Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Jordan begins to preach and it’s marvelous. His voice rises and dips, the flow of words magical. I can even see people swaying in their seat a bit, taken by his skilled rhetoric.
Yet, not everyone is in a trance. There are furtive glances at his left ring finger, and then furtive glances at mine as well. After all, these bands can only mean one thing. We didn’t announce an engagement nor a marriage, so what could be going on? Clearly, certain members of the congregation are curious.
Together, the parishioners bows their head in a final prayer, asking God to continue to show us the way and to bless our lives. In my head, I say a silent grace, thanking the Lord for bringing the beautiful Mira into my life.
The service ends on an amen, but when everyone starts filing out the whispers start. Damnit. I was right. Sounds like everyone is wondering what’s going on with our rings.
I greet my friend as he descends from the pulpit.
“You know, I didn’t think they’d be so wrapped up in our personal lives,” is my sardonic comment. “I thought we were all here to hear the word of God.”
Jordan shakes his head wryly.
“Yeah, but you know how the ladies can be sometimes. They’re here to hear the word of God, and to meet a man if possible.”
I chuckle because it’s true. There are a lot of single women in New York, and quite a few of them belong to the Village Church. So what if they peer around during services, scouting for eligible men? Church is as good of a place to meet someone as any bar or club. Probably better in fact, since there’s more of a chance they’ll share the same values.
But still, we have an issue at hand: is someone going to ask about our rings? If they do, what are we going to say?
At coffee hour, people still look at us and whisper, but no one directly approaches us. Instead, we mill about with coffee cups and donuts in hand.
“They are unusually shy today,” Jordan points out to me. I nod, taking a sip of my joe.
“Should we just address the elephant in the corner?” I ask with an arch of my eyebrow. “Could be easier.”
Jordan says nothing, merely glancing at Mira. She’s off in a corner, talking animatedly to her friend, Jessie. Our wife looks beautiful in a knee-length pastel pink dress, with white lace trimming the edges. It’s modest yet sexy at once, and my mouth waters just looking at her.
What to do? We haven’t actually discussed revealing our marriage, but then again, Mira is wearing a ring on her left hand now. Of course, since we only have simple bands, it’s impossible to draw any conclusions. Anyone could be wearing a band like this, even if they’re not married.
“Hi Pastor Jordan, hi Pastor Jason,” comes a voice. Jordan and I turn and see one of our parishioners, Lauren. She’s a nice girl with a sharp, peaked face and dirty blonde hair that’s way too long. Today, it hangs almost too her butt, making it look like stringy seaweed.
“Did anything happen this week?” she asks curiously.
“What do you mean?” I counter, my expression neutral.
Her eyes narrow even more. I know what she’s trying to get at, but I’m not about to fold that easily.
“Well, what did you two do?” she presses.
“We did a lot of things,” Jordan answers this time. I have to stifle my chuckle. It’s mean to play around like this, but it’s also rude to pry, so Lauren deserves it. She looks at us in a calculating manner.
“Well, was your week … um, exciting?” she hints.
I look at Jordan who looks back at me and shrugs.
“We tried out a new recipe for marinara. It came out pretty nice, and if you can get your hands on some newly ripe tomatoes, I’m happy to share my secret sauce with you,” Jordan responds with a wink. Lauren looks disgruntled, but she nods.
“Okay, okay. Gotcha. Great sermon today.”
She walks away, giving up on her quest. I do an internal eye roll, a little annoyed, but not upset. After all, she’s fishing for answers, which is human nature. Who wouldn’t be curious?
Maybe it’s time to just let everybody know.
Suddenly, someone else walks up. Ugh. It’s Violet, who often wears completely inappropriate outfits to church, and today is no exception. The girl has on a sequined mini-dress, like she just got out of a club. Plus, her make-up is smeared, adding to the “walk of shame” look.
“Hi, Pastor Jordan, Pastor Jason,” she coos. “I just wanted to know why you’re wearing those rings. Let me guess: are you guys gay and married to one another?”
She points to our hands and titters like she just heard a funny joke. Well, at least Violet’s being a lot more direct. There’s no beating around the bush with her.