•Ricky's Secret•
Naomi hesitated for a moment, then finally gained the courage to enter her parents' room. She found her mother, Michelle, sitting by the window, sewing. Eric was just lying in bed, reading his bible.
Naomi began, "Hey, Mom, Dad, can I ask you something?"
Michelle continued sewing and didn't respond.
Eric replied, "Sure, Naomi. What's on your mind?"
Naomi asked, "I wanted to know if I could go visit Ricky and his mom later today. They invited me over."
Michelle remained silent, her eyes focused on her sewing project.
Eric asked, "Have you finished your chores?"
Naomi smiled, "Yes, Dad, everything's done."
Eric exchanged a glance with Michelle but she remained quiet.
Eric finally agreed, "Okay, you can go. But be back by dinner."
Naomi's face brightened, "Thanks, Dad!"
She left her parents' room, and the door closed behind her. Eric sighed and looked over at Michelle.
Michelle shook her head, "Don't look at me!"
Eric asked, "So you were just going to let me do all the talking."
Michelle replied, "Yeah because you already let her get away with too much! I sat here purposefully not saying anything just to see what you would say. And there you go again being soft."
Eric said, "Michelle, calm down. It's not late at night, she said she's going to visit Ricky and his mother. We haven't seen her since Ricky left. It's not like she's going to go visit Ricky alone."
Michelle threw up her hands and said, "I'm done talking at this point. You're her dad, and whatever danger she gets into, it's going to be on you to face the consequences."
Eric got angry and said, "Michelle, put the needle in your mouth, hush up, and keep sewing. Please don't ruin the mood for today because between you and the way you acted last night."
"What do you mean the way I acted last night!?" Michelle asked.
Eric explained, "I tried to do one thing good for our marriage, and you didn't even appreciate it. No, you wanted to stop and pay attention to Naomi. We came home, and she was in her bed, chilling!"
Michelle argued, "Yeah, with her window unlocked, who knows what went down last night while we weren't here."
Eric asked, "You think our daughter would stoop that low while she's babysitting her little sister?"
Michelle shrugged, "You stooped that low when I was here by myself taking care of her while you were out there feeding your ego. In which, by the way, isn't so big."
Eric laughed and said, "Okay, I see what you're trying to do, Michelle. You want to bring me down right now because you're upset, but I'm not going to give you the reaction you want out of me."
"Good, then put your face back in your Bible and hush up," Michelle snapped.
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Naomi arrived at Ricky's house and knocked on the door. Ricky answered, and they exchanged smiles.
They shared a hug and Ricky said, "Hey, Naomi! It's been a while. Mom's excited to see you."
Naomi smiled, with glee, "I've missed her too!!"
They entered the house, and Ricky led Naomi to his mother's room. As they walked in, Ms. Riley, lying in her bed, her face worn from illness, brightened up when she saw Naomi.
Ms. Riley smiled, "Oh, Naomi, it's so good to see you. You look beautiful as ever."
Naomi smiled and approached the bed, "Thank you, Ms. Riley."
Ricky and Naomi took seats beside the bed, carefully observing Ms. Riley's fragile condition.
Ms. Riley took a sip of water, then she looked at Naomi and asked, "I'm going to assume Ricky has told you I've been diagnosed with cancer?"
Naomi's eyes filled with concern, "Yes ma'am he did! He's been calling me every day, updating me on your condition. How are you feeling?"
Ms. Riley smiled weakly, "I'm in pain but nothing stops me from putting a smile on my face."
Naomi smiled and replied, "You are so strong!! I don't know how you're able to go through with all of this and still smile the way you are now."
Ms Riley coughed and said, "It's okay, dear. I've accepted it, and I believe that everything happens for a reason. The most important thing is that I've had a fulfilling life, and I've seen my son grow up to be a fine young man."
Ricky nodded, his eyes glistening with tears.
Ms. Riley continued, "But tell me dear how are you doing? Tell me everything that's been happening since I last saw you.
Naomi gave her an overview of her life and what her plans are for the future. She even mentioned her relationship with Leroy.
Ms Riley laughed and said, "Your mother has always been something else. But honey do me a favor and promise me that you won't turn out to be like them and I say that because you know before Ricky left your mother and I were the best of friends. But then we drifted apart but even the things you're telling me now still don't surprise me about your parents. Their relationship has always been complicated for things I can't explain to you because it's not my place. But whatever you do! Don't follow in your mother's footsteps and don't date a man like your dad."
"Why do you say that Ms Riley? My dad's one of the sweetest people I know and I want my husband to be just like him when I get married."
Ms Riley laughed and said, "Oh baby bless your poor heart! Listen to me when I tell you this, don't date a man like a father. He might be good in your eyes but as you can tell their marriage isn't as perfect as it seems."
Ms Riley continued, "Now, I want to share some advice with you. You must listen carefully."
Naomi leaned in, listening carefully to Ms Riley's wisdom.
Ms. Riley: "Growing up as a young lady, you'll face many challenges and choices. My best advice to you is to always stay true to yourself. Follow your dreams and never let anyone define your worth. And when it comes to love, remember, it's about patience, understanding, and respect."
She continued, "I was married for forty wonderful years before he passed away. My husband was the love of my life, and we built our relationship on faith, love, and trust. But most importantly it was the Fruits of the Spirit that gave us a forever marriage. in the Book of Galatians. It is Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." That's how you have a long-lasting commitment in God's eyes."
Naomi: "Thank you, Ms. Riley. I'll keep your advice close to my heart."
Ms. Riley smiled, her eyes filled with joy, "I know you will, dear. You have a bright future ahead of you, and I have no doubt you'll make the right choices in life. Just remember that love, in its truest form, is a beautiful thing."
Ricky reached for his mother's hand, and they shared a tender moment with Naomi, reflecting on the wisdom of a woman who had experienced a long and loving life.
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Naomi left their house and carried Ms Riley's words in her dear heart. She texted Leroy and told him everything:
After her Starbucks date with Leroy, Naomi arrived home to find her mother, Michelle, sitting at the table with clothes she had made laid out across it. Michelle looked up and greeted her daughter.
Michelle greeted, "Hey, Naomi, how did everything go today?"
Naomi took a deep breath and replied, "It was emotional but good."
Michelle noticed the hint of emotion in Naomi's response and asked, "Emotional? Why was it emotional?"
Naomi hesitated for a moment, thinking about the promise she had made to Ricky to keep Ms. Riley's condition a secret. She finally answered, "I haven't seen Ms. Riley in a long time, and it was just overwhelming."
Naomi added, "Ms. Riley said hi."
But Michelle disregarded that and asked, "So, what did you and Ricky do?"
Naomi replied, "We didn't do much. He just sat next to me while I was talking to his mother."
Before Naomi could head to her room, Michelle stopped her and said, "Naomi, I have a feeling you're hiding something. I don't know what it is, but remember, parents have a way of finding out the truth, one way or another."
Naomi stood there, contemplating whether to talk back or not, but in the end, she decided to keep her words to herself. She simply went to her room and shut the door, letting her emotions stay locked within her. But the truth is Naomi's patience was wearing thin.
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Sunday morning had arrived, and as usual, Pamela and Eric had to be at church early. Pamela walked in wearing an orange dress that caught everyone's attention. She greeted the other Deacons, including Eric, with a confident stride.
Pamela greeted, "Hello, everyone."
She then approached Michelle with a friendly, somewhat two-faced, smile.
Pamela greeted Michelle, "Hi, Michelle, can I have a moment of your time?"
Michelle, somewhat irritated, replied, "Not really."
Pamela smiled, "Great. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last week. I know it was wrong of me to offend you, and I'm truly sorry. I've realized that not everyone can handle the energy they put out into the world, and it can come back to them."
Michelle responded, "Pamela, what's your issue with me? You know I don't like you, and for the sake of God and this church, I just want to be left alone."
Pamela smiled, "Well, as long as you're the First Lady and I'm the choir director, you can't be left alone. Especially since I'm your husband's assistant. But I didn't come here to argue with you; I came to make amends."
Michelle replied sharply, "Making amends with you is like shaking hands with the Devil."
Pamela responded, "Well, If I'm the devil then that makes us twins."
Michelle asked, "What is it that you want?"
Pamela replied, "Eric."
Michelle was taken aback and said, "What!?"
"ERIC!" Pamela raised her voice.
Eric approached them and asked, "What's the problem?"
Pamela continued, "Your wife thinks I want something from her, but little does she know, she doesn't have anything I want. Only the good Lord can supply me with everything I need, right?"
Eric chuckled and said, "You're most definitely right."
Pamela added, "But no seriously, I want to be friends."
Michelle reluctantly said, "Well, unfortunately for you, I don't want to."
Eric intervened, "Come on, Michelle, stop acting like that. You're both grown women, and you're behaving like children. Even our kids get along better than you two. Let's squash the beef!"
Michelle reluctantly shook Pamela's hand to appease Eric. He thanked them and urged them to move past their differences.
Michelle excused herself to join the other Deacons. The group began discussing Ricky, and Michelle expressed her concerns about how he had changed since he left. The chatter turned into a gossip session before it was time to open the doors to the church.
Naomi and her sister attended church, and to her surprise, Leroy was in the Sunday youth class. She couldn't contain her excitement and hugged him.
Naomi asked surprised, "Leroy, what are you doing here?"
Leroy smiled, "Well, I wasn't going to be here for the service because of your parents, but I love the Sunday class, and I wanted to be here for you."
Naomi was so close to kissing him but instead exclaimed, "I'm so excited to see you!!"
Today, Ms. Pamela was teaching the Sunday class because Ms. Springs was sick. As she continued her lecture on Lamentations, she couldn't help but notice how close Leroy and Naomi were sitting. She knew there might be more to their connection and decided to find out.
Ms. Pamela began to read from Lamentations and then distributed pieces of paper to the class, instructing them to write down their thoughts on Jerusalem's funeral.
She approached Naomi and Leroy then asked, "Can I borrow this young lady for a second?"
"Sure go ahead!" Leroy insisted.
As they stepped out of the classroom, Ms. Pamela began, "Naomi, I've noticed you and Leroy have become quite close recently. Is there something you'd like to share?"
"No!" Naomi immediately denied, "We're just friends."
Pamela smiled and said, "Naomi, I am not your mother, okay and I won't disclose any of this information to her. I won't answer anyone I promise! But if you must know, your mother was talking about you earlier before service started."
Naomi asked, "What was she saying?"
"That she doesn't trust Ricky around you simply because she thinks you're trying to grow up too fast."
"She said that!" Naomi raged.
"Shh!! Yes, she did but don't tell anybody because I could lose my job." Ms Pamela replied, "Now please tell me what's going on between you and that boy in the classroom. I'll keep your secret if you don't tell the one I just gave you."
Naomi sighed, "Leroy is my boyfriend and my parents won't allow me to go on a date. But don't tell my parents because they will kill me right here in this church."
"Oh trust me your secret is most definitely safe with me!" Ms Pamela smiled mischievously, "It'll be our little secret."
They went back to class and continued the lecture. After Sunday class Ms Pamela let Leroy and Naomi stay in the class a little longer so they can have some alone time. After that was over Leroy left and Naomi stayed in church with her family.
The end of this chapter