I’ve never stopped loving you too, Salena,” my mouth said before my brain could stop it. This had been a regular occurrence through out my life. Our eyes were locked and the same chemistry we had when we were eighteen sizzled between us. I thought of my sort of girlfriend, Zella LaStella, and looked away from Salena.

“Well,” Salena sighed and stood. “I guess I better go.”

“Go where?” I asked as I also stood. “Are you driving back to Minnesota?”

“Oh, no, I have room at the Marriot tonight.”

“Where are your boys?” I asked, referring to her two teenage sons.

She sighed, and sat back down wearily. “They are going to be living with my parents for a while, maybe even permanently. They need a father figure in their lives and it will do them well helping my parents on their hobby farm. They both had begun to rebel after Anna died. Then when they found out I was pregnant out of wedlock, they ended up despising me. They…”

Salena began to cry. I reflexively came out of my chair and went to one knee in front of her. I tilted her chin up to look at me and spoke softly. “This too shall pass. I went a couple years with Sevenia not talking to me. Now we’re as close as a father and daughter can be.”

“But her anger had been based on lies,” she sobbed. “My children’s anger is based on my own sins and hypocrisy.”

“If Brit would have never confessed her lies, the lies would have been a reality to Sevenia. You may be going through a valley of darkness right now, but one day there will be light.”

I smiled reassuringly and gently brushed the wisp of hair off of her jaw. Our eyes locked again. Her eyes glistened with tears, but once again that pure love from our teenage romance shone in them. Was it shining in mine?

It must have been because the next thing I knew her lips were on mine. It was both strange and new, yet old and wonderfully familiar. I couldn’t help kissing her back and letting it linger. I heard a thump from behind the wall and reeled back.

“I’m sorry,” Salena said breathlessly.

“No, no, it’s quite alright,” I stammered. “It’s just, well, you know my friend Zella. My friend that’s a girl. I’ve been intending to ask her to marry me.”

“I see,” Salena said.

There was another thump and a scrap from behind the wall.

“What’s that?” Salena asked.

“Oh, I think Six might be getting up from his nap.”

“I better go,” Salena said as she quickly rose and rapidly walked from the room.

I caught up to her at the front door and snatched her hand. “Salena, wait.”

“I feel like a fool,” she moaned.

“Don’t,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “I’m really glad you are here. Salena will be tickled.”

She smiled sadly and nodded. “Six won’t be.”

“Let’s have a hug,” I said lightheartedly.

She went on tip toe and we embraced. The ease of our nostalgic kiss was gone. The hug was stiff and awkward as her pregnant belly pushed against my stomach. I walked her to her car. I invited her to supper, but she declined.

When I went back inside, Six was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at walnut top in a trance. He looked up at me and smirked. “That was quite a kiss you and your old friend shared.”

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “Indeed it was. A surprise trip down memory lane.”

“Well, now you know the main reason I can’t be with Salena,” he said with reluctance. “I seduced her by letting her pretend I was you.”

All I could do was nod.

“So,” he drawled. “You’re going to ask Zella to marry you?”

“No, I mean, I don’t know.”

“I’m leaving,” Six said. “I’m taking off for Florida in the morning.”

“What about your Bible studies with Sevenia?”

“What, you really think I want to study with her and Salena?”

“You used to study with Salena all the time.”

“Yeah, before I got her drunk and knocked her up.”

“Study separately. I’ll study with you.”

“Some other time, little bro. Right now I need time on the beach. A lot of time on the beach.”

I just nodded.

“By the way,” he said pointing at me. “Feel free to pursue Salena cuz she and I aren’t happening.”

“Neither is she and me,” I said boldly.

“Little brother,” he laughed. “If you could have seen the way you two looked at each other. The way you two kissed. You would be a fool to not yoke back up with her.”

“Oh yeah, with your bun in her oven?”

“Get over yourself. I thought your religion was about selflessness. You need to put aside pride and jealousy. This life, this world is far from perfect. Look at Brock and Destiny. She’s a former porn star.  Even though she’s a devout Christian now, thousands of guys are probably still looking at her films online. She was also the maid of honor for Brock  when he and the cop chick were marrying.”

“She was? I thought Nora Medora didn’t like her.”

He shrugged. “Read about it in Johnathan Ember’s e-book ‘Knight Storm.’”

“But I’m in love with Zella, I think.”

“Maybe so, but I think I understand your situation even though I’m a reprobate. Do you want to know what I think from where I sit?”

“Sure.”

“Say yes I do, sir.”

I laughed. “Yes I do, sir.”

“I think you are hesitant to be more serious with Zella because she hasn’t fully embraced your faith. I think you were hesitant to get next to Salena because you didn’t embrace her fire and brimstone faith. Now that she’s showing interest in your interpretation, you two end up kissing for the first time since you were teenagers.”

“She kissed me!” I protested.

“You didn’t exactly shove her away,” Six chuckled. “As a matter of fact, you kissed her back.”

“She’s pregnant with your baby, not mine,” I said.

“Well, you’d be a better father to your niece or nephew than me. Plus what she said was true. I was able to seduce her because I was reminding her of you. That hurts my ego to admit, but it is what it is. This may make you angry, but it broke her heart as much as yours when she ended your relationship back in the day. But she was putting her family first. Her marriage to the old fart gave her family much better lives.”

“I don’t mean this to sound bitter,” I said calmly. “But I always viewed her marriage as a form of prostitution. She didn’t love that man when they married. She wasn’t attracted to him.”

“I know by the time he died she loved him,” Six said and shrugged. “I know we may not like or understand what she did. But we also don’t know what it’s like to be a family of poor immigrants.”

Six and I talked for awhile longer. Then he decided he felt so uptight and restless, he wanted to leave for Florida post haste. A half hour after Six left, Sevenia arrived home.

“Where’s Uncle Six?” my daughter asked cheerily. “I hope he doesn’t mind being part of a group study on Bible prophecy. Destiny has two girls that want to study, one of them being the girl we just rescued. Salena also called and wants to study. Isn’t that great? And guess who else I just talked to who wants to join us? Zella LaStella.”

“Zella,” I replied dumbly.

“I think you know her,” she said with a big grin and a wink.