Saving Grace

Chapter 4

Wednesdays are boring.

I don't do anything other than sit in my room and wait for evening time so I can go to bible study. Bible study starts at 5 PM and it's now 11 Am in the morning. I had a long wait ahead of me.

I was home alone once more as my mom had gone to check on her stores today. She has a couple of beauty supply stores across Negril, Falmouth and Mobay. Typically I would go with her but I haven't been allowed to for some time now.

So now I'm here scrolling through my phone, while my Maverick City playlist serenades me in the background.

I love this particular choir due to their unique sound. Although gospel music is my favourite music, I can't really get into all of the different gospel genres. Especially the rap and dancehall ones. They're just not my cup of tea.

The video I was watching paused as a call came through my phone. I didn't recognize the number so I let it ring until the call ended. I hit play on the video again, continuing to watch this girl doing a skit on Christian Tik Tok.

My phone started ringing again with the same number and I blew out a frustrated breath. Pressing the answer button, I kept quiet, waiting for the person on the line to say something.

"Dawg, how much time mi fi show yuh di thing bro? Is like yuh want man hold you hand like baby. Move from side a mi man." Was what came through the speaker.

I looked down at my phone with my face scrunched up. Who the hell was this?

Wait, the voice sounds familiar.

"Hello?" I spoke skeptically

"Shit, hello? Grace?" The voice says.

I paused for a second trying to decide whether or not I want to actually confirm my identification.

"Yes, who is this?" I asked.

"It's me, Isaiah. You gave me your number at the Tastees last week." He says.

Oh, it was him. I can't deny that I had in fact thought about him over the past week. When two days had passed and he hadn't texted or called, I figured that he hadn't caught the number. I'm not sure if I am happy or disappointed that he did.

"Oh, hello Isaiah. How are you?" I asked, being polite.

Im not sure why I'm entertaining this man. If my dad found out that I was even in the same vicinity as him, he would have a fit.

"I'm good enough. You good?" He asks and I grew sad.

Such a conversational question should not make me get in my feelings but the answer can be so complex. Am I good? In this moment, talking on the phone, maybe.

"I'm good by the grace of God." I tell him, trying to stay on the positive side of things.

"Eeh, I like that. You talk like someone who is a Christian" He says and I rolled my eyes. I can just anticipate the conversation that will follow up after I give an affirmative answer.

"Yes, I am. Born and raised." I tell him, ensuring that he knows I can't be swayed easily.

"Wow. Maybe when we get to know each other a bit more, you'll invite me one Sunday." He says, shocking me.

I thought he was going to give me the whole, "church girls are freaks" spiel.

"Saturday" I corrected him. "I go to church on Saturday's."

"Oh, Adventist?" He asked and I nodded, forgetting that I'm on the phone.

"Grace, are you still there?" He says and I realized what I had done.

I laughed out loud at my slow self before responding. "I nodded instead of verbally responding. But yes, I am an Adventist. Is  that a problem?" I asked him with a bit of an attitude. I don't know why I am doing that. He has been respectful so far.

"No, I'm just thinking about low long those services tend to be." He says, a hint of humor in his tone.

"You don't have to come for the entire day." I tell him, actually entertaining the thought of inviting him to church. I'm not sure why.

"Suh that mean I actually have a shot of getting to know you then?" He says, and I held my breath.

"You don't have to be my friend for me to invite you to church. God didn't charge us to go out and preach to our friends alone, we have to tell everyone about salvation." I say trying to play it off like I wasn't entertaining the idea.

"But suppose mi waah be yuh friend?" He says after awhile. I don't know why that turned something in my belly. Maybe it's the way he said it, in a deeper voice than the one he was previously using.

"I'm not looking for any friends right now." I tell him truthfully. Now is not the time to be forming new friendships. I barely have been keeping up with the ones I have currently.

He laughs at this before I hear muffled voices in the background. I sat there being nosey trying to catch what the person is saying to him but the phone goes dead silent. Looking down I realize that he muted the call.

The call screen highlights that we have been on the phone for a good half an hour now and I find that baffling. It didn't feel like half an hour to me and for some strange reason I'm not ready to end the call.

Without noticing it my body had relaxed over the duration of our call. I'm not sure if it's Isaiah's doing but I quite like the feeling. I haven't experienced it in awhile.

"Hey Grace, I'm sorry that I have to cut our call short. Something just came up and I have to go handle it." His voice breaks into my subconscious.

Why did I feel disappointed? I'm not sure but I try to mask it when I spoke up.

"Okay."

There was a period of silence after that. I could hear his breathing through the phone.

"Can I call you again tomorrow? He asked after awhile.

Can he? Do I want to entertain his calls knowing what I know?

I shouldn't but at the same time I selfishly want to. I want to hear his voice again. It eases my mind from worry.

"You can. I'm only free from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm though." I lie. I'm free all day but I won't let him know that.

He has to be a player on my timing.

Is he a player though? My subconscious thoughts scream at me.

I don't know but I won't be caught off guard.

"Well, I had work scheduled at that time but I'll definitely make it work. I want to talk to you some more Grace. You intrigue me." He revealed.

Work? Do scammers work on a schedule?

"If you can't call me at that time it's fine. Maybe some other day." I tell him, trying to hide the disappointment that I felt.

"No, I'm going to call. Talk to you then." He tells me before hanging up.

Jesus.... did that just happen?