“Uh,wow. I’m shocked right now. Please come in.”
It was Saturday afternoon and the last three people I expected to be standing on my porch knocking on my door were Andrea, London, and Quincey.
Won’t even lie.
Seeing the trio startled me. After locking the door I took a minute to gather myself. My nerves were all rattled. It was even hard to catch my breath. Their energy came in like a whirlwind almost knocking me over.
Feeling like I could turn around without feeling lightheaded I came face to face with two smiling faces and one stone. Damn Quincey and his charging energy. I wasn’t brave enough to look him in the eye. Felt like he was looking through me. Searching for something that I’d be afraid to admit.
Snickering at my reaction, London held up a bag of food. “I sincerely apologize for the intrusion. Quincey came to see his family and Andrea and I decided to tag along. I hope you don’t mind.” She came prepared with my favorite food – Mexican. One glance at Quincey, seeing his wink, he told her.
“Show them where they can sit while you and I talk.” Taking the bag of food from London, he left me gapped mouth staring at the back of his broad shoulders. A t-shirt shouldn’t look that good on a man.
“Uh…” What the hell was really going on?
“I’m sure you’re familiar with Quincey and his…his unique ways.” Andrea took a step towards me. “He and I are a lot alike in certain natures and he was led to come talk to you. All I ask is that you be open-minded to his wisdom. Do you mind if London and I sit in your living room?”
“Uh, sure.” I moved around them wiping my sweaty palms on my leggings. What did she mean by he was led here? Did Paxton send him to come and talk to me? “Remote is right there. I have almost every streaming service available.”
“Jacolby.” His voice carried a unique force that had me gasping almost jumping out of my fluffy slippers.
“You might as well go in there.” London playfully rolled her eyes taking off her coat. “He’s very demanding and can be extra when he doesn’t get his way.”
Soft warm hands held mine. “We’re not here to hurt you, Jacolby. If anything, we’re here to shed some light on your situation.”
“Okay,” I whispered blinking.
I’ve been in the presence of Quincey several times. We played UNO together. Were teammates at the Spades table when I went to his family’s reunion way back in college. I knew him. Never felt scared around him. But this, I wanted to bolt. This man made me scared to go into my own kitchen.
“Have a seat.” There was no asking with Quincey. You followed his commands without rebuttal. Sighing, I sat down and held my breath. “London and Andrea brought the food as a peace offering for invading your space. I’m sure your nerves are too jittery to eat the food, so I’ll put it in your oven.” The calm rasp of his deep bass voice held compassion and command without the need to sound patronizing. Speaking above a broken whisper, I agreed that I wasn’t hungry.
As Quincey walked around my kitchen a chill of impressiveness caused me to hug my knees to my chest. He walked with an arrogance that fit his large size. The minute he stepped into my house he reversed the sad energy I polluted with my depressive thoughts.
Willing my heavy eyes to open, they landed on Quincey who stood beside me. “Move over.” So demanding but intriguing at the same time.
Adjusting to accommodate his large frame, I exhaled once he got comfortable moving his chair next to me so we were shoulder to shoulder. The minute his warmth wrapped around me I felt so relaxed and comfortable that my head tilted and drifted south until it rested on his shoulder. I felt like the woman who had the issue of blood and had so much faith that she believed if she touched the hem of Jesus’s garment, she’d be made whole. Resting on his shoulder, I felt connected to the spirit of God.
It was stronger than I experienced on my own and more potent than my first meeting with Drea. Resting on his shoulders, I felt closer to God spiritually than I ever had in my life.
“Embrace what you feel. The Holy Spirit and I are waiting for you to surrender.” Looking down his saddle wood eyes bore into mine. The comfort reflected in them brought tears to my eyes.
“Why am I here, Jacolby?” He asked penetrating the walls of my soul.
In all honesty, I hadn’t the slightest clue as to why he or Drea was here. Licking my dry lips, I thought of a sensible answer. “I’m unsure, Quincey. Did Paxton tell you to come here?” Maybe he came into town to see his family and decided to stop by. I don’t know.
Narrowing his eyes he admitted, “Nah. No one called us. Well, no one that you called upon in your midnight hour. I came here to feed you and not with Mexican food. Do you know what that means?” I shook my head. “You’ve experienced the high level of discernment of Andrea, correct?” I nodded. Where was he going with this? “Drea and I are similar in more ways than one.” His eyes drifted off to emptiness. As quickly as they went empty, they filled back up with life.
“The day I ran into you I had no reason to be on that side of town. Picking up Andrea wasn’t on my list of things to do. Either way, she and I were going to meet to discuss the business we needed to handle. When the spirit summons me, I listen and follow my orders obediently. That day God summoned me to Drea’s office. One glance your way was all I needed to know why I was needed. The minute I stepped into the building I heard the wallowing of your soul crying out to me. My need to be there was for you.” He squeezed my hand noticing my eyes puddle with tears.
“The closer I got to London’s office the louder the cries of your soul rang in my ears. The bleeding cry felt like sharp teeth gnawing at my skin. When I saw you and my spirit started to assess, we agreed on one thing – you were carrying the soul cries of another. Whomever this individual is, probably the one responsible for your tears, their soul is begging to be freed. It’s my brother, isn’t it?” He wiped the tears that rolled down my cheeks as I nodded.
Through the mountain of tears, I spoke his name, “Yes. It’s Paxton.”
He nodded. “I figured as much. He and I are due for a conversation, but that’s neither here nor there. Both of you share a soul tie stronger than either of you can fathom. It’s that way because you’re the rib taken out of his body. What I speak may sound crazy, but believe me, it would behoove you to take heed to my words…His words.”
He closed his eyes for several seconds. Lips moving but no sounds coming out of his mouth. When his eyes opened the veins in his temple protruded. “Your soul wants to breathe, and it can’t do that with his suffocating yours. His toxins are poisoning you like acid. It’s eating you from within. Why do think you feel all of these emotions that aren’t yours? His soul is so tied to yours that everything he's feeling you feel and it’s breaking you down. I’ve never known you to be indecisive, yet you are when it comes to matters of the heart. Scripture says that fervent prayers availeth much. Are you praying in the name of Jesus? Are you fervently praying for him or selfishly praying for your gain? Because your gain will be his downfall.”
Sobs filled my kitchen. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. My prayers had been one-sided and in my favor.