If I Can't Have You || (N.M.)

Chapter 16

"Pastor's here, everyone upstairs!" Momma announced.

We all shuffled to our feet, bellies full, and made our way up the steps.

The church above looked glorious. I had never been big on religion but I could always appreciate the beauty of a church; the high ceilings and warm light fixtures, the glossy mahogany of the pews, the stained glass windows.

The rows of seats seemed to be never ending. I knew the Friday service was going to be relatively small, but I could just imagine how it all looked on Sundays, filled to the brim with people and prayer.

On one wall was a mural that appeared to be unfinished. It depicted Moses parting the Red Sea in vibrant color. They made him the rich black of a man who knew the sun. His hair was white and his robes were painted a burnt sienna. But oh my, the color of the sea was something else.

The blues, the greens, the whites, the browns all worked together in perfect harmony to depict a wall of water peacefully parting for God's children and violently crashing down upon their oppressors.

The only thing was that it never got finished. It was wave after wave of color and then it was nothing.

I was pulled out of my observation by a hand on my shoulder and warm a voice.

"I see you admiring our mural here, Sandra."

I turned around and it was the pastor.

"Pastor Baker," he introduced himself to me, "Momma told me about you and your family. Welcome to our church."

"Thank you very much," I said, still having a hard time peeling my eyes off of the mural for too long. "It's very nice. It's a shame no one ever finished the mural, though."

"Ah, yes," he nodded in agreement. "My wife is the one who started it. But sadly, she passed before she could finish. We just have yet to find anyone capable of-"

"I'll do it!"

I didn't even think before the words let themselves out of my mouth. It had felt like forever ago since I'd last done the one thing that brought me peace of mind. I could imagine what colors and strokes I would use to complete the image. The techniques I would use to bring forth more texture. I was getting so ahead of myself.

"I mean, sorry for your loss sir... B- but I'm an artist. A painter. I would love to work on this. Your wife did a wonderful job and I'd love to do her work justice. Free of charge."

Pastor Baker smiled.

"Why thank you, that is most generous of you, Sandra." He looked at his watch. "It's about time for us to start up, though. I'll talk with you more later."

We said goodbye to each other then I took my seat next to Nate. I could feel him staring at me and I just knew he had a goofy grin on his face.

"What? What is it?" I cracked a smile, failing to ignore him.

"Nothin'," he shrugged, "it was just nice to see you back in your element for a while. It looked sexy."

"Nate!" I whisper-yelled.

He placed a hand on my upper thigh and chuckled. "Hey I like the feisty attitude, but save it for our date tonight."

"Date? What are you-"

I was interrupted by the sound of an organ and Pastor Baker's opening words.

"Good evening everybody joining us on this beautiful God given day."

Shortly after, we were all led into prayer, then some more words from Pastor Baker, then the first song.

A short man came to the front to grab the mic and sing the lead.