Page 1 of Matteo
Prologue
Rain
Summer heat was licking its way all over my body, and throughout the church. The air conditioning had gone out a week ago. It should have been cool and welcoming inside of the dwelling where we prayed weekly. Instead, there was something in the musty air of Mount Ezra Baptist Church that my fourteen-year-old brain couldn’t quite wrap my mind around. It was the typical smell that all churches had, an old aroma mixed in with the perfume of ancient hymnals waiting to be sung. Part of me wondered if some of the smells came from the large, brown timber cross pushed high up onto the church’s back wall.
My mother was in the choir section behind the pastor, singing her heart out. Beside our church’s leader, Reverend Jenkins, were the guest pastors from other ministries, and sister churches.
Revival week was upon us, and I’d been forced on this Wednesday night to come. My siblings were off doing other activities, but my mother had made me come.
The pastor asked us to bow our heads in prayer. A hush came over the praying congregation like a wave at beach, and headslowered. The only person still looking around was myself and I noted that there were praying grandmother’s with their hands stretched, reaching for our Lord and Savior, praise dancing in place as our church’s preacher spoke. His words were rhythmic in nature, urging us to give it all to God.
I wasn’t alone in not having my eyes closed.
No.
Pastor Justin Jefferson’s eyes seemed to lock with my own, sending an menacing sensation through my body and straight down to my core. He was young and I thought I’d heard my mother say that he was only twenty-five and already had a rather large following in southern California somewhere.
He winked at me, and it caused my mouth to go dry. My breath caught in my lungs as I finally bowed my head, hoping that when I looked up, his eyes would be elsewhere.
Even with my head down, and my eyes squinched shut, I knew.
His eyes were staring at me. Poking holes through the fabric of the t-shirt that I wore sporting Sailor Moon and the rest of the sailor scouts. I’d been so excited to find the shirt in Spencer’s, a store my mom hardly ever let me venture into.
I knew what he was doing with those dark brown eyes of his.
He was slowly undressing my very developed fourteen-year-old body.
Finally, my pastor stopped praying and everyone returned to their seats, the rustle of his robes filling my ears.
Slowly, I rubbed my sweating palms against the jeans I’d worn.
It was then I began to feel slightly dirty and the need to go home and take a shower even though I’d done nothing but sit in the Lord’s house. I had committed no sin, but it almost seemed to stain my fingertips like some forbidden and invisible ink.
The way his eyes had undressed me…
When the praying had stopped, I chanced looking up but avoided looking at him.
Instead, I found my mother looking for her purse.
The humid air filled my lungs as I took another deep breath. My mom was gathering up her purse and saying goodbye to the other members of the choir. Relief flooded my body as if I’d taken a hit of sweet, delicious, caffeinated Coca Cola whose bubbles always made me feel floaty.
With the service over, my mom made her way down to me and we departed. I chanced looking back through the crowd of church goers.
It was as if my actions had caused a great divide. The crowd parted and I found his eyes on me once again.
A shiver rolled its way down my spine, I gulped and caught onto my mother. She’d looked down at me then.
She smiled, her pearly white teeth showing. “What’d you think of the service tonight?”
We’d parked on the side of the street just in front of the church. People were spilling out of the church doors. The night air immediately had my clothes sticking to me.
You need a shower, I thought to myself.
“It was okay?” I remarked getting into the car.
My mom made a fuss of putting on some good music.
She loved God and she loved singing for Him, but she loved some TLC too. The three women began to belt out Waterfalls and we drove away.
