“Dot, you’ll know God’s voice when you hear it,” Mama always told me. I needed to hear it now. It was an unusually cold evening in Jacksonville, Florida, but that wasn’t what made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I hurried down a dark, deserted street, eager to get to my Auntie’s place and escape the menacing hum of an old engine. The pale blue sedan was back. It had circled the block to pass me again—for the third time—slow, deliberate. Whatever the driver wanted from me, I didn’t want to find out.
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I wasn’t carrying a cell phone, so I called for help the only way I could. Help me, God, I prayed. Tell me what to do!
I was supposed to be at Auntie’s hours ago – she’d just given birth and I couldn’t wait to meet my new cousin. I’d headed to the bus right after my college class let out, but bumped into a church friend, Ethel. We got to talking, grabbed a bite to eat. Before I knew it, I’d missed the last bus to Auntie’s neighborhood.
No big deal, I thought. I’ll take a different bus with Ethel and walk the rest of the way. Big mistake.
The pale blue car passed me once more. This time, the driver rolled down his window and shouted, things no girl should hear. He parked just up ahead of me and got out. He was tall, reed thin. He motioned for me to come to him.
READ MORE: THE VOICE IN THE BACKSEAT
I froze. To get to Auntie’s I’d have to go past him. The other direction was undeveloped wooded property. No matter which way I went, there was no way I could outrun this guy. I turned my face to the woods and said, “Lord, what do I do?”
That’s when I heard it. Calm and gentle, yet firm. A voice that seemed to come from the woods. “Dot, go pass him, he is not going to touch you.”
With fear in my heart, I obeyed. I closed the distance between the man and me. His face was pale, his eyes hollow. He stood like stone, stared straight ahead. Like he couldn’t see me. Like something had him spooked. The second I passed him, he got back in his car and drove off.
I ran the rest of the way to Auntie’s, called Mama right away. She was right. I heard God’s voice. Loud and clear.
