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“Just the family. The restaurant has been pretty busy, and I am a little tired, so I called in reinforcements.”
“Oh, okay,” she says, but she still sounds skeptical. I go back to cooking like I am too busy to see her watching me. Less than an hour later, the family begins coming in for dinner, and it quickly becomes a loud shit-talking event. I call Praise in to have dinner with us, and she sits there watching the mayhem taking place at the table.
“Okay, can we do what we came here to do, please?”
“I guess,” I say to Joyce’s strongly spoken words.
“Praise,” her head snaps up, startled, looking around the table.
“Praise, let me tell you a story,” Joyce begins, “I had one of the worse mothers a person could get, and because of that, I spent the majority of my twenties in and out of shelters just trying to survive. Now I do not know your story, and if you do not wish to share it, that is certainly your right, but I want you to know that as of today, your being alone is over. I am here; we are here to help you with whatever it is you are dealing with.”
Praise looks on the verge of either breaking down or breaking out. I am willing to say both. “Real subtle Joy,” Joseph says.
“She does not have time for us to be subtle,” she tells us. “She has trails to blaze, life to live, and things to do. This family is one of the best things to happen to me, and I almost messed it up by being stupid and stubborn. What I am telling you is do not waste time being proud; whatever you are carrying, you have done an amazing job thus far at your age, but it is not a coincidence that you crossed paths with this family, with me. So, if you could have one thing that you need, that would change everything for you, what would it be?”
Praise sits there, not saying a single word like she is having an internal battle on what she should do.
“No one is here to judge you. Praise, we just want to help. You did not fail; you did not ask for the help we are offering. There is no failure in accepting help; let us help you.”
“My mom’s medical care,” she says just above a whisper.
“Where is she?” Josh asks with no hesitation.
“Strong Home,” she says in a whisper. Josh pulls his phone out, standing to move from the table.
“Now, do you want to stay at the shelter, or would you like an apartment of your own?”
“You were paying this bill all on your own? Josh asks.
“Yes, that is why I was homeless. All my money went to her bills and my insurance, and I would like to have a place of my own.” She answers both questions just before letting the entire story spill out of her. If it is one thing this family knows is loss and responsibility; for us, it’s family over everything, and we learned early on that family is made from more than just blood, but through love and community. Praise will be fine from here on out; whether she likes it or not, she has gained a huge new family that will make sure of it.
“Peter’s wife Lennox will examine your mother and her charts to make sure everything that can be done for her is being done. You can have an apartment in one of the new complexes we have built; since you no longer have that huge monthly medical bill to contend with, you should be able to pay rent. Or you can decide to rent to own one of our homes and have your mother live with you with round-the-clock care.” Josh says, taking charge even though this intervention was Joyce’s doing. “Don’t try to make the decision right now. You have time. In the meantime, your mother’s stay at Strong Home is paid for the next six months, which should give you enough time to make a decision. There is a vacant, fully furnished apartment you can stay in for the time being. Take the next six months to get back on your feet and think about what you want. Fair?”
“More than fair! I don’t know how to repay you,” she says, crying.
“My brother saw something in you when he chose you to cook at the school over classically trained chefs, and my sister recognized a kindred spirit. If you want to repay us, be who they see in you. Umpf,” he says as Praise runs over to him and hugs him.
“Thank you so much, I prayed so hard for help, for Him to lighten the load, and He sent me you all. I will not let any of you down.” She says, hugging me and Joyce.
“Oh, and the women got together to buy you a car; it’s not much, but it will get you from point A to point B.”
“I wouldn’t care if I had to use my feet to power it; it is way more than what I have now,”
“Well, here are the keys to your car, which is outside, and to your apartment. You’ll have ninety days to get the car registered and insured in your name. We don’t want to overwhelm you more than we have, so take your time. Now we didn’t get our dessert, so have a seat and let’s eat the peach cobbler cheesecake you made.” Joyce tells her.
Thirteen
Four Weeks Later
Parker
I check my outfit again. My nerves are horrible. As soon as my parents got back to the states, my mother was calling to schedule this dinner so they could meet Jaasiel.
“I am calling to tell you that I am cooking dinner for you and your young man. I will see y’all here Sunday afternoon at three.” My momma declared right before she hung up without waiting for a response.
She asked on several occasions about bringing Jaasiel to dinner for her and my dad to meet him, and I rescheduled several times, so I guess she is over my shenanigans.
“You look fine, baby. Stop fussing.”
