Take Me to the Water

PART 14 // The Washington's

As I suspected the choir was the Christina show. She picked out every single song and led most of them. She sat in on auditions for new members, and she was the ultimate deciding factor on who got in the choir and who didn't. If she didn't get along with someone in the choir, they were assigned to serve somewhere else or they left the church altogether, so everyone was pretty much her slave.

I couldn't lie, the girl actually could sing and she might have been the best singer (other than me) that I'd heard in Clover—but her attitude was horrible and I couldn't stand her. Likewise, she couldn't stand me either.

At every rehearsal she'd find something to single me out about; petty stuff like my pitch or delivery, and I knew it all was crap. There were 100 people in the choir. It was no way she could hear just me, but she always claimed she did.

"Um, can we stop Sister Georgia?"

Sister Georgia would stop the music and then Christina would look over to me.

"Here we go again," I mumbled to Jewels.

Jewels nudged me to stop with giggles.

"Eve, can you tighten up? You're a bit pitchy and it's throwing your entire section off."

I had an "itchy" word that I wanted to call Christina, but it didn't start with a P. I faked a smile and gave her a thumbs up.

"Sure thing Chris."

Christina gave me a fake smile back. "Thanks hun."

As soon as she turned her back I'd roll my eyes and Yale would laugh from the drums.

Other than Christina giving me grief, the other person I had to worry about in the choir was Lonnie.

Mrs. Jones assured me that Lonnie wouldn't be an issue and that he would leave me alone, but it was clear that she didn't really know her son as good as she thought. Anytime Lonnie caught me by myself he tried to strike up a conversation.

"Eve! Hey, wait up," he said one day after rehearsal.

I was just about to walk home when he called for me.

"What do you want Lonnie?" I asked, annoyed. I looked around outside, hoping no one would see us talking, especially Christina.

"Just wanted to say hey. You can speak to me, you know?"

"I don't think your mother or your wife would like that."

He smacked his lips and chuckled. "I'm a grown man Eve. My mother don't run me, and Lila has no idea about us. So you can speak." He scanned me up and down and licked his lips. "I really miss you, you know."

I was disgusted and proceeded to walk home but he grabbed my hand gently and I snatched away.

"You know I don't like to be touched Lonnie," I snapped.

"Well that's not totally true. I can recall some places where you do like to be touched."

He had a grin on his face and I knew he thought he was charming, but he wasn't. He was the scum of the earth, and I was over it.

"Lonnie, you need to stay away from me! I'm not here for you! Go home to your wife!"

"She's already in bed Eve. I'm trying to come with you! I know you're in that big house by yourself."

"That's not happening," I said walking away. He followed after me.

"Why? Because of David?"

I turned to face him and he looked shocked, then he chuckled.