CHOOSING.

4. Misjudgment?

I slept well into my Saturday only waking up mid afternoon. After treating myself to a brunch I set down to do my laundry before spending the rest of my day watching animation movies on my laptop.

Come Sunday, I woke up early to go to the early morning church service. Am proud to say that this was the only time I never needed an alarm to wake me up. I love my religion. As I made myself ready, an idea came to me and I didn't waste too much time thinking it over. I walked to Ombachi's door and knocked. He opened up looking disheveled and still half asleep. One look at his shirtless torso made me almost regret my abrupt decision to invite him to come with me to church. The well sculptured muscles on him were enough to evoke some not so holy thoughts and it scared me.

"I- I wanted to invite you to come with me to church," I managed to blurt out.

"Church? Am not exactly religious you know," he replied nonchalantly.

"Oh," I said, disappointed.

"Since you already woke me up, I'll come with you, just this once," Ombachi said. "However, you'll have to come with me somewhere in return," he added with a mischievous smile.

"Where?" I asked since I did not want to agree to something I night regret.

"I don't know yet, I'll tell you when I come to collect the favour. Don't worry, its nowhere you won't like," he reassured.

"Be ready in ten minutes then," I said as I skipped back to my room happy with myself.

Half an hour later, we were seated in church as the service began. My favourite part of the service was hymn singing, since it was the only time I got to sing outside my apartment. Ombachi stood next to me singing quite enthusiastically for someone who did not believe in religion. He had a good singing voice actually. He had almost too distracted to notice that Caleb was playing the piano really grandly that day.

Caleb looked really great in a midnight blue tailored suit matched with a light blue shirt. He had his hair cropped short and styled neatly while his sideburns were enough to give him the look of a well sort after model. The beautiful smile on his face as he stood there, playing note after note of soul touching music reminded me why for the longest time I had had a crush on him. However, when Ombachi nudged me on the side with a boyish grin on his face I couldn't help the little flutter I felt in the put of my stomach. 'What is happening to me?' I mused to myself. I quickly ignored the ordeal and decided it was nothing.

At the end of the service I walked out of the church hall, with Ombachi by my side. At the door Cathy came and pulled me away. I was quite surprised by her aggressiveness since she was usually the calm and collected one. "Who is that guy you came with?" She asked in a whispered yell.

"Um, a friend?" I answered uncertainly.

"A friend? Since when do you have friends that are not from church?" She asked. I couldn't believe her.

"Am I not allowed to have other friends? First, you were telling me Caleb can't like me, now you're saying I can't have friends that are not from church. Don't you have any faith in me?" I couldn't hide the hurt in my voice. This was getting too much now.

"No. Soni, its not like that. Its just that am surprised that you would befriend a guy who's not a believer." Cathy said.

"How did you know he is not a believer?" Was it that obvious? I wondered to myself.

"Well, he is dressed in ripped jeans and a T-shirt that's far too tight, not exactly what a believer would wear to church. Plus, he spent the better part of the service whispering to you," she said with an eye roll. Are believers allowed to roll their eyes like that?

"He's not that bad," I explained.

"Are you defending him?" She asked, looking like she was going to pass out from shock. I couldn't blame her since I had never been known to be nonbeliever friendly. I believed with all of my heart that Christians should not be equally yoked with nonbelievers. Well, until Ombachi came along and I felt that he was not that bad. I was about to answer her question when a girl from the choir came to get her. After a hurried goodbye she left me to go and discuss about new designs for choir uniforms. I decided it was time I left and I started walking towards where Ombachi stood looking bored out of his mind.

I was too focused on Ombachi that I did not see Caleb walking towards me until I almost ran into him. He smiled at my distraction making me feel totally stupid for not looking where I was going.

"In a hurry to go somewhere?" He asked good naturedly.

"Am just going home," I answered.

"May I walk you home?" He asked

"Actually, I have company," I said a little embarrassed. I couldn't believe that he was asking me this only now yet I'd spent months just imagining what it would be like to have him walk me home. I was confused when he looked a good deal disappointed by my reply but he quickly hide it with his smile.

"Okay, see you around then," he said before leaving.

On my way home, I was considerably less excited about having taken Ombachi with me to church. However, his charisma and animated stories had me laughing all the way and it served to distract me from my worrying thoughts. Once home, Ombachi left to go out with his friends and I was left alone, with my movies for company and too many unhealthy snacks.

Nevertheless, you can only avoid your thoughts for so long. A couple of movies later and too much calories consumed my thoughts wandered back to my conversation with Cathy. Ombachi wasn't that bad, was he? Had it been a misjudgment on my part for befriending him?