Misconceptions Page 7

  “Yes, that should be sufficient.” Travis put on his best poker face. He couldn’t afford to let Vinnie know how desperate he’d become, or he’d lose what little negotiating power he had.

  “Here’s my terms, Travis." Vinnie leaned forward. "You filter some surplus funds I have through your corporation. You take a ten percent cash payback from the top. Your first obligation will be to pay me back the original loan, plus interest. After that, I don’t care what you do with the money. I treat my business associates very well, but if you betray me, you’ll regret it.”

  “Understood.”

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “You mentioned interest. What is the rate you’ll be charging?”

  “A lot higher than those banks that keep turning you down. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when the loan is settled. Any other questions?”

  “Yes. How am I going to get this past my accountant? He’s a pretty sharp guy and meticulous with the books.”

  “That’s easy: You’re going to fire him. I’ll provide you with an accountant, and you can pay her the same salary you paid your previous one.”

  Fire Scott? He’d worked for Travis for as long as he’d been in business. They attended the same church. Scott had a wife, and three kids. What would he tell him?

  Travis swallowed the lump in his throat. “That’s fine. I’ll handle that matter immediately.” He gripped the arms of the chair.

  “You’re going to enjoy working for me, Travis.” Vinnie slid a thick manila envelope across the desk.

  Travis took it with trembling hands and stuck it in his briefcase. If only this money didn’t come with so many strings. “Thank you, sir. What do I do if I have further questions?”

  “Ask your accountant. Let’s keep our communication to emergencies only.”

  Travis stood and offered his hand across the desk. “Thank you again for your help. I won’t let you down.” His arms tingled.

  Vinnie shook his hand, then pulled out another envelope and handed it to him. “Consider this a little bonus. A welcome-to-the-company gift.”

  Travis opened the envelope. Inside were two keys. “I’m not sure what these are for, sir.”

  “Leave through the back entrance. You’ll understand.”

  “Okay … thanks.” Travis stuffed the envelope with the keys into the side pocket of his briefcase. Just outside the back door, he stopped short.

  Parked in the alley were his truck and Cindy’s Land Rover. Both sparkled from a recent washing and a fresh coat of wax.

  How had Vinnie gotten them from the repossession company? He walked back into the restaurant and knocked on Vinnie’s door.

  “Come in.”

  The questions he had been so eager to fire at Vinnie now stuck in his mouth. “I don’t understand. How did you get my cars?”

  Vinnie closed the distance between them and stepped into Travis’s personal space. “Never underestimate me. I have connections everywhere.”

  Travis backed out of the room, his thoughts bouncing around in his head. He had been played. Vinnie knew, even at their first meeting, that he’d be back. His feet dragged. Now he had to go home, call Scott, and fire him.

  He looked down the alley at his two vehicles. How was he going to get Cindy’s Land Rover and his two trucks home?

  Two young men came out the back door, both taller, slimmer versions of Vinnie. The older one said, “Uncle Vinnie says you may need some help getting your trucks home.”

  “Do you both have your driver’s license?”

  When they laughed, Travis tossed the keys to his trucks to them. He would drive Cindy’s Land Rover. “Follow me.”

  “We already know where you live.”

  A chill ran up Travis’s back. What have I gotten myself into?

  Chapter Ten

  Dominique grasped the steering wheel and stretched her arms. A little over ten minutes late. Not because she had any problems finding the building, but because she’d sat outside in her car for over twenty minutes deciding whether it would be worth it to go inside. The only reason she showed up at Joe’s church was to see if there was a slight possibility that his father’s crazy theory held any truth.

  Finally, her curiosity won out, and she headed inside. The first thing she saw was two women standing together talking. Her heart jumped when she noticed their expanded bellies.

  “Are you getting any sleep?” the woman on the left asked.

  “No. Too much back pain. How about you?”

  Dominique pulled out her phone, turned off the sound, and pretended to check the time while she snapped a quick picture of the women.

  Her footsteps were silent on the navy blue carpet as she walked into the sanctuary. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and glanced at the rear of the church.

  Joe stood behind the last row of wooden pews. He raised his hand and offered her a winning smile. Things were looking up.

  An elderly man with round glasses handed her a bulletin as she passed.

  “I’m glad you made it,” Joe whispered as she reached his side.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Looking around the room, she counted four more pregnant women, bringing the total to six.

  “Do you mind if we sit with my sister? Cindy is by herself tonight.”

  “That’s fine.” She followed him down the aisle, thankful his sister wasn’t sitting in the front row. Just being in a church was difficult enough to endure. It seemed like they’d just taken their seats when the worship leader asked for everyone to stand. The worship team played a version of “Amazing Grace” she had never heard.

  Shivers ran throughout her body, giving her chills. She should have worn a sweater—air conditioning always made her cold. Maybe she’d snuggle up close to Joe and cause a stir. The thought brought a smile.

  At the end of the song, a large, stately man bounded forward with a hearty, “Praise the Lord! What a worship time that was!”

  Her shoulders slumped, and she took in a deep breath. Next would come the talk about how unholy she was. How God was perfect, white as snow, and she was nothing but a filthy rag. She’d heard it all before. From preachers and her mother. No one knew that fact better than she did.

  She wasn’t worthy. She’d never be worthy. There was nothing she could do to earn God’s favor. Case closed. Why even try?

  “God loves you. Period. There’s not a thing you can do about it,” the preacher began. “He loves you, and He wants you to give your life over to Him. Not so He can control your every move, but so He can bless you.”

  What? She leaned back. She’d never heard those words before. That contradicted everything she’d learned about religion. Why would God want her? She had a laundry list of reasons why He shouldn’t love or accept her. She sat up straighter. What would the preacher say next?

  Instead of continuing his message, he introduced a woman in her late forties, early fifties. What could this woman possibly have to say?

  “Hi, my name is Amanda Clearwater. Most of you know me as Mandy. I’m here today to share with you a story of the Lord’s grace and forgiveness, and to tell you about the miracles He’s performing, even today.”

  Joe leaned over. “Sunday evenings are more of a time for personal testimonies and prayer requests. They’re always encouraging.”

  Mandy's voice shook as she spoke. “Never in my life would I have imagined standing up in front of an entire congregation and sharing my past. I grew up in the average American home. My dad worked two jobs to keep food on the table, and my mom did her best to keep track of me and my four brothers and sisters.” She ran her free hand through the length of her hair. “Once I hit my teen years, I went a little wild. My first pregnancy occurred at the age of fifteen. I knew I was too young to have a baby, and my boyfriend at the time wholeheartedly agreed. So he drove me to, and paid for, my first abortion.”

  Dominique sat up. She’d never heard this issue discussed in church.

  Mandy relaxed her grip on the micropho
ne. “I was devastated. Completely alone and devastated. The counselor at the clinic told me I might feel that way for a while and supplied me with a box of condoms. I immediately regretted my decision, but I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I became depressed, and soon afterwards, my boyfriend, who had promised to stay by my side through thick and thin, dumped me.

  “I soon found another boyfriend, and it was less than a year before I ended up in the same predicament. That time I made a different choice. I confided in my mother, but I failed to tell her about my first abortion. She didn’t want to tell my father because she was afraid of his reaction. So she drove me to the clinic. I had a second abortion. The clinic didn’t tell her about my first visit, because my records were my business, not my mother’s.

  “I was inconsolable.” Tears streamed down the woman’s cheeks.

  Dominique was hypnotized. She knew this woman’s pain. She shared in her anguish. Emotions welled up inside, and Dominique reached into her purse and grabbed a tissue.

  “I swore off men and dating. At the ripe old age of sixteen I had already had two abortions. I couldn’t get my babies off of my mind. Would I have had girls or boys? One of each? The brochures they hand out inform you that it’s not a baby, it’s nothing but a clump of tissue.”

  She licked her lips. “They lie.”

  Mandy moved the microphone to her other hand. “We know from the technology now available that by the time you find out you’re pregnant, your baby has a beating heart. Six weeks after conception, brainwaves can be detected. He or she is a beautiful bundle of life just waiting for the opportunity to take his or her place in the world.”

  Mandy took a sip of water. “The remainder of my high school years went by somehow. I was determined to never put myself in that situation again. But my secret pain was never more than a heartbeat away. Anniversaries came and went, and I didn’t have a single person with whom I could share my grief.

  “I decided if I was going to make something out of myself, I needed to get away from my past. I was accepted at a small out-of-state college and couldn’t wait to start my life over. I moved into a co-ed dormitory and immediately began enjoying college life.

  “My two roommates introduced me to the college party scene. I’d never tasted alcohol, but I found that I loved it. Not only did getting drunk make me feel good, it numbed the pain. I’d do anything to escape the pain.

  “But drinking to excess creates other problems. So, by my second semester as a college freshman, I found out for the third time that I was expecting a baby.

  “I was at a crossroads. I didn’t know what to do. Should I have the baby and do the best I could to be a good mother? What would be involved with the adoption process? A third abortion was absolutely out of the question.

  “My boyfriend said he would support whatever decision I made. I called a local pregnancy crisis center and made an appointment. I was determined not to have another abortion and wanted to look into adoption. I informed the father of my decision, but he wasn’t as supportive of my choice as I’d hoped he would be.

  “He told me he was hoping I would do the sensible thing and end the pregnancy. We both had college to get through, and he wasn’t ready to be a husband or a father. He was also against putting the baby up for adoption. Claimed he didn’t want some child of his popping up twenty years down the road and possibly ruining the life he had worked so hard to build. What if he had a wife and children? What would they think? He told me he would pay for an abortion. I’d never confided to him that I’d already had two, so he couldn’t understand why I was so resistant to the idea. From what he’d heard, it was a very safe and easy procedure. He didn’t know the truth.”

  Dominique looked around the room. Every eye was focused on Mandy. Surely she wouldn’t have a third abortion, not after all of the pain she had endured in the past.

  “I insisted on keeping the appointment with the pregnancy crisis center. I told him I would let him know my final decision. To my surprise, he agreed to go with me. Things were looking up … or so I thought. The next week we went to the center. They sat us down in a conference room and talked with us about abortion. They told us the truth, information the abortion clinic conveniently avoided talking about. The simple truth that I was carrying a baby, not a clump of tissue, and that if we chose to have an abortion we would be ending a human life. And not just any human life, but our child’s. Our very own flesh and blood.

  “The next step was a basic physical. This confirmed that I was indeed pregnant, in fact, I was four weeks further along than I had originally thought. I was twelve weeks pregnant. I was stunned. Also shocking was the fact I was pregnant with twins.”

  Dominique's cell phone vibrated, and she chose to ignore it. She didn’t want to miss a word of what Mandy had to say. She was right there … absorbed in the midst of Mandy’s turmoil.

  Mandy ran a trembling hand through her hair. “After hearing I was expecting twins, my boyfriend asked the counselor if we could have a moment alone. When the counselor left the room, he took an envelope from his jacket and placed it in front of me. He told me it contained $567 and to use it toward an abortion. He reasoned there was no way either one of us was ready for the responsibility of two babies. He wished me luck and told me not to call or contact him again. I pleaded with him to stay and speak with the counselor, but he refused and left. I had never felt more betrayed and alone in my life.”

  A collective gasp resounded in the room. Dominique cleared her throat and adjusted her necklace.

  “When the counselor returned, she asked if we’d made a decision. I told her I wasn’t sure and left. I decided to walk the five miles back to campus and use the time to think. By the time I arrived back at my dorm, I was no closer to reaching a decision than when I’d left.

  “Two babies? I was overwhelmed with the prospect of trying to raise one baby. What about adoption? Could I even give up two babies? I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted to wake up and have it all be a bad dream.

  “The next day, my literature professor asked if he could speak to me after class. He informed me that he’d submitted some of my essays and poems for consideration to a prestigious magazine that had contacted him in hopes of finding an intern. He told me they were impressed with my work, and I’d earned the position. That meant my sophomore year would be spent as an intern at the magazine, and I would also be earning college credit.

  “That turn of events threw me the lifeline I thought I was looking for. How could I have a baby and do an internship? My pregnancy would get in the way. I made the appointment and had the abortion. The procedure didn’t go as planned. Because I was further along, the bleeding was severe. I developed a serious infection and suffered other complications.

  “My sophomore year turned out to be a disaster. I continued to make the same poor choices, which left me broken and bitter. I became depressed, and three weeks into the internship, I was fired. In time, I managed to earn my bachelor’s degree and obtain a good job, but personally I was suffering. I completely shut myself off from the opposite sex, turning down all offers for dates. If a friend offered to set me up on a blind date, I would refuse. I wanted to live the rest of my life as I felt I deserved … alone.

  “But that’s not where God wanted me. The Lord had different plans. One evening when I was home alone, Billy Graham came on the television. He spoke of a man named Saul who had been completely transformed. That’s what I needed—complete transformation. That night, I gave my life to Christ.

  “Eventually, I met and married Tony. We were very happy, and we both longed to be parents. When I told Tony about my past history and my brokenness over all the children I would never hold, he hugged me, and told me he loved me and that we would meet those precious babies in heaven. He wiped my tears and bathed me in compassion and forgiveness.

  “We were thrilled when we found out we were expecting our first child, only to be disappointed when I miscarried in my first trimester. That was followed by three years o
f not being able to conceive again. After consulting with a specialist, the news was almost more than I could bear … I was infertile. I had a condition known as Asherton’s Syndrome.”

  Dominique looked down. She was holding Joe’s hand. When had that happened? His touch was warm and comforting. She turned her attention back to Mandy, but kept her fingers intertwined with Joe’s.

  Mandy continued, “Asherton’s Syndrome is caused by scar tissue left in the uterus. I was devastated. Why did Tony have to pay for my past mistakes? He would have made a wonderful father. We accepted our situation and even thought about adopting a child. We had two adoptions fall through, and after much prayer, decided the Lord must have other plans for us.

  “You may be wondering why I’m up here, publicly confessing my past sins. I’m doing it because the Lord asked me to. He wanted me to give the testimony of my heartbreaking past, so you could fully grasp the incredible miracle that is going to be my future.

  “Tony and I just found out that we’re going to be parents. Yes, after multiple abortions, years of infertility, and two miscarriages, I’m going to have a baby!”

  When the room broke out in applause, Dominique clapped with them, but her heart wasn’t in it. Instead, her mind slowed to a crawl as it tried to absorb this woman’s words.

  How was this possible? Could there be hope for me?

  But Dominique’s thoughts were drawn back to her conversation with Joe about his dad’s theory. A chill ran up her back, and goose bumps appeared on her arms. The logical side of her wanted to throw the idea out as completely impossible. But why would God limit pregnancies to only Christians, especially if God was as loving as Joe’s preacher said?

  “Are you cold?”

  Joe’s question jolted her from her disturbing thoughts. “I’m fine.” She glanced down when Joe took her hand again.

  When the applause settled down, Mandy took a deep breath, then smiled. “I’m here tonight to tell you that nothing is impossible with God. He forgave me completely, and He longs to forgive you. All you have to do is ask.”