It was Wednesday night and Jess and I was getting ready to go to church with Aunt Julie she always picked up all the kids in our family that wanted to go. They had an amazing youth group. However if I'm being honest most of us just go to hang out with each other but we still learn in the process.
When we got to my cousin RJs house there were other people there.
" Julie can they come with us? Their mom said it's ok." RJ asked
"Where do they live?" She asked him
"Across the street." He replied
"As long as it's OK with their mom and they behave." She said.
We pulled across the street and made sure it was OK then we were on our way to church. RJ jumps I'm the back seat with Jess and his friend Jorden which puts his friend Mark sitting beside me.
Someone keeps tapping my head. I turn to see RJ smiling from ear to ear with both his thumbs in the air.
" You are so stupid. I think your Mama dropped you a few times." I told him laughing.
" Oh come on" he said nodding towards Mark.
I rolled my eyes and turned back around and ignored him the rest of the way to church.
When we got to church the first thing RJ did was pull me to the side.
" What do you think about Mark? He asked
" Hes cute I guess." I said shrugging my shoulders and walked into the church.
"Youth dudes will be staying in the sanctuary because the youth leaders aren't here." The preacher said.
We loved our pastor he was awesome. The "dude" thing started one day when I had first started going to the church. He walked up and said hey to me but I couldn't remember what his name was so I said hey preacher dude and now it was the thing.
He had us come sit on the first two rows of the church. I was on the first.
"Now who can tell me what John 3:16 says?" He asked
In unison we all spoke the scripture.
"Ok, that was an easy one." He said. " But who can tell me which disciple denied Jesus?" He ask
"Peter" we answered.Very good he said.
He questioned us through the whole church service and we Always had the answer but then he asked
" Who did the Lord tell to take his son up the mountain and sacrifice him?"
No one said anything. I was searching through my brain for the answer but it didn't come.
" Ok. Next week I want the answer to this." He said
He turned his attention to the congregation for the rest of the service. Movement caught my eye from beside me on the pew. I turn to look and Mark had sat on the pew down from me. As the service neared an end I felt a hand touch mine. I looked over and saw Mark's hand beside mine on the pew. I quickly put my hand in my lap.
After prayer we all were dismissed. As I walked out of the church RJ came up to me.
" Mark likes you he said he wants you to be his girlfriend." He said.
" Really?" I said and he nodded his head smiling. Stupid grin. " Well then he should ask me instead of getting you to." I told him and he ran off to find Mark.
On the way home Mark sat beside me again. When we pulled up at his house he and Jorden got out but he stopped and turned around.
" Hey Jayla, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked
" Sure" I said and he smiled and shut the door.
It was new year's Eve 99 and everyone was hyped up on " the end". All year people have said that the world was gonna end on Jan 1st 2000 and here we are. It was getting late and Mama was calling all her kids to tell them she loved them just in case. I'm laughing in my head. To be a Christian and believe this crap is a contradiction. The Bible says no man will know the day. Either way mama is now on the phone with (b) Dad.
" Jesse, don't be out drinking and acting stupid it's new years and they are saying the world's gonna end." Mama told him.
" Well if the world ends I'll call and let you know." He said.
10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Huh the world is still standing. OK well I'm going to bed.
About 2 o'clock in the morning the phone rang I jumped up and answered it. It was the hospital. My (b) Dad had been in a bad car accident and was at the hospital. He was drunk and he and Lisa had gotten in an argument he jumped into the car and too off. He went off the road hit a sewer drain. The car flipped hood to trunk seven times. By the grace of God he lived. His breast bone was pulled apart and he had to have eleven stitches in his side.
When he came home I went to stay with him to help take care of him and my brothers while Lisa was at work. I stayed with him for about two months helping with everything I could.
It had been four months since Mark and I started dating I was going down to Savannah with his family.
It was a great day we played in the ocean. Ate on the beach and laid on the beach looking at the stars.
" Do you love me Jayla? He asked
" Yes Mark, I love you."
" I want to move forward in our relationship." He told me. " Not trying to push you into doing something if your not ready but will you think about it."
" Ya" was my simple reply
It was really late when we got back to his house so I had to stay the night. I lay on the couch thinking about what he had said to me. Was I ready? Did I really love him? It's just sex.
I pondered this for awhile then I quietly got up and made my way to his room.
I gave up my virginity My argument to being called a whore. It would be OK though because he loved me right.
A month later I'm getting ready to go to my (b) Dad's house. When the phone rings.
" Hello?" I answered
" Jayla hey what are you doing?" Mark asked
" Getting ready to go to dads." I said
" We need to talk. I think we need a break. He told me
" What? And the reason would be" I asked him
"I just wanna try new things. Things have gotten kinda weird. I saw you the other day over at RJs behind the bushes next to the road. Are you watching me?" He asked and I laughed so hard I cried
"Are you serious? What the fuck is wrong with you. You really think I would hide in the bushes and watch you? What kind of fuckin psycho do you think I am? If you want to know RJ and I were smoking a joint he's the one that chose to do it there. Why don't we just tell the truth here, you got what you wanted from me and I was stupid enough to believe that you loved me. Well that's on me. This is on you we are done I'm not taking a break so you can go fuck some other girl then be waiting when you come crawling back. Goodbye Mark." I said and hung up the phone.
Then I cried not because we broke up but because I was stupid enough to give in to him, to believe he loved me and we would always be together..I was so naive. Well no use in crying over spilled milk what's done is done now time to clean it up. So I finished packing for the weekend and waited for my (b) dad to get there.
He had finally got back to his old self. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. When he got there he told me we were going to one of his friends houses. They were having a party and he was gonna be playing the guitar. I knew that meant I would be singing there. I didn't mind it singing was the one thing I did that my daddy was really proud of. When I would sing he would glow with pride which made me happy.
I had been going to my (b) dad's house on the weekend for the past few weeks. I thought I'd just stay home and relax. I was laying on the couch watching TV when the phone rang.
" Hello" I said
"Jayla?" The voice asked
"Yes, who is this?" I asked
"It's Jack."
YOU ARE READING
Jayla (My Story)
Non-FictionThis is a story of the tests of life and faith. Even before she was born life had it in for Jayla. Death, cancer and divorce are just some of the battles she would face as a small child. Then as a teen her life turned into a nightmare. As Jayla live...
