True Black Love (COMPLETED - AMAZON PUBLISHED)

۵ 6 ۵ (UPDATED /2021)

"Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Israel prayed with his five-year-old daughter and his little three-year-old son. As the children did their best to follow their father in their nightly prayer, he watched them feeling grateful to God for the little ones who were a blessing to his life. Once they finished the prayer, he and his children got off their knees because it was now time for bed. Their father tucked them into their little beds. After turning on the night-light and flipping off the light in the room, he looked back at his children.

"Daddy loves you, Hailey." He said as he blew her a kiss.

"I love you too daddy." She said as she blew him a kiss back.

"Daddy loves you, Junior." He repeated to his baby boy.

"Love you, daddy." Israel Jr blew his daddy the biggest little kiss ever. His father responded by pretending to catch it and fall under the weight of the imaginary heavy little kiss. His son giggled and snuggled under his blanket as his father came back in and tickled him a little and pretended to complain about such a big sugar. Israel kissed his son on the forehead and tucked him in once more. He walked over to his giggling little girl and kissed her forehead while re-tucking her in bed.

Never in his wildest imagination had he envisioned enjoying family life. He didn't realize he would have this much fun and joy in his life. He left the door open as he walked out of the room. Turning off the hall lights, he walked to his room and jumped in bed.

If anyone had told him six years ago that he would be a married man and a father, he would've called them a liar to their face. It was never his plan to have a family. The only thing Israel cared about was his freedom. At one time, the freedom to do whatever he wanted to do was the most important part of his life. He had lived so many years in such a restrictive environment, he couldn't wait to get out in the world and have fun.

Israel lay in bed feeling like the most blessed person in the world. He reminisced about the times in his life when he was a terrible person. Drinking, doing drugs, having sex with multiple women, partying, and not showing love or concern for anyone who was in his life. Ladies couldn't resist him, and he didn't stop them. Life was fun.

His parents were embarrassed that their son had become such an ungodly person. On several occasions, they tried to get him to understand how his lifestyle poorly reflected on him and them. They were concerned that his behavior would negatively impact the church. Honestly, he didn't care. At the time, he was sick of church rules, so he did everything he wanted to do regardless of who he hurt.

As he lay in bed, Israel felt a tightness in his chest as he thought about the heartache, he caused his mother and father. His parents were so good to him when he was young. They showed him all the love in the world. They denied him nothing. Even though they had responsibilities at the church, they made sure he had a normal childhood. He played football. He attended school parties and a few parties at friend's homes. His life was normal with the exception of being required to memorize, 'What Would Jesus Do' and think about it when he went out. His parents were very religious and the required him to respect the way they brought him up.

He knew his children should be asleep by now. They were his life. There was nothing better in life than raising his kids. The only thing Israel regretted was that their mother refused to be a part of their lives. No matter how hard he tried to convince her to at least take a part in her children's lives, she wasn't interested at all. When she decided she was done with the relationship, she divorced him and told him he could keep the kids. He could remember their last conversation like it happened yesterday.

*****

"Jameka, please. Don't leave." Israel cried as she packed her things to leave.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this. This is not what I saw for my life." She said as she filled her luggage with beauty products, clothes, jewelry, shoes and whatever she could fit into the cases. Israel begged her to reconsider. Why she was leaving, he couldn't understand. She had everything. No matter what she asked of him, he got it for her because he loved her. He also adored her and honored her because she was the mother of his children. All the happiness and sanity in his life came from his family.

"Baby, why won't you talk to me and tell me what's going on?" Israel tried to get through to her. She wouldn't even look him in the eyes. Loading her bags was her only focus. The sound of his voice seemed to mean nothing to her. Ignoring him, his wife gathered as much as she could pack and walked through the front door to her SUV. He pleaded with her for an explanation. Finally, she turned to address him.

"I thought I wanted to be married and settle down. I didn't realize how hard it was to have children. I didn't know my life would be consumed with kids. I would never have agreed to marry you if I had known that I would be tied down with all of this." Jameka looked at the man who was her husband and handed him a manila envelope. The look in his eyes was almost more than she could handle. She was not about to give up her freedom to anyone, not even him.

"Israel, please sign these divorce papers and let me go. Please?" She begged him as she walked away.

*****

Sleep still eluded him. As he lay in bed for three hours, he still felt his heart ache thinking about the way his wife left him. Not once did she ever offer a real reason why she left except that she didn't want to be tied down any longer. He was glad he and the kids went to bed early. It was 11 pm. Israel knew the best way to bring peace to his mind. He grabbed his Bible and read Psalms 23rd chapter, Colossians 3:13, Matthew 6:14-15, Luke 17:3-4, Ephesians 4:31-32, and Micah 7:18-19.

The weight of his eyes began to pull him into a deep satisfying sleep. When Israel closed his eyes, his heart was once more at peace.

*****