Anointed (Urban Books) Read online

  “Where can I find the third quarter cost projections?” Dave asked as Madeline pressed the phone tighter into her ear. The children running in and out of the foyer made it difficult to hear him, but she was doing the best she could.

  “Look under the file labeled third quarter costs,” she said with her eyelids widening, and enunciating each word sharply.

  “That was the first place I looked. It’s not there, and I could really use the plan before my meeting kicks off in an hour.”

  “Wait, what’s today’s date?” she asked, perking up.

  “The fifteenth,” he said.

  “Our anniversary, oh my goodness, I’ve forgotten about our twelfth anniversary.”

  “I didn’t,” he told her. “I’ve already made an eight o’clock reservation tonight for us at our place.”

  “Mommy, Mommy, come quick. Don got his blanket stuck in the toaster and I can’t get it out,” her daughter said, darting toward her and tugging at Madeline’s leg.

  “Is the toaster turned on?” Madeline blurted out.

  “No, it’s not, but he’s going to keep crying if you don’t help him.”

  “Just one minute, dear, and I’ll be there.”

  “No, no, you have to come now, right now, Mommy, right now,” she said, pulling at her mother’s pants leg.

  “Dave, I’ll have to take a rain check on dinner tonight. How about we settle for coffee and donuts down the street when you get in? After twelve years, you don’t have to impress me.”

  “Mommy, come now, please, please.”

  “Come on, Madeline, we can’t keep pushing off personal time together.”

  “Tell that to your children.”

  “I’m sure we can take two hours out for dinner without the kids. We owe it to our marriage.”

  “We’ll see, but I have to go. I’ll call you later,” she said, eager to avoid an argument on their anniversary. One day could hopefully be stress-free.

  “Wait, Madeline, I really need that plan. Is there any way you can come into the office within the hour and find it? I could really use your help on this one.”

  “Mommy, please help,” her daughter continued.

  Madeline exhaled. “I have to go. The children are into something.” She exhaled again. Madeline rose slowly; clearly not fast enough for her daughter, who continued pulling. “Now you see why I can’t make any promises about going out tonight.”

  “We can always get another nanny to help out if it’s too much,” Dave told her.

  “You mean I can get another nanny,” she fired back at him. “We know you’re not going to have time to find one,” she let fly out of her mouth without trimming the edge on her attitude.

  “Sounds like you’re upset.”

  Madeline reined in her tone, attempting to balance between the call with Dave and her daughter’s tugging, a position she found herself in more frequently these days.

  “Tamara, dear, go tell Don that Mommy is on the way.”

  “But, I want you to come too,” Tamara responded.

  “All right. Go on now so he doesn’t get scared.” That seemed to satisfy her daughter because she left without any more demands. One catastrophe was close to being solved. If Madeline could fix Dave’s problem as easily, then maybe, just maybe, there would be a shred of solitude in her day. Since it was only eight-twenty, there was hope that the next twelve or thirteen hours would settle down. They hadn’t yesterday or the day before, but she wasn’t giving up, not yet. “Let me check on the children and then I’ll go through my briefcase to see if I still have an older version. Will that help you?” she asked, wanting to get to the kitchen.

  “Anything you can give me will help. Madeline, I sincerely appreciate what you’re doing for our family. I know you have the children, and I’m so sorry to put this extra pressure on you. But I really need those numbers.”

  Madeline could have accepted Dave’s comment as flattery and walked away feeling valued, appreciated, and needed. The words sounded nice, but something must have gotten lost in the translation because it didn’t make her feel great about the situation. She was torn. The strong pull toward the office and the one coming from Mayweather Lane were stretching her beyond recognition. Something had to change. “Dave, I have to go. I’ll call you in a few minutes.”

  “Thank you, and, Madeline, you’re the best at getting the job done. I don’t know how you do it.”

  “I don’t do it well” was what she wanted to say, but didn’t bother. There was no time for idle chitchat in her schedule. Sitting in his office with one job to do, Madeline knew he had no idea of the burden she was juggling.

  There was a brief pause on the line and then Dave said, “Madeline, that new account I was telling you about is on the other line. I have to take his call. Get back to me as soon as you can.”

  At the same time, Madeline heard a crash coming from the kitchen followed by a loud scream. “Mommy!”

  Chapter 3

  By ten-thirty, Madeline was dragging herself into the office, feeling like she’d already put in eight hours. Her seven or eight o’clock quitting time seemed so far off in the distance. The office was in full swing, charging her energy level with each step. The adrenaline began flowing and her pace quickened in her four-inch heels as she approached her newly decorated office. With the dramatic increase in business over the past couple of years, DMI was forced to expand the operation and started by leasing two more floors in the building.

  Madeline greeted employees en route to her safe haven. It was as if she could hear birds chirping. The air was clear. The sun was shining, and she was in one of her favorite places in the world: the company she and Dave had built from nothing. She set her keys on the desk and tossed her purse into the drawer. She’d already escaped from the children long enough to find the cost projections for Dave and had faxed them prior to his meeting. The new account represented solid revenue and a stamp of approval from big churches on the East Coast. She had no choice but to come through earlier. They couldn’t blow the deal just because she couldn’t get the children settled.

  Madeline rushed to Dave’s office, eager to find out how the meeting had gone. When they’d initially scheduled the meeting last week, she had planned on attending. Turned out the children had other plans for her, but she was at the office now. It was time to take care of business. A few doors down the hallway and she was in Dave’s office, where she found him staring out the window.

  “I finally made it in,” she said, relaxing in a chair. “The children had a rocky start this morning. I think I’m going to have the nanny start much earlier in the morning. Otherwise, I’ll never get in here before noon,” she said, tickled. Dave didn’t respond, which was odd, as much as they chatted all day about everything and anything. He didn’t even turn around to face her. “Dave, do you hear me talking to you?” she asked, mixed with a little irritation and concern. She stood and went toward him. Dave slowly turned away from the window with tears streaming down his face. Madeline rushed to him. “Dave, oh my goodness, what’s wrong?” she said as her heart raced. What could be so terrible that it had him weeping? She hadn’t seen him this rattled since his father died. Her thoughts instantly shifted to Mayweather Lane. “Is it the children? What happened? Something happened? What is it?” she frantically belted out, gripping his forearms and piercing her gaze into his. “Tell me,” she yelled.

  “No, it’s not the kids.”

  Relief swooped in but worry didn’t completely vanish. Dave was visibly upset, and it couldn’t possibly be about DMI. He was committed to the business. She was too, but not to the point of drawing tears.

  “It’s Jonathan. He suffered a massive heart attack and passed away a little while ago.”

  Madeline’s heart wept. “Oh, Dave, I am so sorry,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head against his chest. Outside of his God, there weren’t too many greater loves on earth for Dave than his devotion to Jonathan. Madeline wasn’t even certain where she
and the children ranked when it came to Jonathan. They were more than friends, more than buddies. They were spiritual brothers, kind of like those identical twins who can feel the other’s pain. She continued hugging him, not knowing what else to say or do. Words were too inadequate to give him the comfort he needed. She could only do so much. She figured his God would have to do the rest.

  After several minutes, he pulled away and went to get the hanky from his suit coat hanging in the closet. Madeline used this as an opportunity to close the door. There weren’t many employees on, what was becoming, the executive floor. But there were enough to make her uneasy about leaving Dave exposed to the public at such a private moment. She eased the door closed and leaned on the handle as Dave buried his face into the hanky. He wept openly, took a seat, and wept some more. She stood close by without crowding him. Finally, she said, “I know this is a trite question, but I have to ask. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  Dave lifted his head, folded the hanky, and stared into her eyes. “I have to get Andre. He must be devastated about his father.”

  “You’re right. Maybe he can come and visit with us for a few weeks. I’m sure that will help him through this awful ordeal, and the children will love having their god brother in town, especially Sam.”

  Dave cleared his throat as he fumbled with the hanky. “I’m not talking about a visit. We should have him come live with us permanently.”

  “What do you mean, permanently?”

  “I mean we should assume guardianship for starters and move immediately toward a full adoption.”

  Madeline’s back stiffened, but she held her words until they could line up in a way that expressed what she wanted to say without offending Dave. This was a sensitive moment that she didn’t want haunting her for years to come. “Aren’t you jumping the gun? Doesn’t he have other family who might want to take him?” Dave peered at her with a look of steadfastness. “I am his relative.”

  “I know you’re his godfather, but I meant blood family.”

  “I am his closest relative. He doesn’t have anyone else, except us, and we can’t leave him out there alone.”

  Madeline wanted to fire off a round of “what-ifs” and “why not’s” but realized this wasn’t the time. She could see the resolve oozing out of Dave. When he felt confident about a matter, there was no way to change his mind.

  “It’s what Jonathan would want me to do. It’s what God wants me to do.”

  With those words, Madeline took a seat. There was an itsy bitsy chance that she might have persuaded him to reconsider, that was until he threw God in there. Once he believed the Lord was leading him in the decision, the discussion was over. Nobody, living or dead, was going to influence him differently. It often drove Madeline crazy. But she had to admit Dave’s reliance on his God had made them successful. There was no reason to knock what was working, but this guardianship and adoption business was tough to blindly accept as a leading of the Lord. Madeline needed more proof.

  She continued struggling for words. Reaching out and placing her hand on top of his clutched fist, she said, “Dave, you know I love Jonathan and Andre. He’s my godson too. And you know I’m sensitive when it comes to the needs of children. Heck, we have three at home and I’d quickly give my life for any one of them.”

  “Then you know how I feel right now.”

  She had some idea and wanted to be supportive without overcommitting. She could barely get into the office before lunchtime with a nanny at home to help out with the ones they already had. Where would she get the energy to handle four? To openly say yes would be disingenuous, not a label she cared to have. “Let’s think about this. If we get Andre, how am I going to manage home and the office? I might be good at a lot of things, but superwoman I am not.”

  Dave placed his hand on top of hers, sandwiching it. “Let’s face it. You are the glue in our family.”

  After years of marriage, Dave could still melt her resolve, not that he was trying to manipulate her. It wasn’t his style, but either way, the words of appreciation saturated her soul, softening her emphatic no to a strong maybe.

  “I can’t imagine our children being without us. Can you?” Dave asked.

  He was right. Andre shouldn’t be in the world alone when there were people out there who claimed to love him. That was it, done, he’d won. They had to take Andre in. What was love if it didn’t transform into tangible help when needed? “Okay, I’ll go along with you.”

  “Doesn’t sound too convincing,” he said, caressing her hand.

  She pulled her hand away and gently slapped it against her other one. “No, I really do mean it. Let’s get him, because you’re right. I can’t imagine our children being alone when there’s someone out there who could help them. It’s the right thing to do.” Dave stood to give Madeline a hug with his arms extended. She stood too. Before falling into his embrace, she said, “Just because it’s the right thing to do, doesn’t make it the easiest.”

  “I understand.” he said. “So, let’s figure out how to make this work for you, because I don’t want you under too much pressure. I know we’ve talked about this many times, but what about having a nanny live in? As a matter of fact, if Ms. Jenkins can’t extend her hours, well then, we’ll find two or three other nannies to help out. Whatever you need, I want to get for you,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

  “Dave, you know how I feel about relying on someone else to take care of my babies,” she said, taking a step back so their gazes could connect. “Plus, it’s more than the children at home that’s making this difficult. It’s also DMI. I can’t walk away from my fourth child after so many years of us nurturing the company and building it from scratch. I look forward to coming here every day, rolling up my sleeves, and getting into the trenches with you and the team. DMI is as much a part of my life as taking care of our children.” She went to the windows and stared out. “But honestly, I’m already struggling with keeping all the balls in the air. Adding one more ball to the mix is bound to be too much for me.” Before Dave could respond, Madeline continued. “But look,” she said, pressing her index finger across his lips. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to rehash the discussion. Andre is coming to live with us and that’s final. I want him here, and I will do everything I can to make him feel welcomed.”

  “If you need to take a sabbatical, do it.”

  “No way, you need me here,” she immediately responded. Dave didn’t have to tell her how much he relied on her at DMI. She’d crunched numbers, created fliers, developed plans, and had done everything else short of washing windows. She would have done that too if necessary for DMI to get to where it needed to be. Leaving her professional baby was going to be hard.

  “I do need you here, but I can’t ask you to sacrifice unless I’m willing to do the same. I’ll be able to manage around here until you can come back.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, coming closer to him again.

  “I’ll have to be, won’t I? If this is God’s plan, he will provide for DMI,” he said as she leaned against him and let the strength of their bond wrestle with the anxiety that was beginning to brew. Mothering a four-year-old, five-year-old, and seven-year-old was hard enough. Just thinking about the chaos that would come from adding a ten-year-old added to the brood was exhausting. Madeline leaned in tighter, recognizing that this might be the last breath of solace she’d taste for a long time.

  Chapter 4

  At seven o’clock, Dave pulled into the circular driveway, stopping at the front door. Madeline was right behind him until she veered off and went toward the bay of garages. He sat in the car for an extra couple of seconds, not accustomed to seeing Mayweather Lane during the daylight. Even in the summer, when the days were their longest, he didn’t catch much sunlight leaving at six o’clock in the morning (sometimes five when necessary) and returning at 10:00 P.M. As the summer yielded to autumn, it was worse. He tapped on the steering wheel, pondering. He hadn’t given much thought
to the amount of time he spent away from home. After a few more moments of rest, Madeline opened the front door, beckoning for him to come in. Tamara and Don stood near the door too.

  “Daddy, Daddy,” Tamara called out, flailing her hands in the air. Don was holding his blanket and mimicking his sister. Dave’s heart warmed. God had blessed him and silently he thanked Him. Dave hopped out and walked briskly toward the door. The children met him halfway with Tamara leaping into his arms. As soon as he had her sitting securely with her arms wrapped lightly around his neck, he lifted Don with the other arm, juggling both as he entered the house.

  “Since you have them, let me go find Sam. He’s probably watching TV somewhere.” Madeline walked away as Dave struggled trying to balance the two kids in his arm. They fidgeted, giggled, and incessantly talked in his ear, both at the same time. As chaotic as it was making a few steps into the foyer, he felt alive, appreciated. “Oh, and I’ll let Ms. Jenkins know that she can leave early tonight, for a change,” Madeline said, turning to him.

  “Okay, but remember that I have to go back to the office tonight. We have to get our response back to the new client tomorrow,” Dave said, not wanting to dampen the mood.

  “No, no, stay with us,” Tamara said. “I’m not going to get down. You’ll have to hold me right here until tomorrow.”

  “Me too,” Don said in his little voice.

  “Knew that,” Madeline said and left the room.

  He sensed something in her tone, not sure if it was frustration, anger, exhaustion, or all the above. That’s why he had to convince her to take the time off and stay home with the children, even though it was going to be tough managing without Madeline sitting two doors away.

  Dave eventually made it to the staircase and attempted to sit the children down, but Tamara wouldn’t let go. Don was more accommodating and went without much resistance.