Schenk, T.

Digital Commons @ Butler University

:- manuscripts __ 71 __A Storyby T. SchenckIt's Sunday. He'd stayed at m'house agin, an I'm beginin t'wonder ifhe's ever gain home. I knowed thut him an his mom don't git'long toowell, an thut his pops is been dead fer I don't know how long, butm'mom is startin t'wonder'bout him. His name is Conroy Adams. He's'bout six feet tall and lanky, but he's perty well defined muscle-wise.He's got sandy brown hair thut's bushy and brissly, and eyes thut'sthe color brown of the rusty 01 wagon wheel thut lies out back. Y'allthut don't know whut color thut I'm tawkin 'bout, it's 'bout the color am'pickup truck. He's perty much a rough-hauser, kinda a punch with-out a warnin, if ya know whut I mean, but at the same time he's pertywell educated, seein haws he's bin through a lot a years a schoolin, alot more thin I has anyways. As a matter a fact, he come within atoad's hair a graduatin from high school.Well anyways, Roy, thut's whut everbudy calls him is Roy, he ain'tmuch the church gain kind, an I am, and since it's Sunday, an sinceit's m'bound duty t'git people t'go t'church so they kin go t'heavenonce they die, I figered thut I'd ask Roy t'go with me this mornin. T'mysurprise he said thut he wud an even though all he had was an 01 paira knee-torn blue jeans, an a flannel shirt with a blue jean patch on theelbow, I knew thut God wud bless me fer bringin Roy 'long t'churchwith me t'day. I drove, cus I was the inviter, and we was jus a wee bitlate arrivin at ch urch. An I started watchin Roy as we was a gittin outathe truck, an he looked a might spooked, cus I think thut this was thefirst an only time thut he'd ever bin t'church, an thut got me t'thinkin awhy he'd want t'come, but thin I r'membered thut God works inmysterious ways an it wasn't m'place t'be askin them kinda questions.Anyways, me an Roy, both t'getherwalked up t'the two reflectin glassdoors thut ya cud see yerself in, and I dressed kinda like Roy t'makehim feel a little more comfortable, an I didn't think thut God wud mindme a dressin like this cus after all, I'm doin m'bound duty as aChristian. Well anyways we walked through the reflectin doors, an Ilooked at Roy, an his eyes was a lightin up like a lantern, kinda likethey did whin thut blacky had him cornered in the bushes down b'the01 goose-pond. Boy, he was so scared thut day thut he come near t'peein in ... well thut's a differnt story. Well anyways, I figered thut thereason Roy was so su rprised is the fact thut he ain't seen no place soimac ... imacu ... so perty b'fore in his life. Cus upt'this time, his life ain'tbin the best in the world, an m'church is perty nice, an no afence, butit's a hundered times nicer thin the rat-hole thut Roy lives in. Butanyways, whin we walked in, everbudy in the congregation was astandin up and a prayin, an I was gain t'tell Roy t'be silent an bow hishead, but he was already quiet so I figered thut thutwas good 'nough,so I didn't bother him.Roy seemed real interested in church, but he seemed a lot moreintersted in Maggie Carter, I cud tell cus his eyes was fixed on her72 ___through the whole sermon. Maggie's probly the pertiest girl thut evergraced the halls a m'church, but I never looked at her the way Roywas a lookin at her in church, cus I knowed thut it was a mortal sint'lust in church, an I figered thut I got 'nough sins piled up underm'belt anyways an I didn't need no more. But anyways, I kindanudged Roy t'git his 'tention, an tode him t'folla me, an he did, cusnow they was all done with prayin an they was gittin ready t'sing outathem 01torn 'part him ... hym ... books. Well I knowed thut it was fineand dandy t'find us a place t'sit, so we did. It was right b'hind fat 01Miss BVelcher. Everbudy knowed how Miss Belcher was, an nobudyreally much cared fer her, an it was kinda sad but it happens, cus shewas a... well she wasn't the most polite lady I ever seen. Wellanyways, she ain't never bin married an she is gittin up in years, I'mnot fer sure how 01thut she is but I heared Reverend Jacobs tawkinbout her an he said thut she gains a pound with ever year, an shetakes up haf a pue the way it is, so I reckon thut she's perty 01. Wellanyways, we all stood up t'sing an whin we did we, me an Roy, noticedthut Miss Belcher's dress was a crammed up her crack, an it wasn't aperty sight. It mus a bin from all thut weight a scootin back an forthacross the seat. Well anyways I didn't much pay 'tention at first, butRoy kep a nudgin me an a laughin, an I didn't think thut it was thutfunny, as a mattera fact, I kinda felt sorry fer her cus everbudy was alaugh in, so I d'cided t' help her out an pull her dress outa her crack. Idon't think thut ! knowed whut I was gittin m'self in to cus 'bout thuttime she let out a God-awful scream an come 'round full force onRoy's head an knocked him fer a loop. Thing 'bout it was thut Roythought it was funny an started laughin, but not me boy, I thoughtthut I'd done somethin real wrong, an thut she liked her dress likethut, so I poked it back in there, an her she come all three-hunderedan some odd pounds a her an plowed Roy up the other side a thehead. By now Roy was all red-faced an as mad as a hog in a cornerwantin t'bust out. I thought fer sure thut Roywas goin t'sock her back,an my grandpa always said thut the more ya stir shit thut the worse itstinks, so I yanked Roy out in the isle, an I pulled him down the isle, anall the time he was jus cussin up a storm, an I was jus a askin left anright fer God's fergiveness fer whut had happened in his holy house.Roy kep a cussin an didn't think nothin 'bout it cus he didn't muchunderstand, but I finally got him t'the reflectin glass doors, aneverbudy was a lookin at us, and I cud tell outa all the confusion thutRoy was a lookin over at Maggie, an her an everbudy else was lookinat us. I kinda got a small hint a how Jesus felt whin he walked bearinthe cross an all the people a laughin an hecklin him. Well anyways,me an Roy got outside, an I felt mighty 'shamed a m'self cus I knowedthut Roy got the wrong idea a whut church is s'posed t'be like. But,the thing 'bout it was thut Roy didn't even tawk 'bout whut happenedin church with Miss Belcher, all he tawked 'bout was how pertyMaggie was. It was like thut was the only thing on his mind. But notme boy, all I had m'mind on was gittin outa there an maybe findin anew church where nobudy knowed who I was. Anyways, me an Roygot in t'm'truck and got ready t'head home.

A Story

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A Story

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