Glory Be

Chapter Six

The moment Isaiah heard the church bell ringing he sprung out of bed. The hard wood floors were cold and forced him not to linger long. He opened his closet doors and removed a freshly ironed collared shirt from its hanger. Isaiah removed his sleepwear, which consisted of a gray cotton shirt and soft cotton pants and began to wiggle into his dresswear for the day. Outfits were never difficult to make, there were only enough options for about 2-3 occasions.

Quickly enough Isaiah was fully dressed. His shirt perfectly tucked into his trousers. Shoes neatly tied. Isaiah left for the bathroom to fix his hair. His curls always put up a fuss at the worst moments. He wet them down and tried his best to salvage them before his anxiety got the best of him and he left for the kitchen.

His mother was there, standing over the stove. Dressed in her yellow outfit, designed with swirly white designs on the hems. Isaiah approached her side, and she smiled to greet him, but Isaiah's eyes and ears were caught by the frying eggs on the stove.

"Good morning, Isaiah," She said.

"Huh?" Isaiah shot his head up and looked her in the eye.

"Good-"

"Oh, good morning," Isaiah caught up with the conversation. His mother scrunched her face up before letting out a small giggle.

"First day jitters?" She asked while dishing up a plate with the eggs.

Isaiah rubbed his arm, "Yeah," He could admit it to his mother. She gave him another warm smile as she handed him a full plate.

"Mhm, well that's okay. Go eat, it'll help." She gestured him towards the table.

Isaiah did as he was told and sat down at the end of the table. He began working at the meal, but his nerves made him feel nauseous. The delicious food became increasingly unappealing. Wasting wasn't tolerated though, food was hard to come by out here, and they were blessed to have any. So, Isaiah pushed forward and cleared his plate.

"Okay I'm going to head out mama," Isaiah said, standing up and pushing in his chair. He grabbed his plate and brought it over to the sink.

"Work hard," She reminded, "Be back in time for the service tonight, okay?"

"Of course," Isaiah said before leaving the kitchen, "Goodbye." Isaiah made his way down the hallway now. Locating the closet and dressing himself with a black coat and hat. He closed the door behind him and was met with his Father and brother waiting for him near the front door. Isaiah sucked in a breath and approached the two.

"Isaiah, right on time." His Father said, "You look put together, good."

"Thank you, Father." Isaiah felt his brother's eyes on his face, and he turned slightly to meet his gaze.

"Don't go making a fool of yourself," His brother said.

"Now David, I'm sure Isaiah won't act poorly." The Priest sternly remarked, glaring over at his eldest.

"It would just be such a shame if this didn't go to plan." David said with an air of falsified pity. They two now spoke in between each other. Isaiah watched as they argued about his ability to complete a task. He felt a familiar sensation in his chest, and he rhythmically began to dig his fingernails into the palm of his hand.

"I should get going. I promise I will do well today." Isaiah said, forgetting to look either of them in the eye, "And every day I'm there." He looked up at his Father, who stared blankly back at him. The Priest eventually nodded and moved away from the door to let Isaiah through.

"We'll be sure to discuss when you get back." Isaiah didn't reply till he made it through the doorway.

"Certainly, goodbye." He skipped a few steps and planted his feet onto the ground: quickly making off for the town.