Read Mama B: A Time to Speak for Free Online Page A

“What else?”
    “Reverend Martin done got us a enter- in pastor.”
    I mashed the phone to my ear. “A what?”
    “Enter in. He gon’ enter in while Pastor Phillips is gone. Be our regular preacher for the time being.”
    She meant interim , but I wasn’t gon’ embarrass her with the correction. Plus, I know my English ain’t always perfect, either. Pots got no business callin’ kettles black.
    “Will the other pastor start tomorrow?”
    “Yes. It’s somebody the deacons brought in a few times before. Jerome or Janeem? Jamaal?”
    I said, “Jamaal Dukes?”
    “Yeah, that’s his name.”
          Someone in Reverend Martin’s extended family, I knew. Last time Rev. Dukes came to the church and preached for the church anniversary, he preached like he come from one of those churches with all that hootin’ and hollerin’ and carryin’ on, but barely crack open the Bible.
    That was a while back, though. Like I said before, sometimes it take a while for a preacher to come into his own behind the pulpit, and it don’t help the process none with people like me in the audience lookin’ at him like he Daffy Duck.
    “Well, let’s pray for him, too, that the Lord use him well, that we can give him a good congregation to practice more preaching, and that his presence will be a relief to Pastor.”
    Henrietta snapped, “Nuh uh. I ain’t prayin’ for him. I’m prayin’ against him. I’m too old to have somebody practicin’ on me. Too many things goin’ wrong with me right now. And Pastor Martin done already signed Jamar up without even askin’ anybody!”
    Lord knows, I tried to calm Henrietta down. “Pastor Martin represents the Deacons, Ssister. I’m sure they all agreed before he ever set up the meeting with the rest of the leaders.”
    “Well, I don’t. I don’t like Jerome nor his wife. She too uppity. Always got on a bunch of flashy jewelry and perfume, fancy clothes.”
    I looked at myself in the mirror. Henrietta probably would say the same thing about the gold jacket and black sequin tank top I was sho nuff ‘bout to buy and wear to church the next day. “Now you know we can’t judge people by what they—”
    “I’m not just talkin’ bout what him and his wife wear,” she cut me off. “He can’t preach! Just get up there and put the mic real close to his mouth so it sound like he got the Holy Ghost on him.”
    “Well, Henrietta, maybe he was raised in a Pentecostal church. You know that’s how they do. No harm, it’s just a different—”
    “I don’t care if he from a penny-cost or no-cost! Last time he came, my ears was ringin’ the rest of the day. I ain’t finna sit up here every week and get my eardrums blowed out, and I ain’t movin’ off the front row, either!”
    Even though I half-way agreed with her about Jamaal, I could see we wasn’t headed nowhere godly down this road of conversation. And I’d had enough of her not letting me finish my sentences.
    “Don’t get your pressure up, Henrietta. You got to remember he won’t be here forever. Just until the Lord move on Geneva’s health. I got to go now. I’ll see you at church tomorrow. We still meetin’ at First Baptist, right? Twelve-thirty?”
    “Yes. Maybe you’ll see me there, maybe you won’t.”
    “Good-bye, Henrietta.”

 
     
    Chapter 10
     
    Nikki got all dressed up in her sour face. Said she wasn’t used to getting up and out on Sunday mornings.
    “Mama B, we’ll be the first ones there!”
    “Exactly how I like it.”
    She whined some more. “Do we have to go to church every Sunday?”
    “Chile, I don’t leave nobody behind who’s well and able to get up and go to church on the Lord’s day. House rules.”
    Cameron wanted to know if he could take his book to church in case it got boring.
    “No. The only book you read in church is the Bible.” Part of me wanted to fuss at Nikki ‘cause obviously this boy ain’t gettin’ trained right.
    He frowned. “I don’t have a