Free With Friends Like These by Reshonda Tate Billingsley Page A

started. “Anything anybody wants to talk about today?”
    Everyone looked at one another. A few eyebrows went up, Angel and Camille shrugged, and Tameka started examining her fingernails.
    “Well, um, I kinda want to say something about my parents,” I softly said.
    “What’s going on?” Rachel asked.
    The room got really quiet. All eyes were on me. I ran my fingers through my hair, then sighed. “I know I can’t stand my mom at times, and my dad gets on my nerves, but I really think they’re gonna get a divorce, and I just don’t know what I’m gonna do.”
    “Oh, sweetie,” Rachel said. “Sometimes adults argue and bicker and fight, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to divorce.”
    I was hoping she didn’t start quoting Bible scriptures about marriage, because while my parents said they were Christians, I just didn’t think they kept God in their marriage, as the minister at our church is always talking about.
    “Why is my family so messed up?” I asked Rachel.
    Rachel smiled. “Honey, if I had that answer, I’d put Dr. Phil out of business.” She rubbed my hand. “But trust me when I tell you, just when you think your situation is bad, there’s always someone who’s worse off.”
    “No. My family took the function out of dysfunctional,” I said.
    “Have you all ever done counseling?” Rachel asked.
    “Yeah, right,” I said, looking at her like she was crazy. “First of all, you’d have to get my dad to show up. Then if he did, he would talk about how some nerdy therapist can’t fix his problems. Then my mom would find some way to make it all about her. Thanks, but no thanks.”
    “I’m talking about spiritual counseling. Like from your pastor. Or even here. Rev. Adams is great with couples.”
    Since my parents hardly went to church anymore, at least together, I doubted very seriously they had tried spiritual counseling.
    Rachel smiled at me. “Why don’t you suggest it to them?”
    “Yeah, okay,” I said, still not believing she was serious.
    “What do you have to lose?”
    I guess she was right about that. “Fine. I’ll ask them.”
    Rachel stood up and walked to the front of the room. “In the meantime, why don’t we say a prayer. So many times people get caught up in their lives, and they forget that God is at the center of everything we do. And when we lose sight of that, it’s like we’re losing the glue that holds everything together.”
    I couldn’t help but stare at Rachel. Is that why my family was so jacked up? As a little girl, I remember we used to pray together as a family. We never missed a Sunday, and my mother would even read us Bible stories. What had happened to that? I racked my brain, trying to figure out if that was when things started going downhill for us.
    Rachel started softly praying, and I felt a tear drop as I thought of my parents. I was so desperate that I’d try anything—even prayer. I was just hoping that God was listening.

14
Alexis
    I stood outside my door, hating to go home. My father had missed yet another play performance. I was starring in Romeo and Juliet, and I’d been practicing for weeks. I got a standing ovation, and everyone was there. Everyone except my parents, that is.
    I stuck my key in the door, dreading going inside because I just knew I was going to see my mother somewhere sulking. My father would be gone. And it would be me and whatever Sonja fixed for dinner in front of the TV.
    People were always talking about they wish they had my life. Shoot, if they only knew.
    I was surprised to see my mother sitting on the sofa, my father standing up in front of her. I found myself hoping they had a valid excuse for missing my play. I was about to say something when I noticed that my mother’s eyes were red.
    “Hi, sweetheart,” my mother said, trying to plaster on a smile. “I am so sorry we missed your play. Your father got sort of caught up at work.”
    “Surprise, surprise,” I purposely mumbled loudly as I dropped