Not So Pure and Simple

by Lamar Giles

My heart rammed my sternum in the silence that followed. A lone moth fluttered across the sanctuary. Then, the church went stadium crazy. Claps, shouts, cheers. I wondered if I was going to get a Super Bowl ring.

HAHAHAHA

“Amen, Sister Vanessa,” Pastor Newsome said, reaching for his microphone. She—Vanessa—lost her smile; she passed the mic.

HAHAHAHAAAAAAAA

Her shirt was a size too large, her pants too baggy and dusty with batter. I mean it was the same deal with my uniform, but she’s a girl. Don’t get me started on that sloppy ponytail sticking through the back of her signature Monte cap. In church you could tell she tried a little. Here? I don’t know. To each his, or her, own. I guessed.

Hope this mentality gets better

I should’ve been.

I kinda hate these tidbits of foreshadowing. Just a little