Chapter 4

Clay entered his apartment room exasperated from the run home, he hardly noticed Bloberta coming up to him and pecking him on the cheek.

"Was your run for mayor, a little more than you could handle, dear?" Bloberta joked recognizing Clay's exhaustion. Clay didn't laugh and instead just answered her question.

"I think its more than I can bear..." Bloberta stepped backwards, literally taken aback.

"Is there someway I can help? That's what I'm here for after all..." Bloberta tugged at her collar to show a little more cleavage in an attempt to wow Clay, getting extremely inpatient they have yet to make love in their nearly week long marriage. Clay's attention was elsewhere, his stress regarding this potential new job, and everyone at every turn looking to bring his past to light. "Ahem." Bloberta feigned a cough. Clay finally looked over to her, and clearly eyeballed her chest.

Great...Clay thought to himself...He couldn't deny the man inside him desperately wanted to take the bait. His curiosity of the delight this woman could offer was certainly great.

But then the embarrassment he felt inside. That was even greater than his lust. He feared what lying down with Bloberta could mean for his mental state. For all he knew all hell could break loose! All moral dignity could be destroyed if he were to give in to that beast in his head...And then there was the possibility of a son...Sure Clay entertained the idea a bit as a child growing up. However upon maturing he realized the scope of what having a child actually meant: Responsibility, and an incredible sacrifice. In the face of his father, what a let down he had been to him and vice versa...Just the idea of that one day happening between him and someone he had a hand in creating and bringing into the world was a horrible feeling.

He hated his father. His father hated him. For a good amount of time he'd been somewhat content with not receiving love from anyone. It was liberating he realized. No one to disappoint, no one to serve, just himself and the Lord above. Now a wrench had been thrown into the vision. This woman, showing admiration to him.

He knew he didn't deserve it...She was showing so much reasons why she indeed deserved it. Clay really didn't feel right. Clay needed to keep a hold of his sanity, so he mentally told his lust to shove off.

"I...I need to sit down and rest a little..." Clay walked over to the couch and turned on the radio to one of his favorites "Non-threatening Negro Comedy" hopefully he would help ease this stress.

Bloberta gritted her teeth, very frustrated but directed her anger to a spot of dirt on the ground she observed. Clay listened to the radio anxious to hear a joke.

"Let me tell you folks, ya ever find yourself walking down the street whistling a tune and someone out of no where tries to guess what your whistling? Like I'm just randomly whistling and 10 times out 10 they guess it right!"

Clay laughed, this was the pinnacle of comedy for him, nothing compared, ever so slightly provocative yet still quaint.

-

Clay passed out on the couch after drinking too much while listening to his comedy show. It made Bloberta fuming in rage. He barely talked to her today and drank himself to sleep. Bloberta wanted to punch him but decided to read the bible instead, that usually helped.

"But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. " -Corinthians 7:2-5

Satan's call to take advantage of Clay in his sleep was all too loud, but Jesus would take much problem with that if she were to do so. But what if it were in the name of God? A promise to God that she would create a child so perfect, that even the saints would bow to him? A child so well intentioned he would serve in thy Lord's name to even the most obscure of scripture?

She envisioned this child, she wanted this child. She needed this child.

Bloberta went to pray on the subject, the conscious of her mind serving as voice of the holy spirit. "Wait for now. Just wait for now." is what it said. Bloberta went to sleep still dreaming of this wonderfully altruistic morally just boy.

-

The sun rose and the birds tweeted, Bloberta awoke ready to begin the very first Sunday with Clay. She went to the bathroom and cleaned herself up, applied some lipstick and thought about what she would wear as a new wife to church...She'd usually wear her red dress with the low collar, but now as a wife she decided to don one of her new dresses. It was a red button up long dress with a white collar. Much more appropriate since she was no longer looking for a man to marry. She also decided to wear a sun hat, entirely suitable for a Sunday outing she joked to herself.

She was excited, she couldn't wait to arrive to church and show off her new husband, not to mention her lovely diamond ring.

Much to her distress and anger she saw Clay was still asleep. She approached Clay and tapped on his nose to awake him. Clay only slightly opened his eyes, he was experiencing a head ache. He didn't say anything as he was still pretty much asleep.

"Clay, its our first Sunday together, you need to get ready for church."

Clay groaned in disgust

"I have to work with Putty everyday."

"Clay this is supposed to be a message we send, together, going to church together!"

"Next week we'll go, I'm really not feeling good today."

Bloberta had to repress the urge to slap him silly and realized Clay wasn't going to budge right now...Should she not go to church either? No...She wanted to go, even if Clay wasn't going to come with, she really wanted to get out for the day, especially if her husband was going to sour her mood like this. She grabbed the car keys and walked off to the car in a seething rage. Things were not going the way she wanted.

-

Reverend Putty was in the middle of looking over his sermon, deciding where to add nuances. It was on commitment. He hadn't done one on that subject in awhile. Plus with all these recent marriages especially with the Puppingtons he wanted to get across a message to them. Clay left in a hurry yesterday, they were supposed to talk about what was on Clay's mind. Hopefully he would be able to get Clay's attention after the sermon to chat with him about it.

The reverend stepped out of the church to greet the people arriving. Mr. Norm Fakey and Mrs. Millie Fakey, Doctor Secondopinionson and his Protégé Quentin Xavier Potterswheel with his wife, Officer Roger Papermouth with his wife Florence, Mr. and Mrs. Littler, the Hymentact family and...Reverend Putty usually was pretty good with names and people, he was a man of God after all he got to know people like they were his own family at times but he didn't recognize this fellow...He had greying hair, and he wore a black suit. Putty decided to introduce himself to the man.

"Greetings! I'm the reverend of this church, Rodney Putty. I don't believe I've ever met you before. Are you new to town?"

"I've lived here a long time but I never went to church much, nice to meet you reverend, I'm Arthur Puppington." The man said humbly as the reverend looked a bit surprised.

"Puppington? So your Clay's dad! Your sons a fine fellow, a little whacky but hey we all are sometimes."

"He does come to this church right?"

"Well yeah! Its the right one isn't it? He got married here a week ago- hey why weren't you there?"

"I wasn't invited." Arthur said with a frown.

Reverend Putty was definitely curious about this but he had to get inside and start the sermon soon. Speaking of Puppington though...Putty realized the newlywed Puppingtons have yet to arrive...And he made this sermon mostly for them...Arthur's eyes darted around the congregation looking for any sign of Clay.

-

Bloberta knew she was late to church and that made her anxious but she definitely wanted to hear the sermon, she could brag to some of her friends about her ring and lie that Clay is busy with work or something. He was running for mayor after all. The church doors opened loudly and of course all eyes shifted to her direction. Bloberta began to sweat hard, she noticed her "family", her fake mother leering at her. She was definitely experiencing intense regret about coming to church today...Reverend Putty looked on to Bloberta with a grief, almost thinking that perhaps flinging Clay into the political arena was a mistake on his part. A spot happened to be free next to Arthur. Arthur knew who she was from past instances of being forced to go to church. It was Bloberta Hymentact, his new daughter in law.

"Well since everyone's made it to class shall, we get started?" Reverend Putty attempted to lighten the mood, some people laughed, most didn't. "I have been a man of God for about 5 years now. Now some people will have you believe that sort of commitment to God is nothing like a husband and wife. They forget we as people usually get mad at God for one thing or another, heck, he's to blame for everything happening to us. Let me tell ya, its a constant domestic dispute for me at night praying."

Arthur's paid a little attention to the sermon at first but very quickly realized that the reverend was using his position to talk about his own problems. Arthur tried to not to be obvious as he shifted his eyes towards Bloberta. Something was bothering her, and Clay was no where in sight...

Bloberta was trying her hardest to focus on the reverend's every word, but her mind was wandering back to Clay and what she could possibly do to help him.