With You, Or Without You

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

                   I don't remember much of what happened last night, but I sure did have fun.  I woke up in the guest bedroom so either A) One of the guys brought me back.  B) I walked back.  C) Miss Ally came and got us.  or D) The policeman wanted to party with the fireman and saw I was drinking under aged and brought me back.  I'll ask Melanie when I see her.  Wherever she is, she could still be at the firehouse or home with Todd if they are dating.  I sat up, my head didn't hurt that bad- I  drink so much I've become immune to to hangovers.  I flipped the covers off of me, my legs felt like they could breathe when the cold air hit them.  When I was fully awake I realize just how bad I had to pee.  I jumped up and beelined my way to the door.  I politely knocked, empty, and went in to pee.  unzipped my pants, let it out and felt better with every ounce.  After I was done and washed my hands, I walked out, nearly slamming into Miss Ally.

                      "Oh Good, your up.  I had expected that I would have to drag you out of bed and all the way to church with the way you walked in drunk"-she lifted and eyebrow on that last word-"I thought you'd think you'd get away with staying in bed all Sunday".  So that's how I got home.  Melanie must have went with Todd.  "Now hurry up and get ready, we're off to church.".

                      "But I don't have anything appropriate for church wear..." all I had shoved into my duffel bad was jeans, T-shirts and sweatshirts.  Oh and underwear.  No button up shirt or suit like I would wear to church.  My boots were old and wrecked Timberlands, certainly not something you should be walking into a church wearing.  

                     "Wyatt Johnson!  The good Lord doesn't care what you wear into his house, as long as you're there.  You could be naked for all he cares, just be there with a heart full of goodness, love and forgiveness.  But at least put some pants on please.  The lord may not care if you show up in your boxers and a flimsy sweatshirt, but I do."  She walked away down the stairs.  

                     She had a good point, I'll give her that much.  If she wanted to write her own bible, I'm sure she'd have a best seller.  I walked back into the guest room and pulled on a pair of pants, white T-shirt and a gray sweatshirt over it.  I was guessing on if to wear my hat or not, I could at least wear it to the church.  And I really didn't want to part with it either.  I rolled it up and shoved it in my back pocket.  That will do.  Slipped my feet into my boots, laced them up and was on my way down the stairs.  She had her arms full of tupperware boxes, all about to spill on the floor.  I quickly went over to her and grabbed the ones that were about to fall.  They had oatmeal cookies in them, watermelon, strawberries, and a bunch of other healthy snack foods in them.  I figured it was for the church breakfast.  Churches this early usually provided breakfast.  It was eight o'clock in the morning, I wondered how early Miss Ally has been up cooking and providing all this food.  We carried it out to the truck and carefully put it in the bed.  I pulled the cover over the bed to be safe that none of the food flew out.  

                       As we started driving, I started thinking.  All I really needed according to Miss Ally was a heart full of goodness, love and forgiveness.  Wasn't sure I had any of that.  I've done some pretty bad things, still do.  I don't know about love, thought I did.  Forgiveness and me....I don't know where we stand.  I slept in a Church for days hiding.  Hiding from my own personal demons.  Hiding in the house of God, just doesn't seem right to me.  Maybe looking to God for safety is OK.  But I should have fought my own battles.  I'm working on it....

                     We went through the back entrance of the church to put all the food down on the table, there was only three cars in the parking lot counting ours.  I guessed we were the only ones here besides the preacher and the organ player.   We set the food up on the table equally separated from each other but kept the caps on to keep about the church mice and bugs  or from going stale.  During the time of us setting up the food a couple more families had showed up.  There was the preachers wife and his two kids in the front pew.  An old elderly couple in the middle.  Then a few rows in front of them there was a young couple, only a few years older than me trying to keep their young daughter at rest.  All the way to the side was a man in his mid fifties it looked with a son who seemed to be a couple years younger than me.  Miss Ally went up the the preacher to say hello, doing the same to everyone else in the room on her way up.  I took a seat in the pew in front of the man and his son.  I felt so out of place, not just because of my clothes but this wasn't my church.  Everyone knew each other in this church, grew up together.  Here I come in, a perfect stranger.  I'll get used to it sooner or later i suppose.  Leaving me all alone, as if I wasn't already feeling like it, Miss Ally went and sat up front with the preachers family, as far away from where I was as possible.