Like Sheep Gone Astray Read Free Page B

Ellis encouraging Anthony.
    Terri rolled her eyes. She did not know when or if she would ever get used to this preaching thing. It was not that she minded the good-church-boy image. If anything, his spirituality, along with his clean-cut features and promising career, of course, had been the clincher in claiming him as the perfect catch—
her
perfect catch. But she had never expected it to get this far.
    “Girl, you know this preaching business won't last long,” Cherisse, her best friend and confidante, would continually assure her, twirling one of her long neat braids between two fingers. “Anthony's too proud and pretty of a man to
really
believe that this is what God told him to do. He'll be calling Shaw Enterprises any day now, begging for his old job back. It's just a phase he'll grow out of real quick when he's ready to buy a new Versace suit.”
    Terri wholeheartedly believed that her friend was right. But six months had passed and Anthony still seemed content with his new job at a small business firm where he was earning less than a quarter of his former near-six-figure income. And he had just recently registered to take even more classes at the local Bible college.
    Terri glanced down at her diamond-studded platinum watch and let out an exaggerated sigh.
It's almost one-thirty! I hope Anthony hurries up.
She turned her eyes toward him, hoping to catch his attention, thinking that maybe he would see the boredom on her face and hurry to the car.
    “My, my, my, what a word!” Mother Howard embraced Anthony. Terri dropped her head back on the car seat.
    “How much longer is this going to last?” she mumbled, checking her watch again. When she finally heard footsteps approaching, she closed her eyes, hoping that Anthony would think she was tired and not stop to talk to anyone else as they pulled away from the parking lot. She sat there for a moment with her eyes closed, listening to each approaching step on the gravel lot, waiting for the driver's-side door to open. When the footsteps stopped and the door did not budge, she slowly peeked open one eye to discover Sister Kellye Porter's face smiling at her through the passenger window.
    “Sister Murdock,” the sixty-something-year-old wife of the assistant pastor chirped through the glass, “roll down this window so I can talk to you, honey.”
    The trill of Sister Porter's voice matched the pleasantness on her face. Terri groaned inside but put on her best smile while holding down the power-window button.
    “How have you been, dear?” Sister Porter still smiled, a slight gap in her teeth showing through her broad grin. Her round face seemed to bounce with every word she said, causing the gray-streaked, tight curls cluttering her head to spring with every syllable.
    “I've been just blessed,” Terri said in a singsong voice to match Sister Porter's. The older lady's head still nodded, her smile still widening. “How is Minister Porter feeling these days?” Terri asked politely.
    “Oh, our God is working, child. Bernard will be out of that sickbed and back to the work of the Lord any day now, praise Him. Satan will not keep my husband down.” Sister Porter was still nodding, still smiling.
    “Mmmmm.” Terri joined in the nod, looking away, looking for Anthony.
    “Honey, I'm not going to hold you long,” Sister Porter sweetly chirped. “I've been thinking about you, that's all. I still want you to come over my house some time. I'll call you with my address. Maybe one day we can get together for lunch or bake some cookies and talk, you know, ministers' wives' talk and such.”
    “That's an idea.” Terri smiled.
Anthony, where are you?
she yelled in her mind.
    “You remind me so much of myself in my twenties.” Sister Porter grinned. Terri managed to stifle a laugh. What on earth could they possibly have in common, she wondered as she quickly studied Sister Porter's plump frame from head to toe. Her red polyester suit screamed against the