In the Name of the Father

By Allyson Olivia

In life our capacity to love and our ability to receive love is learned from those who nurture us. It is cultivated and sometimes destroyed by observing the two people who love us the most. In the Name of the Father is about a young woman named Joy. She brings the baggage of her parents' failed marriage into all of her relationships. Will she choo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penvision Ink
• Release date: Aug 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9780985021726

Allyson Olivia

Allyson Olivia, a native of Baltimore, Maryland aspires to encourage children. She believes children will thrive when given a voice in this world. She hopes every person will see the importance of encouraging and guiding young hearts and minds.

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In the Name of the Father

Copyright © 2014

Allyson Olivia Ringgold

Cover and interior design by Ryan Scheife / Mayfly Design

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.® NIV.® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. Brief quotations in printed reviews are also permitted. Except as permitted above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBNs: 978-0-9850217-0-2 (hardcover); 978-0-9850217-1-9 (paperback); 978-0-9850217-2-6 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014908075 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Published by Penvision Ink, LLC www.penvisionink.com

Contents

Acknowledgments

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Acknowledgments

Above all else, I thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me life. Lord, thank you for blessing me with the ability to dream. If I could write a million books and fill them with praise, it could never be enough to thank you for all you have done for me.

I thank my mom for believing in my dreams, even when I started to let them fade. Your love and support has shaped me into the woman I am today. I thank my brother for being excited about all my ideas and projects. I thank my father for loving me unconditionally. I also thank my family members and friends who have always encouraged me. Finally, to all who have helped me along the way, I want to thank you for this journey.

Special Thanks

Corey Richburg, photographer — Cover Artwork

Tre’Lynn Photography — Back Cover Picture

Dedication

This work of fiction is dedicated to my husband. Thank you for loving me as described in 1 Corinthians 13:1–8. I pray our love will always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere. You love me like Christ loves the church, and I cannot ask for more.

In loving memory of Granny Willeen Shields. Your legacy will live in my heart forever. You meant so much to God that He took you from earth while you were dreaming. You are my angel.

In loving memory of Cousin Lisa and Aunt Fuzzy. Your love will always live in our hearts.

This is dedicated to every person who has ever had to release their past to love in the present.

Chapter One

I can’t believe you’re getting married in less than an hour, Pam said as she placed the short white veil on Angel’s head to complement her hair styled into a large, neat chignon.

Angel paused and forced her lips to form a smile, but didn’t say a word.

Are you excited?

I think I’m making a mistake by marrying Lester, Angel admitted.

Then don’t marry him. I’ll tell everyone at the church to go home and that there’s nothing to see here.

No, it’s too late. We purchased a house and it would just be a mess to turn back now. I love him, but something hit me hard this morning as I prayed.

What hit you?

I realized I never prayed about marrying Lester. I fell in love and went with the flow, but as I prayed this morning a feeling came over me like knots twisting in my stomach and I threw up.

Maybe that’s just cold feet.

I don’t know, but it will be okay. I love Lester and I’m sure things will only get better as we begin to spend our lives together, because this is until death do us part.

Yeah, that’s what I said when I got married the first time. Pam laughed as she dabbed Angel’s face with pressed powder to reduce the shine from her perspiring skin.

You’re a mess, you know that? But that’s why I love you and wouldn’t have anyone else be my matron of honor.

As Angel stared in the mirror while Pam put the finishing touches on her makeup, she thought about the night she met Lester and how they got engaged.

Since Angel and her girlfriends wanted to listen to live music and dance the night away, they resolved to spend a Friday night on December 26, 1975, at the popular spot Tony’s in downtown Baltimore.

Looks like it’s going to be a fun time. There’s a good crowd tonight, Angel said as she surveyed the club to predict the chances of meeting a gentleman worth her time.

They found a table close to the bar and were seated for a few moments. Swaying and snapping her fingers to the band’s smooth sound, tapping her feet to the beat, Angel couldn’t sit still. She was ready to hit the dance floor.

Listen up, everybody, the DJ announced. We have a birthday boy in the house tonight. Everybody, put your hands together for my man Lester. Happy birthday, Lester.

After the announcement, Angel positioned herself to get a good look at the birthday boy in the spotlight. He is one fine man, Angel thought, then started swinging her hips to the music again. Wonder where the good-looking birthday boy disappeared to? Just as she began to scan the room for Lester, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Angel turned and tried not to smile as wide as her heart was pounding.

You know it’s my birthday, and that means you owe me a birthday dance, Lester said as he extended his hand toward Angel. What’s your name, beautiful?

Thank you. My name is Angel. She blushed and shook Lester’s hand.

That’s a fitting name for a woman as stunning as you are, but I’m sure you hear that a lot.

Thank you. Angel smiled.

I noticed you when you arrived with your girlfriends, and I planned to get close enough to see if you were wearing a rock on your ring finger, or if it was bare and I had a chance to get to know you or at least have the honor of a dance.

As you can see my ring finger is bare.

May I have this dance, Angel?

You never told me your name. Angel smiled as she leaned in to hear this handsome man’s name.

Oh, I apologize. I thought you remembered it from the DJ wishing me a happy birthday. It’s Lester.

Okay, Lester, Mr. Birthday Boy, let’s dance. Angel popped up from her stool like she had something to prove on the dance floor.

Lester took her hand as they walked onto the dance floor. The couple was picture-perfect as they danced the night away. Lester stood six-foot-two and weighed 185 pounds. His brown skin was smooth with only a neatly trimmed mustache to distract from his dark brown, piercing eyes. He was sharp from the top of his head to his wing-tip shoes.

Angel was average in stature, but she made up for her five-foot-five height by wearing three-inch stilettos. Her almond skin was like butter. It was accented with just enough makeup to illuminate her natural beauty. Her long black hair was twisted in a large cluster of curls neatly pinned up in a classic coiffure. Her dark brown, doe-like eyes were surrounded by long black lashes. Her luscious lips were coated with a deep-red lipstick hiding her white teeth until she smiled. She was also dressed to impress and everything was in place, from the pins in her hair to the fierce shoes that matched her dress. She didn’t blend in with the crowd, but defined it.

There is something different about you. I’m not sure what it is, but I like it. Can I see you again, Ms. Angel? What’s your last name? Lester asked when the music stopped and the emcee announced the club was shutting down.

As the lights blinked on and everyone adjusted their eyes to the bright room, Angel pulled away from Lester’s chest where she had rested her head during the last slow song.

It’s Sword, and you can see me again, Mr. Lester. Angel grinned as she waited for Lester to reveal his last name.

It’s Noble.

It would be Noble, wouldn’t it? Angel thought this was too good to be true.

It is and I am. You can bet on that.

Well, Mr. Noble, I’m not a betting woman, but I’ll take your word for it.

Oh, if you’re not a betting woman, then what are you?

I’m saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. That beats a betting woman any day, Angel said as she scribbled her number on a napkin she’d grabbed from the bar buried behind the empty glasses and ashtrays piled high with cigarette butts.

Ah, a Holy Roller who is fine and likes to dance, that’s an interesting combination. Lester laughed as he happily took Angel’s number.

It was nice meeting you, Angel. I see your friends are waiting for you across the room by the exit to make sure you’re okay, so I’ll say goodnight.

It was nice meeting you, too, Lester. Have a good night and be safe. Angel shook his hand and played down her excitement until she was out of Lester’s sight.

When Angel and her friends got outside they immediately grilled her about Lester. They covered all the bases from his last name to his job. But the most important question was if she gave Lester her number. Now they would have to wait and watch their story unfold. In the car ride from the club, Angel replayed every moment from the encounter at least twenty times.

When Lester called the following Monday, the conversation between the two came easy. They didn’t have to find things to discuss because they had everything to explore, since they were starting from scratch.

Do you attend church? Angel asked, praying Lester’s answer would be yes. She didn’t want to date anyone who wasn’t living for God, but she already liked him and was hoping he wasn’t an atheist because that was a deal breaker.

I attend occasionally, but I’ve been meaning to go more often. I know the Lord and I read the Bible. You don’t have to worry your pretty self, I’m not a heathen.

Lester, you know that’s what all heathens say. Angel laughed at her own joke like she often did.

That was funny. You got me.

Their chats were comforting to Angel and she began to let her guard down, though she never really had it up where Lester was concerned. Lester pulled out all the stops when they started dating. He sent long-stemmed roses to her job, left romantic notes on her car and cards on her doorstep, took her out to dinner almost every night, and lavished her with expensive gifts. His thoughtfulness combined with his gorgeous smile made Angel feel like she could spend the rest of her life with this man.

He had a promising career with the Department of Social Services as a social worker. He didn’t have any children, had his own apartment, treated her like royalty, and said all the right things. The only thing that bothered Angel about Lester was his attempt to conceal his previous marriage.

She found out he was divorced six months after they’d started dating. Lester’s older sister, Reese, pulled Angel aside one evening at dinner and told her she was too good for her brother. She shared that Lester was married before and made a mess of that relationship and ruined the woman’s life. She warned her to leave Lester alone before it was too late. Angel always resented him for not sharing that information early on in their relationship, but she was head-over-heels in love by the time she found out and she wasn’t turning back.

She wanted to spend the rest of her life as Mrs. Lester Noble. Lester also wanted to spend the rest of his life with Angel, although he never formally proposed. Instead of asking her father for his blessing and getting down on one knee, he just decided they were going to get married.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, he made an announcement to their family and friends that they were getting married. Angel was surprised and excited by the announcement because she hadn’t had a clue. She wished Lester had proposed and presented her with an engagement ring before he announced it to everyone, but she cared more about getting married than the formalities.

Inhaling and exhaling slowly, Angel’s chest went up and down as she breathed deeply, taking in her last few breaths as a single woman.

Are you sure you want to go through with this? Pam asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Yes, I’m sure. Everyone is waiting. I’m ready. Angel stood in her plain, white knee-length dress and did a final look in the full-length mirror as Ms. Angel Sword. She added another bobby pin to the neatly positioned chignon at the nape of her neck and picked up the bouquet of fresh flowers bound by white satin ribbon.

The wedding was at an intimate Baptist church in Baltimore. Only relatives and close friends of the bride and groom were invited to the festive yet modest event. They were starting out with little money. Therefore, Angel didn’t have an elaborate wedding dress like her four sisters who were married before her. As she walked down the narrow aisle of the church, her eyes met the eyes of the man who promised her the world.

You may kiss the bride, the officiating minister announced to the fifty guests on July 25, 1977. Then he presented the couple as Mr. and Mrs. Noble. The newlyweds couldn’t afford to go on a honeymoon or have a formal wedding reception, so they decided to receive guests in their new home. It was a housewarming and reception all rolled into one. After they ate, danced, and opened gifts, the newlyweds were forced to learn how to live together as one.

That night, in their bedroom, the chemistry was wrong. When Lester asked Angel to slip into one of the sexy outfits she received at her bridal shower, she was completely turned off. She didn’t want to make love to her husband, and her gut told her she had made a costly mistake. The man who had swept Angel off her feet was not her soul mate. On their wedding night they didn’t consummate their marriage; instead, they held each other until they dozed off from the draining excitement of their wedding day.

The next morning, Angel awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. As she turned over in bed and opened her eyes she noticed a note on Lester’s pillow. The note was folded and the front read: To my Angel. Angel picked up the note and read it slowly.

If love is forever, then we will be forever. The passion we have for each other will never fade. It will be so intense that our children will live their lives with a passion that can’t be explained.

Angel smiled as she let out a sigh of relief. She attributed her lack of desire for her husband to nerves and fatigue, so she slipped into one of her negligees and surprised him in the kitchen.

Chapter Two

The best thing that ever happened to him was marrying Angel. He longed for a loving wife and children, and a house he could call home. He wanted what some describe as the American dream. The American dream seemed like it would never come true for him until he met Angel.

Lester was the third youngest of fifteen brothers and sisters, ten of whom had the same mother and father; with the others he shared the same father. His mother was murdered by her boyfriend when he was nine. His father couldn’t be bothered with raising any of his kids because that would infringe on his carefree lifestyle; consequently, he never took care of them. Lester’s grandmother took care of him and three of his siblings for two years before she relinquished the responsibility because it was too burdensome. From that moment, Lester bounced between foster homes until he was eighteen. A smart boy, he always excelled in school and had an insatiable appetite for words. He read whatever he could get his hands on, including the Bible. He loved traveling mentally to different places, allowing words to distract him from the pains of life.

At eighteen, Lester enrolled in college and studied psychology. He was fascinated with the human mind and behavior. He thought if he helped other people work through their issues, somehow he would be cleansed from the skeletons in his closet.

He made an effort to release the pain of his childhood by working to be a better man daily. He treated people with respect and tried to shake the demon of depression that would creep into his thoughts when his mind wandered. Lester was relieved when he fell in love with Angel because she provided an escape from the life sentence of failure he carried with him. Though most people didn’t see anything but confidence when they came in contact with Lester, he was unhappy. He never shared his feelings of failure with anyone because that would have made him weak. He smiled hard and always cracked jokes to distract from his disappointment with life.

When he connected with Angel it felt like she was his beacon of light. Angel was happy. She had something that Lester wished he had. He wasn’t sure what she possessed, but it was illumination to the darkness of his soul. He vowed to always cherish her and hoped he would never extinguish her light. Since he was on his way to creating a better life for himself through being a family man, he took cues from how Angel’s family loved each other.

Lester was attracted to Angel’s drive and her commitment to family. He knew she would never leave him like many of the people he’d loved had. He thought his life couldn’t get any better until he became a father.

Two years into the marriage, Lester and Angel rushed to the hospital late one evening, overwhelmed with the anticipation of their new baby.

Don’t forget the breathing techniques they taught you in class, Lester said as he mimicked one of the deep-breathing exercises.

Just get us to the hospital safely, Les, and I’ll worry about the breathing, Angel said as she squeezed Lester’s hand, sharing the level of pain she was experiencing at the moment.

Ouch, okay, I get the point. I will drive to the hospital in silence, Lester said as he pried his hand out of Angel’s.

Lester drove like a madman all the way to the hospital, weaving in and out of lanes like he was in a police chase. He was nervous, but he tried to be strong for Angel. He didn’t have a clue as to how to be a father, but he was determined to be the best dad he could be. When he pulled up to the emergency entrance he almost forgot to put the car in park and began to open his door.

Don’t forget to put the car in park, Angel yelled between deep breaths.

Walking into the hospital, Angel being admitted, and preparing for delivery were a blur for Lester. He was so excited he spent most of the time calling family and