Purposely Made

Chapter One

Within two minutes, everybody was in the car after some rampant organization and some sugary incentive. The car ride to Church took about fifteen minutes so by the time they got there, everyone was already seated politely and were preparing to worship.

Bailey took the time in the car to check herself, making sure that she was mentally ready to face the church. It took her a minute, but by the time that they arrived, she felt prepared to take on the congregation.  

As they opened the front door to the church, the hinges squeaked confidently, causing every head in the large room to turn. Bailey felt her cheeks heat up as they shuffled towards some vacant seat. 

"Let's sit here." She whispered, motioning subtly to the closest row to the back, which was still empty. 

"Bailey, this is the back of the church. Don't you want to sit in the front of the church with Mom and Dad?" Noah hissed through his teeth. She shook her head vigourously. 

"No, too far. Right here is perfect, isn't it, Naomi?" Bailey asked, smiling. The older twin looked up at her mother and shook her head. 

"Momma I want to sit with Grandma and Grandpa!" Naomi screeched. For the second time that morning, all the heads whipped in the family's direction. 

"Inside voice, Naomi!" Bailey whispered as harshly as she could, but it was too late. Naomi nodded absently as she skipped down the center aisle and plopped herself against her grandmother, who squeezed her gently and pressed soft kisses to her forehead. 

Bailey sighed reluctantly and herded the others up to the front. She watched as Noah waited until they were all seated before taking his place in the aisle chair. Thankfully, she had three children between her and Noah's mother. 

Church seemed to last an excruciatingly amount of time, with Deborah glaring at her daughter-in-law the whole time. As the pastor ended the closing prayer, Bailey rounded the kids up as fast as she could to leave. 

"Bailey, honey, where are you going so quickly. Come, stay while. I promise, it's no problem," Debroah's faux voice rung out over the rows of chairs, leaving Bailey no choice but to stay. The kids ran off to the playground out back, while the adults stood in the pews and chatted. 

"Honestly, Bailey, it's almost as if you don't like us, the way you were running off. But we both know that's not true," Deborah taunted politely. Bailey tried her best to ignore the underhanded insults which every one of her mother-in-laws sentences were riddled with. 

"Oh, uh, sorry Mom, I just figured that we'd get out of your hair," Bailey replied awkwardly. She wondered in vain if there was a way to get out of forty-five minutes of torturous conversation. 

"Nonsense, you are no imposition. Stay. The men are off helping Pastor Jeremy fix the water heater, and it's just us girls here. Come," Deborah offered regally. Again, Bailey had no choice but to accept. 

"Alright, I guess we can stay a little longer. But we do have an appointment later this afternoon. The kids need haircuts, and it was almost impossible to get them all in at the same time," Bailey tried to make conversation, but she trailed off as she saw Deborah's face. 

"Bailey! Taking your children to an appointment on a Sunday! This is the Sabbath, and that is an errand. You can reschedule." 

"Oh, well, it took me weeks to get this appointment—" Bailey began her retort, but was quickly hushed by Deborah. 

"No, I won't hear of it. Here, look, Debbie! Debbie! Come and sit a spell! I need to ask you something," Deborah called to a young women about Bailey's age. Bailey tried to hide her grimace, realizing that Debbie and Deborah were both going to be dishing out quietly-rude comments about her, her family, and her past.