Eden NC by GLMO LLC

Eden, N.C.

FICTION BY DANIEL WHYTE III WITH MERIQUA WHYTE FAMILY DRAMA ...And Family Drama Just Won't Stop I ...And Family Drama Just Won't Stop II ...And Family Drama Just Won't Stop III THE PRAYER TRILOGY The Unspoken Prayer Request I Need Someone to Pray With Me I Know What Prayer Can Do Charmaine The Common Prayer Not for the Righteous I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas The Thanksgiving Letters Shaking the Gates of Hell No Time for Evil The Writer's Life All the Bishop's Children 1 All the Bishop's Children 2 TO BE A TEEN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART Zelphur GinÃ©

WITH DANIEL D.P. WHYTE IV The Prophet, the President, and the Pastor The Correction The Cover-Up (The Cover-Up, #1) The Candidate (The Cover-Up, #2) Judas Church Letters to the Supreme Court

WITH DANITA WHYTE The Great Train Ride to Liberty Mountain

WITH DANIELLA WHYTE Eden, N.C.

Eden, N.C.

DANIEL WHYTE III with DANIELLA WHYTE

Eden, N.C. by Daniel Whyte III with Danita Evangeline Whyte Cover Design by Atinad Designs. ÂŠ Copyright 2016, 2017 TORCH LEGACY PUBLICATIONS: ATLANTA, GEORGIA; DALLAS, TEXAS; BROOKLYN, NEW YORK All rights reserved. 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 permission of the copyright owner, except for brief quotations included in a review of the book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

We are grateful to our dear friends in Eden, North Carolina: Amber and the staff at Baymont Inn & Suites for accommodating our family's annual stays for college graduation. Rita and the staff at Ruby Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for providing wonderful meals for the graduate and family. --Daniel Whyte III and Daniella Whyte

Chapter 1 Terry Kaller beeped the horn outside his Greenville, South Carolina, home. Jenna, his wife of twelve years, was inside getting ready for their Friday night date. They had tried to keep their weekly date night since they had said “I do,” but the past few years had proven to be a challenge. Jenna was frustrated that Terry didn’t spend more time with her and the children. Terry felt justified in not doing so because of his executive level job at the largest hedge fund in the city. He was often called away for meetings and travel. Terry beeped the horn a second and third time. It was 7:00 PM and they had to get to Barry Johns Steakhouse before they closed at 9:00. He hated rushing his meals. Jenna didn’t always eat much; however, she loved to look at food just as much as he loved to eat food. After a few more minutes, Jenna emerged from the

house in a bright red lace dress with black trim at the top and bottom. The pearls around her neck and wrist glistened in the growing moonlight. You look lovely, Terry thought as she opened the door to the car. “Sorry I took so long to get ready. You know how girls are,” Jenna said half-smiling. She had been waiting for this time for quite a while. “Not much of a problem,” Terry replied. “I just want to get to the restaurant on time and not have to rush or fight the waiters for a seat.” “I’m sure it’ll all be fine,” Jenna said. They drove the twenty-six minutes to Barry Johns Steakhouse in silence. When they arrived, there was a long line out the door. Terry sighed loudly. “I told you we should have gotten here by 5:30. That way, we wouldn’t have to wait to get inside. You see this line?” Terry snapped before slamming the door. “Long lines are fine, Terry. Other people love this restaurant just as much as we do. Let’s just go and try to have a nice time,” Jenna said, patting him on the shoulder as he put on his jacket. Beep. Beep. Beep. Jenna’s cell phone beeped with text messages several times over the course of their dinner. She kept looking down in her lap which was a cause for concern with Terry. She’s eager to go out to dinner or anywhere else but she doesn’t want to talk when we get here. I could have skipped this altogether if I knew she was going to be pre-occupied. 12

Where are you? the text message said on Jenna’s phone. Out to dinner. Will call you back in a few, she wrote back. I’ll be at your house by the time you get back, the person on the other end wrote. No. no. Don’t do that. You can’t. I’ll stop by your place later this evening, she typed quickly. After a few long minutes of silence between them, Terry spoke up. “What are you doing that is so important right now?” he asked. “Oh, oh, nothing. I just got some messages from an old friend who looked me up on Facebook. We were scheduling to meet some time later this week to catch up on things,” she said between bites. “Oh, really?” Terry said. “Well, can you put that away for the hour or so that we are here? You’re the one who has been begging me to spend more time with you, but we get here and you are occupied with something else and someone else for that matter.” Jenna felt a pang of guilt. “Fine.” she turned off her cell phone for the rest of the meal.

Chapter 2 Tyler Bryant opened the side door to TSB Studios. The brick two-story building lay on a wide open piece of land in the heart of Augusta, Georgia. It had been his brainchild since he was fifteen-years-old. He had cut and mixed music for the best local talent and had made a name for himself and his company. As of late, however, its plenteous revenue and major success brought with it a host of problems. Not the least of which was his own wife, or former wife now, Surel Bryant. After fourteen years of marriage and one child, Surel decided to call it quits. In fact, he was out of town when he heard from a friend that Surel had filed for divorce. When he returned home, he adamantly tried to talk her out of it, even promising to give up the business to please her. But nothing worked, he thought now. Nothing ever

worked with Surel. She had to have it her way. And have it her way, she did. Tyler stepped into Heather Jackson’s office halfway down the hall from his. Heather was his personal secretary and served as an off-the-record advisor to him about the studio. “How’s it going?” Tyler asked standing in the doorway. “As good as it can be,” she replied. Turning from her computer, she picked up the yellow envelope from her desk and handed it to him. “Got this in the mail this morning. You might want to take a look at it.” Tyler took it from her and looked at her quizzically. “Okay, thanks.” “You also have two appointments today with Carden from Alley Lane and another one with Edward Kemps, who also goes by the name Lil’ Roccs.” “We actually have enough Lil’ people in the music world. If Roccs signs, we’re dropping the Lil’,” Tyler said as he backed out of the doorway. Heather laughed. She always did at his humorous comments, and Tyler loved her joyful personality. Tyler walked to the office and opened the package. He was caught off guard as he pulled out the contents. Divorce papers. He hadn’t seen this coming. His wife had taken their four-year-old son with her when she left. Tyler had tried to call her several times over the past three days but got no answer. He thought back to the past couple of weeks. Surel had complained 16

about almost everything. He made a good salary and had made sure that they had a nice home, vehicles, and even money to take care of things they didn’t need — like Surel’s expensive shopping trips every month. Nothing he did seemed to make her happy and he was tired of trying. “Someone else’s happiness is not your responsibility,” his father had told him when he recounted a recent argument. “I told you that you needed to watch your back with that woman.”

Chapter 3 Evelyn and Aaron Ramirez opened First Steps Learning Center in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, eight years ago. While they opened it together, it was clear who ran the show. Evelyn loved children even though she was unable to have any of her own. She had undergone an operation when she was twenty-seven that prevented her from bearing children naturally. Aaron, an established real estate developer, had been bitter about that discovery but eagerly helped her open the daycare center. But after eight years, the center fell upon difficult times. The Ramirezes were barely making payroll to their employees. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong?â&#x20AC;? Aaron asked his wife when he arrived home one evening. Evelyn Ramirez was seated at the table with a binder of papers and a stack of envelopes in front of her. Her

usually bright eyes looked worried and her ponytailed hair made her face look long and sad. As he threw his jacket over the couch, Aaron said, “Evelyn, please tell me what’s going on.” “Same thing as two weeks ago. We’re bringing in money through the daycare center but it is barely enough to cover the operating costs. All of our workers are being paid at minimum wage now and they are becoming disgruntled with their paychecks.” Aaron pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. “On top of that, I need to hire more teachers but we seem to be losing all the good ones to Lakeland HighPointe Daycare. We’re a much better facility and in a better location,” she continued. “Well, people will go wherever the money leads them even if it is to the same line of work at another employer,” Aaron said. “You can’t worry about that. I know you have a good heart, but if you were them, you would do the same thing. People have to live and they have to have money.” “I know but I really wouldn’t want you to keep paying our payroll out of your company. That isn’t fair to you,” Evelyn said as she folded up that month’s newsletter to send out to parents the next day. “I think I’ve told you before that I don’t mind that at all. I wouldn’t survive a day in a daycare center, but I will do anything to keep it running for you,” Aaron said. Evelyn smiled. She remembered how her husband eagerly helped her to get the right building, go through 20

the zoning and verification with the city, and decorate classrooms and nursery rooms several years ago. He had even told some of the new young employees at Razon Real Estate Developers Inc. about the new center and some had signed up to work for her. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll make a deposit at the bank to cover payroll and anything else you need.” He took her hand in his. “But please, whatever you have to do, don’t worry. It will all work out just fine.”

ONE YEAR LATER

Chapter 4 “How are things coming along for the conference?” Sunshine Heatherton asked her husband as he joined her for lunch at Razzy’s Burgers. “Good and bad,” he replied. “How so?” Sunshine asked. “Well, originally, we were going to hold the conference in Greenville, South Carolina, at the TD Convention Center. But I just found out that another organization is going to be holding a conference at the same location during the same weekend.” “But we reserved the place six months ago. I thought we were ahead of everybody on that,” Sunshine said. “On top of that, we have been promoting the location in print and online. We even have people who registered for the

conference, reserved flights to Greenville, and reserved hotel rooms nearby. I thought this was a done deal.” “I thought so too, but Angie was going through our calendars to coordinate our schedules for the next couple of months and somehow found this out,” Jason said as he took a bite out of his fried chicken burger. “But that’s fine,” he continued, “I think I found a better location. Remember we agreed that we really wanted a retreat-like place where we could hold sessions for a couple of hours and then each couple could have several hours where they connected and bonded with each other. We wanted a place close to nature that had a quiet atmosphere.” Sunshine nodded. “We forgot all about that when we saw how easy it was to get the convention center in Greenville. Really, what we want is a place where a little over one hundred couples could come and be refreshed, restored, and renewed in their relationships,” Jason continued. Sunshine was looking at him now as he seemed to get sentimental about it. “Okay,” she interrupted. “Can you tell me what the place is now? And this had better be as wonderful as you’re making it sound because I would hate to move our conference to a place that is less than what we have already reserved.” “It’s Eden...Eden, North Carolina,” Jason said halfsmiling. “I see. We’re going back to Genesis,” Sunshine said laughing. “Is this a real place?” 24

“The name is actually Paradise Eden Retreats but the city is called Eden. The property sits on seventy acres of land, overlooks a lake and the mountains, and has over two hundred guest rooms.” “Sounds real nice,” Sunshine said, not all that sure Jason had done due diligence to find the right place. Jason and Sunshine were family and marriage counselors. Each year, they took pleasure in holding a variety of conferences and meetups for families, couples, newlyweds, and even youth. Most years it was in a conference/convention style but this year they wanted something different. “The Love and Life Marriage Retreat” was years in the making and now it was a month away. While they didn’t neglect their main themes, this year, they wanted to focus on the topics of divorce, adoption, trust, and hope.

Chapter 5 Jenna flew out the back door of their spacious fourbedroom house as soon as she heard the car door slam in the garage. “Why are you late?” she demanded of her husband, Terry. “I’ve been at work all day and had to work later today because Jake called in sick,” he answered as he pushed past her on his way into the house. “I’ve had a long day and would really like to lay down.” “Well, what about my long day? I’ve been here with the kids longer than you’ve been at work. Mason just runs all over the house and won’t listen to me when I tell him to do something or to sit somewhere. He can’t sit still for five minutes before he’s up again,” she snapped. “He can’t help it. He has ADHD, remember?” Terry said as he made his way up the stairs to their bedroom.

Jenna didn’t even hear him. “Joshua sleeps all day and then is awake all night which gives me no time to get any rest. Emma just does whatever she wants to do. None of them listen to me and, here you are, not listening either.” Mason was the Kaller’s four-year-old son who was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder when he was two-years-old. He was a good child but he had his bad days. Emma was their six-year-old daughter who was usually quiet and sometimes resistant toward commands. At just eleven months old, Joshua was their baby. Terry was the consummate business man. Ever since he was seventeen he had dreamed of working in the finance industry. At nearly forty-five, he had realized his dream and his success was evident by the family’s lifestyle. Still, he found himself at odds with the person who he once considered his best friend. “What do you want me to do?” Terry asked as he plopped down on the side of the bed. “Can’t you see what needs to be done?” Jenna asked. “You don’t spend enough time here. In fact, I take that back, you don’t spend any time here. Everything is about your job and your career. I don’t trust you.” “You don’t trust me?” Terry looked shocked and angry. “Don’t you remember just one year ago I caught you with your high school boyfriend who you reconnected with on Facebook in this house that I pay for from the job that you hate for me to go to so much? 28

Do you even remember that?” Jenna fell silent. Standing up, Terry continued, “You put your feelings, your needs, your wants above everyone else. You didn’t care for this marriage or for our kids or for my reputation in this city and you don’t care now. You betray those who are supposed to mean so much to you and then you blame them when things don’t go your way. Do you think you can trust a person like that?” Jenna was dumbfounded. Over a year ago, she had reconnected with her classmate from high school. They had been on-again, off-again boyfriend and girlfriend, but had drifted apart after graduation. After exchanging messages on Facebook and having several phone conversations, they began seeing each other regularly. Terry had found out about their relationship in the worst way possible. ——————Terry quietly opened the back door to their home one summer evening. He was sure he had left the television off before leaving that morning. Jenna and their two children were away at kids’ summer camp. So he was certain they were not in the house. “Hello,” he called out from downstairs. “Hello,” he yelled again as he made his way to where the sound was coming from — upstairs near the master bedroom.

He stood at the door. The television was on and he could hear laughing from two people inside the room. He turned the knob discreetly to peek inside. Horrified by what he saw, he left the door slightly ajar and went back to work.

Chapter 6 Surel Bryant pulled up to her mother’s one-story brick home in Savannah, Georgia. Since her divorce from Tyler, things hadn’t gone as well as she thought they would. This was her first time home in nearly five years and while she knew her mother loved her, she also knew her mother liked to keep in touch with almost everyone she knew. “Hello, Mom,” Surel greeted her as she opened the door. “Hi, baby. Long time, no see,” her mother said smiling. The two embraced for a few seconds longer than normal. “Did you bring the baby?” her mother asked. “I would love to see him.” Surel sighed. “No, I left him with a friend.” “Oh, really?” her mother replied knowingly as they

both made their way to the kitchen table. “Let me get you some coffee and then we can talk.” Surel took a seat at the table. Coming back home to her mother was the best thing she had done in a long while. Her mother loved all her children dearly and had prayed for them every day since their birth. “So what’s going on with you? I haven’t seen you in so many years except for a call here and there,” her mother said. “What brings you popping by today?” “Lots of things, Mom, lots of things,” Surel said taking a sip from her coffee cup. After an extended period of silence, she continued. “Tyler and I got divorced last year.” Her mother furrowed her brow and lowered her head as if to tell her to keep on going. “I just don’t know. He doesn’t love me anymore,” Surel said in a soft voice. “‘Do you love him?’ is the question. You know love is a two-way street. You can’t expect to get love if you are unwilling to give love,” her mother said in a firm but kind voice. “And you know how you can be sometimes.” “I know, I know,” Surel said. “I just don’t feel it anymore. Things were so sweet and good when we first met and even for several months after we got married, but we drifted apart, I guess. There was no affair. Just a slow erosion and a building of resentment about a lot of different things. It is like we were married and not married at the same time.” “And instead of praying together and talking to each 32

other about your feelings, you took matters into your own hands and just decided to get a divorce?” her mother asked. “I wouldn’t say it like that, mom. It just wasn’t working. Besides, he was trying to run a music studio and there was just a lot of work that I thought he could leave to other people.” Surel’s mother looked at her deeply for a few seconds. Then she said, “Surel, can you define exactly what made you get a divorce? No one gets a divorce without a reason behind it...or maybe some people do. Tell me exactly what it was.” “It was nothing specific,” Surel paused. “Just a whole lot of stuff that built up and made me feel like he wasn’t paying enough attention. The divorce papers stated irreconcilable differences. But I just fell out of love.” “Love,” her mother said, “is a choice. The idea of falling in love leaves the possibility that you can fall out of love. There are many things we choose to do in life. We choose to get up in the morning. We choose to go to work. We choose to read a book. We choose all these things. Love is no different. You must choose to love. You must choose to be in love. Just like you’re choosing to focus on all the negative stuff that you can’t even define, you can choose to focus on the positive things. What you focus on will grow.” Surel let those words sink in. She did want to be married, but her stubborn will seemed to stand in the way of the things she really wanted inside. 33

“You know what,” her mother said. “I want you to do something. And if you just go and do it, I think it will change you.” “What is it, Mom?” Surel asked, skeptical that anything could really help her at this point, much less save her marriage. Her mother got up and went into the living room. She returned with a colorful brochure in her hand. “Look at this, I want you to sign yourself and your husband up for this retreat. The Heathertons are a model couple and I think you could learn a lot from them. You need a good example to follow.” “So I have to get him to go with me?” Surel asked. “Yes, absolutely. You want to work it out, don’t you? Call him up, apologize for your behavior, and ask him if he would accompany you. ‘Ask and you will receive,’ child,” her mother said patting her on the knee.

Chapter 7 Evelyn Ramirez turned the corner of a busy intersection in downtown Charlotte. It had been a long day. Her head was pounding. She was ready to go home and rest. She pulled through the drive-thru at Wan-Fu to pick up an order of Beijing beef, chicken fried rice, and egg rolls for herself and her husband. As she pulled around, she spotted a little boy sitting outside of the restaurant alone. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strange, she thought. That little kid could get lost in this busy area of the city. She figured his parents were not too far away, however. The line was long so she waited for fifteen minutes before being given her order. When she turned the corner to leave the restaurant, she noticed the little boy crossing the street by himself. Quickly, she turned on her blinkers and followed him. Arriving at a less congested area, Evelyn rolled down

her window. “Excuse me, what’s your name?” “Barry,” the little boy said in a low voice. “Okay, Barry. Where are your parents? Do you have someone with you?” The boy shook his head and stopped walking. Evelyn got out of her car and kneeled down to get on his eye-level. “Can you tell me where you’re headed?” “Across the street.” “Well, you know it’s getting late and the streets are kind of busy. Do you mind if I take you where you’re trying to go?” Evelyn opened the door for the little boy to get in. “Do you have a home?” she asked. The little boy just looked at her. “How old are you?” “Six.” “Oh my, you shouldn’t be out here like this by yourself. Can you tell me where your parents are? Do they live in a house?” Evelyn didn’t know exactly what to do, but her instincts kicked in. “Tell you what, I’ll take you with me to my house and you can eat and spend the night. In the morning, we’ll find your parents.” The boy smiled a little as he got into Evelyn’s car. In twenty minutes, they arrived at Evelyn’s suburban home. “Aaron,” she called upon entering the house. “I’m home. I brought dinner and a friend.” “Alright,” he called back. He came down the stairs a few minutes later. “Hi there, little fellow,” he said cheerfully. “What’s your name?” 36

“Barry,” the little boy said as he followed him into the living room. “Barry. That’s a cool name. I had a friend in grade school whose name was Barry. Are you a little version of him?” Aaron went on and on in his usual friendly tone. Evelyn entered the living room with a plate of food for Barry. “I hope you like Chinese food,” she said smiling. Barry climbed onto the couch and took the plate in his lap. He started to eat eagerly. Aaron followed Evelyn back into the kitchen. “Is he a kid from the daycare center?” “No,” Evelyn said. “Where did you find him?” “I was picking up Chinese food and saw him sitting outside the restaurant. I thought he had parents nearby. But as I was driving away, I saw him again walking down the busy street alone so I pulled over to see if I could help.” “Oh, did you find his folks?” Aaron asked. “Not yet. I will have to call around in the morning to see what I can find. All we have is Barry to go by,” Evelyn said as she spooned out the last of the food onto two plates. She looked up at her husband. “Perhaps, we can play mom and pop for a few days.” He smiled at the idea.

Chapter 8 “This is so much more like what we originally wanted,” Sunshine said to Jason as they toured Paradise Eden Retreats two weeks before their planned conference. “I cannot believe you found this.” “Yep. I can’t believe it myself. We’ve certainly found the place. And I think this will give couples who are really struggling and are coming to us to receive help a sense that hope does exist for their relationship,” Jason replied. They continued their walk-through and returned to the main office. “We’ll do it right here,” Sunshine told the owner. She set about to give him all the details for their reservation. “210 individual rooms, wide-open space for breakout sessions, daily catering, availability of the wrap-around lake for private afternoon walks, and permission for a band to perform on the last evening.” After about thirty minutes of ironing out the details

with the property managers, Sunshine and Jason excitedly headed back to their office. The perfect place had opened up for them to hold their retreat. Sunshine began to organize as soon as they returned to their office suite. “So, we’ll need to get Isaac started on revising our online advertisement. Cary will get the workbooks printed up and sent ahead of us by first thing tomorrow morning. Angie can contact all the registered attendees to alert them to the location change.” Jason nodded. “We probably should offer a tenpercent refund to those who already registered because some of them may not be too happy about having to change plans.” “Alright,” Sunshine said adding it to the details she was marking down on her tablet. “Angie can add that to her message. You and I need to wrap up our presentation development and lesson plans for these four days.”

Chapter 9 Jenna and Terry tried their best to get through the next couple of weeks. But it was a struggle. At the recommendation of their pastor, they both decided to take time out of their schedule to submit to several weeks of marriage counseling. Nate and Nadina Pembrooke were the two marriage counselors who worked to assist the couple in their hardship. “The day I discovered what she had done to our marriage, it was very heartbreaking,” Terry said. “It felt like all of the time and effort I had put into it had gone down the drain.” Jenna told a somewhat different story. “I was always home with the kids and wanted a change of pace. I felt he was always busy — too busy for us to do things together like we used to. I wanted a little more excitement

and companionship, you know, someone to talk to and someone who would listen. I found that in Chris at that time. I thought and felt like I deserved it.” “Do you see how many times you’ve used the word I in your explanation?” Nate said to Jenna. “She can be very selfish and only concerned about her wants and needs to the neglect of everything else,” Terry quickly answered. “Let’s let her figure this out,” Nadina said. “The issue of selfishness and self-focus seems to be a root problem in your marriage and one that will need to be intentionally worked on in order for you both to grow.” Nadina turned to Jenna. “How many times do you think you used the word I in your statement?” “Well, I guess about two times,” she said in an ambivalent tone. “I’m pretty sure I’m not a selfish person. Just because I feel I want something or need something doesn’t make me selfish.” “I counted six times. Six times you used I when describing the breakdown of your marriage,” Nate replied. “Here’s the thing I think you’re missing. Marriage offers a valuable opportunity to discipline ourselves to not yield to the tendency to go our own way. If the two people in a marriage are trying to go in opposite directions, feelings will be hurt, words will be misunderstood, and trust will be broken.” Jenna and Terry nodded. Nadina continued, “Selfishness is a bitter fruit. It ruins marriages and lives every single day. The main key 42

to defeating selfishness is to surrender. You cannot be willful in a marriage. To have such an attitude is to look one way, expecting a unified marriage, but to walk another way, doing things that are inevitably destructive and harmful. In marriage, each person must be willing to give up their individual desires for the sake of the other person. In so doing, it ensures that no one’s feelings and emotions are hurt. Strangely, when we surrender our wills and what we want for the sake of those around us, we often end up getting what we want, and many times, more than what we want.” “She’s very right,” Nate said with a smile. “Let me tell you something that I want you to do. I think this will help you. The Love and Life Marriage Retreat is next weekend, Friday through Monday. I want you to register for it,” he said as he handed them a pamphlet. “Jason and Sunshine Heatherton are gifted counselors and wonderful individuals who also happen to be good friends of ours who I think could help you tremendously.” “Thank you,” Terry and Jenna said as they headed out the door.

Chapter 10 “The novelist Pat Conroy once noted that ‘divorce represents the death of a small civilization,’” Surel’s mother told her a few days after she had initially come to visit. They were sitting on the front porch enjoying the sun as it went down. “People get divorced every year, millions of them. They don’t realize that divorce isn’t just the end of a marriage between two people. Divorce is like death; although the people are living, they are dead to each other.” Surel was sometimes surprised by her mother’s insight and wisdom. “How do you know this? Have you ever been divorced?” Surel inquired. “No. I’ve never been divorced. Your father and I dated, got married, and stayed married for fifty-two years. There was no need for divorce or for even thinking about it because we chose to love each other.”

Surel nodded. Her mind took her back to her childhood and how loving her parents were to her, to her siblings, to each other, and to other people. I wish that kind of unconditional love reigned in my heart, she thought. “Many times, this is what happens when people get divorced. They get away from the other person and later find out that they didn’t want the divorce in the first place,” her mother said. “Deep down, they didn’t want it because they always knew that once they were together, they should be together for life. Few things truly last in this world; a marriage should be one of them.” “Mom, you’re talking to me about marriage, but I’m not married,” Surel said defensively. “I know. But you were married and it is in your best interest to go back to that. Tyler is a good man, a hardworking man who would give you anything, but you let your stubborn will get in the way. You divorced him and couldn’t tell me the other day what you divorced him over. I don’t think that’s the sign of a woman that really wants to be divorced,” her mother said. “What do you think?” Surel’s silence made her mother wonder if she was thinking or waiting to be told something. “Tyler isn’t the only problem. You are part of the problem too,” her mother said giving her a pat on the arm. Moving forward in her seat, she continued, “You know I always speak the truth. Many counselors will tell you just the opposite — if your husband doesn’t shape 46

up and do what you say, you should get out. You need to just do what makes you happy.” “My friend told me something similar to that actually,” Surel said. “And you did just that. But now you really want to get back what you had before.” Surel scooted back on the swing on the front porch. She knew her mother was a God-fearing woman and maybe that’s why she had avoided her for so long. After a brief pause, her mother said, “You see, baby, God intends for marriage to make us more holy than to make us happy. And in a strange sort of way, when we are holy, we become happy. Not the other way around. You see, when you are holy, you love unconditionally, you stop running from every little thing, and you release matters into the Lord’s hands, even the smallest of them.” Surel stopped swinging and looked at her mother. She was finding it hard to disagree.

Chapter 11 On Monday morning, Evelyn contacted the North Carolina Department of Social Services to inquire about the little boy she and her husband had come to love and take care of over the last three days. The doorbell rang and Evelyn opened the door that afternoon. “Hello. My name is Regina Martinez with Family and Child Services. I was scheduled to meet with you today about the child you found.” “Yes. Come in,” Evelyn said. Aaron and Barry joined them at the table in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen. “So tell me how you came to find Barry and what led you to take him into your home,” Regina said. Evelyn recalled her experience at the restaurant and how she saw him outside the restaurant and then

walking down the street by himself. “We would be very interested in adopting him if no one suitable is found to take care of him,” Aaron piped in. “Are there any other children here?” Regina asked. Evelyn looked at her husband. “Unfortunately, there aren’t. We haven’t been able to have any of our own.” “But,” Aaron said as if to cheer her up and change the mood, “my wife owns a daycare center — First Steps Learning Center in downtown Charlotte. We see so many little children and their parents or guardians each day and would love to become parents.” “I’m glad to have found eager, willing participants in the adoption process,” Regina said. “As you probably know already, adoption can be a lengthy process filled with tons of paperwork and verifications that have to be done to ensure we give a child a safe, loving home among people who will raise him or her well. First, we will conduct a three-month search to see if we can find Barry’s real parents. If those parents or another guardian related to him cannot be found, and you wish to continue with the adoption, there are many things you will need to consider in order to engage fully in this process. Prospective parents must participate in the home study process and undergo training on how to care for a child. Additionally, social workers other than myself will visit your home several times over the course of the process to ensure it is safe and fit for a child. While I’m sure you already know how to care for children, as you care for 50

many at your daycare center, you will still have to undergo all of this. It is our standard protocol.” Evelyn and Aaron looked at each other. They had never seriously discussed adoption although both of them had admitted to thinking about it on several occasions. “We are ready to go through whatever process we have to go through to adopt Barry if his real parents or a legal guardian cannot be found,” Evelyn said. Regina smiled. She had seen many adoption cases stall or turn into situations that ended up hurting the child even more. “I will certainly take you into consideration,” she said. “From looking up Barry’s records, we have discovered that he is originally from Virginia. He was born there. We would first want to find a family willing to adopt in the child’s state of birth.” “I see,” Evelyn replied. “Perhaps we could help give you some leads as we know a couple of good families in Virginia ourselves who would fit the bill,” Aaron said. “That would be appreciated. For now, I will need to take Barry into the care of the state until we sort through some paperwork and see if he has any relatives nearby who are fit to care for him. We will stay in touch,” Regina said rising from the table. “Thank you for your time,” Evelyn said as they opened the front door for her to leave.

Chapter 12 Sunshine, Jason, and their assistants worked long into the night for several days leading up to the marriage and couples retreat. It was an exciting time. It was their prayer that many hearts would be turned to God and to each other, that trust would be built, and that hope would be restored. The day before the start of the retreat, they packed their belongings and headed down the road from Danville, Virginia, to Eden, North Carolina. Early the next morning, Sunshine and Jason got together with their team for final preparation and prayer. “Dear Lord, we thank you for this day and for bringing us to this moment in ministry,” Jason began. “Bless the people who come here today to leave better than they came — refreshed, renewed, and restored, experiencing love and life as you meant for them to experience it. Give Sunshine, Nate, Nadina, and the rest

of our ministry assistants and partners here strength and grace to bring your message to each heart. Arrest our attention in the most amazing ways. Help us to see you and to know you and to understand the wisdom and principles set forth in your Word. Amen.” Sunshine continued the prayer as the team joined hands in agreement. “Dear Father, restore unto us the joy of your salvation in this retreat. Help us to not only reconnect with each other but, most importantly, to connect with you. Deliver us from guilt and shame and from yielding to lies and temptations from the enemy. Make each one of us to be a blessing to the people we encounter today that we may see your glory, life, and love manifest in our hearts. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.” The team and partners said “Amen” together and then went to each of their respective places to begin receiving those who had registered for the conference. In less than an hour, over two hundred couples began showing up for the four-day retreat. Upon arrival and check-in, the sessions began. Terry and Jenna Kaller were one of the first couples to arrive. Looking very tired but seemingly relieved, Terry said to the receptionist, “We’ll attend these three sessions right here,” pointing to the brochure he had received. One of the sessions was titled, “Building Trust After an Extra-Marital Affair: Learning to Trust and Be Trustworthy.” “Alright,” the receptionist said as she keyed them into the computer. “All three sessions will be held in 54

Room 123 which is right out this door to your left.” She handed them the keys to their room and directed them to the nearest parking space. Meanwhile, Surel and Tyler Bryant arrived at the registration table. “Divorce and Remarrying Your Spouse” is the session that popped out for Tyler. I can’t believe I let her talk me into doing this, he thought. Since she didn’t tell him exactly where she wanted him to accompany her, he immediately figured this would be some type of guilt trip. “This is what I thought we should sit in on while we’re here,” Surel said pointing to the name of the session on the brochure. “Whatever you want,” Tyler said reluctantly. “I hope you intend to listen and do what these people tell you to do since we’re spending money to be here as opposed to me being at work at the studio.” “My money,” Surel reminded him. She had paid for both of them to go in hopes that they would be able to restore their marriage. Evelyn and Aaron came to the retreat as well. Even though they were tight as a couple, they still enjoyed time away from work spent reassuring their love for each other. They were good friends with the Heathertons, and they took every opportunity to support them in their endeavors. When they broke for lunch on the second day of the retreat, Evelyn and Sunshine chatted with each other for a while. 55

“I’ve been thinking,” Sunshine said halfway through their meal, “Jason and I should adopt a child since we are struggling to conceive on our own. I’ve wanted to have a child for the longest time but I don’t think God has that in his plans for us.” Evelyn reached across the table and patted her on the arm. She understood and knew all too well the very real struggle of infertility and the hurt that accompanied it. “You are a strong woman and I know you will make a great mother to any child,” she said smiling. They ate in silence for a few minutes. “Speaking of children,” Evelyn said, “my husband and I took in an abandoned child who was walking the streets alone one day. His name is Barry and he’s about six years old. The social worker who came to our house said he was born in Virginia but as of yet they don’t have any details or whereabouts of close relatives. We may not be able to adopt him because they want to look first for those in his state of birth. Since you live in Virginia, it might be a perfect fit.” Sunshine smiled. She knew God always answered prayers in the most amazing ways. “We would be most grateful if you gave them our contact information,” she said. ————— On the first evening of the retreat, Terry found it hard to relax. It felt so unusual for him to be away from his work. The conference organizers had made all of the attendees leave their phones and other electronic 56

devices in lockers at the front desk. They were only allowed an hour after lunch each day to use the internet in the computer room or watch TV in the lounge. With each hour that passed, he and Jenna got used to the quiet of the retreat in Eden and found it refreshing just to spend time with each other. On the last day of the retreat, they went outside to sit by the lake before dinner. “I guess you finally got what you wanted,” Terry said. “Lots of time alone with me. Had enough yet?” Jenna looked up at him to make sure he was joking. “No, I haven’t had enough.” She kicked her bare feet in the water and looked somber for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I never apologized for committing adultery. Nate and Nadina were right: I was selfish. And I’m sorry. You have been a great provider, and I promise I’ll be more considerate of what you’re trying to do from now on.” Terry put his arm around his wife. “And I promise that I will be more considerate of you, too,” he said. “I’ve been thinking a little, and I’ve realized that I don’t need to work as hard anymore. The house is paid for, the cars are almost paid for. I can take a position at the company that requires fewer hours and less travel. I can do a lot of my consulting work from home. That way I can be with you and the children more throughout the day. How does that sound?” Jenna smiled. “That sounds great… You know, I was dreading coming to this retreat at first, but now I’m glad 57

we could have this time together. This peace and calm that’s here — it’s a great picture of how God intended marriage to be. Like, Adam and Eve in the garden, you know?” “Yeah, I know,” Terry said. “We just have to be sure we bring some of this back home with us.” ————— For Surel, most of the advice that was given during the “Divorce and Remarrying Your Spouse” sessions seemed to be a repeat of her mother’s words. Jason and Sunshine went over a guide called “Path to Isolation,” and Surel realized that she and Tyler had been through each step that they outlined. She took notes during all of the sessions. When she looked over, she found Tyler doing the same. On the last session of the retreat, Jason and Sunshine stretched their arms out over the audience and prayed for the couples who were gathered in the room. “Heavenly Father, I lift up all marriages, whether broken or still whole, to You right now,” Jason prayed. “I know there are some marriages that are in need of restoration, and I pray that You would intervene in these situations and provide the couples involved with the healing and peace that they need. Give them the strength to love and the courage to overcome their problems for Your glory. I pray for Your will to be done in each and every marriage. Amen.” “Amen,” Surel quietly echoed as she wiped tears from her face. Being at the retreat had caused her to wonder 58

if divorcing Tyler had been a big mistake. She realized now that she still loved him, and though he didn’t always express it, she knew he loved her too. Surel took a deep breath as the other couples left the room for refreshments and to get ready for the band that would be playing that night. She had to talk with Tyler, but she didn’t really know what to say to begin. Tyler was thinking the same. He cleared his throat and reaching out, took her hand. “Surel, I think we need to give our marriage another chance,” he said. “It’s safe to say that we let one another down, but being married is God’s plan for us, and I promise I’ll do whatever it takes for you to be my wife again.” Surel nodded. “And I promise to do whatever it takes to be the very best wife for you,” she said. They both went to the front to tell Jason and Sunshine why they had come to the retreat and thanked them for putting it together. “Being here has helped us forgive one another for the hurt we’ve caused each other,” Surel said. “We’re ready to put the past behind us and move forward with the plans God has for us.” “We’re glad you could come,” Sunshine said. “We’re committed to helping couples understand that marriage was God-designed and God-ordained. I like to tell people something that Adrian Rogers once said: ‘One man and one woman were placed in the Garden of Eden, and God Himself performed the marriage.’” “I didn’t think about it until now,” Jason said. “I guess God had a reason for us having the conference here 59

instead of in Greenville. The first marriage was performed in a garden called Eden, so what better place to have a marriage conference than here in Eden, North Carolina.â&#x20AC;?

The End.