Prologue
Letty – 2 Months Ago
“Come on, Loretta, or else we’ll be late.” Mother’s voice comes out in a sing-song tone, but that doesn’t fool me in the least. She’s getting impatient already despite the fact that she just told me that I’d be helping her out at church today.
“Coming down now,” I call out as I brush my thick brown hair into a bun and complete the look with a navy blue headband. I don’t know why I try to look nice when no one notices, especially the people at church. Still, I swipe on some mascara and lip gloss before I give my reflection one last look.
It isn’t exactly the trendy fashions of a twenty-three-year-old woman, but I’m not a regular twenty-three-year-old woman. For starters, I still live with my parents while I finish college. On top of that, my family is very religious. More so my mother than my dad. Not like we just go to church every Sunday. Easter and Christmas. Oh no, we go nearly every day of the week, volunteer, sit on committees, and help with fundraising efforts.
“For crying out loud, Loretta, get down here right this moment!”
I roll my eyes as I walk down the curved staircase and join my mom at the front door.
“I’m right here, Mother.”
She insists on me calling her Mother. She says it’s more appropriate. Respectful. I think it’s a crock.
Her blue eyes, identical to my own, make a quick trip up and down my body to double-check my appearance.
“What did you do to your hair?”
I push my shoulders back and lift my chin. “What I had time to do, Mother. I thought we were going to be late.”
She wants to say more. I can tell that another insult is on the tip of her tongue, but I have her in a trap. She glances down at the rose gold Pavé watch glittering with diamonds and lets out a long-suffering sigh as if even the time is my fault.
“Let’s go. Your father is waiting,” she says in a chastising tone as if Daddy is waiting just for me.
I follow her out and flash a warm smile at my dad holding the door open for me. He’s such a gentleman.
“How are you this morning?”
“Good, Daddy,” I tell him with a smile. “Two more months, and I’ll be an official college graduate.”
“I know. I’m so proud of you, honey,” he says with a wide smile.
“Get inside this car right now, Loretta!”
“Thanks.” I roll my eyes as I slide into the backseat of Dad’s SUV.
I know my mom loves me and wants what she thinks is best for me, but she gets bat-poop crazy when she’s under pressure. And in her eyes, being late for church is pressure.
“We’re helping Pastor Braden out with a funeral today.”
“A funeral?” Not that I have a problem with funerals, at least in theory, but the last thing I want to do on my day off from school is spending time mourning.
“Would have been nice to know that.”
“You know now,” she insists, her eyes never looking away from her phone. “It’s a simple task, Loretta. Just hand out programs, smile, and offer your condolences.”
This isn’t my first funeral service, so I keep my thoughts to myself. I just nod and watch the world pass me by, something that seems to happen more with each and every day. “Do we know the deceased?”
“No, thank goodness. Some young woman, Grace Davies. Her mother attends Destiny of Life, though not regularly. Her daughter, God rest her soul, got tangled up with someone she shouldn’t have, and that led to a horrifying end for her. Should be a good lesson for you.”
I sigh and keep my gaze on the window to my right. “Because I’m such a bad daughter?”
“Of course not. Your father and I have done a lot of work to make sure you follow the right path, and God willing, you won’t forget everything we’ve taught you when you’re in the real world.”
Even if I want to forget, I can’t. Church and religion have been such a big part of my life that it’s who I am. “I won’t.”