11/15/2007

Ronnie Winchell had finally reached the Orchard Park Mall. He did not really need to go, but he wanted a new suit for Easter Sunday. He was visiting the New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church for their services and he wanted to look his best. He hadn't been to church in a year. He was a Christian, but he had lost interest in church after a rumor was spread about him at his last church. He was so hurt that he could not even go back to any church, much less his church home. Somehow, a rumor got out that he had gotten a lady pregnant at his church. He hadn't. No one ever said who the girl was, but the rumor spread like wildfire, even without a person being named. It had gotten to the point that he could not even walk in the church without someone giving him a nasty look. The mothers of the church were especially hard on him. At the time of the rumor, four single women in the church were pregnant. None of them would say that Ronnie was the father of their child, despite pressure from the leadership of the church. No one could say anything because Ronnie had not slept with any of the women. He hadn't slept with a woman since his wife died three years ago. To be honest, he was not even that type of guy. Ronnie was an upstanding gentleman. He had never mistreated a woman. He had never cheated on a woman. He had never even raised his voice at a woman. His own problem was that he had a gold tooth in his mouth that he had gotten when he was younger. That thing got him into more trouble. He was not a thug. He was not a rough neck. He just happened to be a guy with a gold tooth.

Ronnie never got over the rumor. Some of the people at his old church still think that he is the father of one of those children, if not all of them as one deacon surmised was the truth. Ronnie finally left the church because he could no longer take the ridicule. He hadn't set foot in a church since the last Sunday he attended his former church. He had not forgotten about God, though. He knew that he needed God, no matter how crazy the people who said they knew God acted.

A neighbor of his had been inviting him to church for the longest time. She was persistent with her invitations, too. It had gotten to a point where Ronnie did not want to be outside at any given time just in case she showed up outside. She cornered him one day, "Ronnie, when are you going to come to church with me. It seems like you have been hurt by someone at church. You have got to get over that and come back to God. Quit holding God responsible for what man did." The woman did not know how much that had pricked his heart. It was that statement that made him decide to go to church.

He had decided to wait for a major holiday, that way; he could not be singled out in the church service. At his old church, that was a constant habit, singling out people to put them on Front Street. Ronnie did not want that to happen. Most churches would be packed on a holiday Sunday, so no one could find him in the service. He hadn't even told his neighbor that he was coming to church. He did not want her pressuring him to do anything in the service. He just wanted to go to the church and then go home. He would be able to say that he had gone to church and no one could bother him for awhile.

Ronnie parked his car. He was far off from the mall. He could not believe how many people were at the mall. It was cars everywhere, even at 2:30 in the afternoon. "Why were not any of these people at work?" Ronnie thought. He started the long trek to the mall. He made a good living, owning a gas station. He chuckled. No one really knew that he owned the gas station. He was not the only owner. A friend of his owned the station with him. His friend did most of the work. Ronnie enjoyed managing the station and visiting with the people. He often wondered how people would treat him if they knew his secret.

He had wanted to tell the lady who drove the Subaru Tribeca how he was. He really liked her, but she would not give him the time of day. He had tried on several occasions to talk to her, but she acted as if she wanted him to just evaporate into thin air. He knew that she had a preconceived notion about him. She was always nice, but she had no interest in him whatsoever. He wished he knew what church she went to because he would gladly go visit her at church. If she could only see him in a tailor made Italian suit, she would have a different impression of him.

He was going to visit RayRay's Men's Store. Mr. Ray would have a perfect suit for him. Ronnie had called Mr. Ray and asked him to have a suit ready for him. Ronnie knew that MR. Ray would hook him up right. Ronnie was going to church once this year and he was intent on looking his best.

Lela reached her car. She unlocked her door with the keys she had retrieved from her purse before reaching the car. She opened the back door and threw the bag into the backseat. She was still furious. She needed to go home and take a long hot bubble bath. That would make her feel better. She was even more upset because she hadn't even found a suit yet. How was Pastor Van Duren going to pay any attention to her and she was in one of her old suits? She made a face, "Why am I still thinking about that fool?" She chuckled, "I got it bad for that man. I need a life or something." She slammed the backdoor shut and then opened the front door and got into the car. She slammed the door behind her. She abruptly put on her seatbelt, hurting her hand in the process. She almost said a curse word, but she mentally stopped the word before it completely formed in her brain. She shook her hurt hand to ease the pain some. Shaking her hand did not help. Her hand still throbbed from the pain. She blew a deep breath and then started the car. She turned the power off on her radio so that she could say a prayer.

"Lord, please help me. I am lonely. I am tired of being alone. I do not know what to do anymore. It seems as if I have been left out here. All my friends have gotten married or will be getting married. I am stuck out here by myself. Please help me. Give me some kind of answer. Maybe Pastor Van Duren is not my husband, but I know You have one for me. Can he please show up some time soon? Take away the loneliness. Take away the emptiness. Please Father, I truly need You now. Please forgive me for acting incorrectly with the pastor. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Mrs. Logan smiled when she realized that the young man had recognized her. He stopped what he was doing and ran towards her. She braced herself for the impact of David's hug. When he reached her, he grabbed her up, gave her a big hug, and spun her around in the process. After a few seconds, he put her down and then gave her a wet kiss on the jaw. He did it on purpose, like he always did whenever he saw her.

Mrs. Logan wiped her jaw, "Boy, quit leaving her spit on my jaw. I do not know where your mouth has been."

David Victor laughed, "Sorry, Mrs. L. You know I love you like crazy. I get excited whenever I see you."

"Boy, you are going to get me into trouble with my husband talking like that," Mrs. Logan communicated.

"I can't help it if he gets jealous. He better treat you right or I will be there to scoop you up," David Victor beamed.

Mrs. Logan rubbed David Victor's arm, "Baby, you make an old woman smile. Now, do you know where my husband is?"

David Victor playfully frowned, "Why are you looking for that old man?"

Mrs. Logan twisted her lips, "Cause I love him. That's my Boomby. I am crazy about him."

David Victor laughed mischievously, "Boomby, huh. Wait until I call him that. That is too good."

"Boy, do not make me tan your hide. You know you can't call him that. If you do, we are going to have a problem," Mrs. Logan chided.

David Victor mad a sad face, "Sorry, Mrs. Logan. I was just playing around. Do you forgive me?" He smiled a big kool-aid smile.

Mrs. Logan twisted her lips and then slapped David Victor on his shoulder, "You are too much for me. If you see my husband, tell him that I am at Udetta's."

"Why do not you just call him?" Victor questioned.

Mrs. Logan rolled her eyes, "If I wanted to call him, I would have called him. Now, give him my message. You young folk do not know how to follow instructions these days. Lord, help us all." She walked off before David Victor could say anything.

David Victor laughed and walked off to go find Mr. Logan. He did not want to get into trouble with Mrs. Logan.

Mikala had been in Udetta's helping out. Mrs. Udetta asked her to run back and forth to the stockroom to get shoes for the customers. Mikala did not argue with Mrs. Udetta, she just began working as if she was on the payroll. Mrs. Udetta was happy, too. Normally, Mikala would complain if she was asked to do the stockroom running at the store. She would eventually do that task, but she would complain first.

Mikala had been doing a great job. Mrs. Udetta had received several compliments from the customers about how fast Mikala was retrieving the shoes and accurately. Everyone seemed happy that they were able to get what they needed so quickly. Mikala even seemed happy. Her mother on the other hand, was fuming. She was ready to leave the store. She still needed to find Mikala a dress for Sunday service.

Mrs. Udetta pulled Michelle Neu aside, "Let the child stay here. She is happy and enjoying herself. If you ask her to leave now, she is going to be upset. Do you really want to be dealing with her if she is upset?"

Michelle blew a deep breath, "I need to find her a dress for Sunday. If I do not do it now, she will never get a dress. That would probably make her happy. Why is she so hard to shop for?"

Mrs. Udetta laughed, "Do not worry about the dress. I have one in the back that I think both of you will like. She will have a new dress for Sunday. Let the child be who she is. When she is ready to be a girlie girl, she will be a girlie girl. Leave her be."

Michelle twisted her face, "I just wish she would wear something else besides jeans. At least she wears the kind with sparkles. That's some good news."

Mrs. Udetta smiled, "She is a child. When she is ready, she will become a girlie girl. Just give her time."

Michelle blew a breath, "Ok. What does the dress look like?"

"Mrs. Udetta, do you have this suit in red," a lady holding a blue dress said.

Mrs. Udetta looked at Michelle, "I will show you later. Let me help her."

Michelle nodded as Mrs. Udetta walked off. Michelle hoped that she would like the dress that Mrs. Udetta had picked out.