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Thaïs jerked in her seat while the crisp AC blasted and the bright fluorescent lights beamed on her. She lifted her head and looked around to see if anyone noticed her. They were too busy reverencing to care. Her older sister, Ayame, nudged her in the stomach before whispering to her, "no dozing off, girl."
Rolling her eyes, Thaïs placed a twenty-dollar bill in the basket a churchgoer handed her. She passed it to Ayame before pulling a piece of gum from her purse, "you're the one that dragged me here at 8 a.m."
Looking around, Thaïs noticed the different kinds of people in the building. She was impressed with the amounts of juveniles that were there. Whether they were dragged there by their parents or not, the fact that they made an effort to get out of bed was amazing. Thaïs knew she would have been sleeping, too, if not for Ayame.
"You said you wanted to go to church, right?" The older woman looked over at her younger sister, who rolled her eyes in response.
Shifting in her seat, Thaïs let out a long sigh. She already felt she was going to be at the church for a few more hours, as Ayame's dad would stay after the service ended. "If I would've known I would be here the whole day, I would've stayed asleep."
The two sisters were completely diametrical, but that's what made them so close. Ayame grew up in Atlanta with her dad, unlike Thaïs, who spent her whole life living in New York City with their mom. Growing up, the sisters always thought it strange that only one of them lived with their mother, but they were accustomed to it. They always wondered why but never dared to ask.
Ayame's father was heavily involved with the church, so the two would wake up at daybreak every Sunday for their weekly routine. On the other hand, her sister believed Sundays were for self-care and spending the day in bed. The girls' parents invested in their children's education, but Ayame got sent to Catholic schools, whereas Thaïs attended the same preparatory school from kindergarten until graduating high school.
After graduating from Columbia University, Thaïs relocated to Atlanta to live with her older sister until her income was steady enough. It was her first time experiencing a brand new culture since Ayame always came to visit her in NYC, not the other way around.
Thaï never stepped foot inside a church before today. Before moving in with Ayame, she believed in God but didn't have much of a relationship with Him. Ayame would make her watch sermons on YouTube and listen to gospel music each Sunday while they cleaned her condo. Today Thaïs mustered the courage to attend the church her sister had been a member of since she was born.
Following the service, Thaïs rushed downstairs to get something to hold her over until she made it home. She placed a piece of chicken on her plate before hearing a deep voice booming behind her.
"Thaï, what are you doing? Members of the church eat first. Did Aya not tell you?"
Thaï rolled her eyes and put another small piece of chicken on her plate. She grabbed water out of the fridge before turning to the man, "well, hello to you too, Ty. I haven't seen you in ten years, and those are the first words that come out of your mouth when you see me?"
