Baggage Claim by David E. Talbert

Author:David E. Talbert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Chapter 9

10:17 P.M. EST

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8TH

15 DAYS, 21 HOURS, AND 43 MINUTES TO “E-DAY”

RRRrrring!”

“RRRrrring!”

“RRRrrring!”

I was determined not to answer the phone for fear that it was Gail. I still needed to find a husband, but I was tired and taking a much-needed and highly relaxing hot bath inside my hotel bathroom. And since the phone number on my phone was blocked, I really wasn’t trying to answer.

“RRRrrring!”

But what if it was an emergency? What if someone in my family had been hit by a bus and needed a quart of my blood to save their life? But then again, Sheree and I have the same blood type, so they could call her. Perfect. I’m not answering it.

“RRRrrring!”

But what if it was Curtis? What if he had had a change of heart? What if he had suddenly resigned from pastoring The Greater House of Deliverance Tabernacle of Praise, Worship, and Miracles and decided to start a new church? A more accepting and less judgmental church. A church where things like the way you dressed and the way you looked weren’t nearly as important as your soul. No, it’s not Curtis. And I’m not answering the phone. It can ring till Jesus returns. I’m not answering it.

“RRRrrring!”

It’s probably Gail and if it is Gail, she’s not going to stop calling until I answer, so I might as well answer.

“Hello, Gail.”

“How’d you know it was me? I thought I blocked my number.”

“You did.”

“So, girl, tell me for real…y’all doin’ it, ain’t you? I know ya’ll doing it. Y’all back in the study doing it, huh? Girl, I read in Jet magazine that this one preacher in Birmingham got three women pregnant in the pastor’s study. You pregnant?”

Gail had just catapulted the absurd to a whole new level. “No, I’m not pregnant!”

“Why? ’Cause you on the pill?”

“No!”

“Oh, he wore a condom, then?”

“No, he didn’t wear a condom.”

“And you ain’t pregnant? I’m really confused. If ya’ll did it in the back study, and you ain’t on the pill, and he didn’t have on a condom, how come you ain’t pregnant?”

“Who said we did it in the back study?”

“Jet magazine!”

Suddenly I felt like I was Abbott and Gail was Costello and we were in the middle of playing Who’s On First. Talking to Gail was always a workout and I was already much too tired for clever banter.

“Gail, listen to me very closely. I am not pregnant. Not because I’m not on the pill. Not because Curtis didn’t wear a condom. I’m not pregnant because we didn’t have sex. The only thing we did in the pastor’s study was talk about what he wanted in a wife and why it unfortunately couldn’t be me.”

“Oh. Why didn’t you just say so in the first place instead of getting me all worked up? And why couldn’t it be you? Because of the other three women he had already gotten pregnant?”

“Gail, Curtis didn’t get anybody pregnant. It wouldn’t work out because Curtis doesn’t want to marry me. Curtis wants to marry Mahalia Jackson.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.