Taking Care of Moses by Barbara O'Connor

her,” she said.
    â€œAsk who what?” Randall said.
    â€œAsk Mrs. Jennings to come over here and talk to Mama.”
    â€œYeah,” Althea said, “ask Mrs. Jennings to come over here and talk to Mama.”
    Jaybird shot her a look.
    Randall shook his head. “I don’t know.”
    â€œShe’d do it if you asked her,” Jaybird said. “She likes you.”
    â€œYeah,” Althea said. “She don’t like us too much.” Jaybird shot her another look.
    â€œI don’t think so,” Randall said.
    â€œCome on.” Jaybird nudged Randall. “Don’t you want us to come back to church?”
    â€œSure I do,” Randall said. “But I don’t think Mrs. Jennings will listen to me .”
    Althea jumped up and clasped both hands together. “Please, please, please.” She shook her clasped hands in Randall’s face.
    â€œOh, all right,” Randall said. “I’ll try.”
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    When they got to the church, piano music floated out of the basement window.
    â€œChoir practice,” Jaybird said.
    â€œYeah,” Randall said. “Maybe we better come back later.”
    â€œNo, now!” Althea hollered. Then she softened her face and lowered her voice and said, “Please, Randall.”
    Jaybird and Althea followed Randall through the back door of the church and down the stairs to the choir room. They tiptoed in and sat on the metal folding chairs along the wall.
    â€œOkay, then,” Mrs. Jennings was saying. “We’ll sing ‘When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder’ first and ‘He Is Mine’ second.” She closed her hymnal and gathered sheets of music off the table in front of her. “See y’all Sunday,” she said.
    As the choir members filed out of the room, Randall stood up.
    â€œMrs. Jennings?” he said.
    She looked up. “Well, hey there, Randall,” she said. “What’re y’all doing?”
    â€œWe came to ask you a favor.”
    â€œOh?”
    â€œAlthea wants real bad to be the helper for Moses, uh, I mean, Nathan, at that new play group of yours,” Randall said. “And, um, she was wondering, I mean, we was wondering, well, Jaybird and Althea, and …”

    Mrs. Jennings chuckled. “Wondering what, Randall?”
    â€œIf you would go over to the Gilleys’ and make Mrs. Gilley come back to church,” Randall said. “’Cause Jaybird and Althea really want to.”
    Mrs. Jennings pressed her lips together. “But does Mrs. Gilley want to come back to church?” she said.
    Althea ran over. “She does,” she said. “I know she does. She hates it over at that other church where we been going. She said them busybodies over there are worse than you.”
    Jaybird punched Althea in the arm. Mrs. Jennings’s face twitched slightly, but she smiled.
    â€œWell now, Althea honey, your mama knows this church opens its doors to everyone.” She put the sheet music into a folder. “Even those who have shut the doors of their hearts to us ,” she added.
    â€œShe ain’t shut no door,” Althea said. “She just needs you to lead the way to putting away the wrath.”
    Althea grinned at Jaybird and Randall. Mrs. Jennings’s eyebrows shot up.
    â€œPutting away the wrath?” she said.
    â€œYou know, like it says in the Bible,” Althea said. “‘Let all bitterness and wrath be put away from you with a mallet.’”
    Mrs. Jennings smiled. “‘With all malice ,’” she said. “That’s Ephesians.”

    Althea nodded. “I know it is. I know all them verses perfectly. I should’ve won that Bible drill, ’cause Maddie Shadd is so stupid and—ow!” Althea grabbed her arm where Jaybird had punched her again.
    Randall stepped forward and said, “I just figured, um, I mean, we just figured …” He glanced back at