True Love's Bite

01 // Stranger

I've always wondered what it was like living life outside religion and family, having the freedom to just be.

It was the same story every day, being told what to wear, how to sit, how to speak... it was only a matter of time before they dictated when to breathe.

I was in a room full of people, and yet my heart and spirit were not there. It was time for praise and worship, the congregation at large was praying as if competing with the piano man; and I just stood there, not knowing what to say because my dreams were out of reach. We are told to pray to God and speak what is in our hearts, but in the eye of the church, what I wanted was against our belief.

What was so bad about wanting to be my own person, to want to see the world and meet different people? What was so wrong about wanting to breathe different air away from this place?

My phone vibrated in my purse, and I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to me, but they were all praying.

'Meet me outside.'

Came the message from my best friend, Esra. I quickly put my phone back in my purse and picked up my water bottle, and then walked out of the church with my head bowed.

It felt like an eternity to get to the door since I always sat at the front, at least I was seated at the end of the row today, so I didn't have to bother anyone when I wanted to leave from my chair.

My mother would lose her mind when she opened her eyes and found that I was gone, but I didn't care, I would deal with the consequences later.

Esra's MINI Convertible was parked in front of the gate, I hopped in, and she drove off without further delay.

The moment I saw the church disappear behind us, I could finally breathe. I sighed and pulled off the headscarf.

“I can give you some clothes if you want to get out of that hideous outfit too,” Esra jabbed and laughed when I glared at her. “So, where are we going?”

“I don’t know, just take me as far from here as possible,” I said.

A wide grin spread on her face, and she gave me a quick glance, excitement written all over her face. “There’s a new lodge that is opening today, their hotel is so nice and their menu sounds interesting, they even have a special.”

“As long as you are paying, I don’t mind.”

She snorted. “Don’t I always?” I smiled. “Finally! A smile. Was starting to think that maybe you missed church.”

I laughed. “Never! You know that better than anyone.”

Esra was the only true friend I had, she knew my hopes and dreams and encouraged me to pursue them every single day.

Sometimes I envied her, she had the freedom to do whatever she wanted, she was educated and financially independent, she had her own house and an apartment in town. Esra had about three cars, but the convertible was her favourite. She dressed the way she liked, did whatever she wanted with her hair, just recently it was red, and today it was purple.

She dedicated her nights and weekends to the club, she liked to go out and party. And then there was me…

Sometimes I wonder how we are friends, we were complete opposites. While Esra liked crowds and loud vibes, I preferred having my own space, silence and solitude. I dedicated my life to painting and singing, and I hoped to go to art school.

I wanted to get away from home and find myself, but it wasn’t that easy.

“So, Yvonne, what was the pastor preaching about today? Abstinence?” She laughed.