Now Abides

Copyright © 2012. Jerene B. Wright. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/6/12

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8015-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8016-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8017-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012919114

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Contents

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Dedication

FIRST AND FORMOST I GIVE Honor and Praise to God who created me before the foundation of this world.

To Christ Jesus who died for my sins and the sins of the world.

To the Precious Holy Spirit who has been with me every step of the way. Thank-You.

This book is dedicated to Everyone.

I pray you all find Faith, Hope and Love in all you desire to do in life.

I give special thanks to Dr. Wayne H. II Faunteroy for making this dream physically Possible.

May God richly Bless you.

Author: Ms. Jerene B. Wright

Chapter 1

THE FIRST SATURDAY AFTER A long six months of school, Kars’hara woke to the feeling of the warm breeze flowing through her window. As she laid there with her eyes closed, she could hear the rushing sound of the leaves blowing in the trees, Chicago was great for it’s warm windy days, which she truly enjoyed.

Pulling the blanket upon her head, she laid there listening to the birds singing as they so often had.

After a while she removed the blanket and opened her bright hazel eyes looking up towards the ceiling at the beautiful Angels that she and her father had drawn when they had first moved to their new home two years earlier.

Smiling, as she exposed her perfect white teeth, she now started remembering the dream that she had just dreamt that night; of how God had something special planned just for her, even though she was not quite sure when; it just felt like today would be that day. She could not have imagined that anything might dampen that moment or that a harrowing price might have to be paid.

One thing she was sure of: her mom, Lisa, would have been up for at least an hour, which was not unusual for her.

Kars’hara’s Father, Tony was in Japan he had already been gone for six and a half Months. Yet, he wasn’t due back for a week or two, he had been requested to start construction on his company’s signature condo’s and luxurious mansions. He’d finally won out the contract that he’d desperately sought after for years. It wasn’t an easy accomplishment. There were other powerful architectural firms that fought him tooth and nail. Tony’s supervisor designs, hard work, good nature and attention to detail had proved to be consistent with what the Japanese executives desires. They’d told Tony (after he was selected) That his firms’ ideas had intrigued them from the start. It was the way that he’d taken their own customs and styling and incorporated them into his work, which won him consideration. They’d also admitted to him that he had a trustworthy face, and the Japanese respected Honor over all things. The fact that he had taken the time out to study their language (even though his accent was horrible, if not comical) was indeed something to be respected and admired. So Tony’s firm had won the seventeen billion dollar contract.

That was six months ago. He had left a week earlier allowing himself time to settle in and get comfortable in Japan. His entire family was so excited for him, especially his wife Lisa. Tony like his father, both was extremely skilled, dedicated God-fearing men with extremely humble hearts, men of few words.

WhileTony, being the middle child in the family, had always had his own mind filtered with his own thoughts and dreams all that knew him saw that he was a very kindhearted individual.

Still, he could only be pushed so far when his mind was made up. Tony, the man’s man; people looked up to him for advice. His parents adored him, as did his other siblings.

His Lisa had always encouraged him as she talked with him through God’s Scriptures. Comparing him to the great leaders in the Bible, she’d known that as long as Tony had kept God first, that he would be sure to open all the doors that Tony needed to lead him to success. Lisa would come home late from one of her many church services, and while Tony was working late into the night at his office, she would do all her wifely duties around the house and with the children, then she’d immediately pick up her laptop and help her husband by doing all the paperwork that he’d previously e-mailed to her file. Tony had lifted her up into his strong, massive arms and kissed her all over her face when he gave her the news about getting the contract. He told her that he owed everything to God and to her, cause without their help; he confessed that he would’ve became overwhelmed. He was truly missed by all of them

Kars’hara slipped from her bed and nestled her feet into the soft, fluffy house shoes that her little sister had bought her last Christmas. Excited, she hurried down the hall toward the bathroom. As she crossed the upper landing, she could hear voices, not very clearly, yet she could tell her mother was speaking with someone. She headed down the stairs toward the kitchen where the voices were coming from. Approaching, she noticed it to be very odd that breakfast was not being prepared. The only aroma coming from the kitchen was the scent of her mother’s fresh brewed hazelnut coffee.

Who could be talking with her at this time of the morning? Kars’hara mumbled to herself, She knew her father was still away, so who could it possibly be?

As she reached the lower landing and moved toward the kitchen, to her surprise she saw that it was Debra Henry. With tears in her eyes, she was speaking of her mother and her older sister, Vanessa. As Kars’hara stood in the doorway of the kitchen, Debra told her mother that Ms. Patricia had heard a rumor about Vanessa being pregnant, and her mother, already under much stress, became enraged and began to attack Vanessa before even asking her if it was true. Debra went on to say that no one had ever told Mom about what Eric had done, ’cause after leaving here, Kari had driven her back to campus, so Mom never really knew anything.

As Debra was still talking, she noticed Kars’hara standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Morning, Kars’hara.

Morning, Deb; morning, Mom. Kars’hara walked toward her mother and Debra. Lisa met her in the middle of the kitchen. After softly kissing her on her forehead, she ask Kars’hara if she could just give her a few more moments to be alone with Debra.

Of course, Mom, she replied and then gave Debra a wave and a gentle smile as she left the kitchen. She went up to the bathroom, hurried through her shower, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair back into a ponytail. Then she quietly went out the back door toward the barn. She needed to talk this out, because this wasn’t the happy morning that she had woken up to.

As she walked toward the barn where her horse, Rain, was waiting for her, she tried to imagine something like that happening to her or her sisters and just as quickly threw it out of her mind. Never would her mother hurt any of them like that, never! That poor Vanessa; just not long ago she had been through such a terrible ordeal. How could a mother do such a thing? Then she prayed and asked God to forgive her for judging Mrs. Henry and prayed that God would restore the whole Henry family.

As she walked, she began to remember when her dad had talked to them about his younger life. If his dad, her grandfather, had not worked and endured the hard times and hardship he had, then they would not have been in too much better shape than the Henrys. He spoke of how his dad had built different things from sheds to tables and outhouses for people, sometimes just to get food for his family’s table.

Because he taught us the skills he had, our family had a much better life than some, yet it doesn’t make us better. Anybody could fall and lose everything. He would say, Thanks be to God that He has always blessed us above and beyond, more than I think we sometimes deserved. Kars’hara, he would say, remember this always: we must learn to abide in our faith while holding on to the hope that is within us—with the love that is given us—knowing that God’s way is always the best way. Stay humble before the Lord, and He will always take care of you. Without Him we are nothing. She smiled, thinking of her father, as she continued to the barn. Oh, how she missed him.

Meanwhile, Lisa continued to listen to Debra. When she had finished, Lisa said, Debra, if you don’t mind, would you just give me a little while to think about how to handle this?

Okay, replied Debra, I think I had better head back to the house and make sure all is well with Mom and Vanessa. I hope you don’t mind me running over here like this so early in the morning, but I just had to get out of there, and this is the only place I felt safe to come to.

Oh Debra! Lisa replied. That is fine. I am honored you thought enough of me to come.

Ms. Lisa, Debra went on to say, we all love you, and you are like family to us.

Lisa looked at Debra, and then she took her in her arms and softly said, I would hope so, because as far as I am concerned, we are family. My home is always open to you and your family, and I would hope you would know that. Debra stood there in Lisa’s arms and began to cry. Now, now there, everything will work itself out; you just wait and see. You know, Debra, we serve a God that will always take care of us in the good times and the bad. Today just happens to be a bad time that He will make good out of. So don’t you worry yourself. Faith Hope, Love—that’s all He asks of us, just to abide in these three. Okay? Debra, still in her arms, just nodded. Lisa gently kissed her on the top of her head. Debra, do you need for me to give you a ride back to your house?

Debra replied, No, but thank you. I took Vanessa’s car and drove out here.

What! said Lisa. You know how to drive?

Debra smiled. ‘Yes,’ ma’am. Vanessa taught me when Mom and Dad were having their fights. She wanted me to be able to get away if ever something happened. Now I’m glad she did. I’ve been driving since I was thirteen. Only when Van was with me, of course. I got my learner’s last year when I turned fourteen only because when I skipped two grades, all the children in my PE class were preparing to get theirs, so my teacher signed for me to take the class as well. Mom gave her permission only because the school was teaching us. Yet she never thought that I would truly be driving until maybe much later."

Wow! said Lisa. Well, good for you. Okay, then, take your time getting home, and I will call and talk with your mother in a bit.

Debra said, Okay, and she gave Ms. Lisa a hug and left.

Lisa poured herself a cup of hot coffee and leaned on the island in her kitchen. She stood silently for a few moments; then she played back in her mind what had truly happened—how she and her oldest daughter Kari had been there, and even how Debra, that poor child, had to watch her mother do such an awful thing when she herself knew the truth. About Vanessa being raped by Eric. Somehow; rumors spread throughout the neighborhood, and like all rumors, it ended up in a lie. Vanessa wasn’t pregnant.

Well, of course Lisa knew the truth because she and her oldest daughter Kari had taken care of Vanessa the week she had been raped. What more would that poor girl have to endure?

Just six months before, Vanessa had been at home with her brother, Brandon, who had moved back home since being expelled from Harvard. The two were sitting in the living room talking when the door bell rang, it was Eric (who had grown up with them) Brandon opened the door and let Eric in. Hey, man what’s up? he said as Eric entered. Eric replied walking towards the living room.

Nothing much, man. Then Brandon looking kinda puzzled as to why Eric was really there especially at that time of night. Brandon now returning to his seat looked up at him, then he ask Eric So what brings you by?"

Eric looked at Vanessa, who just sat there never saying a word, and then turned his attention toward Brandon. Come on now, man, you know why I’m here. He sat down on the couch.

Brandon looked at Vanessa, who was clearly trying to figure out what in the world was going on. He sighed. Man, we agreed to wait till next week to take care of that. He could now see that Eric was high, and the only thing he could think of was how to get him out of his house.

Well, said Eric, I thought since I was out this way, I would save myself an extra trip and pick it up right now. So why don’t you be a good boy and go get it? Vanessa sat very quietly, listening to the whole conversation, still trying to put two and two together.

Eric, man! I don’t have it right now.

Eric gave him a look. Man, I’m not hearing that. I want it right now.

I don’t have it. I told you I could have it next week, and you agreed to wait.

Well, man, like I said, things have changed.

Brandon stood up. I know that I owe you this money, but I don’t have it right now. I promise you I will get it to you next week. So, why don’t you just wait till then?

At that moment Eric lost it. His eyes widened, and he stood to his feet within seconds he was standing in front of Brandon, pointing him in the face with his finger, at that moment, before he had gotten another word out his mouth, Vanessa started walking toward the hallway leading to the kitchen, but before she could get