This is the National Novel Writing Month Blog of deartra d. Boone. It is a story about God's love, deliverance, and restoration. A coquette goes to church on Resurrection Sunday to "meet" the new pastor, but meets Jesus instead. Many other lives are changed at the service, including the pastor's. Come join us for Resurrection Sunday.
11/20/2007
The Story In Order

Please remember that this is a first draft of the story. There may be some errors in the story.

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posted by Lady Boone @ 7:30 PM  
11/15/2007
Day Fifteen
Ronnie Winchell had finally reached the Orchard Park Mall. He did not really need to go, but he wanted a new suit for Easter Sunday. He was visiting the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church for their services and he wanted to look his best. He hadn't been to church in a year. He was a Christian, but he had lost interest in church after a rumor was spread about him at his last church. He was so hurt that he could not even go back to any church, much less his church home. Somehow, a rumor got out that he had gotten a lady pregnant at his church. He hadn't. No one ever said who the girl was, but the rumor spread like wildfire, even without a person being named. It had gotten to the point that he could not even walk in the church without someone giving him a nasty look. The mothers of the church were especially hard on him. At the time of the rumor, four single women in the church were pregnant. None of them would say that Ronnie was the father of their child, despite pressure from the leadership of the church. No one could say anything because Ronnie had not slept with any of the women. He hadn't slept with a woman since his wife died three years ago. To be honest, he was not even that type of guy. Ronnie was an upstanding gentleman. He had never mistreated a woman. He had never cheated on a woman. He had never even raised his voice at a woman. His own problem was that he had a gold tooth in his mouth that he had gotten when he was younger. That thing got him into more trouble. He was not a thug. He was not a rough neck. He just happened to be a guy with a gold tooth.

Ronnie never got over the rumor. Some of the people at his old church still think that he is the father of one of those children, if not all of them as one deacon surmised was the truth. Ronnie finally left the church because he could no longer take the ridicule. He hadn't set foot in a church since the last Sunday he attended his former church. He had not forgotten about God, though. He knew that he needed God, no matter how crazy the people who said they knew God acted.

A neighbor of his had been inviting him to church for the longest time. She was persistent with her invitations, too. It had gotten to a point where Ronnie did not want to be outside at any given time just in case she showed up outside. She cornered him one day, "Ronnie, when are you going to come to church with me. It seems like you have been hurt by someone at church. You have got to get over that and come back to God. Quit holding God responsible for what man did." The woman did not know how much that had pricked his heart. It was that statement that made him decide to go to church.

He had decided to wait for a major holiday, that way; he could not be singled out in the church service. At his old church, that was a constant habit, singling out people to put them on Front Street. Ronnie did not want that to happen. Most churches would be packed on a holiday Sunday, so no one could find him in the service. He hadn't even told his neighbor that he was coming to church. He did not want her pressuring him to do anything in the service. He just wanted to go to the church and then go home. He would be able to say that he had gone to church and no one could bother him for awhile.

Ronnie parked his car. He was far off from the mall. He could not believe how many people were at the mall. It was cars everywhere, even at 2:30 in the afternoon. "Why were not any of these people at work?" Ronnie thought. He started the long trek to the mall. He made a good living, owning a gas station. He chuckled. No one really knew that he owned the gas station. He was not the only owner. A friend of his owned the station with him. His friend did most of the work. Ronnie enjoyed managing the station and visiting with the people. He often wondered how people would treat him if they knew his secret.

He had wanted to tell the lady who drove the Subaru Tribeca how he was. He really liked her, but she would not give him the time of day. He had tried on several occasions to talk to her, but she acted as if she wanted him to just evaporate into thin air. He knew that she had a preconceived notion about him. She was always nice, but she had no interest in him whatsoever. He wished he knew what church she went to because he would gladly go visit her at church. If she could only see him in a tailor made Italian suit, she would have a different impression of him.

He was going to visit RayRay's Men's Store. Mr. Ray would have a perfect suit for him. Ronnie had called Mr. Ray and asked him to have a suit ready for him. Ronnie knew that MR. Ray would hook him up right. Ronnie was going to church once this year and he was intent on looking his best.

Lela reached her car. She unlocked her door with the keys she had retrieved from her purse before reaching the car. She opened the back door and threw the bag into the backseat. She was still furious. She needed to go home and take a long hot bubble bath. That would make her feel better. She was even more upset because she hadn't even found a suit yet. How was Pastor Van Duren going to pay any attention to her and she was in one of her old suits? She made a face, "Why am I still thinking about that fool?" She chuckled, "I got it bad for that man. I need a life or something." She slammed the backdoor shut and then opened the front door and got into the car. She slammed the door behind her. She abruptly put on her seatbelt, hurting her hand in the process. She almost said a curse word, but she mentally stopped the word before it completely formed in her brain. She shook her hurt hand to ease the pain some. Shaking her hand did not help. Her hand still throbbed from the pain. She blew a deep breath and then started the car. She turned the power off on her radio so that she could say a prayer.

"Lord, please help me. I am lonely. I am tired of being alone. I do not know what to do anymore. It seems as if I have been left out here. All my friends have gotten married or will be getting married. I am stuck out here by myself. Please help me. Give me some kind of answer. Maybe Pastor Van Duren is not my husband, but I know You have one for me. Can he please show up some time soon? Take away the loneliness. Take away the emptiness. Please Father, I truly need You now. Please forgive me for acting incorrectly with the pastor. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Mrs. Logan smiled when she realized that the young man had recognized her. He stopped what he was doing and ran towards her. She braced herself for the impact of David's hug. When he reached her, he grabbed her up, gave her a big hug, and spun her around in the process. After a few seconds, he put her down and then gave her a wet kiss on the jaw. He did it on purpose, like he always did whenever he saw her.

Mrs. Logan wiped her jaw, "Boy, quit leaving her spit on my jaw. I do not know where your mouth has been."

David Victor laughed, "Sorry, Mrs. L. You know I love you like crazy. I get excited whenever I see you."

"Boy, you are going to get me into trouble with my husband talking like that," Mrs. Logan communicated.

"I can't help it if he gets jealous. He better treat you right or I will be there to scoop you up," David Victor beamed.

Mrs. Logan rubbed David Victor's arm, "Baby, you make an old woman smile. Now, do you know where my husband is?"

David Victor playfully frowned, "Why are you looking for that old man?"

Mrs. Logan twisted her lips, "Cause I love him. That's my Boomby. I am crazy about him."

David Victor laughed mischievously, "Boomby, huh. Wait until I call him that. That is too good."

"Boy, do not make me tan your hide. You know you can't call him that. If you do, we are going to have a problem," Mrs. Logan chided.

David Victor mad a sad face, "Sorry, Mrs. Logan. I was just playing around. Do you forgive me?" He smiled a big kool-aid smile.

Mrs. Logan twisted her lips and then slapped David Victor on his shoulder, "You are too much for me. If you see my husband, tell him that I am at Udetta's."

"Why do not you just call him?" Victor questioned.

Mrs. Logan rolled her eyes, "If I wanted to call him, I would have called him. Now, give him my message. You young folk do not know how to follow instructions these days. Lord, help us all." She walked off before David Victor could say anything.

David Victor laughed and walked off to go find Mr. Logan. He did not want to get into trouble with Mrs. Logan.

Mikala had been in Udetta's helping out. Mrs. Udetta asked her to run back and forth to the stockroom to get shoes for the customers. Mikala did not argue with Mrs. Udetta, she just began working as if she was on the payroll. Mrs. Udetta was happy, too. Normally, Mikala would complain if she was asked to do the stockroom running at the store. She would eventually do that task, but she would complain first.

Mikala had been doing a great job. Mrs. Udetta had received several compliments from the customers about how fast Mikala was retrieving the shoes and accurately. Everyone seemed happy that they were able to get what they needed so quickly. Mikala even seemed happy. Her mother on the other hand, was fuming. She was ready to leave the store. She still needed to find Mikala a dress for Sunday service.

Mrs. Udetta pulled Michelle Neu aside, "Let the child stay here. She is happy and enjoying herself. If you ask her to leave now, she is going to be upset. Do you really want to be dealing with her if she is upset?"

Michelle blew a deep breath, "I need to find her a dress for Sunday. If I do not do it now, she will never get a dress. That would probably make her happy. Why is she so hard to shop for?"

Mrs. Udetta laughed, "Do not worry about the dress. I have one in the back that I think both of you will like. She will have a new dress for Sunday. Let the child be who she is. When she is ready to be a girlie girl, she will be a girlie girl. Leave her be."

Michelle twisted her face, "I just wish she would wear something else besides jeans. At least she wears the kind with sparkles. That's some good news."

Mrs. Udetta smiled, "She is a child. When she is ready, she will become a girlie girl. Just give her time."

Michelle blew a breath, "Ok. What does the dress look like?"

"Mrs. Udetta, do you have this suit in red," a lady holding a blue dress said.

Mrs. Udetta looked at Michelle, "I will show you later. Let me help her."

Michelle nodded as Mrs. Udetta walked off. Michelle hoped that she would like the dress that Mrs. Udetta had picked out.
posted by Lady Boone @ 7:39 PM  
11/14/2007
Day Fourteen
Boyd asked, "What happened?"

Brock laughed again, "I ain't gonna tell you over the phone. Hurry up and get here."

Boyd grunted, "Why you gotta clown? Alright, but this better be good." Boyd hung up the phone without even saying bye.

Lela walked slowly towards the exit of the mall. She was fuming, half at herself for acting a fool in front of Pastor Van Duren, half at Pastor Van Duren for acting as if he didn't care about her advancing towards him. She was hurt, noticeably hurt, but there was no one to even detect how she felt. She was lonely. Perhaps, she was going to be lonely for the rest f her life.

"If that nappy headed preacher doesn't know a precious jewel when he sees one, then forget his trifling no count tail. He ain't that fine anyway," Lela's inner self proclaimed loudly. "We don't need him anyway. He would be more trouble than he is worth, too. His ignant friend would probably always be hanging around. They both are some idiots," Lela's inner self screamed louder.

Lela audibly whispered, "Ok. You are right." She had to quiet her inner self. The woman was screaming too loudly. Apparently Lela's response was sufficient; her inner voice was stone quiet. Lela felt bad. The Christian side of her knew that she was wrong for confronting her pastor like that. She had been all out of place. She had to set things right, before Sunday. Thankfully, she had the number to the church programmed on her cell phone. She knew that the secretary was at the church today, too.

Lela grabbed her cell phone and dialed the number for the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church.

The church secretary answered, "Praise the Lord. It is a great day at the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. This is Sis. Gould, how may I help you?"

Lela laughed. Sis. Gould always answered the phone like that. Lela responded, "Hello, Sis. Gould. It's Lela Rhineholt."

Sis. Gould smiled, "Hey, girl. How are you doing?"

Lela could feel Sis. Gould's smile through the phone. It made her feel a little better. Lela proceeded with the task at hand, "Can you put me through to pastor's voice mail?"

Sis. Gould paused, "I can just take a message if you want me to."

Lela blew an exasperated breath, "No mame, this is something personal."

Sis. Gould made a face that said, "Uhh huh, personal I bet." Sis. Gould responded, "Okay, give me a second. You know you can't be leaving the pastor no booty call messages on the church phone, girl." The church secretary laughed so that Lela would not feel indicted.

Lela laughed, "I know. It is not a message like that. He probably has no interest in me or any other woman for that matter."

Sis. Gould was about to ask Lela what she meant, but Sis. Gould knew better than to get wrapped up into church gossip. She tapped herself on the leg, her cue to let the thought in her head go. She said, "Hold on, Lela. I will transfer you."

Lela waited for the call to go to voicemail. Then she heard Pastor Van Duren's voice, "God bless you. This is the voice mail of Pastor Brock Van Duren. Thank you for calling me. At the moment, I cannot take your call, please leave me your name, a detailed message and your phone number. I will call you back as soon as possible. Again, please leave me your name and your phone number so that I can call you back. May God's peace fill your life full." The phone beeped.

Lela left her message, "Pastor, this is Lela Rhineholt. I called to apologize for my behavior at the mall today. I should not have acted like that and I should not have said what I said. Please forgive me. Good bye." Lela clicked the end call button, closed her phone up quickly, and threw it into her purse. She had to get out of the mall quickly because tears had begun to fill her eyes.

Mrs. Caroline Logan walked the food court looking for her husband. She had arrived at the mall after having to deal with an emergency. She knew that her husband was probably looking for her all day. She had to go into work on her day off. She was livid, but she had finally calmed down. she brushed her graying hair off her light beige forehead. She noticed David Victor Lyons out of the corner of her eyes. He was one of the other security guards that worked with her husband Bill Logan.
posted by Lady Boone @ 7:38 PM  
11/13/2007
Day Thirteen
Mikala went up to the front counter. As soon as Mrs. Udetta saw the teenage girl, she motioned for her to come over to her. Mikala obliged the older woman. When Mikala reached Mrs. Udetta, they embraced each other.

"How is my baby girl doing today?" Mrs. Udetta beamed.

Mikala smiled big. She loved it when Mrs. Udetta called her baby girl, "I am fine. How are you, other than busy?"

Mrs. Udetta squeezed Mikala tighter, "I am busy, but I am blessed, truly blessed baby girl. Is your mother dragging you through t his mall looking for a dress?"

"Yes mame. I hate going shopping for dresses," Mikala lamented.

Mrs. Udetta realized Mikala from the warm spot in her arms, "I know. I may be able to find you something in the store that will make your mother happy and will not make you scream."

Mikala tried to nuzzle herself back into the spot that Mrs. Udetta had just released her from, "Are you serious?

"Yes, child. You no good and fair well you cannot be laying upon me right now baby girl. I gots customers in here. Tell Marbella to go in the back and get that box with your name on it," Mrs. Udetta pushed Mikala playfully.

Mikala smiled, "Ok. I guess I cannot wait until later to finish my hug." Mikala walked off to find Marbella.

Mrs. Udetta laughed and then turned her attention to the customer she had standing at the counter, "Sorry about that Sis. Terraholt. I had to talk to my baby."

Sis. Marshay Terraholt made a face, "If you say so. I need you to hurry and ring this up. There are too many people in here. This is madness."

"It's Easter weekend. Everyone is trying to find something to wear. It's not that bad," Mrs. Udetta declared.

"Well, you know I do not like shopping with this many people around. Folks are too nosey, trying to see what you are wearing. I cannot believe you let all these people in here with me. You should have had them wait," Sis. Terraholt protested.

Mrs. Udetta smiled at the pompous sounding woman as she thought, "You are the idiot that came in here today. Not too smart Miss Lady." As quickly as she had thought it, Mrs. Udetta repented, "Lord, forgive me. I should not talk about YOUR child like that. Keep my thoughts pure Lord, lest I think something that causes me to sin."

Mrs. Udetta finished ringing up Sis. Terraholt and handed her the bags of clothes. Sis. Terraholt walked out of the store with her nose in the air. She almost fell trying to avoid one of the other customers in the store. Mrs. Udetta tried not to laugh at the scene she had just witnessed. She thought to herself, "Lord, I will be glad when Sunday is here and gone. I love You and I thank You for dying on the cross for me, but folks sure can act a fool."

Precious and Alexia had finally made it to the 2nd floor of the Orchard Park Mall. Alexia made it a point to spend too much time looking in the furniture store. She kept looking at a sofa. She knew she had no intentions of buying the sofa, but she had the sales clerk show her the whole set of furniture, twice. Precious just sat on one of the sofa's in a living room display and watched some soap opera that was showing on the flat screen TV. It was a good thing that Precious had seen the TV and liked it. the sales clerk's time would have been wasted if Precious had not decided to buy two of the flat screen TVs. She did not own a flat screen. She preferred a traditional TV. She was scared that something would happen and a flat screen would get broken. After the sales person told her all about the TVs, she decided to go ahead and get a couple of them. The sales clerk seemed happy with the sale and did not complain about Alexia wasting his time. They left the furniture store after Precious arranged for the store to deliver her TVs on the Monday following the weekend.

Precious made a face, "Why are you clowning today?"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Alexia knew full well what Precious was talking about.

Precious rolled her eyes at her aunt, "You are clearly tripping. Why did you mess with that sales clerk like that? You knew you were not going to buy that furniture. You need Jesus!"

Alexia laughed loudly, "You ain't even one to talk. At least I got Jesus in my life. You ain't even looked for Jesus since half past forever."

An elderly woman almost bumped into Precious. Precious smiled at the lady, "Excuse me, mame." The elderly woman smiled back, "Baby, know that was my fault. These old hips do not wiggle like they used to. I used to walk just like you, hips switching left and right. Uhh, huh. Baby, do not get old." The woman disappeared before Precious could respond.

Precious chuckled, "Old girl was serious. Can you imagine her when she was our age?" Precious walked with her hips swaying widely and sexily.

Alexia laughed, "You crazy. She looked like she had more class than that. She one of them old school ladies that dressed up to go everywhere. Those chicks could walk without even looking like they were walking." Alexia did a smooth model walk.

A man walked by, "You better walk girl. Fierce, Miss Thang!" He snapped his finger effeminately and kept on walking.

Both of the girls bumped into each other as they laughed wildly.

Precious imitated the man walking by, "Fierce, Miss Thang!"

Alexia roared, "Alright, you are gonna hurt yourself. You silly."

Precious laughed, "Do you know how to attract a normal man?"

"Why you gotta go there?" Alexia rolled her eyes.

They walked slowly, enjoying each others company. As they walked by giggling, people stared at them. Precious made a face at a woman who was staring at them. The lady rolled her eyes at Precious after she gave the silly acting woman a stern look. Alexia grabbed Precious and pulled away from the woman's direction before Precious could act a fool with the woman.

Precious grabbed Alexia by the arm, "So, what's up with you and your crazy men?"

"Must you act a fool with me today," Alexia said in an irritated tone.

"I am just messing with you. Do not get all upset with me. Good grief. I am just trying to get you a man," Precious wheedled.

Alexia rolled her neck, "For your information, I got a man."

Precious stopped walking, jerking Alexia, who she still had by the arm, "What man? I ain't seen him."

"That's cause he got a job and be working all the time," Alexia lied.

"You are such a liar!" Precious exclaimed.

Alexia giggled silently, "I am not. I saw him today before I came to pick you up."

Precious started to walk again, yanking Alexia forward.

"If you do not quit yanking on me," Alexia started.

Precious ignored her aunt, "You ain't gonna do nothing. What man do you have?"

Before Alexia could answer, they had reached their destination, Mrs. Udetta's.

Alexia smiled, "You will have to wait. I gotta go find me an outfit, so I can look good for my man." She pulled her arm from in Precious' arm and walked into the store. alexia chuckled. She knew she had Precious reeling, trying to figure out who her man was. alexia was not technically lying; she kind of had a man, Ronnie from the gas station. He had been the only man to pay her any attention in a long while. By Precious' definition of having a man, all he needed to do was pay you some attention, so Alexia had a man, because Ronnie paid her a lot of attention when she came to the gas station.

Precious stood at the entrance of Mrs. Udetta's. she could not believe that Alexia had a man. There was no way in the world Alexia had a man. She would have been beaming and telling everyone she had a man, as much ridicule as she received for not having a man. Precious convinced herself that Alexia had been fooling her. Precious walked into the store before she her mind persuaded her otherwise about Alexia's man.

Brock and Boyd walked out of Mr. Ray's after looking around for the longest time. Brock wanted to hurt Boyd. The prissy man must have looked at every suit in the store. the sales associate even got frustrated with Boyd. Brock had to walk off several times because he wanted to hit Boyd. Boyd got upset and told Brock to leave, but Brock wouldn't because he knew that he would never get Boyd out of the store.

Boyd ended up buying a brown suit, number 38 in his collection of brown suits, and a gray suit, neither of which he planned on wearing on Sunday. He also bought the accessories to match both outfits, shirts, shoes, ties, cuff links, and tie clips. That boy was too pretty.

Boyd had two big bags. He wanted to take them to the car, "Yo, man. Let's take this stuff to the car."

Brock looked at his one bag, "I do not feel like walking all the way out to the car. Why did not you leave the bags with Mr. Ray until we got ready to leave?"

"Can you just go to the car with me?" Boyd huffed.

"Naw, why I gotta go with you?" Brock sulked.

Boyd poked his lip out and began to brood, "I always do what you wanna do. You cannot do one thing for me. you shady man." He walked off in a huff.

Brock laughed. Boyd could act a fool when he wanted to. Brock pretending to ignore his brooding friend and walked into a store.

Boyd followed Brock into the store, "Man, quit tripping. Fool, gimme the keys. You shady, dawg. Shady." Brock reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys. Boyd grabbed them before Brock could extend the keys to him. Boyd walked out of the store. Brock rolled his eyes and walked around the toy store. He did not even have a child to buy a toy for.

Boyd made the long trek to the car. He was furious. Brock always had to get his way. Boyd wondered why he was friends with the selfish nut.

Brock looked around the toy store. for a brief moment, the longing to have a child filled his heart. He felt as if he would be a great father. He became sad as he thought, "Dawg, you gotta have a wife to have a kid." Brock felt unbelievably lonely at that moment. He felt like an idiot for being sad. He was a man. He was not supposed to feel like he was feeling. The biological clock was a phenomenon that affected women. Why was he feeling these feelings?

Brock walked swiftly to the front of the store so that he could exit the store. he wanted the feeling he was experiencing to leave. He hoped that leaving the store would accomplish that. It really did not. he began reprimanding himself for not being married. He replayed the speech his mother had given him when he turned 25.

"Baby, you need a wife. You cannot be running around trying to be Mr. Big Time Preacher and you ain't got nobody to take care of you. That road gets lonely. An empty bed ain't gonna comfort you in the middle of the night when you are feeling dejected and lost. I may be old, but I know how it can be when you are by yourself and you start wanting to be with somebody. That ain't a good feeling for me with my old self, so I know it cannot be good for you. You need to find you a woman."

Brock tried to tell his mother that he was okay. He response was always, "Mama, I'm a million dollar man and I need a million dollar woman." To which his mother would respond, "Boy, you better find a 250 thousand dollar woman and work to increase her interest." Hearing his mother's voice in his head made him laugh. He felt a little better, but he was still single.

Lela walked out of her favorite department store, Bergstein. She went in the store to look for some sheets for her bed. She was tired of the sheets she had at home. She clutched the bag of sheets for dear life as if it were a bag of gold and walked around the mall, feeling good, at least for being able to find one thing that she had wanted to find on this trip to the mall. She was going to go find a toy store to buy a present for her niece. She had being promising the little girl a gift for the longest time. She was tired of the child worrying her.

Brock was walking down the mall walkway when he looked up and saw Sis. Rhineholt again. He blinked twice. He chuckled to himself as he thought, "Is this a sign?" he told himself, "You need to quit. Leave that woman alone."

Lela looked up and saw Pastor Van Duren. A broad smile graced her face. This had to be a sign. It was nearly impossible to see someone you know in the mall one time. Seeing someone you knew twice was a scientific marvel. Lela thought this was her chance. She looked around for Pastor Van Duren's constant bodyguard. He was no where to be seen. Lela was not going to miss this opportunity. She hoped that her breath was smelly.

She walked up to Pastor Van Duren, "Pastor, are you following me?"

Brock looked mystified, "No, Sis. Rhineholt, I am not."

Lela walked close to the young pastor, "You can call me Lela. We are not at church."

The woman was standing too close to Brock for his taste. He backed up half a step, "I feel more comfortable calling you Sis. Rhineholt."

"If you say so, Pastor Van Duren," Lela said with a snip of dejection in her voice. This was going to be harder than she expected. She tried to peak his interest again, "Where are you headed?"

Pastor Van Duren was not sure what to do, "No where in particular. I am waiting on Bro. Allen to come back."

Lela made a face and thought, "I know this fool ain't gay. Him and that Boyd boy hang around too much." She looked at Pastor Van Duren, "If you say so," she looked at his bag and continued on, "What did you buy?"

Pastor Van Duren looked at the bag, "Some shoes." He looked down at his feet.

Lela looked down at his feet. He had on different shoes than he had on before. They went with the outfit better than the loafers. She looked back at the quiet pastor, "I like those better than the other ones you had on. Good choice."

Pastor Van Duren smiled with accomplishment, "Thanks, Sis. Rhineholt."

Lela blew an exasperated breath, "I sure wish you would call me Lela."

Pastor Van Duren twisted his lips, "I will try. I better get out of here."

Lela did not want to leave the handsome man's presence, "Do not you want to know what I bought?"

Pastor Van Duren looked at the bag in the woman's hand. It wouldn't hurt to ask they question. As he was about to ask, a voice said, "Don's ask." Pastor Van Duren paused, "No, I do not need to know. It's none of my business. Are you going to come to the play on tomorrow night?"

Lela got mad. How dare he not even show any interest in him? She rolled her neck, "NO, I ain't coming to it! I got other plans."

Pastor Van Duren looked startled, "No, problem. Hopefully you will come to the picnic on Saturday."

Lela could feel her ears getting hot. She wanted to scream, "Fool, cannot you see that I am flirting with you? Are you really that dense?" Lela took several long deep breaths to calm down. she could not act a fool in this mall with this ignant behind preacher. He was a sucker if he did not see what a catch she was. she laughed at herself for using the word "sucker." Her father called everyone a sucker. Thinking about her father had calmed her down. she smiled sweetly at the young unlearned preacher, "I will not be coming to that. I am even thinking about going to church with my parents on Sunday."

Pastor Van Duren smiled slyly, "You are going to miss my first holiday sermon."

Lela wanted to laugh out loud and scream, "It ain't like you even care." She blew a breath, "I guess I will just miss it then." she knew she was lying. Her parents lived all the way in Maddocha Beach. She had no plans to go see them. She just wanted to see how Pastor Van Duren would react to her news.

Pastor Van Duren looked a bit dejected. He would miss Sis. Rhineholt telling him how good he preached. She always told him that after every sermon. She always seemed sincere as well. He paused for a moment and though to himself, "Maybe she was just flirting with me like Boyd said." Pastor Van Duren wanted to melt into the floor. Had Sis. Lela Rhineholt had been just saying the line to him just to flirt with him? He wanted to get out the presence of the woman who had become his tormentor. He said, "Sis. Rhineholt, I really have to go. If I do not see you on Sunday, have a blessed Resurrection Sunday." He tried to leave, but Lela grabbed his arm.

Lela felt like a total idiot. She had thrown herself at the man trying to leave her and he hadn't even blinked at her. she looked at her hand on his arm. She let his arm go, "Yea, ok. I guess finding your man is more important than me anyway."

Pastor Van Duren glared at the disrespectful woman, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Lela rolled her eyes, "You tell me, you have a beautiful woman standing in front of you and all you can think about is finding your male friend. It does kind of make a person think." She walked off with a sulk before Pastor Van Duren could respond to her insinuation.

Brock was furious. He wanted to go after Sis. Rhineholt and tell her off. The pastor in him said, "You know you cannot tell that woman off. She is just mad because you ignored her flirting with you. Man, let it go. You know the truth!" Brock started walking in the direction of the woman who had insulted him.

Before he made two steps, his cell phone rung. He picked it up, clicked the talk button, and said, "Hello."

Boyd's voice answered, "Where you at?"

Brock silently thanked the Lord that Boyd had called before he said, "On the first floor by the toy store."

Boyd laughed, "Nut; there are two toy stores on the first floor, which one?"

Brock laughed, too, "I am by K-B's®. You ain't gonna believe what happened to me."
posted by Lady Boone @ 7:35 PM  
11/12/2007
Day Twelve
Mikala and her mother walked around the department store for the longest time. Mikala was tired of looking at dresses. She wished that her mother would just pick a dress and then they could go look around the mall. Michelle would not comply. She wanted her daughter to pick out a dress that she liked. Mikala had no plans to pick out a dress. If her mother wanted her to wear a dress, she was going to have to pick it out. Mikala was not going to help her mother with this endeavor. Michelle got frustrated with her daughter. She decided to leave the department and go to Udetta's. If Mikala did not want to get a dress, she was going to go get her a dress.

Mikala and her mother exited the department store and headed to the escalator so that they could go to the second floor of the mall. Mikala made a face. She knew that they were going to Udetta's. Mikala had no interest in the clothing in the store, but she like Mrs. Udetta, so the trip to the store wouldn't be that bad.

When the mother and daughter group made it to Udetta's, they discovered that the store was full of women. There were women of all ages in the store. There were even some girls close to Mikala's age. Mikala looked at the young ladies with amazement. They seemed to be enjoying looking at the clothes and picking them out.

Mikala felt trapped. With the young ladies her age in the store fussing over clothes was going to excite her mother. Mikala knew that her mother was going to try to get her to go over to where the young ladies were and try the clothes on. Mikala had no plans on doing that. She had to find Mrs. Udetta and get close to her quickly. Mrs. Udetta wouldn't let Michelle give her daughter a hard time about wearing dresses. Mrs. Udetta always told Michelle, "Let that child alone. When she gets ready to be girlie, she will do it. You cannot rush her. It will probably take a boy paying her some attention to get her to get interested in girlie things. That's what it took for me. I was a tomboy and I did not dress like a girl until Ray came along. Now, look at me. I sell dresses to other ladies. Leave her alone." Mikala loved Mrs. Udetta. The wise woman usually got her mother off of her back for awhile.

Michelle had never been in the store when it was this full. She was usually able to get Mrs. Udetta's full attention. There was no chance that Mrs. Udetta was going to be able to cater to Michelle. The store owner was busy at the register. There were other sales associates walking around the store helping the customers, but Michelle wanted Mrs. Udetta. She had a knack for always knowing what Michelle wanted. If Michelle wanted an outfit today, she was going to have to deal with one of the other sales associates.
posted by Lady Boone @ 7:34 PM  
11/11/2007
Day Eleven
11/11/07

Deacon Logan watched the exchange between Pastor Van Duren and Sis. Rhineholt. He laughed at the whole discussion. It was obvious that Sis. Rhineholt was flirting with the young pastor. Deacon Logan had wondered why more of the single women of the church had not been flirting with the young preacher. He was handsome. He seemed to have himself together. He was also very respectful. Perhaps, Sis. Rhineholt had telepathically staked her claim on the new minister and the other single women knew better than to miss with him. He and his wife had some reservations about hiring a single pastor. There was always the chance that a torrid romance could occur at any moment with a young pastor, especially one who had the wrong motives. After talking with Pastor Van Duren, it was apparent that he had his head on straight and could handle himself.

Deacon Logan watched as the woman walked off from the pastor sensuously. Pastor Van Duren watched her walk off intently. Deacon Logan laughed. It was hard for him to not watch the woman walk away, so he did not make a big deal that the young pastor was watching her walk away, after all, he was a man.

Precious and Alexia walked around on the first floor of the mall. There was not much of interest to Precious on this floor. This floor of the Orchard Park Mall housed all of the family orientated stores. There were stores for children, families, furniture, and the major department stores. All the men on this floor were more than likely married. Precious had no interest in married men. That was one line that she was not willing to cross. Messing around with single men was one thing, but breaking up someone's marriage was not a risk that she was interested in taking. She was not big on religion and church, but she knew that God did not like it when you messed up a marriage. She knew she had enough of God's wrath coming her way; she did not want o mess with an institution that He held so dear to His heart.

Alexia liked looking in the furniture stores. She liked to see what new designs were out. She liked seeing how the designs were put together. As much as Alexia liked looking at the furniture, she had an ulterior motive for looking in the furniture stores. Alexia knew that Precious would not mess with a married man. Precious had her flaws, but she did have some morals. Alexia wanted to put off Precious' man hunting for as long as possible. Precious knew complained about Alexia looking in the stores, so Alexia never stopped the tradition.

Precious and Alexia was walking around in the furniture. There was a black leather sofa set that would look exquisite in her apartment. She sat down on it. The leather felt good nest to her skin. She crossed her legs. A man walked by as she crossed her legs. He stopped for a moment, "Ohh that couch looks good on you." Precious made stealth like glance at his ring finger. He had a ring on it. She smiled, "Thanks. Whatever I am wearing looks good on me." The man smiled. He moved as if he wanted to sit down next to the sexy woman. She took note of this and stood up from the couch, "I better go find my man and see if he likes this couch." She walked off with a flip of her hip in the man's direction. He looked sad as he walked off.

Precious got close to Alexia who had watched the whole exchange.

Alexia was laughing, "Girl, you are so crazy. You ain't even right."

Precious laughed, "Whatever. You know I ain't even about to entertain a married man. Are you through acting like you are looking at furniture?"

Alexia made a face, "Why you gotta be silly?"

Precious frowned, "I ain't even crazy. I know what you are doing, Auntie Stalling."

Alexia stuck her tongue out at Precious, "Do not call me that. I have no idea what you are talking about either. Do you have somewhere else to be anyway?"

Precious started walking towards the exit of the store that led to the mall, "Yep, go find me a man."

Mikala Neu walked around the mall with her mother. She wished that she could ditch split up with her mother and go where she wanted to go. Mikala knew every inch of the mall. She hung out at the mall. She loved it. She had walked all of the 2,793,200 square feet of the mall. She had been in all of the stores. Most of the people in the stores knew her by name. She was the only teenager that really hung around the mall. Most of the teenagers hung out at the Woodhills Mall in the Woodhills area of the city. Mikala did not mind being different. She did not like hanging out with teenagers her own age anyway. They usually ended up in trouble more than anything else. Mikala hated being in trouble. She hated disappointing her mother, which it seemed like she had been doing more often than not lately.

Michelle tapped her daughter on the shoulder, "Mikala, what do you think about this dress?"

Mikala looked at her mother who was holding up a pink dress, "It is okay." Mikala did not mean it. She did not want to wear the dress.

Michelle shook her head. She could tell that her daughter did not like the dress. Michelle blew a breath. She could not figure out why her daughter did not like wearing dresses.

Mikala watched her mother. She did not know what to do. She did not like the dress, but she would wear it if her mother wanted her to wear it. Sometimes, Mikala wanted to start a big fight with her mother so that her mother would just leave her alone. She had started a small fight before. It took her mother 3 weeks before she said anything to Mikala after the fight. Mikala did not like those 3 weeks. From then on, she tried not to instigate any fights, although they still occurred. But at this moment, Mikala was fighting the urge to start a fight. She wanted to leave the mall so badly that she was willing to risk another 3 weeks of the silent treatment from her mother.

Michelle stepped back. She bumped into something. When she turned around, she saw that it was a lady that she had bumped into. Michelle looked at the lady, "I am so sorry. I was not paying attention." The lady smiled, "It is okay. I was not watching where I was going." Michelle smiled back at the lady, "I guess we both need to pay attention." The lady walked away, "Yes, we do. Have a good day of shopping." Michelle responded, "You, too."

While her mother was engaged with the lady, Mikala walked over to the jeans section of the store and started looking through the jeans. She saw a pair that she did not have. The jeans were dark blue with silver accents and rhinestones. As much of a tomboy as she was, she still loved wearing rhinestones and other jewels. That made her mother happy and even gave her some hope. Mikala laughed to herself, "One of these days, I am going to have to start acting like a girl."

Michelle looked around for her daughter. She was nowhere to be found. Michelle uttered something unintelligible and then headed for the pants section of the juniors department. She knew that her daughter was going to be there.

Michelle reached the pants and saw her daughter looking at a pair of jeans that had rhinestones on them. Michelle smiled. Her daughter did have some feminine traits. The girl loved rhinestones. She put rhinestones on everything. Michelle thought to herself, "There is still hope for her. Maybe she will not be a tomboy forever."

Mikala could sense her mother's presence. She turned around and looked at her mother, "Sorry, Mom. I thought you were going to be a minute talking to that lady."

Michelle took the pair of jeans from her daughter, and then looked at them, "You and your rhinestones. Do you want these?"

Mikala smiled, "Yes. Can I get them?"

"Yes, if you promise to pick out a cute dress to wear on Sunday," Michelle bargained.

Mikala laughed. Her mother always had an angle. She wanted the jeans, so she obliged, "Ok. Cool. If you help me pick it out." Mikala knew that would make her mother feel good.

Michelle smiled, "Okay. Let's go find a dress."

Mikala took the jeans from her mother and draped them over her right arm. She walked close to her mother's right side and looped her left arm into her mother's arm and they walked back over to the dress section, happy with their compromise.

Boyd and Brock walked off the escalator onto the 3rd floor. This was the men's floor. Everything that a man could want was found on the third floor, from clothes to hunting equipment. They walked until they reached RayRay's Men's Store. This was the store to get men's dress suits. RayRay's had all the latest men's suit. They had all the colors in the rainbow, even if you wanted a pink suit, you could find it at RayRay's. The pink shoes to match your pink suit could be found at the store as well.

RayRay's was the first store that Brock and Boyd found out about when they got to the city. One of the deacons in the closing interview meeting said, "Man, if you like to buy clothes, you have got to go to RayRay's. There are two of them in the city, one at the Orchard Park Mall. The other is in a shop in the Plainview Hills Mall. That's the store. Mr. Ray goes to our church. He may give you a discount, since you are the pastor." Brock silently laughed at the younger deacon. He seemed to take pleasure in being the one to tell the new pastor about the store. Brock knew that Boyd would love the store.

Mr. Ray was standing at the cash register waiting on a customer. The customer was in an exquisite suit. He had diamond rings on three of his fingers. On his ring finger, he had a ring with a big purple jewel on it. From that, Brock surmised that the man must have been a Bishop. Brock waved at Mr. Ray and started to walk towards the suits.

Mr. Ray called his name, "Pastor Van Duren, come here for a second." Pastor Van Duren compiled to the store owner's request and walked over to the counter.

Mr. Ray extended his hand, "Bless you, pastor. Good to see you today."

Pastor Van Duren took the man's hand and shook it, "Good to see you, too, Bro. Ray."

"I want you to meet Bishop Bryant Terraholt. He is the pastor of the Greater Emmanuel House of Restoration and Deliverance Through the Power of God," Mr. Ray relayed.

Pastor Van Duren looked at the Bishop and then extended his hand, "Pleasure to meet you Bishop Terraholt."

Bishop Terraholt reluctantly extended his hand, "Hello. And you are who?"

Pastor Van Duren did not appreciate the tone of the bishop's voice, "I am Pastor Brock Van Duren. I am the new pastor of New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church."

Bishop Terraholt turned his nose up at Pastor Van Duren, "Uhh huh. That's good." The bishop looked at Mr. Ray, "I have to go. I have some important things to take care of." The pretentious bishop walked off after shaking Mr. Ray's hand. The ostentatious man made no effort to acknowledge Pastor Van Duren's presence as he left. Pastor Van Duren made a face at the bishop's back. He regained control of himself. He did not want to act up in front of Mr. Ray.

Brock hated it when other preachers acted as if they were better than another preacher just because they had a "bigger" title. Titles did not really matter because they all did the same job, preached the gospel and won souls to Christ. Brock shook himself, "Let it go man. It ain't worth it."

Mr. Ray could tell that Pastor Van Duren had been offended by Bishop Terraholt's actions. The store keeper was not sure what to do, should he try to comfort the young man or should he just leave it alone? Mr. Ray decided to wait to see how the pastor responded and then he would take the appropriate action.

Pastor Van Duren looked at Mr. Ray, "Have you been busy today?"

Mr. Ray smiled. He did not have to do anything. He shook his head up and down, "It has been non-stop up in through here. I have not even had a chance to go get lunch. I think my son should be coming in after he gets off from work and help me out for awhile. Hopefully, he will get off early."

Pastor Van Duren looked around the store. There did not seem to be much left in the store. Mr. Ray turned his attention to a customer who had walked into the store. Brock walked towards Boyd, who was in the shoes section.

Boyd was looking at a pair of brown shoes. Brown was Boyd's favorite color. He had more brown things than the law allowed.

Brock tapped his friend on the shoulder, "Man, not another pair of brown shoes. You got enough brown shoes anyway."

Boyd paid no attention to his friend.

Brock laughed and then looked at a pair of blue shoes that would go great with the outfit he had on. He looked around for an attendant. A guy who looked younger than Brock walked over to them, "Can I help you?" Pastor Van Duren smiled and used his preacher voice, "Can you bring me this shoe in a size 12?" The attendant took the shoe from Pastor Van Duren and walked to the storeroom.

Boyd looked at his friend, "Why are you looking at some blue shoes?"

Brock continued to look around, "Cause I do not like these shoes I have on now. I do not have any that I wanted to wear with the outfit, so I may buy some now."

Boyd laughed, "You buy some shoes and wear them out of the store. Whatever. What brought that on?"

"I heard a lady downstairs say, 'He could have found some better shoes to wear,' so I decided to do just that. Cannot have folk talking about my shoes. I am trying to make an impression," Brock shared.

"I have been telling you to get some better shoes. You cannot walk around in some loafers. You are a pastor. People expect their pastor to be flossing, whether folk will admit it or not, that's how they think. It's about time you realize that," Boyd reproved.

Brock shook his head and ignored his fussing friend. Boyd always made a big deal about how people looked. Brock did not care as much as Boyd did. As long as you were ironed and did not have holes, you looked fine to Brock. He knew that he had to better in the clothing department. As much as Brock did not want to admit it, Boyd was right. Brock had been saving up some money to buy more suitable pastor clothing.

Brock had a thought, "Perhaps that was why the Bishop Terraholt looked down his nose at me. I was not dressed properly." Brock shook his head as the attendant walked up to him with two boxes in his hands. Brock sat down on a chair that was in the shoe section so that he could try on the shoes.

The attendant knelt down on the floor next to Pastor Van Duren and took a pair of shoes out of one of the boxes. He took the paper that was stuffed in the shoe out of the box and then help Pastor Van Duren put the shoe on his foot. Pastor Van Duren put the other shoe on and then stood up and walked around for a few seconds. He walked over to the mirror and looked at his foot in the shoes. They looked good on his foot and with his outfit.

Boyd walked over to Brock and lifted his pant leg up, "They look good. I like them."

Brock shook his leg, "Are you my daddy now?"

Boyd laughed, "I am just trying to help you out. You know you ain't got no style anyway." Brock made a face and then went back over to the chair where the attendant was.

The attendant said, "I brought these shoes, too. They look a little better than the ones you have on. You can try them on if you want to." The attendant took the shoes from the box and handed them to the young pastor.

Pastor Van Duren took the shoes from the attendant and looked at them. He looked at the shoes that were on his feet. The shoes in his hands did look better than the ones on his feet. The only problem with the shoes in his hands was that they had a string on them. He hated dress shoes that tied; he could never keep them tied. He did like the look of the square toed shoes, so he decided to try them on.

While Brock was trying to take the shoes on his feet off, Boyd walked over to where he was. He grabbed the square toed shoes from Brock's lap.

Boyd looked the shoes over, "Man, I like these. You are not thinking about getting these are you? You hate tie up shoes. Let me get these."

Brock tried to take the shoes from Boyd hands. He almost fell off the chair. Boyd laughed, "Man, just give me the shoes and there will not be any trouble."

Brock made a face, "Boy, give me them shoes and go find some of your own. You got enough shoes. Let somebody else own a pair of shoes beside you."

Boyd walked away from Brock with the shoes. Brock made a face.

The attendant was having fun watching the two friends fight over the shoes. He hoped that they both would buy the shoes; it meant more money for him.

Brock looked at the attendant. He was half laughing. Brock felt kind of bad because he looked foolish in front of the young man. How could he have forgotten who he was and acted silly? Brock became stoic.

Boyd saw the expression on Brock's face change. He knew that Brock felt bad for acting goofy in public. Boyd hated when Brock acted like that. They were just having fun. They had not done anything wrong. It did not make any difference to Brock though, he always felt bad when he thought he had acted foolish in public.

Boyd handed the square-toed shoes to Brock, "Here are the shoes. You can get them if you want to. I was just messing with you."

Brock took the shoes. He really wanted to leave, but he wanted to try on the square toed shoes. He tried them on with the help of the store attendant. He repeated the routine he had done before when he was wearing the other shoes. He liked the look of the square-toed shoes. He decided to get them instead of the other shoes. He walked back over to the chair.

The attendant was talking to Boyd, "How long have you all been boys?"

Boyd laughed, "Forever man. We are more like brothers than friends."

The attendant admired the relationship that they had. The attendant was not close to his two brothers. He did not have many friends either. He usually just hung by himself.

Boyd could tell that the attendant was not paying attention to him. He wondered what the young guy could be thinking about. After a few seconds, Boyd said, "Do you have any brothers?"

The attendant was startled, but he responded, "Yea. I have two."

Boyd responded, "That's cool. How long have you been working here?"

Before the shoe salesman could answer Brock walked back over to where he was. Brock said, "I like these. I will take these."

The attendant looked up, "Okay. I will take them up to the front for you. Do you want to look around some more?"

Brock looked down at his feet. He did not want to take the shoes off, "I want to keep these on. I can go pay for them now and then keep looking around the store."

The attendant smiled, "Cool, man. I will just put your shoes in the box for you. You can take the box up front and pay for them. Just tell Mr. Ray what you are doing. He will take care of you."

Brock smiled, "Cool. Thanks."

The attendant did everything that he had said that he was going to do and then handed the box to Brock before taking the box of shoes that Brock did not want back into the store room.

Brock walked up to the cash register. Mr. Ray was talking to a young man who had entered the store. Brock looked at the young man. He was tall enough to be a basketball player. The more Brock looked at the young man, the more the young man looked like one of the players from the Jouette Doggs. He did not know which player it was, thought.

Mr. Ray looked at Pastor Van Duren. He paused for a moment, and then he introduced the two men.

"Pastor Van Duren, this is Marquis Moore. He plays for the Jouette Doggs. Marquis, this is Pastor Brock Van Duren. He is the pastor of New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church."

The two men shook hands. Pastor Van Duren smiled at the basketball player, "Nice to meet you. I did not know Mr. Ray had famous customers."

Marquis giggled nervously, "Yea, I heard about Mr. Ray from one of the other player son the team. He takes good care of us."

Mr. Ray smiled, "Pastor, I am trying to get him to come to church on Sunday, but he is being stubborn."

Marquis giggled nervously again, "Mr. Ray, why you gonna put me on blast like that?"

Mr. Ray grabbed the young man's arm, "I am just trying to get you to church, that's all."

Pastor Van Duren joined the conversation, "Marquis, we would be happy to have you visit us. We have a very relaxed atmosphere, so you will be comfortable at the church."

Marquis looked off. He was not sure what to do at this moment. He did not see a way out of making a commitment to the two men. He giggled nervously for a third time, "I will try and come by the church. I cannot promise that I will make it, but I will try to make it."

Mr. Ray wanted a promise to come, but Pastor Van Duren interrupted the older man before he could speak, "Marquis, that's all we can ask for. Prayerfully, the Lord will work everything out so that you can make it to the church. Mr. Ray will save you a seat."

Marquis smiled. The young minister had helped him out. He had an excuse to leave, "Thanks Pastor Van Duren. I need to go. It was cool meeting you."

The two men shook hands and then Marquis left the store.

Mr. Ray was a bit irate at Pastor Van Duren. He wanted an explanation as to why he did not make Marquis promise to come to church.

"Pastor, why did you let him get out of coming to church like that," the old man shrieked.

Pastor Van Duren was a bit shocked at the man's voice level, "Mr. Ray, I could tell that he did not want to make a promise. It would have been more detrimental to make him promise. By giving him a choice, he will more likely come to church."

The store owner was not happy with the young pastor's response, "I have been trying to get that boy to church forever. It was a blessing to have you here when he was here. I at least figured you would get him to come to church."

The newly appointed pastor could not understand Mr. Ray's attitude, "I believe he will be at church on Sunday. I did not make him feel like he had to come to church or else, but I made him feel like it was his choice to come to church."

The store owner began to believe the young preacher. Maybe he was right. If Marquis did not come to church on Sunday, Mr. Ray was going to be upset.

Marquis Moore was happy to get away from the pesky old man who was always trying to get him to come to church. The store owner seemed to hate taking no for an answer. Every time that Marquis walked into the store, Mr. Ray was on his case. Marquis was beginning to think that he should have never told Mr. Ray that his father was a pastor. After Marquis told the old man that, the man began bugging him like crazy.

Marquis was a rookie on the Jouette Doggs basketball team. He had been having a good season. He was coming off the bench. Everyone said that he was a good candidate to win the Six Man of the Year Award in the league. Marquis was hoping that he would win the award, too. Then he would be able to prove to his father that he had made the right decision about being a professional athlete instead of becoming a preacher. Marquis had no interest in following his father's footsteps and becoming a preacher.

Marquis had seen too much as a pastor's kid to want to be a preacher. There was not anything wrong with being a pastor, but their family got treated like dirt most of the time. Marquis' father missed a lot of his basketball games because he was doing "church" business. Marquis had not been to church in awhile. He knew that he needed to go. He had promised his mother that he would find a church when he got to Jouette, but he had never taken the time to do so. Maybe going to New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church would be a good idea.

Marquis had been impressed by the pastor of the church. He seemed cool. It was even cool that the pastor had not tried to force him to promise that he would come to the church. Marquis liked that. Preachers were even pushier than old men who bugged you about coming to church. Marquis was going to go to the church on Sunday. He did not have a game, so he knew that he could go. Maybe he would even try to get a couple of the other rookies on the team to come with him. It was not going to do any good to try to get the veterans to come with him, they never listened to him anyway, and after all, he was a snot nosed rookie, as they called him. Marquis smiled. He felt good about going to church on Sunday. He felt real good because he was going to be able to tell his mother that he was going to church when she called to check on him.

David Victor Lyons, III walked past four teenage girls who were eating salads. They might have been in their twenties, but they were very young. They giggled as he walked by. He wondered what they had been talking about. He nodded his head at the young ladies and continued on his way. He did not have time to get caught up with any jail bait.

He was hoping to see Mr. Bill Logan's wife. He knew that she would make him feel better than he was feeling. She always made him feel like he was the most precious person in the whole wide world. Sometimes, he wanted to call her Mama badly. That's how he saw her, as a mother. David did not see Mr. Logan like that because he was always fussing at the young man. David wondered why she had not been around yet today. She made it a point to find David and give him a big hug. He felt weird not getting a hug today. He did not get many hugs, being alone in Jouette. He could always count on his grandmother to give him a hug when he was back in the old city that he had left.

David saw Mr. Logan and walked up to him, "Has Mrs. Logan been by today?"

Mr. Logan made a face, "Boy, you know she has not. She would have found you if she had. I do not know where she is."

David wanted to see his mother figure, "Have you called her?"

Mr. Logan laughed, "No. When she gets here, she will get here. I am sure something came up. If she had wanted me to know what was going on, she would have called me. Do not you need to be somewhere?"

David made a face before he walked off to go back to patrolling the food court. He wanted to see Mrs. Ray. He thought about calling her, but he knew that Mr. Logan would get upset at him, even though Mr. Logan had not told him not to call Mrs. Logan. David knew Mr. Logan well enough to know that when he had said, 'If she had wanted me to know what was going on, she would have called me,' that meant that he was not going to bother his wife and if David knew what was best for him, he would not either. David decided to not call Mrs. Logan. He silently prayed that she would come by the mall today. He really needed one of her hugs.
posted by Lady Boone @ 5:39 PM  
11/10/2007
Day Ten
Amanda Jean shook her head. She could not believe that her sister was so hyped about God. How could anyone still be hyped about a God who let them suffer like her sister Ramona had suffered? Amanda Jean pushed her sister. Ramona was in a wheel chair because she was too weak to walk. Ramona had been diagnosed with cancer over 6 months ago. Amanda Jean did not believe how happy Ramona had been about the whole situation. Amanda Jean just could not do it. She could not be happy about her big sister getting cancer. The world did not seem right. Ramona had lived her whole life as a good person. She always went to church. She had always told the truth. Ramona should not have been sick. Amanda Jean on the other hand had been a rascal. She stopped going to church once she graduated from high school. She did not care about anyone other than herself. She had even done her share of bad things. If anyone should have been sick, Amanda Jean thought it should have been her.

Amanda Jean had grown tired of hearing her sister drone on and on about how wonderful God was. It was more than Amanda Jean could take. It made no sense to her. She did admire her sister for staying happy while going through the enormous ordeal. Amanda Jean had watched her sister go from being a 180 pound woman to nothing more than flesh and bones. She had watched her sister loose all of her magnificent hair. Amanda Jean had watched her sister loose her friends and even some of their family had given up hope on Ramona. There were family members going around saying that Ramona had done something evil; that's why God was punishing her. Amanda Jean knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. There was no way that God was punishing Ramona. She hadn't done a thing to warrant the suffering that she had received.

Amanda Jean had agreed to go to Easter service with Ramona. She could not believe that she had let her sister talk her into doing that. Ramona had been so excited about going to the church that Amanda Jean had agreed to go to church with. Ramona had been talking about the church, the new pastor, and the new things that were going on at New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church so much that Amanda Jean had to see what all of the excitement was about. As Ramona continued to talk about God, Amanda Jean was starting to regret agreeing to go to church with her sister.

***

Alexia and Precious had been driving around in the Orchard Park Mall parking lot for the longest time. Precious was getting tired of going around in circles. Alexia was doing her usual thing, driving around and praying for a close parking space. Precious did not really believe that it worked, but she did not have a problem with a close parking space. With her high heels on, she did not relish having to walk a mile in the high heels she was wearing.

Alexia prayed again silently, "Lord, I need a parking space up close. I do not want to walk too far in these high heels. I know Precious is tired of me driving around in circles. Lord, I need You now."

They circled around the parking lot one more time and at the beginning of the next time they were going to circle around, a close parking space opened up. It was about 35 meters from the door of the mall, but it was close enough. Precious blew a long hard breath, "Thank goodness. We finally got a parking space." Alexia corrected her niece, "Thank God, baby. Thank God." Precious made a face, "Do not start that religious stuff today. I am not in the mood for it right now." Alexia smiled, "Whatever, let's go."

They got out of the car and made the walk to the mall. Precious could not wait to get into the mall to see what trouble she could get into. Alexia looked at her niece, from the look in Precious' eyes; Alexia could tell that she had trouble on her mind.

Brock and Boyd parked the car. Boyd was the first person to exit the car, "Dawg, it is packed up in here. Where all these folk come from?" Brock lifted his head up after exiting the car, "Yea, I guess everyone is trying to buy an outfit or something. It is amazing how commercialized religious holidays have become. This world has gone crazy. What did Jesus die for?" Boyd laughed, "Man, do not preach a sermon out here. Let's just get up in here and then get out of here. I do not want no problems today." Brock laughed at his friend, "I cannot help it if I like my job." Boyd started walking towards the mall, "Man, you are going to be busy doing your job for the rest of the weekend, so take a day off, please." Brock laughed as he jogged to catch up with his friend.

Lela Rhineholt arrived at the mall. She was looking cute. She did not know who might be at the mall today. She was hoping to see Pastor Van Duren there. She knew it was a long shot, but she made sure to look extra lovely just in case. The Lord did work in mysterious ways.

She got a little upset because she had to walk so far to get into the mall. It was crazy out there. There were cars everywhere. Who were all these people and why weren't they at work today? Lela shook her head and made the trek to the mall entrance.

She walked into the enormous mall. It looked different every time that she walked into it. She looked around as if this was the first time she had ever walked into the mall. She was started walking towards the escalator. She was going to go to the fourth floor and see Deacon Logan. He was one of the deacons from her church. He worked at the mall. People from the church were always going by to see him. If Deacon Logan found out that you had been in the mall and hadn't stopped by to see him, he was offended. It did not make much sense to Lela. She did not want anyone coming to her job and looking for her, but that was how she felt.

When Lela stepped off the escalator, she saw Deacon Logan. He was talking to someone. Deacon Logan's body had the person he was talking to blocked, so Lela could not see who the person was. Lela walked towards Deacon Logan. As she got closer to the deacon, she began to see the person he was talking to. It was Pastor Van Duren. Lela stopped walking. She could not believe her eyes. She began smiling and rubbed her hair. She ran her hand down the front of her pants and then down the back of her pants to smooth them out. She sucked her teeth to make sure that she did not have anything in them. She did not see a mirror anywhere around so that she could check herself out. She prayed that she did not have anything stuck in her teeth.

Brock looked up. There was a female figure walking towards him. As she got closer, he could see that the woman was one of the members of his church. He figured that she was coming to see Deacon Logan. Brock tried to finish up his conversation with the deacon so that the lady could have talk to the deacon by herself.

"Yes, deacon, I believe that God is going to move mightily this weekend. I appreciate all the support you and the deacon's staff have given me. Your support has been priceless. You all have made my job here easy," the young pastor declared.

Deacon Logan smiled, "Pastor, God put you here. I have to support you and your vision. You have some good ideas. I have liked what you have done so far. God is doing something at New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church."

Brock smiled. He felt good. Everything hadn't gone well at the church, but having Deacon Logan's support had helped him a lot. Brock admired the wise man and he was thankful that the deacon was at his church.

Lela walked up to the two men. She did not get too close because she did not want them to think that she was eavesdropping on their conversation. She looked the gorgeous man up and down. He looked good in his outfit. He had on a pink button down shirt with a pair of blue slacks. His blue blazer went nicely with his slacks and shirt. The outfit would have looked better with some blue dress shoes instead of the black loafers the pastor had on, but he still looked good. "He always looks good," Lela thought to herself.

Lela stared at Brock's eyes as he looked intently at the man he was talking with. Lela liked that about the pastor. He always looked you in the eyes when you talked to him. He focused only on you. He made you feel special, as if you were the only person in the room. It always made Lela feel special when she was able to spend a few seconds with the pastor and that was all she could ever get.

Brock could feel a pair of eyes staring at him. He did not want to look away from the deacon. Brock had been taught by his uncle that if you were talking to someone to always looks at the person in their eyes. Brock could feel the pair of eyes checking him out. Brock was a little flatter, but he was becoming uncomfortable with the length of time the woman seemed to be staring at him. Brock was glad that the deacon had finished talking.

Brock looked past Deacon Logan and looked at the woman. It was Sis. Rhineholt one of his members. He smiled at her and extended his hand, "Hello, Sis. Rhineholt. Nice to see you." He noticed how nice she was looking and wanted to tell her, but he felt that it would be inappropriate to do so. He did not want her to get the wrong idea, either.

Lela extended her hands after Brock had extended his. His hands were warm and comforting. She did not want to let his hand go. She could tell by the look on the pastor's eye that she had held his hand too long. She reluctantly let his hand go and said, "Hello, Pastor. Nice to see you, too. Are you here doing some shopping?" Brock smiled, "Something like that. What are you doing here?" Lela almost lost her breath. She could not believe that she was talking to the pastor. She gasped and the said, "Trying to find something to wear on Sunday. I am probably too late to find anything nice. All the good stuff is probably gone, but I still wanted to look."

Brock smiled. Lela had some pretty brown eyes. He had never looked at her eyes before. Most of the time, he just shook hands and went on his way. So many people were trying to talk to him after the service that it was a blur to him. He realized that Boyd hadn't come back from going to the restroom yet. Brock shook the thoughts of his friend off and focused his attention on the pretty brown eyed woman in front of him. He smiled at her, "I hope you can find something." Lela felt a sensation in a place that she hadn't felt any sensation in for a long time when Brock smiled at her. She tried to make herself stopped staring at Pastor Van Duren's lips. For a brief moment, she was hoping that he would kiss her.

"Sis. Rhineholt, are you okay?" Pastor Van Duren interrupted Lela's fantasy.

Lela blinked her eyes and tried to regain her composure, "I am fine pastor. I drifted off into Daydream Land for a moment."

The cause of Lela's daydream smiled again, "What were you daydreaming about?"

"If I told you, you might have to pray for me right here and now. I better get out of here," Lela winked at the pastor and walked off quickly before she got herself into some serious trouble.

Brock was startled. He hadn't expected Sis. Rhineholt to wink at him. He was trying to figure out why she had winked at him. Had she been daydreaming about him? Lord, have mercy. That was all he needed, one of his members chasing after him. He did not want anything to do with her, but he did watch her walk off. It was a magnificent site to watch, too.

Boyd walked up as Brock was watching Sis. Rhineholt walk away.

"Dawg, ain't it against the pastor's creed to look at a woman that hard. That is a nice site though," Boyd laughed.

Brock turned purple, "Man, why you gotta mess with folk?"

Boyd hit Brock on the shoulder, "You the one staring like you wanted a piece of that."

"It ain't like that and you know it," Brock defended.

Boyd laughed loudly, "If you say so man. Who was that anyway?"

Brock started walking, "Sis. Rhineholt from the church."

"Ole girl that speaks to you every Sunday?" Boyd inquired.

Brock scratched his head, "Yea man. Can we go? And

Boyd snorted, "Why you getting all nervous? Were you flirting with ole girl?"

"Naw man, I think she was flirting with me. We were talking and she drifted off. I asked her if she was okay. She said she was daydreaming. I asked her what she was daydreaming about. She said that I might have to pray for her if I told her. Then she winked at me before she walked off," Brock elucidated.

Boyd howled, "Dawg, you wouldn't even know what to do with that! You betta leave these women alone. You gonna get yourself into trouble."

Brock laughed, too, "Hey, she started it. I ain't interested in her anyway."

Boyd laughed at his friend. He was always turning down some woman. Boyd began to believe that Brock was going to be a bachelor forever.
posted by Lady Boone @ 5:39 PM  
 

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