Serenity

1

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Paul Matthews and Sheena Walker in holy matrimony." Jaleel sat in the sanctuary of Zion Pentecostal Church listening to Pastor Hawkins as the exchanging of vows commenced, wondering how he'd let his life get this far out of control. The woman he loved was marrying someone else. Even though Jaleel was married, he always found comfort in the fact that Sheena wasn't. He always assumed if his marriage didn't work out, Sheena would be waiting patiently to take his hand in marriage.

He gazed around the church which was elegantly decorated, each pew covered with sheets of white satin and fresh white roses resting on the ends. Rose petals were scattered down the center aisle by a flower girl who was now standing at the altar twirling her flower basket. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all standing tall with smiles on their faces, some with tears in their eyes. Everyone in attendance seemed to be so elated. Their faces were plastered with smiles, full of joy and excitement for the new couple. Tears had begun to well up in Jaleel's eyes as he silently wished the ceremony to be over, for his torture to end, and for someone to stand up and object. He knew, however, he was the only one who wanted to object; yet He was married to the bride's cousin.

His wife, Delisa, saw his tears and silently prayed they were tears of joy. She put her hand on his knee and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Isn't this beautiful?" He looked at her with hurt, pain, and disgust, but was glad she was so caught up in the ceremony that she couldn't see the torment through his eyes.

Jaleel looked toward Sheena at the altar and nodded. "Yes, this is beautiful," he said, referring to the bride, not the ceremony. She was petite, slender, five-foot-five with a creamy, caramel complexion and had mesmerizing brown eyes. She had nice, trim legs, slightly curvy hips, and a flat stomach. Her silky black hair normally flowed down her back and draped across her shoulders, but not today. Today it was pinned up, exposing her long, slender neck that had a beauty mark on the left side, which Jaleel often dreamed of kissing.

It was strange how he was in love with Sheena, but when they first met, it was Delisa who'd caught his eye. He was eighteen years old, a freshman in college, full of arrogance, confidence, and determination. He walked into his composition class five minutes late. Delisa was the first person he'd seen right before the professor reminded him that he was no longer in high school and tardiness would not be tolerated. Jaleel tried to explain that he had gotten lost, but the professor told him to plan better in the future and dismissed him from class with a smug grin on his face. As he left, he heard Delisa trying to muffle her laugh.

Although he was really embarrassed about being kicked out of class, he waited outside, telling himself that he needed to get the notes from someone, but he actually stayed to talk to Delisa. As she walked out of class, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the side.

He slid close to her so he could whisper in her ear. "I couldn't leave without knowing your name." He looked deep into her eyes as a slow, sexy grin spread across his face. He was used to playing this game, used to playing and winning, and was not quite ready for Delisa's response.

"I don't know you like that so back up, and didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" Delisa said with disgust. She didn't like brothers stepping into her personal space trying to run game. She walked away, leaving Jaleel and Sheena standing with their mouths hanging open in shock.

Sheena was brought up in a Christian home and was taught that being rude or unfriendly to people would turn people away from God. So, with all sincerity, Sheena looked at Jaleel and tried to correct her cousin's actions. "Hi, I'm Sheena. Please forgive my cousin." Sheena noticed that since she moved to San Diego from San Antonio she seemed to be apologizing a lot for her cousin. "She's just a little cranky from sitting in that boring class."