A Change of Heart

Chapter 41

They're currently sitting on my couch, judging my choice of interior and lack of space. I'm making them tea with trembling hands. Did Joanna tell her parents about me? Did she tell them where I live?

"So, what brings you here?" I ask.

"We came to speak with you and Joanna," Mr. Clieves answers. I don't think she told them where I live. I place the teacups on a tray and walk over to them. I cannot thank my grandma enough for giving me her fine china. Mrs. Clieves takes a sip, scrunching her nose.

"Is there something wrong with the tea?" I say.

"Where do you buy this tea? It tastes like dirt," she comments.

"I got it from the supermarket," I answer. She would probably get a heart attack if she found out it's from a 24-hour open grocery store that's the size of the store at a gas station.

"We'd like to take this time to speak with you Howard. Joanna has said very little about you, yet what she's said has told us so much," Mr. Clieves explains.

"To put it simply, you're not good enough for our daughter. Not only are you dirt poor, but you've been distracting her from her work. We want you to break up with her," Mrs. Clieves adds. I should have seen this coming. But why would Joanna admit that I'm poor?

"Mr. and Mrs. Clieves, I understand your concern. I do not aim to distract Joanna from her work, but rather make sure she's in good health to run her empire efficiently," I respond.

"You can speak like an educated man, but you are nothing more than a puppet in her hands. And it should stay that way. You are not her equal, nor are you ours," Mr. Clieves states.

"If you're desperate for money, we'll be generous and pay you to leave her. Looking at your 'home', your price would probably be $2000," Mrs. Clieves says. I am offended, but $2000 would be a lot.

"I'm sorry, but I will not take your bribes. I love your daughter very much," I explain.

"$10000, or we could simply go after your family," Mr. Clieves declares. I feel like my heart has stopped. I shouldn't be surprised, Joanna kidnapped Maya, her parents can definitely do worse.

I can't leave Joanna, not when her parents have corrupted her like this. Not when Maya's still trapped who knows where and my mom believes I'm coming home. But, if I don't comply, she might not even be there.

As if on cue, there's a knock at the door. I excuse myself and head to the front door. I can see Joanna through the glass box. I open and watch as she trembles. I've never seen her so scared; she reminds me of... myself and all the other workers.

"Are they inside?" she asks, clearly panicking.

"Yes, they are," I answer. She composes herself and walks past me. We head back into my living room.

"Mother, Father, what are you doing here?" Joanna asks.

"We're making this hooligan understand that you two aren't meant for each other," Mrs. Clieves answers.

"Mother, whether you like him or not, he is still one of my employees. So, you will show him some respect," Joanna states. A smile creeps up on my face.

"Since when did we start respecting the workers?" Mr. Clieves asks.

"They are an important asset to the business," Joanna says.

"What nonsense have you corrupted my daughter with?" Mrs. Clieves points at me.

"I'm not trying to-"

"Enough with this nonsense! Joanna, if you actually care about... him, then you'll break up with him for his sake," Mr. Clieves threatens. I can see Joanna is as conflicted as I was when he threatened to hurt my family. I close my eyes and look up to God.

Father, I pray for strength, for wisdom. Let Your will be done, but if you want Joanna to leave me, then please open her heart to You. Amen.

"I'm sorry, Howard," Joanna whispers. I look over at her. Her eyes are filling up with tears, yet not a single one falls out. She's heartbroken, and so am I. I wanted to be with her through this journey, but clearly, I can't.

Her parents stand up, obviously happy that it's over. How can they ignore the fact their daughter obviously needs comforting? They walk over to the front door.

"Let's get you away from this demon child," Mrs. Clieves whispers.

"Excuse me?" I call out. They all look back at me. I stare directly at Mrs. Clieves. Demon child? 

"Is there a problem?" Mr. Clieves asks, glaring at me. He can try to intimidate me, but his wife just grouped me in with Satan. I will not take that lightly.

"There's a lot of things you can call me, and you've already called me a lot of things. But I will not let you call me a child of the devil. If you think that me teaching your daughter that she's a valued human being and that other humans should be valued as well is satanic work, you clearly can't call yourselves followers of God," I state.

The parents are shocked, but Joanna is mortified. Mrs. Clieves walks over to me, clearly fuming. She stands in front of me, looking ready to slap me in the face.

"I don't need someone like you telling me who I serve," she spits.

"John 13 verse 13 to 15," I say.

"Huh?" she questions.

"'You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and you are right, because that's what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.' The God you claim to serve washed His disciples' feet and told them to follow his example. Your holier than thou attitude is far away from that example. You spit on the people who wash your feet. So no, I don't think you follow God," I explain.

"I will not lose my temper to a hoodlum such as yourself! We're leaving!" she yells. Mr. Clieves opens the door, and they all walk out.