Spirit

Say Your Prayers

"Why can't we get it right? No matter how hard we try?"
-Mary J. Blige, "Why"

"What is this?!" Sarafina's mother asks, completely appalled.

"Well, it's my mom's wedding," I say. I lean into the photo booth. I really want to cry right now. I don't want Sarafina to be caught. But I have to play it cool, so I try my hardest to hide all my anxiety and smile.

"Is your mother a devil worshipper? I saw a pentagram in the sand, Anna. That's not a good thing, you know," Says Sarafina's dad.

Sarafina stares at me. Her teeth are clenched, and her eyes are wide as gumballs. She is anxious, and she can barely contain herself. One more strike, and she could blow up. Then I would have an emotional basket case on my hands.

"Actually, you didn't see a pentagram, you saw a pentacle. And my mom isn't a devil worshipper, she's a Wiccan, a nature worshipper," I say.

"Stop trying to fool me and my daughter with your devilish propaganda," says Father Kairson.

"Dad, you don't understand! Anna is telling the truth! We Wiccans only use our powers for good! And the pentagram is elemental, not satanic!!" Sarafina protests.

"Elemental my ass," says Father Kairson. "You are a good Christian girl. You shouldn't be here."

Sarafina tightens her fist. Her aura becomes brown, the angry color. She looks up at her dad disappointedly. She bites her lip. I think I can hear her growl.

"You have no right," she says.

"No right to what?" Asks her mother.

"Dictate my religion like this! This is my life, not yours! You aren't in control of it anymore!" Yells Sarafina.

"Yes, I do. I am your patriarch, and your father," says Father Kairson.

At this point, Sarafina is enraged. "Patriarchy is fucking bullshit!" She yells.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You know, that whole 'older men control younger women business' that Christianity enforces? It is FUCKING UTTERLY SHITTY BULLSHIT! And I am done living with it!" Sarafina yells. She points to the ladder of the pier we all climbed up. "Leave," she says. "Leave right now."

Father Kairson takes a deep breath in. He looks down and brings his hands together. He isn't in the best of moods, or the healthiest state of mind. But his mind is clear enough to think. This is what he does right now.

"Fine," he says. "Have fun living outside the house."

The Kairsons climb down the ladder. All eyes are on us. Sarafina and I feel very uncomfortable. We don't really like it when people see our bad sides. This makes Sarafina so upset, that she slumps down next to me and sobs from her gut.

She puts her head on my shoulder. I let all her tears rush out as the crowd goes back to enjoying the awful wedding reception. I stroke her back, but that doesn't help matters much. She continues to cry more and more every second.

"This is too much," she says.

"Hey, hey. It's gonna be alright. You can live with us," I say.

Sarafina sits up and dries her tears. Her aura changes from Brown to yellow. "What?" She asks.

"Yeah, my mom will be fine with it. She actually used to be a foster mom. Maybe she'll even adopt you," I say.

Sarafina falls into my lap as she has another fit of laughter. She is so much happier than before.

"Yeah," she says, "Maybe, we can be sisters."