Fake Me To Church

Chapter 7 - Fall From Grace

- STEVEN -

"I really have a ton of homework to do—"

"Steven, it's Wednesday night." My mother's hands rose to her hips. "You know we have church."

"Come on, Mom," I begged. "It's just this one time—and my grade in history is borderline. I need to get this essay written."

She rolled her eyes.

"Mom, what? What did I say?"

"Well, it seems lately there's always a ton of homework on Wednesdays. And the last time you swore up and down that you'd be slaving over a mountain of textbooks, your father and I came home early to find you and Dylan playing your X-Box in the living room."

I dropped my gaze. 

"That's what I thought," she said with an unyielding voice. "Now go upstairs and get dressed. I have to be there early tonight, so I can't give you a ride. You'll have to take your car."

****

I rattled into the parking lot atop the crunch of disembodied asphalt, rolling to a stop as I paused to gaze ahead of me at EdgeWay Church of Christ—at the silvery-gray bricks that glistened under the light moisture of the evening, the stringed arrays of bright lights decorating stony segments of wall that stood between glass windows.

The sounds of car doors opening and footsteps clattering across the gravel vibrated through the air, parents scurrying alongside their little ones toward the double doors separating them from their kind and loving pastor—dear old dad.

I stuffed my hands inside my jacket pockets and shuffled forward, keeping my eye out for Dylan, or any friendly face for that matter. Anyone I could talk to without having to staple a smile to my cheeks the entire time.

"Steven, there you are!" My mother waved me over the moment I walked inside. "There's someone I'd love for you to meet." She was standing next to that senile black lady who'd found me in the side-office building the day before.

"Hey, Mom," I managed.

"Steven, this is Charity Vaughn-Daley. She just joined the church yesterday, and we're so thrilled to have her."

"Hi." I looked hard in her eyes. "I'm Steven." I extended my hand, and she shook it.

"Hello, Steven." A welcoming smile spread across her face. "Oh, what a firm handshake you have!"

Is she really not going to say anything about yesterday?

"Steven," my mom continued, "Ms. Vaughn-Daley is a marvelous woman indeed. She moved here all the way from Bright Faith Church in California."

I'd heard of that church before, but all I really knew about it was that it was big. Huge, in fact. They had somewhere upwards of thirteen thousand members.

"Bright Faith, huh?" I asked. "You're a member there?"

"Actually, I'm the pastor," Charity replied. "Or, I was the pastor, anyway. I resigned four years ago."

No way was this lady the pastor of Bright Faith. "Resigned, huh? Bright Faith's a pretty big church. Can't imagine you'd wanna leave all that behind."

"Steven!" my mother chided. "You needn't be so froward. I'm sure she had her reasons."

Charity smiled. "Oh, Evelyn, it's quite alright." She turned to me. "The truth is, dear, I left to pursue the call of God as a Love Revivalist."

I hesitated. "...A what?"

"We're a growing group of Christians trying to bring back the teachings of God's love in churches all across the nation."