The Pastor Doesn't Have To Know

• everybody say amen.

Monica:

I wish somebody would come save me from this act I have to put on every Sunday. Waving, smiling, hugging people knowing this is the worst job I've had in my life.

"Hello Mother Carter!" I said kissing her on the cheek. Mother Elaine Carter, Derrick's mother. Mother Carter is one the sweetest Church Mother's I've ever known. "How are you today?" I asked her sitting next to her on the pew.

"Oh Baby I'm fine, how are you? You just look absolutely marvelous today!" She said admiring my outfit. "I just love what you have on today Monica."

"Thank you Mother, your son picked this out and I thought I would wear it today." I replied, crossing my feet. I really didn't pick out this outfit, Derrick made me because what I had on "wasn't appropriate."

I walked around and talked to everybody that I had seen and knew. It was so many people just walking up to me, and I performed my First Lady duties and helped them.

"Monica now I know Derrick's baldheaded tail ain't got you just showing EVERYBODY what to do?" I heard from a familiar voice while in my office.

I looked at the door and there was my best friends, Melissa, Lisa, and Toni. Now I know that was Lisa because Lisa had always been the outspoken one in our group. "Y'all ge- get in here before Derrick hears y'all, you know how he gets." I said pulling them all in my office.

"Lisa I told you don't come in here starting that stuff, and you do it anyway. I don't know what to do with you" Melissa said laughing. Melissa was my bestest friend of all of them, we had been friends ever since we were born. We went to the same church all our lives, same elementary, middle, and high schools, same college, and we both married college best friends, but Melissa got the good one.

"Look Melissa I'm just saying, she ain't no maid and she dam- dang sure ain't nobody's tour guide" Lisa said sitting down with an attitude.

"Let me guess, you and Derrick got into it again this morning?" I asked sitting on the couch. Lisa and Derrick have a love-hate, but mostly hate relationship.

"GIRL! LET ME TALK YOU WHAT HIS BALDHEADED A- TAIL! SAID TO ME THIS MORNING!" Lisa said jumping up from the couch. "HE HAD THE NERVE TO TELL ME THAT I SHOULD TAKE SINGING LESSONS BECAUSE I'M PITCHY!" One thing about Lisa, she was going to get her point across no matter what.

"Lisa now you know you're not pitchy, Derrick's just acting a little bit- well you know the rest" Toni said while playing with her fingernails. I never understood why they didn't like Derrick, but I know why I can't stand his damn guts. Derrick thought he was somebody's damn Daddy, but he wasn't mine.

While we were in the middle of talking, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" I asked while opening the door.

"Oh. My. Gosh. I knew they said you were pretty but I didn't know how pretty you were, so I had to come see for myself but oh my goodness you're just.. wow.." A girl said rambling, I never seen her before so I can tell she was new.

"What's your name?" I asked her trying to calm her down, she seemed very nervous and almost shocked.

"My name is.. uhh.. shoot what is my name.." She said staring at me. I laughed at her because I knew for a fact that she knew her own name. "Oh right, my name is Shayla," She said standing up right, motioning for somebody to else to come.

"And I'm Shayna!" Another girl with the same face said jumping out of nowhere.

"WAIT- THERES TWO OF YOU?" I said confused but laughing to not be so embarrassed.

"Yes, we're twins!" Shayla and Shayna said at the exact same time.

"Yeah I can tell," I looked into the hall to make sure there wasn't any more children popping out of the blue. "So there's no more of you, right?" I asked laughing.

"No there isn't, girls stop bothering Lady Carter, she has more important things to do than y'all staring at her all day," a sweet gentle voice that could be recognized from a mile away called out. "Lady Carter I am so sorry, these are my twin girls Shayla and Shayna, and this right here is my oldest daughter, Sevyn," The lady said holding the hand of an older girl, no older than 28 years old.

"Mother White they're alright, they're not bothering me nor distracting me" I said laughing. "It was just a surprise when they came out of nowhere with the same face," I said still in shock of how identical they really are. Mother Regina White, one of my favorite ladies in the church besides Mother Carter and my own mother of course. Mother White was a sweet woman, but she didn't take no stuff from anyone, including Derrick.

"Lady Carter, there's someone else I want you to meet," She said grabbing the hand of this suddenly attractive light-skinned man with some very pretty eyes. "This is my son Shawn, we're trying to get him back in the church and off of the streets" She said tightening the grip on his hand and laughing.

I didn't have any words, Shawn was just the best looking man I've seen in a long time. It almost made me forget that I was at church for a minute. "Nice to meet you Shawn," I said extending my hand for a hand shake.

"Pleasure's all mine, Lady Carter," Shawn said with his deep and intimidating voice as he shook my hand. Shawn's voice almost made me melt on the inside and made me think some things I shouldn't be thinking while in church.

I quickly cleared my throat as I let go of his hand. "Well.. Welcome to New Bethel Shawn, and I hope you keep coming back," I said smiling through the whole sentence, the simple thought of Shawn mixed with his presence and his smell, I should've just kissed him right there, but I gotta remain the loving First Lady I am.

Just then the music started in the background and everybody walked away from the office and headed towards the main sanctuary. I gathered my things and made my way to sit next to Mother Carter.

It was another Sunday of smiling and grinning when the Pastor made me sick in my stomach. All I can say is, "Let everybody say, amen!"