A loud knock on her bedroom door jostled Abbey Bennett from her drowsy sleep. Her eyes shot open and she propped herself up on her elbows.
"Abbey!" Her father called.
"Yeah!"
Abbey glanced over and noticed her sister asleep on the floor beside her bed and shook her head in disbelief.
"Are you awake?" Nick asked.
"No, I'm sleep-talking, as I've been known to do from time to time," Abbey replied, sarcastically.
"You're lucky sarcasm suits you, Abigail. I'm coming in."
"No!" She shouted quickly. "Don't!"
"What's the matter?" Nick questioned, with alarm.
"I…I'm…I'm getting dressed!"
"Ah. Well, do you plan on coming to church with us this morning?"
"Uh…yes! Yes. I'll be there."
"Then you better get crackin', cookie, because we're leaving in about ten minutes. You know how Joanne likes to get there early."
Abbey glanced down at Julia again nervously.
"Why don't you leave me the keys to the Chevy and I'll meet you there, all right? I'll never make it in ten minutes. You know me."
"Don't be late now," Nick advised.
"I won't!"
Abbey waited until the sound of her father's footsteps faded before tossing a pillow down onto Julia's head. Julia immediately jumped, rudely awakened from her peaceful slumber.
"What the hell!"
"Wake up!" Abbey ordered.
"I'm up, I'm up, what's going on?"
They both jumped when Nick returned and knocked on Abbey's bedroom door yet again.
"Abbey?"
"Yes, Dad?" Abbey replied, with an audible sigh.
"I want you to be careful driving the Chevy."
"Okay, Dad."
"I mean it, it's been acting up lately," Nick said.
"Okay, Dad. I hear you."
"Drive slowly, and don't make any sharp turns. I know the way you drive, young lady."
"Dad! I hear you. I'll be fine," Abbey insisted.
"Good."
Again, Abbey and Julia waited until the sound of footsteps faded before continuing their conversation.
"God," Julia muttered. "If I wanted to drive the Chevy, he'd say 'sure, no problem, go right ahead,' without a word of warning."
"Oh, shut up. No, he wouldn't."
"Uh huh."
"Now come on, let's get ready for church," Abbey said, crawling out of bed finally.
"What? No, no, no, no. No way."
"Julia, please!"
"You're my sister and I love you to pieces, but there is no way you're getting me inside that church."
After she parked the Chevy in the church parking lot, Abbey scurried over to the other side of the car and peeled Julia off the passenger seat and out of the car. Julia made her body go limp, making Abbey's job much more difficult.
"I swear on the holy bible, Julia Marie, if you don't get out of this car…"
"You just swore on the holy bible outside God's house!" Julia cried out with amusement.
"Yeah, yeah. Out of the car, missy."
Julia unwillingly stood up on her own and smoothed out her dress. Abbey stood before her, with her hands placed firmly on her hips, waiting for her.
"I'd really like to get in there sometime before Jesus returns for his faithful flock, so, if you wouldn't mind…"
"All right, all right. Take it easy, Mary Magdalene, we're going."
Abbey grabbed her sister's arm and proceeded to drag her toward the church with a vengeance. Julia struggled to keep with her up and wriggled from her grasp.
"Hurry up!" Abbey demanded.
"Abbey."
"What?"
Julia continued to jog after her.
"Abbey, slow down, I can't run in these heels."
Abbey complied and slowed her pace until she walked in step with Julia.
"I'm gonna tell him now," Julia announced.
"Excuse me?"
"Dad. I'm gonna tell him when we get inside."
Abbey stopped dead in her tracks and, with a hand on Julia's arm, stopped her as well.
"You are not gonna tell Dad right now, Julia."
"Yes, I am!"
"He's going to throw enough of a fit as it is, we don't need it to be in front of the entire congregation!" Abbey exclaimed.
"He'll keep quiet if we're in church. He won't want to make a scene, so he'll just have to sit there silently until after the service. That's why I want to do it now."
"Are you out of your mind! Dad could care less who sees him flip his lid! Which is why we have to care for him."
"Oh, come on. It's not going to be that bad," Julia replied.
"I'm sorry, have you ever met Dad?"
"Abbey…"
"The minute he finds out his unmarried, unbetrothed, and clearly unwise daughter is pregnant out of wedlock, he is going to lose it! Julia, you are NOT telling him right now!"
Julia nodded wordlessly in concession.
"Okay."
Surprised at her sister's sudden acceptance of her argument, Abbey smiled uneasily.
"Okay."
"But I'm telling him after dinner tonight," Julia stated.
"Fine. Don't forget about the church picnic after the service today."
Julia's face fell.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
"All you have to do is smile, nod, mingle, and eat. I'm sure you can manage that," Abbey replied.
"I'll get you back for this."
"I'm shakin' in my heels, tough girl. Let's go."
"Bless me father, for I have sinned. It has been one week since my last confession."
He recognized her voice instantly. He stared through the screen, trying desperately to see her face. But it was no use. He would have to settle for the voice, which, admittedly, was no small thing.
"Go on," he said.
Jed could hear her hesitate and almost visualize her biting her bottom lip nervously. She shook a deep breath before speaking and even then, she paused.
"My sister is pregnant," Abbey whispered. "She's twenty-five and in graduate school. And she's unmarried."
"Wouldn't that be considered your sister's sin rather than your own?"
"Yes, but…I encouraged her."
"You encouraged her?" Jed questioned, incredulously.
"No, no. I mean, I didn't…encourage her to get pregnant. I comforted her when she told me she was, and I support her."
"It is still your sister's sin. By supporting her, you're behaving as family should."
"I suppose," she replied. "But I still feel as if I've done something wrong."
"You haven't."
She smiled inwardly to herself, not as if he could see her anyway, before continuing.
"Do you have anything else you would like to confess?" He asked her.
"Well," Abbey answered, with a smirk she knew he wouldn't see. "I swore on the holy bible outside of God's house."
