Danny's POV
"Come on, Cynthia! We're gonna be late!" My father exasperatingly yells, pounding on the door of his and Cynthia's Master bedroom. My family and I are dressed up because today is Easter Sunday aka Resurrection Sunday in church with Jaelyn and her family.
"NO!" Cynthia screams behind the door like a child developing temper tantrums. Father pinches his nose bridge and shuts his eyes. "Merda (Shit)! Cynthia, we got to go! You're disappointing my family because of your negativity towards our Christian religion, our Lord, and faith!"
"I'M NOT GOING TO NO ?#@*&%! CHURCH!" Cynthia argues. The six of us gasp out of aghast while Iris is blocking her ears with the palms of her hands. "You know what, Stanley? If she's gonna keep up with that nasty agnostic attitude, we are leaving without her because she can go to hell for using the Lord's name in vain. Don't try to call her when we approach to Church, do you understand that, Stanley?!" Mamma scolds Dad. "Let's go, now!" Mamma growls and throws her coat over her arms and back.
"You know what, Mom and Dad? Let's just go. She is wasting our time." Trisha scoffs. After we exit the residence, we drive to the Church in our separate cars. Before I begin driving, I set up my GPS to arrive to the Community Christian Church in New York City.
**************
10:23 AM
I pull up at the parking lot in front of the church and lock the doors of my car, entering the entrance of the church to see my curvy amica and her family singing along, the Cross Stands by Tim Hughes with the choir.
The cross stands above it all
Burning bright in this life
The cross towers over it all
One hope, one Deliverer
Savior reigning high above it all
Above it all.
The congregation and the choir sings in unison. I spot an untaken seat of the pew from Jaelyn's left side as I hold my Bible tucked in my arm. "Hello, Danny!" Miss Gloria exclaims and gives me a greeting hug as well as Kendra, Violet, Vera, Camille, Kandi, Mr. Bernard, Miguel, Chris, Patrick, Samantha, Brayden, Paige, Michelle, and their children are welcoming my family in Church. Church can be the place to ease my mind off the conflict between my family, including myself against Cynthia. Cynthia is the neuralgia of my family's interpersonal relationship and I pray to God that she would have a change of heart, but she doesn't and that is Cynthia's loss.
After we sing the Cross Stands, we sing another song called, Drops in the Ocean before Pastor Gary asks if anyone in the Church would share their testimony. I rise up from the pew and take my steps towards Pastor Gary. His hand offers for a handshake and I accept by shaking it firmly, yet gently just as he is handing me the microphone and a pat on my shoulder.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Danny." I respond.
"Good morning, Danny!" The congregation speaks together.
"I am sharing my testimony because my family and my girlfriend, Jaelyn's family are here in this church. This morning, my family and I were having an altercation with my father's girlfriend because she refused to come to church with us. She is known to be agnostic whenever we mention God's words from the Bible and praying before dinner." As I am speaking this, the whole congregation gasps, groans, and murmur in disagreement.
"However, my family and I manage to come to church to honor our Christian faith and religion, especially celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ." I address.
"Amen!" Few of the congregation agrees.
"I am so thankful and blessed to be here with my family, Jaelyn, and her family so we can celebrate Jesus' resurrection and assure those who depicts being a non-believer, must believe Jesus is forever eternal in Heaven and on Earth. And he is here to stay in our lives." I address.
"Hallelujah, Lord Jesus!" Most of the congregation preach and raise their hands in the air.
"Thank you, Jesus, for delivering this man with righteous morals."
**************
After the service at the Church—Hey! 'After the service at the church,' those words are my rap catchphrase! Anyhow, our family and I are having brunch at Jaelyn's parents' house as well as watching the Madea marathon on DVD in the living room after the kids enjoyed their egg hunt at the church. I'm sitting beside Jaelyn on the couch with my arm around her shoulder. I place a kiss on the right side of her forehead as we all watch Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself play, which is the debut appearance of Madea, Mr. Brown, and Cora.
"When Miguel and Kandi were thirteen and fifteen while Vera was four years old; they kept singing Push It by Salt-N-Pepa, so Jaelyn can come out of my belly. And I told the three of them that their little sister's not gonna, 'P-Push out of Mommy's baby opener until the next month!'" Ms. Gloria tells, causing my family and her children to laugh as well as Jaelyn and I.
"Gloria... Bernard... What were your kids like when they were growing up?" Mamma asks.
"Well; Miguel is the oldest brother and he is known being the father figure to the girls when he and Kandi went to the same school. Kandi is most likely in love with growing her hair long. When Kandi was three years old, she used to fret about getting a haircut and by the age of seven, her hair grew to her armpits. Vera has the sense of fashion as she studied fashion at the Brera Academy in Milan, Italy." Ms. Gloria mentions.
Mamma sips onto a cup of tea and places it on the table. "That is marvelous, Vera! I went to Ohio State University for Fashion and Retail Studies, leading me to graduate with the Class of 1974. I conceived Trisha, who is most likely socially active to her family and friends when I was twenty six years old in 1978. Four years later, I gave birth to Randall and he used to be the troublemaker, but uses his tender hand for Danny and Trisha. Danny is known for being the writer of the family. No matter what; Danny loves writing on family trips, hunting, hiking, camping, and business trips! What was Jaelyn like when she was growing up?" Mamma queries.
I look up from Mamma to Ms. Gloria, who is drinking her mug of tea. "Jaelyn is known for being a fighter, despite being in detentions and suspensions she gotten herself to when she was in high school. She is never ashamed when she beats up people who discriminate her. On her prom night; Jaelyn's father, Bernard gave her his stun gun, just in case if guys make a wrong way to her pace." Ms. Gloria praises.
Mamma takes a long sip of tea and places it on top of the coffee table. "Oh, my goodness! What happened next?" Mamma intriguingly asks.
Vera starts, "Jaelyn's date tried to put the moves on her-"
"But, Jaelyn took out her taser gun and stunned him- Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-clack! Clack! Clack him in the balls!" Jaelyn's Cousin Michelle jumps in, clapping word after word.
"COUSIN MICHELLE!" Jaelyn's family yells.
"That's what she told us, though." Michelle sips her drink of lemonade and tosses her hair off her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Ms. Tessa. Excuse my freaky deaky of Cousin Michelle, I only fight when people disrespect my family and friends and I'll kick Cynthia's behind if she has another mouthy fit for you and your family because I don't tolerate abuse." Jaelyn mentions. Mamma clasps her hand with Jaelyn's. "Grazie, teroso. You are truly Godsend for my family and my son is extremely happy when you're in his life after Bobbi's passing. I love you so much, Jaelyn." Mamma says.
I press my thumb and turn her face to my direction. "I love you so much, Jaelyn Christina Rodriguez. Sei le onde dell'oceano al mio sabbia sulla spiaggia (You are the ocean waves to my sand on the beach)." I lower my face to her lips as our lips touch.
"Eww! Uncle Danny!" I listen to Iris, Paige, and Violet exclaim. We laugh together. "I love you, too, Jaelyn." Both Randall and Trisha speak in unison.
"You're like my other sister as well as Kandi." Trisha adds.
"I love you, Danny. Você é a manteiga para o pão. Apesar de eu não gostar de manteiga na minha comida." Jaelyn speaks in Portuguese. Looking at her with my flummoxed reaction on my face, she explains with a giggle. "It means, 'You're the butter to my bread. Even though I dislike butter on my food.' I just studied that quote from the Nora Ephron documentary I watched on HBO with the courtesy of Julie and Julia. Except the butter thing because I'll accept eating buttery pancakes and French toast, but I don't eat butter on my oatmeal! I'd rather sprinkle sugar on my oatmeal and I'm good to go for breakfast time." I snicker.
"Camille is the baby of the family. She is intelligent, kind, has eidetic memory or photographic memories, and very factual about celebrities." Ms. Gloria tells.
"And I recently got a job as one of the five co-hosts of the talk show, Real Talk." Camille adds. Mamma exclaims, "Oh! Congratulations, sweetheart! You will do a fantastic job on TV!"
"Thanks, Ms. Tessa." Camille says. Today went from getting ready for the Church date to Cynthia throwing her temper tantrums to not go to Church to sharing my testimony and enjoying my love for my Jaelyn and her family.