Try a Little Tenderness Page 9
“If you’re so bad, what did you get arrested for?” Mateo challenged.
Hammer always avoided the question every time Mateo or Sonic brought it up. Word was that Hammer was a hustler and could move stolen merchandise faster than one could light a match. For the right price, Hammer would sell anything, including himself. The way Mateo heard it, Hammer had gotten pulled over one night in a Durango when a signal light failed to flash. Not having a valid driver’s license or insurance on the stolen vehicle, Hammer did the only thing he could do: he beat the arresting officer to a pulp. He would have gotten away if another officer hadn’t pulled up and shot him in the butt.
Hammer was quiet, as he knew that Mateo was thinking about the gossip. He continued to look at Mateo’s profile, and then he got up and walked away from the computer. “Hurry up, Matthew. The other patron who needs to use the computer is waiting on you to finish. You can’t be on this site all day.”
“Old man, that’s not an answer.”
“Boy, get to my age and then you’ll get an answer.” Hammer turned off the overhead light as he headed out.
“And my name is Mateo!” Mateo blew him off, turned on the desk lamp, and continued looking at the site. He looked at the NEW MEMBERS section and noticed quite a few ladies he was physically attracted to. One of the members that stood out was AmirahIsLoyal.
I like a woman who is loyal, Mateo thought. “I’m gonna have to see how loyal she is for myself.” Mateo clicked on the link that led to her profile. He was intrigued that the profile picture was the Amirah that he knew, holding a cross and an apple with a verse that instructed teachers to be careful of what they taught. He clicked on some of the other pictures that showed Amirah speaking in front of crowds or leading instruction in the classroom.
“Amirah may be the woman I need to keep me out of trouble, keep me grounded.” Mateo was talking to himself.
“Found someone?”
Mateo turned around and saw Marvel walking in with a backpack on his back. Hammer was supposed to train him to operate the meter and drive one of the cabs that day. The wild orange-and-purple dye was out of his head, replaced with his natural, sandy-blond color. The crisp white button-up and green-and-gold tie made him stand out in a crowd like a sore thumb.
“No. Just checking out the site to see what’s on here,” Mateo said. “May leave the women on here alone and get myself together first.”
“Man, at least the women are checking you out on there. I’ve had my profile up a few days and either I’ve been ignored, blocked, or the women flat out tell me they aren’t interested.”
Mateo tried not to pass judgment. He was the last person to speak on one’s character, but he lived in the world for most of his twenty-seven years of life, and he knew that almost all women, saved or not, wanted their men to have certain characteristics.
“Let me see your profile.” Mateo surprised himself with the offer to help. He looked Marvel over again, and he knew that if his pictures represented his presentation, he may have a solution to the problem.
Mateo stood up and offered Marvel his seat. Marvel logged Mateo’s profile off and pulled up his own. Mateo looked over his shoulder, and just as he suspected, Marvel’s presentation was a reflection of the way he looked. In one of the pictures, he was throwing rocker signs, and in a few others, he looked like the stereotypical punk rocker with the hair, the outfits, and the attitude to match.
“You don’t have anything representing Jesus on your profile,” Mateo offered. “Everything is about your past as a punk rocker or biker or whatever it was you were into.”
“Dude.” Marvel was offended. “Half of those pictures were taken at Christian rock concerts. Look at the shirts.”
Mateo moved closer to the screen and maximized one of the pictures. Sure enough, Jesus Lives was in the center of the shirt in grunge, hard-rock lettering.
“Well, then we need to emphasize that.” Mateo pulled up a photo imaging program that allowed him to manipulate and highlight certain aspects of some pictures. “If I can’t tell these are Christian shirts, I’m sure the ladies can’t either.”
“Aw, look at the blind leading the blind.” Mateo heard a sarcastic voice behind him. When he turned around, he smiled from ear to ear when he recognized Sonic standing behind him. Gone were the piercings in his eyebrows, nose, and ears. His face had healed nicely. Save for traces of navy blue hair coloring at the tip of his hair, Mateo hardly able to tell that Sonic was into grunge rock.
“I’m not blind.” Mateo stood up and gave Sonic a hug. “Marvel, this is my boy Sonic. We got saved together a while ago, and now Sonic works for a call center in town and a fast food restaurant.”
Mateo watched as Marvel and Sonic shook hands. “I know you,” Marvel said.
“How so?” Sonic looked over Marvel’s shoulder to see what Mateo was working on.
“Everybody knows you used to belong to Turner Mustafa Spartenburg.”
Mateo saw the way Sonic tilted his head, acknowledging that the man was correct.
“I wasn’t trying to bring up any ill vibes. I used to buy drugs from one of his boys. They kept me high.” Marvel apologized. “I just know what time it is, and I know what the man is capable of. I knew you were his main boy.”
“I used to be his; I’m not gonna lie about that,” Sonic conceded as he lifted up his shirt. A few hard bruises that looked like welts from an extension cord graced a spot under his left nipple and on his right abdomen. They stood out on an otherwise flawless canvas. Sonic turned around, and Mateo could see the first three letters of his nemesis’ name on the man’s lower back.
“It used to say Turner, didn’t it?” Marvel questioned.
“Yeah, I used to walk around with my tramp stamp in pride. Now I just want walk around and spread God’s word in peace. The bullet wounds on my chest, my right leg, and my jawline are the price I paid for my freedom. Every couple of weeks, when I can stand the pain, removing that bastard’s name helps me step into my own more and more each day.”
Sonic lowered his shirt. It had been nine months since Mateo had seen how much Sonic had healed. He also noticed there were no traces from where Sonic’s nipple and navel rings used to be. The physical transformation into the man of God was happening before his eyes.
Mateo’s mind flashed back to the price they had both paid for Sonic’s freedom. Turner’s main man renounced his sexuality, which meant no more favors for him, and Turner couldn’t stand it. Most people who got out of Turner’s gang left in a body bag, or they were made quadriplegics.
Mateo had images of men stomping on him, being shot, and the mandated bed rest. The new exercise regimen that was recommended during his stay at the hospital held him to the fire to maintain his health. The mouth guard that he wore when sleeping worked to realign his upper teeth. They were heavy, physical prices, but they were worth it to help Sonic stay in line with his new Christ-centered values—and away from an abusive relationship.
“Ay, man, we’ll have to work on your profile a little later.” Mateo began logging off the His-Love.com Web site and putting the computer into sleep mode. “I got to get ready to go put in some job applications, and I need Sonic to take me.”
“A’ight, man. Thanks a lot. And I’ll have to get up with y’all later,” Marvel said as the three of them headed out of the computer lab. I hope that this is the beginning to having some friends who are striving to be grounded in God, just like me, he thought.
Chapter Twelve
Prototype
Amirah opened her metallic pink Toshiba laptop and entered her password. She waited for her machine to load up, and then she went to the Google Chrome browser and found His-Love.com in her favorites. She heard a ringing that sounded like a doorbell, and she noticed she had three messages.
The first message was a friend request from Marjorie, and the second one from her as well, inviting her to the Essence of Prayer Book Club group that she started on the site. She accepted both requests, and then she ope
ned a third request from SenorCristoAmor.
Amirah was nervous because she saw that the green light next to his name indicated he was online.
Wow, my first request from a guy, Amirah thought. I hope he’s not a creep or a weirdo.
Just when she was about to click on the link, she heard someone call her name. Amirah looked up and noticed that Mrs. Ingle was waiting at her classroom door.
“Oh, come in.” Amirah minimized the screen on her computer.
“We’re still waiting on Xen’s parents to come for the parent-teacher conference.” Mrs. Ingle walked in and took a seat closer to the desk.
Amirah looked at the time on her laptop. Xen and his parents were a good fifteen minutes late. She looked at the stack of reports she’d finished grading for the business law class she taught.
“I hope they show up.” Amirah put the folder that had some of Xen’s latest assignments to the side.
Xen was one of Amirah’s problem students, and he was struggling academically in all of the classes. Amirah was also Xen’s homeroom teacher, and she took great pride in making sure the ninth graders she advised had a good start at Shiloh Christian Academy. She loved working with Mrs. Ingle, as she took great pride in helping her teachers stay grounded in the Word and becoming great educators.
A few seconds later, Howard Amber, Xen’s geometry teacher came in and had a seat. She noticed how casually dressed he was in a collared, checkered Rocawear shirt, loose-fitting Dockers, and some work boots that added two inches to his five foot eight frame, making him and Amirah the same height.
“I see our wonder child isn’t here yet.” Howard was clearly upset. “I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t cancelled our math club meeting for this.”
“Mr. Amber,” Mrs. Ingle started to chastise, but two more teachers walked into the room. Xen’s English teacher, Ms. Josephine Diamond, looked like she was going to work on the sales floor of a department store, and his gym teacher, Sarai, was casually dressed in a white-and-green polo that had the school’s logo on the right side, some cream-colored slacks, and matching white-and-green tennis shoes.
“We have to be understanding with our parents. Everyone can’t take off from work and just get up and go to a parent teacher conference. Employers change their minds as often as the parents do.” Mrs. Ingle continued, “I am thankful that you are here.”
“No worries,” Sarai responded. “I like to meet the parents of our students.”
Nothing else was said as Amirah and the other teachers waited. Her room was chosen for Xen’s parent teacher conference because it was the closest to the office and the most spacious. Howard got up and went to the computer nearest to Amirah’s desk. Pretty soon, Spider Solitaire filled his screen, and Ms. Diamond took the seat next to Howard. Sarai pulled up a chair and sat next to Amirah.
“Have you gotten any requests from His-Love.com yet?” Sarai asked. “I didn’t do a profile yet because my husband and I haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet.”
“I don’t really expect much from it, but a few friends and maybe a nice guy or two to talk to,” Amirah responded as she noticed ten more minutes had passed and no Xen or parents.
“Let me see how you did yours,” Sarai asked.
Amirah maximized her screen and showed Sarai her profile. Being nosy, Sarai pointed at the avatar next to the message. “Ooh, who is this cutie?” she whispered discreetly. Sarai had clicked on SenorCristoAmor’s picture, and Amirah was amazed that Mateo’s picture covered her whole screen.
Amirah admitted to herself that Mateo was attractive. He had an edge on him that spelled B-A-D B-O-Y. Mateo’s head was tilted at a right angle, showing off a tight bald fade at his temple. His goatee was sharp and symmetrical to the angles of his face. His eyes drew her in like an orb, and if Amirah believed in witchcraft, she would’ve believed that he’d cast a spell on her.
“He does look good,” Amirah finally allowed herself to admit as she clicked on the link that displayed his message.
I love a woman who is loyal. That is a perfect attribute to a Proverbs 31 woman.
“I know he’s not trying to spit game over the net.” Sarai got excited.
“Girl, I know you aren’t over here lusting over this man,” Amirah teased. “Don’t you have a man?” Amirah pointed to the ring on her finger.
“I can admit that another man looks good.” Sarai defended herself. “I’m not lusting after him, although I do admit”—she clicked through the other pictures on his profile—“I can see how it would be easy for someone like you to fall into temptation.”
Amirah shook her head. “You are something else.”
Amirah was about to type her message when Xen walked in with his parents. Xen had recently shaved his head bald and looked like a nomad with his loose-fitting hoodie, baggy pants that fell past his bottom, and his obviously oversized and tattered name-brand boots.
His father didn’t fare much better. Amirah was surprised at how short the man was. The two of them looked like they shared clothes. Xen’s mother appeared to be an inch or so taller, but not much. Their slender figures made Amirah wonder if they had eaten anything in the last few days.
“Let’s get this meeting started,” Xen’s mother said. “I got to get back to Walmart in an hour.”
It was then Amirah noticed the bulky name tag that hung at the hem of her dark blue shirt.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Mrs. Ingle said.
Amirah joined the other teachers as she stood up and introduced herself to the boy’s parents. She looked at Xen and noticed the young man had stared off into space, a common problem in her classroom. She looked at the boy’s father and noticed that the trait seemed to run in the family. This was a prelude of just how this conference was about to go.
Chapter Thirteen
Out into the World
Mateo, Marvel, and Sonic walked into an old warehouse in the River Arts District, which was situated near Downtown Asheville. They could see five other guys sitting at a table near the entrance. They each took seats and waited in silence.
Not a moment later, Hammer and Rahliem came in and handed each of the guys a drawstring backpack filled with copies of The Upper Room and other daily devotionals.
“When I started this organization,” Rahliem began, “we used to go the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and New Walkertown Road. The Muslims would be selling their copies of The Final Call and their bean pies, and we would be passing out the Word. With the celebrity status the first group had, we had our work cut out for us, but we persevered, and now we are here.”
Mateo remembered that Rahliem had mentioned that one of the guys used to do adult videos. He could imagine the problems they had keeping the females at bay. Admittedly, he didn’t think he was ready to handle that kind of temptation.
“The difficulty you guys have here is that this is a city that prides itself on ‘Keeping Asheville Weird.’” Rahliem stopped and looked at each young man in the face before continuing. “A lot of ‘nontraditional folks’ walking around. You can’t tell who’s a man or who’s a woman. People look like they stepped out of secular rock and gangster rap concerts.”
Mateo looked at the guys, and he could see they were taking it all in.
Rahliem continued. “There is no street corner here for you to stand at. You guys have to go out into the world, in front of the hookah bars and the gay and lesbian clubs and the atheist hangouts, and get the Word of Jesus Christ out there.”
“Can we pass these devotions out at our jobs?” Sonic asked.
“Yeah, but that is too easy just the same,” Rahliem responded. “We want you to meet and interact with the people. Show them what Christian men look and act like. There is no mistake that all of you look different, and if I were to judge you based on what you look like now, I’d say that each of you could minister to a different crowd.”
“People are going to listen to the Word coming from me?” Marvel asked.
“If it is the Wor
d being spoken, everyone will listen eventually. All God called you to do is to be the messenger. He set no criteria for what you had to look like.”
Mateo saw himself being an active part of this ministry. He loved to talk to people, and back when he used to hustle bootleg CDs and DVDs, it wasn’t nothing for him to walk up to a stranger and try to sell him something new.
“I want y’all to read the devotional first and then talk to those around you. A house that prays together, stays together. Once you get your families into the Word, your work will multiply, and you’ll find that you’ll be leading your own crews of disciples bringing men and women to Christ.”
Mateo liked the sound of that. As Rahliem closed out the meeting, Mateo thought about how he could get out and spread the Word. Walking up and talking to people wasn’t a problem. He just didn’t want to come off like a Jehovah’s Witness when he did. He could see the desire to have the same level of boldness, but he wanted it to be for the Lord.
“I see you are staying out of trouble,” Rahliem told Mateo as he approached him.
“I got to,” Mateo answered. “I’m too pretty to go back to jail.”
Rahliem laughed and shook his head. “Well, now you have too much work to do for the Lord. If you stay busy doing His will, there’ll be no time for trouble.”
“Amen to that,” Mateo co-signed. “I’m still job hunting. I do a little work at the motel, but I’m supposed to find some outside employment.”
“Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find; knock and the door shall be opened up to you,” Rahliem responded biblically. “It’s not just a cliché; it’s a lifestyle. Normally I don’t quote outside of the New King James, New International, or the Amplified, but I love how the English Standard Version says, ‘Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.’ Also, my brother, ‘And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.’