“I’m not telling you again, back up so I can get out of my car.” He heard Hannah’s raised voice. He ate up the steps to where they were.
“I just want to talk?—”
“Move away from her!” Samuel bellowed.
Jeremiah put up his hands and took several steps back. Samuel fought the urge to lay him out cold in the parking lot. Instead, he focused on his wife. “Are you okay?” He asked her, looking over to her.
“Yes. I would just like to get out of my car.” He reached in and took her hand.
Not knowing the danger he was in, Jeremiah said, “Stop being so dramatic. I just wanted to speak to you for a moment.”
Turning on him, Samuel said. “What did you say to her? If you value those teeth, don’t speak to my wife like that again.”
Hannah got between the men and placed a hand on Samuel’s chest. “I’m fine, Baby.” Her voice was soothing as she spoke to him. The look she sent him urged him to calm down. When he released a pent up breath, she turned to Jeremiah. “Now that I am out of my car. You were saying you weren’t happy about something?”
“Yes. How petty…” “Watch it.” Samuel growled. After a pointed glance, Jeremiah continued like he hadn’t spoken. “…do you have to be to remove an elderly man from serving his church just to get to me.”
Samuel was just about to forget his home training and salvation and tell him where to go when Hannah’s laughter stopped him. “Be for real, Jeremiah. No one is thinking about you. I don’t owe you an explanation why Mr. White no longer has his position. Now please leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you reinstate Uncle Alv.”
“I bet you are,” Samuel told him, taking a step forward and moving his wife to the side. “You are not a member of this congregation. Get in your car and leave.”
“If I don’t, what are you going to do about it?” Jeremiah said stepping forward.
Samuel had enough of this man. “You can walk out of here on your own steam or you can get rolled out of here. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“You act more like some kind of thug instead of a pastor. Look at how you are dressed.” Jeremiah taunted. Samuel was in a sleeveless basketball t-shirt and shorts, so his tattoos were on full display. No one driving by would guess he was the pastor of the church.
“Let’s just say we are all multifaceted. Look at all those years you were pretending to be a pastor when you were just a cheating loser.” Samuel smiled when he saw Jeremiah ball his fist. He sent up a prayer that the man would swing on him.
He felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. Samuel turned and saw Nigel. “Pastor Samuel, why don’t you help Pastor Hannah into the church? And allow Jeremiah and I to catch up.”
Samuel didn’t want to take Nigel up on his offer, but Daniel was there too, requesting his keys. He looked at his wife and she all but pleaded with him to let it go. In another life, he wouldn’t have walked away, but for Hannah Cho, it was a no brainer.
He left the situation in the more than capable hands of Nigel. Hannah was his sister-in-law, and he was very fond of her. It didn’t play out the way Samuel thought it would. Later, when his brother-in-law called, he was laughing. “I was all ready to lay into Jeremiah, but you got to watch for those quiet ones. Daniel beat me to it. He told Jeremiah he was a failure as a minister, husband, and just in general as a human being.”
While Nigel was surprised, Samuel wasn’t. It took a lot to get Daniel worked up, but when his brother got pissed off, he was like a dog with a bone.
“Jeremiah wasn’t too happy with your brother’s assessment. Stepped right up to Daniel. He didn’t even flinch. Jeremiah was all mind your own business. With his fist balled up. Daniel reminded him that Hannah was family, and men who cornered women would get what was coming to them. Then he told him to put his fist away, before he put his hands on him, and it wouldn’t be for healing. We thought everything was squashed after that. Daniel and I were walking away when Jeremiah tried to attack him from the back. Tao was on alert though, stopped it before Jeremiah could make contact, then worked him over good. Was that guy a boxer? Because he landed some sick punches.”
“He was a kick boxer for a while,” Samuel answered.
“Nice. Too bad he didn’t get a chance to demonstrate his kicking. Anyway, all in all it was a good talk.”
ChapterFifteen
HANNAH
Hannah’s eyes fluttered open as she fought to come awake. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. The weight of a blanket made her feel nice and cozy. Why was she on the couch all tucked in? It didn’t immediately register she was in her parent’s house. She had come over to bake with her mom, Lisabeth, her sister’s mother-in-law Miss Mona, Janet, along with her own mother-in-law. Hannah was on apple peeling duty when a wave of tiredness hit her. She couldn’t stop yawning. They told her to go rest, but it wasn’t until she nicked her finger with the peeler that her mother insisted.
The clock couldn’t be right. According to her quick estimate, she had been asleep for more than two hours. Why would they allow her to rest so long? Maybe they knew something she didn’t. Over the last six weeks, she had become increasingly more tired. Tired, actually didn’t begin to describe how she felt. No, she was absolutely exhausted. She turned in early, then slept late. Yet, just like today, at some point in the afternoon, sleep would attack her.
What was happening to her body? As she sat up, worry coursed through her system. She had been holding onto faith to keep her worry at bay. However, in the moment her fears were loud and bold. Her Aunt Coco, her father’s little sister, had endocarditis. The inflammation in her heart caused Aunty Coco chronic fatigue. Eventually, it had become way too much. Hannah suppressed a sob.
Life was good. Co-pastoring with Samuel was so fulfilling. He was the ultimate partner. Along with the supportive board, they were doing so much good for the church and the community. Trinity Covenant Church was giving back in an impactful way. Not only did the church have a food bank, but they were also able to give people jobs. It was in the early stages, but it felt right. For the first time, she fully embraced her calling. Hannah was at peace with the realisation she didn’t just want to be a pastor because it was her family’s legacy. She wanted to do it because it was her gift.
As satisfying as her job was, her personal life was even better. They had been married a little over six months. It brought her joy to have a partner with whom she had a mutual desire. She hadn’t had that before.
