9. Solomon
I pulled up to Northwest Care Center with one agenda: to check me a nigga.
It wasn't just what he said to Temple.
Nah.
This was for all the women in this facility I knew probably suffered at the hands of his harassment.
She was the main reason, though. Wasn't no nigga about to talk to my wife like that and thought there wouldn't be consequences behind that.
I was the consequence.
As soon as I walked in, I noticed the same receptionist who flirted with me last time sitting at the desk. She looked up at me with those same flirty eyes that wasn't giving sexy at all.
“You're back, huh?” she asked, batting those spider legs she had on her eyes. “Temple’s not in today.”
“I know. I got an appointment with your boss. Is he in?”
“He is.”
I raised an eyebrow at her when she just sat there staring at me like she didn't know what to do next.
“I’ll find him on my own. Thanks.” I walked through the door in the lobby while she yelled after me. I didn't hear anything she said as I walked down the hall, opening doors until I finally found the one he was located in.
He and his wife paused as soon as I entered, seemingly stopping an argument.
“Can I help you with something?” he asked. I didn't wait or hesitate when I walked up to him, took my foot, and kicked him right in his family jewels as he howled in pain. Before he could fall, I grabbed him by the back of his neck and slammed his face into the desk, pressing down on it.
“What the hell are you doing? Get off of him!” his wife yelled. I was trained in combat, so I saw her coming. I instantly pulled my gun and pointed it at her.
“Respectfully, back the hell up before I blow a hole in your kneecap.”
Her palms shot up in the air as she screamed, “I'm calling the police!”
“Call them. I’ll wait for them to pull up too.” Turning my attention back to Mr. Perv, I applied more pressure to his pressure points while he cried for me to let him go. “So you like sexually harassing women, huh?”
“I-I don't-know what you're talking about!”
“Oh, you don't. So you didn't ask my lady to come do a private party for you and your friends this Friday? I guess you didn't ask her to have sex with you either, did you?”
“She’s lying! I ne—ahhh!” He screamed when I swiftly tucked my gun, took his finger and broke it in two places.
“Lie again,” I warned. I lifted him from the desk and pushed him down in the chair. He sat slouched over and crying while holding his hand.
“Now, what I need you to do is apologize for disrespecting her. Do I make myself clear?”
He didn't speak, and I pulled my gun back out, putting it to his head. “I'll splatter your brains all over this wall and tell the cops it was self-defense. Do. I. Make. Myself clear?”
“Y-yeah! I hear you, man!”
I pulled out my cell, scrolled down to Temple’s name, and hit call.
The phone rang four times before she picked up.
“Hey, you.”
“What's up, wifey. I got somebody here who’d like to say something to you.” I kicked him in his shin as he cried out.
“I-I'm sorry!”
“Elaborate,” I told him.
“For saying those things to you. I’ll never do it again.”
Temple was quiet.
“Did you hear him, mamas?”
“I did. I don't accept.”
“Beauty, if you don't accept, I'm going to be forced to put this man in the hospital.”
“No, don't. It's okay, Solomon. I'm going to get my retribution; you didn't have to do that.”
“I absolutely did. No one is going to disrespect you as long as I'm around.”
“Don't do anything else, please. Thank you for sticking up for me, but I'll take it from here.”
“You sure? I can break his legs—”
“I'm sure, bookie.”
“A’ight. I'll talk to you soon, my love.”
“Okay.”
I hung up and looked down at him writhing in pain.
“You better thank the Big Homie and his riders that she didn't press that go button. I bet you think twice about sexually harassing another woman in here. Now I gotta go repent because of you.” I mushed him in his head then turned to leave.
Before I walked out, I looked at his wife who stood with her face all twisted up in anger.
“He doesn't love you. He's only with you out of obligation. Big G told me to deliver that message to you.”
“Get out.”
“Don't shoot the messenger.” I smiled at her and walked out of the office to everyone standing around looking shocked, and some looked proud.
He'd better be glad I was a changed man because the old me would have put a bullet where the sun didn't shine.
When I got to my truck, I sat there for a moment. I knew what I had done was wrong, and my heart was heavy with conviction.
There was a better way to handle that, but the moment she told me what he said, I'd already made up my mind that I had to defend my future wife’s honor. Although He said in His word that vengeance was His, I took it upon myself to speed up the process.
“Forgive me, Big Homie. I'm still a work in progress.
I try every day to be a better man than I was yesterday.
Give me a sign that this is the woman I'm supposed to pursue. I need Your guidance and wisdom to help me make the right choices. Amen.” I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
Thirty minutes later, I found myself in the parking lot of Principles of Faith Baptist Church. Temple had called me twice, but I couldn't answer right now. I had to get some insight about how to handle this thing with her.
I had never been one to judge, even when I wasn't living right, but it wasn't lost upon me that the woman I had already fallen for came with many warning labels.
I got out and went inside the building. I had already called Pastor Daniels before I got here, to ask him for a quick session. After confirming that it was okay to pull up, here I was, trying to gain some clarity about this thing with Temple.
I walked down the hall until I reached his office. The door was already open, and he was focused on his computer. I tapped on the doorframe, and he looked up at me.
“Solomon. Come on in.”
I stepped inside, walked over to his desk, and extended my hand to him.
“Grand rising, Pastor D.”
“Grand rising, son. Have a seat.”
I took a seat in front of his desk and sighed.
“Your spirit is heavy, son. Talk to me.”
“I need some guidance and reassurance. I, um, found someone that I'm very interested in, but already I have done too many things that go against the man that I'm still working on becoming.”
He leaned back in his chair. “You want to elaborate more about it?”
“For one, I know she's not a woman of God, but she does believe there's a higher power.
Second, she kissed me, and it took me praying all the way home so I wouldn't go back to her house and give her what I know she's been begging for since I met her.
Third, she confided in me and told me that her boss sexually harassed her, so I pulled up, laid hands on him, and made him apologize to her.
“I don't know, Pastor D. Maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew with this woman, but I can't turn away. It's only been a week and a half, three dates, and she’s already disrupting my pattern.”
He didn't speak for a long moment as he clicked his pen a few times before placing his elbows on his desk.
“What are you hoping to gain from this pursuit of her? After knowing what you know about her, what is the end goal that you're seeking?”
I chuckled lightly. “You know I want a wife, a family.”
“And do you see that with her?”
“I do,” I said without hesitation. “She’s beautiful and funny. She’s a good conversationalist and very thoughtful. I can see us going far if she could just brush off the learned behavior and be the woman I know she can be.”
He nodded. “Sometimes, the enemy comes dressed in pretty packages. As long as you walk this path, he’s going to test your faith every day.
He wants to see you fall off the wagon, so he’ll send people your way to prove a point that you aren't strong enough for this.
He knows that the flesh is weak; he knows what you struggle with and knows where you're trying to go with this.
“She may check every box on the physical list, but is she ready to commit and lean not unto her own understanding of what's happening between you two? Is she willing to make the sacrifice of becoming the woman you need her to be for you?”
I rubbed my beard in deep thought. I didn't think to ask her any of this because I was distracted by her vibe.
Temple reminded me of a past I walked away from, and maybe that was why I was so attracted to her.
I didn't want to say that the enemy sent her to me to knock me off my square, but she certainly had the potential to make me do things I knew I shouldn't do.
She didn't ask me to go beat up her boss, but I felt compelled to do it because of my feelings for her. That didn't mean she was good for me, though.
“I can't answer that. I just know that I like her a lot and want this to work between us.”
“I'm going to ask you two questions. Do you think the only reason you like her is because of the familiarity she provides? Why do you want it to work with her when there are plenty of women of God who may be readily available to you?”
“I can't really answer your second question, but I see God must be talking to you with the first.” I chuckled mirthlessly. “To answer the first, yes. I think her spirit may be familiar with my old one, but I see her potential. She may need a little work, but I’m up for the challenge of helping her along the way.”
“Are you? If her end goal isn't the same as yours, then it'll only be time wasted when it comes to setting everything in stone.
I see you have already made up your mind to continue this pursuit of her, but just be careful with this.
You have been doing a great job on your journey, and she's already making you venture off that path.
What's her name? I'm going to add both of your names to the prayer list.”
“Temple Newman.”
His eyes bore into me before he smiled lightly.
“I knew it from the moment you two saw each other.
Her grandmother comes here every Sunday and prays for those Newman girls.
Temple used to come here a lot with her grandmother and was heavily into her faith.
Once Sister Lula fell ill, Temple found herself on the other side.
“She lost her way, but I don't doubt that with your strength, prayers, and patience, you will be able to draw her back to the winning team should you decide to continue seeing her.”
“Hmph,” I mumbled. The information he provided left me with a lot to think about. I wanted her, that I couldn't deny, but my only conflicting thought was if I would be strong enough to continue to be the man I fought so hard to become.
She made me weak, and I knew I'd have to go into deep prayer about us moving forward.
I stood and held my hand out to him again. “Thanks, Pastor D. I have a lot to think about.”
“That you do, son. Always remember, a man who finds a wife finds a good thing. Temple's a good woman, just lost her way along the way. I don't have a doubt that you'll be able to bring her back where she belongs.”
“I'm going to try my best.” I bid him a good day and headed to my office to meet with a potential client.
Whatever you're doing, Big Homie, I’m going to let Your will be done. If she’s for me, send me a sign.