An Inconvenient Friend

An Inconvenient Friend

 

I stepped into the classroom marked “Women’s Bible Study” with a mission in mind that had nothing to do with Jesus. I was going to get to know more about my man’s wife and use what I learned to steal her husband. This place they called holy ground was about to become a battleground. The plan - “Operation Steal Greg.”

“Is this classroom C?” I made sure to add just the right mix of airhead and sweet church girl to my voice. The door was clearly marked, but I had to say something because I was late, and all the real church sisters were already seated and staring.

I flicked a lock of my hair over my shoulder and did a visual sweep of the occupants. Thirty or so women were dispersed throughout the room in small groups that reminded me of cliques in the high school cafeteria. I could tell they were the kind that chewed you up and spit you out like the mystery meat that followed Tuesday’s spaghetti.

Since they were staring, I put a little extra motion into my well practiced jig. Sixty eyeballs followed the rhythmic gliding of my hips as I made my way to what I thought would be the perfect seat to make observations; the vacant back row. I rested my Dolce Gabana handbag on an empty seat, picked up the Bible that lay in wait for me, and as a final gesture for the royal nosies, wiggled down into the chair and crossed one leg over the other.

Try that, I thought, noticing more than half the occupants in the room were overweight and hard pressed to cross any extremity over the other.

I turned my attention to the woman behind the podium who I figured must be the Bible Study teacher, if that’s what you called the presenter at a thing like this. The only study groups I’d attended were for school. Church wasn’t my thing. I had never quite figured out the purpose for it all, and as far as I could see, most of the hypocritical, nasty, backbiting Christians I worked with hadn’t either. Nah, I’d taken a pass on the church thing - until now.

“Hello.” The teacher met my gaze. “I’m Sister Green. Welcome to women’s Bible Study.” Then, with an uncomfortable cough, she dropped her eyes to the book she was holding.

So much for introductions.

I tuned her out, after all, that wasn’t the reason I was here. I craned my neck left, and then right, looking for the person I’d come to see, but she wasn’t here. I’d only seen Greg’s wife once, from a distance, when I’d lurked outside a charity event he’d slipped and told me they were attending.

Angelina Preston had long hair that fell in an angled bob down her back. No one’s’do fit the bill from where I sat, and because I was in the back, I couldn’t see any of their faces. I hoped I hadn’t wasted an evening coming to this gathering of stuck up, sanctimonious, women for nothing. I snapped the Bible closed I’d had open across my knee and began tapping my heel impatiently. Just when I was about to call it a wrap, the door opened...

An Inconvenient Friend Copyright © 2010 Rhonda McKnight All rights reserved. Reprinted by arrangement with Urban Books, LLC c/o Kensington Pub. Corp.