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No Greater Love
A novel written by Kwanza
Chapter One
The light tapping of the rain against the car window was soothing. Emanuel
focused on the road in front of him as he replayed the events of the evening in his mind.
Family, friends, and great music -- all the ingredients for a wonderful night, but now all
Emanuel wanted to do was spend some much needed quality time with his beautiful wife,
Jada. The past few months had been extremely hectic for both of them as Jada worked
non-stop preparing for the grand opening of, Soul Sistahs, her new jazz club, and
Emanuel worked his usual fourteen-hour days promoting Atlantic City’s first African
American-owned hotel and casino. It had seemed that all of their focus and energy went
toward work, which left little time for one another. For six months straight, their days ran
into nights, causing all of their relationships to suffer: their marriage, their family, their
friendships, and -- most importantly -- their relationship with God. They began their day
with a prayer and ended it with prayer, they still felt slightly disconnected, but never
losing sight of their many blessings. Amidst all the madness the two came together in the
evenings, just long enough to discuss the maladies of the day, over a bowl of cereal, a
sandwich, or some other ration that hardly constituted a balanced meal. Spiritually,
neither Emanuel nor Jada had the absolute peace that they were used to as they struggled
to plan, produce, and meet deadlines. But tonight signified a new beginning for the
couple. The launch of the jazz club, and the successful completion of the casino
campaign marked the end of long, stress-filled nights and unhealthy eating and the
beginning of peace and a renewed commitment to their marriage. They had reached the
finish line of their hectic race and now they were preparing to enter a place of peace.
After they left the club they both breathed a deep sigh of relief releasing all of the heavy
demands that the past months had placed on them. They felt centered and connected.
Now all they wanted to do was spend some time alone to serve their God and cater to one
another. They both agreed that from this day forward they would no longer allow work to
consume them, and in honor of their new found commitment, and in celebration of their
successful endeavors, Emanuel and Jada were leaving in the morning for a much-needed
two-week spiritual retreat in Colorado. They planned to hike, golf, and sail all day and
make love all night. Emanuel could feel his shoulders relax as he thought about the
brochure, which featured a spectacular view of the sun rising over the La Playa
Mountains, and tall green trees set under a beautiful blue sky. The most mesmerizing
photo of all was a scene of the sun setting over a secluded cabin creating an orange hued
sky. The images were so vibrant and alive that just the thought of them brought peace and
serenity to Emanuel. Emanuel’s thoughts, although they felt very real, were in complete
contrast to the current scene that played out around them -- heavy rain dancing hard
against the asphalt and even harder against the car window. Emanuel flipped the wipers,
increasing their speed to keep cadence with the downpour. He looked over at Jada who
seemed unfazed by the sudden heavy rainfall, and he smiled because he knew that her
peace was a direct result of her faith and confidence in not only God’s ability to protect
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