Chapter Seven
Bible study was packed. I tried to balance my coffee and diaper bag without plowing a little old lady into the refreshment table. That would be stellar. I sipped my mocha with aggressive need, as I slept little last night. Chase was getting another tooth and was not willing to sleep through the pain. With a quick kiss on his head, I sat down and handed him to my mom, who was sitting beside me. Halfway through the speaker, I noticed Samantha come in late. Emily was standing beside her, and I carefully motioned for her to sit next to me. Thankfully we were in the back and had empty seats.
When the final prayer was offered, Samantha gripped my shoulder and spun me around to face her.
“Yes?” I asked, bewildered at her overly enthusiastic expression.
“So...”She began, but paused, looking around at all the women standing in close proximity to us.
“I’ve gotta use the restroom.”
“Okay...” I raised my eyebrows, clearly questioning her sanity.
“So do you.”
“I do?”
“Oh, yes, you DO.” Her eyes conveyed a silent message of, Come with me, NOW! “Oh, yes, I do.” I nodded with her as she encouraged me.
“Mom, I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, honey, take your time. I’m going to take sweet Chase over to get a
snack.” She barely offered me a backwards glance as she moved over to show off her grandbaby. My face split into a grin as I watched her sashay over to the other grandmas and show off her prize. I was pulled by Samantha’s impatient tug toward the door and almost lost my balance.
“Hey!” I called, righting myself.
“You are so slow! My word girlie, keep up, would you?”
“I’m coming! What did you drink? A whole gallon of water before you came to church?” I called, earning me a dark glare.
Samantha didn’t take me to the ladies’ room in front of the church but pulled me again, this time by the scarf, in another direction. I pulled on it trying to loosen the material so I could properly breathe and followed her lead. We went to the back of the church and into the rarely used handicap restroom. She opened the door and motioned for me to enter. I cast her a dubious glance before walking in and turning on the light.
“Ahhgggggg!” I screamed as I noticed a large hairy spider resting in the sink.
“What the...Ahhhhgg!” Samantha screamed with me. We scrambled out of the bathroom and landed in a heap on the floor. Shivers overtook my body as I thought about the evil creature in the sink, not more than three feet away.
“Get off of me!” Samantha shouted, and I stumbled off of her legs and helped her up. She dusted herself off and then shivered in disgust.
“You kill it.” I demanded. I did not kill spiders. I soaked them in spray and then vacuumed them up.
“No.”
“What if some handicapped kid comes into the bathroom—“
“Fine, but if it kills me, I’ll take my news to the grave with me.”
“Okay by me!” I teased, pointing to the dark doorway.
With a straightening of her spine, she marched in like she was heading to a firing
squad and paused, taking off her shoe. I turned away, unable to watch.
Thump, thump, scream, thump, thump, thump. “Ah ha! Done! I dispatched the
