Resurrection Sunday: A NaNoWriMo Novel by ddBoone (2007)

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The Story In Order

2007-11-20T19:30:00.000-06:00

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

Here is the story...

Day 1 - 2,218 Words
Day 2 - 749 Words
Day 3 - 1,516 Words
Day 4 - 2,340 Words
Day 5 - 2,355 Words
Day 6 - 3,067 Words
Day 7 - 889 Words
Day 8 - 0 Words
Day 9 - 3,336 Words
Day 10 - 2,410 Words
Day 11 - 5,039 Words
Day 12 - 516 Words
Day 13 - 3,267 Words
Day 14 - 685 Words
Day 15 - 2,049 Words
Day 16 - 0 Words
Day 17 - 0 Words
Day 18 - 0 Words
Day 19 - 4,398 Words
Day 20
Day 21
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
Day 28
Day 29
Day 30

Learn about the story...

Day Fifteen

2007-11-15T19:39:00.000-06:00

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.

Day Fourteen

2007-11-14T19:38:00.000-06:00

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.

Day Thirteen

2007-11-13T19:35:00.000-06:00

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."

Day Twelve

2007-11-12T19:34:00.000-06:00

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.

Day Eleven

2007-11-11T17:39:00.000-06:00

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.

Day Ten

2007-11-10T17:39:00.000-06:00

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.

Day Nine

2007-11-09T17:30:00.000-06:00

Lela Rhineholt was driving to the Orchard Park Mall. She was planning on finding the perfect outfit to wear to church on Sunday. She was determined to catch the eye of the new pastor of her church, New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. Pastor Brock Van Duren had paid her no attention. He shook Lela's hand and said, "God bless you, sister." He had said nothing more and nothing less. She was getting tired of him pushing her to the side. She was even more tired of being single. She was 32 years old. She needed a husband. There was nothing wrong with her. She was pretty. She had no children. She had a good job and a descent apartment. She had a little debt, but it was not so much that she could not get it down with a little tightening of her belt.

She was listening to Haley Singleton's Love Songs for the New Millennium CD. Lela had her favorite song on repeat, Conversation with A Wise Woman. Lela loved the song because in it, the older woman told the young lady, "Baby, love will find you no matter where you are. If you keep your head about you, Love will come your way." That was Lela's constant prayer, "Lord let love find me, no matter where I am."

Lela had been instantly attracted to Pastor Van Duren. He was talk, dark, and handsome. He was everything that she wanted and a preacher. Once while at a revival, the guest evangelist prophesied to Lela and told her that she was going to marry a preacher. Lela made sure that she went to all kinds of services where preachers were going to be. She was always attending a musical, a revival, or a convention, in the hope that her preacher would find her. She did not go looking or hunting for a man, but she did not see anything wrong with placing yourself in the right place at the right time. Her preacher had not found her yet. She kept on hoping and praying.

When Pastor Brock Van Duren walked into the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church, Lela thought her prayers had been answered. He was young, but from his sermons and teaching, he was wise beyond his years. Lela liked the fact that Pastor Van Duren was wise beyond his years. He was always respectful to the older men and women in the church. He was continually courteous to the men and women his own age. He was even good with the youth and children of the church. He was a great people person and he had a great preacher's voice to boot.

On more than one occasion, Lela had reprimanded herself for thinking about the pastor so much when she should have been listening to him. She was hoping that Pastor Van Duren was her preacher. She had been doing everything that she could to get his attention without being too forward. The new young pastor did not seem to care or he was playing like he was hard to get. Lela did not know what was going on, but she had to find an outfit that would knock his robe off on Sunday. Lela chided herself for having such impure thoughts about a man of God.

***

Mikala Neu was sitting in her mother's car. They were on their way to the Orchard Park Mall. Mikala's mother insisted on buying the teenage girl an Easter outfit. Mikala did not want one. She had no need for a new outfit. It would only serve to be more clothes that she had to keep up with and keep clean. Mikala's mother was always trying to dress her in frilly girl clothing. Mikala was a tomboy. She liked wearing jeans and t-shirts. It was not that big of a deal that she hated wearing dresses and skirts. Her mother, Michelle Neu was once a fashion model and she was very girlie. Michelle liked dressing up and looking pretty, but that trait had not filtered down to her daughter.

Mikala squirmed in the passenger seat of her mother's Brandywine Mica Lexus RX350. She did not want to go to the mall. No one seemed to understand Mikala, either. They made fun of her because she did not look like a "typical" sixteen year old young lady. She cared about how she looked, but she did not have to be prissy 24 hours out of the day to feel good about herself. She did not wear make-up. She did not wear high-heeled shoes. She did not wear tight pants or shirts. She usually wore simple clothing that expressed how she felt. No one got her before the new pastor came to New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church.

Mikala liked Pastor Brock Van Duren. He was cool. He did not seem to care if she did not have on a cute dress with high heels on. He would smile at her and ask her about the Jouette Tiger's basketball game and score. He would listen intently as she told him the highlights of the game. He did not even get mad if she demonstrated a move that one of the players had made on the court. He was cool like that. She knew that Pastor Van Duren had played some ball. She could tell because he understood the basketball terminology that she used. She wanted to play him one day to see how good he was.

Mikala lamented, "Mom, do I really have to get a new dress?" Michelle made a face at the driver on her right side, "Yes. Do not you want to look pretty on Sunday?" The perplexed teenager sighed, "I am pretty whether I wear something already in m closet or if I wear a new dress, so what difference does it make if I am wearing a new dress?" Michelle looked quickly at her daughter and then turned her face back to the road, "Girl, you are going to give me a headache. I just want you to look like a girl for once. Cannot you just wear the doggone dress for me? Good grief! I am not asking you to cut off one of your legs, just to wear a dress!" Michelle became extremely quiet after that.

Mikala knew that she had upset her mother; anytime that her mother raised her voice, she was upset. Mikala hated upsetting her mother. Mikala sighed and decided to wear whatever dress that her mother picked out for her. It would only be worn once, after Sunday, the dress would go in the pile in the back of her closet with the rest of her girlie clothes.

***

The Orchard Park Mall was the biggest mall in the state of Maddocha. It boasted a collection of over 250 stores. Every store that you could think of had a store in the mall. It was an upscale mall, where the elite of the city shopped. The mall was a haven for patrons ages 20 and up. If there were children in the mall, they were with their parents. The Orchard Park Mall had a strict policy of not allowing children to roam around the mall freely. The security staff of the mall made sure of that. Boasting the best and well-equipped security staff that would rival the security staff of the mayor's office kept the mall safe for its visitors.

The mall was a place where people meet for business meetings. The mall housed four conference rooms; one hosting 12 people, one hosting 20 people, and the two others hosting over 100 people. The mall had four levels. The dome of the shopping center was made of glass and was taller than the average skyscraper in the city of Jouette. The mall had been the envy of many malls in the state as well as the surrounding states.

Deacon Bill Logan was walking around the Orchard Park Mall. He had been working security at the mall since it had opened in 1970. He had been made one of the floor managers. He managed the fourth floor of the mall. This was where the food court was housed. He was noted for saying, "I do not know why they put me here. If I keep getting samples from this place, I will not be able to catch any criminals." He was a well-liked security officer, but he would correct anyone that needed correction with any hesitation.

He laughed as he watched the shoppers run from store to store, looking for the best deals or the best clothes. This was a heavy Spring weekend for the mall. People were coming and going in hordes. Deacon Logan had already seen a lot of the members of his church, New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. Everyone at the church knew that he worked at the mall, so they made it a point to come by and say hello to him.

Deacon Logan walked around the full food court. He watched the young child begging for a Happy Meal from McDonalds. The little boy's mother did not seem to want to oblige him. Deacon Logan knew the outcome of this fight; he had seen it so many times before. After some whining and demanding, the mother gave into her son. Deacon Logan laughed. That fight always went to the beseeching child.

Deacon Logan paused for a moment as he saw a couple kissing at one of the tables. He got close enough so that they could hear him clear his throat. When he cleared his throat, the couple jumped, startled, and stopped kissing. They smiled at the security officer as he nodded at them. They knew to take their show somewhere more private, like home. The seasoned patrolman thought to himself, "What is it about Spring that makes everyone want to be so loving?" he laughed at himself as he thought about how he had acted when he was much younger. He knew he would have had to clear his throat at himself.

Deacon Logan continued walking the full length of the fourth floor. He was going to have to get an office job where he could sit down. it would be easier for him because he was getting too old to walk the length of the floor. He did not want to be closed up in an office, not being able to see the patrons of the mall, but he did not like going home aching from the pains of having walked the fourth floor all day. He wife wanted him to get an office job, but she knew that he liked meeting and greeting the people of the Orchard Park Mall. She rarely fussed at him when he came home tired and in pain. She would smile at him and run him a steamy hot tub of water filled with pain relieving bath salts. He would soak and then kiss his wife before falling asleep on the couch.

Deacon Logan smiled as he thought of his wife covering him up with a blanket. He missed her. she hadn't been to the mall today. She always came by the mall to eat lunch with him. When she hadn't come by today, he was kind of worried, but he figured something else must have come up. He knew that she would call him eventually to let him know what was going on. He ate lunch in the food court with one of the younger security officers. Deacon Logan saw some potential in the young man and he was glad that he had the opportunity to witness to the young man. The young man always listened. The wise counselor was excited that the young man had accepted the invitation to come to the Resurrection Sunday services that New Tabernacle of Praise was hosting. Deacon Logan believed that the young man would give his life to Christ.

***

David Victor Lyons, III walked his beat at the Orchard Park Mall. He had been back on patrol for only 30 minutes. he had come back from lunch where he had lunch with Mr. Bill Logan, a fellow security officer at the mall. David liked talking to the old man. The old man was wise and cool. he never seemed to be telling you what to do, but he was just conversating with you about life and things like that. He always had something to say.

David had been trying to get his life together. He had just gotten away from his cousin, who was leading David down a dreadful path of violence, drugs, and death. His cousin was dealing drugs. David had been running around with the drug dealer. David hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't sold any drugs. He hadn't even held any drugs, but he was living dangerously. The last straw was when David almost got shot when another drug dealer was shooting at his cousin. David barely escaped with his life. A bullet hit David in his arm. The doctor who worked on David told him that if the bullet would have been 1 inch lower, he would have probably lost his arm, if not his life. David's life had been spared. That's when he knew that he had to make a change. He left the city that he was living in and moved to Jouette. The move to the new city had been a positive occurrence in David's life. He had turned his life around and things were working out for him.

David had been feeling like something was missing in his life lately. He did not know what it was, but he knew that something was missing. He was glad that he had Mr. Logan to help him out. Mr. Logan told David that he was missing God in his life. David had never gone to church before. His grandmother, who raised him, had gone to church, but she never made him and his cousin go to church. He did not particularly see the need for God in his life either. After David told Mr. Logan about the shooting incident, the astute aged gentleman enlightened David about the incident.

"Son that was God telling you that you needed to get your life together. If you tried to figure it out from now until eternity, you could not figure out how that bullet did not hit you in your artery. You know that you should have been killed that night. God spared your life. You may think that you do not need God in your life, but He belongs in your life. He has been in your life all along. I am sure that your grandmother has been praying for you all your life, so God has been there protecting you. I promise you, everybody needs God in their life, whether they think they do or not. God loves you boy. You know that He does. That is why He let you live when you should have died. He loves you man. And you need Him."

David could feel God moving on his heart as the old man dropped the knowledge on him. David became hard hearted and rudely told Mr. Logan that he was full of it. David still felt bad about what happened that day. It did not help that Mr. Logan acted as if what David had said did not offend him. He acted as if David had accepted Jesus right then and there. Mr. Logan would always say, "Son, God loves you and one of these days, you are going realize that you need God, too." David had shrugged the expressions of the fanatical old man off, but lately, Mr. Logan's word had haunted the young man day and night. Finally, David had agreed to go to church with Mr. Logan. David did not know what to expect, but he felt good about accepting the invitation to church.

***

Ramona Hauley felt good being out of the house. She had been sick for so long. She had been in the house for so long. She was glad that she had been given permission by her doctor to get out of the hospital. She wanted to go to the Resurrection services at her church on Sunday. She hadn't been to New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church in over 6 months. They had probably forgotten what she looked like. She was not even able to attend the first service that the new pastor had preached. She had been hearing good things about the young man. She was finally going to get to hear him preach.

Ramona knew that it was not the doctor who had given her permission, but it had been God. She had been praying for the past three weeks that the doctor would release her to go to the services. She had her pray partners praying for her as well. Her prayers had been answered. She was out at the mall, riding around in a wheelchair, looking for a new outfit to wear to church. She wished she could have been walking, but her doctor told her to take it easy. She believed in adhering to what the doctor told her, after all, she was paying him for his services, so she needed to do what he told her.

Ramona's sister had accompanied her to the mall. Her sister, Amanda Jean had been talking the whole time. Ramona had no idea what her sister had been talking about. She was not paying any attention to the chatterbox. Ramona was thanking the good Lord for letting her be able to feel the sun rays shining down on her body. The sun felt good. Its heat was refreshing. Ramona had looked up in the sky to look at the sun, but it had blinded her and she had to look away after a second. The brief second that she had looking at the sun brought tears to her eyes. Amanda Jean had asked her if she needed her sunglasses. Ramona smiled at the unaware woman and told her no.

Ramona was excited about the weekend. She loved the Resurrection celebration. It blessed her heart to know that Jesus had given His life for her. She was not worthy of the act that Jesus had done, but He did it anyway. How could God be so unselfish and send His son to die for people who act as if He doesn't exist. Ramona was glad that God chose to give us the awesome that He had because she was able to live in peace even though she was slowly dying every day. She rejoiced in the fact that one day soon, she would be able to see the magnificent Man who had given His life for her. she knew that God had a purpose for her suffering. She still did not know what it was, but she was glad that God loved her, loved her enough to send His son to give His life for her.

She had tears coming from her eyes again. Amanda Jean looked at her sister, "Ramona, are you alright." Ramona laughed at her sister's lisp. Amanda Jean became annoyed, "Quit laughing at me." Ramona smiled, "I am okay. I am just happy to be out of the hospital. God is so good. Baby sis, this is an awesome day for me. You do not know how awesome it is for me. God is too awesome to a wretch like me. I do not deserve His love, but He gives it to me everyday."

Amanda Jean Roberson tuned her sister out. She knew that her sister was about to go into a sermon, one that she Amanda Jean had heard too many times. She did not want to hear it right now. How could her sister be so happy about a God who let her suffer like she had and for so long? Amanda Jean had no interest in hearing about Ramona's God.

Day Seven

2007-11-07T17:26:00.000-06:00

Alexia had been driving for 5 minutes when her phone rung. She clicked the button on her Bluetooth, "Hello." It was one of her sisters. "Alexia, what are you doing?" Alexia blew a breath, anytime one of her sisters asked her what she was doing on her day off; she knew that they expected her to do something for them. She had no intention of doing anything for her family today. She was spending all of her time doing things for herself for this whole weekend. Alexia usually ended up doing stuff for her family on her days off. They were like that. They would use her whenever possible. Mostly, they had her go buy stuff for them. They never gave her any money, they typically said, "Can you get it for me? I will pay you back later." No one had ever paid her back. So many of her siblings owed her money and they had the nerve to act funny when she asked them for the money. Precious usually fussed at her for letting people use her. It was a vicious cycle and Alexia was trying her best to break that cycle.

Alexia had too many vicious cycles in her life. She had been trying to break them. She and Precious had made a pact to break all of the vicious cycles in their lives. To date, neither of them had broken any of their cycles.

Alexia's sister yelled, "Alexia, you did not answer me!" Alexia was knocked from her daydream, "What do you want? I am busy. I am running late, so make it quick." The bothersome woman on the phone bleated, "I really need you to do me a favor." Alexia had no intention of caving under pressure, "I cannot do anything for you." Alexia's sister sighed, "Why not?" Alexia wanted to hand up on her sister, but she knew that would case a bigger fight than she wanted at the moment, "I just cannot. I gotta go." The vexing voice of the phone whimpered, "I really need you to help me out." Alexia made a face. She was determined not to get wrapped up into any family mess this weekend, "I cannot help you. Bye. I am hanging up the phone. Do not call me back. I am not going to answer the phone." Alexia hung the phone up before her sister could say anything.

Alexia smiled. She felt good that she had not let her sister talk her into doing anything. Her happiness was short lived when her phone rang again. Alexia huffed. She did not have her phone in reach so that she could see who was calling her. She refused to answer the phone. She could not be sure who was on the phone and she did not want to talk to her sister. The phone rung a couple more times before it went to voice mail. Alexia hoped it was not someone important. If it was, she could call them back.

Precious paced the floor. She was dressed and ready to go. It was not like Alexia to be late. Precious looked at the clock on her wall, it was 1:12 PM. Precious should have been there at 1:00. Precious was tempted to call Alexia, but she figured that Alexia was on her way and did not want to bother her.

Precious made a face. She had a sudden jolt, "Alexia better not be helping one of her crazy sisters. I am going to kill her if she is.!" Precious knew that Alexia had been talked into helping her sisters on more than one occasion when they were supposed to be hanging together.

Precious pounded her fist on the table. She winced from the pain of hitting her hand too hard. She walked over to kitchen counter. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Alexia's number.

"If she is with one of her sisters, I swear I am going to hunt her down and hurt her!" Precious thought to herself. The phone rung several times before it went to voice mail. Precious click the end button on her cell phone. She slammed it down on the counter. She scolded herself for doing that before she stormed back into the living room.

"I am going to kill her. I ain't even playing. I cannot believe that she would do this to me on today." Precious continued fussing until she heard a knock on her door.

Precious walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole. It was Alexia. Precious silently repented for all the mean things she had said about Alexia as she opened the door.

Precious greeted her aunt with a hug and a kiss. Alexia smiled. Precious made a face, "I called you a few minutes ago. Why did not you answer?"

Alexia laughed, "Oh, that was you. I thought it was Shirley Mae. She called me earlier talking about a favor. I did not want to take a chance and answer it, just in case it was her."

Precious cackled, "That's my girl. You know I was mad, though. I thought you had got caught up with your family. I was gonna come hunt you down."

They both laughed for a few more seconds before they left the house to go to the mall.

Day Six

2007-11-06T18:14:00.000-06:00

Alexia snatched her purse off of the chair next to her bedroom door. She walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. She looked around for her keys. She was forever loosing her keys. She looked around frantically for a minute or two before she realized that she had left them hanging on the key hanger rack by her front door. She tapped herself on the head and then walked to the key hanger rack. She took hold of her keys and tried to snatch them off the hanger, but the key chain got stuck on the hook. Alexia had jerked on the keys so hard that it caused her to hurt her hands on the finger nail clipper she had attached to her keychain. She blew a deep breathe, mumbled, "Dang it," and then looked at the part of her hand under her thumb. It did not look bad and there was no blood. She was ok to go on out the door without getting a band-aid. Alexia made another stabbed at getting her keys off the hook, this time; she slowly took the keys from off the hook. With purse in hand, Alexia walked out of the door and headed for her car.

Alexia reached her car quickly. She had assigned parking in her apartment complex. She was very happy for that, in fast she was so happy about it, that she paid an extra 20 dollars a month to have the privilege of getting a covered spot right in front of her apartment. She got into her car, cranked it up, and then looked at the gas gauge. She could have screamed. She was almost on empty. She had meant to get some gas last night, but she told herself to get it in the morning. She backed out of the parking spot reprimanding herself for not getting some gas last night. Now, she would have to go to the gas station and deal with the clerk who was always asking her out.

Alexia drove slowly to the gas station that was a block from her apartment. She surmised that she had enough gas to make it to the gas station that was three blocks down from her apartment, but she did not want to take a chance that she did not make it to the gas station. Plus, the gas three blocks away was $2.89 while the gas that was a block away was $2.79. It was only a ten cent saving, but it was ten cents a gallon. Every little penny helped these days.

Alexia reluctantly pulled up into the gas station. She stopped at the pump that was as far away from the building as she could get. She hoped that the clerk in the building would not be able to see her. If he did see her, he would come outside, flirt with her, while he pumped her gas. As much as she hated pumping gas, she hated fooling with the gold toothed wearing attendant even more.

She turned the engine of her car off and exited her 2007 Newport Blue Pearl Subaru Tribeca. Before she had time to put her credit card in the credit card scanner, the dreaded gas station clerk was standing next to her door smiling at her, his gold tooth gleaming. It shined as if he had just cleaned it.

Ronnie (as his name tag implied) smiled at Alexia, "Hey, there miss lady. As good as you looking, I know you do not wanna pump no gas in that outfit. Let a brother hook you up."

Alexia tried not to smile, "You do not have to do that. I know that it is not part of your job."

Ronnie ran his tongue across his gold tooth slowly, "For you sweetness, I would drink this gas."

Alexia burst out laughing, "You need Jesus."

The gold tooth profligate licked his lips, "If you are driving to meet him, I'll ride shotgun."

Alexia did not want to encourage him anymore than she already had, so she responded, "Are you gonna pump the gas or not?"

Ronnie reached for the gas pump, placed it in the gas tank and began pumping the gas, "Where are you going all dressed up like that?"

"None of your business," Alexia said without even looking at the intrusive man.

Ronnie turned his face so that it was facing Alexia, "I am just asking to be friendly."

Alexia made a face and did not answer the obtrusive man.

Ronnie sucked his gold tooth loudly, "Why are you playing hard to get? I am just trying to talk to you."

Alexia blew a hard breath, "I do not want to talk to you!"

The pushy gas attendant made a face, "Oh, why you being so cold woman? A brother is just trying to get to know ya."

The irritated woman looked at the aggressive gas man, "I do not mean to be cold. I am just not interested in you. I have told you that every time that I have come into the gas station and you persist in your action. I am not trying to hurt your feelings or anything. I am just not interested in you."

Ronnie looked dejected. He pumped the rest of the gas in silence. Alexia could tell that she had hurt Ronnie's feelings. She felt bad, but she hoped that he had gotten the message. Maybe he would leave her alone now.

Ronnie finished pumping the gas and put the gas nozzle back in its place. He smiled at Alexia, "Alright Miss lady, there you go. I will see you on soon. I'll be waiting to pump your gas for you." He opened the door for Alexia.

Alexia laughed as she got into the car, "You need Jesus."

Ronnie closed the door, "I already told ya, if you are driving to meet Him, I'll ride shotgun."

Alexia rolled her eyes at Ronnie and drove off. She could not wait to see Precious and tell her what had happened at the gas station.

***

Boyd Lee Allen was waiting for his homeboy Brock Van Duren to come by and pick him up. They were going to the mall for something. Boyd was not exactly sure for what, but a trip to the mall was always cool. He had the next two days off for Easter. He was glad, too. He had been working hard since he moved to Jouette. A frat brother of his had helped him get the job that he had at the moment, much to the dismay of his current manager. Boyd's current manager wanted a friend of his to get the job. Boyd was more qualified that the manager's friend. Boyd's manager had been giving him a hard time. He and Brock had been praying for the past two months that God would move the manager or Boyd to a new department. It seemed as if things had gotten worse for Boyd. His manager acted crazier everyday, nitpicked at Boyd for the smallest things, and was always watching Boyd's every move waiting for him to make a mistake. Boyd just did his work, flawlessly. The vice-president of the department had taken notice of Boyd's work. If the manager did not watch out, Boyd would have his job.

Boyd looked at his fingernails. They were dirty. He hated having dirty fingernails. He grabbed the fingernail file that he had sitting on the bed next to him and cleaned each one of his nails with precision. After he had done all eight fingers and both thumbs, he extended his arms and looked at his fingernails. They were clean, but he needed a manicure.

Boyd had to laugh at himself. He was such a pretty boy. Brock always teased him about it, too. "Boy, how are you gonna be prettier than any woman I know. You are so high maintenance. You need to quit." Boyd would just laugh. He had no problem with being a pretty boy. He did hate to be called a metrosexual, though. When the word first came out, everyone that Boyd knew started calling him that. Boyd was not a metrosexual in any way, other than liking to dress nicely. Boyd always said, "Caring about how I look and smell doesn't make me a metrosexual, it makes me a person who cares about myself." Boyd knew that he probably made a bigger deal out of than he should, but it was his choice to be called what he wanted to be called. He had no homosexual tendencies, so he did not fully fit the definition of a metro sexual.

Boyd shook himself. He needed to get on the ball. He knew that Brock would be on time and mad if he was not ready. Brock went over to his closet to get the outfit that he had picked out to wear, a pair of dark brown pants with a light brown collarless shirt and a light brown blazer that closely matched the color of the shirt he was wearing. Brock had his dark brown suede loafers ready with a pair of light brown socks. He was going to be clean as he always was.

He put on his shirt and pants on after he lotioned himself down and put on enough cologne to make the whole room smell like he was going to smell. He had to make that the cologne penetrated every bit of his clothing so that the smell would last all day. He went over to the mirror and looked at his college cut hair. He had to make sure he got a hair cut so that on Sunday, his hair would look just right. He was going to look good, no matter what he wore. He ran his hand over his head. That was not going to do. He picked up the boar bristle brush that was lying on his dresser and brushed his hair 50 times in each direction, meticulously following the grain of his hair. He counted each stroke of the brush out loud, making sure that he had done 50 in each direction. It was an odd habit, but it made his hair looked wavy, and that was just what he wanted.

After Boyd finished his daily hair routine, he walked over and put on his shoes and socks. He looked down at his feet. He had some pretty feet. It helped that he got pedicures every other week. He had found a great nail salon right on his block. He almost had a fit when he found the place. They did his hands and his feet like he liked. It was perfect for him. He could walk to the shop and back. He had one problem though. He had yet to find a barber that he liked. He had gone to a couple of people suggested by people at his job and his church, but they hadn't worked out for him. They seemed to get upset because he was so fastidious when it came to his hair. One barber had even said, "Dawg, you crazy. You ain't gonna find nobody to do your hair like you want it. You crazy." Boyd had laughed as he gave the guy his fee and a 15 dollar tip. Boyd knew he was particular, but he was willing to pay people for having to put up with him.

Boyd was finally ready. He walked into his living room. His furniture was neatly laid out so that from every seat in the room, you could see the television clearly. There were trash cans within arms length of each of the seating items. Boyd could not stand for people to have trash all over his house. He had trash cans everywhere in his house. He went over to his sectional couch and sat down on it. He reached for the television remote, which he kept in a box on the coffee table with all of his other remotes. He clicked the power button on the remote and then picked up the cable box remote and turned the cable box on. It was set to his favorite station, ESPN News. He made a mental note to call the cable company and have them send him a new remote. He had did something to the current remote that he had so that the remote would not turn on the television as well as the cable box.

ESPN News was running a basketball story. That was one of Boyd's favorite sports. He did not play organized ball anymore, but he and Brock played pick up games from time to time. Brock hadn't had much time to play since they had moved to Jouette. He was busy being the pastor and all. Boyd seemed to have been pushed to the back seat a bit, but he knew that Brock had a job to do.

Boyd and Brock had been best friends for ever, so it seems. They had grown up together in the city of Weidmer. They lived a couple of houses down from each other. They used to spend the night over each others houses. After awhile, everyone thought that they were brothers. Boyd spent more time with Brock and his family. Boyd liked hanging out with Brock's uncle Sirus, especially since Boyd did not have a father in his house. His mother did her best, but sometime Boyd just needed to talk to a man. Sirus Van Duren was that man. He always gave Boyd sound advice, wise counsel, and a swift kick to the butt when needed. Boyd loved Sirus as if he were his father.

The only reason Boyd moved to Jouette with Brock was because Sirus had asked him to make the move. Boyd had no intention of leaving his job, his friends, his church, or Weidmer. He was happy there. Sirus came to him a month before Brock was supposed to leave and said, "Son, I want you to go down there with Brock. He is going to need some help and I cannot be the one who gives him that help. I need to stay here and Brock needs to stand on his own feet. He will not be able to do that if I am down there with him. I do not want him to be by himself, though. That's why I need you to go." Boyd agreed to go only after Sirus agreed to pray that Boyd would get a better job in Jouette than he had in Weidmer. A week before they were supposed to leave, God came through with a great job. Boyd hadn't expected all the friction that was happening to happen on the job, but he was happy with the job. Sirus had asked Boyd not to say anything about the conversation they had. Boyd had not said anything. He respected Sirus enough to honor his request.

Boyd stood up and walked into his kitchen. He needed to go get a glass of water. He looked around in his kitchen. It was spotless. He had to laugh at himself because he was so meticulous. He opened the kitchen cabinet that housed the glasses. He reached in it and grabbed a cup. It was one of the cups that his mother had given him before he had left Weidmer. He missed his mother. She had been sick lately and he wanted to be with her, but she had told him to go ahead and leave for Jouette. His mother said that he did not have to keep taking care of her forever. She promised that with God's help, she would be okay. Boyd called her everyday even though she did not want him to call her that often. She had told him that he was getting on her nerves on more than one occasion. He wouldn't listen, he kept on calling her. His mother had always been sickly, all of his life, his mother was sick all the time. No one could ever find out what was wrong with his mother. His grandmother had said that she was just weak and could not take much. Boyd hated seeing his mother like that. She was a strong willed woman, though. She never let anything stop her. She always went to all of his basketball games and other events. She always went to work, even if she had a migraine or a back ache. She was like that; seeing his mother do all that, made him a stronger man. He was determined to make something of himself. That's why he always did his best, even when people came against him. He had made himself and his mother a promise that he would always do his best.

Boyd heard a knock on his door. He knew that it had to be Brock. Boyd put the television remote back in its box on the coffee table before he stood up and went to the door. He looked through the peephole and then opened the door. Brock walked into Boyd's apartment without being invited in. Boyd made a face, "Man, where are your manners? I did not invite you in." Brock smiled and sat down on the couch. He reached for the television remote, "Is this thing on ESPN News?" Boyd made a face, "Dawg, you need to come correct. You cannot be walking up in folk's apartment, acting like you own the place. That will get you hurt." Brock laughed, "Sorry, man. I thought we were family. I guess we ain't as close as I thought we were." Boyd snatched the remote from Brock's hand, "You know I hate it when you mess with my stuff. You get on my nerves." Brock stood up from the couch, "I said sorry. Let's go before you have a fit and we get to squabbling up in here. That would be crazy."

Boyd walked over to the love seat and picked up his jacket. He smoothed out the wrinkles that were in it before he put it on. After it was own, he looked at himself in the mirror that was on the back of the front door to make sure that he looked good. Brock, who was standing behind him laughed, "Man, you shole is pretty." Boyd walked out of his front door without even acknowledging Brock's statement.

Day Five

2007-11-05T17:14:00.000-06:00

Brock paced around the room for 3 minutes. He was getting anxious. He thought of Philippians 4:6-7, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (NKJV). He reprimanded himself for being anxious. He could not wait any longer. If e stayed in that house one more minute, he would loose his mind. He grabbed his blue blazer, his car keys, his wallet, and headed out the front door. He was just going to meet Boyd a little earlier than they had planned.

Brock backed his blue Ford Focus out of the parking spot he was in. He could never find a parking space close to his apartment. He usually ended up walking a little ways to get to and from his apartment. It was a nuisance, especially when he was in a rush. He was planning on talking to the management of the apartment complex, but he never found the time. He uncle was constantly telling him, "If do not take action, then do not complain."

Thinking about what his uncle had said made Brock think about his childhood. Brock had a great childhood. He did not always have everything he wanted, but all of his needs were met. His uncle, Dr. Sirus Van Duren was famous for saying, "You do not have to worry about your needs, and God will always take care of those if you live for Him. You will have a place to stay, food to eat, and clothes to wear. They may not be what you want, but it will be enough to protect you, feed you, and clothe you. God never said that He would provide you with name brand stuff. He just said He would supply your needs."

Brock grew up living with his mother, Vandella Van Duren. Vandella had married Josias Van Duren. They gave life and birth to Brock. His father was a police officer. When Brock was 10 years old, his father died in the line of duty. His father's death hit him hard, but his uncle got him interested in the Bible and ministering to other hurt people. Having that and basketball, kept Brock from going astray. Brock was a great basketball player, just like his father and his uncle had been. Brock had every intention of playing ball for a career, but it did not work out for him. He was injured during a basketball practice his freshman year in college. After the injury, Brock decided to take up religious studies and focus on being a minister. Brock's mother died three years ago from cancer. Brock was crushed by his mother's death. It hit him hard, but again, his uncle was there for him. Brock's uncle had been very influential in his life. If it had not been for his uncle, Brock would have lost his mind a long time ago. Brock was grateful to God for his uncle.

Brock had to wipe the tears from eyes. Thinking about his family always made him tear up. It was hard for him to think about his mother, father, or uncle without feeling sentimental. Brock was very family oriented. He wished that his uncle would have come to Jouette with him, but his uncle insisted on staying in Weidmer and letting Brock make his own way as a pastor. Part of Brock was happy that his uncle had decided to stay because he did not want to be overshadowed by his uncle. It was probably for the best, too. Brock's bestfriend, Boyd had moved to Jouette with him, so Brock was not by himself. Brock laughed at the thought of Boyd moving to Jouette. In a matter of weeks, after moving to Jouette, Boyd had a full-time job making more money than he had made when he was in Weidmer. It had made Boyd laugh and say, "Man, I am glad that God wanted you down here. It got me a better job." That was Boyd's and Brock's relationship; every since they had met in the 3rd grade, Boyd had ridden Brock's coat tail. Boyd usually ended up with the best of the deal, though. Brock did not get jealous, most of the time. Boyd always shared everything that he got with Brock. They were boys, and that's the way they did things.

Brock waved the peace sign at a car that had let him over into the second lane. A beautiful lady waved back at him. He shook his head. He needed to get a woman. He could not believe that he had just said that to himself. He laughed. He hadn't found anyone who made him think, laugh, feel, and take notice. Most of the females he ran into lately just wanted a "rich" preacher to marry and take care of them. He did not want to take care of anyone. He wanted someone to work with him and to help him build up his ministry. He had met some non-Christian woman who fit the criteria that he was looking for, but he could not do anything with an unsaved woman. That would have raised more eyebrows than him not having a woman at all. Brock had to settle for being alone, at least for the moment. He knew that God would bring the right woman into his life at the right time. There were times when Brock wished that the Lord would move a little faster, because he was tired of being alone.

Brock made his way all the way over to the right lane so that he could exit the highway. He was almost at Boyd's apartment. He was 8 minutes early. Brock knew that Boyd was going to act a fool. Boyd always had to have every minute to get dressed when they were going somewhere. Brock laughed as he turned down the street that Boyd lived on. Brock could not believe that his friend lived in such a nice apartment complex. Sometimes, his life just did not seem right.

***

Alexia Trudeau finished brushing her short hair. She was having a bad hair day. It was getting on her nerves, too. She always had a bad hair day at the worst time. She did not need one today. She was going to the mall with her niece, Precious Devereux. Precious was pretty, vivacious, and noticeable, and men always noticed Precious. Alexia had to look her best when she was with Precious if she wanted to get an "oh yea, the pretty has a friend look" from men. Alexia chided herself for being jealous of her niece. Her niece had been blessed with great looks and a great body. Alexia figured it was God's way of making up for the fact that Precious' childhood was so crazy.

Alexia looked at her chocolate skin. She was beautiful and she knew it. Men took notice of her when she was by herself. She wondered why she was still single at the age of 25. Her family considered her an old maid. Her father was always scolding her for hanging out with Precious, "If you did not spend all your time with that hussy, you would have a husband and some kids! You are too old to be single!" Alexia would shake off her father's harsh words with a smile.

Alexia's father, Rev. Alex Trudeau was a hard man. He was especially hard on women. He had softened some in his old age, but he still had some old-fashioned notions about women. Alexia was the baby of the family. She was child number 16. Alexia had sisters and 10 brothers. She still could not believe that her parents had so many children. Many of her brothers and sisters said that she was spoiled and that their father treated her like she was special, but Alexia knew better. Her father was just as hard on her as he was on the rest of her siblings. He had said some mean things to her, particularly when it came to Precious.

"You must like running with that vile girl. She is a nasty woman. If you keep running with her, people are going to start thinking you are like her. You will not be my daughter anymore if that happens."

Alexia always ended up crying after one of those sessions with her father. As much as she tried to not let it bother her, her father's words always made her weep. She hated the hold her father had over her.

Alexia tried to think about something else. She did not want her thoughts of her father to ruin her day. She knew that the day would be filled a fun adventure. She was going shopping with Precious. Anytime the two of the hung out, things got interesting. Alexia frequently had to warn Precious not to let her wily was get the best of her. Her niece was a good person, but she just got into trouble a lot. Precious was good at rebelling, mainly against the wishes of the Trudeau family. Alexia had always been Precious' conscience. Alexia was waiting for the day when her niece would let the Lord be her conscience.

Alexia laughed at the thought of Precious being her niece. Most people either thought that they were good friends or sisters. Alexia was only 9 months older than Precious. Alexia had some nieces and nephews who were older than her. in a family of 16 children, some ages overlapped. Her mother had been pregnant with some of her daughters; that always made Alexia laugh. She loved to look at a picture that showed her mother and two sisters when they were all pregnant at the same time. Her family was crazy, but they all loved each other.

Alexia looked at herself in the mirror. She looked good, but not great. She was tempted to change clothes, but she did not want to be late picking up Precious. Although she knew that Precious wouldn't even be ready. That forever got on Alexia's nerves, Precious' lateness. That girl was late for everything. It did not matter what it was, she was late. Alexia did not like the red and white outfit she had on. She took it off and replaced it with a lavender and gray outfit. Alexia looked better in that outfit. She thought about changing again, but she talked herself out of changing.

Alexia walked over to the telephone that was sitting on the night stand of her bedroom. She picked it up and dialed Precious' phone number. She did not want to leave the house unless she knew that Precious was at least half dressed. After ringing three times, Precious' voice said, "Hey, auntie."

Alexia made a face. She hated it when Precious called her that. "Must you call me that?"

Precious laughed, "Yep, auntie. That's what you are. My auntie."

The reluctant aunt grimaced, "Ow, you are so evil. Must you act like that?"

Precious laughed again, "Did you call me to mess with me or for something else?"

Alexia sucked her teethe, "You know good and well, why I called. Are you dressed, yet?"

The meddling niece responded, "Yes, auntie, I am dressed and waiting on you to get over here. If you want to try to kind a nice Easter outfit for Sunday, then you need to come on so we can get to the mall before everything is gone."

Alexia gasped, "Are you serious? You are already dressed. I cannot believe it."

Precious made a face, "Yep. I am actually dressed. And I look good if I do say so myself."

Alexia giggled, "You are so full of yourself. Do you ever have a bad day?"

"Yep, but the world will never know. Never let them see you sweet. What have I told you?" Precious scolded.

"You are my niece, not my mama. Get off my back. I am older than you," Alexia reminded.

Precious snorted, "Girl please, by 9 months, and that just barely. Are you on your way over here?"

Alexia exhaled. She could tell that her niece had gotten upset. Precious was easily upset at times. Alexia did not feel like fighting with her niece, so she tried to make her laugh. "Nope, I was calling to tell you that I was not ready yet."

Precious wheezed, "You have got to be lying. You ain't ready."

Alexia laughed, "Nope. I am trying to get my outfit together. What are you wearing?"

Precious smiled, "My pink and blue outfit. The one everybody loves me in."

Alexia made a face, "Ok. You haven't worn that in awhile."

Precious returned, "Yea, I know. Get dressed and get over here. You ain't gonna look better than me, so just throw on an old house robe and come on over here." Precious laughed loudly.

Alexia made a face, "Whatever. I will be there in a few minutes. Just make sure you are ready."

Precious made a kissing sound in the phone and then hung up the phone without waiting for Alexia to return the favor.

Alexia laughed as she hung up the phone. That was their way of saying goodbye to each other. They blew kisses to each other. Whoever blew the first kiss was the one who would call and check up on the other one the next day. Usually; Precious ended up being the first one to blow a kiss. It never bothered Alexia. Alexia like having Precious check up on her; and Precious like checking up on Alexia.

Alexia decided to go ahead and wear her lavender and gray outfit. She did not see the need to change. It wouldn't make a difference anyway. Precious did look great in her blue and pink outfit. Alexia grabbed her lavender heels, put them on, and then headed out the door to go pick up Precious. Alexia was excited about going to see her niece. They were sure to have some fun looking for her an Easter outfit.

Day Four

2007-11-04T17:11:00.000-06:00

Precious looked at the peach blouse and the black slacks. She stared at it, hoping that the blouse would do something. It never did. She grabbed the blouse and the shoes, and then walked back over to her closet. She hung the blouse up and then put her shoes back where they belonged. She did not want to wear peach today. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw her blue and pink blouse that everyone says that she looked good in. She snatched it. She looked at it and then decided to wear it. She hadn't worn the shirt in a few weeks, so it was an okay decision. She reached for the blue slacks that she normally wore with the blouse. She got the shoes that she wore with the outfit as she exited the closet.

She put the outfit on her bed. She admired it. It was perfect. The blouse was cut low enough to be seductive, but high enough to not be scanty. Precious laughed at herself. She never considered herself scanty. Her Aunt Helen had always told her, "Baby, if you want to dress sexy, that's fine, but do not show the world all of your stuff. That ain't nice."

Precious went into the bathroom to put on her make-up. She had already taken a shower, so it wouldn't take her as long to get dressed. She and her aunt, Alexia were going to Orchard Park Mall. They were going shopping for outfit to wear to church on Sunday. Actually, Alexia was looking for an outfit to wear to church. Precious was going to the mall to hunt for men. She could care less about a church service.

Precious grew up in church, not by choice, but because her grandfather was the pastor of a big church in the city, so she had to go to church, but once she turned 17 years old, Precious did not set foot in a church again, except for a wedding or funeral. She had made up her mind that she wanted nothing to do with a God that had frauds like her grandfather working for him. Precious hadn't been to church since her Aunt Helen's funeral over eight months ago. The church funeral was not even Precious' idea. She wanted to have the funeral at the funeral home, but the Trudeau's insisted that the funeral be at the church.

Precious took extra time on her make-up. It had to be flawless. She wanted her face to look as if she was not wearing make-up. She hated it when women looked like they were wearing make-up. She made sure that the girls she worked with at the foundation knew how to apply their make-up. Precious did not want any girl that she had worked with to say that she did not teach them how to put on make-up.

This weekend was special. It was Easter weekend. A lot of church people were going to be at the mall looking for outfits to wear to church on Sunday. With three days left, before Sunday, it was going to be nearly impossible to find a decent outfit. Precious did not have to buy an outfit. She had plenty of clothes that she could wear that no one had ever seen before. But Alexia had insisted. Precious knew Alexia's true motive for wanting to go to the mall; to try to get Precious to go to church with her. Alexia asked Precious to go to church during every major Christian holiday; Christmas, Mother's Day, and Easter. Every time, Precious said no. Alexia did not seem to care that Precious said no. Precious did not seem to mind saying no.

Precious had every intention of finding a man at the mall. She knew that she could use her wiles to seduce any man that she met. With her long slender legs, lengthy pretty eyelashes, wide sweet smile, and firm, stout breasts; she could make a man melt with just a sweet sounding hello. She never failed to come away with a man when she set her mind to it.

Many people thought that she was a hussy, but she really was not. she had not slept with as many men as everyone thought she had. She had only slept with 10 men since the age of 19. she just liked being around men and having them fawn over her. By most standards in modern society, only sleeping with 10 men was a small thing. She was always safe whenever she slept with someone. She liked having fun, but she did not want to catch a disease while having fun. Oddly enough, the ten men she had slept with were so called church men. Precious could not figure out why she always ended up sleeping with church men, but they were usually the ones who were eager to sleep with her, at least that is the way that it seemed to her.

Precious did not understand her weakness for church men. She never wanted anything to do with them after she had slept with them. She just wanted them to leave. A couple of them had tried to come back to try to sleep with her again, but she refused their advances.

Precious hadn't been with anyone since her aunt's funeral. She had promised her aunt that she would change her ways and even go back to church. Precious wanted to keep her promise, but she had needs and her body was screaming loud and clear. She was tired of hearing her body, too. She would have to try to keep her promise to her aunt another time, but today, she needed a fix and fast.

Precious finished with her make-up and then put on her clothes. She made sure that every button was lined up correctly; that the crease was perfectly straight. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was ready, ready for whatever the world had to offer her today.

***

Brock Van Duren was getting ready to leave his house in a little while. He was going to meet his bestfriend, Boyd. They were going to the mall. Boyd wanted to find a suit to wear for Sunday. Brock did not have to worry about what to wear, he would be wearing his black robe, so it did not matter what he had on.

He was the new pastor at New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. He had been appointed as the pastor of the church a month earlier. It had been a smooth transition up until Brock had announced his plans for Resurrection Weekend. Most of the people at the church complained that it was too much to do for the weekend and that they had never done anything like that before. Brock knew that God had given him the plan for the weekend and he intended to carry out that plan. He had the support of most of the deacons of the church, so he could go ahead with the plan.

Brock was 28 years old. He was the youngest pastor that had ever been appointed as a pastor in the Central Maddocha Baptist Fellowship of Churches. The youngest person appointed before him was a 30 year old pastor. He had been a youth pastor before. He had been very successful at that endeavor; that's what got him noticed by the fellowship. When the position at New Tabernacle became available, Brock was the fellowship's first choice. He was happy that he had been appointed to the church. He was not afraid because of his age. He was usually the youngest person wherever he went in the fellowship. Most of the ministers were at least 5 years older than him, but Brock never let his age be a hindrance to him. He was as smart as most of the ministers in the fellowship. He was just as educated as the ministers. He also had as much experience as the other ministers.

Brock wanted to be a basketball player at one point in his life. He was a great player, too, but a tragic injury cut his promising basketball career short. Shortly after his injury, Brock decided to go into the ministry full-time and heed the call of the Lord on his life. Brock had been ministering since he was 15 years old. He started in his uncle's church as a deacon and then he was licensed at the age of 13 and ordained at the age of 15. he worked with his uncle as a children's church minister, a youth minister, and as the nursing home minister. Brock liked the nursing home ministry. The people in the nursing home loved him. They were always happy to see him. It was fun, too. Brock enjoyed listening to the stories that the people had to tell. He especially liked talking to an old preacher who lived in the nursing home. Rev. Claude Manikins told the best stories about his life as a traveling evangelist. Rev. Manikins had even given Brock some words of wisdom.

Brock brushed his low cut hair. He had a lot on his mind. This was a big weekend for him. He had never preached a big weekend like this before. He was excited. He was nervous. He was even a little scared. He wanted the weekend to go smoothly. He especially didn't want to make a fool of himself. He had been talking to his uncle all week. His uncle had been encouraging and helpful, but Brock knew that he had to do this weekend by himself with the help of God. Brock was thankful that he had his friend Brock there to help him.

Brock was very confident in his ability to be a pastor, but New Tabernacle was a small church. Brock had never been a part of a church so small. He knew that his every move would be scrutinized and watched. It didn't help that he was single either. That was on of the complaints that the older saints had stated when he was first interviewed to be the pastor. Being single was one of Brock's flaws; at least it was a flaw in the eyesight of his counterparts. They often teased him about being single, especially since he was a good looking dark skinned man. Brock would shake off their teasing. He got tired of it though. Brock had never found anyone he wanted to marry. It was one of those things that he had to live with. No one knew anything about Brock's sex life. No one ever asked him about it. they just made assumptions about it. Brock was still a virgin. He had never been with a woman. Only two people knew this, his uncle and Boyd. Brock had sworn both of them to secrecy. Boyd teased Brock constantly about being a virgin. That was the only thing Boyd had on Brock.

Brock thought about what he was going to wear to the mall. He knew that everyone was going to be at the mall. He had to look like a preacher, but he wanted to be comfortable. He had to change his whole public image, now that he was a pastor. Before, as a youth pastor, he could go out in regular street clothes, looking like the masses, but now, he had to look like a preacher wherever he went. He didn't want to wear a suit all the time, though. He hated that part of being a pastor. He didn't like to wear suits and ties. His uncle teased him about that all the time, "Boy, how can you want to be a preacher and can't stand wearing ties? You are crazy."

Brock stood up to his full six foot length. He stretched and then sat back down on his bed. He was half dressed. He had on his pants and an a-shirt. He had a polo shirt sitting out on the bed that he wanted to wear and a pair of tennis shoes. He shook his head. He couldn't wear that. He went to his closet and found a button down shirt to wear. He also grabbed a pair of black loafers. He reached for his blue blazer as well. He shook his head as he looked at his outfit. He was going to look like a geek, but he had to do it. he knew that Brock was going to have a good laugh at his expense, too.

Brock retrieved his clothes and went to the bathroom to finish dressing. He put on the pink button down shirt and his blue blazer. He looked nice, but it wasn't what he really wanted to wear. He took off the blazer and then the shirt. He reached for the cologne that was sitting on the shelf. He sprayed it on his a-shirt and then put the bottle back on the shelf. He put his shirt back on and took his blazer back into his room. He had 20 more minutes before he had to leave to go pick up Boyd.

Brock went over to his computer desk that sat in his bedroom. His apartment was a small one bedroom place. It was the only thing he could afford at the moment. He was a little cramped, but it served the purpose that he needed it for. He sat down in his chair. He looked at the computer screen. He had tried to start his sermon for Sunday several times, but he still hadn't typed anything on the page. It was blank. Brock stared at the screen, hoping that something would appear on the screen, but nothing did. Brock wasn't worried; he still had 3 days to come up with a sermon.

Brock stood up from the computer. He was tired of staring at the screen. He shut the computer down and grabbed his blazer off the bed. He headed out the front door to go meet Boyd. Brock would have to write his sermon later.

Day Three

2007-11-03T19:45:00.000-05:00

Precious Devereax pushed a lock of her curly hair behind her ear. She realized that it looked better that way instead of in her face. Her hair had to be perfect. She was on a mission, and she was intent on completing that mission. Precious was 24 years old. She was a beautiful and successful woman. She had her stuff together, so she thought. She knew it and she wanted the whole world to know it.

She looked at her taupe skin and picked at one of the freckles on her face. She smiled at the thought of being one of the lightest members of her family. The skin tones in the Trudeau family average mocha brown. A couple of people were dark chocolate brown. Then there was Precious and her twin cousins, they were the color beige. Precious' mother had fallen in love with a light skinned drummer and together they produced Precious Shanice Devereax.

Precious wore her father's last name proudly, much to the dismay of the Trudeau clan. They did not like the idea of one of their descendants being linked to a devilish musician whose life's goal it was to produce music that caused people to sin. Precious' mother, Enid Trudeau has defied her father, Rev. Alex Trudeau and ran off to be the devil himself, Armand Bouche, a drummer in a local jazz band. Enid was a singer with a golden voice. Her father wanted her to sing Gospel music, but Enid had other ideas. She had been invited by the group's leader to join the band. Enid left home with a forewarning from her father that her life would end in ruin. Enid came back home a year later, 4 months pregnant. This did not sit well with her father. She was shunned and then sent to live with a family member in the country until she had the baby. After she had the baby, Enid nursed the baby for four months and then left the child with the family member she had been staying with. Enid went back out on the road with Armand and the band. In the end, Precious ended up staying with her grandfather's sister. Precious' mother visited her from time to time, but Precious was raised by her aunt Helen Trudeau.

Precious laughed. It was so ironic that the black sheep grandchild of the family would end up with the black sheep child of the family. Helen Trudeau was an outcast in the family. She had never been married. She never had any children. She was not exactly a sinner, but she did manage to dabble in the "bad" side of life from time to time. Sending Precious to live with Helen was supposed to be a punishment, but it was a blessing instead.

Precious grinned and thought, "Aunt Helen was the best person to raise me. My crazy granddaddy thought he was doing something wicked, but it turned out great." Precious had a great life. She went to the museum. She went to the opera. She was cultured, refined, and a lady; all because of her Aunt Helen. Helen always supported Precious, no matter what. Helen loved Precious as if she was her own daughter.

Precious became solemn; thinking about her Aunt Helen made her sad at that moment. Helen had died eight months ago. Precious still had moments when she got sad thinking about her aunt. If it hadn't been for her aunt, Alexia, Precious would not have made it through the first couple of months.

Precious shook herself. She had to quit daydreaming. She was planning on meeting her aunt at the mall in a little while. She had to get ready. Precious stood up from the chair that sat in front of her vanity mirror. She admired her thin waist in the mirror. She did look good. She knew that she had her mother's figure; slender, well-formed, and curved in all the right places. Precious' mother had given her a love of music, too. You would always her some kind of music playing in Precious' house.

Precious strolled over to her walk-in closet and looked at all of the clothes that she owned. Precious tried to pick something out to wear, but she could not figure out what to wear. She had too many clothes. Thanks to her Aunt Helen, she had been left a large sum of money that she invested wisely and lived on. That was another problem the Trudeau family had with Precious; they thought she was a loose woman because she had never worked a day in her life, but she always had money and new things that no one in the family could afford. They were under the impression that she had men taking care of her. Her family knew nothing about her life. They did not even seem to care.

Precious stepped backwards out of her closet. She had to stop thinking about her family. Lately, they had been invading her mind more than she wanted them to and the thoughts often left her feeling deflated and dejected. She could not figure out what was going on with her. She wanted to talk to someone about it, but she knew that if her family found out, they would probably declare her crazy and try to have her committed. She had decided to suffer in silence.

The long-legged woman stepped back into her closet. She had to find something to wear. Alexia would be over soon and she would have a fit if Precious was not ready.

"Precious, you take forever to do everything. One of these days you are going to miss your blessing being so slow," was Alexia's constant refrain.

Precious would answer back, "I am sure that one of you Trudeaus will be there to collect it in my place." That would start an argument. Precious had been trying to not argue with Alexia so much lately, but it never seemed to work.

Precious riffled through her name brand clothes. First she went through her slacks, looking for a suitable pair to wear, but could not find anything that she liked. She looked through her blouses; hoping one of them would inspire her, but no such luck. She looked at her shoes, hoping one of the 100 pairs she had would move her, but the shoes were not even doing anything for her. She bellowed, "What is wrong with me?" as she walked out of the closet.

Perhaps shopping would make her feel better. It usually did, although lately, she hadn't felt like going shopping much. Usually, after working at the Growler Foundation for a few hours, she would leave and go shopping and everything in the world would seem great. That hadn't been working for her lately. She was spending more and more time at the Growler Foundation, where she held etiquette classes, and less time shopping. Her life was taking her somewhere, but she was not sure where.

Precious forced herself to go back into her closet. She had to find something to wear. She looked around the closet, stood in front of her pants, closed her eyes, and then grabbed a pair of slacks. She opened her eyes. She had a pair of black slacks in her hand. She turned and looked at her blouses. She decided to wear a peach colored blouse that was low-cut in the front. She knew Alexia would have a fit, but Precious did not care. Precious walked over to her shoes and picked out her high-heeled peach shoes.

She walked out of the closet and set the outfit on her canopy bed. Looking at the bed made her think about her Aunt Helen. Aunt Helen owned the bed before she died. That was the only item that Precious had asked her family for after Helen had died. Precious wanted the bed because she and her Aunt Helen had shared lots of moments on the bed talking and laughing with one another. The family took everything and was trying to take the bed, but Alexia said that she wanted it, and being the blessed child of the family, Alexia always got what she wanted. After Alexia took the bed, she gave it to Precious. Precious was glad that she had Alexia on her side sometimes.

Precious sat down on her bed. She looked up towards Heaven.

"Aunt Helen, I know you are up there. I sure wish you were down here though. I cannot figure any of this out. I do not feel like myself. I am not acting like myself. I cannot figure any of this out. I sure could use your help right now."

Precious closed her eyes to fight back the tears, but they came out anyway. She did not need this right now. She had to get dressed. She was tempted to call Alexia and cancel the shopping trip, but Alexia would have had a fit and Precious did not want to hear Alexia's mouth. Going shopping with in a bad mood was better than hearing Alexia fuss at her.

Day Two

2007-11-02T19:44:00.000-05:00

Mother Willie Mae Colbert walked into Udetta's with two of her daughters. They wanted to buy her a suit for Easter, despite Mother Colbert's objection. Mother did not see the need to spend so much money on a suit that she would probably only wear once. Mother Colbert was going to turn 90 years-old on Sunday, so her whole family was going to attend church with her. Her two daughters that lived in the city of Jouette had decided to buy her an outfit for the Sunday service. The whole Colbert family was coming together to celebrate the seasoned woman's birthday.

Mother Colbert was not sure how much longer she wanted to be on this earth. She had lived long enough and seen enough to last three lifetimes. Mother Colbert had raised 10 children, and helped raise 38 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Her life had been full and she was ready to go home to be with the Lord. Her family wanted her to live longer, but Mother Colbert was tired. She no longer wanted to be tied down to this world.

Mrs. Udetta walked over to Mother Colbert. The two ladies greeted each other with a hug and kiss. They knew each other from church. "You are looking good, Mother Colbert," Mrs. Udetta said. Mother Colbert smiled and in her quiet voice responded, "Thank you baby. I am truly blessed." Mother Colbert paused for a few seconds and then said, "My daughters have drugged me to this store, trying to buy me a dress. You know how I feel about spending money on frivolous things." Mrs. Udetta laughed, "I hear you Mother. Do you want a black or silver dress?" Mother Colbert shook her head, "I want a black dress, but I am sure that my daughters will want a flashier color. Do I look like I want to wear a color other than black?" Mrs. Udetta laughed and headed for the store room to get the dresses for Mother Colbert.

Mother Colbert's oldest daughter walked over to her with a suit in her hands, "Mama, this suit would be perfect on you." The daughter held the dress up in front of her mother. Mother Colbert shook her head. The red suit was full of sequins and too flashy for Mother Colbert's taste. The elderly lady frowned, "Shelia, girl, you know this is too gaudy for me. What am I gonna look like in this thang on Sunday morning, walking in church. Folk will be looking at me like crazy." Mother Colbert's daughter laughed before she said, "Mama, you are crazy. Everyone would be looking at you and saying how beautiful you look." Mother Colbert rubbed her daughter's cheek, "Baby, please. Give me a black dress and some pearls. I am happy then." The mature woman's daughter smiled and said, "Mama, you wear pearls with everything." Mother Colbert laughed at her daughter.

Mrs. Udetta walked out of the back of the store with four black dresses in her hands. She walked over to Mother Colbert and showed her the dress. Mother Colbert picked out one of the dresses and handed it to her daughter. Her daughter looked at the dress, "Mama, this dress is too plain. Why do not you pick out one of the dresses that we picked out for you?" Mother Colbert made a face and then said, "I do not want any of those dresses. I want this one," she pointed to the dress that she had picked out. Her daughter was about to argue with her, when Mother Colbert said, "My mind is made up. I am almost 90 years old. I am still in my right mind and I can pick out my own clothes. I want the black dress. Either you buy that one for me or we will walk out of this store!" Mrs. Udetta frowned. She knew that Mother Colbert would walk out of the store without hesitation. Mrs. Udetta didn't want her record to be broken.

Mother Colbert's daughters knew better than to argue with their mother when she said that her mind was made up. The two ladies walked their mother over to the cashier's station and bought her the dress. Mother Colbert walked out of Udetta's humming a sweet song, glad that the good Lord had allowed her to live so long.

Mrs. Udetta smiled. Her record was still in tact. Every person who walked into her store always walked out with a purchase in hand.

Day One

2007-11-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

The city of Jouette, Maddocha bustled with movement. Families traveled all over the city, going from place to place, looking around, talking, and visiting with friends old and new. It was Springtime. It was just cool enough for it to be comfortable. It was warm enough for shorts and short sleeved shirts.

The flowers were growing, colors bright, lining the city with a rainbow of color; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, pink, and turquoise. The trees were bright green, vibrant, and in full bloom. Birds flew high and low, swooping and swaying, filling the air with their melody songs. Birds of every type, each singing a different song, but blending together in a Sprint time song, so beautiful that it caused the listener to stop in their steps and take notice of the concert the birds provided. Butterflies fluttered about, fascinating the onlookers with their color and busyness.

Moms drug children by the arm trying to keep them in check. The children were unwilling to go into the stores that they were being pulled towards. Cute young ladies sashayed past handsome young men in attempts to get the young men's attention. The young men ignored the young ladies as best they could, but still caught one last glance as the young ladies walked out of sight. The young men let their thoughts be known to their boys about how each girl faired on a scale of one to ten. Loving couples held hands as they walked cheerily down the sidewalk. Their love was evident to everyone around them with each kiss, hug, and nuzzle. On lookers either frowned in disgust or smiled with fond thoughts. Younger onlookers giggled as they whisper to their friends how gross the adults looked. They couples did not seem to care; it was Spring time and love was in the air.

Scantily clad women switched by sexily, knowing full well that all eyes were on them. The men stared wildly, secretly fantasizing what they would do behind closed doors. The women scowled as they wished that lightening would strike causing the seducers to fall directly into Hades. The vixens continued sauntering down the sidewalk. The seductresses knew that the men wanted them and that the women wanted to be them. They had trouble on their mind and they were intent on finding it.

Shop keepers were excited. this was a high dollar weekend for them. People had been passing through the stores in the downtown area all day, looking at suits of all colors and dresses of all colors trimmed in sequins, rhinestones, silver, and gold. Church ladies tried on big hats with long feathers and large bows. The mirrors worked overtime showing everyone how great they looked. If you wanted to visit the city of Jouette, this was the time to do it. Jouette was full of like in the Spring time.

The city of Jouette was a thriving city filled with families of all sizes, shapes, and colors. The city boasted a population of over 1.1 million. The cast majority of the population was under the age of 25. The city catered to young families wanting to raise their children in a safe environment.

Jouette began its journey in 1848 when Keviun and Jouette Chester traveled to the open space that was located in central Maddocha. They settled their and began raising their family. After two years of being all alone, two other families joined them. The three families became a community, working together to make each others lives better. Jouette Chester saw the efforts of the families and asked her husband if they could make the area that they were located in a city. Keviun thought about it for a few days and decided to do just that. The city was chartered in 1848. He would eventually call the city Jouette, naming it after his wife.

Once word got out that Jouette was thriving and growing, more families began to move to the area. After some years, Keviun and the founding fathers of Jouette decreed that the city of Jouette would always be a city for families. Laws would be passed to protect the children of Jouette. To this day, the city of Jouette possesses the strictest child molestation laws in the state of Maddocha.

The city of Jouette began to grow by leaps and bounds in the late 50s. More and more merchants began moving stores into the city because there were so many families in the area. The population of the city doubled from 1955 to 1958. The zoning laws of the city had to be changed due to all of the noise that was being created by the stores. A law was passed that no retail store could be within 400 feet of any neighborhood. That decreased the amount of noise.

Jouette has one of the best school districts in the state. The school district has been recognized a number of times by the State Board of Education. Many of the students of the Jouette Independent School District have graduated from school and gone on to be top producing people in their field of expertise. Many of the families in the city are made up of adults younger than thirty-five. The city has always been a haven for young couples with children. The city caters to them offering some of the best child care services in the state. Most of the people from the eight surrounding cities live in Jouette and commute to work each day.

The houses in Jouette are inviting. The people inside the houses were friendly. Children were able to play outside with out fear. At least they could play until 10:00 PM, that's when they had to go back inside their house. The city had a curfew that was enforced with great severity. On more than one occasion, a child had been escorted home by a police officer and the parent fined for their child being out pass curfew. It was a welcomed predicament for the parents because it kept their child safe, but the teenagers hated the law. They could not stay out that late. No matter, the children of Jouette could still have fun at any of the cities' outdoor parks, malls, skating parks, golf parks, or swimming parks. Jouette was a place for children to be children and have fun.

The city has a flourishing green life because the Thursday River runs through the center of the city, supplying the foliage with its much needed nourishment. The landscape of Jouette is beautifully designed and maintained by the city. At one of the main parks in the city, visitors will find almost every flower known to man located in the city garden. All of the parks in the city of Jouette house a garden of some type. The city is always stunning and fragrant in the Spring.

Jouette had the distinct pleasure of being the mall capital of the state. The city was home to the most malls in the city as well as the biggest mall in the city. There were malls of all types in the city, from strip malls like the Hedrick Courts Mall to top notch upscale malls like the Orchard Park Mall. The malls contained every store that anyone could design. People traveled from all over the state to come to the city of Jouette to visit its malls. The most popular mall was the Lake Country Mall. It was also the largest mall in the state. Jouette was active with people at its many malls looking for the perfect Easter outfit.

It was Easter weekend. People were preparing a perfect Easter meal. Preachers were preparing powerful Resurrection sermons that would cause any sinner to repent and come to Christ. Mothers were scurrying around trying to find the prettiest ruffled dress for their daughters. Children were smiling because they had two extra days off from school due to the holiday. Office workers were debating the name that should be used for the holiday, Easter or Resurrection Day. Would the battle ever end?

It has been said that Resurrection Day is the most important religious day of the Christian faith because it is the day that Jesus rose form the dead. It was a day that many people gave their life to Christ. In many African-American faiths, it was a popular day for non-church going family members to go to church with their families. It was a festive holiday filled with both secular and religious festivities. The citizens of Jouette were not exempt from this celebration. Stores displayed Easter bunnies as well as crosses. It was a combination that confused many, but made the store keepers happy with each sale that rang up.

The owner of RayRay's Men's Store was particularly happy. Mr. Ray Johnson had made over $125,000 already for the week. He smiled as he finished with the customer he had in front of him. He handed Rev. Franklin the bag with the shoes in it and said, "Rev. Franklin, your suit will be ready on Saturday by 10:00. You can come pick it up then." Rev. Franklin nodded and responded, "Thank Ya, Doc. You know I am gonna look bad in my suit. They ain't gonna be able to handle me." Both men laughed as Rev. Franklin exited the store. Mr. Ray shook his head. If he had a dollar for each time he had heard a man say how good he was going to look after they had purchased a suit, he would be even happier and richer.

Mr. Ray's wife, Mrs. Udetta, as she was called, was just as busy in her store, Udetta's. Her store boasted of the best church lady's suits anywhere. She sold clothes to every pastor's wife in the city and surrounding cities. Her web site was constantly receiving hits as well as sales. Mrs. Udetta was showing a lime green suit to a voluptuous woman. "Mrs. Udetta, this is the suit for me. You have got to have it in my size. I want this suit right here," the woman declared. Mrs. Udetta made a face. She was not going to be able to accommodate the woman because there was only one lime green suit in the store and it was the one the woman was holding in her hands. The suit that the woman held in her hands was a size 10. Mrs. Udetta was a miracle worker, but there was no way that she was going to make a size 10 suit into a size 16. There was no way. Mrs. Udetta smiled at the customer, "Sweetie, I wish I could help you, but this is the last suit that we have like this. I have some other green suits that I can show you." The full figured, dark-skinned woman huffed, "I want this suit! Will you get any more in by Saturday?" The seasoned store owner blew a breath, "No, sweetie, we will not be getting anything else in the store by Saturday. What we have in the store right now is all we have." The customer blew a long breath before she said, "Alright then, I guess you gotta show me something else. I want something green, though!" Mrs. Udetta laughed. She knew that the woman was going to look at something else. No woman ever walked out of Udetta's without buying something, especially during Resurrection Week.

Most people had their Easter outfit or planned to get it by Friday. Friday was the absolute last day to get an Easter outfit. If you did not get your outfit by Friday, you would probably have to settle for whatever was left in the store, plus you would not be able to get any alterations done so that the suit would fit flawlessly. That's what Easter was all about, a flawless suit that out shined everyone else's suit. Perhaps Easter was about a child saying their speech without hesitation and stuttering after having practiced the entire week to get it perfect. No one can say for sure what Easter is about, but Resurrection Day that was about something totally different.

Resurrection Day was about Jesus. The telling of His story, from His trial to His crucifixion and then to His resurrection from a borrowed tomb was the focus. Services would be held all over the city on Friday night retelling the Seven Last Sayings of Christ. Younger preachers were given the chance to give their interpretation of the last seven things that Jesus said before He died on the cross. The services were more popular in the Pentecostal Church, but other denominations had begun to have their own services. While some churches told of the seven last sayings of Christ, other churches had pageants and plays telling the whole story of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Some of the presentations were elaborate, having experienced actors with long resumes of acting parts. Other presentations were performed by youth that had dedicated themselves to putting on the best show possible. No matter what the skill of the actors, the presentations were meant to tell a story that would inspire, encourage, enlightened, and reprove anyone who had an ear to listen. The events of the weekend were set and many people would come to Christ.

Settings

2007-10-24T19:25:00.000-05:00

Main Settings

New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church
New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church is a small church filled with God's love and power. It is where the main focus of the story happens. You oughta stop by the church sometimes.

Jouette, Maddocha
Jouette is a family friendly city that is very welcoming with its vast manicured parks and elegant malls. It is the city where the story takes place.

Orchard Park Mall
Orchard Park Mall is an upscale mall with all the stores that anyone would ever want to visit. A large part of the story takes place in the mall. Many of the invitations to the Resurrection services of the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church take place in this mall.

Lovely Ladies Salon
Lovely Ladies Salon is where many ladies' lives are changed. Women go in one way and leave another. Precious and Alexia get their hair done at this shop.

Other Settings

RayRay's Men's Store
RayRay's is a store that is owned by Ray Johnson. It is where the men in the story go to get a Sunday-Go-To-Meeting suit for the Sunday service.

Udetta's
Udetta's is a store owned by Udetta Johnson. It is where the women in the story go to get a Sunday-Go-To-Meeting suit for the Sunday service.

Other Characters

2007-10-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

Mother Willie Mae Colbert
Mother Colbert is old and she is ready to go home to be with the Lord. One thing is stopping her, knowing that one last daughter has not given her life to Christ. All of her family agrees to go to church with her on Resurrection Sunday, including the unsaved daughter. Will that daughter give her life to Christ so that her mother can go home for her eternal rest?

Janet Colbert
Janet is unsaved. Although she grew up in the church, she never gave her life to Christ. She comes to the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church because of her family's insistence. Is Resurrection Sunday the Sunday that she comes to the Lord?

Ronnie Napier
Ronnie has been looking for a wife for awhile. He has seen a woman that he would like to get to know better, but she doesn’t' give him the time of day. She thinks that he is just another thugged out guy because of his appearance at work. He is a member of the church she attends on Resurrection Sunday. She will finally get to see what kind of man he is outside of work.

Lela Rhineholt
Lela has set her sites on the new pastor of the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. She wants to be his wife. He hasn't paid her any attention, but she has a plan to get his attention. On Resurrection Sunday, she finally realizes that God has a mate for her; she just has to wait for him.

David Victor Lyons, III
David Victor left a life that was headed towards death and relocated to the city of Jouette. He has no family. He is all alone until he meets a deacon at the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church at his job. David Victor finally agrees to accept the deacons numerous invitations to the church. On Resurrection Sunday, David will find out that he has a family, and that family is in Jesus.

Mikala Neu
Mikala is a 16 year-old young lady. She is a tomboy. All she wants in life is to be left alone. So what if she isn't a girlie girl. So what if she doesn't like the color pink. So what if she doesn't like dresses. God loves her just the same. On Resurrection Sunday, Mikala's prayers will finally be answered.

Michelle Neu
Michelle is a former model and the mother of Mikala. She wishes Mikala would be more feminine. Michelle is always on Mikala's case to be more feminine. On Resurrection Sunday, Michelle will realize, God loves her daughter just the way she is and that she should love her daughter that same way.

Ramona Hauley
Ramona is dying of cancer. She is as happy as she can be despite her condition. She gets her wish, to attend the Resurrection Sunday service at her church, New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. She gets another blessing on that Sunday; her sister rededicates her life to Christ.

Amanda Jean Roberson
Amanda is Ramona's sister. She had watched her sister wither away and still praise God. Amanda doesn't understand Ramona's joy and has given up on God. When Amanda attends church with her sister, she experiences God's love for her once again and rededicates her life back to Him.

Ray Johnson
Ray owns RayRay's Men's Store. He is a successful business man, catering to famous men all over the state. He has some reservations about the new pastor's abilities, especially when the pastor has a chance to compel a professional basketball player to come to the church. Ray will soon find out that the young pastor knows how to do his job.

Udetta Johnson
Udetta owns Udetta's. Udetta's is a famous women's clothing store in the state. She loves God, her family, and her friends. Udetta sees a change in her husband's attitude toward the new young pastor of New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church.

Marquis Moore
Marquis is a rookie that plays for the Jouette Doggs. The professional basketball team in the city. He hasn't been to church since he graduated high school. He has been hurt by the church in the past. He meets the new pastor of New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church and the pastor invites him to church. On Resurrection Sunday, Marquis rediscovers the Lord's love and learns that church people aren't as bad as he thinks they are.

Ronnie Winchell
He is a guy that everyone misjudges because he wears a gold tooth. He had money, but no woman will give him the time of day. He is lonely since the death of his wife, three years ago. A neighbor of his has often invited him to New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. He decides to attend. On Resurrection Sunday, he sees the woman that he has been interested in all along. Perhaps, she will give him the time of day at the church.

Main Characters

2007-10-23T19:08:00.000-05:00

I decided to use some pictures for some of the characters (major ones). The images are pictures from a clip art collection.

Precious Devereux

Precious is the female main character. After having been hurt in church when she was younger, she hasn't been to church since the age of 18. She looks for love in the wrong places. She meets the new pastor of a church in the city. After talking with him for awhile, she makes her mind up to "meet" him. When she goes to church on Resurrection Sunday, she meets Jesus instead and her life is changed forever.

Pastor Brock Van Duren

Brock is the newly appointed pastor of the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church in the city of Jouette. He has to deal with some obstacles, the main one being his age. He is only 25 years-old. Most of his congregation is older than him. When he meets a sexy lady at the mall during Resurrection weekend, he must keep his mind focused on what God has called him to do instead of the woman that he has met.

Alexia Trudeau

Alexia is Precious' aunt. Oddly enough, they are only a few months apart in age. Alexia is Precious' self-appointed guardian angel. Alexia has let a past indiscretion hold her hostage and made her feel as if she has to protect her niece. On Resurrection Sunday, she will learn a lesson that is long overdue.

Boyd Lee Allen

Boyd is Brock's bestfriend. They have known each other since the 3rd grade. Boyd has held himself hostage to being Brock's protector because of an accident that happened in the past. Boyd has never forgiven himself. On Resurrection Sunday, Boyd will learn how to forgive himself and be free of the guilt he has carried all these years.

Synopsis

2007-10-18T18:53:00.000-05:00

Precious Devereux gets all dressed up for Resurrection Sunday to go "meet" the newly appointed (single) pastor @ New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church, but she meets Jesus instead.

The story starts on Thursday with a chance meeting at a local mall and goes through Sunday with a life-changing meeting at the church.

Precious' life will be changed forever, but not in the manner that she expected. She will meet a man that will treat her better than any other man that she has ever known.

NaNo Novel Work

2007-10-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

I have been so wrapped up in Prewriting that I haven't done much work on my novel. Plus, I have been suffering with allergies, most of the time I just come home and try to relax. I haven't had much time to concentrate on my stuff with everything that is going on around me. I have got to get myself together before the 28th. That is when I want to be finalizing my pre-NaNo activities.

I do have character names:
Main Characters:
Precious Devereux - This is the Coquette in the story. She is the one trying to get the pastor.
Pastor Brock Van Duren - This is the pastor of the church.
Alexia Trudeau - This is Precious' aunt.
Boyd Lee Allen - This is Brock's best friend.

I have the places settled on:
Church - New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. My brother had suggested New Tabernacle Baptist Church, but I searched the church name on Google and there quite a few churches with that name. I searched New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church and there weren't any churches with that name, so that is the name I will be using.

City - Jouette. Of course I am using the name of a city from the state of Maddocha.

Mall - Orchard Park Mall - I am still looking for a name for the mall. I want something more than just Jouette Mall or Mall of Jouette.

Beauty Salon - Lovely Ladies Salon - This is where Precious & Alexa get their hair and nails done.

I have a timeline of events for the story. The story starts on Thursday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon. I have what events should happen on what day.

I guess I haven't been goofing off as much as I thought I had.

PreWriting

2007-10-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

I found a clip art picture that I liked, finally. I have created my cover. It looks great.

A New Word

2007-10-10T15:51:00.000-05:00

I learned a new word while writing the synopsis for Resurrection Sunday. I first used the phrase "Sex Woman" to describe my female character. I wanted to use something different. I looked up the phrase "sexy woman," but it wasn't in the dictionary @ http://www.dictionary.com/. I looked up flirt in the dictionary first and then in the thesaurus.

Here are some of the words that were listed as synonyms:
coquette, cruiser*, gold digger, heartbreaker, operator*, philanderer, player, seducer, siren, swinger, tease, trap, trifler, vamp, vixen, wanton, wolf*, wolverine.

The only I really liked was coquette. Most of the other words referred to men. Several of them referred not inanimate objects.

Coquette [koh-ket] is a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt.
It also means, a woman who makes teasing sexual or romantic overtures.
Here is another definition... a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men.

Ain't learning grand?

Finally, An Idea

2007-10-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

I got an idea. I feel like dancing. It came to me while I was riding the bus. I was listening to a song on my I-Pod. The song made me think of Resurrection Sunday (Easter). The idea came to me; a coquette meets the new pastor of a local church. She goes to church to "meet" the pastor, but she meets Jesus instead.

It was cool. I got all excited.

I get to use two aspects that I love to use in my writing: A lady that dresses up and is very girlie as well as being well-to-do. I had to come up with a story where I could use those two elements.

Coquette [koh-ket] is a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt.
It also means, a woman who makes teasing sexual or romantic overtures.
Here is another definition... a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men.