THE BOLAN CHRONICLES: Reading #30

30. Approximate Minutes Reading (AMR): 6

Introduction to Characters

THE BOLAN CHRONICLES

Chapter 3

A House

**The Pentecostals**

Missy insisted on pouring another cup of tea for the two of them, and she found a small, half full bag of butter cookies that ‘”Will certainly go bad if they weren’t eaten soon.” 

She carefully adjusted the small napkin that lay next to her teacup. Then she looked up at Donna and began. “I don’t mean to think that you are in any way responsible to do anything for me, Donna. I just feel comfortable talking to you.”

Donna reached out and put her hand on Missy’s, “I’m just here to listen.”

“Well, Stanley is basically a good person. He’s never hurt anybody; certainly never laid a hand on me. And it isn’t as if he’s done anything illegal ever, that’s so.” She reached up to adjust her glasses. “But he has a kind of obsession with…” She paused. “With religion.”

“Religion? What do you mean?” Donna asked.

“He’s a very religious person is what I mean. We went to church for the first couple years of our marriage, but Stanley became disappointed with the leaders and the young people. Back then it was called Grace Free Will Pentecostal. Not sure what they call it now. I don’t drive by that way much anymore.” She fiddled with her napkin, and after a sip of tea she continued. “Anyway, Stanley insisted that we start a church of our own, and it wasn’t long before it actually happened that,” She laughed, “We were having fifteen or twenty people in our home every Sunday morning for church.”

“Oh, wow!” Donna said, “So your home was the church?”

“That’s right, so to speak.” Missy giggled nervously. “We even had to buy extra furniture to accommodate the folks. Oh, this little house was quite the bustle of activity back then.” She sighed. “That was 1940, if you can believe it.” Then she looked at Donna and asked, “Are you getting chilly, Sweetie?”

Donna shook her head and leaned in closer, “Oh, no. I’m fine. Please…go on.” 

“Well, Stanley and I were so happy that first year. We would see our first guest in, usually Sally Cornwell, a single lady with such a big heart. Anyway, after a few minutes, everyone was there, and the sitting room was so alive with talk and laughter.” She sighed again and said, “Oh my. I haven’t given much thought to the memory of it for so long. Just like it was yesterday. So many wonderful memories.” She looked down and fiddled again with her napkin, this time crumbling it into a small wad. 

“It sounds wonderful.” Donna said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, it was wonderful. And we would all open our Bibles, and Stanley would read from whatever passage he’d chosen for that week. You see, we were all to have read through the passage during the previous week, each day reading through the passage, Stanley said, would help us come to understand the deeper meaning of it.”

“I see.” Donna responded.

“Yes, and after reading through the passage together, we would divide into small groups, two or three per group, and we would each take a verse and carefully examine it with the use of a…oh, what was it called.” Missy tapped on the table and looked at the sky. Then she suddenly raised her finger, startling Donna, and said, “A commentary! Yes! That was it! A Bible commentary!”

“Oh, my! I see, yes.”

After readjusting her horn-rimmed glasses, Missy continued, “And we would all come back together after about an hour, and we’d all take our turns to teach all the other groups what we had learned through those commentaries. It was a really nice way to study, I thought.”

“Oh, it sounds very much like a nice way to study.” Donna agreed.

“Yes, and then we would all sing hymns together.” And here, Missy looked down again, only this time she didn’t raise her head. She stared at the patio floor until Donna spoke.

“Missy, what is it?”

Missy finally looked up. “The songs were always led by the same person. The same woman every time.” Missy’s eyes had taken on a glassy distant look.

Donna waited for her to say more, but Missy stared silently into the sky. Donna picked up her cup and took a slow sip of the now lukewarm tea. When she sat the cup on the saucer, it brought Missy back. She shook her head quickly and said, “Oh my. Oh my. What was I sayin,’ Donna? I’m so sorry.”

“You were saying something about the music. Something about the music leader?”

“Oh, yes. That was Miss Judith. That’s what Stanley called her on the very first day of service—Miss Judith. And it stuck.” With an edge of sarcasm she added, “Miss Judith, the Hymnal Queen.” 

“Oh my,” Donna replied, “I take it you weren’t fond of Miss Judith?”

“She was a very spiteful and hateful person. Not everyone saw it, but I did.” And now she came to her feet and put her hands on her frumpy hips and began to sing in a comical operatic voice, “Blest be the tie that binds! Our hearts in Christian love!” Then she sat down and began to sob. 

Donna, at first not knowing how to respond, reached out and took Missy’s hand and said, “Maybe we can finish this at another time, Missy. You’re upset.” Then she heard a loud knock on the front room window and looked up. Stanley looked down at her, lip quivering. Then he looked at Missy. He raised one hand and waved his pointer finger and shook his head. Scared, Donna let go of Missy’s hand and said nervously, “I think I should go now, Missy. Thanks so much for the tea, and thanks for talking with me.” She looked all around the table then up at Missy and frantically said, “Oh my God, Missy.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve left the little picture album in the house, on the kitchen table.”

Missy stood and walked into the house. She mumbled something to Stanley, grabbed the small picture album and handed it to Donna. “Here you are, Sweetie. I hope I haven’t scared you off. Please come back soon.” 

“Of course,” Donna replied, “And thanks so much for the tea and cookies.” Then Donna walked home with a new perspective on the neighbors. And all night, she couldn’t get the picture of that lip-quivering Stanley out of her head.