Free Back to Me by Wanda B. Campbell Page B

necessary changes as a group.”
    In the silence that followed, Paige prayed that Seniyah would get more involved and would lose the nonchalant attitude. She couldn’t admit it out loud, but Jasmine was right. Everyone had problems.
    â€œFine,” Jasmine finally said. “Where do you want to meet?”
    Paige exhaled a sigh of relief. “We can meet at my office. I have a conference room. Let’s say three o’clock? The address is—”
    â€œWe have your card,” Jasmine said, cutting her off, then walked to the production table and started counting beads. The rest of the girls followed, including Seniyah, but at a slower pace.
    Paige planned to speak with Seniyah after the other girls left, but as soon as the session ended, Seniyah darted out the door. Paige ran out to the parking lot in hopes of catching her, but the black wool coat was nowhere to be found.

Chapter 10
    Paige sat in her usual third-row seat during Wednesday night Bible study and wondered if she was still saved. For the first time ever, she couldn’t comprehend the words written on the pages of the borrowed book, which was supposed to bring her life. Pastor Drake was an excellent teacher, and the Word of God was powerful, so the problem had to lie within her. She’d allowed other things, namely, Seniyah, to distract her and weigh her down to the point where she couldn’t focus on anything else.
    Afraid that Jasmine’s lack of compassion would diminish what little self-esteem Seniyah had and would cause her to quit DWAP and maybe give up on her dream of attending Stanford, after last night’s session, Paige had gone home and had prayed nonstop for the young girl. She’d dozed off several times while on her knees, only to awaken and continue praying. Her body ached so much, she could barely move when her alarm clock sounded this morning. Her fast from caffeine was short-lived. This morning she’d finished off a double espresso in record speed.
    Throughout the day, thoughts of Seniyah had distracted her to the point where she forgot to meet clients at the title company to sign the final documents for the purchase of their first home. When the anxious husband called her cell phone, she lied and said she was stuck in traffic. She repented as she left the office and got a speeding ticket en route to the title company. When she finally rushed into the title company, winded, the couple was so angry, they threatened to back out of the deal. It took Paige thirty minutes to calm them down and reassure them of the solid investment they were making. She even threw in a gift card to a home improvement store.
    It wasn’t until she sat down on the pew in church that she realized she’d left her Bible at home. She routinely kept her Bible inside her briefcase so she wouldn’t forget it. Now she missed Pastor Drake’s teaching on being an effective light to the world. She had checked out right after the topic appeared on the screen, because thoughts of how she was lighting the way for Seniyah’s future had consumed her.
    Without a doubt Paige knew it was her responsibility to give Seniyah a better life. She didn’t believe in luck or happenstance. If it weren’t God’s will for her to help Seniyah, He wouldn’t have placed the girl in her life the way he had. Seniyah needed what Paige had to offer: she could teach her how to present herself as a respectable young woman and how to succeed in school, and whenever the opportunity presented itself, Paige would teach her about the Lord. She had to dig deeper and discover what was going on with the girl. Seniyah was her assignment, and Paige would see to it that she didn’t become another statistic.
    When Pastor Drake asked the audience if they had any questions, Paige closed the Bible and placed it back on the pew in front of her and left before the benediction. Another first for her, but she needed to map out a plan and maybe