Etched in Shadows by KG MacGregor

Author:KG MacGregor [MacGregor, KG]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781594933738
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2013-11-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The Circular Congregational Church made room for all of Alice’s liberal attitudes, opening its doors to everyone and speaking out against injustice in the way she imagined a loving God would. Since coming out to the whole community after her divorce, she’d felt nothing but love and acceptance from the congregation, a fact that drove her to attend most Sundays—even on days like this one when the sky rumbled with thunder.

Growing up Catholic among the Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians in Charleston, Alice had never cared all that much for church. Or The Church, as her late father had called it. By the scolding words from their priest about God’s rules and wrath, she figured the feeling was mutual, and when she talked Dessie into letting her start sixth grade at the public school, it was only a matter of time before they left The Church altogether.

Dessie hadn’t been raised Catholic and had no real affinity for the pope or his rigid minions. She was drawn to the Circular Church initially because of its unique architecture and historical significance. A round brick church in one of Charleston’s oldest neighborhoods, it had its own cemetery, and presumably, the ghost of serial killer Lavina Fisher. It was only after they started to attend that Dessie and Alice realized its greatest attributes were its openness to everyone and a consistent message of love.

Braving the threat of rain, Alice walked the six blocks from her loft, tapping the metal tip of her umbrella against the sidewalk in a steady rhythm. Today was special because the church planned a party after the service to celebrate Lili Ross’s ninety-fourth birthday. For more than sixty years, the beloved woman had volunteered her green thumb to oversee the lovely grounds of the church and cemetery. Though she suffered now from mild dementia, the church celebrated her birthday each year with nearly as much pomp as Christmas and Easter. It was that sort of thing that made the Circular Church feel like a second family.

Alice had appreciated the church’s progressive doctrine since high school when she and her classmates began having civics debates about issues in the news. Anita Hill was causing an uproar over sexual harassment, white police officers in LA were indicted for beating a black motorist, and the Gulf War was being broadcast into America’s living rooms. Also in the early nineties, cities and states all over the country were passing laws barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, though Charleston resisted.

Increasingly, Alice found herself on the opposite side of these issues from many of her friends, particularly those whose families belonged to some of the more conservative churches. Johnelle stridently shared her open-minded views, a fact that perturbed her father, who served as a deacon at First Calvary and was an active member of Charleston’s Republican Party.

When she rounded the last corner near the front entrance, she was greeted with a wolf whistle by Derrick, her stylist from AquaSpa. “Looking hot, Miss Alice.”

“Yes, I dressed this way so I could flirt with your husband.

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