asked.
âOh no, no, no, we still have room. We were prepared for last-minute registers,â Mr. Richardson said.
Will watched as Chauncey peeled off two one hundred dollar bills and handed them over to the man. The man put the two hundred dollars in a metal lockbox and handed Will a brochure.
âThanks!â Chauncey looked at Will. âI am going to go say hello to a few people.â
Will followed suit and stood next to Chauncey.
âHey, Deacon McClendon,â a muscular guy greeted Chauncey.
âGentlemen, this is Will. I met him last night and I convinced him to come and join us.â
âPraise the Lord!â one man said.
âWe were just talking about Michael Vick and his return to football,â the muscular guy said.
âYeah, that man messed up by having a bunch of snitches in his camp,â Will said, taking comfort in the fact that their conversation revolved around something other than church.
âThe lesson is to watch the company you keep. Because God blessed that boy with a gift worth millions of dollars and he threw it away betting on dogfights. Not everyone is meant to go with you to the top,â one guy said.
âHe should be all right. He got Tony Dungy helping him get his life straight with the Lord,â the muscular guy commented.
Thatâs when the conversation derailed for Will. He did not think that Vickâs redemption lay in his spiritual relationship with an ex-football coach. Vick just needed to be more wise about who he kept in his camp.
Will zoned out of the conversation and wondered what he was doing at the church event. He was certain that he would die of boredom.
âHow did you meet Deacon McClendon?â one man asked Will. The question snapped Will out of a daze.
âOh, I had some car troubles last night and Will was kind enough to assist me,â Chauncey said.
The statement started a chain of curious looks from the brethren.
âI donât understand how this could happen.â Will turned around to see a tall man with a gray beard. This guy looked like he could have started on the Lakers back when they had Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. The man was talking to a much smaller white man. He followed Chauncey, who obviously knew the man, as he headed toward him.
âPastor Dawkins, whatâs wrong?â Chauncey asked.
This guy had to be the biggest pastor Will had ever seen. He always saw pastors who were either fat and bald or skinny and bald. This pastorâs voracity was somewhat intimidating. For a moment, Will almost did not want Chauncey to bother him. The guy seemed visibly upset.
âThe enemy seems to be up to his old tricks,â the pastor replied.
âIs there something wrong?â Chauncey asked again.
âIâm truly sorry, Pastor, for this mix-up,â an employee said.
âHe doubled booked us with a womanâs book club,â Pastor Dawkins said to Chauncey.
âLord Jesus, have mercy! The devil is a liar,â Chauncey shouted out.
Will could have sworn he missed something. He was in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strange men, the person whoâd invited him being the strangest of them all. He could not understand why a group of women being at the same location was a problem; unless these men were gay. Will vowed that if he somehow stumbled upon a gay religious event, then he would never tell a soul.
âListen, you still have all of your conference rooms available, but to be honest with you, we could use the extra guests,â the groundâs rep said.
âYou donât understand. The whole purpose of why these men travel all this way is to be free from the distractions of women and the things of the world,â Pastor Dawkins hammered.
At this point, Will had concluded to leave this place just as soon as he robbed Chauncey of all of his money. He hadnât come all this way for nothing.
âWeâll try not to let our other guests be a
âOh no, no, no, we still have room. We were prepared for last-minute registers,â Mr. Richardson said.
Will watched as Chauncey peeled off two one hundred dollar bills and handed them over to the man. The man put the two hundred dollars in a metal lockbox and handed Will a brochure.
âThanks!â Chauncey looked at Will. âI am going to go say hello to a few people.â
Will followed suit and stood next to Chauncey.
âHey, Deacon McClendon,â a muscular guy greeted Chauncey.
âGentlemen, this is Will. I met him last night and I convinced him to come and join us.â
âPraise the Lord!â one man said.
âWe were just talking about Michael Vick and his return to football,â the muscular guy said.
âYeah, that man messed up by having a bunch of snitches in his camp,â Will said, taking comfort in the fact that their conversation revolved around something other than church.
âThe lesson is to watch the company you keep. Because God blessed that boy with a gift worth millions of dollars and he threw it away betting on dogfights. Not everyone is meant to go with you to the top,â one guy said.
âHe should be all right. He got Tony Dungy helping him get his life straight with the Lord,â the muscular guy commented.
Thatâs when the conversation derailed for Will. He did not think that Vickâs redemption lay in his spiritual relationship with an ex-football coach. Vick just needed to be more wise about who he kept in his camp.
Will zoned out of the conversation and wondered what he was doing at the church event. He was certain that he would die of boredom.
âHow did you meet Deacon McClendon?â one man asked Will. The question snapped Will out of a daze.
âOh, I had some car troubles last night and Will was kind enough to assist me,â Chauncey said.
The statement started a chain of curious looks from the brethren.
âI donât understand how this could happen.â Will turned around to see a tall man with a gray beard. This guy looked like he could have started on the Lakers back when they had Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. The man was talking to a much smaller white man. He followed Chauncey, who obviously knew the man, as he headed toward him.
âPastor Dawkins, whatâs wrong?â Chauncey asked.
This guy had to be the biggest pastor Will had ever seen. He always saw pastors who were either fat and bald or skinny and bald. This pastorâs voracity was somewhat intimidating. For a moment, Will almost did not want Chauncey to bother him. The guy seemed visibly upset.
âThe enemy seems to be up to his old tricks,â the pastor replied.
âIs there something wrong?â Chauncey asked again.
âIâm truly sorry, Pastor, for this mix-up,â an employee said.
âHe doubled booked us with a womanâs book club,â Pastor Dawkins said to Chauncey.
âLord Jesus, have mercy! The devil is a liar,â Chauncey shouted out.
Will could have sworn he missed something. He was in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strange men, the person whoâd invited him being the strangest of them all. He could not understand why a group of women being at the same location was a problem; unless these men were gay. Will vowed that if he somehow stumbled upon a gay religious event, then he would never tell a soul.
âListen, you still have all of your conference rooms available, but to be honest with you, we could use the extra guests,â the groundâs rep said.
âYou donât understand. The whole purpose of why these men travel all this way is to be free from the distractions of women and the things of the world,â Pastor Dawkins hammered.
At this point, Will had concluded to leave this place just as soon as he robbed Chauncey of all of his money. He hadnât come all this way for nothing.
âWeâll try not to let our other guests be a
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