Hand of God

By Kotanya Kimbrough

The Green Eyed Monster rears its head in the strangest places.

Who would have thought that a homeless boy could ever become a threat to the man in the pulpit?
Hand of God is the story of David Anthony Elliots (Dae) chance meeting with Bishop Theodore Wallace. When Bishop Wallace asks for Daes help in finding his son, Bishop is convinced that God has put Dae in his life for a reason. Eventually Bishop has the opportunity to return the favor for Dae and in exchange Bishop ask Dae just to attend G.A.M.EGreater American Ministry Evangelical Mission. After a reluctant visit, Dae finds a new life in G.A.M.E and Bishop takes him under his wing. However, Daes enthusiasm for the ministry sparks jealousy and eventually hatred in the Bishop. When a tragedy occurs, Bishops true feelings manifest themselves. In this urban sensous novel, the man of the cloth and the boy of the streets have to learn to depend on the hand of God to lead them through the unexpected twist and turns to salvation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 5, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469102818

Kotanya Kimbrough

Kotanya Kimbrough is an elementary school teacher She has written poetry published in the anthology My Soul to His Spirit, and has had an erotic story published in the anthology Mocha Chocolate. She has also written a comic book for students called The Poet, which is intended to generate the interest of children in poetry and as well as a poetry anthology for use in the classroom. Hand of God is her first published work.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Dae didn’t flinch when the oversized rodent scurried over his foot and continued down the dark alley. He didn’t even notice the putrid odors of urine and rotting food that were ever present. The contents of the trashcan had his complete attention. His stomach howled at the sight of the pizza crusts peeking out of the big white box. He grabbed the box and opened it completely revealing its total contents. Two half eaten slices of pizza and many hard crisp edges rattled around. He grabbed one of the slices and stuffed it in his mouth savoring the spicy meat and stringy cheese. The spices from the meat opened his nostrils and in between chews he wiped his nose on his sleeves. Eating quickly, he looked over his shoulder, causing his dread locs to swing behind him. He didn’t want to fight for his food tonight.

Tonight he was the first at Jerry’s Pizza Deli. It had been a long while since he had been this desperate. Usually he could hustle up some money or food from somewhere, but this had been a tough week. None of his female friends were around, he was flat broke and hungry, and he had almost got caught stealing food from the store, so he knew he couldn’t go in there for a while. Dae stood across the street waiting for the owner to empty his trash. Jerry knew that the vagrants on the streets went through his trash so he tried to keep edible pieces in boxes. But Jerry wasn’t being kind. He arranged his trash this way so Dae and the others wouldn’t dump the trash containers looking for food. He didn’t want to be fined by the city again for not properly disposing of waste. When Dae saw Jerry come out and look over at him, he knew lady luck was with him tonight. He knew that the early bird got the worm.

Besotted with the contents of the box, he almost missed the white cup with the lid on it. His hazel eyes zeroed in on the medium-size Styrofoam container. It sat carefully placed on the top of an empty pizza box. A cup with a lid on it usually meant left over soup. Dae sucked in a breath at the thought of that kind of nourishment. He felt a bit under the weather and soup was just what he needed. Any time one would find soup in Jerry’s bin it was the equivalent to winning the lottery, especially if the soup was still warm.

Bending further into the bin, Dae had just placed his hand on the cup when he heard footsteps behind him.

Hey kid. Save some for me. You know there is enough to share. Dae stiffened at the sound of the voice. He didn’t need to turn to see who it was. That scratchy voice belonged to Joe. Joe, an elderly man, lived on the streets a long time. It was rumored he lost the zest for living after his family perished in a fire. Dae never had any problem with Joe, but he wasn’t going to share today. He left the cup where it was and began stuffing the other half eaten slice of pizza in his mouth.

Come on Dae. There is no one else around. You can help an old man out. I am not as young as you. Dae turned around and looked into the eyes of this ancient man. Joe’s brown leather face was weathered by age and hard times. His dull gray eyes stared at Dae with desperation and his ashy cracked lips were curled revealing a nearly toothless smile. He teetered back and forth on his feet barely being able to stand and Dae heard the rumbling of the man’s stomach.

Taking pity on the old man and remembering that he still had the soup, Dae slung the white box at Joe. Joe leaned forward trying to catch it, almost falling over. The box landed on the ground with its contents spewing all over. Another rat dashed for the dry scraps of bread. Joe kicked the rodent sending it squealing and running down the alley after the other. He picked the few pieces of manna from the ground and shoved it in his mouth. Dae grimaced in disgust as he watched the old man bite into the bread and his jaws work overtime using the few teeth he had.

As he watched him, the hand of God must have come over Dae because he felt compassion. It had been a long time since he had felt it and at first it was unrecognizable. He tried to ignore it knowing that compassion was an emotion that must be suppressed while living in his world. On the streets kindness was mistaken as weakness. Joe stood before him chewing with his mouth open and saliva coating his mouth. Compassion once again reared its ugly head and slammed Dae’s heart against his ribs. His breathing became labored and before he knew it he had reached over in the can, grabbed the soup, and held it out to Joe. Joe’s eyes bucked open and his mouth released the partially chewed crust. Eagerly grabbing the soup cup, he didn’t bother to thank him. Dae began walking toward the street. He listened to Joe’s slurping with every step he took and when he reached the end he looked back and he saw Joe bend over and pick up another piece of crust and dip it in the cup. His own stomach made a noise and then he turned the corner.

*

Dae walked the streets of the city taking it all in. The city lights danced on the damp ground and the freshly filled gutters. The water in the sidewalk canals, moved rapidly below the curbs toward the drains while homeless dogs lapped hungrily at the refreshment. He took it all in feeling excitement and misery all at once: the excitement of surviving and the misery of having to. He knew all the ins and outs of living on the streets of University City. Just as he knew about Jerry’s, he knew where he could go to have breakfast and the best parks and alleys to lay his head to sleep. He made friends with the people on the streets. Sometimes the night walkers would treat him to a hamburger or let him shower in a room after they finished with a john. Many decided that they wanted to teach him the way around women. When they were that generous he usually had a soft bed to lay his head for a while. The older street folk like Joe were true proponents of the old saying give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. They shared nothing with him but information. They showed him how to get what he needed when he needed it, and who to stay away from and where to go when the mayor was on a political rampage to clean up the city. It had been three years since he had to leave his foster home and he learned well.

On his eighteenth birthday his foster parents had his bags packed and his caseworker was waiting when he got out of school. She managed to get him a job at a grocery store and a small studio apartment. Barely making it on his own, Dae often would steal food from the stock. He only stole lunchmeat and bread items and he never took more than he needed. Unfortunately, the owners didn’t see it that way and he was let go. He eventually lost his apartment.

Occasionally Dae would do odd jobs for change, but most of the time he spent watching places like Jerry’s for his food and stealing from the Salvation Army for his clothes. He made sure that he stole nicer things. By dressing as well as possible he wouldn’t be kicked out of places by those who hated being reminded that people live on the streets. He eventually realized that women enjoyed his company and he used that to his advantage. His good looks, charming smile, and great conversation awarded him numerous warm nights between the sheets and legs of many women. Tonight was not one of those nights, so he was resigned to walk the streets.

As he continued to walk he noticed the librarian locking up the city library and the security guard waiting to walk her to her car. Dae spent a lot of time in the public library. He loved to read and it was a way to get out of the outside elements. Because they were within a block of each other, he would even sometimes go to the University City law school library and read law books. His mother used to always tell him that he would be a lawyer and make lots of money. She sometimes made him watch the court television shows with her. Many times Dae would sneak into lecture halls and listen to the professors explain the complicated theories and practices of law. Whenever one gave an assignment he would borrow paper and a pen and write it down. Knowing he couldn’t turn it in, he found himself in the library trying to do the assignments anyway. He would laugh to himself when some of the students, thinking that he was a student, would come and get the assignments from him. It made him feel good. He hadn’t even gone to college and these people getting advanced degrees were asking him for the work. He got such a rush on the college campus that he knew that he would be successful there, but life and its unpredictable hand dealt him a raw deal.

Walking toward the steps of University College, Dae noticed a car driving slowly down the center of the street. He sat on the third step from the bottom and watched as the driver’s head moved back and forth. He could tell he was searching for someone. He had seen it so many times; teenage runaways who very often thought that a life with rules and a warm bed was too much to endure. They would run into the harsh realities of the streets and find themselves free. Free to sleep in parks and in doorways, free to eat from trash bins, free to sell their bodies. Every time Dae saw the nice cars moving slowly down the street with the driver’s head searching back and forth, he often wished they were looking for him.

The black Mercedes pulled along the sidewalk and parked right in front of the steps. Dae ran his hand down his wild mane and pulled it back into a ponytail. Pulling his coat around his neck he watched the man exit his car. He was a well-dressed fair skinned Black man with silver and black hair combed back into waves, and a salt and pepper mustache. His frame was tall and lean and his walk was confident and purposeful.

Excuse me, young man. I am looking for The Hall. Can you help me?

Dae looked at the man and wondered why he was looking for the notorious crack den. He decided to remain quiet.

Look, son. I will pay you. I just need your help.

How much you looking to pay?

I will give you one hundred dollars if you just tell me if I am going in the right direction. The man reached in his pocket and pulled out a brand new one hundred dollar bill. The oversized head of Benjamin Franklin seemed to bulge and Dae let out a breath when he saw good ol’ Ben wink at him.

How much would you pay if I took you there?

I would give you another hundred dollars. The gentleman waved the hundred-dollar bill between his fingers.

Dae’s eyebrows lifted in surprise; two hundred bucks just to take this man to the drug house. That would be enough to get him a room for a week. Dae reached up and grabbed the money from the man’s hand. He was no fool. He figured if the man went back on his promise of two hundred he still would have the one.

Bet man. Let’s roll. Dae got up and walked toward the car. The gentleman followed him to the car and got in on the driver’s side. He unlocked the doors and Dae slid in next to him. The smell of the leather seats was foreign to Dae, but their comfort was welcoming. The dashboard was lit up like a Christmas tree and Jesus music permeated the confined air of the car. He pulled from the curb and proceeded down the street.

Just head straight down. It is quite a ways. If you don’t mind me asking, why you going there? Dae looked at him.

My son is there. The man answered not even looking over. Dae wondered why in the world would his boy be in the Hall? Reading Dae’s thoughts, he answered him.

My son is a drug addict. I was told that he was down this way and I came to get him.

Well Mister, in my experience, most crack heads don’t want they daddies coming to get them. The man winced, but said nothing. You need to take a right on the next block.

The gentleman turned the corner and went into a neighborhood that reminded Dae of a neglected mouth. The houses were small cracker boxes spaced with empty lots between them. Each seemed to be held together by rusty nails and green paint. People were sitting on their stoops playing Dominos and children were running the streets.

My son needs me and I intend to help him, the driver added. Dae noticed that the last part of his statement seemed to be more for himself than Dae. He shrugged.

Whatever floats your boat man, don’t mean nothing to me. The car fell silent except for the choir voices coming from the speakers. Dae began sniffling. The warmth of the car warmed his body enough for his nose to start running again. He moved to use his sleeve, but thought against it. He didn’t know why exactly, but he didn’t want this guy to see him doing that. So he continued to sniff. The man, never looking at Dae reached between his seats and gave Dae a small packet of tissue. Dae took it without a word and cleaned his nose stuffing the used Kleenex in his pocket. The man began talking again.

This is considered Southeast University, right?

Yeah.

I am a part of a non-profit organization that is trying to get grants to do some economic development in this area. Dae nodded. He had heard about that group from a friend.

I haven’t been down this way in a long time. I didn’t realize how dilapidated it was. Dae said nothing. The man, taking the clue, allowed the silence to resume. As they got close to the Hall, Dae moved forward in his seat.

Hey, man, pull over.

Are we there? He asked searching the street in front of them.

It’s just up the street, but I need to get out now. I can’t afford to be seen with you in case some shit goes down.

Oh. Okay. The man pulled to the side of the road. Putting the car in park he reached into his glove compartment and took out his wallet. Pulling out five twenties, he handed them to Dae. Dae quickly grabbed the bills, stuffed them into his jacket, and opened the car door.

Check it. Look up the street. You see that small house sitting at the end of the street on the left side of the road? The man nodded. That’s where you wanna go. Leaning into the car he warned the man. Look, if you go in straight, then you’ll be straight. If you go in with the wrong attitude…  he shrugged his shoulders. The man nodded in understanding.

I hope you have enough money. He clenched the bills in his own pocket.

Dae closed the door and stood back on the curb as the car pulled off. He turned in the opposite direction walking back toward downtown. As he turned the corner something stopped him. It was the same feeling that gripped him when he gave the soup to Joe. Was it compassion? No. He wouldn’t accept it as compassion. He knew Joe and that was compassion. Trying to shake it off he kept walking.

Damn it! It’s not my problem. Dae muttered to himself. His heart once again slammed in his chest. Losing his breath for a moment, he stopped. Maybe it was compassion. Dae sighed and took a deep breath.

No, it is plain old curiosity, He thought.

Chapter 2

Dae turned around and took a short cut to The Hall. Running through the empty lot, he tripped over an old tire, but did not fall. The tire was a new addition to the field. He knew just about all the dips and holes of the shortcut having come this way many times with one of the girls that worked the street. Her house sat across the street from The Hall.

Entering a makeshift playground, which sat in between two small houses. Dae slowed his pace to walk. The Hall was directly across the street and he saw the man in the Mercedes pull up in front of the house. The man sat in front of the house without getting out of his car. Dae moved to sit on a see-saw made from a board and an old car jack. He sat in the middle of the board with his legs gapped open balancing his weight watching the man. He sneezed and moved to use his sleeve, but remembered the tissue in his pocket. As he used it he noticed the light from one of the houses come on and the back door open. A little boy of no older than six years walked out. Dae glanced back at The Hall and the man still sitting in his car. Then he heard a small voice.

Hey Dae. What you looking at?

Nothing Morris. Why are you out here? Dae looked at the little boy. He walked out with no shoes and no coat. His black hair was matted about his head with pieces of fuzz decorating it like sprinkles on a cake and his ashy brown face held the crusted sleep of a moment ago. The tale-tell sign that sleep was good was the fresh saliva stain around his full-lipped mouth.

My momma told me to come out here and wait. I told her I didn’t want to, but she told me that if I wanted breakfast I would come out here.

She got company tonight? Dae asked already knowing the answer.

Yeah.

Morris stood right beside Dae and looked across the street. They were silent for a moment, then Morris asked what sounded like an all too familiar question.

That man trying to find his kid?

Yeah.

They ain’t gonna let him in.

They might.

They might even take his car.

Nah. Morris looked at Dae when he said this.

You know that man? he asked.

Not really. Just showed him where it was.

Then why are you here? Morris asked now looking at the Hall.

Curious. Dae answered still looking across the street.

They didn’t say anything more. Both sat and stared at the man for a bit longer. When the man finally opened the door of the car, Dae got up and pushed Morris toward the house he had exited. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a couple of twenties. He shoved them in the little boy’s hand.

Morris, go on indoors. Tell your momma that you will buy breakfast in the morning.

Morris complained. You know she don’t like it when I go in and interrupt her.

Man, just give her the money. She’ll forgive you this time. Tell her I gave it to you.

All right. Morris went in the side door. As soon as the door closed, Dae looked back on the street. He felt something nudge him toward the street. He looked behind him thinking that Morris had come back out. There was nothing there. He soon felt the same push. Spooked, he shook his shoulders and glanced behind him once more. Then, taking a deep breath, he walked toward the street.

Hey, Mister. Why you stay in the car so long? Dae asked. The driver turned around surprised.

I was praying. Dae looked surprised. He searched the man’s face for fear. He thought maybe he could use it to hustle a bit more money.

Well, for another hundred I will go in with you. The man looked at Dae and Dae stared back. After a moment Dae shrugged sticking his hands in his pockets. Don’t mean nothing to me.

The man smirked and gave Dae the money. Taking the money, Dae pulled the other money from his pockets, folded it all together and stuffed it into his shoe. He had to protect his cash just in case those Negroes in The Hall got funny style.

Bet. Let’s roll.

As they walked up to the house, Dae was a bit nervous and sensed the man was too. He had been in this situation before, but it still got next to him because he knew these guys were unpredictable. One minute things would be cool. The next someone might pull out a gun. He wondered if the man was more nervous about entering into the house than actually seeing his son. When they got to the door, it opened. There was a young man standing at the door that stood about as wide as the door. He looked at the man and then at Dae who lifted his head in acknowledgement.

Wassup, Piper?

Hey, Dae. The butter yellow beast sucked his teeth and then smiled revealing a gold tooth. What you want? Dae shook his head and nodded to the man.

He wants his son.

Yeah? Piper’s eyes shot back to the man.

I came to get my son.

Let them in, Piper. There was a husky quiet voice that crept from behind the man in the doorway and settled in Dae’s ears like the creak of a squeaky door. Dae shivered knowing that it couldn’t be anyone but Spirit. Piper patted the man down and then Dae. When he finished he let them past. Noticing four other guys in the room, Dae scanned the room making mental notes of the two sitting in the living room on a broken down couch and the other two sitting around the table on either side of a raven hued gentleman everyone knew as Spirit. Not moving from his chair the voice spoke again.

Well, Dae, I see that you have escorted the Bishop to get his son. Dae frowned at the reference to the man as the Bishop? Spirit noticed and smiled sipping from his cup that sat in front of him.

Well surely, Dae, you haven’t been taking money from the man and not knowing who he is? Dae just shrugged. You are standing with Bishop Theodore T. Wallace from The Greater American Ministries Evangelic Mission. Spirit leaned forward on the table and flashed his pure white teeth.

Ain’t that something, Dae? The Bishop is coming to Spirit to talk to him about his boy. All the men in the room laughed except for Dae and Bishop. Piper, who had been standing behind them, walked around and stood behind Spirit before he spoke.

How do you know who he is? Dae asked. Spirit leaned back in his chair, causing Piper to move to the side of him. Spirit smiled a crooked smile.

Because I ain’t always sold this shit, Dae. And my grandmother attends the good Bishop’s church. Dae watched Bishop look at Spirit as if he were trying to recognize him. Spirit chuckled at the Bishop’s stare and shook his head signifying that Bishop didn’t know him. Bishop went on to ask Spirit about his son.

I came for my boy. How much does he owe?

All about business, huh, Bishop? Spirit propped his arms across his chest. Five hundred. Taking money out of his pocket, Bishop counted off some bills and placed it on the table. Piper reached over and picked up the cash handing it to Spirit. Spirit took the cash and put it in his pocket.

Go get Jonathan out the back room. Dae and Bishop watched the yellow giant disappear to the back. One of the other men sitting in the room spoke for the first time.

You not gonna count it? Spirit glanced over at the young man and brought his attention back to Bishop.

Ain’t no need, youngster. This is a man of God. He ain’t going cheat nobody. Right?

Bishop didn’t say anything and Dae rocked back and forth with his hands in his pockets and looking at the floor. He could feel the mucus begin to make its way out of his nostril and he sniffled trying to avoid bringing anything out of his pockets. He wasn’t trying to make any sudden movements that would draw any attention to himself. He was focused hard on trying not to sneeze when he heard a voice that