Note: This chapter is under editing, hence there'll be a lot of errors.
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Naturally, if you are part of the female species it is often hard to decide on what to wear.
It becomes worse when you don't know whether to go flashy or even subtle since it's somewhere you haven't been before. And that is why, right now, I am holding up two gowns in front of me to wear to church.
After a lot of contemplating, I finally decide on a knee-length baby blue chiffon gown. Cinched around the waist, it acts like a corset that flattens my stomach, and pushes up a certain part of my body, then finally flares down to my knee.
Pairing it up with a blue purse and a black three-inch heeled shoe, I walk over to the dressing table where I keep my duffel bag and bring out what I call my jewelry box. I have no Tiffany collection but I got something.
I pull out a glistening gold chain with a pendant in the letter 'A' and a matching bracelet from the assortment of tangled-up jewelry. Another day, I can sit and untangle them all, but now, now church was the goal. Without another glance at them, I shut the box close.
Not in the mood for any makeup, I apply a light shade of pink lip gloss. And God bless a good skin, I am part of the lucky few to not know what having a pimple feels like. And even if I did have one, I'll still flaunt my face. It doesn't change anything about who I am, just like how not applying any make-up did not.
Using the fluorescent lights glowing from the chandelier, I strut over to the glistening mirror and strike a pose. With my voluminous hair packed into a neat bun and held back by a glittering blue pin, and the pair of gold jewelry bringing out light golden specks in my brown eyes, I wave to the mirror and nod, feeling like a black version of Cinderella.
Except we have no similarity whatsoever. Apart from the fact, that we are both females.
Letting out a deep sigh, I shake my head and walk back into the room, my heels echoing my every step. I grab my phone from the bed, and place it gently into the purse, right next to his new best friend the pocket knife.
Better get to church before it's late.
And without any argument, I carry out the action that will take me to church and that is walking downstairs. But not before locking the closet door, and dumping the keys in my purse.
When I reach the dining area, the whole family is seated for breakfast and they all look up when I approach. Richard barely glances at me and goes back to eating, so does Peacock.
Riley, on the other hand, smiles and cups her mouth to mouth the words, "You look good, girl."
I accept the compliment with a small smile feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Henry and Charlotte share an identical smile before Charlotte asks, "Why are you all dressed up?"
"Church, I usually attend it every Sunday. Is there one around here?" And, when the words leave my mouth and reach my ears, I start to question the decision of dressing without finding out if there was one.
But there has to be, right?
Charlotte walks over to me. "Yes, there is. So wipe that look off your face."
Relief instantly fills me as my lips widen up in a smile. "Thank goodness. What time does it start?"
"Nine A.M. But. . ." Her voice trails of as she inclines her head to look at the dining wall clock. "It's just eight so you have an hour to spare —give or take."
I thank her and she turns to go back then halts. "I almost forgot, I haven't introduced you to the last person in the family. Meet Nathaniel."
I turn to who she's pointing at to find out it's Peacock. Well, at least now I know his name. He groans a little and briefly closes his eyes, before speaking. "It's Nate, mom."
She ignores him and continues. "He was the last person I told you that you had to meet. Those are my two boys."
She glances between Richard and Nathan who have identical frowns on their faces. "I mean, aren't they wonderful? "
Wonderful? Did she just say wonderful? I look to Richard who came into my room when I was in a towel and had no decency to greet or even knock. Then I shift my attention to Nathan who almost scared me to death earlier this morning and didn't even feel bad about it and I just can't see the wonderful in them.
I mentally shake my head before plastering on a fake smile to agree with her. "Well, yes they are."
Even though I don't see it.
Nathan glances at me and I'm creeped out. Does he read thoughts now? His mother notices and asks. "Have you guys by chance met before? "
I am about to respond in the affirmative when Nathan butts in and says, "No. Just seeing her for the first time."
I stick with his sentence and just nod. It doesn't stop me from wondering why he lied about our meeting though. Is it that he doesn't want his mother to know he was awake at that time or what?
This is really confusing.
Satisfied with the answer, she nods and walks back to sit. A sudden thought pops up in my mind and I voice it out. "About church, how do I get there?"
Silence.
"Like a ride, if anyone is going out that is." I clarify, my eyes skimming over the people eating.
"Well, dear, we understood you the first time." Mrs. Char says, "Just that well..." she gives her husband a look. An unspoken message is shared between them before they both turn to Nate.
"No, not happening." He looks up from his food and drops his fork down, his face taking on a frown.
"You said you were going out, Nathaniel, and the church is on the way there. I don't see why you just can't drop her off." His father explains to him, not batting an eye at his son's behavior.
AJ dares not try this with my dad.
"I said so. But I'm not a chauffeur and you don't get to order me around!" Nathan shouts and only the sound of Richard scraping his plate can be heard few seconds after.
That boy ate no matter the situation.
I fight the urge to inform Nathan 'no one called you a driver, but since that's what you want to be known as, very well then, enjoy.' simply because it will seem like I'm rude.
His father falls silent and I can see he doesn't have control over Nathan. His mother intervenes. "Don't you dare shout at your father. You are taking her and that is it. End of discussion. Go get ready."
He opens his mouth to argue then shuts it. He leaves the dining and when he passes me I can feel the anger rolling off him in waves.
I lower my head to smile as Riley snickers. When I glance up, my eyes land on Nathan's dad who stands up. "I'll be off." Someone's appetite is ruined.
He leans down to peck his wife who forces a smile as sadness fills her eyes. Without another glance at his food, he walks out of the dining. I wisely pull a seat in front of the only uncovered food and delve in, to avoid further conversation.
The rest of the breakfast continues in silence; which is better so we can all avoid choking and leave there faster. I stick with the toast and egg avoiding the bacon at all cost. Not a fan of pigs.
Halfway through my food, Riley, and Richard both round up and then leave the dining. Soon after Mrs. Char follows, leaving me alone in the dining and I'm fine with it.
When I'm done eating, Maria comes in to pack the plates and I help her in doing so. "It's fine I will do it," she says, trying to stop me. She doesn't give up?
"No, everyone has finished eating and I'm free. Besides, it's common courtesy." I tell her, hoping she agrees. Please, give up.
She nods and I grin, grateful she doesn't argue. I needed a distraction. I walk over to the sink to begin washing when Maria informs me, "That's the function of the dishwasher."
"Yes, but I prefer washing it myself," I respond.
"Fine then, senorita," she says while walking over to get a napkin to clean the counters. There's that.
We do the chore in silence. When I'm through, I turn to her to see her still cleaning. This time she's wiping the table tops.
"Why doesn't the family go to church?" I drop the question because I am bored and trying to pass time. She shoots me a wary look and I explain myself. "Well, I know it was from nowhere but it's something I've been wondering."
She stops cleaning, then faces me. "They used to but not anymore."
"Why? I mean I know not everyone is a Christian and some just use Sunday to relax and have fun but is there a reason?" I walk over to the kitchen island so I could get closer to her.
I like being near the source of my gist.
"Yes, senorita. Something happened some few years ago," she starts, her face taking on a faraway look. Her eyes seem to be a sad brown and the lines around them deepen.
"What?" I ask, eager for a story. She is taking too long to get on with it.
The door suddenly opens revealing Nathan's cold-wrenching scowl. He looks good in a gray shirt that complements his build and dark wash jeans, with his hair perfectly styled. I redirect my attention to Maria to see she had busied herself with another chore.
Sadness hits me as I realize that I won't be hearing any more from her today. I feel like using a dishrag to mess up Nathan's hair for interrupting it.
"Let's go." Nathan orders lowly then walks out of the kitchen, I mimic his words as I follow after him. I glance at the time; eight-thirty.
We walk through the sitting room and I wave goodbye to his mom who waves back, while Riley barely acknowledges our presence. She looks pretty engrossed with what she's watching.
Before I know it, we are out the door. I notice the way the cars are parked in an emergency style. Unconsciously, I take note of the cars and a car covered in a grey tarp at the end catches my eye.
We walk pass that and enter into a grey Lexus. The car is pretty. Just like before, I decide to stay in the back seat like I did with his dad.
Except...
"No, I'm not your driver. No sitting in the backseat. To the front. Now," he demands, his eyes flashing a steely blue. Honestly, this guy couldn't irk me any further.
Bossy much!
I roll my eyes and slip into the front seat, then put on my seat belt. I don't know how fast he drives and I don't want to find out after I've had a concussion.
He gets in smoothly and no more word is exchanged between us as he drives out of the compound.
He takes a turn and a signboard catches my attention ornamental street. A weird name for a street, but three minutes into the street, I understand the reason for the name.
Each house is painted in a variety of colors. All with lawns that house different flowers, and plants. It's aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
They all become a colorful blur when I recall the conversation from earlier. So me being me, I decide to ask him the first question that pops into my mind. "Why don't you go to church? "
He doesn't answer me at first, but rather checks the mirrors before answering, "Because I don't want to."
"You do not start a sentence with because." I correct him. Wasn't he told that? They drilled this into our skulls back home.
"It's my sentence and I will start it how I want to."
I drop the conversation that didn't look like something I wanted to argue about. I prefer arguing where I know I can win. "Why don't you go to Church?"
I have learned early in life that if you are asking someone a question they don't want to answer change the topic. Lull them to thinking they are safe. Then pop the question again.
"I don't want to talk about it," he says to me and I can tell it took him a lot of effort to say that calmly.
And of course, the trick doesn't work on him. Maybe I didn't do it well. "Alright do you believe in God?" I inquire, dropping the church question.
"No," he answers sharply and I feel sad at what ignorance has done to him.
"Interesting. I've never come across someone who doesn't believe in God before. Sometimes I wonder if there's a difference between believing in Him or believing He exists. Well, it does explain certain things." Like why you're so aversed to certain questions. "I hope you'll realize soon."
"Okay." he chips out then sets his mouth in a grim line. The message clearly says drop it.
I decide to just listen. "Fine then, how many minutes from your house to the church? "
"Fifteen."
"Oh great. But can you step on it? I don't want to be late." I check my phone and it read eight-forty. Good. Just five more minutes, I will be out of here. "You never know how much-"
"For God's sake, shut it!" he snaps, while running his hand through his hair.
Did he just? Oh yes he did.
"Sorry but for who's sake?" I ask with a raise of my eyebrows while turning to look at him.
The grip he has on the stirring tightens, considering the way his knuckles turn white and the leather creases. I know I'm meant to be scared but honestly, I want to laugh.
He ignores me and speeds up. Great. At least he does something. In few minutes, we are in front of a huge white-washed building, and the first thing my eyes zeroes in on is the stairs. They look a lot. A whole lot. And my legs already start tingling in the heels, no doubt to remind me I have them on.
He pulls over and I remove my seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride." I don't want to waste any other moment with him so I grab my purse and get out of the car.
Apparently, he doesn't want to spend another time with me either, because the moment my foot touches the pavement and I shut the door, he drives off leaving dust in his trail. The trail in which I'm currently standing. Which means he leaves dust on me. To be specific, he leaves dust on my baby blue chiffon gown-The one that took me time to decide on.
It takes me a lot not to curse him and his ancestors. A whole lot. So I mutter all sorts of horrible labels I could brand him with- excluding his ancestors of course - as I brush my gown till it was free of dust.
Taking in a deep breath to quiet all my thoughts, I begin my climb up the flight of stairs. On reaching the fifteenth -yes, I am counting- I begin to pant. I was not built for this.
You can do it.
My inner voice encourages me, and I groan before resuming the climb. I wonder whose smart idea it was to build this many stairs. By the time I reach the last step, I can't breathe properly anymore. I take a lot of deep breaths then fan my face with my fingers, till I become stable. Feeling much better, I glance at my phone to check the time. It read 9.
Okay, fine.
Wait nine?!
My eyes widen and I rush into the church to see praises on. How long does it take to climb stairs? Surely, it was the devil who orchestrated this. Yes, just to make people who made it to church on time come late.
Pushing the thought out of my mind, I let the harmonious song resounding from the church replace it and welcome me inside. The sounds of my steps are muffled by the fluffy burgundy carpet that line the polished tiles.
A golden ray of sunshine coming in from the Amber window casts a glow on the pew I decide to take a seat in. Fortunately, I sit beside a gentle-looking lady, she smiles at me and I return it.
It's all God from now on. I need reassurance as to why I chose to stay in Florida with a bunch of strangers.
It wasn't typically my decision, I felt God had led me here. Now, I just needed to confirm if it was indeed His doing.
I snap back to reality when the choir ministration ends and the reverend comes to the altar. It is time for the word and everywhere is eerily quiet. I look back and all the rows are filled and the large brown oak door is shut.
"Thank you, Jesus." A deep throaty and captivating voice says, one that draws my attention back to the altar. There stands a meek-looking man, with a piece of a white handkerchief in his hand.
I zone out everyone and focus on his words, from his introduction to the topic of the day.
"Now, Abraham had no idea where he was going to," Reverend Michael declares, waving his hand over the pulpit. "But he went ahead anyway. Why? Because he had faith. Now some of you may call that stupidity,"
A chorus of laughter follows his statement but he waves his hand and quiets the church, right after wiping a trickle of sweat from his forehead. He continues in a baritone voice, "But let me tell you, the Lord's ways is not what we can understand "
People nod in understanding and some take notes. I am the people, I nod in understanding. That is disadvantage of going to church without a note and I'm scared to pull out a phone. How many people would I have to explain to that I'm writing what he's saying? So nod I do.
"You just have to trust God. Yes, you might not be comfortable or happy now but trust God." He shouts with so much fervor into the congregation. "You will be comfortable, you will be happy. He never leaves nor forsakes us and you always get more than what you expect."
I feel happy and yet scared, the words resonate through me like they are specially written for me. Applause breaks out as people scream and cheer. I got the confirmation I needed. He calms us down and continues. An hour after, he rounds up and prays for us. Benediction is shared, and everyone starts to spew out of the church - some into groups outside, while others straight to their car.
As I walk towards the door, a couple of children run pass me to hug the Father and I smile. Little children are so innocent.
When I reach the stairs, I stand there as the reality of my situation finally sinks in. I have no way to get home. If I try calling Mr. Henry, will he come to pick me up? I doubt it very much. He might have gone out. He is a busy man after all.
"A bible verse in church popped up in my mind today, it said bring your request known to the Lord. Then boom I see you, I had no idea I was going to get my answer this fast."
I snap my head to my right to see a black-haired boy - who I guess is around my age - smiling down at me, his silver-grey eyes bright.
Yes, I'm short. 5ft 6 get over it.
Years ago, I had concluded that life is strange. I decided then that the only way to hang on to one sanity was to nod and accept all knowingly, "What was that? "
His starch white shirt gives him a naïve yet pristine look, especially combined with his tailored to perfection black trousers. The shoes. Don't get me talking about the black shiny wet looks. Instantly, I know he's a neat and meticulous guy.
He offers his hand and grins. "One of my pick-up lines. Daniel."
I look at his outstretched hand suppressing the urge to laugh. Pick up lines. Then back to his face, then hand, then face, then hand. No harm there. Well, minus obnoxious pickup lines. "Daniel, a pretty cool name but I guess you didn't pick anything up. "
"Really? Well, we will see about that. And yeah, the name's pretty nice. But I doubt I could step foot, let alone stay in a Lion's den," he jokes.
My lips lift on their own accord. "Yes, true that. Not with that attire you can't."
A low chuckle emanates from him and he cocks his head to the side to study me, the sun rays catch a spot on his hair and illuminate his eyes. Or maybe it's just me.
"So, I'm guessing you just joined our church, never seen you around here. You with someone or something? "
"No. I came with someone but he left."
"So you are alone then?" he asks, I guess to clarify.
"Well, yes. If you put it like that. I need a ride back home."
"No problem, that can be arranged," He slips his hand into his pocket and smoothly brings out a set of keys."Follow me." A pause. "That is if you are cool with me giving you a ride."
"Were you waiting to pull your keys out of your pocket since?" I ask him. That was honestly too smooth.
He grins widely, making his eyes light up, "Funny you would think such. I have a meeting back in church at four. I was actually heading home to rest, that was when I noticed you standing idly by the way."
I turn my head to an angle just like he did earlier and study him. "You do look like someone I can trust, so I'm just going to take your word for it."
Straightening my head, I make up my mind and answer, "I'm fine with it. Not that I have much of a choice here in the first place."
He smirks. "Figured, Let's go then."
I stare at the stairs and then at my shoes. I should have gone with flats.
He laughs. "Regretting the fact you wore heels right? "
"Yeah, there are like forty-five stairs!"
"Actually thirty." I turn to glare at him and he quickly adds, "but that doesn't matter. What does is you climbed it to enter, you will have to take it to leave."
"Fine, hold this." I stretch my purse to him and he collects it, with confusion etched all over his features. I bend down and his honey-like voice fills my ears. "What are you doing? "
"Shh." I hush him up and remove my heels. Luckily, it's still morning so the floor is cool to my feet. Wiggling my toes, I hold the heels in one hand and straighten up to collect my purse from him. "Let's go."
He seems taken aback for a moment, but then he recovers and follows behind me. The sound of his soft laughter fills my ear blending in with mine as I run down the stairs.
A few crazy stares come my way, but I ignore them allowing myself to relish the feeling of the warm rays of the sun on my face.
When we make it down, we stop to catch our breaths. He points to a blue sedan and I follow him. The car is clean and looks new. Daniel seems to be proud of that as he rubs his hands over it. "Meet my baby."
A peal of soft laughter escapes my lips, just to humor him. He unlocks the car and we both get in. The tantalizing smell of lilies tingles my nostrils as I settle in and strap my belt. I didn't expect that from a male. But then who says specific scents belong to women?
"Where exactly are we going?" he turns to ask me as he opens the Google Map.
I blink. "I have no idea."
"You are kidding right?" he asks, searching my face for any sign of a joke. I guess he didn't find any, cause the next thing he says is, "Wow, can you think of anything? "
I rack my brain for any significant information, the image of the 'Ornamental street' signboard pops through my mind and I grin. "Yes, I passed ornamental street "
"I've heard of it." He inputs the location into the map and some minutes later we pull up in front of the signboard. "So what next? "
I sigh. This is what happens when you don't pay attention to your surroundings. But then again, I'm new here, not my fault.
"If I recall, it's the biggest house here, trees, and everything. You name it, it has it. Even extreme security with guards and all," I explain, hoping that will help.
His eyebrows furrow as he slowly turns his head toward me, his eyes taking me in as if seeing me for the first time, "That's where you are staying?"
"Uh, well yes, I live there." I admit, feeling uncomfortable. "Why?"
"Nothing," He resumes his driving and I begin to question my decision of entering a car with a stranger. I clutch my purse looking for a sense of safety.
A few moments later the area begins to look familiar and I notice the place Nathan passed when bringing me to church. Experiencing a slight sense of relief, I let go of the purse and relax.
He pulls up in front of Nathan's house some minutes later. Then inclines his body so half of it is facing me. "Here right?"
"Yeah, thanks for the ride " I answer while wearing my shoes.
"No problem, it was on my way, and feels good to see it this up close. It's the only one of its kind around here."
"I can't agree, I haven't seen much of this area." When I'm through with my shoes, I open the car door and get down. "I hope you have a safe trip back."
He drums his finger on the cream cover of his steering wheel and I notice the gleam of his silver ring as he moves his hands. "You are that new. Well then, when you are free allow me the pleasure of taking a pretty girl like you for a tour."
I laugh, brushing the compliment off and the offer down. I shut the door with a small smile on my face as I didn't want to read meaning into his words."Bye Dani."
"I hope we get to see each other again," he pushes on, this time more hope in his voice. Even his gray eyes twinkle. Was it because I shortened his name?
That makes me feel the urge to deflate the hope."Yes, of course, we will, Daniel . We are in the same church after all right?"
"Yup, for that I am glad but like you know another. . . " his voice trails off at the end as his stormy eyes pierce mine.
"I don't know what you are talking about," I say pointedly while offering him my sweetest smile, secretly hoping he will pick up the signal I am giving.
He does and straightens up.
I move away from the car and start for the gate when he shouts."Hey! I never got your name."
I turn to see him poking his head out of the lowered window. He still has the friendly look in his eyes when he asks that and it makes me smile. "It's Ayo, Ayomide."
The guy could take a hint and recover from it.
"Ayo," the name lingers in his mouth like he is saying it for the first time. But then again maybe he is, "I love it. That's a pretty rare name."
"Nope, it's not. Just around here," I say, watching him start his car.
He chuckles, "You always have an answer for everything, and guess what?"
I stand there as his grey eyes light up, a knowing glint in them. I don't recall saying anything that was chuckle-worthy. "What? "
"I picked you up," he laughs then zooms off. I blink trying to grasp the meaning. When it hits me, I let out a low laugh.
Well played, Daniel. Still smiling, I turn to enter when an eerie feeling pricks me. A feeling that one is being watched. Turning sharply to look around, I confirm there is no one and try to shake the feeling of me.
Bizarre.
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The credit for this pickup line goes to Matillym
Thank yaa❤✨
Oh, and ornamental street is not actually in Coral Gables. It's just a fictional street I formed simply because I didn't want to go and search for any street.
Thanks for understanding.
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