You Can't Play God

By Angel Hunt

Atlanta-native, Lamesha Beeson, was raised in the church all her life. When she meets Calvin Johnson, the devil raises his ugly head and Lamesha strays away from her faith. Her mother tries to warn her about Calvin, but Lamesha is hearing none of it. Stealing, lying, boozing, and fornicating — Lamesha becomes familiar with doing all of those things. When Lamesha's finally forced to face the reality of the type of man Calvin really is and the reality of just how far she's fallen from grace, she can't believe just how foul she's been living. But Lamesha's been blessed to have a praying mother and best friend who loves her. Slowly, but surely, Lamesha begins to see that it might just be possible for her to turn her life around and come back into the fold. And she also comes to realize that through the very handsome and saved doctor that she's met — Dr. Donovan Walker — God just might be trying to send a true love her way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Urban Christian Books
• Release date: Apr 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781540190789

Book preview

DEDICATION

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God is the very first person I'd like to thank for giving me the inspiration and the drive to write this book. The next group of people I'd like to thank is my family, friends, and fans. I'm thanking you all for your support. It took all of you in order for this book to happen and for it to be successful.

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May the Lord bless each and every one of you.

INTRODUCING THE STORY:

Atlanta-native, Lamesha Beeson, was raised in the church all her life. When she meets Calvin Johnson, the devil raises his ugly head and Lamesha strays away from her faith. Her mother tries to warn her about Calvin, but Lamesha is hearing none of it. Stealing, lying, boozing, and fornicating — Lamesha becomes familiar with doing all of those things. When Lamesha's finally forced to face the reality of the type of man Calvin really is and the reality of just how far she's fallen from grace, she can't believe just how foul she's been living. But Lamesha's been blessed to have a praying mother and best friend who loves her. Slowly, but surely, Lamesha begins to see that it might just be possible for her to turn her life around and come back into the fold. And she also comes to realize that through the very handsome and saved doctor that she's met — Dr. Donovan Walker — God just might be trying to send a true love her way.

CHAPTER ONE

You Can't Play God

Lamesha walked over to her closet and pulled out the pair of brand new designer jeans that her boyfriend, Calvin, had bought for her. Then she grabbed the off-the-shoulder, belly-baring shirt. The outfit wasn't anything that she normally would've worn — after all she'd had a strict Christian upbringing — but she thought it would be okay to rock it seeing that she had a body that could pull it off.

She smiled as she studied her reflection in her bedroom mirror. Five foot five, with curves in all the right places and a slender waist — she knew she looked good.

She took her time putting on her makeup —  she wanted to make sure that her look that particular evening was more than on point. She leaned into the mirror and glued on her false eyelashes. Then she thought to herself: Calvin ain't gonna keep giving up dollars on clothes and things for me if I'm running up out of here looking all crazy. I gotta keep it cute for my man.

With her face finally beat to her satisfaction, she grabbed her new purse and began transferring things from her old one into it. Then she made her way towards her bedroom door and downstairs.

Lamesha, is that you coming down them stairs, girl?

Oh hell, Lamesha said in her head. I was hoping to make it out of here without running into her behind.

She knew she couldn't ignore her mama, so she hid her frown and said, Yeah, it's me.

Diana Beeson made it from the kitchen and to the staircase. Can you come help me clean that refrigerator out? The service man is coming in the morning and I need it to be done before then.

Lamesha shook her head at her mother. Then she pressed her lips into an ugly-looking frown. Um, no...I can’t right now, Mama. Calvin’s about to pick me up. You know I told you we were going out on a date tonight. I told you that this morning.

Diana shook her head at her only child, her daughter. You need to stop hanging out with that boy, Lamesha. He ain’t no good. Got you running around here doing things that you ought not be doing.

Lamesha frowned. I knew I shoulda kept my big mouth shut. Now here we go again. My mama talking mess about Calvin. Ain’t nothing at all wrong with Calvin, Mama. You just too uptight. That’s all.

Uptight? There’s nothing uptight about me, li’l girl. I’m just trying to live a righteous lifestyle like the good book tells us to do. Her eyes met her daughter’s. "You should know all about that...about the good book. Despite how crazy you running ‘round here acting, I did raise yo’ little narrow, sinful behind up in the church."

Eighteen-year old Lamesha rolled her eyes. Can we not go there, mama?

Diana thinned her lips together. Then she said. We going there alright. I’m not about to just willingly hand my only child over to Satan. There’s gonna be some protest coming from out of my mouth. I’m not gonna just sit by and watch idly as you slip down the cliff and straight into hell. Diana pointed her finger at Lamesha. And while we on the subject of Calvin, I don’t want that boy stepping foot into my house...not for any reason. You hear me, girl? Don’t bring him up in here.

Diana paused for a second to purse her lips together in another frown then continued speaking. You might be eighteen, but just as long as you living under my roof, you gone be following my rules. If you thinking different, you can move out.

Diana figured that threatening her daughter with moving out was her ace in the hole. She knew for sure that Lamesha didn’t have anywhere to move to and that her part-time job wouldn’t foot any bills. So she was convinced that issuing the threat was a good way to try to keep her child safe and under her control.

I think I done had about enough of my mama and her attitude towards me dating Calvin, Lamesha thought to herself. She narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and looked directly at her mother. You don’t have to sit back and watch me slide down no path to hell, Mama. Calvin asked me to move in with him. I wasn’t gonna do it, but with the way things are between you and me, I think it’s the best thing for everybody involved.

Diana didn’t say a word. A part of herself wanted to offer her daughter an olive branch. A part of her wanted to say: Sit down Lamesha, let’s talk about this situation...you don’t have to move out. But her pride got in the way and kept her from saying anything like that at all. Instead, she brought her eyebrows together in disapproval and let the devil take over of her thoughts. Oh, she think she grown enough to be talking smack to me and disrespecting me in my own house. I think it’s about time for me to let Little Miss Thang gone about her way and reap what she wants to sow...daughter or not.

Diana threw her hands up in the air and shook her head. Then she said, You do what you have to do, Lamesha. You hear me? Do whatever you feel like you need to do. I done did my job of raising you. Lord knows I did the best I could.

<<<<<>>>>>

The Next Day:

Girl. Do you really think that  moving out of your mama’s place and into Calvin’s is a good idea?

Lamesha cut her eyes at her bestie. Yes, I do. Then she pointed her finger at her girl. And before you try to bring any of that holy roly ish into it...you can’t talk. You living with your boyfriend. In other words, you shacking up with Tyrese and his mama. And I know for a fact that he tapping that ass almost e’ery night.

Why you gotta crack on me like that, Mesha? You know I didn’t have no choice but to go live with Tyrese. I grew up in foster care...aged out of the system. Them folks down at social services don’t give a damn about you once you graduate from high school and hit eighteen. A look of disgust made its way across the pretty girl’s face. Unfortunately I can’t make enough at my part-time job at Mickey D’s to support myself while I’m trying to get my Associates Degree at the community college. If I didn’t want to be living out on the streets, I had to move in with him.

Yvette frowned and began thinking back over her life. Being pushed from foster home to foster home and sometimes being homeless, she hadn’t done too well in high school. She’d barely graduated by the skin of her teeth a year earlier. She’d put in some applications to some four year colleges — she’d been hoping to get financial aid so that she could live on campus — but her grades had been too low to get into a four-year institution. In other words, all of her applications had been turned down. But the local community college had accepted her.

Yvette finally shook her head and sighed. Alright, Lamesha. You do you. But Imma tell you right now...I think you making a big mistake. If I had a mama who halfway cared about me — you know like you do — and all I had to do was listen to her run her mouth from time to time, I’d have my butt up in her house right now. You hear me, boo? Right now. I wouldn’t be giving her no lip back either.

Lamesha heard Yvette