THREADS OF DESTINY

CHAPTER 80: SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Angela had been correct, Lanecea supposed, when a few weeks later, Drake ignored Richard's rule, reaching out to place his hand on Lanecea's arm after the service.

"Marry me, Lanecea. I'm crazy about you and CJ loves you as well. Surely you must know I want you as my wife."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I'm married and besides, you're not allowed to speak with me. I do love CJ but it is too late..."

Lanecea was really torn. Of course, she loved her king, but CJ had stolen her heart and, if Lani was being honest, Drake was far more handsome and younger than Richard who was almost fifty years old. Had they both been single and asked her to marry them at the same moment, based on instinct, Drake would have won. Lanecea glanced down at Drake's legs as she shook her head no for good measure. Richard also had what Lanecea referred to as "Stilts Legs" - long sticks. Lanecea supposed he was tall and very thin from frequent fasting, whereas Drake's legs looked as though they had substance and wouldn't snap in half if he ever pulled Lanecea onto his lap. In Lanecea's books that was important.

"I can't marry you," Lani emphasized once more as she quickly backed away, her heart suddenly fickle as she compared the men, but reminded herself of how the Bible said that God does not look at the outward appearance as men do, but at the heart, and she was being very un-Christlike.

Richard wasn't thinking of Christ either, Lani supposed, as he overheard Lanecea's statement having approached from behind. Drake was taken by surprise as well as Richard cornered him, demanding he leave the church. 

"Lanecea is mine. Do not step foot in this church again."

Lani was shocked, but her shock immediately turned into grief as she instinctively held Richard's arm while begging him to reconsider for her sake. If Drake wasn't allowed back at the church, she'd never see CJ again and Lanecea's heart was breaking at the thought. Richard easily pulled his arm out of Lanecea's death-grasp before following Drake and CJ out of the church, still ranting at the man who had dared to propose to his wife.

Lanecea was beside herself with grief at losing her little boy, but was soon distracted as one of the elders frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"It isn't right that he kicked Drake and that boy out of the church. This has gone too far. He's a married man!"

It was nice to see that Lanecea had an ally, but she thought his comment was a little strange. Of course he was a married man - Richard didn't keep it a secret that Lani was his wife. Lanecea must have looked confused because the man clarified for her benefit, "He has a wife and I believe four sons in Africa. Where do you think he went for a month last summer - and every summer before that? He's trying to get his wife and children into Canada, but it is a long process. She's pregnant again - she conceived during his last visit."

Lanecea's stomach flopped mercilessly, but she was hated and believed that this man was just being cruel knowing how it would break Lani's heart. Besides, he wasn't allowed to speak with her either.

It was one conversation Lanecea didn't mention to Richard - it was much too heartbreaking. Instead she ignored that man's confession, focusing instead on remaining the perfect wife. Lani was so in tune with Richard that she was able to guess, most of the time, what he wanted before he would ask, something she took great pride in. She was an extension of him and represented her king well at all times. Lanecea truly loved the man that she had waited a lifetime to rescue her.

Although Lanecea didn't believe that Richard had a wife and children in Africa, it did nag at the back of her mind when he continued to leave her abruptly for weeks at a time without saying a word. It triggered Lancea's long-standing fears of abandonment and eroded at Lanecea's trust. Richard, when he returned, would hug Lani and explain where he had been - at one of their sister churches at another location in Canada, and the reason he hadn't told her goodbye was because of the witchcraft spirits that couldn't know his plans. Only God knew everything, but Satan, a fallen angel, couldn't be everywhere at once, therefore it was his demons who would report back to Satan. Lanecea listened, but it was complicated and didn't make her heart feel any better. Surely Richard had a way to tell her that he was leaving and approximately how long he would be away instead of leaving her alone in a den of snakes without warning. It felt like nothing short of betrayal - a betrayal of her trust and surely his love for her was stronger than his fear of the demons, but apparently not.

Richard, with his sudden and frequent abandonment, began to chip away at Lanecea's solid foundation, making her question her blind trust, but Richard, feeling the disconnect between he and his wife, didn't look at his own behaviour as the reason. Instead, he called Lanecea into his office.

"I've been sensing something between us since I left for Alberta last week and have received visions of a man with white hair and blue eyes. He shadows you, standing at your side while he holds your wrist," Richard reached out, holding Lanecea's wrist to show her what he'd seen in his vision. "In another vision, he kissed you, his lips touching yours and his spirit passed between him and you - it was like a steam. Lanecea, you need to pray against that man - he has a stronghold on you. Actually, I'm going to schedule you for deliverance this week."

"Yes, Sir," Lanecea whispered, not daring to defy Richard's wishes, but Lani smiled on the long, scary bus ride home in the dark while Richard drove Trinity home as usual. The man Richard described must be her great-grandfather and the vision wasn't negative at all. It was a reminder that he would never abandon Lanecea - in fact, he had even given her his spirit - his bravery. There was no way Lanecea was going to allow the Africans to break the tie between she and her great-grandfather during the deliverance services. They would have to drain her blood if they wished to succeed. 

Lanecea, true to her word, resisted, remaining silent but discreet during the deliverance service hoping Richard and his deliverance ministers wouldn't notice as they focused on the truly possessed, but Richard wasn't going to leave Lanecea alone, the elderly man he'd seen his competition, Lanecea supposed as Richard cornered her, but didn't treat her like a loving husband as he went to battle against the spirit the elderly man had imparted and the man himself who wouldn't let her go until Lanecea was truly afraid of Richard and could barely breathe as she battled her claustrophobia, but Richard took it as her being stubborn, refusing to release the man's spirit. He wasn't far wrong as Lani finally blurted out as she wept her heart out, "Please, I need him - I love him!" 

She believed Richard was spiritually powerful and at the rate he was going could finally sever the ties between Lani and her ancestor.

"Please, Richard, please stop!"

"He must go, Lani. His grip on you is too strong and you've just proved you love him far more than you love me."

"Great-grandfather wouldn't abandon me! He never abandoned me!"

Lanecea was a weeping mess but she switched into wildcat mode, fighting Richard as the man was determined to take her great-grandfather away from her, leaving Lanecea was nothing.

"It's enough - you've had enough. I didn't realize my leaving you was so hard on you. I need to help our sister churches and can't take you with me, but next time I won't abandon you for so long without warning. I promise, but in exchange, you need to break your tie with your great-grandfather. Yes, you loved him, but I believe that is where the spirit of death on you is coming from. He loved you so much in life that he is determined to have you with him in death."

"Alright, I'll pray against our connection. I don't want to die."

"I'm proud of you. Now, dry your tears. You don't need to continue deliverance. It's too much for you."

Lanecea hugged her pastor. His care - although he was the reason she had been traumatized in the first place - meant a lot to her.

Lani only half-heartedly prayed to break the tie between her and her ancestors, her mind drifting as she prayed to memories of her great-grandfather, the noble farmer-turned-hero. If he was at her side now, even in spirit, Lanecea was going to be okay - she just knew it.