Drama in the Church Saga Read Free Page B

see what was causing the entire apartment to be engulfed in smoke. She found Bryant and Danyelle sitting in the living room with what appeared to be a pound of marijuana lying on the coffee table.
    â€œWhy can’t you two smoke outside?” Olivia asked, annoyed. This was not the first time she had asked them not to smoke in the house.
    â€œHey Livie,” Bryant said. “How was your doctor’s appointment?”
    Olivia looked at him, surprised that he had even asked. After her first doctor’s appointment, weeks had passed before he asked her how it went. Lately, he had lost interest in the baby, which concerned her because when she first told him, he was so excited. Olivia badly wanted Bryant to participate more in her pregnancy.
    Ever since Olivia was a little girl she had wanted to be a mother, and the idea of her soon becoming one brought joy to her heart. She looked forward to the monthly doctor visits and midnight food cravings.
    Her only regret was that she and Bryant weren’t married. She never thought she would be having a baby out of wedlock, but she knew there wasn’t too much she could do about it now. Bryant had made it clear that he was not going to marry her just because she had gotten pregnant.
    â€œWell the doctor said that . . .” Olivia began.
    â€œHold up, baby.” Bryant held up his finger. He turned toward Danyelle. “Yo, where you going with that?” Danyelle had gotten up from the couch and started to retreat to her bedroom, taking the smoking joint and the ashtray with her.
    â€œOh!” She looked back at Olivia. “I was going to my room. I wanted to give you and Livie some privacy.”
    â€œYeah right, you were trying to smoke the whole joint by yourself.”
    Danyelle pointed back at Bryant. “Negro, you’ve got five joints rolled up in front of you that we haven’t even touched.” Then she pointed over in the corner. “Not to mention the bundle we haven’t even opened.”
    Olivia looked over at the cube of marijuana securely wrapped in clear plastic wrap lying on the floor.
    â€œNo need to get hostile. I forgot. My fault!” He turned back to Olivia. “Sorry, honey. Now what did the doctor say?”
    â€œForget it!” Annoyed, Olivia stormed toward her bedroom. She was tired of Bryant putting his marijuana habit before their baby.
    â€œWhere are you going?” Bryant yelled out.
    Olivia closed the door and cried. She felt like her life was falling apart. She wanted the baby to come into the world feeling that it was loved by both its parents, but Bryant acted so selfish at times she wondered if that was possible.
    She wished her mother were there to fix the problems in her life. She remembered the last conversation she had with her. Olivia was in her bedroom getting ready for bed when her mother walked in.
    â€œLivie, can I speak with you for a minute?”
    â€œSure, Mommy.” Olivia jumped into bed and pulled the comforter over her legs.
    Her mother smiled and took a deep breath. “Olivia, I don’t like to ask you to promise me anything because I know you’re only nine years old and you have a lot of growing up to do, but I have to ask that you make me this one promise.”
    Olivia’s soft eyes asked, What is it, Mommy?
    â€œPromise me that no matter what happens in life, you will always keep the word of God close to your heart. Being obedient to God will carry you through the roughest times in your life. Trust him. He will never leave you.”
    Olivia held her mother’s final words close to her heart. Later that night her mother had a heart attack in her sleep and died instantly.
    Since then Olivia had kept her promise to her mother and was a devoted Christian who read her Bible regularly. She tried to live the life of a righteous woman, but lately she struggled in her Christian walk. It all started with Bryant.
    From the beginning, Olivia was very up front