Free A Younger Man (Mount Faith Series: Book 7) by Brenda Barrett Page B

you?"
    Vanley chuckled. He didn't have a type; he just liked Anita. "You were saying about back in the days?"
    "Well, I did some modeling for department stores mostly. Somebody encouraged me to sign up for Pulse. It was the only modeling agency in Jamaica at the time. They had an audition for a toothpaste commercial, and they wanted to use local people, so I whitened my teeth with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. My mother suggested it." She looked at Vanley and grinned. "It works by the way…free tip, even though I see that you don't need it.
    Anyhow, I went to this building…they had a few businesses there, including a school. Man! At that time they had quite a few women auditioning. I was at the back of the line because, as usual, I was late. I saw Anita walking up a flight of stairs near where I stood. I...I...," Carol stuttered, like she was searching for the right words to say, "went over to Anita and said hi. We, er...connected. You know."
    Vanley nodded. "I know."
    Carol grinned. "I doubt you do know. Anyway, Anita was a teacher then. She had just finished her first degree. She was twenty, young, gorgeous, ambitious, and troubled."
    "Troubled?" Vanley jumped on that bit of information.
    "Yup, but at the time I didn't care," Carol said. "I ignored her disquiet and unhappiness and just loved her."
    "You were a good friend," Vanley said.
    Carol looked at him, the far away look still in her eyes. "I am sorry, what did you say?"
    "You said you loved her..." Vanley said slowly.
    "Yes, yes, I did, and we were together for a full year while she suppressed her real self because I wanted her to be somebody she was not. She would have done what she wanted to do but I was in her way."
    Vanley shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "Carol, you are speaking in parables."
    Carol snapped out of her trance-like state. "Sorry. I just realized that I was a bad... er... friend to Anita."
    Vanley glanced at his watch and groaned, "I have a three-day young ministers’ camp to go to."
    "You guys sure do camp out a lot," Carol said.
    "This camp is for people who are young in the ministry," Vanley said. "It's the beginning of the year; they tend to have these things regularly as a way to lay a solid foundation for the year. Could you tell Anita that I stopped by? I will call her later to check up on her. If she's asleep, maybe you can answer her phone and let me know how she is doing?"
    Carol nodded. "Sure thing. Nice to meet you, Vanley. I am happy that you are one of the good ones. Keep it up."
     
    *****
     
    Vanley spent all three days of the young ministers’ camp in an uncomfortable mode. What did everybody know about Anita that was such a big deal? If someone would just tell him what it was, then it would not be such a big deal. First, Anita made it out to be some kind of huge event and then his uncle practically begged him to stay away from her.
    In his head, he ran through the conversation he had with Carol, hoping to make sense of her cryptic statement. It was making him feel increasingly curious, and to be honest, apprehensive. What could be so bad? What had made Anita so down and troubled as Carol had implied?
    He had business to attend to at Mount Faith University the day after the camp: it was a counseling session with a young man he was working with from his days as an intern pastor at the university. He had talked him out of committing suicide a year ago, and he made it a point of duty to stay in touch with him.
    He parked his car in the spot reserved for the pastor and entered the spacious church vestry. He saw Pastor Peterson, his half-gray head bent over a computer at his secretary's desk.
    "What's wrong?" he asked Pastor Peterson, "Geneva not in today?"
    "Hey, Vanley," Pastor Peterson looked up at him and smiled. "Geneva is sick with the flu, and I am trying to find a letter that she has on here."
    "Flu seems to be going around," he said sitting down in a chair across from his friend and mentor.
    Pastor Peterson nodded.