She felt compelled to visit the church after what has happened.
Imagine that?!? She headed for a different church this time. It has been
months since she'd last been to a church to pray. So, she felt she had to
spend just a few minutes of her time in a church. She'd pray every night,
but it was always a better experience to pray in a church. She probably
visited every single church in Manhattan already, probably at least twice.
She knew which ones she hit recently and which ones she didn't and she went
to those. But, she found a church and went inside it. She saw a very
unusual and an unfamiliar sight in one of the pews. Kid Blink was on his
knees; hands folded, and looked like he was praying.
Liz blinked a few times not believing what she was seeing. Kid Blink was at a church praying?
He must have heard the door shut behind her because he turned around quickly. "Liz!" He motioned for her to come over to him. "I need tah ask you a very important favor." He said with a huge smile on his face.
She slowly walked over to him and kneeled down beside him. Liz and Blink didn't really talk; they fought more than anything else. Fighting was all the talking they had usually. Their relationship was sort of like Skittery's and Snitch's. They always fought and the only talking they ever did to each other was calling each other 'bastards', 'fuckers', calling each other gay, or just fighting over absolutely nothing.
"Um, could you do somethin' for me?" He bit his lip. His face was a bit red with embarrassment. Never in anyone's life would they think that Blink would turn to God if he had a problem. He has turned to girls, his friends, alcohol, and whatever else he could get his hands on to.
"Sure, what do ya want Blink?" She asked.
"Well, um, could you teach me how tah pray?" He gave an embarrassed smile.
She put on her biggest and best smile. "Blink! Of course I'll teach you! But, dere ain't nothin' tah teach, nor nothin' tah learn." She admitted.
"No, I mean, I seriously don't know how tah pray or anythin'. I ain't nevah been in a church before in my life." He laughed.
"But, dere ain't nothin' tah learn, Blink. Praying is just a time between you and God and dat's it. It's like when you talk to Jack or Mush. You don't have to use dese big woids dat you have no idea what dey mean. You just talk to him like your friends." She explained.
"Okay, but what do I say? What do I call him?"
"You call him what ever you want. Call him God, Father, Jesus, or whatever."
"Could I call him faggot?" He joked.
"You could, but I don't think he'll like dat very much."
"Okay, could you help me though?"
"Yeah, sure." She took his hand.
"Um okay?" He was unsure of what was going on.
"Blink, when people pray together, they hold hands. But, we don't have tah if you don't want to."
"No, it's okay. You just kinda freaked me out there." He laughed. "Okay, be serious."
"Wait, what are we praying about, Blink??"
"Uh." He said in a low voice. "Well, dis goil, Christina. Da one I was talkin' tah you about when we played spin-da-bottle. Ya remember? Well, I found out dat she lives in Brooklyn an' I really wanna go an' see her, but we kinda lost contact an' stuff an' it all ended badly. I'm afraid dat if I go an' see her; she won't wanna see me again. But, da truth is dat I broke plans off tonight wid Mush 'cause I love him. NO! I mean I love her. Not Mush! I don't love Mush! That came out wrong." He panicked.
"Blink, I know what you mean. I understand. Okay, we'll pray. I'll start us off an' you can just tell God what you want tah tell him. Sound good?"
He nodded. "But, umm, ain't you supposed tah feel somethin' when you pray?"
"I guess you could. Like, you could feel a lightened heart or spirit or whatever. It's an awesome feelin' Blink. Seriously, I mean you can feel it when He enters da room. I know He's already here now, but sometimes you can really feel Him. It's an unforgettable feeling. You'll know that He's here when you get dat feelin'."
"But what does it feel like?"
"It's like, I don't know, it's real different. Like when you confess something tah someone that you've been wantin' tah get off your chest for so long, dat's what it feels like. It's hard tah explain. Many different things might happen. You might be overcome with sadness and cry for no reason. You could just feel compelled tah throw your hands up and scream and dance. But, you just might feel like He's talking to you. I don't know what'll happen, I don't know if anything will happen. But, if you feel somethin' listen tah what you feel and follow it. If someone's telling you something, listen. Because it's Him."
He nodded his head in comprehension.
"Okay, we'll start. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and thank you for da meal you so graciously set out for all of us. I want tah thank you for all the papers I sold today and I want tah thank you for all da people who had money tah buy papers from me. I want to thank you for my new friend, Chicken Wing, and Skittery. I want tah thank you for leading Blink here tah seek out your name. I want tah thank you for makin' Oscar want to change and helpin' him change."
"Liz. I though we're here tah talk about me?"
"And please excuse Blink, because he don't know what he's doing. But anyway, Blink is here because he is in love with an old friend named Christina. I'll let him speak tah You now."
"Um okay." He said as he sat in silence for a long time.
"Blink?" She nudged him.
"Oh dear God." He looked around. "I want tah thank You for keepin' me strong and letting me stand up against my best friend, Mush. He does bad things God and I'm not at all like him. Okay, I kinda am, but I'm gonna change too. Anyway, I need some help with dis goil named Christina. She lives in Brooklyn and is datin' Spot, he's such a rat bastard.."
"BLINK!" Liz scolded.
"Oh! Please forgive me God. I'm sorry, I forgot. Um yeah. But I really need tah see her. I just can't do dis anymore. I've lived so long without her." He stopped.
"And lead him tah her if it meant to be. He really loves this goil and who could blame him. She must be a very nice and respectable girl. I guess, I mean she is dating Spot and all. I mean, he could be like a last resort or somethin'. But, anyway, he has a lot of feelin' for her and he really wants tah see her. He misses her so much and would do anythin' tah see her again. He wants tah go tah Brooklyn tah see her, but he ain't sure dat she'll like it if he did. That's why he is coming tah You, Lord. He wants tah know if he's doing da right thing by goin' and approachin' her. He wants tah win her back Lord and if it is Your will, will you help him? I know you will. If it is meant tah be, give him the courage he needs, the words tah say and tell him what tah do."
"Liz. I feel something." Blink blurted out. "It's in my stomach; it's like a tingly feeling. I don't know what it is. It doesn't feel good though. It kinda hurts." A loud growl came from his stomach.
"Blink, did you happen to eat any of your food at Tibby's?"
He thought for a minute. "No. No, as a matter of fact, I didn't. Oh, so it ain't God?"
Liz shook her head.
"Damn it. Oops, sorry. I forgot we're in a church. Sorry God. Forgiveness! Master forgiveness."
"Anyway, Blink take over."
"Okay. I want tah get Christina back. Help me please. A man." He chanted. "Okay, thanks a lot Liz. Are we done now?"
"Blink it ain't 'a man', it's 'amen'." She corrected him.
"What? Dat ain't right. It's 'a man', 'a men' don't sound right. What were dese people stupid?" He laughed.
"Blink, it don't mean 'a man' as in a guy, it's like a closing or something I guess. I don't know, but dat's what it is. But, don't you wanna say somethin' else??"
"Liz, if I feel like I gotta pray again, I will. I mean, it's all out there now and He knows what's going on and it's up to Him. The Big Guy. The Fat Lady who sings. The Big Man on Campus. The"
"Okay, I get it." Liz shook her head.
"But, thanks a lot Liz. You don't know how much dis means tah me. I mean, Christina is my life. Well, she was my life. You remember her?"
"Yeah, I remember you hangin' out with her once or twice. But that was a long time ago. I forgot."
"Yeah, but you know how much I love her. It's like how much you like Snitch. It's just like I wish I had waited for her, ya know. I made so many stupid mistakes and she just watched me make 'em and didn't say a woid. Now everythin' between us is gone. It's real sad, Liz. I mean, all da time I spent wid her was magic."
"What do you mean you wish you had waited for her?"
"Well, she's a virgin, ya know. Well, she was a virgin, I don't know about it now. But I just hope and pray that she waited. I wish that I had waited too. It would have been so different and it'd mean so much more if it was with her, ya know. But, I remember the first time I saw her. I just wanted so much tah be loved by her. I wanted so much tah love someone like her. I was so afraid that if I made a mistake she'd never love me. I guess that's what I did wrong. If I didn't tell her how I felt she just sort of gave up and left. So, dat's why I told Mush that I didn't want to go with him tonight. He was gonna go to his ex-girlfriend, Ellen's house an' get laid. He wanted me to come with him because she had a friend there too. But, from now I'm waiting for her and I pray that she'll wait for me. I just want to be hers and I want her to be mine. I can just see everything. I mean, she was such a great person. When I see us together I can see forever. It's weird, because I ain't never seen that before. But, I know that she'll always be faithful to anyone and everyone. She'll always be faithful to me and she was. It was my fault that she left. I was so stupid and I just sort of gave up. But, Liz this is my first time praying. From now on I'm gonna pray every single night. I'm gonna pray that she'll wait for me. She'll hold on just for one more day. I'm gonna pray for her, I'm gonna pray that she'll keep her eyes open and she'll keep her heart open. She won't fall in love with Spot or any one else. I pray that she'll just wait for me. I know that we'll be together and if we are, it'll be forever. Because I want to spend forever with her. I love her."
Liz sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm such a sap." She laughed, blushing a bit. "Blink, you are something else. I swear. I have never seen this side of you before. I don't know what to say. All I can say is go to Brooklyn and take her breath away. But, just give it time. Pray some more and see what happens. Just let God know what you want, which you already have, and if it is meant to happen, it will. I won't let you down and neither will He." She smiled.
"Thanks so much, Liz." He held his arms out to hug her, but hesitated a bit. They'd never hugged before and it was sort of an awkward and odd experience. They laughed as they hugged for the first time. After they were done hugging Blink smiled and left.
"Blink in love? I mean seriously in love. I thought I'd never see it. I mean, Blink actually asking for help, from a girl. What is up with him? But he came to You." She looked up at the ceiling. "What else do ya got planned for me up dere?" She smiled.
Liz blinked a few times not believing what she was seeing. Kid Blink was at a church praying?
He must have heard the door shut behind her because he turned around quickly. "Liz!" He motioned for her to come over to him. "I need tah ask you a very important favor." He said with a huge smile on his face.
She slowly walked over to him and kneeled down beside him. Liz and Blink didn't really talk; they fought more than anything else. Fighting was all the talking they had usually. Their relationship was sort of like Skittery's and Snitch's. They always fought and the only talking they ever did to each other was calling each other 'bastards', 'fuckers', calling each other gay, or just fighting over absolutely nothing.
"Um, could you do somethin' for me?" He bit his lip. His face was a bit red with embarrassment. Never in anyone's life would they think that Blink would turn to God if he had a problem. He has turned to girls, his friends, alcohol, and whatever else he could get his hands on to.
"Sure, what do ya want Blink?" She asked.
"Well, um, could you teach me how tah pray?" He gave an embarrassed smile.
She put on her biggest and best smile. "Blink! Of course I'll teach you! But, dere ain't nothin' tah teach, nor nothin' tah learn." She admitted.
"No, I mean, I seriously don't know how tah pray or anythin'. I ain't nevah been in a church before in my life." He laughed.
"But, dere ain't nothin' tah learn, Blink. Praying is just a time between you and God and dat's it. It's like when you talk to Jack or Mush. You don't have to use dese big woids dat you have no idea what dey mean. You just talk to him like your friends." She explained.
"Okay, but what do I say? What do I call him?"
"You call him what ever you want. Call him God, Father, Jesus, or whatever."
"Could I call him faggot?" He joked.
"You could, but I don't think he'll like dat very much."
"Okay, could you help me though?"
"Yeah, sure." She took his hand.
"Um okay?" He was unsure of what was going on.
"Blink, when people pray together, they hold hands. But, we don't have tah if you don't want to."
"No, it's okay. You just kinda freaked me out there." He laughed. "Okay, be serious."
"Wait, what are we praying about, Blink??"
"Uh." He said in a low voice. "Well, dis goil, Christina. Da one I was talkin' tah you about when we played spin-da-bottle. Ya remember? Well, I found out dat she lives in Brooklyn an' I really wanna go an' see her, but we kinda lost contact an' stuff an' it all ended badly. I'm afraid dat if I go an' see her; she won't wanna see me again. But, da truth is dat I broke plans off tonight wid Mush 'cause I love him. NO! I mean I love her. Not Mush! I don't love Mush! That came out wrong." He panicked.
"Blink, I know what you mean. I understand. Okay, we'll pray. I'll start us off an' you can just tell God what you want tah tell him. Sound good?"
He nodded. "But, umm, ain't you supposed tah feel somethin' when you pray?"
"I guess you could. Like, you could feel a lightened heart or spirit or whatever. It's an awesome feelin' Blink. Seriously, I mean you can feel it when He enters da room. I know He's already here now, but sometimes you can really feel Him. It's an unforgettable feeling. You'll know that He's here when you get dat feelin'."
"But what does it feel like?"
"It's like, I don't know, it's real different. Like when you confess something tah someone that you've been wantin' tah get off your chest for so long, dat's what it feels like. It's hard tah explain. Many different things might happen. You might be overcome with sadness and cry for no reason. You could just feel compelled tah throw your hands up and scream and dance. But, you just might feel like He's talking to you. I don't know what'll happen, I don't know if anything will happen. But, if you feel somethin' listen tah what you feel and follow it. If someone's telling you something, listen. Because it's Him."
He nodded his head in comprehension.
"Okay, we'll start. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and thank you for da meal you so graciously set out for all of us. I want tah thank you for all the papers I sold today and I want tah thank you for all da people who had money tah buy papers from me. I want to thank you for my new friend, Chicken Wing, and Skittery. I want tah thank you for leading Blink here tah seek out your name. I want tah thank you for makin' Oscar want to change and helpin' him change."
"Liz. I though we're here tah talk about me?"
"And please excuse Blink, because he don't know what he's doing. But anyway, Blink is here because he is in love with an old friend named Christina. I'll let him speak tah You now."
"Um okay." He said as he sat in silence for a long time.
"Blink?" She nudged him.
"Oh dear God." He looked around. "I want tah thank You for keepin' me strong and letting me stand up against my best friend, Mush. He does bad things God and I'm not at all like him. Okay, I kinda am, but I'm gonna change too. Anyway, I need some help with dis goil named Christina. She lives in Brooklyn and is datin' Spot, he's such a rat bastard.."
"BLINK!" Liz scolded.
"Oh! Please forgive me God. I'm sorry, I forgot. Um yeah. But I really need tah see her. I just can't do dis anymore. I've lived so long without her." He stopped.
"And lead him tah her if it meant to be. He really loves this goil and who could blame him. She must be a very nice and respectable girl. I guess, I mean she is dating Spot and all. I mean, he could be like a last resort or somethin'. But, anyway, he has a lot of feelin' for her and he really wants tah see her. He misses her so much and would do anythin' tah see her again. He wants tah go tah Brooklyn tah see her, but he ain't sure dat she'll like it if he did. That's why he is coming tah You, Lord. He wants tah know if he's doing da right thing by goin' and approachin' her. He wants tah win her back Lord and if it is Your will, will you help him? I know you will. If it is meant tah be, give him the courage he needs, the words tah say and tell him what tah do."
"Liz. I feel something." Blink blurted out. "It's in my stomach; it's like a tingly feeling. I don't know what it is. It doesn't feel good though. It kinda hurts." A loud growl came from his stomach.
"Blink, did you happen to eat any of your food at Tibby's?"
He thought for a minute. "No. No, as a matter of fact, I didn't. Oh, so it ain't God?"
Liz shook her head.
"Damn it. Oops, sorry. I forgot we're in a church. Sorry God. Forgiveness! Master forgiveness."
"Anyway, Blink take over."
"Okay. I want tah get Christina back. Help me please. A man." He chanted. "Okay, thanks a lot Liz. Are we done now?"
"Blink it ain't 'a man', it's 'amen'." She corrected him.
"What? Dat ain't right. It's 'a man', 'a men' don't sound right. What were dese people stupid?" He laughed.
"Blink, it don't mean 'a man' as in a guy, it's like a closing or something I guess. I don't know, but dat's what it is. But, don't you wanna say somethin' else??"
"Liz, if I feel like I gotta pray again, I will. I mean, it's all out there now and He knows what's going on and it's up to Him. The Big Guy. The Fat Lady who sings. The Big Man on Campus. The"
"Okay, I get it." Liz shook her head.
"But, thanks a lot Liz. You don't know how much dis means tah me. I mean, Christina is my life. Well, she was my life. You remember her?"
"Yeah, I remember you hangin' out with her once or twice. But that was a long time ago. I forgot."
"Yeah, but you know how much I love her. It's like how much you like Snitch. It's just like I wish I had waited for her, ya know. I made so many stupid mistakes and she just watched me make 'em and didn't say a woid. Now everythin' between us is gone. It's real sad, Liz. I mean, all da time I spent wid her was magic."
"What do you mean you wish you had waited for her?"
"Well, she's a virgin, ya know. Well, she was a virgin, I don't know about it now. But I just hope and pray that she waited. I wish that I had waited too. It would have been so different and it'd mean so much more if it was with her, ya know. But, I remember the first time I saw her. I just wanted so much tah be loved by her. I wanted so much tah love someone like her. I was so afraid that if I made a mistake she'd never love me. I guess that's what I did wrong. If I didn't tell her how I felt she just sort of gave up and left. So, dat's why I told Mush that I didn't want to go with him tonight. He was gonna go to his ex-girlfriend, Ellen's house an' get laid. He wanted me to come with him because she had a friend there too. But, from now I'm waiting for her and I pray that she'll wait for me. I just want to be hers and I want her to be mine. I can just see everything. I mean, she was such a great person. When I see us together I can see forever. It's weird, because I ain't never seen that before. But, I know that she'll always be faithful to anyone and everyone. She'll always be faithful to me and she was. It was my fault that she left. I was so stupid and I just sort of gave up. But, Liz this is my first time praying. From now on I'm gonna pray every single night. I'm gonna pray that she'll wait for me. She'll hold on just for one more day. I'm gonna pray for her, I'm gonna pray that she'll keep her eyes open and she'll keep her heart open. She won't fall in love with Spot or any one else. I pray that she'll just wait for me. I know that we'll be together and if we are, it'll be forever. Because I want to spend forever with her. I love her."
Liz sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm such a sap." She laughed, blushing a bit. "Blink, you are something else. I swear. I have never seen this side of you before. I don't know what to say. All I can say is go to Brooklyn and take her breath away. But, just give it time. Pray some more and see what happens. Just let God know what you want, which you already have, and if it is meant to happen, it will. I won't let you down and neither will He." She smiled.
"Thanks so much, Liz." He held his arms out to hug her, but hesitated a bit. They'd never hugged before and it was sort of an awkward and odd experience. They laughed as they hugged for the first time. After they were done hugging Blink smiled and left.
"Blink in love? I mean seriously in love. I thought I'd never see it. I mean, Blink actually asking for help, from a girl. What is up with him? But he came to You." She looked up at the ceiling. "What else do ya got planned for me up dere?" She smiled.
