Chapter 12
Mama Bea shot me a message last night telling me she’d better see me in church the next morning.
It was only right that I invite Shanet. I hadn’t been to church in a long time, hence Mama Bea’s insistence that I be there this Sunday.
I usually tried to make it to First Sunday if I didn’t make it to any other Sunday, but I’d been slacking.
The thing about being a Christian was that when you confessed the Lord as your Savior and said you believed He lived, died, and rose again, then you should be there on the first Sunday to take communion. I’d been missing communion, and Mama Bea made it clear that I’d better not miss it today.
Still, I needed a pretty interference between Mama Bea and me so that was Shanet’s job. While Sakani would be seated on one side of me, she would be on the other. We would all get through this one together.
I hadn’t asked Shanet about her relationship with God, but I knew she believed from our conversations.
How personal it was didn’t matter, because I believed in accepting people for who they were.
Even if Shanet told me that she didn’t have a relationship with God, I would see that as the perfect opportunity to help her build one.
I was a man, and there was nothing that was going to turn me away from the woman that I wanted to be with. So, if I was supposed to help Shanet along her journey, then I would, but that wasn’t the case. She had her own relationship with God, and that made me like her even more.
She was dressed in a black-and-white dress that stopped just above her knees.
Her heels were Tory Burch. The only reason I knew that was because I dated a girl when I was in the army who had a real obsession with the brand.
I thought if I ever saw more Tory Burch in the future, I’d run in the opposite direction, but seeing it on Shanet made me forget about what’s her name.
“Thank you for coming,” I said as I pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.
“Thank you for the invite. I usually sit at home and watch church from my couch, but it’s nice to be back in the house of the Lord.”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with watching church from home, but whenever you can get around people with the same energy, I think it’s best to do so.”
“You right about that.”
“Happy Sunday, Dr. E.” Sakani spoke as soon as Shanet got in the car.
“Happy Sunday, Sakani.”
She smiled back at him, and I could feel him kicking the back of my seat. He’d been talking my head off about how he made this all happen since she unblocked me. He conveniently forgot his run-in at the school almost messed everything up.
First Missionary Baptist Church was packed, as always, as I searched for a space and found one way at the back of the church.
I was trying to find one closer so Shanet wouldn’t have to walk, but we didn’t have any luck.
I even offered to drop her off in front of the door, but she said she had plenty of practice walking in heels and didn’t need front door service.
I got out and opened her door, then helped her out of the car.
We walked hand-in-hand up to the front door of the church, and Sakani was two steps in front of us.
Mama Bea was standing just inside the door as she and the other ushers and deacons always were.
Several of them greeted us as we walked in, but I walked right over to my favorite girl.
I hugged her and kissed her on the cheek before introducing Shanet.
“Mama Bea, this is Shanet.”
“Oh, and ain’t she a pretty one?” Shanet tried to stick her hand out, and my Mama Bea playfully pushed it out of the way. “Oh, don’t give me no handshake, baby. Come on in. I love hugs.”
She pulled Shanet into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. Mama Bea was like everybody’s mama. There wasn’t a person that she didn’t accept, and anybody who ever met her felt her love through the hugs she gave.
“I want y’all to come over to the house for lunch after service. Is that okay with you, baby?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Shanet answered. “We would love to.”
“Good, because this one loves to eat,” she said, pointing to me. “And I can’t wait to spend time with my handsome grandson.”
That was her cue to leave Shanet and me and move on to Sakani. He had been standing not too far from me, but Mama Bea came right over and pulled him into a hug next. He hugged her back tight.
“We haven’t had a chance to spend time together, baby, but I want you to know I been looking forward to finally seeing you.”
“I been looking forward to seeing you too. Stone told me everything about you already.”
“Y’all gone head in and get y’all a good seat. I’ll find y’all later,” Mama Bea instructed.
“Alright, Ma, see you inside,” I replied.
I kissed her again on the cheek before I led Shanet and Sakani inside. We found a seat in the second row because I knew Mama Bea would want to sit toward the front. It wasn’t long before she joined us, like she said she would.
Church service went by pretty fast, and that was the reason I liked this church the most. When we got in there, we were in praise and worship.
The preacher got up and preached directly from the Bible.
His sermon was about an hour long, and I was engaged for every minute of it.
I could tell even Sakani got something out of the message.
After service, we stopped by Shanet’s house so she could change into something more comfortable.
Then we went to my house so Sakani and I could do the same.
It wasn’t long before we were pulling up at Mama Bea’s, and I knew the food was probably already done.
Sunday dinners at her house were legendary, and the cars in the driveway proved that.
Not only was I there ready to eat, but some of the other guys that I grew up with were there as well.
They all came over on Sundays to get a good plate and good conversation.
And Mama Bea welcomed everybody. She made a pound cake today to go along with her collard greens, fried chicken, dirty rice, and mac and cheese.