Free Stand by Me by Neta Jackson Page A

you know if there’s anything. I don’t even know what to do next.”
    â€œGuess it’s prayer then.” Jodi grinned. “Seems to me my friend Avis once told me to pray first , not just when all my other options had run out.” She took Avis’s hand in both of hers and began to pray.
    Avis appreciated Jodi’s heartfelt prayer, but only after she’d banished the irritating thought, Does she think I haven’t been praying?
    After her “amen,” Jodi jumped up. “Oops, gotta get back to my class. My aide is probably wondering why it’s taking so long to photocopy the permission slip for our field trip to the Adler Planetarium.” But at the door she turned. “Oh, nobody last night has heard from Nony for a while. Have you gotten any news?”
    It took Avis two seconds to reroute her thoughts. Nonyameko’s invitation . But she wasn’t quite ready to put that out on the table for her Yada Yada sisters to pray about. Not yet. Because they’d all have an opinion first. Probably get all excited and muddy the decision she and Peter needed to make. But she could mention the card.
    â€œActually, Peter and I got an anniversary card from Nony and Mark a few days ago. It was made by the Women’s AIDS Initiative—one of the businesses they’ve started. Very artistic. I’ll have to bring it to show you.”
    â€œWould love to see it—okay, gotta go.”
    Avis stared at the door as it closed behind Jodi. What was wrong with her? All weekend she’d been getting irritated at the least little comment. Not like her—at least not the way Avis usually thought of herself. Calm. Confident. Focused. Knowing God’s in control . But now her thoughts and feelings jerked about like Mexican jumping beans. Not surprising on one hand, with Rochelle and Conny missing. But that wasn’t the only thing. Peter wanting to “do something new, different” in the next few years. Nony’s invitation to come to South Africa.
    Even the missing ruby earrings. Not being able to find them—and not knowing if they were simply misplaced or truly gone—had left her feeling jittery. Anxious.
    Breathing, Lord, I need You! Avis sighed and pulled the stack of mail toward her. It helped calm her mind to systematically work through the pile—a request from a parent for an early dismissal, another for additional testing for their child, supply requisitions to approve, evaluation forms from teachers, feedback on her school budget for next year—until she picked up the envelope from the Chicago board of education.
    Slitting it open, she pulled out the single sheet on CPS letterhead. Skimming through the letter, she read it once, then again more carefully, until the words began to blur. Dropping the letter, she leaned her elbows on the arms of her desk chair, head dropping into her hands. Oh God, not again. Not now!

    Peter worked late on Monday night, and Avis had a PTA meeting on Tuesday, which included a serious discussion on playground bullying and the importance of parents and teachers working together to put an end to it. On Wednesday evening they went to Pastor Clark’s midweek Bible study at SouledOut Community Church, a series on Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God, “present now, within you,” Pastor Clark kept emphasizing.
    It was Thursday before she and Peter even had time to sit down together for supper. Avis felt almost too tired to cook, but they both needed a good meal. She thawed some chicken thighs and stuck them in the oven with a rub of seasoned salt, herbs, and smoky-flavored paprika, made a pan of cornbread, and pulled out a bag of green beans from the freezer. Easy. But hearty.
    â€œ Mm , looks great, honey.” Peter rubbed his hands together as she served up their plates. Offering a quick prayer of thanks, he dug into the food, slathering two pieces of hot cornbread with butter and