9
Sister Quinn listened as I told her what happened and begged her not to tell Pastor I’d hid my shoes in the baptismal pool. Suddenly, Deacon Bryant reappeared and headed toward us, checking over his shoulder as if being pursued.
“Go on up in the choir, Addie. I’ll be right there.”
As I hurried to the choir-loft, Deacon Bryant whispered something to Sister Quinn. In a conspiratorial voice, “Now, Sister Quinn, may God forgive me, but if I had-a told Pastor you just wanted to see him about something, you know he would-a took his own, sweet time about coming. So, I told him there was a...Oops, gotta go!”
Deacon Bryant broke off abruptly and darted to his post. Presently, Pastor Quinn entered, his eyes eager and expectant, beaming around the church like searchlights.
“Where the naked girl at?!”
“Now, Howard, calm down. Ain’t no naked girl in here!”
“But, Deacon Bryant just told me...”
“I know...just calm down before you get your pressure up...”
Then, in her quiet voice, Sister Quinn told her husband the story. Up in the choir-loft, my choir-mates were relieved to see me, even Mozella, for, though she had a lovely voice, she had not bothered to learn the song, so sure was she that I would be singing it. Then, someone spotted my bare feet and the whole choir took off with a story of their own making, which I made no effort to correct.
“Ooo, Addie! Somebody took your pretty shoes?”
“What?! Addie got robbed!?”
“Ooo, somebody robbed Addie and took her pretty shoes, y’all!”
“Somebody robbed my auntie one day and took her shoes and her Russian chinchilla coat!”
“That’s why my mama don’t let me wear my good things nowhere, unless my daddy or my big brother be with me!”