Dwayne walked out to the car with them in case Jon-Jon needed help, but all he had to do was put the wheelchair in the trunk after Jon-Jon lifted himself into the car.

  “I just hope Alexis keeps her word and doesn’t contest anything during arbitration.”

  “She’s a nice lady, Mom,” Jon-Jon said. “I saw her at the hospital last week; she and Marquita got me back in the car when Marquita’s mom flipped out on us.”

  “Marquita told me about that. It’s a sad situation. I understand why the girl can’t keep a job. When I met her, I did not think she had much home training and now I know why.” Playfully nudging Jon-Jon, she added, “You sure can pick ’em.”

  “Ma, it’s not like that. Marquita is a real chill girl. She doesn’t even seem to mind that I’m in a wheelchair. She’s just cool people. I give her mad props for that.”

  Trish kept driving, but she was not going to let this moment slip before instilling some godly wisdom into her son. “I am so thankful for Moochie because he brought so much joy back into our home.”

  “Yeah, he did that,” Jon-Jon agreed.

  “I know your dad already talked to you about this, but I need to make sure that you understand you weren’t raised to have babies here, there, and everywhere. I always imagined that you would get married and then bring a bunch of rock-head babies to the house so I could spoil them rotten.”

  Jon-Jon put a hand on his mother’s arm. “Mom, I hear you. I don’t want you thinking you did anything wrong. You raised me right. I messed up.”

  “I didn’t even know that you were seeing anyone last summer. You never brought her to meet us, and we’ve always been introduced to the girls that you’ve dated.”

  “You want the real?”

  That was Jon-Jon’s way of asking if she wanted him to tell her things she really didn’t want to hear. “Yes, please give me the real.”

  “I guess I just got big-headed when I left for college. I had all these scouts looking at me, telling me I was going pro. When I came home that summer, I stopped going to church and hanging with my friends from youth group. I thought I was the man and didn’t need all of that.”

  “Then you met Marquita,” Trish finished. “And since you weren’t listening to those God whispers anymore, you did what you wanted to do.”

  “Exactly.” Jon-Jon turned his head away from his mom and stared out the window for a second. Then he turned back to her. “Do you think my accident was like a punishment from God or something?”

  “No, Jon-Jon, don’t think like that. God loves you and wants the best for you. Remember, the Bible declares that all have sinned and come short of His glory.”

  “So you think God is cool with Moochie? I mean, ’cause my son is innocent in all of this.”

  “All life is precious to God, and don’t you ever forget that.” Trish had no idea her son was allowing the Enemy to invade his mind with thoughts of unworthiness. God was not mad at her son. His accident was not a consequence of his actions. “Jon-Jon, you know something that I had to learn?”

  “What?”

  “Sometimes bad things happen to God’s people, but even in the bad, if we keep praying for God to turn it around in our favor, we will eventually see the good in it.”

  They pulled up to the arbitrator’s office. Trish turned off the car and turned to Jon-Jon with hands extended. “Can we pray?”

  “I’d like that, Mom.”

  Together, they went before the throne of grace, asking for forgiveness and mercy. They asked for right judgment and favor with the arbitrator today. Trish believed God heard every word of their prayer. She would keep speaking words of faith and encouraging herself in what God had already done for her and Dwayne through the years. In truth, she would never forget that red cardinal showing up in their backyard. It was like a sign to her that God’s got them.

  When they entered the arbitrator’s office, Trish was surprised to see a lawyer seated on the side where Alexis should be. She and Jon-Jon sat down as the attorney introduced himself. “Will Alexis be joining us?”

  The attorney’s name was Bill Stevens. He said, “Ah, no.”

  “Okay, because I didn’t think we needed a lawyer for arbitration.” At least that’s what Trish’s attorney had told them. Maybe rich folks used attorneys whether they needed them or not.

  “Mrs. Marshall had a family emergency to deal with, but she sent me here with full instructions.”

  They had agreed on one arbitrator for the hearing because the case seemed simple enough. Alexis hit Jon-Jon, and now she needed to pay for the damage she caused.

  A man so tall he had to bend his knees and lower his head to get below the entryway, came into the room.

  The man glanced at his watch and then sat down at the head of the table. “I’m Joseph Ridgeway, the arbitrator for your case.”

  Trish turned to Jon-Jon. “You ready?”

  He nodded.

  Mr. Ridgeway looked from one side of the table to the other. “This is a straightforward process. If you have written submissions, I will take them now.”

  Trish’s attorney had secured written statements with witness signatures for this meeting. Her written statements came from three different people who stopped to help after the accident. They also gave statements to the police as to what occurred. She also included statements from Jon-Jon’s high school coach.

  Alexis’s attorney told the arbitrator, “We do not have witness statements. We have already read the statements the defendant’s attorney gathered and have no objection to those.”

  An eyebrow lifted, Mr. Ridgeway said, “Are you sure you don’t want to submit any written statements?”

  “My client was specific about that. She is not disputing that she hit Mr. Robinson.”

  “Then why are we here?” Mr. Ridgeway asked.

  Clearing his throat, the attorney said, “My client’s husband wants to ensure that the settlement is fair for all concerned.”

  Trish’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean? Do you think it’s fair that my son is in a wheelchair?”

  “No, ma’am, neither I nor my clients are happy about the situation Mr. Robinson is in.”

  Mr. Ridgeway turned to Jon-Jon. “Would you like to provide any information other than the written statements?”

  Jon-Jon glanced over at Trish. Her son was still young. Even though he wanted to be grown, he still did not know how to handle himself out in the real world, but Trish recognized that she had already been speaking too much. “Go on, Jon-Jon. It’s time to speak up for yourself.”

  Trish sat back in her seat and clamped her lips while Jon-Jon provided information about the career he grew up believing he would have. He also told the arbitrator about his new son and how he hoped to be able to provide for his son but wasn’t sure how he could do that since he had to figure out another career.

  Trish was beaming as she silently prayed for her well-spoken son. He would be just fine, of that, Trish was becoming surer as each day went by. Jon-Jon had struggled with the new reality of his life, but the just-don’t-quit son she and Dwayne raised was back, and he was fighting for what was left of his life. No, it wasn’t perfect, but it could still be very sweet.

  “I think I have enough. I will review all of the information and then get back with you all very shortly,” Joseph Ridgeway told them.

  When Trish and Jon-Jon arrived home, her phone rang. It was Alexis. Trish answered it as she entered her bedroom to change into something more comfortable. “Hello?”

  “Hi. Is this Trish?”

  “How are you doing?” Trish kicked her shoes off.

  “I’ve had better days, but I don’t want to talk about me. I was calling to see how things went during arbitration today.”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll be on pins and needles until the decision comes back,” Trish said.

  “My attorney said that Jon-Jon looked good. Did his surgery go well?”

  Trish didn’t know how much information she should provide. She could hear Dwayne as if he was in her ear, saying, Don’t tell ’em nothing. They’re just trying to cheat Jon-Jon out of his money. “The surgery was needed, and Jon-Jon is recovering.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. Well, I don’t want to hold you. Just wanted to check in on you.”

  “Your attorney said a family thing kept you from attending the arbitration. Is everything okay on your end?”

  “Thanks for asking. My mom is not doing well. I’m trying to get her to rest, but I don’t think she knows how to do that.”

  “I’ll say some prayers for her.” Then Trish had a thought and, before she could formulate it all the way in her mind, blurted out, “I’m starting this program against distracted driving. I’ve lined up a few places where I will be speaking. Jon-Jon will also speak on what happened to him. I was wondering if you would be willing to team up with us? You could tell your story so others might understand how much harm distracted driving can bring to families.”

  Alexis didn’t say anything at first, but slowly, very slowly, she said, “I, um . . . I really wish I could help you, but I don’t think I can get involved with something like that. I’m sorry.”

  “Oh.” Trish let the shock ring in her tone. “I just thought you’d be willing to do something like this. It’s just that you seemed truly sorry for what you did. Others could benefit from hearing from you.”

  “I don’t think I can do this. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go.” Alexis hung up.

  Trish’s eyes almost bugged out of her head. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Alexis had seemed so nice, like she truly cared about what she had done to Jon-Jon. Why wouldn’t she want to help them bring awareness to an issue like this?

  So much anger was boiling inside Trish that she wanted to throw her cell phone across the room. But she had cancelled the insurance on their cell phone to save money, so if she broke her phone, she wouldn’t be able to go out and get another one.

  A knock on her door took her mind off of doing damage to things she couldn’t replace. “Come in.”

  Marquita nudged the door open and peeked her head inside. “Are you busy?”

  Trish didn’t feel like talking, but she didn’t want to push Marquita away just because Alexis Marshall had just blown her off. “What’s going on?”

  “I wanted to talk to you.” Marquita stepped into Trish’s room and leaned against the wall, hands behind her back, head hanging low. “I got the job.”

  “The telemarketing job you interviewed for last week?”

  Marquita nodded. “It’s part-time, so I’ll still be able to help with Jon-Jon.”

  “This is good news, Marquita. Why don’t you sound excited about it?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I’m scared that I’m going to fail again. Jon-Jon is already making jokes about me getting fired within two weeks.”

  Trish wanted to go to Jon-Jon’s room and give that boy a good thump upside his head. “Don’t listen to him, Marquita. You can keep a job if you get in there and do your best.”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know what my best is. My last boss told me that I wasn’t raised right and that’s why I couldn’t keep a job. I was mad when he said it, but I think he might be right. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

  Trish’s heart went out to the girl. She saw potential in Marquita, but it was raw and needed to be refined before she would shine like the jewel she was meant to be. “Do you want help?”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t figure out why I can’t keep a job. I have this beautiful baby who needs both his parents to work hard so we can give him a good life.”

  “So, I’m going to ask again. Do you want help?”

  “Yes, more than anything.”

  Trish patted the mattress. “Come sit down next to me.”

  Marquita pulled away from the wall and sat down next to Trish. “I want to make my son proud of me, the way Jon-Jon is so proud of you and Dwayne. But . . .”

  Trish’s heart bled for Marquita. The girl should be rejoicing over the fact that she had found a job, but instead her head was hung low as if she’d just received a horrible diagnosis from her doctor. “Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘If you know better, you do better’?”

  Shrugging, she said, “I don’t know.”

  “I’m going to be honest with you, Marquita. When I first met you, I thought the same thing your old boss thought. I remember shaking my head at the way you talked to us and thinking, This girl does not have home training.”

  Marquita’s hands lifted as she shook them in the air, then dropped them to her lap. “How do I even know if I have”—she did air quotes—“‘home training,’ if I don’t know what it is?”

  “Give me the top three reasons you’ve received for being fired. What exactly did the managers say?”

  “Let’s see.” Marquita started ticking off reasons. “Not coming to work on time and disrespecting customers. I also got fired from a job for fighting one of my coworkers. But you would have fought that woman, too, Trish. She had too much mouth and couldn’t back nothing up.”

  Trish laughed as she scooted back against her headboard. This girl had a lot to learn. Trish had instructed fourth graders on proper etiquette for years. Marquita was a nineteen-year-old with grown woman responsibilities, so she hoped she could get the message across. “I noticed you called me Trish and my husband, Dwayne. Can I tell you that when I was growing up, I was taught to add Mr. or Mrs. onto the front of an elder’s name?”

  Marquita’s nose scrunched, eyes squinted with confusion. “But you and Dwayne . . . I mean, Mr. Dwayne don’t look all old like that to me.”

  In a moment of vanity, loving the fact that she didn’t look her age, Trish put her hands to her face and said, “My mama told me that black don’t crack.” She laughed at her own joke and then became serious again. “It’s a sign of respect, Marquita. Adding a Mr. or Mrs. onto the name of someone who is at least twenty-five years older than you says you understand that they have seen more of life than you have. It says that you understand they may have some wisdom to impart to you.”

  “Okay, but I don’t see how that helps me on a job.”

  Marquita was being honest with her, and Trish liked the way their discussion was going, so she continued. “If you had learned to respect others when you were younger, by the time you started a job, it would have been second nature to you. It would have also helped you understand that being repetitively late to your job is disrespectful because it shows that you don’t value other people’s time.”

  “Yeah, but you know how bad the traffic is in this town,” Marquita tried to justify herself.

  Trish was not letting her off the hook. “Since you know how bad the traffic is, you adjust your schedule to make sure you make it to work on time. If that means leaving your house thirty minutes earlier than you have been leaving, then that’s what you do.”

  Marquita’s lip twisted. “One of my bosses told me to do that, but I thought she was being unreasonable and that she should have understood being that she lives in this town just like I do.”

  “And how did that work out for you?”

  “She fired me.”

  Trish stared at the girl, then asked, “Do you get it now?”

  “Okay, I get it. I need to wake up earlier so I can get to work. I can sit in my car and watch TikTok or something if I’m a few minutes early.”

  Or, Trish thought, she could go to her desk and start preparing for her day. Trish wasn’t going to push that. If Marquita was willing to adjust her schedule to get to work a little early that was good enough for her. “Now, about this fighting coworkers and disrespecting customers . . .”

  Marquita laughed at herself. “I’ve got this eye-rolling thing that I can’t seem to control whenever someone says something that I think is real stupid.”

  “Aha! Another sign of disrespect.”

  “I can’t help it.”

  “I want you to pray about your level of respect for other people. It appears to me that you view some of God’s people as small and unimportant in the grand scheme of life. So, while you’re praying, ask God to show you how important each and every human being is to Him.”

  “That’s deep, Ms. Trish.” Marquita leaned forward and hugged her. “Thank you for talking to me today. I’m feeling better about this job now. I’m going to try my best to do what you suggested.”

  Trish smiled as Marquita left the room. In her darkest hour, that girl showed up on her doorstep. At first sight she had wanted to close the door on her and make it all go away, but she was so thankful that she hadn’t done that. Marquita was also a soul that was precious to God. Trish just prayed that she would be able to help Marquita move a little closer to the glory God planned for her on this side of heaven.

  Chapter 25

  A week after the fireworks incident, Uncle Douglas came by to see Vivian. Alexis gave him an ice-cold glass of lemonade and had him take a seat in the family room while she went upstairs to get Vivian. Alexis was thankful that Douglas came to see her mother, but this would be a day of reckoning for her because she had yet to tell her mother the truth about Grandma Joyce.

  Vivian had asked to see her mother a couple of times in the last few weeks. Alexis had chosen not to remind her mother that Grandma Joyce died a long time ago because she feared it might set her mother off. She also hadn’t wanted Uncle Douglas to be the one to break the news.

  Stepping into her mother’s room, she took a deep breath. She knew this had to be done, but at the same time she hated that she had to bring her mother back to reality about something like this. “How are you feeling this afternoon?”

  Vivian picked up the remote and turned the volume down on The Price Is Right. “I was just sitting here wishing I was on this show.” She pointed at the television. “I could have won that car and then painted it purple so I could give it to you as a birthday present.” Vivian started laughing.

  Alexis doubled over in laughter. “Don’t do me any favors, Mom. I’m okay with the car I have.” Alexis sat down next to her mother. “I have to tell you something, Mom. I have some good news and bad news. Can you handle bad news right now?”