Saved Folk in the House by Sonnie Beverly Read Free Book Online Page B

across the country and back. The boys had a blast, and so did Jay. Zakia had fun; however, the void persisted. They cruised as a couple to the Caribbean, and Zakia went to Europe alone to shop. Still, the cavity remained.
    While flipping through magazines, Zakia got the notion that a newly decorated home would help to fill her emptiness. She hired an interior designer, and they spent months redecorating the entire house. She gave much of her old furniture away. She gave a party for her family and friends once the house was ready, but afterward she was still missing something.
    Zakia volunteered at the homeless shelter. She read books. Nothing helped. The family went to church, and everything was the same old, same old. She had been going to Fig Tree Baptist Church with Jay since they had gotten married because his father was a deacon there. The church was more than a hundred years old, and the service format hadn’t changed in all that time.
    Not even church did anything to lift the cloud hovering over Zakia. Ironically, the emptiness was beginning to weigh her down. The more she acquired, the heavier she felt. She didn’t know what it was, nor could she shake the feeling.
    Jay was into his work and investments, but Zakia knew he noticed his wife becoming distant. She wanted sex less and less, and Jay often asked if she was sick. While watching TV in bed one night, he reached for her and she turned away.
    “What’s wrong, baby?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “How do you feel?”
    “Fine.”
    “When was your last physical?”
    “Less than a year ago. Clean bill of health.”
    “I’m worried about you.”
    “I’ll be fine. I just want to go to sleep right now.”
    Jay wasn’t one to press, and having no idea what was wrong or what to do about it, he continued to focus on his work and his investments. Life was wonderful for Jay. If he kept doing what he was doing, being a supportive husband, an involved father, and providing a stable life for his family, he believed things would get back on track for his wife and everything would be fine.

Chapter Eight
    O ne cold and rainy Saturday afternoon, Zakia was in the mall wandering in and out of stores, buying things she didn’t need. Shopping no longer had the thrill or satisfaction it once held for her. She decided to have everything delivered, and when she was finished, she just sat in the mall people-watching. Thoughts about her life and what she had accomplished filled her mind. Everything had worked out according to plan. With wit, wisdom, hard work, determination, and commitment, she had overcome the obstacles of life. Feelings of accomplishment evaded her, however, as depression tried desperately to grab her.
    As she sat and thought, her stomach growled. The big, hot, soft pretzels were her favorite. She bought one and returned to her seat on the bench preparing her pretzel with cheese and mustard. A woman came and sat down beside her. She was an older woman with gray hair and brown eyes, dressed in what could have been five layers of ragged, frayed clothing, closely resembling a bag lady.
Bag ladies didn’t usually frequent malls
, Zakia thought. Besides, this woman’s shopping bags were new, and the woman looked clean and smelled fresh. Zakia spoke to her, suddenly feeling awkward about eating in front of her.
    “Good afternoon, ma’am. May I buy you a pretzel?” Zakia asked.
    The woman had been looking at Zakia prepare her pretzel. “No thank you, sweetie. You know Jesus loves you,” the woman told her.
    Zakia bit her pretzel, smiled at the woman, and nodded as she chewed.
    “No, I mean He really loves you, and He has all the answers you need,” the woman said as she handed Zakia a tract. “You’ve been searching for something, haven’t you?”
    Zakia stopped smiling but kept listening. She took the tract, still chewing, not talking, looked straight into the woman’s warm eyes, and silently nodded.
    “God wanted me to let you know that He has what you