Redeeming Heart by Pat Simmons

uniform.
    “Hey, Tavie. Have you seen Landon?” Kai
dragged out his name, then capped it with a smile.
    “I haven’t, but when I see him, I’ll tell him
you asked about him.”
    That seemed to make Kai’s day as she beamed.
“Do that.”
    Deb shoved her. “Girl, please. Find a man who
will at least iron his shirt.”
    “Sisters, please,” Octavia jumped in. “As
Pastor Willis would say, ‘Let’s focus on Christ.’”
    To be a part of any auxiliary at Jesus the
Shepherd Church, the pastor required members to represent Christ
completely in soul and spirit, and come to Him with a clean heart
when performing a service or sit out. He didn’t tolerate
foolishness when it came to God.
    “You’re right,” the two agreed with Octavia,
then Deb led them in prayer before they joined the praise singers
in the sanctuary. “Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus, forgive us of
thoughts and deeds that don’t reflect You and sanctify our minds to
draw lost sheep to the Shepherd in Your holy name, Jesus.”
    They mumbled their amens. They entered the
auditorium, swaying to the music. “His Majesty Is Here” was her
favorite song as she imagined King David dancing before the Lord
and the twenty-four elders bowing down and worshiping the Lamb as
described in the Book of Revelation.
    Octavia inhaled the words when the song
alerted the congregation that the Majesty was in their presence. By
the time it ended, she was always blurry eyed and in awe. Back in
the changing room, she composed herself and slipped back into her
dress.
    Deb joined her husband while Octavia and Kai
sat together whenever they praise danced. Pastor Willis made his
way to the podium to welcome guests and make a few announcements
before opening his Bible. “Let’s turn to Matthew 25.” He paused
while the congregation complied. “We’ve all heard the parable about
the ten virgins who knew the groom was coming but still weren’t
ready. Don’t let that happen on your watch. Whether you know or
don’t believe, Jesus is coming back. Consider this your public
service announcement. Be prepared with the Holy Ghost, which is the
oil mentioned in Matthew….” As he preached, there was a hush
throughout the sanctuary.
    “The Lord is sending out warning signs. Is
your soul ready? We talk about being prepared for disasters, but
what about the great disaster that will destroy both body and soul
mentioned in Luke 12:5. God is soon to come in the blink of an eye,
or before our next breath.”
    As Pastor Willis pleaded for souls to repent,
Octavia didn’t know when the sermon ended and the altar call began,
but she closed her Bible as dozens walked down the aisle for
prayer, baptism or to seek the Holy Ghost. This portion of the
service was always festive with celebration and high energy, and
Octavia never wanted it to end, but she had another engagement, so
after the offering and benediction, she and Kai hugged and said
their goodbyes.
    She waved at Deb and her husband, Cedric, as
she crossed the parking lot. Her stomach growled as she slid behind
the wheel of her car and blasted the air. There would be light
refreshments at the upscale mixer that was by invitation only for
Million Dollar Club real estate agents and their guests. There
weren’t many African-American agents in attendance—sometimes by
choice, other times by exclusion.
    Every year, Octavia always came up short in
home sales to make the achievement, but Terri, who had made the
Million Dollar Club countless times, tried to keep her in the loop
about these functions, which were pivotal in reaching that
goal.
    Twenty minutes later, she checked her
appearance in the mirror and refreshed her lip gloss. Her ball was
still intact after her dance routine and the wrinkles to her simple
white dress were minimal. Taking a deep breath, she said a quick
prayer that God would open doors to get more business. Before the
year was out, she wanted to make the Million Dollar Club. So far
her house sales barely