Free My Father's Gift by Mary M Hall-Rayford Page A

office and down the corridor out to the parking lot. 
    Pastor Thomas sat in her office awhile contemplating her next move with Cal.  She wasn’t sure how long he was going to believe her, but she didn’t want to lose a valuable asset either.  “Well, anything goes in order to accomplish what you want in life,” she thought to herself.  “And what I want is for that young man to stay put.”
    Covey Thomas was a very strong-willed individual who was used to having her way.  When she left the church she attended before starting this one, it was because the pastor had the audacity to confront her about some of the beliefs she was teaching.  Not willing to be kept in a situation where she didn’t have control, she left in a huff and never looked back.  She had struggled for some time to build a new congregation and it wasn’t until Calord Recinoire had walked in the door that she had begun to relax.  She sat for awhile thinking about that day. 
     
    He was hurt and confused when he walked in seeking direction.  His former pastor had disappointed him when an affair between the pastor and another church member was exposed.  Realizing that in his current state of mind he could be manipulated into believing almost anything, Pastor Thomas had not hesitated to cultivate a belief in her ability to not only see the past, but also to predict the future.  She convinced Cal that the Lord had shown him to her in a vision and that this church was where he was to remain.  After having him complete the church’s traditional initial training classes, she immediately put him to work.  He had the ability to teach the Word expressively and he was completely vulnerable to accepting new beliefs since his old ones had only brought him disappointment in people. 
    Thinking about the difference he had made in her congregation, made her even more determined she was not about to lose him to either another woman or another church.
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Twelve
    Before the scheduled basketball tournament, Cal and D’Cerner held a few strained conversations, but they both knew that it was out of a sense of courtesy more than any real desire to talk to one another. In fact, their conversations had become so stilted she was reluctant to even commit to going to the tournament.  The day before the game, he called to confirm she would be there.  She told him she would have to drop Carlos and his friends off because she needed to meet a contractor at the Stradus Center.  She informed him she would be there as soon as she could, but she wasn’t making any promises.  That night, she had trouble sleeping, tossing and turning most of the night.
    The next day, after dropping Carlos and his friends off at the recreation center where the basketball tournament was being held, D’Cerner left to meet the contractor at the Stradus Center.  A water pipe had burst and they needed to tear out a wall to replace pipes.  When she saw the damage and the plaster dust that covered everything, she sighed, knowing she would be there much longer than she had planned.  She listened to the contractor ramble on about what they needed to do and how much it was going to cost an hour.  After approving the work order and signing the contract, she waited for them to go and get the material they needed and to return.  While they gone, she decided she might as well get some of her own work done. Going into her office, she slumped into her chair and dejectedly turned on her computer.  Sighing, she picked up some files and began to look through them and began formatting information.  Determined not to get frustrated, she worked feverishly for three hours and was amazed at how much she had actually accomplished when she stopped to look at the time. 
    “Oh no,” groaned inwardly.  “I didn’t realize it was so late.  I’ve probably missed most of Carlos’ game.”
    She shut down the computer, grabbed her purse and informed the contractors on her way