Impeccable Love (On Hold)

Father's Day

IT WAS Sunday and I just wasn't a Sunday person. I was like Mercy in the novel that didn't like to go to church but her parents always forced her to. My mum was a worker in church. As a matter of fact, she was the one teaching the junior church where Joshua was still in, so she never missed church service for anything. What was worse than having your parent as your teacher in a class with other children around? The joy and relief I felt when I clocked sixteen and I graduated from the children church to the adult church is unexplainable. In my church, New Creation Chapel, once one attained the age of sixteen, one graduated from the children to the adult church. I was relieved because at least I wouldn't have to pay rapt attention to the boring sermon when I could be reading a novel or daydreaming about David.

"Wake up, will you!" Mum spanked my butt, "So you're still here sleeping when the time is already seven pm and church service starts by eight."

I made a moaning sound as I lazily stood up from my bed. With my fist, I cleared the sleep off my eyes and I looked at mum as she stood with her one hand akimbo. She was clad in native attire. Wait, workers in New Creation Chapel always dressed in corporate wear except...

"Today's thanksgiving service that's why I'm dressed in native and meaning I'd be fellowshipping in the adult church too, so if you think because you're now in the adult church that you can go to church anytime you like and get away with it, well not today. I'd be watching. If it clocks eight, and you're not in church, you'd be in trouble. Don't dare me Natasha." Mum said and stormed out of the room, her heels clacking with the tiled floor.

Rolling my eyes, I hissed quietly. "Yen yen yen. Must someone go to church every Sunday?" I grumbled. I love my mum, but when it comes to matters concerning church, she was just overly strict, overbearing and grossly annoying. I wonder if dad, if he was still alive, would be a church lover like mum was. I doubt that because first of all, I must have taken after one of my parents for my lack of interest in church services and secondly, I noticed that the vast majority of people in the church were usually women and I was yet to understand why. Was it because they all felt guilty that the first woman called Eve was the one that deceived Adam in the garden of Eden which caused the downfall of humanity and they were all trying to please God and make up for what Eve did by going to church every Sunday or was it just because they weren't as busy as men were?

I hurriedly prepared for church and made sure to get there before eight o'clock. Just immediately as I walked into the church building, someone said on the altar, "Please let's all rise up as we begin the service." I looked at the wall clock at the back of the church and the time was exactly eight o'clock. I heaved a sigh of relief as I walked to a seat at the back and stood there.

Just then, I saw mum from afar staring at me with a smirk. She was with Joshua. "Thank your stars." She mouthed. I could read lips well, so it wasn't rocket science figuring out what she had mouthed.

The service had its conventional programs and at some point, I was bored and I took out my novel that I had covered with a Holy Bible paperback. Before I even read the first word in the novel, a tall usher was already moving towards me and he cautioned me. I told him confidently I was reading the Bible and he took it from me and gave me the sarcastic look that read, "Of course, this is the Bible."

I was embarrassed.

For the first time since I joined the adult church, I actually paid attention to each activity that was done.

"Good morning church!" A slim fuddy-duddy woman mounted the altar. Her voice was unpleasantly squeaky. I recognized her well. She was one of the teachers in the children church. "As we all know, today's Father's Day. Fathers in the house shout hallelujah."