9. Calista
C alista~
It was taking everything in me not to tell Myer that I told him so, and it was taking even more out of me to sit here and listen to this utter gibberish. How in the hell was wearing loose-fitting clothing a prerequisite to becoming closer with God?
“Sorry, but I’m with Myer on this one,” I said. “I like bacon and tacos way too much to make that kind of sacrifice.”
“What you joke about is really doubt in disguise,” Jury replied, and he really did have the ooze of a used-car salesman. “You’re afraid of failing The Lord, and so you choose to not even try.”
I narrowed my eyes at him a bit. “But isn’t that the truth of us all? I mean, doesn’t The Bible state that we are all born of sin, so we’re never really pure to begin with?”
“That is up for interpretation,” he skirted.
“Isn’t the entire Bible up for interpretation?” I countered. “I mean, it’s said that you can read it a million times and still come away from it with a new meaning.”
“I think that you might benefit more from a one-on-one session with our group,” he said, and I could feel Myer immediately straighten in his seat. “Distractions often cover the truth.”
“No, I’m good,” I told him. “I believe that people will find their way when they’re ready, not when their forced.”
“Oh, no,” Louise rushed out. “Everyone in this room is here because they want to be.”
“I was speaking in the general sense, Louise,” I told her. “Plus, I find that I’m okay with the current relationship that I have with God.”
“Which is a shame,” Jury remarked, and I almost kissed Myer when he spoke up next.
“I thought that good Christians weren’t supposed to judge,” Myer spoke. “And I would think that you’d know that better than anyone, what with your close relationship to God and all.”
“I am not judging Calista,” Jury denied.
“Sounds like you are to me,” I told him. “You’re essentially saying that my relationship with God isn’t good enough, and I think that God would disagree.”
“I think that we’re getting off topic here,” Louise jumped in, making me and Myer both look her way.
“Isn’t this a prayer group meeting?” Myer asked. “I mean, isn’t God the only topic that we should be discussing right now?”
She looked at him primly as she said, “We’re discussing him as if he’s optional when we really should be praying and looking for guidance from Him.”
“No, sure,” Myer replied. “Then let’s pray.”
“Very well,” Jury agreed. “Ladies, please kneel.”
Yeah, no...that wasn’t happening.
“Excuse me?” I piped up. “Why do we need to kneel? Isn’t it customary to sit in a circle and hold hands?”
“Kneeling is a traditionally accepted form of prayer, Calista,” Jury replied with a little bite in his voice, not really answering my question.
“Uhm, among Catholics it is,” I countered. “I mean, that’s why they have those kneelers in their pews, but I wasn’t aware that all Christian disciplines knelt in prayer.”
“Is this group Catholic?” Myer asked in support of my needling.
Not answering Myer’s question, Jury said, “We serve The Lord, and kneeling before him shows him that we are his servants in all ways.”
Curious about his intentions, I said, “Okay, I can see that.”
Then, without another word, I slid off the chair and onto my knees, and I could hear Myer choke on his surprise. The other women were also quick to slide to their knees, and as I watched Jury, I waited for him to join us, but when he didn’t, I had suspected as much.
“Now we can finally begin the journey-”
“Whoa, wait,” I said, flicking my finger up in the air. “Why aren’t you and Myer kneeling?”
“Because we’re men, my dear,” he answered as clear as day, and this really was a fucking cult.
“But you’re not,” I argued. “Right now, you’re supposed to be a servant of God, which means that you should be kneeling also. No?”
“That’s my girl,” Myer muttered low enough for only my ears to hear.
Now, while I was waiting for him to spit out some more nonsense, things took a dramatic turn when Jury walked over to stand in front of me, his groin right in front of my face, and when I looked up at him, our positions screamed of a lewdness that wasn’t the least bit holy.
However, before I could say or do anything, Myer was stepping in between us, reaching down for my hand to help me stand, and in a world where chivalry really was on life support, my heart began to pitter-patter inside my chest.
“Yeah, while I have no problem with Calista kneeling for The Lord, what she’s not going to do is kneel in front of you,” Myer said, and I almost fanned myself with his possessiveness.
“So, then you two are a couple?” Jury asked, daring us to lie, which Myer had no problem doing.
“Yep,” he lied. “Ever since the first day that I laid eyes on her.”
Jury let out a condescending sigh before saying, “Jealousy is often the culprit when keeping someone from their destiny. You’re afraid that Calista’s love for The Lord will take away her dedication to you, and I can assure you that you’ve no need to worry about such a thing.
The Lord can guide the both of you down this path together. ”
“Actually, I think that we’re done here,” Myer told him. “This is not the prayer group that we’d thought that it’d be, and while we wish you all the best of luck, this isn’t for us.”
Looking at me, Jury asked, “Is he speaking for you as well?”
“Absolutely,” I grinned. “Again, I like tacos too much.”
“Oh, no,” Louise rushed out dramatically as she got to her feet, the other women remaining where they were.
“We haven’t even gotten to the prayer segment of our meeting.
Surely, you guys will feel differently after we say prayer.
You’ll be able to feel His presence working through you, and you’ll never want to go back to a life without Him in it. ”
“But we don’t live a life without Him in it, Louise,” I corrected her. “I’ve always believed in God and still do.”
“But...but this is different,” she insisted. “With The Lord guiding Jury’s hand...well, you’ll never experience anything else like it.”
Yeah, this wasn’t a religious cult.
It was a goddamn excuse for an orgy.
No thank you.
Now, while Jury Patton was easy on the eyes, he wasn’t hot enough for me to join a sister/wives situation.
Yeah, on paper, he checked off all the boxes of being tall, filled out, and with his dark hair and dark eyes, he really had that whole bedroom vibe going for him.
Still, I wasn’t sure if any man was good-looking enough for me to sign up for weekly orgies.
Plus, he probably had a small dick, as was the case with most insecure men, and Jury Patton was as insecure as they came.
“While I wish you all the best Louise, this isn’t for me,” I said, repeating Myer’s words. “I’m not one to have my life controlled, and I just refuse to believe that God would want me to live like that. I believe that God wants me to be happy, and tacos make me happy.”
“That’s only because you refuse to open yourself up to the glory that is The Lord,” she kept on. “Being one with Him will make you feel better than any tacos ever could.”
Recognizing an impasse when I saw one, I said, “Louise, Linda, Donna, Gina...I wish you all the best with your spiritual journey, and God bless you.” Looking back at Jury, I really wanted to kick him in the balls, but I didn’t. “Jury, it was interesting meeting you.”
“It was interesting meeting you as well, Calista,” he replied properly. “However, I have a feeling that this isn’t goodbye for us. God’s will cannot be undone, and you are a part of God’s will, whether you realize it or not.”
He really was a tool.
“I believe that we are all part of God’s will, seeing as how He died on the cross for all of us,” I shot back. “I believe that we become part of His plan the second that we’re born, no?”
He let out a lyrical laugh, though it sounded a little bit sinister to my ears, knowing what I now knew of him. “Oh, Calista,” he chuckled. “You really are a delight.”
“I really am,” I agreed, and that was enough to make Myer grab my hand in his.
“It was nice meeting you all,” he lied. “Take care.”
With that, he didn’t even wait for Louise to see us to the door. Instead, Myer practically drug me across the house to get out of there, and I didn’t blame him. We hadn’t even stayed the entire hour, but I already felt like I needed seven showers just to feel clean again.