“How do you know what to do in these situations?” Jacob asked.
“You don’t. You just gotta take a risk.” Darlene piped in. She smiled at him this time showing that only some of her teeth were coated in peach lipstick. “The only thing you can control is yourself.”
Jacob looked down into the soup bowl as he slid the chopped veggies into the broth. He sighed. It was good to talk about these things, but he still felt lost. At least there was a certain degree of acceptance here. He felt like he could trust them.
He wished there was something he could do to help encourage them to have a bit more fun. And then he realized that maybe there was.
He grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge and poured each of the ladies a small glass and got to work.
These ladies work so hard for others. I want them to have a good timeHe held the thought in his head and felt himself compelled to grab a dash of cinnamon, black pepper and a little dash of nutmeg. It smelled something like Christmas and when he poured it all together he could feel his thoughts settle into the drink.
Have fun. Let go. Enjoy.
With the thought firmly compelled into the beverage, he poured them each a little shot and put the rest in the fridge to save for later. If he was going to be back, he wanted to ensure he made some extra.
“Well, you’ve all worked hard. Who wants to take a little break to have a drink?” Jacob offered. They didn’t need much convincing.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Edna said as she downed her glass in one sharp gulp. Clearly something she had done many times before. Oh yeah- Edna was his favorite.
“You know we really shouldn’t be dipping into the drink supply like this.” Darlene said after she’d taken a generous sip of her cup. “Is this alcohol?” Rhonda asked, eyeing the drink with some suspicion. “No. Definitely not.” Jacob responded.
“Well Jesus turned water into wine, imagine what he could do with this.” Edna responded and Jacob smiled.
“Bottoms up!” Rhonda chuffed as she cheers to their health and took a big gulp.
“Oh come now Rhonda. The boy is right there.” Edna nudged her- and Jacob laughed so hard the wine shot out his nose.
23
Affogato.
With the ladies to entertain him and share all their gossip (of which there was much), the half hour passed quickly, and Jacob and Joe were reunited on the front steps of the church. Jacob was there holding a cigarette and attempting to look cool. He didn’t think it was working.
“I didn’t know you smoked.” Joe said.
“I normally don’t. But someone offered and it’s a church- it would be rude to say no.” He took a drag of the cigarette a generous stranger had offered him, and proceeded to cough up alung. “Does it give me a sexy French allure?”
“No.” Joe responded.
“Oh thank god. I wasn’t about to start now.” Jacob said, butting the cigarette out in an ashtray. “How was your meeting?”
“Complicated, but we managed to work it out. We came to a solution everyone can agree on that will be widely beneficial for all of us. And they’re going to be helping me with a very big and exciting project.” Joe said. “How about you? Did you get up to anything special?”
“I did a small tour to check the space out, and then pretty much hung out with the church ladies again. They’re a fun bunch. Very chatty.”
“They say gossip is a sin, but I don’t know if it’s worth repenting over.” Joe shrugged. “Besides, what else are we going to talk about when the chats are so delightfully absurd.” Jacob smiled. “Where to now?”
“I thought you’d never ask. Come on- I know a place we can go.” Joe responded, taking Jacob by the hand and leading him away from the church. As they walked the conversation flowed. It felt nice and comfortable. Even with his concern over Tic, something felt easy today- natural even. Joe discussed the operations of the church with such excitement Jacob couldn’t help but get wrapped up in it.
“What was Jeff doing there?” Jacob asked after a few minutes. “Hes one of my men.” Joe responded.
“Like…a disciple or something?” Jacob asked.
“Of sorts. He’s a keen study. There was something that I wanted him to help me out with and I think he managed to sort it out.”
“He did?” Jacob asked. “Was it something to do with stamps?” “Not quite.” Joe laughed before pausing and thinking about it. “But maybe.”
“Hey, is it okay if we stop by Tic’s work? I’m just worried about him and I want to see if he’s there.” Jacob said. “I still haven’theard back and would just like to see him to ensure he’s okay.”
