| 2.10.2007 |
| Transformed |
Helen left Tammy's house feeling good, feeling free. Helen knew that she was different now. She no longer had the desire to gossip. Helen had never realized it before, but Tammy could pray. Helen was amazed at how Tammy had prayed. With them gossiping so much, who knew what hidden talents the members of the Cafe Sisters had?
Helen thought, "God is amazing like that. When He cleans you up, you are clean." The desire to gossip was gone, completely gone. She felt amazing. She knew that she had to call a couple of people and apologize to them, and she had the desire to do so. Helen fought back tears as she drove.
She drove down Denton Tap Road on her way to Mary's house. Mary was the easiest of the remaining Cafe Sisters to convince. Helen knew that it was going to take God Himself to convince Angela of anything, so she was going to talk to the others first.
Helen pulled into the driveway of Mary's house. Mary was the only one of them that owned a house. The rest of them lived in apartments. Mary had the most money of the Cafe Sisters, too. She had won a wrongful death lawsuit after her brother was killed in a police shoot-out.
Helen stopped her car, put it in park, and opened her car door. She walked up to Mary's front door after getting out of her car and closing the door. Helen made it to the door and rung the doorbell once. She waited a few seconds, no answer. Helen rang the doorbell again and waited, still no answer. Helen shook her head. Lately Mary had been taking forever to answer her door. You usually had to ring the doorbell three or four times. You might even have to knock on the door. Helen decided to skip a step. She knocked loudly on Mary's door for a minute or two.
Mary shook her head. Was someone knocking on her door? She focused her ears on the sound coming from the direction of the front door. Someone was knocking on her door. Mary didn't feel like getting up, but she knew that the knocking wasn't going to stop until she went to the door. Her car was outside in the driveway, so the unwanted visitor would assume that Mary was there.
Mary stood up from the couch. She had to grab the arm of the couch to steady herself. She was dizzy. She let out a grunt and then composed herself. She walked towards the front door. She paused a few moments at the mirror that was in the hallway next to the front door. The knocking was getting louder. Mary yelled, "I am coming! Quit beating on my door like you have no home training!" Mary put her hand on her face. She couldn't believe that she had just said that. She hoped that it was one of her friends at the door.
She finished checking herself out in the mirror. She straightened her hair as best as she could before walking to the door. She looked out the peephole. It was Helen. Mary was half tempted to not answer the door, but Helen had probably heard her yelling.
Mary opened the door. Helen looked different. She was joyful. That was the only word that Mary could think of to describe Helen. Mary stared at Helen. Helen smiled widely at Mary, "Girl, are you gonna let me in? I need to talk to you." Mary had never heard Helen sound so cheerful. Mary made a face at Helen, "Why are you so happy? Did you get some or something?" Helen laughed boisterously and then said, "No, I didn't get anything. I just feel good because I have been delivered." Helen looked like she was about to go into a praise right out there on Mary's porch. That was all Mary needed was for her neighbors to see Helen dancing around on her porch. Mary grabbed Helen's arm and pulled her into the house, "Get in here before you go to dancing on my front porch. I don't need my neighbors calling the ambulance because they think you are having convulsions." Helen walked into the house with Mary's assistance, laughing all the way.
Helen walked over to Mary's couch, sat down, and placed her Bible next to her on the couch, "You need to quit. Don't get mad at me because I wanna praise the Lord. If you don't want to help me, move out of my way." Mary laughed at Helen for imitating her pastor, Bishop Anthony Powers' favorite saying. Helen smiled at Mary, "You need to laugh. You look tired." Mary sat down next to Helen, "Yea, I am. What is up with you?" Helen smiled, "I was over at Tammy's house talking to her." Mary made a face. She didn't want to think about Tammy. Helen smiled, "I found out what was going on with her. I also found out that I, well we, have been sinning. Girl, I got myself right with God." Mary glared at Helen, "You have lost your natural mind. What in the word are you talking about?"
Helen grabbed the Bible that she had brought with her and smiled, "We have been gossiping. Gossiping is a sin. I just thought we were "SHARING" information, but we have been gossiping and talking about people. I thought that because the folk we talk about were famous, that they were fair game, but the Bible says, 'Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge' in James 4:11. The Bible also says, 'An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire' in Proverbs 16:27. I never knew that sharing information was so bad. The Bible says, 'Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification that it may give grace to those who hear it' in Ephesians 4:29. God hates gossipers. Do you realize how many people's lives have been destroyed by gossip? I know I have destroyed some lives. Tammy and I prayed. I have repented and I have gotten things right. I have to tell the rest of the group about this. I know we all felt the same way. That's why Tammy has been acting silly. She knew that she was sinning and she felt bad about doing it. I understand why she did what she did because sin makes you feel bad after awhile. It feels good for a little while, but it gets old and you get tired of it. We have got to make are my girls and I don't want you all to go to hell."
Mary looked at Helen as she chattered endlessly. Mary had never seen Helen talk that much about anything. She was almost preaching. When Mary heard Tammy's name, she thought that she was going to be upset, but Helen sounded so sincere, that it touched Mary's heart. The things that Helen was saying made sense. They did talk about people a lot. She thought like Helen. They were just sharing information and they weren't harming anyone, so why did it matter if they repeated something that they had heard?
Helen continued, "We are even sinning by listening to gossip. The Bible says, 'If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds' in II John 1:10-11. I did not realize that we were sinning like this. We are not even supposed to associate with anyone who is gossiping according to Ephesians 5:11. I learned so much from Tammy. She must have done a study on gossiping or something because she had so many scriptures about it. She can't hang out with us anymore or else she will be sinning."
Mary shook her head. Helen was flipping through the pages of her Bible so fast, that it looked like the words on the pages were going to fly off. Helen was energized for sure. Mary had never seen the garrulous this chatty before.
Helen stated emphatically, "We shouldn't be talking about people. The Bible says, 'Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers' in Ephesians 4:29. We are supposed to minister to people and pray for them, if we can't minister to them. I have a new prayer that I am going to pray each day, 'I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me' (Psalms 39:1). I wanna see Jesus in peace."
Mary interrupted Helen, "You need to slow down. Can't nobody understand all of what you said." Helen laughed. When Mary used improper English, she was agitated. Mary shook her head, "I don't see anything funny. You done came over here and told me that I was sinning and that I am on my way to hell. How am I supposed to react to that?" Helen looked away from Mary and then looked back at her, "You already know that we have an advocate with the Father and that if we repent, God is faithful and just to forgive us. You can get things right, all you have to do is repent."
Mary looked at Helen with amazement and then said, "When did you become the good Reverend, Pastor, Missionary Helen Ware?" Helen laughed loudly, "I don't even know. It's like there is a fire inside me about this. I gotta tell everybody. Maybe Tammy was the catalyst to get me to do this. Maybe this is my calling." Mary laughed, "You have a huge calling; to get the world to stop gossiping. It would be like you to try to do the impossible." Helen scowled. She hadn't thought about the task that she was taking own. She was just excited. She blew a deep breathe as she thought, "Maybe I shouldn't try to do what I am thinking about doing. I am not a preacher. What do I know about talking to people about sin?" As Helen thought that thought, Ephesians 5:11 came into her mind, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. " Helen knew what she had to do. She could not let fear sway her.
Mary touched Helen's arm, "Are you listening to me?"
Helen blinked her eyes, "Sorry, I was thinking."
Mary stared into Helen's eyes, "I hope you were thinking about not going on this crusade of yours."
Helen beamed confidently, "I know what I gotta do. I can't be scared and I can't worry about whether or not people will listen. There are so many Christians sharing information and they are just plain ole sinning. Somebody has to tell a dying world that Jesus still saves and delivers. If they Lord needs somebody, then here I am Lord, send me."
Mary laughed, "You are too crunk for me."
Helen beamed again, "I want you to go with me to talk to Angela and Karen tomorrow. I don't want to go by myself and I can't ask Tammy to go because Angela would probably try to kill Tammy. Will you go with me?"
Mary made a serious face. She had no interest in trying to convince Angela that she was doing something wrong. Angela was crazy. On a road trip, Mary tried to tell Angela that she had made a wrong turn and Angela almost stopped the car and put Mary out. When Angela realized that she had made a wrong turn, she never even apologized. Mary wanted no part of Helen's death wish.
Helen smiled, "You don't want to do it, do you?"
Mary said, "No! Angela is crazy. I don't want to have to tangle with a tiger. I say we leave well enough alone."
Helen shook her head, "Have you heard anything I said tonight?"
Mary grimaced, "I heard what you said. But can't you find someone easier to talk to?"
Helen responded, "I am going to talk to Karen first. Is that good enough?"
Mary shook her head, "You are crazy. Tammy is too. She started this; I say we get her involved in this as well. She is the one who has all of the research. She should be here with you."
Helen stood up and went over to where Mary's phone was. Helen picked up the phone and dialed Tammy's number. After Tammy said hello, Helen said, "Hey girl. I need you to come over to Mary's house. We need to talk to her. Can you come?" Tammy responded with a yes. Helen and Tammy said goodbye and hung up the phone.
Helen went back over to the couch and sat down. "Tammy is on her way over here. God is going to work this out."
Mary was worried. She did not know what was going to happen once Tammy got over to her house.
Helen could tell by the look on Mary's face that something was going on with her. Helen prayed that God was touching Mary's heart and convincing her to change her mind about gossiping.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Mrs. Boone @ 2:04 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.30.2007 |
| Tammy and Helen |
Helen drove over to Tammy's house. Helen had to find out what was really going on with Tammy. Helen was happy that Tammy’s apartment was only 10 minutes away from her; any further, and Helen would have been ready to cruse Tammy out by the time she arrived.
Tammy was pacing the floor. She had tried to get out of meeting with Helen, but Helen was persistent. Helen was like that, when she wanted something, she would not let it go until she got it. "Why wouldn't the Cafe Sisters just let her go?" Tammy thought as she paced. She did not want to have to explain herself, she just wanted to be let go.
Helen knocked on Tammy's door. Tammy hesitated before she went to the door. Helen knocked again, this time louder. Tammy shook her head and then went to the door.
Tammy opened the door. She smiled at Helen. Helen made a face and then walked into Tammy's apartment, uninvited. Tammy closed the door, "Come on in." Helen snarled, "Please! You are in enough trouble. Don't start anything extra!"
Tammy made a face, "I am not trying to start anything. Why am I in trouble?" Helen stopped, turned towards Tammy, and made a crazy face at Tammy, "Tammy please. You know you started some mess with that daggum email. I cannot believe you. That was just trifling. The message and the method. You didn't have the nerve to say it to our face. You had to use email. That's shameless, Tammy, just shameless!"
Tammy knew that she could have picked a better way to tell the ladies about her wanting to leave the group, but she did not want to have to face anyone. She shook her head and said, "You all are over-reacting to the email. It should have been taken at face value. Why is this a big deal?"
Helen stopped walking towards the couch, "What's the big deal? You have got to be kidding me!" Helen put her hands on her hips, "We are supposed to be friends and you pull some mess like this! How are we supposed to react to 'I NO LONGER WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU ALL?"
Tammy watched Helen as she sat down on the couch in a huff. Tammy made sure to sit on the couch on the opposite side of the living room. Tammy finally said, "I did not say that exactly."
Helen made a face, "Whatever Tammy. Are you going to explain yourself? This has got to be good."
Tammy leaned back on the couch. She had no interest in explaining herself. Why did these women insist on bothering her?
Tammy exhaled, "Do you ever get tired of gossiping?"
Helen starred at Tammy, "What kind of question is that?"
Tammy shook her head, "I am tired of talking about people. That is all we ever do when we get together. That is not right. I am tired of talking about people that's all."
Helen frowned, "So, not hanging out with us at all is the solution. Why didn't you just say…? 'I DON"T WANT TO GOSSIP ANYMORE!"?"
Tammy sighed, "I have said that before, you all just look at me like I am crazy and keep right on gossiping. I got tired of going back and forth with you all. I am tired of feeling guilty for sinning and that is what we are doing, SINNING. We keep sinning and then I repent and the process happens repeatedly. I am so tired. This is ridiculous."
Helen thought for a second. "Tammy was so right. They were constantly gossiping about people. Were they really sinning? What was the big deal about "SHARING" information about a few famous folk? That was the chance they took, being celebrities."
Tammy said, "Are you ignoring me?"
Helen blinked. "No, I am not. I am thinking. We only talk about celebrities. What is so wrong with that? It is not our fault that they do crazy stuff and get found out.
Tammy smiled as she thought, "Church folk sure can justify their sin." Tammy looked at Helen, "It is not for us to talk about them. We are supposed to pray for them. James 4:11 says, 'Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.' Would you want folk talking about you if you got caught up in something?"
Helen said, "No, I wouldn't want people talking about me, but I wouldn't be doing stuff where I could get caught. That's on them to do what's right."
Tammy could not believe her ears. She starred at Helen. "That was so hypocritical. How can they be expected to do right, but we don't have to? Gossiping is sin. Backbiting is a sin. We are sinning and WE NEED TO STOP!" Tammy could not believe that she had just raised her voice. Apparently, Helen could not believe it either, from the shocked look on her face.
Helen grimaced, "How long have you been feeling like this?"
Tammy looked sad because she had bee feeling like this for far too long. She told Helen, "Girl, for too long. I always feel like crap after I leave you all and we have talked about people. I try hard not to gossip with you all, but it is hard. I got myself into this mess by telling you all the things I knew. I should have never done that. The stuff I knew, I didn't even want to know, but I knew. I want out of this mess now, and the only way out is to stop hanging with you all. I love all of you all, even Angela. I want to keep hanging out with you all, but I can't do that if we keep talking about people. I have to do this for me. I don't want to go to hell for talking about people. Of all things to go to hell for, talking about people ain't worth it. I just wanna be right."
Tammy stood up, grabbed her Bible, went over by Helen, and sat down beside her. Tammy opened the Bible and began to show Helen scriptures that pertained to GOSSIPING.
Proverbs 16:27 says, An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire.
Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy, in Psalms 101:5.
A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; the babbler is no different, in Ecclesiastes 10:11.
Proverbs 18:8 says, The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Helen just sat there. She could not believe her ears. It was a mouthful. They were only "SHARING" information. They were not hurting anyone after all. They usually only talked about celebrities or well-known people. It was not their fault that famous folk put themselves out there and did stuff they had no business doing.
Tammy stared at Helen. Tammy hoped that her words had hit home with Helen. After all, Tammy was only saying what the Bible already said. It was probably too little, too late. All the gossiping she had done, was there forgiveness for her? Tammy prayed that God touched Helen's heart.
Helen shook her head. She was trying to sort through everything that Tammy had said and read. Helen thought, "That girl is making a big deal out of nothing. It ain't even that serious."
Helen's mind went blank for a moment. A picture of her sister popped in her head. Helen rumored how a rumor that her sister was pregnant almost caused her sister to commit suicide. Helen started crying as she thought, "Lord, we are doing wrong."
Tammy was staring out her patio door when she heard Helen crying. Tammy turned and looked at Helen. Tammy asked, "Are you okay?" Helen said, "No, I am not. Girl, we have been sinning."
Tammy began to pray with Helen. They prayed for over twenty minutes.
When they finished praying, Helen asked Tammy to write down the scriptures that they had read earlier. Helen was on a mission to save the Cafe Sisters. Even if she could not keep the group together, she wanted to get the other girls to stop gossiping.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Mrs. Boone @ 10:07 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.25.2007 |
| Collier City |
Tammy started her car. It was 5:38 PM. She was late leaving her job because her manager had asked her to work on a project that was not due until the following week. Tammy's manager was like that. The manager always had to have everything done a week ahead of time. The manager got on her subordinates nerves, but upper management loved the woman.
Tammy pulled out of the parking lot. She had a long drive home, being that she lived on the western end of Collier City, and she worked on the eastern end of Collier City. It was a long drive, but a scenic ride.
Tammy pulled onto the street and got into the flow of traffic. It was busy still. She put her Carver Boone CD in the CD player. Regardless of the dirt she knew about Carver, she still enjoyed his music ministry.
Tammy let the must primate her car and her spirit as she got settled in for the long ride home. Carver's music was blessing her soul already.
Tammy finally reached the interstate after 10 minutes of driving. She set the cruise control once she got into the flow of traffic and coasted. The first 30 minutes of the ride was usually easy because she was going in the opposite direction of the traffic, which was cool.
She enjoyed the scenery of Collier City. The skyline was full of elegant office buildings, tall, short, and medium height. Some were at an angle, some were straight, and some had curved domes. The buildings littered the terrain with all kinds of earth tones.
Collier City was an excellent city to live in. It had a rich history and plenty of money. It had an excellent art district and boasted of one of the best public school systems in the state.
Collier City had been around for over 150 years. It started small, but grew rapidly. The founders of the city insisted that each citizen of the city contribute to its upkeep and appearance, no matter what their lot in life. It was the law in Collier City; you had to keep your domicile neat. A reward was given to anyone who reported a ghastly looking residence.
The city was home to four of the largest churches in the state. Highway of Glory Pentecostal Church, Wheatly Street Church of God in Christ, Rainer Avenue Baptist Church, and Grace African-Methodist Church. The pastor's of the churches were known all over the state. With a combined membership of over 400,000 people, these four churches held some power in the city. Oddly enough, all four churches were predominately African-American in membership.
Collier City had the richest government of the state. The mayor was a former lawyer and judge. The city council was comprised of former lawyers and business people. The city had a population that supported the government wholeheartedly.
The city usually had a voter turnout of over 85% at each election. The city spent a lot of money on voter registration and voter care. They had free bus and van services for its residents to get to the polling stations. Each high school student that was turning 18 had to attend a mandatory assembly at their school where they were talked to about the importance of voting and then given the opportunity to register to vote. Collier City was a city that loved its citizens.
The city boasted of a beautiful bridge that was located at the entrance of the city. The bridge hung the length of the part of the Maddocha River that sat in Collier City. The bridge had been a tourist attraction of the city for many years.
Collier City had architecture unlike any other city in the state. The city had been designed by young, innovative architects from its inception. The best architects in the state came from Collier City. It had the best two universities in the state for engineering and architecture. The Who's Who of architecture had traveled through Collier City.
The downtown landscape was filled with tall buildings shaped in various shapes. It was often fun for children to give the buildings names based on their roof shapes.
"That's the lipstick building."
"That's the pencil building."
"That's the fan building."
The residential areas of Collier City were just as beautiful. Many of the houses had the same style, but the colors ranged from white to red to purple and pink. Even the lower income areas of the city were kept up and clean. That was the law in Collier City. "All lawns had to be neatly cut and well-maintained. To help with this effort, young men ages 13-16 were recruited, trained, and paid to mow the lawns of anyone who requested them. These young men were highly trained and many of them went into the landscaping business.
There were so many programs available to the youth of the city that it had the lowest gang and crime rate in the state. Most of the churches in the city had youth programs that were coordinated with the city's youth programs. Juveniles in Collier City did not like to get into trouble because they would have to face the toughest juvenile court system in the state.
The adult crime rate was low as well. Adult criminals were tolerated even less than juvenile criminals were. Traffic violations had been at a record low for the past 5 years. There was a traffic court judge in town and he did not play around when it came to giving traffic violators stiff penalties.
The apartment homes in Collier City were wonderful. The apartment complexes had to be kept up as well as the individual residences were kept up. Apartment complexes received fines if they did not meet the standards that the city government had established.
Collier City was an excellent city to live in.
The easy part of Tammy's ride was over. She exited off the interstate onto the county highway. Traffic was bumper to bumper. This was normal on the highway on Friday evenings. Tammy could never figure out why this was. You would have thought that people would leave work early on Fridays.
Tammy removed the Carver Boone CD from the CD player to replace it with Oscar Eastman's CD. Oscar was a better singer than Carver was, but Tammy preferred Carver's style of music. Tammy shook her head as she thought about how many times she had ran Carver and Oscar down. She was an awful person. She listened to their music and dogged them out without a second thought.
"God, please forgive me."
Tammy fought back her tears. She needed to see clearly to drive home in the traffic.
She grabbed her cellphone and dialed Helen's number. Helen did not answer the phone. Tammy started to call her mother, but that would not work at all. Tammy would have had to pull over on the side of the road and cry if she talked to her mother.
Tammy looked at the outlet mall as she drove by it. The mall was massive. Every store that you could think of was a part of the outlet. The mall was the best thing about Tammy's daily drive home; she could stop by the mall on her way home.
Thinking about shopping, made Tammy feel better. Soon, Tammy had driven past the mall and all she had to keep her company were the office buildings, trees, and sounds of Oscar Eastman.
Oscar's voice was tormenting her more than ministering to her. She was tired of being tormented. If only she had not talked about Oscar as if he was a dog, she would not be enduring this torture. She clicked the radio button on her stereo. She could not take anymore of Oscar.
"Lord, have mercy. Why is this man tormenting me?"
Oscar's latest song was playing on the radio. Tammy had to wipe her eyes. She did not even know Oscar Eastman, why was she feeling so guilty.
Tammy pressed her brakes because traffic was at a standstill. Traffic usually slowed down at this time because she was near Restaurant Town, which the area was called because there were 16 fast food places and 13 restaurants in the area. Most drivers were trying to get over to the right-hand lane so that they could exit and get to the restaurants. Tammy could never figure out why people waited so late to get over; three miles earlier, there was a sign that said, "Restaurant Town, 3 Miles Ahead," on the side of the highway.
Tammy thought about stopping and getting something to eat, herself. She was not hungry, but she did not want to go home. She did not do it, though; she was in the far left lane and she did not feel like wrestling with the traffic. She journeyed on home.
After 20 more minutes of being on the highway, Tammy came to her turn. She made the left turn off the highway to the street that would take her home. She had another 15 minutes before she got home.
She wondered what disaster awaited her at home.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Me @ 2:45 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.24.2007 |
| Karen Valwood |
Karen Valwood hung up her cellphone. She did not have her hands free set with her, so she did not want to talk on her cellphone any longer, Collier City had a hands free law and did not want to get a ticket, since the city had been cracking down on people driving while talking on their cellphones. She wished that she would remember to bring her earpiece with her. Karen should her head as she made a mental note to leave her earpiece in the car from now on.
Karen looked at her mocha chocolate colored face in the rear view mirror of her car. She had a small pimple on her nose. She hated to get those. She knew she had eaten too much chocolate lately. Nevertheless, she could not help it; she had a thing for Almond Joy candy bars. She had the candy bars stashed everywhere; in her purse, at her desk, and because it was cooler outside, she had them in her glove box in the car. She needed on today. She reached toward the glove box, opened it up, and grabbed an Almond Joy. She had to straighten her car back up in the lane because she was veering into the left-hand lane. The guy beside her made a face at her. She smiled at him as she mumbled, "Jerk!"
Karen was going crazy, thinking about the email she had received from Tammy.
Dear Karen,
I am writing this letter to do several things. First, to apologize for telling all of you all's business the other day. I should not have done that.
Second, I no longer want to be a part of this group. Of the past few weeks, hanging out with you all is not fun. All we do is talk about people. I am tired of talking about people. It was fun at first, but now it is just down right wrong. I am at fault, too. I should have never told you all the things I told you. It felt good to be the one that knew everyone's business, but now, I do not even want to know my own business much less anyone else's business. I took a long look at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I saw. This will probably cause me all kinds of trouble, but I am willing to take that chance because I want my soul to be saved.
I wish only the best for you all. I mean no harm by this letter. I will not cause you all any harm. It is my hope that you all will cause me no harm. I have asked God to forgive me. I am asking each of you to forgive me.
Be Blessed,
Tammy
How could Tammy have written such a crazy email? Karen certainly did not understand what Tammy was saying. So what, they "SHARED" information about various people from time to time. It was not as if they were hurting anyone. The Cafe Sisters kept the information amongst themselves. They never told anyone outside the group, at least, Karen had not told anyone. What was the harm?
Karen laughed as she thought about the name Tammy had given their group, The Cafe Sisters. It was a cute name, too. They even had t-shirts with the name on it and a logo that Karen had designed herself. How could Tammy not want to be a part of the group anymore? Tammy was the one who had made the group fun. Before Tammy joined the group, all Angela, Helen, Mary, and Karen ever did was sit around and talk about people. Once Tammy joined, she insisted that they go do stuff. The Cafe Sisters started going shopping, going to museums, going to festivals, and going to sporting events. It had been fun. However, within the last few months, they had resorted back to their old ways, going the Cafe Ultra and just talking about people.
Karen shook her head as she thought, "Lord have mercy. Tammy is right, all we do is gossip. Good grief. I can't blame her for wanting out of the group. We are shameless."
Karen yelled, "Watch out, nut!" at a car that was moving over into her lane.
She could not believe that Tammy was right. Karen shook her head. She was half-tempted to call Angela because Angela would have reassured Karen that they were doing not wrong. "Man, I can't stand that cellphone law," Karen said aloud. She was expecting someone to give her an Amen, but no one did.
Karen thought about the dynamics of the Cafe Sisters. Angela Hines was the alpha female. She always had to have things her way. Before Tammy joined the group, Angela always got her way because the other three ladies were scared of Angela. But Tammy, she was not scared of Angela at all. Karen was amazed at and in awe of Tammy for that.
Helen Ware was the comedienne of the group. Helen could diffuse any situation with humor. She had diffused many arguments between angel and Tammy. Helen was closet with Tammy. They hung out together more than any of the five women. This was amazing, because Helen had a hard time being close to any woman since her childhood and life long friend had died two years ago.
Mary Regal was the mediator of the group. She was always getting everyone to calm down and apologize to each other, whether they wanted to or not. Lately, though, Mary always seemed tired and sickly. Karen had asked Mary on more than one occasion was she sick. Mary always replied, "I'm alright. I'm just a little tired. That's all." Karen never really believed Mary. Within that same time, Mary had been getting closer to Tammy. Maybe that was Tammy's ploy, to break up the Cafe Sisters. Who knew what was going on? Mary and Tammy acted as if they shared a secret no one else knew. Mary was a sweet person. Karen did not want her to be hurt by Tammy.
Tammy Andrews was the spiritual compass of the group. She always had a scripture, sermon, or inspirational note for the group. Angela proudly referred to Tammy as Sister Mother Evangelist Preacher Goodness Almighty. Everyone in the group but Tammy found it funny. Tammy shrugged the name off, just like she shrugged off most of what Angela said. Tammy remembered everyone's birthdays, anniversaries, and other special days. She always sent them a card in the mail. Tammy even sent "Just Because" cards to everyone, including Angela. Tammy was cool like that.
The thought of loosing a friend like Tammy almost made Karen cry. Tammy was a good friend. Tammy had never told any of the secrets that the ladies had confided in her. Life without Tammy was going to be rough, very rough.
Karen, Mary, and Helen could always side with Tammy and push Angela out of the group. But that would start a war unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Angela was mean spirited and she was good at getting back at folk she thought had done her wrong. Plus, Tammy would not let them do that. Tammy would rather leave the group than to start a fight. Tammy was cool like that.
Karen thought about herself. She was the quietest person of the group. She rarely had much to say. She was soft-spoken and did not like conflict that much. But that did not matter much to Karen because she took more pride in her role as the group's cook.
Karen was an excellent cook. Her waistline was proof of that. She was famous for her hand-made pizzas. Everyone at her church and job were always paying her to make them pizzas. One more than one occasion, Tammy had suggested that Karen open her own pizza joint, but Angela always dampened that dream by saying, "That girl can't run no business. She ain't nothing but a cook. Quit filling her head with nonsense!"
Karen shook her head. The more she thought about it, the clearer it became, Angela needed to be the one leaving the group, not Tammy.
"Why is this happening now? Why had Tammy chosen to do this now? What was going to happen to the Cafe Sisters?"
All these questions ran through Karen's mind. This was going to be a mess, a big mess. Karen purposed in her heart to come up with a way to save the Cafe Sisters.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Me @ 10:30 AM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.12.2007 |
| Mary Regal |
Mary Regal was tired. She had overexerted herself today and she knew it. Her doctor had told her on more than one occasion to take it easy after her chemotherapy sessions. It had been a whole day since her last doctor's appointment, Mary figured things would be okay, but she was wrong. Now, she was too tired to do her after school duty, the bicycle racks. She was going to have to get someone else to do it for her.
Mary had told only two people about her breast cancer six months ago, when she first found out. She had told her principal and Tammy. Mary had to tell her principal. Mary felt she could trust Tammy, despite the fact that Tammy always gossiped with Mary and her friends. Tammy had never told any of the girls' secrets, so Mary thought it was okay.
Mary told Tammy in the strictest confidence about her cancer. Mary even made Tammy swear a death oath. Tammy laughed and made the oath. Mary would have asked for blood, but she could not stand the sight of blood. It was all Mary could do to tolerate her own menstrual cycle.
Mary's light-skin had patches of dry skin from the chemotherapy. Tammy had given Mary some excellent skin cream that hid the patches pretty good. Tammy had even taken Mary to some of her chemotherapy appointments. Tammy had been a good friend to Mary.
Mary thought about what Tammy had said at the last meeting of the Cafe Sisters.
"It ain't like that. I am just tired of getting together with you all and all we ever do is talk about people. That is all we do. That is not right. We even talk about each other when the groups are separated. Angela, didn't you tell me that Mary was looking at porno sites? Karen, didn't you tell me that Helen had run over her neighbor's rose bush? We all gossip and no one, I mean no one is off limits. God only knows what you all have said about me."
Mary sighed. That porno thing was a mistake. She hadn't looked at any porno sites. She had accidentally clicked on a link in an email which sent her to a porno site. Every time she tried to close the window, another window popped open. She had to unplug her computer to get rid of the site. Thankfully, she had been at home when it happened. Mary had jokingly told Angela about the incident. Angela had run her big mouth. That girl talked too dog gone much.
Mary leaned back in her chair. She was glad that her principal had let her get a special chair. Her back always hurt two or three days after her chemotherapy sessions.
Mary had not checked her email all day. She knew that she probably had over 40 emails. She scrolled through the list to see who had sent her emails. Tammy, Karen, Helen, and Angela had all emailed her. "What in the world has happened now?" Mary wondered out loud.
She clicked on the email from Helen. It read:
Girl, have you seen the email from Tammy? She has lost her mind. I can't believe this mess.
-Helen
Mary wondered what Tammy had written. Mary clicked the email from Tammy. It read:
Dear Mary,
I am writing this letter to do several things. First, to apologize for telling all of you all's business the other day. I should not have done that.
Second, I no longer want to be a part of this group. Of the past few weeks, hanging out with you all is not fun. All we do is talk about people. I am tired of talking about people. It was fun at first, but now it is just down right wrong. I am at fault, too. I should have never told you all the things I told you. It felt good to be the one that knew everyone's business, but now, I do not even want to know my own business much less anyone else's business. I took a long look at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I saw. This will probably cause me all kinds of trouble, but I am willing to take that chance because I want my soul to be saved.
I wish only the best for you all. I mean no harm by this letter. I will not cause you all any harm. It is my hope that you all will cause me no harm. I have asked God to forgive me. I am asking each of you to forgive me.
Be Blessed,
Tammy
Mary gasped. She could not believe what she had read. She wondered why she was even shocked because Tammy had been acting weird for a month or so. Mary knew that things were gonna get crazy.
Mary clicked the email from Karen. It read:
What is up with your girl? Has she lost her mind? You need to talk to her. Why is she tripping? That girl is straight crazy.
Love ya!
Karen
Mary laughed. For some strange reason, she was the mediator for the group. Mary had put out a number of fires among the other girls. This one might take some work.
Mary clicked the email from Angela. It contained one sentence in big letters.
SHE HAS LOST HER MIND!!!
Mary giggled. That was a five page email coming from Angela. Angela hated reading and writing emails.
Mary exhaled. She was too tired to deal with this now. She closed the email program. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She needed to relax because her stomach was beginning to get upset. She had to calm down.
After about 5 minutes, Mary raised her head. She felt a little better. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Tammy's cell phone number.
Tammy answered, "Hello."
Mary responded, "Hey girl."
Tammy said, "You sound tired. Are you okay?"
Mary smiled, "Yea, I'm a little tired, but I'm okay. You are not seriously gonna act like you didn't send that crazy email."
Tammy coughed. "I am not acting like anything."
Mary shook her head. "I don't feel like getting into that right now. You are tripping. Hopefully, we are still friends right now because I may need you to follow me home today. I'll call you back if I need you."
Tammy made a face. "I am still your friend. I just don't want to be group friends anymore. My individual friendships are okay. You can always call me."
Mary said, "That is not what it sounded like in the email."
Mary said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone before Tammy could respond.
Mary gathered her stuff. She did not feel like driving, but she did not want to fool with Tammy right now. Mary prayed that God would let her get home without any trouble. She left her classroom and headed to the parking lot.
Mary made it to her car. She threw everything in the back seat before she got in the front seat of the car. Mary bowed her head and prayed again.
"Lord, let me make it home safely. Amen."
She lived five blocks from the school, so it should not be a problem.
Mary started her car and pulled out of the parking space. She left the school, driving carefully.
Mary made it home safely. After she closed her garage door, she said, "Thank You, Lord."
She walked into her house and to the kitchen. She looked at the answering machine. She had nine messages. She figured most of them were from the Cafe Sisters. She did not bother with the answering machine right then.
Mary sat down on the couch after she grabbed the receiver from the phone stand. She was expecting Tammy to call her at anytime. Like clockwork, Tammy called. After a ten minute conversation, Mary hung up the phone.
The phone rung a few minutes later. Mary looked at the caller ID. It was Karen. Mary did not want to talk to Karen, but Karen would keep calling until Mary answered the phone.
Mary did not answer the phone. The phone stopped ringing after six rings. That answering machine had answered the call.
"Mary, answer the phone, girl. I know you are there. I am calling you right back. Mary!" Karen hung up the phone.
The phone rung again. Mary looked at the caller ID, although she knew who it was. It was Karen. Mary laughed because she had decided to tease Karen. Mary let the answering machine get the call.
Karen's voice said, "Mary! Girl, if you don't pick up the phone. I know you are there. Pick up the phone!" Mary laughed as Karen kept screaming on the answering machine until it cut off. Mary laughed so hard that her head hurt.
Karen called again. Mary answered the phone.
Karen said, "Why are you playing around?"
Mary laughed like she was crazy.
Karen said, "You need Jesus. Playing around on the phone like you are five years old. What is wrong with you? Crazy self."
Mary said, "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. What do you want?"
That question sent Karen into a 20 minute tirade.
Mary finally told Karen that she had to get off the phone. Karen reluctantly let Mary go. Mary hung up the phone. She did not even think about anything Cafe Sister related. She lay down on the couch and went to sleep.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Me @ 2:32 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.11.2007 |
| Helen Ware |
Helen Ware hung up the phone after finishing her conversation with her friend Angela Hines. Helen was always calling Angela. Angela had told Helen that Karen had called her too. Helen took a sip of the cup of coffee on her desk. She almost choked. She had forgotten that the cup coffee had been on her desk for more than an hour. She started to throw the half-full cup of coffee in the wastebasket, but she remembered the note that the cleaning crew had left her before. "Please do not throw liquid into the trash cans." The cleaning crew had even gone to her manager on her. She decided against throwing the cup in the trash. She sat the cup back on her desk.
Helen's mind was spinning because of the email she had received from her friend Tammy Andrews. Helen still could not believe what Tammy had written.
Dear Helen,
I am writing this letter to do several things. First, to apologize for telling all of you all's business the other day. I should not have done that.
Second, I no longer want to be a part of this group. Of the past few weeks, hanging out with you all is not fun. All we do is talk about people. I am tired of talking about people. It was fun at first, but now it is just down right wrong. I am at fault, too. I should have never told you all the things I told you. It felt good to be the one that knew everyone's business, but now, I do not even want to know my own business much less anyone else's business. I took a long look at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I saw. This will probably cause me all kinds of trouble, but I am willing to take that chance because I want my soul to be saved.
I wish only the best for you all. I mean no harm by this letter. I will not cause you all any harm. It is my hope that you all will cause me no harm. I have asked God to forgive me. I am asking each of you to forgive me.
Be Blessed,
Tammy
Helen laughed as she thought about how Angela had reacted to the news about the letter. Helen expected Angela to react as she had. It was funny how upset Angela got at the least little thing.
Helen knew that Tammy was right to a point. Her and her friends did gossip too much. Helen could not argue with that fact. She just could not believe that Tammy wanted to end their friendship like this. Helen was good friends with Tammy, much closer than the rest of the girls. Angela did not like Tammy. Mary was indifferent, but she was indifferent to most things. Karen did not seem to care for Tammy either. Helen was the only one who actually cared anything for Tammy.
Tammy was a nice person. She was always cordial to Helen. Tammy even let Helen borrow some of her clothes, which Helen still had. Helen tried to figure out what Tammy had to be thinking.
Helen played with her long black hair. It was time for her to get her weave adjusted. She pulled at the loose strands of her hair. She threw them in the wastebasket. She hoped that the cleaning crew did not leave her a note about her hair.
Helen looked at her longs stocking less legs. She needed to shave her legs as well. She let her hands run the length of her long legs. She was so skinny, that she could feel the bones in her legs. She could not figure out why she had lost so much weight recently. She went from a size 8 to a size 6. She was not trying to do that either, but she had.
Helen thought about her conversation with Tammy when Tammy noticed Helen's weight lose, "Girl, you are loosing a lot of weight. Is it because you are worried about what Peter is going to say if he finds out that you told the girls about that girl that he got pregnant?" Helen blew a breath. Her cousin Peter had told her about that in confidence, but Mary had convinced Helen to tell all his business. Mary had a crush on Peter. Why had Helen opened her mouth?
Helen felt bad at that moment. Maybe Tammy was right. They did gossip too much. Their gossiping had gotten several people into a bunch of trouble. Helen put her head down on her desk. She felt sick to her stomach. She was sure that it had something to do with all the gossiping she had done. Maybe it had to do with the lie she had told Tammy.
Helen's head started hurting as she thought, "Why did I tell Tammy that I had been filmed while having sex? That was such a lie. I cannot believe that she did not tell anyone either. I guess Tammy can keep her mouth shut. Why did I say something about it when I was with the girls? I am in a mess. Lord, you have got to get me out of this."
Helen lifted her head. She reached into the credenza behind her head and grabbed two aspirin. She did not want to, but she took the pills with a swig of the old coffee. She almost gagged on the pills, but she managed to swallow them down before she spit them out.
She opened her email program and located the email from Tammy. She clicked the reply button and responded to the email.
Tammy,
Of course, this email shocked me. I can't believe that you don't want to be friends with us anymore, well I can see why the other girls, but me too. I thought we were friends, but I guess I was the only one who interested in a friendship. If you do not want to be friends anymore, then that is cool. I am not going to cause any trouble for you, but Angela probably is. Mary and Karen will follow Angela's lead, so watch out.
-Helen
Helen pressed the send button before she could tell Tammy that she was right for not wanting to hang out with the evil gossiping women. Helen was glad that Tammy had the courage to get out now. Helen had to figure out how she was going to get away from the Cafe Sisters herself.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Me @ 2:27 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.10.2007 |
| Angela Hines |
Angela Hines walked through the hallway. She was going to the copier to make some copies. She walked pass the geeky computer guy. He smiled at her. She rolled her eyes at him. He had asked her out before but there was no way that she was going out with him. Angela was only 5 feet 3 inches, but the computer guy was shorter than here. She had no interest in dating a guy that short. He was a pale white color. She was dark chocolate brown. They would look a hot mess in public. Angela giggled as she thought about the looks she would get if she walked into her church, Highway of Glory Non-Denominational Church, with that pasty geek.
Angela headed back to her desk after she made her copies. She ended up taking longer than she had expected because her friend, Karen Valwood, was in the copy room. They ended up talking about what had happened the other day with their friends, Helen, Mary, and Tammy. Angela was not sure if she should call Tammy her friend after she had told everyone's business. Angela turned dark purple thinking about Tammy.
Angela moved the mouse around so that her screensaver would disappear. She noticed that she had several email messages. She hated reading emails, so she paid no attention to them. She looked at the program on her computer screen and began typing the numbers into the program. She was doing well when the phone rang. It was Karen. Karen asked, "Did you see the email from Tammy? This girl is a trip." Angela made a face. She did not feel like being bothered with that girl. Angela responded, "Naw, you know I cannot stand checking emails. Besides, I ain't even in the mood to deal with her trifling behind! She is going to make me slap her!" Karen chuckled at how mad Angela was getting before she said, "You need to calm down before you pop something. Why do you let her get to you like that?" Angela huffed, "I do not know why she is tripping anyway. What did she say in the email anyway?" Karen sighed and said, "You should read it for yourself." Angela grunted, "Whatever. When I get around to it. Bye." Karen mumbled a response and then they both hung up the phone.
Angela hit her knee on the bottom the keyboard tray of her desk. She mumbled an ouch and rubbed her knee. Why was she letting Tammy get to her? Tammy was not really her friend anyway. She was a friend of Helen. Helen had let their pastor, Bishop Anthony Powers, push Tammy off on her and Helen had pushed Tammy off on them. Angela did not even like Tammy. Tammy always acted as if she was better than everyone else was. She did not have a reason to act like that either. She did not wear the latest style of clothing and her shoes were always two years old. Tammy could not stand Tammy. No matter what the email said, Angela was going to give Tammy a piece of her mind.
Angela maximized her email program. She scrolled down through the emails. She could not believe that she had sixty-two unanswered emails. She finally found the email from Tammy. It was in the middle of the list. Angela clicked on the email and printed it out.
Angela grabbed her keys from inside her purse. She stood up and walked outside to go to her car to read the email. Angela wanted to read it while she walked, but she resisted the urge to do that because she might have act a fool and she did not want to act a fool in front of her co-workers.
Angela sat in her car. She read the email.
Dear Angela,
I am writing this letter to do several things. First, to apologize for telling all of you all's business the other day. I should not have done that.
Second, I no longer want to be a part of this group. Of the past few weeks, hanging out with you all is not fun. All we do is talk about people. I am tired of talking about people. It was fun at first, but now it is just down right wrong. I am at fault, too. I should have never told you all the things I told you. It felt good to be the one that knew everyone's business, but now, I do not even want to know my own business much less anyone else's business. I took a long look at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I saw. This will probably cause me all kinds of trouble, but I am willing to take that chance because I want my soul to be saved.
I wish only the best for you all. I mean no harm by this letter. I will not cause you all any harm. It is my hope that you all will cause me no harm. I have asked God to forgive me. I am asking each of you to forgive me.
Be Blessed,
Tammy
Angela almost laughed after she had read the email twice. This was some bull. Tammy had lost her mind. Angela read the letter again just to make sure that she was reading what she was reading. It said the same thing that it had said the first two times she read it.
Angela was not sure how she wanted to respond to Tammy. Did she want to respond back by email? Did she want to respond in person? Did she want to respond on the phone? Angela was sure that she did not want to respond by email. She hated writing emails more than she hated reading emails. Who invented email anyway? Angela shook the thought of hurting the person who had created email from her head. She had to focus on Tammy and what she was going to say to her. Angela was trying to figure out if she wanted to do it in person or on the phone. It should probably be by phone because if she did it in person, Tammy would end up hurt or dead.
Angela folded the email up and stuck it in the pocket of her purple pants. She composed herself and went back into the office. Angela could not get Tammy off her mind, though. Tammy had no idea what kind of trouble was coming her way.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Me @ 2:20 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.09.2007 |
| Tammy Andrews |
Tammy Andrews leaned back in her chair and stretched her 5 foot 6 inch body as far as she could. She had been sitting at her desk for over two hours. Her light beige face was half red from the frustration that she was feeling towards her friends. She was not even sure if they were her friends. She blinked her light brown eyes and stared at the computer screen. She tried to think of what to write, but nothing came to her at that moment.
Tammy brushed a string of her brown hair back behind her ear. She was tired. Every since lunch with her friends, Angela, Helen, Mary, and Karen, she hadn't spoken to any of them. She was sure that they were all mad at her. Tammy didn't even really care at this point. They were all gossips and they needed to be on the altar on Sunday. That was not going to happen because she was the only one that thought they needed to be delivered from their gossiping spirits.
Tammy thought about Highway of Glory Non-Denominational Church. She wondered what the pastor, Bishop Anthony Powers would think if he knew that several of his members were out gossiping about the fellow pastors in town. "He probably would not think much because he was one of her sources," Tammy thought. Tammy either verified or got her information from her pastor. How had she gotten caught up in this whole mess?
No one knew that Bishop Powers was Tammy's third cousin or something like that. The Bishop never made it point to mention it, so Tammy did not mention it either. They had met at a family reunion a few years ago. Once Bishop found out that Tammy had just moved to Collier City, he invited her to the church. He had preached such a dynamic sermon at the family reunion that Tammy went to his church. It was wonderful at first. The services were on fire. The choir sung the glory of the Lord down from Heaven. Bishop preached sermons that convicted you to the core. Lately, though, Tammy very rarely felt anything when she was at church. After Tammy had gotten in good with the Cafe Sisters (as she called her friends that she gossiped with), she had not felt right about a lot of things in her life.
Tammy shook her head. That caused that annoying strand of hair to fall from her ear. She put the hair back behind her ear. Tammy took a sip of her coffee and went back to typing the letter to God that she was working on.
Lord,
Forgive me for being a gossip. I am tired of being a gossip. I am tired of gossiping. I don't know how to quit. I cannot seem to quit either. I am tired of feeling like I feel. I want to stop gossiping. I need Your help. Please help me.
Tammy paused for a second. She heard her grandmother's voice say… "Lord, put a bad taste in her mouth whenever she starts to gossip. Tammy smiled and wrote some more words in her letter.
Whenever I go to gossip, Lord, put a bad taste in my mouth. Lord, I am tired of being friends with the Cafe Sisters, especially if they are going to keep gossiping. Lord, help me to break those ties without any mess. You know how they are. They will be mean and vindictive. I just want out of this mess. Help me, please.
-Tammy
Tammy read over the letter once more. It sounded good to her. She printed it out and put it in her Bible. She prayed silently that God would answer her prayer quickly.
Tammy saved the letter to God that she had just written. She opened up a new document and started typing a letter to the Cafe Sisters.
Dear *,
I am writing this letter to do several things. First, to apologize for telling all of you all's business the other day. I should not have done that.
Second, I no longer want to be a part of this group. Of the past few weeks, hanging out with you all is not fun. All we do is talk about people. I am tired of talking about people. It was fun at first, but now it is just down right wrong. I am at fault, too. I should have never told you all the things I told you. It felt good to be the one that knew everyone's business, but now, I do not even want to know my own business much less anyone else's business. I took a long look at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I saw. This will probably cause me all kinds of trouble, but I am willing to take that chance because I want my soul to be saved.
I wish only the best for you all. I mean no harm by this letter. I will not cause you all any harm. It is my hope that you all will cause me no harm. I have asked God to forgive me. I am asking each of you to forgive me.
Be Blessed,
Tammy
Tammy opened her email program. She sent out four individual emails; one to each of the Cafe Sisters. She was not sure how they were going to react, but she was half expecting something crazy to happen.
Tammy went to the restroom. She needed a break. She had put so much effort into writing her letters that she needed a moment to relax. The walk to the restroom seemed longer than usual. Her feet seemed to get heavier with each step. She walked by her manager. Her manager smiled at her. Tammy forced herself to smile back at her manager. Tammy did not want her nosey manager bothering her right now. Tammy shook her head as she thought, "I am surrounded by nosey gossiping people. This does not make any sense. Lord, I need help."
Tammy finally made it to the restroom. She walked into one of the stalls. She leaned up against one of the walls. She wanted to slide down and sit on the floor, but she did not know how clean the floor was. Tammy's body gave way to the weight that she felt. Before she knew it, she was sitting on the floor with her head in her hands, crying harder than she had ever cried. Tammy sat on the restroom floor and cried for over 5 minutes. When she finished, she felt so much lighter. She even felt happier. Tammy was glad about that.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Me @ 2:12 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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| 1.08.2007 |
| Gossip |
Tammy sat at the table and listened as the four other women sitting with her gossiped. When the five of them got together, all they ever did was gossip. They talked about everyone that they could think of to talk about. Tammy wondered what the others would think of each other if they knew that they all gossiped about each other when they visited one on one. Paul was right, "The tongue was an unruly creature." How many sermons had they heard about the tongue being a source of mess? Tammy wanted to ask them, "Are you all sure we are Christians?"
Angela, Helen, Mary, and Karen were currently gossiping about a gospel singer in the city. It had been alleged that the singer was cheating on his wife with a female pastor in a neighboring city. Tammy was waiting for her friends to ask her for her side of the story. Tammy knew the whole story. Tammy usually knew the latest gossip. She knew someone, who knew someone, who knew a person who knew everybody who was anybody's business.
Tammy could not believe how she had gotten caught up in gossiping. She never grew up gossiping. Her mother was always the last one to know anything of interest. Her mother had always told her, "Honey, it's enough just to know your own business. You do not need to be worrying about anyone else's business." It was easy to get caught up with the gossip though. Once she met Caroline Franklin, gossiping became a part of Tammy's life.
Caroline Franklin knew someone who knew everybody in the gospel world. Tammy had never met this friend of Caroline. Tammy was not even sure that Caroline's friend existed. Caroline got Tammy hooked by talking about Carver Boone, one of Tammy's favorite singers. Apparently, Carver was fooling around with his manager's 19 year-old daughter. Tammy stopped her thoughts. She could not believe that she was gossiping with herself. Lord, she needed help.
Angela touched Tammy's arm, "Girl, did you hear me? What do you know about Oscar Eastman?" Tammy did not answer Angela. Tammy was trying to resist the urge to gossip. It was hard though. All four of the ladies who were sitting at the table with Tammy just stared at her, waiting for a response. A rush of adrenaline raced through Tammy's body. The roof of her mouth salivated and her heartbeat raced. Every fiber of her flesh wanted to spill her guts. Her spirit told her to keep her mouth shut. Tammy was not sure what to do. Karen said, "Well, are you gonna tell us? I know you know. You need to quit tripping and gone and tell us." Tammy smiled, "You all know I got my sources. Yea, I know the story." Tammy paused and then said, "Apparently, Pastor Callvar's husband walked in on Oscar and Pastor Callvar in the middle of it. He almost passed out. Pastor Callvar's husband cussed them both out, called the police, and blocked the door so that Oscar could not leave."
"Girl, you know you lying."
"Who was on top?"
"Did anybody go to jail?"
"Is Pastor Callvar's husband ok?"
Tammy shook her head. She told herself that she was not going to gossip, but she had done it again. Tammy felt tears welling up in her eyes. She was tired of feeling like this. Excited while she was spreading the gossip, but shameful after she had opened her mouth, that was no way to live. She often prayed that she wouldn't gossip when she got together with her friends, but it never worked out for her.
Mary said, "Is that all of the story?" Tammy shook her head, "No. But it's enough of the story. We do not need to be gossiping anyway. None of that is our busy anyway."
Helen made a face, "Oh, Lord, here we go again. You act a fool every time you say something about somebody. Why don't you just quit saying stuff about folk, instead of bothering us?"
Tammy lamented, "If I did not tell you all what you all wanted to know, I would be ostracized and you all know it."
Angela rolled her eyes, "If you do not want to gossip, then why do you always know the latest gossip? Seems like you want to know the latest info, but you do not want to share it. That ain't right."
Tammy sighed, "It ain't like that. I am just tired of getting together with you all and all we ever do is talk about people. That is all we do. That is not right. We even talk about each other when the groups are separated. Angela, didn't you tell me that Mary was looking at porno sites? Karen, didn’t you tell me that Helen had run over her neighbor's rose bush? We all gossip and no one, I mean no one is off limits. God only knows what you all have said about me."
Angela made her mean face, "You are such a witch. I cannot believe you said some mess like that. You just messy." Karen added, "That was cold-hearted. You did not even have to go there. That was just messy."
Tammy lowered her head. She wanted to cry. She could not believe that she had been that callous and cold. She did not usually act that way. Tammy just wanted to get out of there.
The women ate their food in silence.
Helen interrupted the silence, "Tammy is telling the truth. We do gossip about each other like we ain't even friends. I mean Mary may only be looking, but one of us has actually participated in some porno. I ain't saying who, but that is what I heard." All the ladies looked at each other, trying to figure out which one of them was the guilty culprit.
Tammy shook her head. What had she done? Had it come down to this? She wanted to quit gossiping so much that she would jeopardize her friendship with the four ladies sitting at the table with her.
Tammy stared at Helen. Helen gave Tammy a wicked smile because Helen knew that Tammy knew who the culprit was. Tammy wondered, "Which one of the two women would be the first to reveal that Helen was the one who had participated?"Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Me @ 2:12 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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