Free Been There Prayed That (9781622860845) by E.n. Joy

hard.
    â€œChecking on her regularly while she was at the hospital and praying for her and all.” Uriah was specific.
    Pastor Frey appeared to exhale. “Oh, yeah. Well, uh, it was no problem at all. It’s always an honor to be doing God’s work. I’m just blessed that He chose me.”
    â€œWell, my wife and I are blessed that God chose you too,” Uriah told him. He then looked to Mother Doreen. “Looks like I’m gonna get to have dinner with my sister-in-law after all. Why don’t we all have dinner together?”
    â€œOh, no,” Mother Doreen was quick to say, holding up her hand in refusal. “You and your wife spend this priceless time together with your children.”
    â€œAre you sure?” Uriah asked. “Beth, the kids, and I would love for you two to join us. Right, honey?” He looked to his wife, who was still standing there waiting on a response to the question she’d posed moments ago.
    â€œDoreen, you said you were having dinner with Pastor Davidson,” Bethany said in an almost scolding manner. “This don’t look like no Pastor Davidson.”
    Mother Doreen felt like a child being caught after curfew by her parents. Being caught by her parents after curfew with a boy. Being caught by her parents after curfew with a boy on her front porch smooching. The flesh inside of her wanted to stand up, point her finger in her little sister’s face, and tell her that she wasn’t the boss of her and that she could have dinner with anybody she wanted. But thank goodness she’d prayed herself up and that the spirit man prevailed.
    In a nice, kind, and gentle voice, and with a smile plastered on her face, Mother Doreen looked to Pastor Frey and said, “Will you excuse me for a moment, Pastor Frey? I need to go to the ladies room.”
    â€œOh, by all means.” Pastor Frey stood while Mother Doreen stood to her feet.
    â€œBethany, can you come with me?” Mother Doreen, with the smile still resting on her face, looked back and forth between the two gentlemen. “I guess it never seems to matter what age a woman gets, we always have to go to the bathroom in pairs.” After letting out a chuckle, and the men returning a chuckle of understanding, Mother Doreen took Bethany by the arm and led her into the women’s bathroom.
    â€œHave you lost your God given sense?” Mother Doreen said to her sister once they were behind the closed bathroom door. “If I didn’t think there was some funny business going on between you and that Pastor Frey before, well your actions sure did confirm it just now.”
    â€œPuhleeze! I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Bethany’s arms were now folded, and she was tapping her foot. She was in full temper tantrum mode.
    â€œThe heck if you don’t, and I’m not gonna stand here and let you force me to even spill the words out of my mouth. For starters, since when do congregation members call their pastors by their first names? That’s a sign of disrespect.” Bethany didn’t respond. “Huh?” Mother Doreen questioned, adding enough bass in her tone to make Bethany jump. “Out there was my second time hearing you call that man Wallace. Sounds a bit too personal for me.”
    Bethany thought for a minute. “It must have just slipped, I mean, after all, that was the man who came to see about me dang near every day and prayed for me every day. I can’t help it if I feel a sense of closeness toward the man, enough to call him by his first name . . . outside of church.”
    â€œKeep on lying to yourself, you hear? But child, you the only one you’re lying to. Heck, if I noticed how foolish you were acting out there, like a jealous girlfriend catching her beau with another gal, then you best believe your husband did too.”
    With her arms still folded, Bethany turned up her nose. “I still don’t know