I Came For The Food


I was late. Being early had never been my strong point, but today was special. I came for the food and we all know when the food comes😂😂

While I walked stealthily to the last row, I took in the small hall and it's occupants. It was half full and everyone had tried to look his best. The little boys wore their best clothes and shades that were too big for their tiny faces. I tried to pretend it was not raining heavily outside and the sun was burning their retinas. The girls wore the prettiest dresses; some were a bit too colourful, while others had more stones than the entire Brazil. The teenagers were there too in their numbers; so were the youths and elderly.

I quietly took my seat and pulled out my phone. I was not the typical 'church' girl. I always followed mother to church every Sunday while I was at home, but God called it the 7th day for a reason. It is the day of rest after all, and rest I did, until hunger humbled me. So there I sat pretending I could not hear the rumbling in my empty oversize belly and scrolling through the hilarious tweets on my phone. I giggled occasionally and got a few reprimanding looks, but I could not care less. They could judge me as they pleased but I was not going home hungry.

The pastor had been vibrating since I walked in, but he made a statement that almost made my phone drop.

''Children of God! If you sit with a man, you will become pregnant! If you become pregnant, God will abandon you! If God abandons you, you will die!"

I watched the poor gullible children nod. The older ones were even taking notes. I could see a few girls moving farther away from their male seatmates. I was a proud virgin, but this man was lying through his teeth. Countless times, I wanted to stand and call his bluff, but I knew I was going to be crucified if I tried. 'People of the Lord'  were eating his words whole and were ready to crush anyone who dared to say otherwise. This was why the world was dying slowly.  No one believed in sex education. The churches were too 'righteous' to dish it out honestly. The schools blatantly lied to the students. Parents were too ashamed of their past to tell their children not to follow their footsteps. All they did was tell their kids how they came first in all their classes and never looked at the boys/girls.

 I was sick in my stomach, and as a strong advocate for sex education, I was itching to stand up. The place disgusted me so much that I could taste my own vomit. All they had to do was say the truth. You will die? Just my sitting? Really? I stood angrily from my seat and walked to the door. To hell with their food.

My stomach rumbled loudly before I could make it to the glass door and  I was startled  out of my fury. After a quick pause, I strolled majestically to the bin and dumped an invisible piece of paper in it. Gracefully, I turned around and joined in the 'aleluia' wave with the rest of the small crowd. Then I quietly returned to my seat. 

As the wise saying goes, nothing good comes easy. Even free food.

#TheRitaSide

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