Hazel's Hitchhiker

53: Church

Joey

We were up bright and early on Sunday at the crack of dawn. Austin was nearly eight hours away. We'd be there by late afternoon at the latest. Hazel voluntold me to do the driving while she slept. Apparently, she was a tired girl. She slept for about five minutes in the car. Something was clearly on her mind if she couldn't sleep. Was she nervous about actually getting to Austin? Maybe a Dave Ramsey podcast would calm her nerves.

"Something wrong," I asked? "Why aren't you sleeping? We have plenty of time."

For a moment, there was no response. Her eyes just glared out the window. Those thoughts of her appeared to be deep. Finally, there was a response.

"I know this is asking a lot, but could we go to church before we leave El Paso?"

She wanted to go to church? I don't know why I was surprised considering she told me herself that she continued going once her parents weren't forcing her to go. In all honestly, church was the last place I wanted to go. Couldn't we just focus on getting to Austin? Of course, Hazel wanted to go and how could I refuse that request? Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to go. We'd still get to Austin by afternoon.

"I guess we could do that. Are there any good churches nearby?"

The girl wasted no time in pulling out her phone and searching. Within thirty seconds, Hazel knew exactly where she wanted to go. El Paso Community Church. It was new, not out of the way, and just outside of El Paso. There was no inconvenience.

"You don't feel weird about not going to a Catholic Church?" I asked.

"A little, but I want to experience something different. Hell, I don't want to sleep through a long mass."

With that said, we had arrived at El Paso Community Church within a short amount of time. The fact that a church service could be held so early in the morning was surprising. Who the hell wants to go to church early in the morning? Sometimes people are crazy.

"Welcome to El Paso Community Church," greeted an usher. Hazel and I shook the man's hand and we introduced ourselves while receiving a couple of bulletins.

Finding a seat was easy. We chose to sit in the very back row. Once the service was over, we could get back to the car as quickly as possible. The two of us sat there quietly without any word waiting for the service to start. Dozens of people were still making their way inside. After about ten or so minutes, the service began. A couple of announcements were shared, a prayer was prayed for, and the music team began the worship music.

Everybody stood up and sang the words that were on the screen. I never saw a group of performers who seem so happy. It was like none of them had any problems. The first song had to do with spiritual freedom. While looking at the lyrics, something felt weird about what I was reading. All of this felt foreign to me. My mouth made no effort to sing along and just stood there lost in a memory.

"Father, I'm not sure if I have sinned," I announced to the priest in the room where confessions were made." I couldn't believe I was doing this.

"What brings you here today my child?" asked the priest with a sigh.

"There's been a lot on my mind lately. You see, my mom just recently left us. It's just me and my piece of a drunk shit old man. And I feel so lost and confused."

Before I could continue speaking, the priest cut in. "Hold on my child. If you could, please watch your language and have respect for your elders. You know the Father has commanded us to obey our parents through the Ten Commandments."

"That's the thing, father. My drunk dad is a mess. He's not really fit to be a parent and I don't understand why my mom couldn't take me with her. I can't take another minute with that guy."

"I see. Perhaps the father has given you this opportunity for growth. There might be more to this than you realize. Your dad needs you more than ever. You need him just as much."

"How is this opportunity for growth? My life is a nightmare. I literally feel like I'm in Hell right now."

"We cannot have growth without trials and tribulations." The priest took a moment to pause to let me think about the words he just spoke. "My child, while your life might feel like Hell right now, there are good things to come out of this. There might be more opportunities than you realize. Let's just say your mother had taken you with her. Do you think it's possible that there would be an opportunity for growth if you were with her?"

"I guess not. So you're trying to tell me that living with my dad is a good thing? You're saying that this is what God wants? I don't understand why he would want that. Why would he put me through this?"

"God has you there for a reason. You just need to have patience and see where He takes you. If you learn to trust Him and make the most of what you have, you will be able to have freedom because of the strength that you had gained through your trials and tribulation."

"Alright, I guess." This is not what my ears wanted to hear. Was there another priest that could provide a different answer to my problem? "Thanks for your help."

"You're very much welcome. I do hope and pray that things work for you. I certainly believe that they will."

Coming back to reality, it dawned on me that the singing was over and it was time to sit down. The preacher was ready to present his message to the congregation.

7 Chapters left! I know you're waiting for that big moment. lol. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to comment and vote!

How do you feel about Hazel wanting to go to church?

Do you think the priest was wise in what he told Joey?