Chapter One
A Year Later
Mariah Johnson Black smiled proudly as her husband neared
the end of his morning message. It just didn't seem real,
him actually being senior pastor of Truth Missionary
Baptist Church or that he'd chosen her to be his wife. It
didn't seem real that he'd wanted a woman who'd grown up
in a run-down two-bedroom apartment on the West Side of
Chicago that also housed her single mother and five
siblings. But he always reminded her that he'd grown up
with nothing himself. Still, every now and then, she had
to pinch herself, because she couldn't believe how happy
she was. She couldn't believe they'd only been married six
short months, and yet Curtis had already bought her a six-
thousand-square-foot house in Covington Park, the most
expensive Mercedes that Daimler manufactured, and best of
all, she didn't have to work for anyone. All she had to do
was be the best wife she could be to Curtis and the best
first lady to their congregation -- two things Curtis said
his first wife, Tanya, wasn't capable of. Mariah almost
felt sorry for Tanya, because she couldn't imagine how
painful it must have been, once Tanya realized what she'd
given up. Curtis had told Mariah about Tanya's affair with
James, and Mariah couldn't understand how Tanya even
considered being with another man. Especially when she had
someone as fine-looking and considerate as Curtis.
Especially since he had only been with another woman --
Adrienne -- on two separate occasions. Curtis had told
Mariah how he'd apologized and tried to explain everything
to Tanya, but that she wasn't willing to forgive him. He'd
tried to make Tanya see that this random act of adultery
had only occurred because Satan was trying to attack him
and their marriage. He'd told Tanya that the only reason
God had allowed it to happen was because He wanted to see
how strong their faith was and how committed they were to
each other as husband and wife.
But thankfully, all of that was behind them now, and while
she wasn't happy about Curtis and Tanya's marriage ending
in divorce, she knew it was the only reason she was now
sitting on the second pew, dressed in a royal blue suit, a
matching hat, matching purse, and matching three-inch
heels. Mariah also knew that Curtis would never have paid
her the least bit of attention if they hadn't worked for
the same agency. He'd told her more than once that she was
beautiful, but she knew it was only because he felt
obligated to do so and not because it was true. She'd been
a bit on the heavy side growing up, and her schoolmates
had teased her daily. So by the time she was a teenager,
she'd lost all confidence in herself and in the way she
looked.
But in terms of her feelings for Curtis, she'd actually
liked him from the very beginning and had fallen in love
with him right after their first date. He was strong,
compassionate, tall, dark, and handsome, and from that
point she started praying for their relationship to become
serious. She prayed that God would give her Curtis even if
it meant she had to go without something else in life,
whatever that had to be. So when he asked her to marry
him, she knew for sure that God answered all prayers.
Mariah watched Curtis twirl his hands, demonstrating what
he was saying.
"God will allow you to experience every twist and turn in
the road until you are as strong as He needs you to be ...
until you are strong enough to deal with any trial or
tribulation thrown your way," Curtis said. "And when it
comes to success and prosperity, we have to take the same
attitude. Sometimes we find ourselves climbing higher and
higher in our chosen careers and all of a sudden a monkey
wrench is thrown into the program. And of course, we as
human beings don't understand it. We don't understand why
God would give us such great success and then, for
whatever reason, take us down a notch or two. But the best
way I can explain it is to tell you what I heard on the
radio last week. I was driving along, listening to 106.3,
and it was then that I heard T. D. Jakes make one of the
most profound statements. He said, 'A set-back is a setup
for a comeback.'"
The congregation roared with amens and a good number of
people waved their bulletins at Curtis, agreeing with what
he was saying.
Curtis thrived on member participation and repeated in
song what the crowd wanted to hear him say again. "I said,
a setback is a setup for a comeback."
"Oh, thank you, Jesus!" one woman stood and yelled out.
"Glory be to God!" another added with her hands lifted
toward the ceiling.
"Boy, you know you workin' that Word on us today!" an
older gentleman offered.
The organist played a few notes, and Mariah stood with her
hands on both hips, waving her head from side to side with
quick movements, giving Curtis approval. Then a woman
jumped from her seat, shouting her way across three people
sitting on the same row. This, of course, was all Curtis
needed to see in order to switch into his deep southern
preaching mode. He'd told Mariah that he thought it was
totally ridiculous to sing the ending of every sermon, but
that he'd learned during his days at Faith that his older
members didn't feel like a pastor could preach if he
didn't do a little whooping and singing with it ...
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