God
It's my last semester in a junior college. My classes aren’t that hard but I do need to pass all of them so I can transfer to a university this fall. I just really need to get out of this place. I’ve had enough of this old small town where nothing new and exciting ever happens. Well actually…maybe it’s just me and my life where nothing new or exciting ever happens.
I look at my clock. Crap, it’s 9am! We’re gonna be late for church this morning! I hop in the shower and turn on the water. Shampoo? Nope, no time for that. I grab my conditioner bottle and try to get the last itty-bitty conditioner left on the bottom of the bottle. That reminds me, I need to buy a new one. I’d have to remember to write that on my list.
I slide my closet door open and grab the outfit I wore to church last month. Black skinnies and floral top it is! I get to my makeup table and just tried to slap on my face with the most makeup I can within the last 20 minutes that I have. Look at the mirror one last time...good enough for me. I grab my phone, shove it in my purse and quickly run downstairs. Oh wait, I forgot perfume! Damn, I always forget perfume. So I run back upstairs and quickly spritz some on me.
My mom yells, “Let’s go!” as she opens the front door. I yell, “Hanna, we’re leaving!!” so my sister will hurry up. I go inside the car and my dad is already sitting at the driver’s seat waiting. It’s been awhile since my whole family is complete for church. It’s usually just my mom or my dad. They’ve been busy with work a lot lately. When are they ever not busy, is the question.
We barely made it in time before everyone was already sitting down. Luckily, we found seats by the door so we’ll be the first ones to leave as well. Typical Pascual family move. I don’t listen to the whole mass most of the time. The priests’ voice usually bores the heck out of me. But trust me, I’m not the only one. I usually catch my dad dozing off in the middle of the mass. I guess it just goes to show how religious we are, or not.
So here I am, doing my habitual daydreaming, when suddenly I hear a different voice coming from the podium. I look up and I see a young man, probably in his early 20’s, standing there instead of one of the older priests. I whisper to my sister sitting next to me, “Who is that?”
“That’s our new priest. His name is Father Luke.”
“Wow, he looks really young to be a priest.” And pretty good-looking too, I thought to myself.
The mass is finally over. I don’t know what sorcery happened in church today. But for some reason, I really understood what this Sunday’s mass was about. I’m not saying I’m ready for a pop quiz after, but the message really got to me, if you know what I mean.
I look at my phone. Fuck, 10:30pm! Where did all the time go? I still haven’t packed my backpack for school tomorrow. Well, I’m off to a great start!
