Free When the Fairytale Ends by Dwan Abrams Page A

woman until her eyes just happened to catch his. In her eyes, he saw no recognition. There was no way this could be that same woman from the dealership. She had recognized him from the church instantly, even in his casual weekend gear. So he knew she would recognize him in the congregation.
    Perturbed, Greg decided to drop the issue and scanned the congregation for his wife and Franklin. Franklin was still nowhere in sight, but Sister Catherine and her three kids were already sitting on the fourth row from the front. He saw his wife standing in the hallway, accompanied by Jonathan and Cheyenne. He greeted a few more members, making sure to give the women innocent church hugs, then made his way over to his wife. All the while he couldn’t stop thinking about that woman. He wondered who the woman was that looked so much like the woman from the dealership. Or was it the same woman? If it was her, what kind of game was she playing with him?

Five
    â€œGreg’s on his way,” Shania explained to Cheyenne and Jonathan.
    They stood in the hallway outside of the sanctuary next to the water fountain. Shania observed people as they entered the church. Some of the older women were dressed in colorful suits and hats of varying sizes. Most of the men wore dress shirts with slacks; a few had on suits and ties. She saw a cute little boy wriggling his hand, trying to free himself from his mother’s grip. She smiled as she imagined herself in a similar predicament one day with the son she hoped to have.
    Turning away, she spotted Greg walking toward her with a troublesome expression on his face. She hoped that the kids at youth church hadn’t been too hard on him. Dealing with the youth could be unpredictable. Those kids tended to be more moody than a woman going through menopause.
    â€œThere’s Greg,” Shania announced.
    Cheyenne and Jonathan looked in his direction.
    â€œI hope you guys weren’t waiting too long,” Greg said as he approached. He then kissed Shania on the cheek.
    â€œNot that long,” Shania assured him. “You all right?”
    He took a sip from the water fountain and dabbed his mouth on his shirt sleeve. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He exhaled. “We talked about some heavy stuff today in youth church.”
    Shania gave him a half smile, but something in his expression still worried her. “It’s tough being a kid these days. They’re forced to grow up so fast.”
    Greg nodded his head. He touched her lower back, sending a shiver up her spine, and ushered her into the sanctuary with Cheyenne and Jonathan following behind. Something in his demeanor still struck her as disturbed and distant, but she decided to let it go. At least for now.
    They took their seats in the front row, greeting the people sitting around them. Services started with praise and worship, followed by the congregational scripture reading. When they finished, it was time for altar prayer. After a couple of songs performed by the choir, the congregation acknowledged visitors and gave their tithes and offering. Then the pastor came out and delivered a powerful sermon titled “The Kind of Friends That Are Dangerous.” The pastor preached from the book of Job and gave a breakdown of Job’s friends. He then told the congregation to walk in integrity wherever they were, because God saw what they were doing. He encouraged the people to hold on and trust God. If people waited on God, He would go after their adversaries.
    Shania stood to her feet and shouted, “Preach, Pastor!” She knew that he was speaking the truth.
    After services ended, they hugged some of the members and wished them well before heading out. Greg walked with Shania, Cheyenne, and Jonathan to Shania’s Range Rover, and he held the door open for her. He leaned in and pecked her cheek, then said, “I’ll meet you at the house later.”
    She frowned at him. “Where’re you