Discombobulate

Chapter Forty-Eight

Denise's anxiety increased as more time passed. She had to stop herself from gnawing on her fingernails. She had pulled into the church parking lot with a half hour to spare. She wanted to reverse and go back to her cabin.

A few people had already parked. She assumed they were inside. The cars were all empty. She stuck around another few minutes before she gathered the courage to head inside.

A cement staircase led up to the front doors. A large part of the congregation consisted of elderly people. A ramp had also been installed for easier access.

Denise grabbed the metal railing and started up the stairs. Her heart pounded in her chest. She tried to calm herself down. Before she could open the door, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Let me get that for you," a guy spoke up. He stepped around her and opened one of the wooden doors. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

Denise walked through the door and was hit with the old smell of the church. "It's been a while since I've been here."

The guy gave her a polite smile. "I hope you enjoy the service. I'm glad you chose to join us today."

Denise put on a fake smile. "I'm happy I decided to come here today."

The blonde guy nodded and took off further into the church. It left Denise alone again. She hadn't been expecting to bump into anyone so soon. She needed time to gather herself.

"Pull yourself together," she mumbled under her breath.

The building smelled like it always had. It was a combination of wooden church pews and old books. The hymn books hadn't been updated since the 80's. The Bibles had been around forever. The hymns and Bibles were scattered throughout the sanctuary. The backs of the pews had little racks attached to them. Multiple Bibles and hymns sat in each one.

When Denise was younger, she spent her time leafing through their worn pages. Some ink on the pages had faded. Some pages had started to turn yellow. Everything Pastor Baker preached about went in one ear and out the other. She spent church service trying to silently entertain herself.

She shook her head trying to get the memory to fade. She was on a mission. She was determined to sit through, at least, one church service. If Susan and Jennifer didn't show themselves within the next week, she'd rekindle her relationship with God.

She stepped out into the back of the sanctuary. A bright red carpet was laid out on the floors. Up ahead, multiple pews lined the room. Bright red hymn books and black Bibles lined the back of the pews.

"Denise?"

Denise looked over. A man with a black suit came up to her. He had aged since she last saw him. Wrinkles had appeared in the corners of his eyes. The creases in his forehead were more prominent. His beard had gone from black to grey.

"Good morning, Pastor Baker." Denise gave him a timid smile.

"Oh my goodness!" A grin lit up his face. "I haven't seen you since you were a teenager! You've grown so much since then. Susan used to talk about you all the time. I'm so sorry about her and Jennifer."

Denise's heart hurt at the mention of her mom and sister. It's something she should have expected. Both her dad and mom were heavily involved, she should have known someone would bring them up.

"I tried to go to your house a few weeks after the incident occurred. Nobody answered the door and I realized there was a for sale sign in the yard. I thought you left Brimington."

Denise shook her head. "I moved, but I'm still around for now. I've been tossing around the idea of leaving Michigan. I've been thinking about moving to Kansas with a friend."