Better Than The Movies

Chapter Seven

I feel the sun beaming down on me as I sit on my porch on a 70-degree day. I love this time of year when winter is ending and spring is just beginning. The possibilities of the new season seem endless. This could be the time when your life will finally change

I push back my hair as the wind threatens to tear it out of its so carefully made ponytail that's more of a badly contained afro. It's hard to manage my hair and I won't let the wind ruin my hard work.

I'm usually never outside my house for more than two minutes, but I decided not to waste this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I was rereading one of my old favorites from Jenny Han but set the book aside to watch the world in front of me. People driving by probably think I'm crazy with my gray hoodie and pajama pants adorned with various breakfast foods and pink slides.

I've been home from church for a few hours and it's nearing 3 pm. Destiny left before church this morning to go home and change. I offered her some of my clothes, but she declined stating, "She had to go home at some point."

I haven't spoken to Jace since last night when I realized we share the same beliefs. I explained to him my difficulties in finding myself while I'm growing up in a community and family where nobody believes what you do. He asked why I couldn't just tell them the truth, but I explained that sharing my beliefs would make me a pariah and probably end in me being disowned. He thought I was being dramatic. If only he knew.

"How was Sunday School?" My father asked me at dinner. We were having fried fish and corn with my mom's signature iced tea, I really shouldn't call it hers considering she just used some store-bought powder and sink water with a few lemons.

"It was good!" I say fake enthusiasm oozing from my voice. I wouldn't know how Sunday School went considering I didn't go. I went last week and hated every second of it so now I just bribe the teacher, who has a sugar addiction, with Strawberry Poptarts to say that I did go.

Thankfully he didn't ask any more questions even though I prepared myself for them if he did ask. I wasn't good at lying, but if I need to I'll get it done.

Brielle, who is sitting across from me, is texting under the table. She glanced up every few seconds to make it seem like she's paying attention to us. My mother is engaged in a new conversation with my father about last week's episode of Greenleaf, her new favorite show. It's about the family who runs this huge fictional megachurch in Memphis, Tennessee. I watched an episode or two, they do a hell of a lot of sinning to be leading a church. My mother is obsessed with those Tyler Perry cheesy soap operas so this is an upgrade in my opinion.

I'm silent as I stare down at my empty plate. I excuse myself from the table and start cleaning up the kitchen. My mother comes in while I'm washing the dishes and places a warm hand on my shoulder causing me to spray water onto the wall in front of me.

"Sorry darling, didn't mean to scare you." I try to smile, but it comes out as a grimace.

"It's fine, how are the kids?" I ask, only halfway concerned with the answer.

My mother is an elementary school teacher which is all fun and games until you walk into your third-grade classroom and your mother is writing your last name on the board. Long story short, that was a hard year considering the fact that I had to take my teacher home with me every day. The third graders at Lincoln Elementary were ruthless without my mother showing the whole class my baby pictures whenever she turned on the projector to show her computer screen.

"They are good, thanks for asking!" Her wide smile and cheery voice infects me with joy inside.

That's the thing about my mom she's always cheery even when there's a thunderstorm outside and a million reasons to be angry, she never is. This is something neither of her children inherited, but I got her eyes and lips while Brielle got her near-perfect bone structure and slim thick body. I'm thick, just not slim and Brielle never lets me forget.