It was a Sunday morning. The sun was up; the air was fresh, and you could hear the birds chirping in the distance. I woke up to the sound of the alarm I had set on my phone the previous night. My room was still a mess because I had just moved in on Friday and I was too lazy to unload all of my moving boxes. I had unpacked the important stuff though. I just had a few boxes left.

“I guess I’ll finish up this afternoon when I return from church.” I thought to myself as I rubbed my eyes, trying to get the sleepiness out.

The environment was relatively quiet; I realized. The town I moved from

Lenville

was a busy place, and as early as 5:00 am, you would already hear the blaring of cars and train horns from a distance. Meanwhile, my new residence was somewhat more quiet, as it was located in a suburban area. Thanks to the transfer from the company I work for, I get to enjoy quieter days with blissful scenery.

After a few minutes of musing, I got up and headed to the bathroom. I brush my teeth, have a warm shower, and head to my closet to pick out an outfit for church. I’m not really a religious freak, though. I just grew up in a Christian home. The weekly routine of going to church, listening to sermons, trying to live a good life, had gotten so accustomed to me that it was difficult to leave it even after I left my parents to live alone. Also, my mom said always said a man close to God is closer to himself. I didn’t really understand what that meant though, but I guessed it meant I should continue going to church.

“Knock knock knock... Chris! Chris!” I heard a knock on the door. It was Joe, an old friend from highschool. Fortunately, he lived in Lakeview too. He was so happy when he heard I was relocating to Lakeview and was excited to chauffeur me around until I get well settled in and more familiar with the environment. Apparently, Joe also goes to church and invited me to come along with him this Sunday.

“Come in. The door is open.” I yelled from my room, still getting dressed. Joe walks into the living room and sits on the couch. “Are you ready?” Joe asked from the living room.

“Almost. give me a second.” I say, as I now hurriedly try to round up. I put on some cologne and head out. “I’m ready, let’s go.”

“Wow, you look great... Nice suit.” Joe said, complimenting my outfit. “Thanks!” we head out and get into his car. “How far is it?” I ask as Joe starts the engine. “It’s just a ten minutes’ drive from here.” he replied. “Oh, cool.” I add.

Joe tries to show me around as we drive around the town on our way to church. “Oh, that’s where I work.” he says as he points to a large building by the side of the road with bold inscriptions at the top. ‘OG cold room’. He’s the Managing director of a frozen foods company that stores and distribute sea food and other frozen foods. “over there is a really nice bar. I think we should go there later and maybe have a drink.” He said, shrugging his shoulders. “That’ll be great.” I said with a half smile on my face.

“Remember Highschool?” He said, and I immediately knew what he was referring to. It was like I could read his mind.

So in highschool, we kind of had the same group of friends and while we were still minors, we would smuggle some alcohol from the house, usually our dad’s cabinets, and bring them together and mix them and shared amongst ourselves. When we got to senior high, most of us were eligible to drink, and we just went to bars instead and had fun.

We both let out a little chuckle as we both have a minor epiphany, reminiscing on our highschool days.

“Here we are.” Joe said, as he pulled over in the car park in front of the church building, among other cars. We both got down and walked towards the entrance.

“Good morning brother Joe.” we heard a voice from behind us calling. “Oh, good morning. Deaconess Linda.” Joe said while she walked closer towards us. She wore a blue gown that had flowery designs on it, with light makeup on her face.

“Chris, meet Deaconess Linda, Deaconess, this is Chris. he is my friend from highschool. He got transferred at his job, and just moved here a few days ago. He’ll be joining us for service today, and probably subsequently.” Joe said. I shook her hand. “How are you enjoying Lakeview?” she asked. “Oh, very much ma’am.” I said with a smile. “It’s very beautiful place, with really nice people.”

“Yes, it is.” she said, smiling. “Well, if there’s anything you need at all, don’t hesitate to ask me, okay?” She added and went into the church.

“She’s very nice,” I said to Joe as we strolled inside.

We found seats at the front row of the auditorium. It was an extensive building. There were about 100 to 150 people there already, and I figured there’ll be more since the service had just begun.

Everything was going smoothly. There was singing and praying and some words by the moderator. It was time for the choir rendition. They marched to the stage in their purple robes. The band was already playing a prelude to the song, as what I thought was the most beautiful creature on earth stepped forward from the rest of the choir with a microphone in her hand, about to take a solo. While she stepped out, I felt like everything was now moving in slow motion and the rhythm to my heartbeat changed. when she sang, it felt like I was being beamed up into the sky with her by some magnetic field.

After I came out from my theatrical fantasy, i whispered to Joe- “Who is that?” discreetly pointing my fingers in her direction. “That’s Rose. She’s pastor Timothy’s daughter.” Joe whispered back into my ears. “You know her?” he asked. “Not really.” I replied.

They ended their rendition in a beautiful cadence while the congregation clapped and cheered. Since after the rendition, my eyes subconsciously wandered towards her direction throughout the rest of the service.

After the service, I walked behind Joe as he tried to introduce me to some of his friends. When we were done and about leaving, we saw Rose by the door. “Would you introduce me?” I said to Joe. “Sure!” we got closer, and she greeted us with a smile that melted my heart. She wore a pretty pink dress that brought out her shape really well. She was about the same height as me. I’m 5’8 by the way.

“Hey Rose, this is Chris, my friend from highschool, he just moved into town... Chris, this is Rose. She’s the pastor’s daughter.” I shook her hand tightly and smiled. “Nice to meet you. How do you do?” she said in a soothing, cool tone. “I’m good, you?” I asked. “I’m great.” She replied. “I really loved your voice when you were singing earlier. You have a great voice. I would love to hear more of it.” I smirked. She smiled. “Thank you so much,” she blushed. “well I’ll see you around,” she said and moved on. I waved at her and let out a little smile. I don't know if I've felt this way before. I had warm feelings all over, like I had just won a lottery.