“Can you kill the twenty questions?” I flop on my bed staring at my closet. “His mother is a controlling shrew. Chad’s real name is Charles, and he was engaged to some fem-bot named Nan right before he moved here.”
“Shut the front door! You are kidding me.” The whirring noise stops. “I can’t see him as a Charles.”
“He said only his mom calls him that. Are you going to church this morning?”
“Are you going to church this morning?” The shock in her voice makes me roll my eyes.
“It’s time for one of my tithe Sundays, but I’m not going if you’re not there.”
“Yeah, explain that to me again? You go ten Sundays a year?”
“Good lord, did you fail math? Five. I go five Sundays a year.”
“Because of the tithe.” Her voice is muffled again. “I still don’t understand.”
“There’s fifty two weeks in a year. Ten percent is five, so I go five Sundays a year.”
“Technically, you should round up and go six.”
“Did Uncle Bob put you on the payroll? Are you in league with Betty Pepper? Five is plenty.” I step over to my closet, moving hangers as I inspect my dresses. “Are you going? It sounds like you’re baking.”
“I’m making white monster number two cupcakes.” Her voice is warm with pride.
“What the hell is a white monster number two cupcake?”
“Coco has the best preschool teacher this year. She’s teaching them colors, numbers, and even Spanish with these monsters every week. Last week it was green monster number one, uno. This week it’s dos, a
nd I told her I’d make a cupcake for it. I’m making coconut cream with white chocolate frosting and a big two.”
“Coco is the only kid I’ve ever heard of who eats coconut.” I settle on a demure, fitted beige dress that hangs mid-calf. I have no idea if Chad will be there or his mother.
“I liked coconut when I was a child.”
“So are you going?”
“I’ll see you in an hour! I’ll need to run these by Mamma’s first so they don’t melt.”
An hour later, I’m waiting at the door to the sanctuary for Emberly to show up. Everyone’s inside, and I don’t miss Chad’s truck parked down the lane in one of the spaces. I can only guess that means Evelyn went home, as I doubt she’d ride in an old silver step-side.
“Sorry. The door was locked, and I had to climb the tree into my old bedroom. I was a mess. I ended up having to scrub my knees…”
“We almost missed the song service.” I grab her hand just as I pull the heavy, squeaky door open. “Why they don’t oil this thing.” I murmur under my breath as everyone in the sanctuary turns to stare at us.
“And not shame the latecomers?” She murmurs back.
Looking down, away from their shocked eyes, I scoot into the closest empty seats just as the final hymn ends. Emberly and I sit, but right before my butt hits the cushion, my eyes land on Chad—sitting with Daisy Sales!
“Oh!” It’s like the word jumps right out of my mouth on its own.
My eyes are locked on her hand touching his forearm. He’s holding her program and her Bible, and it looks exactly like they’re here together.
I can’t move. All the blood drains from my face, and in the space of two seconds, my heart feels like it shrivels inside my chest. It goes to the size of a prune, then it shrivels tighter to the size of a raisin.
Chad’s eyes are confused as they hold mine, and something’s violently jerking on my arm. I snap out of it when I realize I’m the only one still standing with Emberly trying to get me to sit.
I drop into my seat, tucking my chin and blinking fast. I mouth the words, Oh my God, without saying them out loud, Emberly’s hand goes into mine, and I know she heard me even if I didn’t speak.
Even my uncle’s shouting isn’t loud enough to cut through the roaring in my ears. I just have to get through thirty more minutes and the final prayer, then I can run out the door, all the way back to my house.