Hers

Chapter Thirty-Two

 Chapter Thirty-Two

Downtown was crowded and alive.  Sunday was the only day that people seemed to leave their homes.  Women wore their skirts and matching suit jackets.  Men were decked out in expensive suits.  I was definitely in the Bible belt.

I opened the door to the library, a small chime went off to alert the employee’s.  A familiar looking librarian emerged.  She pushed the black frame of her glasses up and shot me a smile.

“Well, hey there!”  She greeted me with a warm smile and dropped the stack of books she had in her hands on a small, round table.  “Long time, no see.  I thought I had chased you off.”

I laughed and stepped a little further in.  “No, not yet.”

“What brings you in?”  She asked.  “More research?”

“No, I came in to ask you where that church was.”

She looked surprised at first but before I knew it a wide smile overtook her face.  “Come here,” she said and lead me to the door.  “See that church right there?”  She asked pointing at a small white building with a yellow roof and a high steeple.

“Yeah,” I responded.

“That’s Pastor James’s church,” she explained.  “Church is over now, but he should still be in there.”

“Thank you,” I responded and went to open the door.

“No problem,” she responded with a smile.  “Good luck.”

I jogged across the street feeling hopeful.  Even as I made my way up the stairs of the church, I felt peaceful.  The calm I felt reminded me of being with Sam at the Tree of Life.  It was then that I felt farthest from the hormones and stress that being the reincarnation of Lilith brought.

The windows were stained glass art depictions of a golden cross and white doves.  The front door was shut.  I knocked, white paint chips flaking off of the wooden door.  I became more aware of the wind through the trees and the changing of the weather.  Fall was settling in despite the fact that it felt as though summer had just begun.

The door opened slowly.  Behind it there was a man with thick brown hair that was littered with grey.  Lines formed beside his eyes when he smiled at me.

“Can I help you?”  He asked.  He sounded nice enough, trustworthy, and definitely not judgmental.

“Um, yeah,” I started suddenly feeling unsure.  “I mean, maybe.  My friend said,” –I shot a thumb towards the library—“she said you might be able to help me figure some stuff out.  Maybe answer a few questions?”

He smiled brightly and nodded.  “Elaine from the library sent you,” he said.  “Come in, she was telling me about you a few days ago.  My name is Pastor James.”

“Lilly,” I said with an unsure smile.  He opened the door a little wider and retreated into the church.  I followed behind him, watching my steps and scanning the walls.