The Last Christmas

Last Christmas The

A NOVELLA

Essence Magazine National Bestselling Author

Daniel Whyte III with Meriqua Whyte

The Last Christmas

by Daniel Whyte III with Meriqua Whyte Cover Design by Atinad Designs.

Copyright 2014 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.

Chapter 1 Abelina Perez was surprised when the phone rang so soon after the last of her extended family had left their Christmas gathering. She picked it up and smiled when she saw it was her oldest daughter, Autum.

“Hello, Mom. Just calling to let you know we're on the road,” Autum said.

Abelina chuckled. “You've only been gone for twenty minutes, but I do thank you all for calling and for coming. Make sure you call me as soon as you get home safely—no matter the time. Promise?”

“We promise,” Autum said.

“Say goodbye to Mom,” Abelina could hear her daughter calling out to the others in the van with her. “We love you, Mom. See you next Christmas,” several voices responded.

“Okay, Mom, get some rest,” Autum said before saying goodbye.

“I will,” said Abelina.

After hanging up, Abelina leaned back on the black leather couch with both feet resting on the matching ottoman.

She smiled as she savored the relaxing ambiance of the room.

She looked from the rocking chair to the loveseat to the flowerpatterned couch. She had a vivid picture of the happy faces of her children, her son-in-law, her two daughters-in-law, and her three grand-children sitting in the living room enjoying the Christmas Day fellowship.

God did a great work this Christmas in having the entire family back together for the first time since all the kids grew up. Thank You, Jesus. Things could not have gone any better.

Taking a quick glance out the window through the half drawn drapes she noticed snow was lightly but steadily falling.

Through the falling snow she could make out the blinking colorful lights wrapped around the tree on her front lawn. Her smile broadened as she noted the lighted nativity scene. Yes, He was born to die on Calvary. That is the real reason for the season.

Her eyes alighted on the muted television screen which was tuned in to the local news channel. One of her favorite pastimes was to watch the news and the holiday specials to learn about how others celebrated Christmas and also to see what interesting events took place in her hometown of Stone Mountain, GA, and around the world during the wonderful holiday period. A time of thinking about others and not just yourself, she thought. Abelina saw Christmas as a month long extension of Thanksgiving, and marked it as a time for families to get together and to end the year together.

Later that evening Abelina turned on the TV and flipped to the local news channel. “Oh my soul,� she said as a dramatic image flashed on the screen. Abelina turned up the volume and leaned forward to catch every word the reporter was saying.

Chapter 2 Sandon Perez and Abelina Montana had exchanged vows thirty years ago and settled down in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The stress of marriage and the birth of their five children within ten years put a great strain on their relationship.

Abelina handled the ups and downs of the marriage as best she could getting her encouragement from her church family as well as from her parents. Sandon bowed out of the marriage, but not until after some years of unsuccessfully trying to cope with life's problems.

“As long as there is life there is hope,” Abelina kept reassuring him, quoting her own mother's words to them when Sandon started throwing the word 'divorce' at her.

“I can’t handle this anymore,” Sandon said after their fourth child, Jade, was born. He looked at Jade with disdain when he visited his wife at the hospital more out of duty than love. He hardly held Jade when his wife brought him home.

“Another baby means another mouth to feed and more clothes to buy. Work has slowed down at the plant. They have cut my hours back in case you haven't noticed.”

“No, I haven't noticed,” Abelina calmly replied. “You've been going out every day up until yesterday—all eight plus hours not counting driving time. Where have you been going if not to work?”

“Does it matter now?” Sandon threw the words at his wife. “Does it really matter now where I have been going?”

“Yes, it does, Sandon,” Abelina replied. “You're constantly coming home angry. Oh, never mind. I mean, what's going on at the job? Talk to me.”

“Look, Abelina, they've cut my hours back to less than half-time. I've been going out trying to find another job to supplement the one at the plant, but nothing has opened up.

Nothing!” Sandon slammed his fist on the table with such force the dishes rattled.

“Baby, God will provide for us. I still have my job at the school. If we have to cut back on our expenses, we just have to cut back.”

“Yeah, right. You just don't know what it does to a man's ego when he can't adequately provide for his family,” Sandon said rising from the table and heading toward the front door.

“You seem to be providing for us fine,” his wife said.

When he did not answer she asked, “Where are you going?”

“None of you business,” he said storming out the door.

“Mom, why has Dad been acting like this lately?” nineyear-old Tameron, the Perez’s eldest son, asked with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Don't worry about your father. He's just frustrated because he's not making as much money as he usually made.”

“Well, that's no reason for him to get angry and shout at us all the time,” Tameron said.

“Well, he does love you and is trying to do his best to take care of you. One day both of your parents will grow old and die. We won’t be around to take care of you forever.”

“Of course you will,” four-year-old Autum said hopping up on her mother's lap.

“Whoa! Be careful. You don't want to hurt little Jade,” her mother said cradling Jade in one of her arms. With her other arm she motioned for her children to come close to her.

She hugged them as best she could. “I love all of you, and don't you ever forget it. Just pray for your dad. Promise?”

The children nodded.

Chapter 3 As the days rolled into weeks and the weeks into months and the months into years, things did not improve in the Perez household. Sandon had secured another part-time job and the strain between him and Abelina had pushed their marriage to its breaking point—at least in his mind. Another daughter, Carlisha, had been birthed into the family to Sandon's chagrin.

“It would be nice if you held her once in a while,” Abelina said to her husband one evening.

“Aren't you her mother? You hold her,” Sandon replied roughly.

Soon, the children learned not to expect their father to be at home in the evenings and were surprised when he did turn up to share the evening meal with them. The children learned to stay out of his way lest they fall victims to a few choice words coming out of his mouth.

One Sunday, while Abelina and the children were getting ready for church, Sandon returned home with blood-shot eyes.

After services that day, during dinner time at Abelina’s parents' house, now thirteen-year-old Rafael told his Grandma Eunice, that Sandon “looked like a monster.”

“Now, what happened?” Grandma Eunice asked her daughter.

“Mama, things are getting worse. He hardly comes home anymore; the children are literally afraid of him. Whenever he does come home, there's nothing but arguing and fault-finding.

Mama, I don't know what the problem is now. I know it's not a money problem. He just seems so withdrawn; almost like he's no longer sure of his role as a father and husband.”

“It's a woman issue,” her mother said with a straight face.

“What are you saying?” Abelina said.

“He has another woman out there.”

“No, Mama. He doesn't,” Abelina said glancing at her children as she considered what next to say.

“There's no need to hide it from the children. They're old enough and smart enough to know what's going on.”

Abelina had to agree with her mother.

“Grandma, don’t forget to get Jade an extra present. His birthday is on Christmas, remember?” Autum asked. “He's going to be seven.”

“Sure, baby. I didn’t forget. Tell you what: I'll make his cake this year. Is that alright with you, Jade?”

“Of course, Grandma Eunice,” Jade said grinning.

Abelina and the children returned home to find Sandon asleep. He awakened shortly after they arrived.

“Can I ask you something?” Abelina said to him.

“What now?”

“Are you seeing another woman?”

“What?” he said glaring at her before bursting out in an uncontrollable belly laugh. “Where did you get such a crazy idea? Are you seeing another man?”

“Now you know that's not me.”

“Right now, you just stay out of my way with that mess,” he said walking off mumbling under his breath.

Sighing, Abelina followed him out of the bedroom. “I kept the children up so you'll say goodnight to them. We had a full day at church and at Mama's house. When are you going to come to church with us again?”

“You didn't need to do that. Just go ahead and put them to bed. I'll say goodnight in a little while.”

“Daddy,” Jade said timidly as his father walked by the living room, “are you going to be here for my birthday party? At least stay since it’s Christmas.”

Sandon paused momentarily, long enough to pull his jacket off the coat rack. Without even glancing in his son's direction he headed out the door.

“Sandon,” Abelina said hurrying after him, “your son just asked you a question. And where are you going? I thought you might want to spend some time with the children.”

“I'm going out with the girl you think I'm seeing,” Sandon snickered slinging his jacket over his shoulder without a glance back.

Abelina watched him pull out the driveway.

Tameron, now fifteen, stood behind his mother. “Don't worry, Mom. We don't need him. He's hardly ever here anyway.

And whenever he's here, it's nothing but arguing.”

“Come on, children,” Abelina said locking the front door. “Let's pray and then go to bed.”

“Rafael, Jade,” Tameron said to his brothers once they were in bed, “let's study hard so we can get good jobs so we can take care of Mom. Dad’s a deadbeat. He's not going to take care of her.”

“Yeah, I'm in,” Rafael said. “He did not even answer Jade.”

The boys heard sniffles coming from Jade's direction.

“Don't let Dad make you cry,” Tameron said. “You have to be strong. Grandma will make sure you have the best birthday ever.”

“I want Dad to come; he’s not a deadbeat,” Jade sniffled.

Chapter 4 Jade's birthday party started off well. It had always been a special occasion to Abelina because Jade had been born on Christmas Day. “Thank you, Grandma,” he said when he saw the rectangular cake with little football men spread out on the green icing.

“That's you about to score the winning touch down,” Grandma Eunice said pointing to one of the figures holding a football.

As they were singing 'Happy Birthday,' to Jade, his father stumbled into the house and made his way to the master bedroom. Grandma Eunice and Abelina exchanged glances as Grandma encouraged the children to continue singing.

Tameron watched his mother hurry after his father. When she got to the bedroom Sandon had his travel bag on the bed and was stuffing the contents of one of the drawers into the bag. He pulled down some clothes off the hangers in the closet.

“What's going on?” Abelina asked as she closed the door.

Sandon continued to pull down clothes without acknowledging his wife.

Abelina stood by the door and watched. “Couldn't you do this some other time? It's your son's birthday. Doesn’t that matter to you? Besides, it’s a holiday and it’s snowing outside.”

Sandon brushed past his wife and almost bumped into Tameron who was listening in the hallway. The children were

eating the birthday meal when Sandon strode past the dining room. Jade jumped out of his seat. “Dad, aren't you going to stay? We saved you some dinner. I fixed it myself.”

Sandon stepped out the door without looking back. Jade looked to his mother who just hugged him. “He had to go take care of something. He'll eat when he gets back,” she said as her eyes connected with her mother's.

Jade seemed to have forgotten about his father's departure for the rest of the party. He was attempting to build a house with his Lincoln Logs when he asked, “Why didn't Dad stay for my party? Now he missed everything. Grandma, did you save him a big piece of cake? Can I put the little man holding the football on it?”

“Sure. It's right next to his food on the table.”

Tameron sighed. “Jade, I hate to tell you this, but Dad's not coming back—at least not tonight.”

“Quiet, Tameron,” his mother said softly.

“You may as well tell him the truth,” Tameron said.

“Dad's probably not coming back at all. He had his bag stuffed with his clothes.”

“Enough of that,” Abelina said sharply. “Go to your bedroom and take Rafael with you.”

Placing her arms around Jade's shoulders she chose her words carefully. “You know your father and I have not been getting along for a while now. I'm guessing he just needs some time alone to himself. We all need time to ourselves every now and then. He did not tell me why he took his clothes, or why he couldn't stay, but all we can do is pray for -- ”

“So Tameron's right: he's not going to come back,” Jade said trying to sound grown up. “Then why did he have to leave on my birthday and Christmas? He hates me!”

Abelina hugged her son tighter.

Jade cried himself to sleep that night. He awakened around two in the morning and went into the kitchen. He picked up the plate with the food and cake he had insisted they leave on the table for his father. After removing the little football man from off the slice of cake, he dumped the plate with its contents in the trash and returned to bed.

Jade awoke the next morning quieter than normal—the opposite of the rambunctious little boy he had been since birth.

Chapter 5 “Mama, I can't believe he did that. What was he thinking? On Jade's birthday? On Christmas?” Abelina exclaimed.

“I agree. That was just selfish,” her mother said. “All we can do is pray for him and for Jade as well. That boy's going to hurt for a while. He looked up to his father.”

“You know, as rough as things got, I never dreamed for a minute that he would do something like that. I noticed he treated Jade differently from how he treated the other children; he did not pay him the same attention—even as a baby,” Abelina said. “Remember I told you Dad had to almost make him hold Jade when he visited me in the hospital after I gave birth.”

“I remember. And what was his reason again?”

“Oh, that Jade was only going to add to the financial burden of the family,” Abelina said. “But then, Sandon was never a fighter; he crumbled easily under pressure. Sometimes, I'd hope and even pray that I was only dreaming, and that one day I would wake up and everything would be fixed.

Sometimes, I wanted out. But God kept telling me to stay put for His glory and for the sake of the children. I tried to get Sandon to renew our commitment to each other for the children's sake, but he kept looking for a detour. He found his detour and has taken off.”

“It's interesting that you use the word 'detour',” Grandma Eunice said. “Why that word to describe his walking out?”

“A detour takes you off the regular route; it may have twists and turns and bumps along the way, and the scene may not be as beautiful, and it may take you a bit longer to get to your destination, but you'll eventually get there. I'm just trusting God to bring him to the right destination, which will be home again.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” her mother said with an understanding nod. “Most times that's all we can do—hope and pray. Just know your father and I are here for you and the children.”

The next few weeks proved to be trying times for Abelina and her children as they made some major adjustments emotionally and financially. Not only did things get tight financially, but she saw negative attitudes and emotions rise up, seemingly overnight, in her children -- with the exception of Carlisha, who was probably too young at the age of five to fully understand what was taking place in the family.

“Jade, don't ask me anymore when Dad's coming back,” Tameron said to his brother. “He's not coming back. I know you want him to, but he's not. My friend, Mike, said his father did the same thing. He woke up one morning and his father was gone; he found his mother crying her eyeballs out.”

“If he loves us, he's not going to stay away for long,” Jade said.

“Have you ever heard him tell you he loves you? He has never said that to me,” Tameron said.

“That doesn’t mean anything. I love you, but I don't tell you I love you,” Jade said.

“It's different between me and you and Autum and Rafael and Carlisha. We are sisters and brothers. We automatically love each other,” Tameron said.

Jade thought about his brother's words before saying, “How do you know he does not automatically love us?”

Tameron sighed. “I overheard Mom telling Grandma Eunice and Grandpa Leyton last time we were over there, that she came home one evening and all his clothes were gone and some of his devices and other stuff. Jade, that means he's not coming back. See, he was not even man enough to come get his things while we were there.”

“He's left before and he's always come back,” Jade said.

“Yes, for a day or two,” Tameron said, “and those times he's never taken any of his clothes or his other things...and he would at least call Mom. As far as I know, he has not called Mom since he left.”

Jade, after staring at his brother for a few minutes, ran into his mother's room and yanked the closet door open, his eyes roaming frantically all over the inside of the closet. He yanked the dresser drawers open and saw that some of them were empty.

When she heard Jade’s uncontrollable crying, Abelina hurried into the bedroom to find her son sitting on the floor.

“Jade, what's wrong?” Abelina said as she embraced him.

“Mom, he took everything. All his clothes are gone. Tell me he's coming back. Please say he's coming back!” Jade wailed.

Abelina pulled her son closer and held him until his sobbing subsided.

“I wish I could tell you he's coming back, but I can't, Jade. He left and did not say anything. I have not heard from him since he walked out. All we can do is pray for him.”

Chapter 6 It was not easy raising five children by herself, especially the boys. Abelina, at times, felt like her world was caving in.

“I don't know if I can go on,” she voiced to her parents.

“Those boys are more than a handful.”

“Now, we raised you to be stronger than that,” her father, Grandpa Leyton, gently but firmly reprimanded her.

“You can't give up. You bring those children over here every weekend from Friday night until Sunday evening, and whenever they are out of school for holidays and I'll help toughen them up—especially those boys. There are just some things only a man can instill in a boy. As you know, I’ve got what it takes. I'm an old military man. Your three brothers are doing quite well. In fact, you should let your boys spend some time with them.”

Abelina nodded her approval and silently offered up a prayer of thanks to God for her father's toughness while she and her siblings were growing up. She knew he would do the same with her children as he had never hesitated to correct and instruct them whenever they were around him.

Tameron, always a go-getter, pushed himself forward and proved to be a true big brother in every sense of the word.

Abelina sometimes wished he would weigh his words before speaking as he sometimes added sorrow to sorrow. Even from a young age whenever she got on his case for his insensitivity

toward his brothers and sisters, he would say, “Mom, even the Bible says you cannot spare for their feelings.”

“I don't think that is exactly what the Bible says, my future lawyer. And that verse was referring to parents and their children,” Abelina said.

Abelina grew proud of him as he, without being asked, took on responsibilities and proved his maturity. He made sure that his brothers were up and dressed in the mornings; he got on their cases if they talked during church services; he got on their cases if he thought they were being selfish and inconsiderate; he got on their cases if they talked back to Abelina even though he did it himself. He tried to do odd jobs for the neighbors and gave all the money to his mother to help out.

Tameron came in one day after turning sixteen and made a grand announcement.

“Mom, I got a real job. Marshal said his father is looking for three young men to help out in the two main parks in the evenings from 4 to 8 on Monday through Friday, and from 1 to 7 on Saturdays. I told him to tell his father to sign me up. You remember Marshal -- his father is the director of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs.”

“That's wonderful,” Abelina said.

“Because of my age, I'll just need for you to write a letter giving them permission to hire me,” Tameron said.

“Are you sure you'll be able to handle it? But more importantly, are you sure you'll love it?” his mother asked him.

“Sure.”

“Tell me why you want to do this,” said Abelina.

“Mom, I want to learn to make my own way in life. Plus, with Dad no longer here, I feel obligated to fill in for him more than I've been able to. Now that I am of legal working age there's no stopping me. With what Dad did to you, you can retire early because I'll take care of you,” he said proudly.

Abelina laughed. “I'm so proud of you. But at the same time, I don't want you to get stressed out and bogged down with taking care of me. You keep your dreams and goals before you and you work to achieve them. Do you still want to be a lawyer?”

“Yes. I can do both,” Tameron said. “I want to be a lawyer to protect kids and good parents from...”

Abelina waited for her son to finish his statement, but he shrugged it off.

“From what?” she asked.

Tameron shrugged again.

“From people like your father? You know, I can understand you still being angry at your father for leaving and then not keeping in touch, but as I've told you, you cannot allow that root of bitterness to develop in your heart. Once it takes root, it will be hard to pull out.”

“Mom, I'm not bitter. I'm just mad at how he snubbed Jade. Now he has Jade thinking he did something wrong and he'll never know what because Dad left without telling him.”

“How do you know all this?” Abelina asked him.

“I'm going to be a lawyer. I know how to get information out of people—especially my little brother,” Tameron grinned. “Right now, I need some information out of you: would you please give me permission in writing to join the

workforce of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs? Rafael's too young, but he can come on and work beside me as a volunteer. Marshal says he can do that. He's already put in a good word with Mr. McHenry.”

Abelina laughed. “You sure have it all figured out. Let me take care of one thing and I'll get back with you.”

Chapter 7 Abelina sought the advice of her father who gave her the go-ahead.

“Thanks, Mom. I'm going to make you proud of me,” Tameron said.

“You can make me even prouder if you stay out of trouble,” his mother said. “And I expect you to be where you're supposed to be when you are supposed to be there and doing what you are supposed to be doing.”

“You don't have to worry about any of that,” Tameron said.

Tameron worked so hard and so well that, after a year, as a graduation gift, Mr. McHenry moved him on up to second assistant working under his immediate assistant, thus increasing his hours and his pay. Rafael became a paid worker when he turned sixteen.

“College, here I come,” Tameron said. “Grandpa Leyton, I think I am going to take my undergraduate pre-law classes online. Then I'll go off to college to get my law degree. I think I need to stay here and help see at least Rafael and Autum through high school.”

“Now, that's thoughtful of you,” Grandpa Leyton said.

“But your mother and your siblings will be fine. We'll look out for them as we have been doing.”

As Tameron laid out his future plans before his mother, she remembered how forthright he had been when she had brought up the issue of his father's leaving with him as she tried to bring each of her children through that traumatic time.

“How do you really feel about your father leaving? I've heard you talking with Jade about it, but how do you really feel about it?”

“Mom, I really wish we did not have to talk about him.

To be honest with you, I really do not think about him; it's all on him. After all, he walked out on us. Ever since my friend, Mike, told me how his father just left without notice, I guess I kind of prepared myself just in case that happened to us. I would see Mike cry and look sad and not enjoy our games when we did play. He just did not smile as much as he used to. I told myself that I was not going to let Dad do that to me.”

“Now you know there can be a danger in not allowing yourself to feel any pain,” his mother said.

“Really?” Tameron said. “I kept hoping he would stay, but he didn't; so what am I going to do? Holler and scream and not smile anymore? Every now and then I would hear Mike say, 'I wish my Dad were here'. I can't live in the land of 'I wish' and 'I hope'. Like Grandpa said, I have to do what I have to do and go on with my life.”

Abelina was taken aback at her son's maturity.

“I don't know if I told you this,” Tameron continued, “but I saw Dad down at the main park about three times— watching me. I thought of going over to him and saying “hello”—you know, let him know there's no hatred there. But I

had no desire to do so. The thought of Jade's crying kept me from doing it.”

Abelina saw the muscles in her son's face tighten as he spoke and his eyes take on a dark expression.

“It's okay to cry the hurt out,” she said.

“Cry?” Tameron smirked. “If I cried it would be for Jade; not for myself. I hate to say this, but Dad’s leaving is making me into a stronger person with an even stronger determination to take care of you and my siblings.”

Abelina took note that the calm, unflappable demeanor of her son was more pronounced now than ever. His words and expressions seemed thought out—calculated.

Chapter 8 Abelina posed the same question to her other children.

“Look, Mom,” Rafael said. “I don't like what he did. I wish he was here to play ball with me; to teach me to barbecue on the grill like he promised me he would; to walk and talk with me about life, and about when he was growing up; to teach me how to handle money, and all that—but he's not here. So what am I going to do? Wallow in disappointment? Nope. Not me.

I'll cry for a while, but I won't cry forever. I hurt when I think about him, but Grandpa says to pray whenever I think about him, and to ask God for the strength to keep on reaching forward to what God has for me to do.”

After a few sniffles, Rafael said, “What about you, Mom? I heard you crying a few times shortly after he left. I haven't heard you cry recently.”

“To be honest with you, I'm trying to be strong for you children. I did hurt quite a bit and am still hurting. I keep asking myself, what did I do wrong? But I can't seem to come up with anything,” his mother sighed. “But life still goes on. Like David said when he thought others had forsaken him, 'I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.' No matter what happens you always love your father and you put your trust in God.” “I will,” Rafael said.

“Now, do you still want to be a police officer?”

“You bet I do,” Rafael chuckled. “I know that part of the reason Dad left was because of money issues. When I grow up, I'm going to start some kind of fund; I'll contact rich people and business people and churches to give so much money each month. This will help those fathers who walk out or are thinking of walking out on their children because they don't have enough money to take care of them. We'll teach them to budget so they can make it. I'm still working on a plan.”

“That's my boy,” Abelina said. “Always look for the good in something bad. Always think how you can help somebody. You know you don't have to wait until you put a uniform on to do that; you can begin now.”

“I know. Grandpa put that thought in my mind, and he and I have been talking about it and working on it. He's helping me to put together a proposal to send to the police chief and the mayor and some other people. He says I might even want to volunteer to do work down at the police station.”

“Mmm, I don't know about that at this young age,” Abelina said.

“Oh, Mom, I won't go riding around in a squad car.

They'll probably start me off working at the station running errands, listening in on how they take 911 calls; they might even let me dispatch a few emergency calls. That would be a lot of fun.”

“I'm very interested in this fund. Have you decided on a name yet?”

“Not yet. But Grandpa says we're going to start a domino effect from right here in Stone Mountain that will spread nationwide to help children caught in this web.”

Abelina was so proud of Rafael and the mature way he had been handling the situation, she began to wonder if her husband leaving was bringing out an inner strength in her children that probably would not have manifested itself otherwise or at such a young age. It was not until she posed the question to Autum, her oldest girl and third child, that she realized how much this may not be the case for all her children.

Chapter 9 Autum had been nine years old when her father left. She remembered clearly the look of confusion and utter dismay on Jade's face when her father had ignored him. He “treated him as though he were invisible and not important,” she told her grandparents.

“I don’t understand,” Autum repeated to her mother. “I don’t know why he left us like that. What nine-year-old girl does not want her father around? I get jealous when my friends talk about their fathers and what they did over the weekend and the funny things their fathers say. I have nothing to share with them because I do not have a father.”

Autum did not hide her tears.

“He was supposed to have taught me how to swim, and how to cook up a 'mean’ barbecue sauce. Now that will never happen.”

Abelina hugged her daughter.

“I thought he would come back by now. I thought he would realize his mistake and that he has his twelve-year-old girl waiting for him to come home as he's done ever since I can remember. But that only takes place in dreams, right?” Trying unsuccessfully not to cry, she continued. “He was supposed to have taken me to my first father-daughter banquet at the church. I was looking forward to it … but … now that's ruined —he ruined it. I was so jealous of all the other girls. They all

had their fathers to pin their corsages on their dresses; Grandpa had to pin mine on.”

“Let it all out,” Abelina said embracing her daughter.

“Thank God for Grandpa -- ” “Yes, but it's not the same thing. No one can replace what a dad is supposed to do.”

“Why didn't you let me know this was how you felt?”

Abelina said. “You don't have to walk through this alone. We are in it together as a family.”

“A family? We're not a family without a father. I thought you wanted me to be strong. You're always telling us to cut the whining and complaining, and --” “Yes, but there's a time to whine—if you want to call it that — and this is definitely a time to whine. When you are experiencing deep-seated hurt like this, you don't clam up. You talk it out. This is a hurt that can leave you crippled emotionally for many years—maybe for life. It can take the joy out of living,” Abelina said.

Holding her daughter at arms length and looking her in the eyes, Abelina said, “I don't want you to miss out on living your life to its fullest because of a bad decision your father made. Don't let that prevent you from reaching your goals.

What will greatly help you is if you rehearse your goals for your life everyday and work toward those goals and don't stop until you reach them. What are your plans for the future? Do you still want to help people?”

“Yes, I want to help people accomplish their goals.

Maybe provide them with the resources to do so. Maybe encourage them, you know.”

“Great. Always have an others-first mentality no matter what is going on in your life, and always remember your hurt may be someone else's help. It is never too late to reach out to others,” Abelina told her daughter. “In the meantime, while you are here, you remain busy by working toward your goals. You'll probably do well in the human services field. We'll begin looking into it. How does that sound?”

“Thanks, Mom. I definitely need something to keep my mind occupied,” Autum said wiping away her tears.

“We are going to have you volunteer at one of the nursing homes. Your sister and I will come with you,” Abelina said. “And promise me you'll come talk with me whenever you begin to feel down.”

Chapter 10 Abelina was extremely worried about her youngest son, Jade. His father's sudden departure seemed to have affected him the most.

“How do you feel about his leaving,” she asked her son.

“I'm probably the reason he left,” Jade replied with a straight face.

“Of course not,” his mother said. “What would make you even think something like that?”

“He left on my birthday, and he did not even say goodbye. He did not even wish me a happy birthday. He did it to punish me,” Jade said without showing any emotion.

“But you had nothing to do with him leaving,” Abelina insisted.

“Yes, I had a lot to do with it. He's punishing me. You see, he had it all planned. Tameron also told me he never heard Dad tell us he loves us, so he must hate us then—especially me.”

“No, Jade. That is not true. Your father loves you; he just has a hard time showing that love.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes I felt he didn’t like me and that I was being a bother to him. I could never do anything to please him, and when I did do something and show him or tell him about it, he never even smiled. And he didn’t even ask me about it like I've heard him ask Tameron and Rafael. Like the time I asked him to help me make a music box for my first grade class

project. He kept telling me he would, then we ran out of time.

Grandpa had to help me. All Dad said was, 'Yeah, Yeah' when I showed the music box to him.”

“I can tell you this,” Abelina said. “Your father felt badly about not helping you. He felt he had let you down.”

“How do you know that? He never told me that,” Jade said.

“He never told me either, but I just picked up on it by how strangely he acted after you showed him the music box.

Whatever happened to it anyway?”

“I gave it to my teacher. I told her she could have it because I liked her,” Jade said with a faint smile.

“Come sit on my lap,” Abelina said. “I hope you don't think you're too big to sit on my lap,” she said hugging him tight.

“I guess a ten-year-old can sit on his mother's lap when he's feeling sad and mad at the same time.”

Abelina rocked her son as they talked.

“Dad just seemed so serious all the time and he was always rushing me. He yelled at me more than he yelled at Tameron or Rafael. No matter how hard I tried to be good, I was never good enough.”

Abelina was saddened for her youngest son. She remembered Sandon's reaction when she informed him she was pregnant with Jade. *****

“Not again,” Sandon said with a condescending tone.

“Why in the world would you get pregnant again, and at a time like this? I just told you a few weeks back they cut my hours in half and they are probably getting ready to, in their words, 'temporarily lay me off' along with some others. I haven't had any luck finding another job so far. We're still paying doctor's bills on the other children.”

“Sandon, how can you say that?” Abelina said with a laugh thinking he was joking. “I have no control over getting pregnant—especially if we continue doing what we've been doing. If it’s God’s will, it is going to happen.”

“I don't know what you are giggling about. I am serious,” her husband said in a tone to match his words. “Why weren't you taking the pill or the patch or whatever they have out on the market?”

“We already talked about that. Have you forgotten?”

Abelina said changing her tone to match his. “Let me remind you. I took the pill when we first got married for about six months, but I had to stop because of major side effects I was having such as weight gain and nausea. I was quite a sight to see. So we both decided, upon the doctor's advice, that I would stop taking the pill and let nature run its course.”

“Yes, that was when we had ample amount of money coming in and the savings account was not being depleted so quickly. Things are different now.”

“How different?” Abelina said. “Just because you're on the verge of possibly losing your job that makes things different?”

“You tell me how you plan on paying for this one,” Sandon said.

“The same way we've always done: by trusting God for a healthy child and trusting Him to provide for each delivery and to continue to provide for the care of this child,” Abelina said matter-of-factly. “You know, you have always been a person of little faith. You made a mistake when you slacked off going to church; you definitely started losing whatever faith you may have had.”

“Faith? Right. Let's see how faith is going to put food on the table. Are you that blind? Less money, less food; less money, less clothes; less money, electricity, gas, water gets cut off. We cannot afford another child and that's that!”

“You tell that to God because that's His territory. I have nothing to do with it,” Abelina said with a sunken heart.

“No, He's your God; but I'm going to do what I have to do,” he retorted as he walked out the door.

“Mama, I don't know what he means by that,” Abelina said tearfully to her mother over the phone.

“I just know he's not talking about an abortion,” her mother said. Abelina gasped. “Because if he is, you can just pack your bags and you and the children can come over here with us.”

Chapter 11 Abelina's father called to talk with Sandon.

“What's going on, Sandon? My daughter tells me she's pregnant with your fourth child and you're not too pleased with it. Man-to-man, it's a beautiful thing when a wife gets pregnant with her husband's child. That's how God fixed it, and since He fixed it that way, He'll provide for the entire family,” Leyton Montana said.

“Mr. Montana, I appreciate your concern, but this is between me and my wife,” Sandon said.

“I understand and I respect your position,” Leyton said, “but when you speak unfavorably to my daughter about the child God is about ready to bless you both with saying you're going to do what you have to do, then it becomes my concern as well.”

“Like I said, this is between me and my wife,” Sandon said trying to maintain his composure.

“After Abelina shared with us about your losing hours on the job and how tight things have gotten and how you all have had to cut back, I offered to give you some money which you don't have to pay back unless you want to. I know all about how a man takes pride in being able to provide for his family and all that, so I did not push it, but the offer is still open.”

The offer sounded tempting, but Sandon could not bring himself to accept it. “No, thanks, Mr. Montana. I appreciate it,

but if you don't mind, I'll run my family the way I am led to run it.”

“Okay, I can respect that; but if I were you, I would pray first before making a rash decision.”

“That's just it—you're not me.”

“Sandon, I understand the pressures involved in taking care of a family. I know things can get hard at times— sometimes for a long time—but just hang in there; things will get better. Don't let pride get in the way.”

Sandon almost exploded when he got off the phone with his father-in-law. “How dare you discuss our family matters with your parents behind my back! I have not even called my parents about this.”

“It was never a problem before; plus I was seeing if they had any leading as far as a job opening. I waited almost a year before I said anything to them,” Abelina said.

“Well, from now on, whatever happens in this family, stays in this family.”

Abelina’s pregnancy with Jade was not as pleasant as her other pregnancies. To make matters worse, her husband lost his job. Abelina began to sense him distancing himself from her.

He's not going to accept this child. I just know he isn't, she told herself.

“You used to ask me how I was doing throughout my other three pregnancies; you have not asked once how I am doing through this one,” she said to her husband one evening.

“What do you want? A pat on your back? After three pregnancies you should not need any encouragement from me,” Sandon snapped.

“Just a few words of encouragement would help,” Abelina said quietly.

“When you're going through something for the fourth time you shouldn't need a few words of encouragement—unless you're just an idiot,” he said.

On the evening of Jade's birth, Sandon turned up late at the hospital. He stood peering at his newborn son with an expression that Abelina could not quite decipher.

“Would you like to hold him?” she asked.

Sandon raised his hand dismissively, but Grandpa Leyton encouraged him, saying, “Go ahead. He's very solid for a newborn. Hold him now while he's young because he's going to grow up real fast.”

Sandon reluctantly took baby Jade from his wife's arms, but returned him after a few seconds. Abelina tried not to show her disappointment. Once they brought Jade home, she was even more disappointed at how her husband started keeping his distance. Many evenings he would either show up late, or he would not come home at all. She gave up asking him where he had been.

“Sandon, what is the problem? You have not shown any interest in your son since I brought him home from the hospital. You're treating him like he's an alien.”

“I don't see a problem.”

“Well, I do! It's going on a month now and you have not held him once since he's been home. You get frustrated at the

slightest sound he makes. You look at him with disdain. For crying out loud, he's a newborn. What has he done to you? You can't take your financial frustrations out on him,” Abelina said.

“I can do whatever I please.”

“Are you blaming this innocent child for things being tight? Because if you are, I will not stand for it,” Abelina said.

A few months later, Sandon threw two small boxes on the bed next to his wife. “Here, begin taking these.”

“Over my dead body,” Abelina said after looking at the boxes and seeing that they contained birth control pills. “How did you get these anyway? And don't think I'm going to have a hysterectomy either. You're asking me to kill any future babies God may want to bless us with so you can live in comfort and avoid the struggles of this life.”

“A child who adds to your financial hardship is not a blessing,” Sandon muttered.

Abelina could not believe what she was hearing.

“How can he be so cruel?” Abelina said to her mother.

“He's become a different person since I announced my pregnancy. I can't have him mistreating this baby.”

“Just pray because only God can change a heart like that.

We'll touch and agree on the protection of Jade and that God would help Sandon to learn whatever lesson he needs to learn,” her mother said.

Abelina showered Jade with extra love, hugs, and kisses.

She instructed Tameron, Rafael, and Autum to “always look out

for your younger brother. Be kind to him and involve him in everything you do.� ***** Abelina did not have the heart to voice the full truth to Jade as to why his father left because of his selfish thinking. She just held him and listened as he spoke what was on his heart, silently praying for him at the same time. With mixed emotions, her thoughts traveled back to when she announced that she was once again with child.

Chapter 12 “I told you to take the pill. I even gave you some to get you started. What have you been doing with them?” Sandon said after hearing that his wife was pregnant for the fifth time.

“I told you I was not taking the pills anymore,” Abelina said. “We can't keep enjoying the pleasures of sex and not want to accept the by-product. You can do what you want to do, as I have already accepted that you are going to ignore this child even as you have been ignoring Jade.”

Abelina immediately regretted those words as she saw Tameron's shadow disappearing from the wall in the hallway next to their bedroom where she and her husband were talking.

“Tameron, wait up! I did not mean for you to hear that,” she said hurrying out the room after him.

“Don't worry, Mom. I've noticed it too. I just did not say anything. I try to spend a lot of time with Jade. I'm just glad he’s too young to really notice that Dad's too busy for any of us children.”

The next five years were very tense for the Perez family.

Although Sandon was able to secure another job, his daily interactions with his family lessened. Whatever money he made he held on to it like Ebenezer Scrooge.

“Scrooge had to be scared almost to death into loosening his hold on his money,” Abelina said to him during

one of their lighter moments. “You may want to loosen your grip on your money lest God scares you into giving it up.”

Sandon chuckled. “So you can spend it like the foolish women.”

Abelina chuckled along with him because she knew he knew deep down that she was not about money and never had been.

The children were happy to see their parents joke with each other.

“But how long will it last?” Rafael said voicing his thoughts one evening while he, Tameron, and Autum were playing in the backyard.

“I don't know. I'm just tired of waking up hearing them arguing. So I don't look for too much happy times when Dad is around,” Tameron said.

“Do you think they'll get a divorce?” six-year-old Autum asked.

“What do you know about a divorce?” Tameron asked.

“When I keep going over to Jaya's house I never see her father. I asked her where he was and she told me they got a divorce and that he does not live with them any more. But she says she sees him on some Saturdays and Sundays, and he buys her everything she asks him for,” Autum said. “I wish Dad would buy me everything I want.”

“I don't know about all that,” Tameron said after thinking about it. “I think I'd rather have Dad around, even if we didn’t get everything we want.”

Abelina had many quiet evenings with her children. They had given up waiting on her husband to return home to have supper with them. It was around ten when he turned up many nights.

Thank God the children are already in bed. I hope he doesn't wake them up making all that noise, Abelina thought as she turned a page in the novel she was reading.

“Hello, Sandon,” she said looking up from her book as her husband stumbled into the room.

“Humph!” he replied almost tripping over his own feet as he struggled to undress.

“Your food's in the oven if you want to eat,” she said eyeing him.

“Later.”

“What have you been doing? Don’t you think it’s a little late?”

“I do what I want to do with my time,” Sandon said flopping down on the bed. “Come on,” he said reaching over to pull her down to him. “Help me finish off my night.”

“No, thanks,” Abelina said scooting off the bed. “Your breath stinks; you need to take a shower, brush your teeth, and rinse out your mouth with listerine. I think I hear the baby crying.”

“I'll just get someone else to help me finish off my night then,” Sandon said before rolling over to go to sleep. “I can finish it off tonight or another night.”

“Oh, go to sleep,” Abelina said over her shoulder as she walked out the room into the girls’ room where she spent the night.

Chapter 13 “I never thought I would ever say these words,” Abelina shared with her mother. “I am just so fed up with his 'don't care' attitude. Ever since he lost his job I took over the household bills and financial obligations. Now that he's gotten a job he has not offered, let alone lifted a finger, to help. He may as well go give his job to someone else; better still, go get his own place. I've had to beg him each month to help pay something—you know—trying to give him back the leadership role.”

“Why don't you just drop it all back in his lap?” her mother said. “Let the electricity get cut off; let the water get cut off; then let him know it's his responsibility to take care of those things. Sometimes you have to play tough.”

Abelina laughed. “What if he doesn't pay any of it and just takes off to wherever and he doesn't come home, then I'd be looking like an idiot.”

“So what do you plan on doing?”

“I have to bring things to a head. Either he gets back to the way he was, or…”

“Or?” her mother said waiting for an answer before bursting out in laughter. “You don't have an alternative plan, do you? Well, just leave things as they are. God will take care of you and the children.”

Abelina had gotten tired of leaving things as they were.

She decided to give her husband an alternative.

“Sandon, we're tired of you not doing your job as a husband and father. We don't know what to expect from you anymore.”

“Who's 'we'?”

“Me and the children.”

“Oh, so now you have the children dictating how I should carry myself. I see. I knew all along you were working at getting them on your side—you know, the love Mommy, hate Daddy game. I don't like people playing games with me,” Sandon said.

“I'm just tired of playing both your role and my role. A person can only do so much. It's going on five years now and the children want a father.”

“I'm here, aren’t I?” “You're here physically but not mentally, and the children are aware of that. They are tired of you just being here and adding nothing to their lives except misery,” Abelina said.

She knew she was treading on dangerous ground, but after much prayer she felt at peace saying those words to him.

She continued. “Either you resume your role as father and husband like you did before Jade was born, or … or--” “Or what? You'll get a divorce?”

“Your words; not mine,” Abelina said. “We're living like we're divorced anyway, aren't we?”

Sandon snickered. “If a divorce is what you want, a divorce is what you'll get.”

Abelina regretted starting that conversation and wondered what to expect with each passing day especially on those days when Sandon either turned up very late or did not

come home at all. She went above and beyond in trying to make things as pleasant as she could for her children. ***** Nine years had passed since then and Abelina fought hard to keep her children on the right path. She learned how to become a stronger disciplinarian and to balance it with love.

Abelina watched with pride as Tameron marched to receive his Bachelor’s degree with plans to further his studies at Harvard. Tameron had taken on the responsibility that his father should have shouldered. But Abelina still worried that he was having to grow up too early and wouldn’t enjoy his childhood. Grandpa Leyton told her, “It will make him a stronger person ready to take on the world when he does go out on his own.”

“That's just it,” Abelina said, “I am afraid he'll feel he will have to stay here and take care of me and his siblings the rest of his life. I definitely do not want that because then he may become bitter at me and at life for dealing him such a hand, and causing him to have to put his dreams and goals for his life to the side.”

“Oh, you don't have to worry about that,” Grandpa Leyton assured her. “They'll turn out fine.”

When Tameron walked across the stage, Abelina clapped until her hands burned.

“Don't worry, Mom,” he said as he kissed her goodbye.

“I'll only be a few states and a phone call away and I'll be gone for only three short years. Thanks for everything.”

Shortly before Tameron graduated from Harvard, he sent a letter home announcing his engagement to Brandi Colson. The couple returned to Atlanta where they exchanged vows. Tameron accepted a position with a new law firm in Tennessee—his name being added to the marquee: Holder, Steinbeck & Perez.

“I'm just up the highway,” Tameron said to his mother.

“Don't hesitate to give me a call if you need anything.”

The rest of the children graduated high school and college in their respective order.

Rafael graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Law Enforcement and took up residency in Gainesville, Georgia, where he joined the police force. He met and married Camry Parker, a receptionist at a doctor's office.

Autum graduated with a Master’s degree in business.

Autum met and married Raymond Bryant. She joined him in his personal business as a job consultant. They lived in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Jade went off to college at Jacksonville University.

Having played on the basketball team at his high school, he was recruited by the Jacksonville Dolphins. He worked hard and was so successful on the court that NBA recruiters started making offers even before he reached his fourth year.

Carlisha stayed home to continue her studies at Georgia State, undecided on a major. She had not experienced but five years of her father's presence in the home, so she was not too much affected by his departure; but he was around long enough for her to vaguely remember him. For the first few weeks after he left she walked around asking her mother and siblings, “Where's Daddy at?” After a while she stopped asking, claiming Grandpa Leyton as her Daddy.

In a telephone conversation with her mother the day after Tameron left, Abelina brought something to her attention that she had not thought about.

“Mother, I was so busy keeping the children on the right track, I never noticed Sandon did not even send me any divorce papers to sign off on.”

“That's strange,” her mother said.

“Tameron just asked me outright if I was planning on getting married again now that it’s apparent he's gone for good.

That's what got me thinking about an official divorce. Anyway, I had to assure him that after being single for so long—over fifteen years, I believe—and enjoying my children and my single life, I have no desire to go that route.”

Her mother laughed. “That's the lawyer coming out of him. What did he say to that?”

“He told me he was glad I wasn’t thinking about remarrying and that he and the other children would take care of me until I die,” Abelina said. “I am so proud they have turned out as well as they have.” She blinked hard to hold back the tears.

“Sandon just does not know what he's missed out on,” Grandma Eunice said. “I believe he's living in the land of regret and that's why he hasn't filed for a divorce. He wants to come back, but at the same time he's ashamed to do so.”

“Seeing he's stayed away this long, he may as well have gone ahead and filed,” Abelina said. “He's trying to hold on to the family from a distance.”

“Let me ask you this,” Grandma Eunice said. “If he returns and wants to come back into your life and the children's lives, would you let him?”

“Mmm. I'll have to think long and hard on that one.”

Chapter 14 Tameron Perez was twenty-four years old when he and Brandi Colson exchanged vows. Based on the mistakes his father made, Tameron had his own ideas on how he wanted to run his family.

“Brandi, I really do not want you to work. I want you to stay home with all of our children until the youngest is grown.”

“There goes my career,” she said. “And all my education -- wasted.”

“I have my reasons. See, my mother worked as a teacher and she had the sole responsibility of raising us children. It was tough, but she did it.”

“What happened to your father? Where was he?”

“He may as well be dead,” Tameron said.

“Whoa. What a thing to say about one's father. You've always spoken very highly about your mother and your siblings; I felt I knew them before I even met them. But you’ve never mentioned your father. Did you two have a falling out?”

Tameron told his wife about the day his father walked out on the family.

“That is just cold,” Brandi said. “If my father had done that to us he would be history in my book.”

“He made himself history in all of our books. That is just unforgivable as far as I'm concerned.”

“Has he even tried to get in touch with you at all?”

Brandi asked.

“Nope. After ten years, he had better not mess with any of us children and definitely not with Mom. I would hunt him down and get him put under the jail.”

Brandi laughed. “Lawyers don't talk like that.”

“This one does in defense of his family,” Tameron said.

“This is one reason I went into family law: to protect innocent children and parents from selfish people like my father. Those men who do not want to pay child support do not want to face me.”

Brandi laughed again.

“He mistreated my mother. When he finally landed another job he did not even pick back up his responsibilities as a husband and father; he would not even use his money to pay household bills. He's nothing but a slacker and a loser in my eyes. I don't know why Mom put up with him for so long.”

Tameron swallowed hard. Brandi saw a look of determination in his eyes as his jaw muscles tightened.

“But my mother handled it with grace. She never got bitter or angry. I never heard her say one negative word against him. In fact, she tossed any negative feelings she had to the side and reached out to us children helping us through it as best she could. And she did not tolerate any of us talking negatively about our father. You can best believe I'm going to take care of her for the rest of her life.”

Brandi now viewed her husband in a different light. She saw the hurt and the pain as he spoke; but she saw relief once the words were out.

“How do you feel now about your father after these many years?”

“They say time heals all wounds, but not this one. It makes me angry whenever I think about what he did and I would like to tell him so to his face,” Tameron said. “But one thing I do know, and that is, I will always be there for you and my children. You don't have to worry about me walking out on you no matter how rough things may get. I am here to stay.”

“Your wanting me to stay home with the children makes a lot more sense now,” Brandi said. “Thanks for explaining your feelings to me.”

A few days later, a Mrs. Prendergast called the office of Holder, Steinbeck & Perez and expressed a desire to use their services to seek justice for herself and her children against her estranged husband.

“Mr. Perez, he made the first payment for child support and that was it. He's almost a year behind. I'm tired of running him down and pleading with him.”

Tameron sent out a letter to Mr. Prendergast requesting that he meet with him at an appointed time. Using his knowledge as an attorney, Tameron listed the consequences he could face if he did not pay child support. Tameron was hoping to talk some sense into Mr. Prendergast to help him see how wrong it was for him to cast his responsibility of caring for his two children upon their mother especially since she had remained single.

“Do it for your conscience's sake,” Tameron told him.

“Think of how you're hurting your children. Do you want them to grow up seeing you as a loser? As the father who skipped out on the family? As an irresponsible person? As a selfish man who

did not want to be their father? Would you want your son to skip out on his children, your grand-children, when he gets married?�

Tameron let his words sink in. “Real men face up to their responsibilities; little boys don't. Real men don't give up easily; little boys do. Real men put others before themselves; little boys don't. Are you a real man, or are you a little boy?�

Those were the very words Tameron wanted to ask his father should their paths ever cross.

Chapter 15 “I know it's not a matter of money, Mr. Prendergast,” Tameron said. “Aren't you paying rent wherever you are staying? Don't you have a job? Don't you have to buy food to eat? Put gas in your car? Pay car note and car insurance? So it's really not a matter of you not having the money, now is it? It's a matter of where your heart is—how your priorities are ordered.

Your children should be your first priority.”

Tameron had heard every conceivable excuse there was from wayward fathers.

“Their mother and I don't get along anymore.”

“But that has nothing to do with your responsibilities to your children.”

“I lost my job and I can't make ends meet.”

“Have you heard of sacrifice? That's true love when you sacrifice what little you have so others can have.”

“But--” “But I'll see you in court and or visit you in jail, Mr. Prendergast. It's your choice. You don't want your children to know you've been in jail because you refused to take care of them.”

One day, Tameron’s wife asked him, “Are you sure you're not using these wayward fathers as a means of venting your anger towards your own father?”

Tameron shrugged his shoulders.

“I think that's what you're doing subconsciously,” Brandi said answering her own question. “And it's good and bad at the same time.”

Tameron waited for her to continue.

“It's good in that it is forcing these fathers to man-up and do the right thing. It is forcing them to look at their actions through the eyes of their children and feel the hurt they are putting them through.”

“And how is it bad?” Tameron asked.

“You're subconsciously using these other fathers as a crutch rather than face your own father. Subconsciously, you're acting out with these men how you wish to respond to your father. I think you should try to get a hold of your father and share with him how you really feel about what he did. That will get to the bottom of your emotions—and his—and will sift everything out.”

“I appreciate you psychoanalyzing me,” Tameron said, “but I think he needs to make the first move; he's the guilty one.”

“You're no longer living in Stone Mountain, so how will he know to get in touch with you all the way up here in Tennessee, Attorney Perez?” his wife said hugging his neck.

“Oh, he knows how to find me if he really wants to,” Tameron said kissing her on the forehead. “He just has to get in touch with Mom; she's still living at the same house he left behind. So … how many children are you going to give me?” he asked lowering his voice.

“Wow! I did not know I had so much power,” Brandi giggled. “How about letting nature run its course.”

“We can start right now.”

“I thought we had already started.”

“I've just been slow dancing around … but tonight things will change … you can mark this date on your calendar.”

Abelina was overjoyed at the news of Brandi's pregnancy. Plans were made for her to spend at least three weeks in Tennessee with her son and daughter-in-law around the time of the baby's birth. On July 5th at 2:06 A.M., she proudly held her first grandson—Trenton Lucas Perez.

“I so hate to leave,” Abelina said as she kissed her grandson and daughter-in-law goodbye when it was time for her to return to Stone Mountain.

“I hate to see you go,” Brandi said.

“Now that you're retired, the invitation is still open for you to come live with us,” Tameron reminded his mother as he drove her home.

“Thank you, Tameron. I'll keep it in mind. Right now, you and Brandi need to spend as much time as you can together as a family and strengthen that bond. You just be the father and husband you ought to be. That would give me great joy.”

Chapter 16 Rafael, following in his bigger brother's footsteps, went on to college and graduated with a degree in Criminology specializing in Law Enforcement. He resided in Atlanta for two more years, where he met and married the lovely Camry Parker.

Camry worked as a receptionist at a doctor's office. Rafael accepted a transfer to Gainesville, Georgia, where he joined the law enforcement team as a police officer.

After an exhausting day of patrolling the streets, bringing down a couple of thieves, and escorting a mother and her children to a shelter, Rafael said to his wife, “I am glad I went into this field—so many people are hurting; so many need help.” He then launched into the highlight of his day as he did many evenings when something unusual happened.

“I answered a call from the dispatcher around noon about a father kidnapping his own children. Can you imagine that?”

“9-1-1. How may I help you?”

“Ma'am, my husband just kidnapped my two children. I don't know where they are,” a distressed mother called in.

“Hold on. We'll get someone over to your place as soon as possible. May I please have your address and phone number?”

Rafael and his partner were in the vicinity so they answered the call. Mrs. Peal was waiting in front of her apartment with phone in hand calling everyone she could think of inquiring as to the whereabouts of her children. They secured all the information they could from her and the babysitter who was watching the children at the time of the kidnapping.

“Our marriage has not been going well at all for a few years now. We have been separated for almost a year and the divorce will be finalized in the next month. He kept telling me I'd be sorry if I went through with it, but I thought he was just bluffing. The babysitter said he stopped by saying he wanted to talk with the children because he was getting ready to go out of town and he would not be seeing them for a couple weeks. I'll let her tell you what happened,” Mrs. Peal said.

“That's true,” the babysitter said looking distraught. “I am not allowed to let him in the house while Mrs. Peal is away so I went outside with the children while he talked and played with them some. The phone rang and I excused myself to answer it. It turned out to be the wrong number so I could not have been gone but two minutes at the most. By the time I returned he was gone with the children.”

After getting a description of the car, and a picture of the husband and children, Rafael and his partner combed the area asking the few people outside if they had seen where the car had gone or if they had seen anything unusual in the behavior of the people in the pictures—like children struggling to keep from going somewhere against their will. All answers turned up negative.

Rafael called in a description of the vehicle. He also secured the addresses and phone numbers of family and friends of the wife as well as of the husband. He and his partner turned in the information promising Mrs. Peal that they would return her children safely to her.

Rafael was ticked off. Although the case was turned over to investigators on the police force he took an avid interest in it.

“This just does not make any sense at all,” he said to Tameron as he discussed the kidnapping with his brother.

“That's a kidnapping no matter the reason and no matter the relations between the victim and the perpetrator. That father will be on police radar; he took the children against the mother's will. There was a restraining order against him,” Tameron said.

“From what the mother told us, he acted against court orders,” Rafael said. “She says he's been using the children— threatening her with them—if she continued on with the divorce. She also said he's just negligent as a father and husband, and she could not waste her life anymore with him as he was bringing her down and she was not going to compromise herself.”

“Mmm. Almost a little like Dad,” Tameron said. “Except he didn't use us against Mom; he turned himself against us.”

“Have you heard anything about him?” Rafael asked.

“Yeah. Mom told me she and Carlisha saw him in the store. He didn't see her at first, but she took it upon herself to go and say hello just to let him know she was not harboring any angry feelings toward him and that she had forgiven him. She

said his initial reaction was one of shock—like he had seen a ghost.”

“I can imagine,” Rafael said chuckling.

“She said they chatted for a good thirty minutes and she saw nothing but regret in his eyes as she shared with him briefly how well we turned out. He tried to smile and put forth a happy disposition, but his shoulders and the lack of luster in his eyes betrayed his smile.”

“I bet he regrets leaving us now,” Rafael said.

“If he has any heart at all he should have regrets,” Tameron said. “Anyway, he kept staring at Carlisha. He could not believe she was already seventeen.”

“I can't believe it's been thirteen years since he left,” Rafael said adding up the years. “Last time I spoke with Carlisha she said she can't even remember what he looked like and doubts if she could have picked him out of a crowd.”

“That's terrible,” Tameron said. “Mom says he lost a lot of weight and is going bald.”

“Guilt is eating him up,” Rafael said. “How can he live with himself with all that guilt for so long? That's not a good way to live. Anyway, I know you're all the way up there in Tennessee, but keep your eyes open for anything about this kidnapper. The name's Leroy Peal. The children are four and five years old—two boys. And next time you see us, we'll have a little one in tow. Camry's due to give birth to our first child in two months.” _________________________

“You seem to have a lot of interest in this kidnapping case,” Camry said to her husband on the evening he suggested they stop by and pay a courtesy visit to Mrs. Peal.

“It's eating me up whenever I think about it. These husbands and fathers today are something else. Some stay and try to make it work; some stay and keep up hell all the time; others just give up and walk out.”

“Well, at least your father is still alive; you all can make up, I'm sure.”

“Are you kidding me? Of course not! I really do not care what happens to him. I thought for sure he was dead. After all these years,” Rafael said, “why would I want to restore something that he's completely destroyed.”

“You never know what can happen,” Camry said quietly.

“Maybe God's keeping him alive and has allowed this chance meeting with your mother so you all won't forget him— especially since there's still healing and forgiveness that needs to take place in all of your hearts.”

Chapter 17 Autum noted that her father was not present to give her away when her and Raymond Bryant exchanged vows on her birthday, August 27th.

“My blessings are just as good as his,” Grandpa Leyton chuckled when Autum asked him to do her the honor and walk her down the aisle.

“It’s just that I've always envisioned my father doing it ever since I've been a child,” Autum said.

Autum joined her husband in his home business as a job consultant in Biloxi, Mississippi. They had contacts with major companies and were the first to be aware of many job openings.

These they posted on their website. They also collected resumes and used the information at their disposal to match job-seekers with the right opportunities.

Everything was beautiful throughout their first year of marriage, but every now and then, Autum would go through bouts of depression which often caused her to distance herself from her husband. Her husband noticed it would get worse whenever he hinted at them having a baby.

“Look, Autum, if you don't open up and share with me what's bothering you, I can't help you and neither can anyone else,” Raymond told her one evening.

“Mrs. Perez, I do not know what else to do. I try to hug her; she pulls away. I try to kiss her; she throws her head the other way. I'm embarrassed to say this, but sometimes I try to get intimate with her, and right in the middle of—you know— she pushes me away. She falls into a state of depression every now and then. I don't know what's going on. I hate to believe she's interested in another man.”

“When did all this begin to happen and how often?”

Abelina asked her son-in-law.

“I really don't keep up with it. All I know is it is happening too often,” he said running his hand through his hair.

“Well, I can assure you that she's not seeing anyone,” Abelina said.

“Then she's telling me she does not want to have any children so we may just as well stop doing what we're doing,” Raymond added.

“I think I know what's bothering her,” Abelina said after thinking for a while. “Has she ever spoken to you about her father?”

“She did mention how she used to love doing things for him; how he used to do things with her and then he stopped.

She said she did not have her father anymore so I assumed he was dead. She's never really said anything more about him,” Raymond said.

“Well, he's not dead,” Abelina said. “He walked out on us when Autum was nine years old. I've tried to get her and her siblings to talk about it and they all did initially, but I believe some of them have not really recovered from his sudden

departure. I'm afraid he's just faded out of our conversations, but not out of our minds. She's buried her feelings. Every now and then they surface.”

“But what does that have to do with her negative responses toward me?” Raymond asked. “I can understand some sadness here and there, but not her other behavior.”

Abelina thought more before answering. “I believe she's scared to have children lest you walk out on them as her father did,” she said before launching off into how and when Sandon left the family.

“Oh, boy. She never told me all that. But she can rest assured that I will never do that. I'm so glad my parents stayed together even amidst their disagreements—and they had a lot of disagreements. Thank God they lessened as the years went by.”

“Your job is to convince her of that and to get her to open up,” Abelina said. “She's taking out her anger toward her father on you—not on purpose though.”

Raymond sighed.

“Just get her to open up; you will have to bring it up yourself. Just pray about it, and if you want me to step in some, I'll be happy to do so,” Abelina said.

Raymond wasted no more time. The next day he set about the business of resolving his wife's fears which had haunted her these many years.

“Autum, your mother told me about your father walking out on the family on Christmas,” he said as they relaxed on the couch after their evening meal. He had his arms around her and held her as close to him as he could. “Talk to me, Autum.”

“What's there to talk about? He kept telling us how much he loved us when we were younger and how much he would always be there for us. We believed him; at least I know I did. He lied. He had us believing his lie for many years. Then he left … without notice … and on one of the happiest days of our lives. We were celebrating Jade's seventh birthday. How could he do that to Jade -- on his birthday, to us -- on Christmas? I loved my dad. Everything I did, I did it for him -- to hear him say, 'That's my girl.'”

“You don't love him anymore?”

“It's funny,” Autum said. “I used to hate him for shattering my dreams of us being together forever … now I don't hate him anymore … I feel indifferent towards him.”

Raymond hugged his wife as she shed some tears.

“I have not spoken with him in more than fifteen years.

One of his sayings whenever I asked him to do something for me was, 'I'll dance at your wedding.' Well, my wedding's come and gone and he was no where to be seen.”

Chapter 18 Jade successfully moved through high school and decided to attend Jacksonville University. Sometimes the family would not hear from him for weeks after he left home. Abelina worried about him a lot. She almost called the police in Jacksonville, Florida, after not hearing from him for almost a month.

“Don't do that to your mother,” Grandpa Leyton reprimanded him when they finally got in touch with him.

“She's been extra good to you. Call her up once a week to let her know all is well. And return her phone calls whenever she does call. You owe her that.”

“I will,” Jade responded, but he'd never keep his word.

“Are you doing something you have no business doing?”

Tameron asked him. “Because if you are, even though you’re my brother, I'll still land you in jail.”

“You can rest assured I'm not,” Jade said with a chuckle.

“Sometimes I just don’t feel like talking with anyone.”

“Family is not just anyone. I hope you're not still anguishing over Dad's departure. It's been about fifteen years now; he's not coming back. You can't live in dream land. You need to go on with your life. As far as I am concerned,” Tameron said, “he's dead and has been dead for some years now. You can't go back and undo what's been done.” *****

Carlisha, being the youngest, was not affected much by her father's departure. Not only had he not built up a relationship with Jade, he did not develop one with Carlisha either.

“I really did not know him,” she told her mother after they ran into Sandon by chance in the store. “If I recall accurately, he seemed oblivious to my presence and to everything I did. He just didn't seem interested in me. If he did respond to anything I did, it came in the form of a distracted nod. I vaguely recall trying to get him to read a picture book to me, but he seemed frustrated at the idea. He always said, 'later,' but later never came. It would have been nice if he had hung around. I hope he does not come hanging around on graduation day claiming me to be his daughter.”

Abelina laughed. “If he does do something crazy like that, just don’t make a big deal out of it. We have to deal with a lot of unpleasant things in life.”

“Mom, this may hurt you, but I really do not consider him my father. I mean, how can you be in the house with a man who claims to be your father, yet you have no idea who he really is. Now that I'm older, as I think about it, he was just a man in the house…. So, how do you feel about him now, Mom, after not seeing him for so long?”

“It's almost like he died,” Abelina said after thinking on the question. “At first I kept hoping he would return, at least for you children's sake; but after a year of not even a phone call, I gave up hoping. But I did all I could to hold the family together. If he had just hung in there; if he had just made

himself available to you children—that was all I asked. I kept telling him to do it for you children, but he couldn't see the bigger picture. No, I take that back. He didn't want to see the bigger picture.”

Carlisha remained home during her college years. One night, she was leaving campus after an extended time of studying at the college library in preparation for her finals to complete her junior year in Information Technology.

“Mom, I'm on my way home,” she said giving Abelina a call as she peered through the glass doors of the library before stepping outside. “I'm thinking of swinging by the store to pick up some ice cream. I'll probably stop by Chick-fil-A and grab a sandwich too.”

“Okay. I'll wait up for you. Be careful.”

Carlisha stepped outside into the cool night air. So refreshing after being in that stuffy library, she thought as she drew in a deep breath. Six straight hours of studying deserves a Ben & Jerry's ice cream reward.

She hurried across the parking lot fiddling in her pocketbook for her keys. “Oh, come on!” she exclaimed as she got closer to where her car was parked.

Upon reaching her car, she dumped the contents of her pocketbook on the hood of her car. “There you are,” she said picking up her keys out from the pile of junk. Thinking she heard a sound, she paused and quickly glanced around but saw no one. Carlisha put the contents of her pocketbook back inside. She picked up the can of Mace.

“Carlisha?” a man stepped out of the shadows.

Carlisha jumped in surprise and spun around. “Do I know you?”

“I’m your father,” the man said.

Carlisha recognized the balding man as the same one her mother had spoke with at the store, but she shook her head and opened the door to her car. “My father? I don’t have a father,” she said tersely. Then she got in her car and swiftly drove away.

Chapter 19 One evening, Abelina sat in her leather chair browsing her children’s wedding albums. A smile crossed her lips as she thought on how good God had been to her.

“Thank You, Lord. Thank You for giving me the fortitude to push forward these years in raising the five children You have loaned to me; I give them back to You. Thank You that they are all doing well, and they are all doing something worthwhile with their lives.”

Abelina chuckled as she continued conversing with the Lord as though He was sitting next to her.

“You know, Lord, it would be wonderful if we could all come together this Christmas—my favorite holiday. I was looking so much to us having Thanksgiving together as a family, but that didn't quite work out. However, I believe the spirit of Thanksgiving stretches all the way through Christmas into the New Year. Lord, forgive me for not being as thankful as I should have been down through the years, but I am thankful for all that You have done for me and my family.” She looked outside at the leaves—orange, yellow, red—still falling from the lone tree that stood in the center of the front yard. It should be snowing soon, she thought.

“You know, Lord, we haven't gathered together for any of the major holidays since the children left to live their own lives and begin their own families. I would count it an extra

blessing to see them all during this Christmas holiday. Could You make it happen for me?”

Abelina listened eagerly for an answer from the Lord.

When things had started getting tense between her and Sandon, she would talk aloud to the Lord as she went about her daily duties. She now saw Him as the constant companion she needed to bring her through those tough years. “God is real to me,” she shared with her children one day when she overheard a portion of one of her children's conversations among themselves.

“I believe Mama's going crazy,” Autum told her brothers one evening. “I heard her talking to herself, and laughing and answering herself yesterday.”

“You must have heard her on the phone,” Rafael said.

“Nope. She was not on the phone. She was in the kitchen cooking. And you know she never talks on the phone while she's cooking.”

“I'm not crazy, children,” Abelina said entering the room where they were supposed to be doing homework. “I was just talking to the Lord. He's just as real to me as you all are, and I want Him to be real to you as well. Whatever burdens you have, just talk to Him about them as though He is sitting or walking or standing right beside you listening.” She sat in the empty chair around the table as she continued. “And whatever your situation—good or bad—give God thanks because it could always be worse.”

“Lord, could You please make it happen this year for me?” Abelina listened eagerly for an answer. “Thank You, Lord,” she said as she eagerly picked up the phone.

“Hello, Tameron. This is Mom. I would love for the entire family to gather together this Christmas. Would you and Brandi along with your children be able to work that into your schedule this year?”

“Sure, Mom. It would be great to meet up together after not seeing each other for such a long time. You can count on us being there.”

“Wonderful! I can't wait to see my grand-babies,” Abelina said.

“Sure, Mom,” Rafael said. “I was telling Camry I needed to get out of Gainesville for a while anyway. In fact, we were here trying to decide where to go for Christmas this year.”

“Mom, you could not have called at a better time.

Raymond and I would love to come and rest and relax for a while. We may be able to only spend a few days though.”

“That's fine. I just thought it would be great if we could gather together as a family since we have not done so since you all left home and began to form your own families.”

“Jade, you are the hardest person to keep up with. Why do you just sit there and stare at the phone while it is ringing.

Always answer your phone; it might be a random call for help from me or someone else. You never know,” Abelina gently chided her son.

“Hey, Mom.” Jade laughed then said, “I thank God for caller ID. Don't you?”

Abelina laughed. “How have you been doing, Jade?”

“Great! I'm thinking of coming home for Christmas this year.”

“Well, praise the Lord for that,” Abelina exclaimed.

“That's the main reason I was calling. I'm rounding up your brothers and sisters to come home for Christmas this year. You know how much Christmas means to me, the celebration of the birth of the Savior all the colorful lights, the falling snow, the nativity scenes, and the family all together under one roof. And not to mention that it’s your birthday as well.”

“Mom, please don't get sentimental on me. You know it causes me to tear up when you do,” Jade said.

“Okay, son. I'll keep it for when you all come. You're not going to skip out on us at the last minute, are you?”

“You can count me in this time,” Jade assured her.

“Okay, son. I love you and I am looking forward to seeing you. And always answer your phone.”

“Well, Carlisha, you'll definitely be here for Christmas,” Abelina said.

“Of course, Mom,” Carlisha smiled.

Chapter 20 Grandma Eunice shooed Grandpa Leyton out of the kitchen as she, Abelina, and Carlisha worked at putting together a grand Christmas feast the day before Christmas. After receiving a call from Tameron around five in the evening informing her that they were about an hour away, Abelina and Carlisha left and hurried on home to take care of the sleeping arrangements. Everyone would spend the Christmas vacation at her home.

“I just can't believe God's allowed me to live to see three generations,” Grandma Eunice said with pride. “And they have all turned out well, by the grace of God.” Tameron organized the travel arrangements for the family. He rented a 14-passenger van. He told his wife, “Leaving Tennessee, I'll swing by Gainesville to pick up Rafael and Camry; then we'll swing on down to Jacksonville and pick up Jade; then move on across to Mississippi and pick up Autum and Raymond; then take it on home to Stone Mountain. Mom will be surprised to see us all drop in at the same time.”

“That's going to be some surprise,” they all agreed.

Abelina was surprised when she answered the doorbell around seven on Christmas Eve to see her children and their children standing on her front porch.

“Merry Christmas!” they all shouted.

“What a surprise! You didn't tell me you all were coming at the same time,” she exclaimed giving them all hugs and kisses.

After much laughter and good-natured bantering, her sons brought in all the gifts along with the suitcases. After solidifying sleeping arrangements, everyone settled down for a light evening meal.

“Mom, I don't see and neither do I smell anything cooking for tomorrow. When do you plan on going shopping?

Christmas is tomorrow. The stores will be closing soon, I'm sure,” Autum asked as she helped fix ham sandwiches with pasta salad and canned vegetable soup.

“I tried fighting crowds of last-minute shoppers one year thinking I was getting the freshest items,” Brandi said. “I learned never to do that again. It was a mess.”

Abelina chuckled. “I have not done that in years and I don't plan on starting now, especially at my age.”

Calling everyone to attention after they said the blessing, Abelina said, “Family, some of you are probably not going to like what I am about to say, but the church is having a Christmas praise and worship service on tomorrow, Christmas Day. If you want to enjoy a tasty home-cooked Christmas meal, then everyone must be in church on tomorrow by eleven.

Christmas is not Christmas without us giving praise and thanksgiving to God for sending His Son to earth so that we could enjoy this season. Without Him, we would not have Christmas to celebrate.”

Everyone waited for her to continue speaking.

“All of you gathering here for this holiday is an answer to prayer. We have not gathered together as a family in many years, but God has allowed it to happen this year. I am so happy I could see this day.”

“Mom, have you been feeling well? You’re talking like a person who is getting ready to die in a few days,” Tameron asked.

“Oh, no. I'm in perfect health,” Abelina laughed. “It just does something to me to see all of us together again.”

“We'll all be in church,” Rafael assured her, “because I am looking forward to having a tasty home-cooked meal on tomorrow.”

“I'm in,” Tameron said.

“And so are we,” everyone said.

That night Abelina prayed: “Dear God, I thank You for bringing everyone in safely. I believe You laid it upon my heart to have everyone here, not just for old times’ sake, but I do believe we have some personal unresolved issues to deal with. I believe this Christmas can be more meaningful if we take care of those issues. Please do a work in each of our hearts as only You can. I do thank You in advance. Amen.”

Chapter 21 The Perez family was all dressed by 10:20 and looking forward to the church services at Thankful Bible Church where Minister Goodwin served as senior pastor. Abelina's side of the family had their roots in that church going back six generations.

As they were preparing to leave the house the doorbell rang.

“Now who could that be?” Abelina asked as she hurried to answer the door.

She gasped when she opened it.

“Sandon?”

“Abelina?”

An awkward silence followed. The children all lined up behind their mother peering over her shoulders—waiting.

“What brings you here on this Christmas morning after...?” Abelina asked. She was about to say “after over twenty years” but changed her mind.

Fighting the urge to look behind her at his children, Sandon said with much hesitancy, “Well...I...was hoping we could talk. But if you have company it can wait.”

There was a look of defeat not only on his face, but also in his stance.

“This is not just company, Sandon,” Abelina said.

“Anyway, we were heading on out to church and I don't think the company would mind you coming along. We can talk after church if you still want to.” Abelina could just about guess at

the expressions on her children's faces at the invitation she just extended to their wayward father, but she kept on talking. “I believe we have room in the van for one more, wouldn't you say, Tameron?”

Tameron hesitated. I do not want him riding with us. But knowing how much this time meant to his mother he answered reluctantly, “Yes. I'm sure we could squeeze him in.” He shrugged his shoulders as his brothers threw him a quick glance.

“We were just coming out,” Abelina said to her husband.

“I don't want to impose on you. It seems you all have plans already,” Sandon said.

You bet we do, Jade wanted to answer, but a nudge from Rafael warned him against saying anything.

“Nonsense,” Abelina said. “Your car is blocking the van.

Why don't you go and move it so we can drive out.”

While Sandon went to re-park his car, Abelina turned to face her children hoping they would get the message from her expression: Do not question my decision. I believe God is doing something on this Christmas Day. I do not know what; just don't mess it up. “Okay. Let's all pile into the van,” she said.

“Mom, did you plan this?” Rafael asked.

“I can't believe you did this,” Tameron said.

“I knew this was going too well,” Jade piped in.

Autum just looked on with despair.

“Children, I have never lied to you before. Trust me when I tell you, I had no idea he would show up. But since he's here, he may as well go with us to church because I am not going to stay home because he turned up unexpectedly. Since he's willing to go with us, let him come. He's your father; what

can I say? And,” Abelina said, “if you feel some negativity in your heart toward him, take that as a sign that you are still bitter about what he did over twenty years ago. That is a long time to be angry at someone, don't you think?”

Looking from one face to the other, she said sternly, “Now get out the house and into the van. We can still make it on time, and children, at least be polite.”

Rafael nodded at his father as he filed past him. Jade refused to look him in the eyes. Autum wanted so much to give him a hug, but something inside of her would not let her.

Carlisha glanced at him and passed on. The in-laws and the three grand-children greeted him with a pleasant 'hello' and a few handshakes as Abelina introduced them. Tameron was the last to go to the van.

“Dad, it's good to see you again,” he said in an emotionless tone as he walked toward the van. He helped his mother into the back where she insisted on sitting. “Your father can sit up front,” she told him.

“Hi, Tameron,” Sandon greeted him.

Once everyone was in the van, Abelina said, “Everyone, just think about how good God has been to you and to us as a family, and quietly thank Him for all that He has done for you down through the years.”

Abelina prayed silently for everyone.

Chapter 22 Tameron glanced at his wife in the rearview mirror as he backed out the driveway. He raised his eyebrows at her. Don't ask me, he wanted to say. He searched for something to say to his father, but nothing came to his mind. He glanced across at his father as he made the right turn at the light. He looks like he's had the whole world on his shoulders. He's lost a lot of weight. Guilt.

Lord, it's hard for me to thank You right now for anything. I thought I had gotten over him, but right now I feel nothing but resentment for what he did. Tameron managed to smile at his mother as their eyes met in the rear-view mirror. I might as well do the mature thing for Mom's sake. This Christmas means a lot to her. Lord, help me to help make it a pleasant one as well.

Talk about a messed up Christmas, Jade thought as they rode out to the church. He purposely stared out the window not really looking at anything. If I knew he was going to turn up I would have never come. What does he hope to achieve now? What is he looking for? A Best Dad of the Year Award? He slipped his hand in his inner jacket pocket as though checking to make sure something was still in there. I wonder how different things would have been had he stayed. The image of his father walking out the front door appeared in his mind just as vividly as though it happened a few minutes ago. He squirmed in his seat. “I'm okay,� he whispered to his mother as she reached over to pat him on the arm.

Rafael, to keep his mind occupied, kept himself busy playing with his four-year-old daughter, Soni. Camry looked at

him with a smile as she reached over to pat her daughter. I know what you're going through, her understanding smile said. Rafael smiled back. He was glad she was with him. Talk about the prodigal father. I hope he does not expect any miracles, Rafael thought.

Raymond hugged Autum and kissed her on the forehead. “It will all turn out ok,” he whispered in her ears.

Autum squeezed his hand. She thought of all the things she wanted to say to her father over the years. It's a little too late for you to turn up, don't you think? Where were you when I got married? You always told me you would dance at my wedding, but you were nowhere to be found. I wanted you to have the first dance before you turned me over to my husband. You weren't there to watch me graduate from high school. You weren't there to watch me receive my college degrees. Do you know what it was like to hear all my friends talk about their fathers and what they did with their fathers and I had no father to brag about? I feel so sorry for you.

Even if I knew you were going to show up I still would not know what gift to get you.

Carlisha stared at her father from the seat behind him.

What is he doing here? Was he trying to tell me about this little Christmas “surprise” when he showed up at the college?

Sandon felt uncomfortable as they made the twenty minutes drive to the church. Thank God Abelina told everyone to just be quiet and pray. Pray? I have not done that in years. Lord, I don't know if You are hearing this feeble prayer of mine, but I feel funny being here. I can't believe I walked out on my family. The guilt is just too much.

I don't blame You or them if they ignore me and never want to see me again. I don't blame them for their anger and bitterness toward me. I deserve that and more. He observed his oldest son through his

peripheral vision. Guilt overcame him. I cannot pray right now. It's just eating me up to see them.

Abelina had a song in her heart as they rode to the church. She followed her own advice and prayed. Well, Lord, that was a nice surprise. You know how much I prayed for my husband to come back so the family would stay intact for the children's sake; I admit I gave up and stopped praying that prayer long ago. I just never expected to see him again. Now, I am a bit confused as to why You had him to turn up after so many years, and on Christmas of all days. Abelina paused as though listening for God to answer her.

You asked Me to bring the family together on your favorite holiday, didn't you? the Lord seemed to be saying.

Abelina smiled. I can't deny that; but I did not have Sandon in mind; I had the children, their spouses, and my grandchildren in mind. Anyway, help me to have the right attitude toward him.

He's here so we all might as well make the best of it.

Chapter 24 The Christmas praise and worship service was sweet.

Minister Goodwin delivered a powerful Christmas message— one that Abelina would never forget. He strayed from the recounting of Jesus' birth and spoke from Acts 16:23-31. The message title was: “Born To Die Upon Calvary.”

“Have you ever wondered the real reason God presented Himself in the form of a helpless baby being born on this sinful earth? I would venture to say that over half of the people celebrating this holiday have never stopped to think of the real reason Jesus came to this earth as a baby. Let me tell you: The real reason God came down in the person of Jesus Christ was to eventually die on Calvary's cross for our sins. The words of the song go like this: Born to die upon Calv'ry, Jesus suffered my sin to forgive; Born to die upon Calv'ry, He was wounded that I might live.

“Jesus was born on this earth because it was in God's plan for Him to die upon Calvary.

“John 3:16 summarizes it for us: 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.'

“Paul and Silas' experience in prison provides for us the perfect reason Jesus was born on this earth. Our text tells us that Paul and Silas were in prison because they took a stand for

what was right. They were so severely beaten that their skin was cut open. They were beaten because they preached the Word of God against this girl who was possessed with a demonic spirit.

They used the powerful name of Jesus—the Jesus who was born as a baby in a stable; the Jesus who was laid in a feeding trough—they used His powerful name to cast the demon out of this young lady. Whatever this demon was causing her to do it was bringing her masters much monetary gain. Once they cast the demon out of this young lady and she became clothed in her right mind, she could no longer bring in money for her masters.

As you can imagine, her masters were furious, and so they had Paul and Silas stripped naked, beaten, and then thrown into prison. What a way to spend one's Christmas! Our text does not say that, but can we stretch our imagination and say Paul and Silas were thrown in prison around Christmas time?

“But while they were in prison, the text says in verse 25, 'And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God.' The midnight hour is that point where things cannot get any worse; the midnight hour marks the breaking point. But Paul and Silas prayed. Can we do that this Christmas? Can we pray instead of complain and murmur? Can we pray and just thank God knowing it could be worse?

“Folks, when you come to your midnight hour, when you come to that breaking point, when you get to that point where you've exhausted your resources and it seems the enemy is getting the upper hand, and you're at your wits end, then do what Paul and Silas did—they prayed and offered up praises to God. Can we do that this Christmas and not murmur and complain about what we do not have?

“I don't think they asked God to deliver them. I don't think they asked God to get back at the men who had them beaten and thrown in prison. Why? Because our text says they prayed and sang praises unto God; they prayed and sang praises unto the One whose birth we celebrate during this Christmas season; they prayed and sang praises unto the One who was born to die on Calvary. The thing about it is you cannot pray to God and praise Him while complaining and murmuring at the same time. But you can certainly praise and thank God at the same time. Praise and thanks go together. Can you praise and thank God during this Christmas season?

“As Paul and Silas offered up praises to God, the other prisoners and the keeper of the prison heard them and began thinking, ‘these men are different.’ And if you offer up prayers and praises to God during your dark periods, your co-workers and family and friends will begin to say, ' this person is different; his Christianity is real; I want what he's got.' To show that God loves and honors a thankful heart, He caused an earthquake to rock the prison so violently that all the prison doors flew open.

“Now, some of you unthankful people would have run out of the prison shouting, 'I'm free! I'm free! God set me free!'

But Paul and Silas stayed because God was going to use them to perform that for which He was born on this earth to do: God was going to use them to present the message of salvation to the keeper of the prison, and he was going to hear that message and realize his pitiful condition and ask Jesus to save Him. “The keeper came to Paul and Silas and fell on his knees and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' He was asking, what

must I do to have what you have? What must I do to be happy and thankful in the middle of my trials and tribulations? And Paul said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.'

“Jesus was born to die on Calvary so that all you have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and for my sins and for the sins of the whole world.

“Some of you may have hatred in your heart—a hatred you have been carrying for so long that it has stifled the Christmas spirit. Some of you are carrying a hurt that has put a damper on your spirit. Some of you may have caused hurt to someone, and you are so full of guilt that you cannot enjoy your Christmas. This is what God wants you to do: He wants you to get rid of that hatred; He wants you to get rid of that hurt; He wants you to get things right with those you have hurt. He wants you to get right with Him. This Christmas, have a forgiving heart, a heart of praising God, a heart of giving and not of taking or wanting to get. And only God can give you that kind of heart. How? you may ask.

“By trusting Jesus Christ to save you from your sins.

Jesus was born to die on Calvary for your sins and my sins. He was born to save us from our sins. You may be wondering, Minister Goodwin, what must I do to be saved? Do what Paul told the keeper of the prison: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and you shall be saved. Believe that there is nothing you can do to save yourself because Jesus Christ already did it all

because He was born to die on Calvary for your sins and for my sins and for the sins of the whole world.

“If you want to be saved on this Christmas morning; if you are not sure you are saved and you want to make sure of your salvation; if you know that you are saved and you have strayed away from God and want to get back to God, then pray this prayer of belief and rededication with me: Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner and that is why I do things to hurt people, that is why I harbor hatred, anger, and bitterness, that is why I refuse to forgive, that is why I sin. For Jesus Christ's sake please forgive me of my sins. I believe You were born to die upon Calvary, and having died upon Calvary for my sins, I now believe in You and I trust You as my Savior. Please come into my heart, save my soul from sin and from the punishment of sin in hell. Please live within my heart and fill me with Your Holy Spirit and change my life. Please give me the assurance of my salvation. Amen.”

Abelina's eyes became wet with tears as she heard her husband mumble the prayer, ending with an audible 'Amen.'

From her peripheral vision, she saw him swipe at his eyes. She smiled. He had never been one to let others see him cry. “That's not being a man,” he had told her often. She turned her attention back to the minister.

“Those of you who just asked Jesus to save you, please step out of your seat and follow these three people standing to my right to one of our rooms in the back. You'll receive a new believer's packet that contains information explaining what you just did and that will guide you on a course of study in your new-found life. If you confessed your sins and rededicated your

life to God, please come down as well. We want to pray with you and help you get back on track in your walk with Christ.�

Abelina smiled and offered up a 'Thank You' to God as she saw her husband and her children get up to go down to the front along with others who had asked Jesus to save them.

Thank You, God. I just knew this Christmas was going to be a special one.

Chapter 25 The ride home was a quiet one—a different kind of quietness—not tense and angsty but peaceful and pleasant. The Perez family filed into the living room followed by Grandma Eunice and Grandpa Leyton.

“You're welcome to join us,” Abelina said to Sandon as he hesitated to come in. “I told you we could talk after church.”

The ladies quickly served everyone warm ham and cheese sandwiches with macaroni and cheese, and broccoli.

“Thank God we have something to eat,” Abelina said after Grandpa Leyton said the blessing, “Now wasn't that a blessed service?”

Everyone agreed they were blessed.

“I am so glad we were all able to gather here today and not just because it's been a while since we gathered together, but I believe God wanted it to be so. I've been praying for the full restoration of the family and I believe it started with the decisions some of us made at the church earlier. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that some of you had to rededicate your lives to the Lord. Be that as it may, I don't think our family’s restoration is complete yet. I believe we all have things to say to each other.

Some apologizing and some genuine forgiveness needs to take place so that we can all have a truly blessed Christmas—one we will never forget.” Abelina looked at Sandon.

Sandon shifted in his seat not taking his eyes off his wife.

A flood of guilt came over him again. How could I have done that to her? To my children?

Some of the children looked away as they searched their own hearts.

“Children, I ask you to forgive me for not being the mother I should have been--” Abelina started to say.

“Oh, Mom, you can stop right there,” Tameron said.

“You have been the best mother possible. I could not have asked for anything more.”

The other children voiced their agreement.

“Well, there's always room to do better,” Abelina said.

Turning to her husband, she continued. “Sandon, it's good to see you again after so many years. I ask you to forgive me for not being a better wife -- ” Sandon interrupted her. “No, Abelina, you've been the best wife and mother. You have absolutely nothing to ask my forgiveness for.”

“I'll go first,” Tameron said when his father fell silent.

Looking toward his father, he said, “Dad, you and I had an okay relationship for a few years, but that day you left us, I felt our relationship was just a show—a facade—that it meant nothing to you all along. I did not want to own up to this, but I was angry at you for doing this to us—to me. I felt you played me. I buried all these negative feelings I had toward you over the years, but when I saw you this morning, the anger resurfaced. I almost did not go to church, let alone ride in the same vehicle with you, but I promised Mom I would go. God showed me

today, that I needed to get rid of that anger and I gave it all to Him. Please forgive me for being angry at you.”

Tameron reached across the table. Sandon looked at the extended hand; he then looked at his son, the son who looked so much like him and who displayed so many of his mannerisms. He reached across the table and firmly shook his son's hand. This act of kindness only added to his guilt.

Rafael, taking a cue from his older brother, spoke next.

“Mom, I thank you for helping me to sort things out in my mind. Dad … I kind of felt the same way Tameron felt. To this day, I can't see how you could do us like that. I got bitter toward you and I wished never to see you again. On the way to church, I kept asking myself why you had to show up. I kept asking myself, why you had to come to church with us of all places.” Chuckling, Rafael said, “I kept hoping the pastor would say something that would convict you. He did, but it convicted me too. Dad, please forgive me. I want everything to be cool between us now.”

Sandon nodded.

“I guess I'm next,” Autum said placing a hand in her husband's hand. “Mom, I appreciate your sticking it out with us and I thank you for your patience with me. Dad, I was upset with you so much that I allowed it to affect my marriage. I told my husband I did not want to have any children because I was afraid he would walk out on them as you did us. That really put a strain on my marriage.” Autum's lips trembled as she spoke.

“Dad, when I was little, I thought you and I had a great relationship. I remember when you took me for an ice cream cone all by myself, and I began to wonder if that was just for

show. I felt so abandoned, so out of place when you left us. I love you , Dad. I really do,” she said trying without success not to cry. “Before I got married I hoped so hard that you would turn up to give me away. But you never came. You broke your promise to me that you would dance at my wedding.”

Sandon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His shoulders trembled as he tried to retain his composure. How could I have done this to my children? What was I thinking? Lord, what was I thinking? They should not be apologizing and asking for forgiveness.

I'm the only one who should be doing that.

After some silence, Jade stood up to speak. Pacing the floor, he said, “Dad, answer me: Am I the reason why you left?

Am I?” Jade stopped to face his father.

Sandon drew in a deep breath before answering. “No, Jade.”

“Funny. I spent the past twenty years blaming myself as the reason you left. I mean, you left on my birthday. I fixed a plate of Christmas dinner for you myself. That was the highlight of my birthday. I felt so happy when you came home. You were gonna sit right next to me and eat with me. I even asked Grandma to put away a big slice of cake for you. I put the little football man holding the football right on top of your slice of cake. He was getting ready to make a touch-down. But you never ate it. You shunned it like you did me all my life. You walked out and never looked back, you didn’t even say good bye to me.”

Jade looked up at the ceiling, his hands in his pocket.

“You never came back to celebrate my birthday or Christmas with us. I never wanted another birthday after that and I never

wanted to celebrate Christmas.” No longer able to hold himself together, the tears rolled down his cheeks. “Why, Dad? I spent all these years asking myself, Why? Trying to figure out what I had done.”

Chapter 26 Sandon ran his hands through his hair. He stood and turned around to face his son; he looked him in the eyes and said with a trembling voice, “I was selfish, Jade. You did nothing wrong. I was just selfish. After I lost my job, I felt inadequate because I could not provide for the family like I wanted to. I got mad at your mother when she got pregnant with you. I got mad at her when she got pregnant with Carlisha a couple years later. Things were tight financially and it had gotten to the point where we were depending on your mother's check to support the family. I hated that.”

“But you did get a job, didn't you? Or were you just fooling us?” Tameron asked.

“Yes, I did … but I wanted out by then,” Sandon said.

“Children, I'm sorry. If you all never forgive me, I understand. I do not deserve your forgiveness. I do not deserve to be a part of this family. I've been miserable ever since I left, but pride kept me away and I've paid for it in more ways than one.”

Looking across to Carlisha, he said, “I am sorry Carlisha.

Can you please forgive me for ignoring you as well?”

Carlisha nodded.

“When I showed up at your college a few weeks ago,” he continued, “it was a desperate attempt to make things right with at least one of my children.”

Sandon turned to his wife. “Abelina, I don't know what to say to you. Can you please find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Abelina, with a sweet smile, nodded. “Sandon, I forgave you years ago. This is not to say I was not hurt. It took me a while to get over it and to accept that you were never coming back. It was not easy raising the children by myself, but God gave me the strength. Yes, I have forgiven you.”

Sandon looked at his wife through new eyes. She looked even more beautiful to him today than she did years ago.

Jade picked up where he left off. “Dad, you don't know how it felt as I dumped your plate in the trash later that night. I waited for you as long as I could. I kept telling myself and Mom and Grandma that you were coming back. They knew you weren't coming back, but they expressed hope for my sake.”

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he took out the tiny football player figurine and extended it toward his father in the palm of his hand. “I kept it these many years; it was my hope that you would return and that things would be right between us. Today that hope came real. Here, Dad. I want you to have it.”

Sandon looked at his son. He looked at the gift. He reached out and accepted the gift. This gesture of love proved too much; he grabbed his son's neck and cried like a baby.

Tameron and Rafael joined the small huddle. Autum relaxed in her husband's embrace.

Chapter 27 After the emotional encounter, all the ladies went to the kitchen to chat, to clean up, and to catch up on what had been happening over the years. Abelina and Grandma Eunice shared with them their plans for the rest of the evening.

After they finished cleaning the kitchen, Abelina asked the men to excuse them for a while longer. “We're going over to Grandma’s. You men stay here and enjoy your game and get caught up on lost years.”

Once they were in Grandma Eunice's car, Abelina said with a smile, “Now that everyone's gotten their hearts right with the Lord and with each other, I believe we'll enjoy our Christmas meal even more. So off to Grandma’s we go. Once we get everything warmed up, we'll call the men to come over and join us. They can ride in the van.”

“Mom, you sure had us fooled,” Autum exclaimed. “But you know, even if we did not have the ham, macaroni and cheese, the fruit cake, and all the food we indulge in at Christmastime, I will never forget this Christmas.”

“I just hope this will not be our last Christmas as a family,” Abelina said.

The men arrived a few hours later. They all declared this to be their best Christmas ever and were already making plans to return the following year.

It was well after eleven when they said goodbye to their grand-parents and headed to Abelina's home. Sandon said goodnight after securing the children's phone numbers and addresses. “Thanks once again,” he said as he gave Abelina a hug. “I'll be calling you.”

“Do you think you'll let him back into your life?” her children wanted to know.

“I really do not know,” she said. “It's been so long. The weird thing is he never terminated the marriage through an official divorce. I guess deep down he did not want to leave the family. Let's just say I'll be praying about it. What do you think?”

Agreeing with their mother, the children all said it was a weird position to be in. “Twenty years is a long time. But it would be nice to see you two back together again,” Autum said.

After spending all day Friday and half day Saturday lounging around, the children pulled out heading for home.

Carlisha traveled with them. She planned on spending a week with Tameron and his family before returning to school.

“You'll be spending Easter with us,” Tameron said as he kissed his mother goodbye.

“And all summer with us,” Autum said giving her mother a hug.

“And Thanksgiving with us,” Rafael said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for everything, Mom,” Jade said. “I promise I'll stay in touch more, and I'll answer all your phone calls. Even if you and Dad stay apart I want you both to plan on coming to my graduation and my big games together.”

“Be sure to call me when you can,� Abelina said. She waved goodbye until the van was out of sight.

The plan was to drop Autum and her husband off first in Mississippi; pull out early on Sunday morning and head for Jacksonville to deliver Jade to his home; then continue on up to Gainesville where Tameron, his family, and Carlisha would spend the night with Rafael and Camry; then, finally, travel on to Tennessee where Tameron lived.

Chapter 28 Raymond drove as they headed West from Atlanta. He quickly switched lanes to merge smoothly into the highway traffic after flicking his left blinkers on.

“Careful, hon. That truck’s approaching mighty fast,” Autum said as she glanced over her shoulder into the left lane.

“I'm going to give Mom a call.”

“Hello, Mom. Just calling to let you know we're on the road,” Autum said after Abelina answered her call.

“You've only been gone for twenty minutes, but I do thank you all for calling and for coming. Make sure you call me as soon as you get home safely—no matter the time. Promise?”

Abelina said.

“We promise,” Autum said as she shouted the message loud enough for everyone in the van to hear. “Say goodbye to Mom,” she added.

Abelina heard them all yell, “We love you, Mom. See you next Christmas.”

“Okay, Mom, get some rest,” Autum said before saying goodbye. ***** After hanging up, Abelina leaned back on the black leather couch with both feet resting on the matching ottoman.

She smiled as she savored the relaxing ambiance of the room.

She looked from the rocking chair to the loveseat to the flowerpatterned couch. She had a vivid picture of the happy faces of her children, her son-in-law, her two daughters-in-law, and her three grand-children sitting in the living room enjoying the Christmas Day fellowship.

God did a great work this Christmas in having the entire family back together for the first time since all the kids grew up. Thank You, Jesus. Things could not have gone any better.

Taking a quick glance out the window through the half drawn drapes she noticed snow was lightly but steadily falling.

Through the falling snow she could make out the blinking colorful lights wrapped around the tree on her front lawn. Her smile broadened as she noted the lighted nativity scene. Yes, He was born to die on Calvary. That is the real reason for the season.

Her eyes alighted on the muted television screen which was tuned in to the local news channel. One of her favorite pastimes was to watch the news and the holiday specials to learn about how others celebrated Christmas and also to see what interesting events took place in her hometown of Stone Mountain, GA, and around the world during the wonderful holiday period. A time of thinking about others and not just yourself, she thought. Abelina saw Christmas as a month long extension of Thanksgiving, and marked it as a time for families to get together and to end the year together.

Later that evening Abelina turned on the TV and flipped to the local news channel. “Oh my soul,� she said as a dramatic image flashed on the screen. Abelina turned up the volume and leaned forward to catch every word the reporter was saying.

“There has been a severe nine-vehicle pile up on Highway 20 West bound leading out of Atlanta. It seems the driver of an oil tanker filled with gasoline skidded on a piece of ice and lost control of his vehicle. The truck crossed the median and slammed into a number of on-coming vehicles. This caused a domino effect as several other vehicles were caught in this accident. According to the police, from eyewitness reports, the pile-up immediately went up in flames from the explosion caused by the impact. As you can see behind me, the fire department is working frantically to bring the fire under control.

It will take several hours to clean everything up. Traffic is backed up several miles. Two ambulances have already left with severely burnt victims. Our condolences go out to the families involved. Please stay tuned for regular updates.”

Abelina immediately called her parents to tell them to tune in. After following the news for about thirty minutes, Abelina called Autum but got no response. She called Brandi, then Tameron, but received no answer. Her anxiety heightened as she called Rafael, then Camry. No answer. Carlisha's and Jade's calls produced the same results—no answer. She called her parents again.

“Dad, I've been trying to call the children, but have been unable to get them. Do you think they were part of this tragic accident? I know they would take Highway 20 out of town. It's strange for none of them to answer their phones. They all cannot have their phones turned off.”

“I know traffic has been backed up,” Grandpa Leyton said. “And they have to clean up the spill before they let any

traffic through.” His voice was tight with concern. “Let’s just pray and hope for the best.”

“I'm worried,” Abelina said.

Grandpa Leyton was trying to remain positive for his daughter’s sake. “Maybe they stopped for a bathroom break, or they may be in a place where reception is spotty. I'm sure they'll call soon.”

Sandon called Abelina in a few minutes later, and they spoke in-between listening to the news. “I'm sure they’ve already made it past the scene of the accident,” he said trying to set his and Abelina’s minds at ease.

He said goodbye after Abelina assured him she would make it through the night. “I'm going to turn in early as the whole weekend has been a busy but a joyful one,” she told him.

Abelina, however, spent the night in prayer for the safety of her children.

Chapter 29 Around midnight, unable to sleep, Abelina tuned into the late news. Fear came over her as she listened.

“It has been confirmed by the Fire Marshall that the tragic accident on Highway 20 West involved a 14-passenger van. All twelve people: eight adults, two children, and a toddler lost their lives. The bodies were badly charred beyond recognition. Other motorists were also confirmed dead including the two occupants of a BMW. Several vehicles have been pulled from the rubble whose passengers have lost their lives as well. So far the death count is seventeen. A motorcycle rider was thrown a few yards from the blaze; he is in critical condition in the hospital This has been the most severe car accident in metro Atlanta in several years. Please stay tuned for further updates.”

Abelina cried out. “Lord, tell me it's not them. Please tell me it's not them.” She picked up the phone to call her parents who immediately came over.

“Let's get in touch with the fire department and the police and the hospital and whoever before we come to any conclusions,” Grandpa Leyton said hesitantly.

The rest of the night on into the early morning was spent listening to the news amidst prayer and a couple hours of sleep. Feeling helpless, they decided it was best for them to go to church. They were surprised to see Sandon waiting in his car

as they were leaving Abelina’s house. The grim look on his face only solidified what Abelina already felt in her heart.

With Grandpa Leyton, Grandma Eunice and Sandon accompanying her down to the morgue a week later, they identified the bodies of her precious children one by one.

“You don't have to do this all at one time,” the mortician said.

“That's alright. I'd rather get it over and done with,” Abelina said.

The rest of the week was quiet for her as preparation was made for the funeral which was a bittersweet time since her children had made peace with God and then with their father before their deaths. It was a simple but meaningful service.

About a week after the funeral, she received a visit from her parents. They delivered a sad message.

“It's Sandon. He's passed away,” her mother said.

“That's not possible. I spoke with him about twenty-four hours ago; he sounded strong. He stopped by a couple days ago; he looked fine. I don't understand.”

Grandma Eunice sat beside her daughter and held both her hands as Grandpa Leyton expanded on the sad news.

“He confided this to me and he asked me not to tell you as he had already caused you so much grief. But he has been battling liver cancer for about seven years. The doctors had given him a few months to live as by the time he went in to be examined it was in its late stages. They were surprised he lived for another two years.”

At a loss for words, Abelina lay her head on her mother's shoulder. ***** Abelina Perez sat down on the black leather couch with a cup of hot chocolate and rested both feet on the matching ottoman. She closed her eyes and once again rehearsed in her mind all that had taken place during the Christmas week. She could still picture all her children sitting in the room along with their father, legally her husband of thirty years, as though it was yesterday. Everyone had been genuinely happy. It felt good to have the family together after such a long time on her favorite holiday—Christmas. She whispered a prayer of thanks and praise: “Thank You, God, that our last Christmas was our best Christmas. It ended on a tremendously high note. Thank You that we all made peace with each other before our final departure -- before my husband, children, and grandchildren made their way to Heaven to be with You forever. It's a beautiful thing when we respond to the Word of God and to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Thank You that even though we will never gather in this home for another Christmas feast as a family, we had this last chance to come together and to get things right with You and with each other. Thank you, Lord, for this blessed last Christmas.”

THE END