Free Ivy in the Shadows by Chris Woodworth

My eyes narrowed into slits. “Don’t tell me you ate it.”
    â€œI haven’t eaten anything since lunch.”
    I turned to my brother. “JJ? Did you eat the shrimp and meatloaf?”
    â€œStop being mad about everything, Ivy! Caleb and I didn’t eat it. The hungry Haitians did! What’s the big deal, anyway? Mama’ll just bring more tonight. She said she would.”
    I turned on Caleb. “Do you see what your stories do, Caleb?” I said. “They make him lie, too.”
    Then I looked at JJ. “The big deal is I don’t want to wait until almost bedtime to eat. I’m hungry now. And Mama told us to eat last night’s food tonight.”
    â€œShe did?” JJ looked confused. “I thought it was just leftover stuff.”
    â€œSo you did eat it, didn’t you?”
    â€œNO!” he yelled. “I told you. It was the hungry Haitians!”
    I spun on my heels.
    â€œWhere are you going?” he called after me.
    â€œTo get something to eat. I can’t tell which one of you is lying but I know I haven’t eaten tonight! And you!” I pointed to Caleb. “Watch my brother or I’ll cut off your head when I get back.”
    I ran down the stairs, threw open the front door, and ran smack into Pastor Harold. He staggered. I spun around. My arms and legs both pinwheeled as I fell backward. His arms reached out and grabbed me just before I fell.
    My heart thudded a hundred beats a second. It felt like that, anyway.
    â€œWhoa!” Pastor Harold said. “Are you all right?”
    â€œYeah.” Then I realized he still had hold of my arms. I stepped away.
    â€œI’m very sorry,” he said. “I didn’t see you coming through the door.”
    â€œIt’s okay.” I shrugged.
    â€œLeave it to me to be party to a major collision the first time I visit your house!” he said. “My mother always said I was so clumsy that, had I been a girl, Grace would have never been my name. Actually, I came to see your mother.”
    â€œShe’s not here. She works now. On Sunday at church, some lady … I can’t remember her name … but she gave Mama a job.” It was all out of my mouth before I remembered that you never tell anyone your mom isn’t home. You always lie and act like she’s unavailable. Mama had drilled that into my head since I was old enough to talk, but Pastor Harold had just saved me from falling and that kind of earned him the right to the truth. At least that’s what I told myself.
    â€œOh! From Dining Divinely? What is her name…”
    â€œShe goes to your church and you don’t know?”
    â€œUm, I could counter that your mother works for her and you don’t know.” I started to puff up but saw his eyes crinkle in the corners.
    â€œShe just signs my mama’s paycheck,” I said. “I’m not responsible for saving her soul.”
    He laughed hard. Then sobered quickly. “Magdalene. Is that it?”
    Then it dawned on me. “Magdalena! You were close.”
    â€œActually I haven’t been at Hickory Presbyterian much longer than you’ve been going. I’m the interim pastor.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” I asked.
    â€œThat I’m here until they find someone to replace me and then I move to another church that’s recently lost their pastor.”
    â€œThey can do that?” I said. “Move you around like that?”
    â€œThey can. They have, actually. It’s what I do.”
    I’ll admit I sort of forgot about Mama and the food because this was interesting. “So one day they’ll bring in a new pastor and you’re just out of luck?”
    â€œYes.” He leaned closer and said in a loud whisper, “Or they might just forget to look. Some of them are pretty old and forget where they park their cars Sunday morning.”
    I smiled. Okay, maybe he wasn’t so