I was so glad to, because I was supposed to go see Johnny. I told my parents I was going to Shirley's house after morning service. We had plans to go see our boyfriends that our parents did not know we had.

Shirley and I always had a plan. We had been best friends since we met at a District Meeting when we were 5. We had begun to run around with this girl named Tanya. She was a very bad influence on us, but that's what we wanted, a bad influence. Tanya knew about all the sinful things that Shirley and I had only dreamed of. I still don't understand how we figured we could get away with anything, both Shirley and I having saved, sanctified, Holy Ghost filled parents.

"Be sure your sins will find you out," that's what Mama was always saying. Well, this is one day that the phrase would turn out to be true.

When I saw Shirley and her mother walking towards my father, I knew something crazy had happened. Shirley looked so hurt, it was sad. She had tears forming in her eyes. She was about to break down. Shirley was the weaker of the two of us. She was very sensitive too. It made me mad sometimes.

I began to slowly walk towards Shirley and her mother. Shirley's mother cut her eyes at me and continued on towards my father. My father was talking to the head deacon of our church, Reed's Chapel COGIC.

I reached my father a few seconds after Shirley and her mother did. As I walked up to them, Shirley's mother was yelling, "Your child is got my chil' cuttin' da fool. Old-fast tail gal." Before she could finish, my father ushered her away from the crowd who had begun to look at us.

Shirley's mother was the renaissance Holy woman of God. She was the first person at church. She was the first person to testify or sing when testimony service was opened. She was the first to do anything that was needed at the church. She had an attitude to match her philosophy. She always made Shirley go to the altar. Shirley had been saved and backslidden so many times it had to be a record.

When we got to my father's office, Shirley's mother started fussing again. "Do you know they talkin' bout doing? They talkin' bout going somewhere with some chil' named Tanya or something. That chil' Tanya is that girl from up yonder. Her parents ain't saved and neither is Tanya. They don't even go to church. How you gon' let your chil' be around those heathen."

I looked at my father wanting to interrupt, but when my father held his hand up at me, I knew it was best to just hush. Tanya had been over to our house for dinner. She acted all nice and well mannered. It was strange because when she was with Shirley and I, she was always cussing and acting fast. My father knew who Tanya was.

Before my father began to talk to Shirley's mother, he told Shirley and me to leave his office. My father did not like to let children see adults argue. Shirley's mother did not like the idea of us going outside, but my father insisted.

When we got outside, I looked at Shirley. Shirley looked at me. We knew we weren't going anywhere.