She sat next to him as he flipped to the first book in the New Testament and began scouring the pages until he found the 22nd chapter. She didn't miss the slight fingershake as he located the 14th verse.
"Matthew 22:14," he read aloud, "For many are...
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"Hey, have you ever heard of Angel House Wellness Center?"
"Uh, no. Why?"
"Mom texted me the address and wants me to pick up a package for her..."
"Sounds sus."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, 'sus' for sure."
The building looked nice enough, with big trees and a small gated-off park to the side. Angel House Wellness Center was spelled out in large gold letters above the door, a brass angel statue perched right on top. I flipped the camera so my brother could see too. "Weird, right?"
"You're already there?" He asked.
"Can't you see it? What are you doing?"
"I am heavily focused on this crunchwrap." He took a loud bite to prove it. "Jus' go get the package."
I sighed and flipped the camera back to glare at him. "You're not being very helpful, Ahzi."
"Girl, how long have you been creepin' in that parking lot? Just go inside!"
"But why would she need me to pick up something from a place like this? It doesn't feel right."
"Huh? No, the gorditas box is mine, you ordered the chalupa one."
"Azaire? Hello?" My brother wasn't even on screen anymore. All I could see was the ceiling fan twirling around while his roommates argued over food in the background.
"Put down your tacos and talk to me!" I demanded.
When he didn't I hung up and sighed, unable to put this off any longer. Mom would be calling me soon to ask what was taking so long.
I triple-locked the car before heading up the front steps to the center. The inside was on the small side, but cool and clean. There was a little waiting area with a few chairs and plants off to the side of a reception desk. The woman at the desk looked up and smiled. "How can I help you?"
"Um, I'm here to pick up a package for my Mom."
"Name, please?"
"Oh, sorry. It should be under Meredith White."
"And your name?"
"Nyla.
"Alright just one moment, please."
I nodded and scrolled through my photos while she typed and clicked around. Somewhere in the background, other people were talking in hushed tones. Things beeped and shuffled. Someone coughed. I tried to tune them out and really focus on deleting all the memes that took up way too much space in my screenshots.
The receptionist pulled out a clipboard and showed it to me. Mom's signature was scrawled across the bottom of the document. "We do have a package for Mrs. White, and she's listed you as the recipient."
