#SampleSunday - Flagrant (Prologue)
Prologue
Paul
Thirteen years earlier…
“Put that vacuum cleaner up for me, won’t you, baby? And don’t forget to wind the cord up!” my mom said, nervously patting the side of her braided hair. The lit cigarette dangling from her mouth bounced up and down as she spoke.
My response was to obey her, this time, without grumbling although I wanted to grumble like a motherfucker.
“How the hell you gon’ do all this cleaning and shit tryna impress this woman but you still smoking? What you think it’s gon’ smell like up in here, ‘Nita? You so damn backwards,” my dad fussed from his regular seat on the sofa wearing nothing but his boxers.
“Shit, you right.” Mama’s eyes searched the room for a second before she located an ashtray on an end table and put her cigarette out. “Douglas, go put some clothes on before she gets here.”
Daddy mumbled something under his breath, then raised his voice and said, “I’ma put some clothes on and get the hell outta here. That’s what I’m gon’ do.”
“But she wants to meet the whole family, baby!”
“I don’t know why you agreed to that shit. I ain’t got time for this, ‘Nita. I got stuff to do.”
“You mean, you got some woman to go do…”
“Don’t start that mess right now, ‘Nita!”
“If you could act like a man for once and be here when your family needs you, I wouldn’t have to start a damn thing!”
“Act like a man?! Much as I work to pay the bills?! All your crazy ass does is sit around here and nag the shit out of me!”
I tuned the rest of whatever they were saying out, because at seventeen years old, I’d heard that argument so many times I could’ve had it for them. I knew all the lines, the prologue, the three acts, the epilogue, and the identical sequel. So I took the opportunity to sit on the couch, on the opposite end from where my father’s permanent ass print was located, and grabbed the remote, switching the TV from Court TV to ESPN as they stood in the middle of the living room in each other’s faces, both tall and big and mad as hell. I hoped they wouldn’t start hitting each other. If they did, I was just going to go to my room until they were done. No more trying to break them up for me. The last time I did, my ass got hit by one of them. To this day, I’m not sure if it was my mom or my dad who put that knot on my head. Anyway, I knew better than that now.
The doorbell rang, and daddy grumbled, “Shit. I’ll be in the bedroom.”
Mama sighed, looked at the door and then back at me as Daddy made his exit. “Best behavior, Paul. Okay?”
I wanted to say, “Damn, I’m seventeen, not seven!” But instead, I just nodded.
My eyes followed my mother across the living room to the front door, and I watched as she greeted and invited a short, brown-skinned lady wearing a long, navy-blue dress into our new home in this new town. “I was so excited to get your note about meeting us!” Mama gushed. “Like I said on the phone, I’ve been wanting to get us plugged into a church. Anyway, I’m Venita Logan, but I’m sure you already figured that out, and this big boy right here is my baby, Paul Owen. He just turned seventeen. My husband, Douglas, is…busy right now or he would’ve been here to meet you, too.”
The tiny lady, who was holding what looked like a Bible against her chest, gave Mama a smile and shifted her eyes, which appeared to be magnified behind her thick glasses, to me. “Paul. Good Biblical name. I’m Pastor Ingrid Doll. Will you be attending Washington High School this year, young man?”
I nodded, caught a glimpse of my mother giving me the evil eye, and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good! My daughter, Kendra, will be there, too. She’s your age. Maybe she can show you the ropes. She’s also a big part of our youth ministry, so you’ll get to meet her this Sunday at church.” Turning to face my mother, the tiny lady asked, “You and your family will be joining us at the Perfected Faith Holy Tabernacle this Sunday, won’t you? I plan on bringing a mighty word of God.”
“Oh, yes! We’re looking forward to it!” Mama shrieked.
“Bless God! Ever since I took over as pastor after my dear husband lost his way, the Word has been flowing like the waters of the mighty Nile River…”
As Pastor Ingrid Doll basically preached an entire sermon to my mother right there in our living room, I sighed and focused on the TV screen. I hated this new house we’d moved into and this boring-ass town and hell, my whole life.
I really hated my life.
(Polo And Kendra were first introduced in Let Me Hold You by Alexandria House)
