I HAD JUST EXITED OUT OF MY ROOM WHEN I HEARD VOICES coming from the living room. That was strange. Faith and Grace had left for school an hour back and Charles was gone for work. Heading towards the living room where the voices were located, I saw Jada and about 10 other women with a tea platter on the coffee table and Bibles open in their laps.

"Oh hey Aniyah. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I and the women from church are meeting for our Bible study," Jada chirped and the women placed their gaze on me as I gave them an awkward wave.

"Hey?"

"Do you want to join us? I have an extra Bible if you need one?" Jada asked me.

"You really should sit with us. Jada's an amazing teacher," one of the women said, a smile on her face. Were all these people overly friendly?

"Oh, I might have to take a pass on that. I just needed to get myself some breakfast," I say and they give a nod of understatement and I walk towards the kitchen, pouring myself a much-needed coffee.

"All right ladies. As you know the church is hosting a youth event and it's up to us to get it organized and ready. We want to be able to reach out to all those children," Jada's voice echoes, and I hear a murmur of agreement as I take a sip of the burning hot liquid. 

"We could get these kids to do some volunteer work at the soup kitchen. It's a good experience for them to learn how to help others," someone pipes.

"Or we could get a weekend retreat and spend some time with them and teach them the word. It helped us when we did that women's retreat at the church remember?"

They continue talking and throwing ideas and I listen quietly from the island, pretending to look at my phone. Finally checking the time, I realized I had been sitting there for almost 40 minutes already while they had discussed. C'mon Aniyah and just leave already.

"We'll take these to Pastor on Sunday when we meet after church. For now, I think we can close so you guys can have your afternoon off," Jada stated and the women exchanged their goodbyes until one after the other, they all left leaving me still in the kitchen and approaching Jada with the tea platter coming in. 

"So what did you think of the meeting? Was it as boring as you thought it would be?" Jada asks me and I raise my eyebrows at her as she starts to wash. We stay in silence for a few minutes.

"You guys seemed to have a lot to talk about," I mutter.

"Well, we are trying to plan something for our youth group. These kids are going to be the next generation and we as the church need to raise them to be God-fearing people for Christ. Speaking of helping people, when do you start your first day on the job?"

"This coming Monday so 3 days from now," I reply, trying to tone down my excitement. I was more than ready for this job and had read the email more than once. 

"Do you need to get anything before you start? Like office supplies or wardrobe?" Jada asks me, putting the platter in the dishwasher and drying her hands.

I shrug. "I guess I'll need to do some shopping before I start then."

Jada raises her eyebrows, a small smirk plastered on her face. "We do have a few hours before the twins come back from school and I know a great H&M near us at the mall."

I check the time on my phone to see it's already 11:57. "Why not?"

Jada smiles and then grabs the car keys off the glass bowl and I follow her to the front door as we put on our jackets and shoes. "Let's go!" she exclaims and we head out the door and down the steps to the white Suburban. 

XXX

"How about this one?" Jada says, holding up a navy blue pantsuit. We had been at the mall for a while now and were scouring the racks at H&M. Suprinsly, the modest taste Jada chose weren't all bad options thankfully because I was not going to wear long skirts no matter how much she pleaded.

"Perfect. I think we have everything now and we already paid for office supplies," I stated checking the time on my phone. 2:30. 

"Okay, let's check out," she replies and we head towards the checkout line where I pay for my clothes, already feeling my bank account dropping. Thankfully though, this job was paying way more than I expected.

"You want to go get some takeout before we leave? I know an amazing Popeyes just near the main exit to this place," Jada asks me and I nod in agreement. We split the bags equally and headed down the escalator to the food court where the Popeyes were located and made our way in line which was a bit long. Finally taking our orders, we set ourselves at the table near the restaurant, placing our bags down.

"I have to say Niyah that this was probably the most fun that I've had in quite a while," Jada speaks, a smile on her face which I mirror. 

"Thanks, Jada."

"Really Niyah. It's you I should be thanking."

"Jada, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"When did you become a believer? I hear all these people talking about testimonies of how they came to Christ but I want to know yours."

She chuckles before answering me. "I was born into a Christian family. Always have been. But to me, I was never really serious about it. It wasn't until the summer before the sophomore year began I think or around that time when our church was hosting a summer crusade in Miami. My parents forced me to go because I had been quite a reckless person. Anyways, at that crusade, there was an evangelist who had really spoken to me that day. And I'll never forget when he said, 'You either believe or you don't. You go to hell or you go to paradise. Choose wisely and follow that path.' After that, I became a serious believer, and even now, I continue to grow. I even work with the church now in being a counselor and helping other Christian teens."

"Wow," I whisper.

"Order for Jada and Aniyah!" the lady at the register yelled and Jada went to get our food while I stayed in solitary silence replaying the words she had just told me. I had no idea how that question came out, it just did. You either believe or you don't. Did I believe? More importantly, did I want to believe?

And published. Finally, I know.

So are we excited for Aniyah to start work? What do we think of the pastor that inspired Jada?

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