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Wise Her Still Three-Fold: The Book of Revocation
Wise Her Still Three-Fold: The Book of Revocation
Wise Her Still Three-Fold: The Book of Revocation
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Wise Her Still Three-Fold: The Book of Revocation

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Wise Her Still Three-Fold (The Book of Revocation) is a powerful and revelatory guide designed to help you to get to revelation knowledge without having to go through the valley of experience. This book highlights the bad choices that are common to today's generation of women and that will likely be commonplace for the generations to come. This book will help you to get a God's-eye-view of yourself so that you can revoke every ungodly process that's active in your life.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 24, 2017
ISBN9781370559282
Wise Her Still Three-Fold: The Book of Revocation
Author

Tiffany Buckner

Tiffany Buckner is the founder of Anointed Fire. She is the author of more than 20 self help books, and she is the founder of Wise Her Still and Wise Him Up. A graphic designer by trade, Ms. Buckner is one of today's most sought after ministry branders.

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    Book preview

    Wise Her Still Three-Fold - Tiffany Buckner

    Wise Her Still Three-Fold

    Volume II

    The Book of Reflections

    By Tiffany Buckner

    Anointed Fire Christian Publishing

    ~~~

    Smashwords Edition

    Copyright © © 2017, Wise Her Still Three-Fold

    The Book of Reflections

    United States Copyright Office

    Author: Tiffany Buckner

    info@anointedfire.com

    Published by Anointed Fire™ House

    Website: www.anointedfirehouse.com

    ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/ publisher.

    You may NOT sell or redistribute this book!

    Most of the stories in this book are fictional. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

    I have tried to recreate events, locales and conversations from my memories of them. In order to maintain their anonymity in some instances I have changed the names of individuals and places, I may have changed some identifying characteristics and details such as physical properties, occupations and places of residence.

    Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

    Scripture quotations, marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV ®, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2001 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright ©1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

    Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®. English Standard Version are registered trademarks of Crossway®.

    Dedication

    As with all things, I dedicate this book to the one and only true living God, YAHWEH. I pray that your name is glorified in every single story, paragraph and detail of this book. I love and adore you with every inch of who I am.

    Table of Contents

    Acknowledgments

    Introduction

    Chapter 1: The Other Side of a Pretty Face

    Chapter 2: Black Bodies Swinging

    Chapter 3: Snapshot

    Chapter 4: Perverted Pursuit

    Chapter 5: Dry Humping the Devil

    Chapter 6: To the Core

    Chapter 7: A Love Story

    Acknowledgments

    Thank you to the many women and men who purchased Wise Her Still and Wise Her Still Too, either for yourself or your loved ones. Your dedication, reviews and feedback have truly encouraged me to keep the series going. I sincerely thank God for you.

    Special thanks to Apostle Bryan Meadows and his beautiful wife, Patrice Meadows, for launching the Mentorship Modules. The program put pressure on me to finally finish this book … a project that was three years behind. Your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed and I, like many others, truly appreciate you more than words can express.

    Introduction

    The word revocation is short for revoke. Google defines revocation this way: the official cancellation of a decree, decision, or promise. Here's the truth. Many of us have suffered long and hard because of decisions, promises and most of all, decrees we've made. People suffer today because of the choices they made yesterday and yesteryear. Nevertheless, many are unaware of this truth, so they keep sowing into processes that God is trying to destroy in their lives.

    Wise Her Still Three-Fold (The Book of Revocation) is a powerful and revelatory guide designed to help you to get to revelation knowledge without having to go through the valley of experience. This book highlights the bad choices that are common to today's generation of women and that will likely be commonplace for the generations to come. This book will help you to get a God's-eye-view of yourself so that you can revoke every ungodly process that's active in your life.

    Chapter 1:

    The Other Side of a Pretty Face

    In life, we tend to place a greater value on beautiful things than we do on anything else. We also measure the worth of others based on how beautiful they are to us. For this reason, a woman who is considered uniquely beautiful will be admired and valued by many. She will also suffer unfair judgment from people who think her life is easier than theirs. Nevertheless, there is another side to a beautiful woman — one that we rarely visit or are aware of.

    -----

    Townsend, Tennessee was a small city situated just outside of Gatlinburg. With a population of just over 400 people, it was the epitome of a small town. Nevertheless, Nyoki loved her small town living, even though she had to deal with a lot of small town mindsets.

    Knock, knock, knock. The knocks on the door were getting louder and more frequent. I'm coming! screamed Nyoki. Geesh! Give me time to get to the door! A few seconds later, Nyoki opened the door and stared intently at her friend, Dani. Really? said Nyoki. You couldn't wait three more seconds? Dani pressed her way into the house and started running towards the bathroom. I gotta pee! she shouted before disappearing into the guest bathroom. Nyoki closed the door and made her way back upstairs. I'll be in my room, she shouted.

    Nyoki was what most would call an exotic beauty. She had long dark hair that complemented her fair skin. Her maternal grandmother was Polynesian and her grandfather was from Japan. Her mother, of course, was biracial, but her father was Haitian.

    Nyoki's beauty and unique name didn't go unnoticed. People often asked her where she was from, plus, when she was in school, she'd always garnered a lot of popularity because of her beauty and soft-spoken mannerisms. She'd also attracted quite a few bullies who were obviously jealous of the attention she received. Nevertheless, there was always someone willing to fight for Nyoki. As a matter of fact, during her junior year in high school, she'd been approached outside the classroom by a fellow classmate who'd accused her of staring at her. Nyoki had never stared at Erica (her classmate), however, Erica had been determined to find some reason to attack her. Nyoki apologized and tried to avoid getting into a fight (she'd never fought a day in her life), but Erica was more than determined to teach her a lesson. Without warning, Erica pushed Nyoki and was about to punch her when, all of a sudden, another girl came out of nowhere and began to punch Erica mercilessly. The girl was a rather shy classmate of Nyoki's and her name was Monique.

    Nyoki didn't personally know Monique; she'd just seen her in class a few times, but the two women had never had a conversation. Nevertheless, Nyoki would always greet Erica and when Erica was being reprimanded for not having a pencil in class, Nyoki came to her rescue, offering her one of her pencils. The fight only lasted a minute, but by the time it was over with, Erica was begging people to keep Monique away from her. Erica ended up with a black eye, a swollen lip and a sprained leg.

    One of Nyoki's best friends was named Kimberly. Kim was just as beautiful as Nyoki, but she wasn't as soft-spoken or passive. Kim loved the fast lane and she loved the attention she received because of her beauty. Even though there were four women who traveled in their clique, Nyoki and Kimberly were the closest. Nyoki told Kimberly everything there was to know about her home life and her problems with her father. Kimberly, in turn, told Nyoki everything there was to know about her. There had even been an incident where Kimberly had confronted Nyoki's father at his job. Kim's father worked with Mr. Rameau (Nyoki's father) and she'd gone to the factory to ask her dad for some money. Mr. Rameau interfered, telling Kimberly's father that he didn't give his daughter money. They will take your money and go and squander it on some nappy-headed boy. That's why I don't give Nyoki anything! I put a roof over her head, clothes on her back and I make sure that she gets to school everyday. Frustrated, Kimberly began to scream at Mr. Rameau, ousting him for the deviant he was. After that, Mr. Rameau forbade Nyoki from seeing Kimberly.

    Kimberly had lived with her father as a child. Her mother had left her father to be with another man when she was only two years old. Her mother had never reached out to her or tried to have a relationship with her, so Kimberly grew up with her father. He remarried when Kimberly was ten years old and her stepmother wasn't the best parent to her. She didn't abuse Kimberly or neglect her; she just wasn't very attentive to her and it was clear that she was very jealous of Kimberly.

    Nyoki was now 27 years old and unemployed. She'd just been laid off from a daycare she'd been working for and she was going through a rather contentious divorce. Nyoki's husband had been very abusive towards her, often striking her for no apparent reason. He would also say the cruelest things to her in an attempt to tear down her self esteem. On one occasion, he'd even cut off an inch of her hair. After four years of dealing with his abuse and cruelty, Nyoki finally got the courage up to leave her husband. Julius, Nyoki's estranged husband, stalked her up until the day she had him arrested for the third time. While in jail, Julius committed suicide. In his suicide note, he blamed Nyoki for his death and pleaded with his family to fight Nyoki for custody of their son, Mason. He'd also addressed Nyoki in the note saying, See you in Hell. I'll keep your seat warm for you.

    Julius's death took a heavy toll on Nyoki. She'd dropped out of college for an entire year to grieve his death, plus, she spent that first year in and out of court with Julius's family fighting for custody of Mason. The last judge ended the family's vigorous attempt to destroy Nyoki by telling her that if they took her to court anymore, that she should file harassment charges against them and sue them for defamation of character. Nevertheless, Julius's family found another way to torment Nyoki. They would monitor her Facebook page and there were a few occasions when Nyoki had been sure that she'd been followed by Julius's brother, Jameson. She'd even spotted Jameson's wife, Brandy, following her a few times.

    Times were hard for Nyoki, but things were starting to get better. She was getting more modeling gigs and this helped to substitute the income she'd lost from her daycare job, plus, she had less than a year left in college. After graduation, she would officially be a Pharmacist. She'd then be able to move out of her parents' house with her son.

    Y'all don't have any toilet paper?! Dani had obviously not paid attention to her surroundings before entering the bathroom. Look under the sink, yelled Nyoki from the top of the stairs. There should be some under the sink. From the top of the stairs, Nyoki could see out the living room windows. A loud sound suddenly brought her attention to the horror that was going on outside. She panicked as she noticed a man outside hooking her car to an impound truck. Nyoki screamed as if she was being attacked. No, no, no!!! she shouted as she ran towards the front door, but before she could get out the door, Dani ran past her. Having worked at an impound lot before, Dani began to question the driver, ensuring that he had all the proper documents to legally repossess Nyoki's vehicle. He did. Dani then looked at a distraught Nyoki and shook her head. There's nothing we can do, she said as the tow truck driver continued to attach Nyoki's vehicle to his truck. To make matters worse, Mason's school bus pulled up in front of the house just as his mother's car was being impounded. As a matter of fact, the bus had to stop and let the driver fully pull out of the driveway. This was embarrassing for the now nine-year-old Mason.

    Twenty minutes later, there was another knock on the door. This time, it was Monique — the same Monique who'd defended Nyoki in high school. A far cry from her high school days, Monique had morphed into a beautiful young woman. In high school, she'd been around 35 pounds overweight and never seemed to have enough money to get her hair professionally styled, but nowadays, Monique looked like the epitome of an exotic model. Her long, sandy hair was a sew-in weave, but her near flawless brown skin, almond shaped eyes and the slight gap in her front teeth made her into the unique beauty that she was. Additionally, Monique had the body frame that most women would kill to have. She had a true coke-bottle figure with a tiny waistline and round hips to match. I almost thought you weren't home, said Monique as Nyoki opened the door. Where yo' car at? Dani intercepted. Long story, she said. I think we'll have to all ride in your car today.

    The women loaded up in Monique's brand new Mercedes Benz before heading off to a wedding reception being thrown by one of their former schoolmates named Ida. Ida couldn't afford a wedding, so she'd opted to get married at the courthouse and have a small reception to celebrate her and her husband's nuptials. Fifteen minutes later, the women pulled up in front of Ida's house. Cars lined the street and some were even parked across Ida's yard. Loud music could be heard coming from the house and a few children could be seen throwing water balloons at each other outside the house. Behave yourself, Nyoki said to her son, Mason. Go and play, but don't let me hear about you fighting or saying ugly things about anyone. Do you hear me? Mason nodded his head in affirmation before running off to play.

    The newlywed couple was already engaged in their first dance and Nyoki couldn't help but to admire their love for one another. They stared at each other as if no one else was in the room. Nyoki grabbed her cell phone and started recording a video of the couple dancing. Not only did she want to upload it to her Facebook page, but she wanted to use it as inspiration. After all, Ida had met her husband not long after dedicating her life to the Lord. Nyoki had become a faithful follower of Christ Jesus just three years prior and she was excited about her new journey in life.

    Nyoki lowered her camera just in time to hear Ida's mother speaking to her. Hey gorgeous lady, said Ms. Humes. Do me a favor. Run upstairs and get my camera for me. It's on my bed, next to my cigarettes. Oh, and bring me one of my cigarettes too. Nyoki nodded her head. Yes, ma'am, she said as she rushed towards the stairs. A few seconds later, Nyoki was in Ms. Humes room, bending over to grab her cell phone. That's when she heard the bedroom door open. You look good from all angles, said the raspy voiced man. It was Tyrone Hodges, a good friend of the groom. Fear gripped Nyoki's heart. Excuse me, she said, trying to make her way around Tyrone and out the door. That's when Tyrone closed the door, but not before Nyoki saw a sight that would forever change her. On the other side of the door, Nyoki saw Dani, her best friend, looking in at her. Dani! she shouted before the door shut completely. Dani never came to Nyoki's rescue. Fifteen minutes later, a traumatized Nyoki emerged from the room wearing a ripped shirt with her bra exposed. Her skirt was obviously twisted and her hair was disheveled. The music suddenly stopped as Nyoki slowly made her way down the stairs. She sat on the third stair from the bottom, staring pointlessly ahead of her. A few seconds later, she passed out.

    As she was being placed in the ambulance, Nyoki was partially conscious. She could hear her son screaming and crying and she could hear the voices of the crowd around her. Everyone seemed so close, yet so far. The mask that the paramedic put on Nyoki's face made it easier for her to breathe. I think she's been raped, said one of the paramedics, but no one knows who raped her. After that, Nyoki passed out again and didn't wake up for another two hours.

    When Nyoki opened her eyes, she saw her mother standing next to her bed. To her surprise, no one else was there to see her besides her mother. It wasn't surprising to Nyoki that her father wasn't there because she'd never had a good relationship with him, but where were her friends? Nyoki moaned in pain and tried to lift herself up, but her mother gently held her down. Rest. You need to rest. Mason is in the waiting room with your grandmother, so no worries. Just rest. Tears rolled down Nyoki's eyes as the reality set in. She'd been violently raped. Her rapist was Tyrone Hodges, Ida's uncle on her father's side.

    Tyrone was a self-proclaimed pimp. He would often brag about the women he had under his control. A petite and obnoxious man, Tyrone was detested almost everywhere he went; that is, until he would pull out wads of cash. He was dark-complexioned with chestnut brown eyes and lips that had obviously been discolored by smoking. He looked as if he could have been a handsome man had he grown a little more and never gotten involved in the street life. His petite figure made him look malnourished or diseased. It had been rumored that he had contracted HIV from one of the prostitutes who worked for him, but those rumors had not been substantiated.

    Nyoki lost all of her friends because of the attack. Dani was too afraid and too ashamed to come around, plus, she was secretly angry with Nyoki. She'd managed to turn Monique against Nyoki and everyone else seemed to follow suit. A guy who had initially been expressing interest in Nyoki suddenly turned his interest to Monique.

    Tyrone was arrested for first degree rape and was being held without bail because of the level of violence behind the attack. Many people were angry at Nyoki — especially the prostitutes who worked for Tyrone. Ida told everyone that Nyoki ruined her wedding reception and Dani told everyone who would listen that Nyoki consented to sex with Tyrone.

    Two months after the attack, Nyoki knew what she had to do. It was time for her to move to another state because people in Townsend, Tennessee hated her. Nyoki didn't mind the ugly stares or the whispers, but people were now harassing her son, Mason. This was because they couldn't seem to find a way to provoke Nyoki. So, a jobless Nyoki borrowed some money from her parents and moved to Los Angeles, California. Nevertheless, her nightmare was far from over.

    Almost immediately after moving to Los Angeles, Nyoki started receiving harassing inbox messages via Facebook from a profile listed as Joyce Flanagan. One of the messages read, When I find you, I'm going to cut all of your hair off your head and set you on fire. Let's see how pretty you think you are once you look like Freddy Krueger! Another message read, Tyrone humbled you! How does it feel to sleep with a man who's slept with hundreds of prostitutes without a condom?! Enjoy your HIV! The hatred in those messages told Nyoki she'd made the right choice in moving.

    Nyoki waited for the doctor to call her name. She was visiting a clinic she'd found a few blocks from her because she couldn't seem to hold her food down. The rumors of Tyrone's HIV status haunted her so much that she finally got over her fear and decided to have herself tested. Nyoki Rameau! the voice was loud and somewhat heavy, even though it was coming from a short, angel-faced nurse. Follow me, said the nurse as she led Nyoki into one of the rooms. The nurse performed a few tests on Nyoki and then told her that the doctor would be in the room in twenty to thirty minutes. Thank you, she said as the nurse left the room.

    Twenty minutes later, the doctor finally came in the room. He was an older gentleman with the friendliest eyes Nyoki had ever seen. He looked concerned and his expression scared Nyoki. He sat down on a swivel chair and began to open a folder with Nyoki's name on it.

    Dr. Rayne: How are you this morning?

    Nyoki: I could be better.

    Dr. Rayne: I totally understand. My wife decided to try her hand at cooking once again last night and now, I think I need a doctor. I've told her to stick to making gift baskets, but every now and again, she decides to venture off into the kitchen. I'm thinking about getting two pit bulls and placing them at the kitchen door to keep her out of it.

    Nyoki: (Laughs) She couldn't be that bad.

    Dr. Rayne: How old do you think I am?

    Nyoki: Huh?

    Dr. Rayne: Judging by looking at me, how old would you guess me to be?

    Nyoki: Around 65?

    Dr. Rayne: I'm 50. That's how bad my wife's cooking is.

    Nyoki: (Laughs).

    Dr. Rayne: Okay, let's see here. Open your mouth and lift your tongue a little. Uh huh. Okay. Now, I want to check your breathing, so I'm gonna place this here gadget on your chest and your back and I want you to take the deepest breath you've ever taken.

    Nyoki: Okay.

    After the tests, Dr. Rayne excused himself once again. He left Nyoki's folder on the chair that he'd been sitting on. Tempted to grab the folder to see what was in it, Nyoki stood to her feet and began to stretch. Suddenly, the door opened again. It was the doctor and Nyoki was relieved she hadn't touched her folder. Tired, I see. No worries. We're almost done, said Dr. Rayne as he grabbed Nyoki's folder and sat down. Okay, it says here that you were raped a few months ago. Is that correct? Dr. Rayne said as he tilted his glasses, looking up at Nyoki. The love in his eyes was evident. He reminded Nyoki of a concerned father. Yes sir, said Nyoki. I was raped. Dr. Rayne removed his glasses. I'm sorry to hear that. Is there someone here with you today? Dr. Rayne looked even more concerned. It was evident that news he was about to share with Nyoki wasn't going to be easy for her to accept. No, said Nyoki. I moved to California to get away from everything — from everyone. Dr. Rayne let out what could best be described as a concerned sigh.

    Dr. Rayne: Okay. Let me ask you this. Were you sexually active before or after the attack?

    Nyoki: No. I wasn't a virgin, but I hadn't had sex in maybe four or five years.

    Dr. Rayne: Okay.

    Nyoki: What's wrong?

    Dr. Rayne: I don't know if it's a good idea for me to tell you this, seeing that you don't have anyone here with you, but I'll go with my gut on this one. The tests reveal that you're pregnant.

    Nyoki: What?! Pregnant?! How?!

    Dr. Rayne: I'm guessing you're around nine to ten weeks pregnant.

    Nyoki: No, doc. I can't be pregnant. I cannot have a baby by the man who …

    Dr. Rayne: I understand. I want to set up a date for a sonogram so I can give you a more accurate estimate and see what's going on, but we did two tests: a urine test and a blood test and both are showing positive for pregnancy. Let me ask you this, and I know it's none of my business but, are you receiving counseling?

    Nyoki: I was, but I stopped.

    Dr. Rayne: May I ask why?

    Nyoki: Because the woman who was counseling me back home was biased. The whole town turned against me and I felt like her questions were designed to belittle me.

    Dr. Rayne: I see. I have a good friend here in Los Angeles who is a Psychiatrist. Her name is Dr. Moore. She's an amazing woman and I've used her many times to counsel my own children. I adopted three children and every last one of them needed counseling, so I've used her for each child. She works wonders. If I give you her business card, would you call her at least?

    Nyoki: Dr. Rayne, I cannot be pregnant. I've got a few months left in school and immediately after that, I want to get to work.

    Dr. Rayne: Please, call Dr. Moore. Do it for me, okay?

    Nyoki dropped her head. Okay, she said, reaching for the business card. Dr. Rayne felt sorry for Nyoki.

    Dr. Rayne: It'll be okay.

    Nyoki: I sure hope so.

    Dr. Rayne: I know I'm crossing some borders here, but what is your faith?

    Nyoki: Faith?

    Dr. Rayne: What is your religion?

    Nyoki: I was Christian, but …

    Dr. Rayne: Was?

    Nyoki: Yeah. Now, I don't have any faith. I don't believe in organized religion.

    Dr. Rayne: I see …

    Nyoki: The attack taught me that I was being silly with all of the God stuff. And now — pregnant? Pregnant by the monster who raped me and turned the whole town against me — even my own church? Nope. I've left organized religion where it belongs — in the past.

    Dr. Rayne: I see. Well, if you ever decide you'd like to give God another shot, I'd love for you to visit my home church. It's on Bellevue Street and it's called Restored to Rise Ministries; it's headed up by Apostle Terrence Sawyer. He's an awesome man of God, plus, they do counseling down at the church too. Here's a business card with the church's address on it.

    Nyoki: No thanks. I think I'll take my chances with Dr. Moore. I'll keep the card though … just in case I change my mind … if that ever happens.

    Three weeks later, Nyoki was in Dr. Moore's office for her second visit. The one thing that Nyoki talked about the most was how she'd talked so many women out of aborting their unborn babies, but now, she was considering abortion. I cannot have this baby, said Nyoki. When I was pregnant with Mason, I felt nothing but love for him. I was careful in all things. I was careful with what I ate, what I lifted, how I slept — everything! Now, I don't care what I eat or how heavy something is. I know this may make me sound like a monster, but I despise this child that's growing inside me. It's almost like cancer. I had a dream the other night that Tyrone, my rapist, was a fetus growing inside of me. When I woke up, I hated this child all the more. Ms. Moore crossed her legs as she began writing on her legal pad. For two minutes, Ms. Moore didn't respond, but when she did respond, she said, One of the issues here is you keep referring to the child as 'this baby.' What that means is — you're doing the same thing to the baby that the rapist did to you. You are dehumanizing the baby, meaning, to you, he or she is nothing but an object — not a person. When you change how you see the baby, you'll be able to get past the feelings of fear and hatred that surround the child. Have you decided yet what you want to do? Are you going to keep the child or abort it? Or are you considering putting him or her up for adoption?

    Nyoki: I'm not sure yet. I don't want to carry this child to full term, but at the same time, I feel like such a hypocrite. I've counseled victims of rape and talked them out of aborting their babies. Why is it that I can't do the same for myself? I've been calling abortion clinics ever since I found out about — it — I mean this baby.

    Dr. Moore:: That's an area I cannot touch. I can't tell you what to do, but what I can recommend is this. Give the child a name. Do you know if the child is a girl or boy?

    Nyoki: Not yet. My sonogram is scheduled for tomorrow and I'll find out then. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I want to know.

    Dr. Moore:: Yes, you need to know, otherwise, if you decide to abort, you will always wonder. Anyhow, once you find out the baby's sex, give the child a name. It doesn't have to be the actual name that you'll give the child if you carry it full term, but give the child a name — the first name you think of when you see the sonogram. And instead of referring to it as this child or it, call the baby by the name you've given to him or her.

    Nyoki agreed. Okay, doc, she said. I'll give it a shot.

    The next day, Nyoki laid still as Dr. Rayne performed her sonogram. Seeing the baby on the screen helped Nyoki to see it as a human being and not a miniature Tyrone growing inside of her. Yep, said Dr. Rayne. Look right here. You can see that the baby does not have a penis which means, you're having a girl. Nyoki took a deep breath. She'd always wanted to have a girl, but of course, not under the circumstances that led to her conception. Victoria, said Nyoki. She looks like a Victoria, so I'll call her Victoria for now. Dr. Rayne smiled. It was obvious that Nyoki's counseling sessions were helping her to improve. Dr. Rayne: Great! I want to see you again in about four weeks so that we can make sure that little Victoria here is doing well. Don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything.

    Nyoki: Doc, I may be aborting this baby — I mean, Victoria.

    Dr. Rayne: I completely understand. Don't make any rash decisions just yet though. Not before you visit my church. There's someone there I'd like you to meet.

    Nyoki: Is it another counselor?

    Dr. Rayne: (Laughs) No — gosh no. This here is a child. Just come out Sunday if you will and you'll get to meet him.

    Nyoki: I can't make any promises, but I'll try. What's the address again? Wait. Was the address on the business card you gave me the last time I was here?

    Dr. Rayne: Yes, it was on the card. Do you want another one?

    Nyoki: No. On second thought, I'll be there. You've been so good to me; it's the least I could do.

    Dr. Rayne: Awesome! I'll let Timothy know that you're coming. Timothy's my seventeen-year-old son by the way. I hope you don't mind, but I told him about you and he's been eager to meet you ever since.

    Nyoki: I don't mind. I'll see you Sunday. Thanks again, Dr. Rayne and I look forward to meeting Timothy.

    Dr. Rayne: Don't mention it.

    Later that day, Nyoki received another inbox message from another profile labeled as Joyce Flanagan. Nyoki had blocked two other Joyce Flanagan profiles, but whoever it was that was writing her, would only create another profile and send her a message. It read, "I know where you live and I plan to kill you slowly. After I'm finished, I'm gonna post a picture of your dead body to Facebook! Nyoki looked at the message and then blocked the profile. She wasn't afraid. What the sender didn't realize was that the message contained the sender's location. It read, Townsend, Tennessee." Nyoki was absolutely positive that Dani was sending the messages to her because she'd witnessed Dani harassing a few other women in the past via Facebook.

    The next day, Nyoki received a callback from one of the pharmacies she'd applied to work for. She would be going into orientation the next day. Nyoki was excited. The money her parents loaned her was almost gone.

    During orientation, Nyoki noticed a few women scoffing at her. I sure hope y'all ain't the ones who are supposed to be training me, Nyoki mumbled as she looked at the three women. It wasn't long before Nyoki realized that the women were in training with her. She let out a loud sigh of relief.

    During her first week on the job, Nyoki noticed how extreme people were towards her. Some people favored her because of her beauty, while others hated her because of it. She'd even overheard a woman saying, She thinks she's Ms. America. I bet you that her hair ain't natural either. It looks too fake to be real. Nyoki made it very clear that she'd heard her by running her fingers through her hair and shaking it with her hands. Nope. All mine, said Nyoki as she passed the woman by. She was beginning to despise her beauty. She'd even thought about cutting her hair and gaining a few pounds so that she wouldn't stand out so much whenever she went places. Nevertheless, these were all just afterthoughts; Nyoki knew that she would not and could not cut her hair. Plus, how could she manage a rambunctious nine-year-old if she was overweight?

    Sunday came and Nyoki walked into Restored to Rise Ministries with her son, Mason. She'd had a rough week and was ready to give up on living. The only reason she didn't take her life was because of her son, Mason.

    The people at Restored to Rise Ministries were very nice and very welcoming. Nevertheless, Nyoki reasoned within her heart that it was all a front. The people at her former church appeared to be nice; that was, until the incident. Thank you, said Nyoki as she followed one of the ushers to her seat. Why was the usher placing Nyoki so close to the front, after all, the front seats were nearly filled? Everyone else was being led to the back of the church, but the usher walked past a lot of open pews and took Nyoki one pew away from the front of the church. Feeling uncomfortable, Nyoki was about to move to the back of the church when she heard a familiar voice coming from behind her. I asked them to seat you there, said Dr. Rayne. Nyoki turned around and saw the loving doctor along with a woman who looked even more gentle than he did. This is my wife, Annabelle, and these are my three children. This is Timothy, this one here is Liam, and that little guy over there is named Caleb. Nyoki greeted Mrs. Rayne and the children. The children were obviously adopted. Timothy looked like he could be Dr. Rayne's natural son. With big blue eyes and a head full of curly brown hair, he was almost a spitting image of the doctor. Liam, on the other hand, was obviously Latino and Caleb looked biracial. His mother was obviously a Caucasian woman, but his dad had obviously been an African or African American man. Timothy here is 17 years old; Liam is nine, and ole Caleb here is four.

    Service started and the worship team immediately began to sing … on time. This was surprising to Nyoki. The church she'd attended at home never started on time. Everyone got out of their seats and began to worship the Lord through the lifting of hands, dancing or kneeling. Nyoki felt out of place. She badly wanted to be seated at the back of the church, but the church was now packed. There was no way she could move. Sit still and be quiet, Nyoki said to Mason. And stop turning around in your seat. Mason and Liam were both the same age, so they were talking to one another for the majority of the service.

    The praise team began to sing a worship song that was once dear to Nyoki's heart. Most of the people were now either laid out on the carpet, kneeling or crying. Nyoki felt something

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