Her Eyes 4

5 - "Bully"

"That's right." Nicki whispered, tears clouding her eyes. She thought about when her late husband cheated on her. She was so angry and hurt, but she had forgiven him. So this sermon was really hitting home for her.

Ember sat next to Locus, noticing her daughter's tenseness. She leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You alright honey?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She said back; giving her mother a small smile. The church was quiet, she didn't want to keep talking before attention ended up on them.

"Yes Jesus!" Someone yelled, bringing the church alive. Some started to clap, others cosigning with their own two cents.

"Revenge is the worst form of sickness." Mark stated.

"Amen." The church said in unison.

"When you avenge does it make you better than the man that wronged you?" Mark preached. "The real glory is letting God do his work. In Proverbs 20:22 'Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.'"

The church stood, giving Mark a standing ovation. He wasn't a loud energetic pastor, but his voice and words alone could rock a room. He had a certain power when he was on stage. The service carried on nicely after that, the last hour of it going smoothly.

After church of course a crowd brewed as church members conversed amongst each other. This time Mark reserved his time for the people who came with his fiancée. He approached the small group, giving Locus' mother a polite kiss on the cheek and shaking Bonnie's mother's hand warmly.

"Hello Bonnie." Mark said putting his hand on his shoulder for a split second. He returned his attention back to Nicki. "Miss?"

"Nicki."

"I hope you enjoyed my service miss Nicki."

"It was beautiful! Every word you spoke resonated with me."

Mark placed a hand on his chest, showing his heart stopping smile. "That means a lot to me." He said wholeheartedly. "Any suggestions on what I should work on?"

"Oh no, nothing at all! You're perfect."

"Please come back, it was a pleasure having you."

Mark then turned to Lotus and offered a small smile but looked away, remembering the awkward moment where he found him and Locus having sex at the high end store.

Mark turned and smiled at Dalton. They were really cool. "Hey Dalton, what are you doing today? Any plans? You gotta let me know when you're free, we can do something one day."

"Sure." Dalton said. Mark always asked but Dalton figured he was saying it to just be nice. He was always free and had nothing to do really but stay home and read all day. He chuckled nervously. "Well I'm free right now, actually. I'm always available. I know, sad."

"Really?" Mark said, looking at his watch. "We can do something right now if you want. What do you feel like?"

Ember and Dalton looked surprised, even Lotus. They realized he was serious. Locus was the only one that sported a frown. She wanted to travel to Ohio and ride him in the pool in her living room. Not have him ditch her for Dalton's blind ass.

Lotus looked around and realized Bonnie and his mother had left. He turned to his mother. "I'm gonna go say bye to Nicki before he drops her."

The small group overheard him and they all decided to come and do the same. The sunlight hit them as they walked out the church; but the temperature was in contrast to the brightness. It was a little chilly since it was now the Fall. The month of September.