AN: You'll notice that neither Tyler or Alphonso force their beliefs onto others. If they are asked a question, they'll respond and try to give a biblically sound answer or they'll say, you're welcome to read my Bible if you really want to. They don't force it, but they don't gatekeep either. And I think that's the part that gets misunderstood.

Part 76

Following Tyler, they stopped at a large bulletin board. Tyler took a slip of paper from a basket and a pen. He wrote something on the slip and pinned it on the board.

"What's that?" Raquelle asked curiously.

"It's the community prayer board. We write down what prayer requests for and pin it on the board," Tyler explained.

Ash looked at the board, reading his request. It was just her name and the kids'. There was no explanation about what exactly they needed prayers, just that they needed some prayer. "You pray for us?"

He nodded. "All the time. You're my friend. Lance was my friend. And this is what we do for our friends. It may not mean much but it's what we can do. I hope you're not offended."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not offended." She wouldn't tell him that she didn't see a point to prayer but if he wanted to pray for her, it couldn't hurt. "It's just… even if he is real, why would he care about me? There's 8.1 billion people in the world."

Tyler smiled at her. "I'm not going to answer that question. I don't want to lead you. If you're serious about that question, it's all right here." He held up his Bible. "And I'm happy to let you read it," he promised. They walked into a small classroom with little girls and boys the twin's age.

"Good morning," a female rabbit smiled at them. "I'm Mrs. ONeill, welcome to the kindergarten class." She offered her hand.

Ash took it. "I'm Ash Co-… Beaumont." That was really going to take getting used to. "This is Raquelle and Lancey. This is their first time."

She looked down at the children. "Well, they'll have a great time. Hey kids, the others are coloring pictures to take home. Would you like to join them."

Lancey looked up at Ash. "Mama?" He asked.

She smiled. That was the first time, he'd called her that. It felt good. "Go ahead. We'll come back when class is done. Have fun."

Raquelle looked shy, but at Ash's reassurance, she let the teacher lead her into the classroom.

Ash looked back at Tyler. "Where do we go now?"

"Our class. The Singletons," he chuckled at the name. "Alphie and Meena go to the Young Couples' classroom." He led her down the corridor and up the elevator to the third floor.

——————————

Johnny made breakfast that morning, letting the scent of cinnamon-maple-sugar permeate the apartment. Since their first attempt to celebrate Neo's adoption with a family breakfast was marred by the other day, they decided to try again. This time they also invited his dad and their new family.

So now he placed the last dish, a plate laden with French toast, on their round dining table. Klaus sat between Ryan and Suki. Marcus sat beside her. Followed by Porsha then Nooshy and finally Neo sat beside his two dads.

"So how did you like spending the day with Grandpa Klaus on Friday?" Ryan asked Neo. Things had been chaotic and he hadn't got to ask.

Neo chuckled. "He's not very good at video games."

The crotchety monkey looked away haughtily. "Well, he said he didn't like to dance, so we played video games."

Ryan laughed. "Well good job getting him to try something new, Neo. Don't worry, sir. We'll make sure you get a lot of practice."

Klaus nodded. "And perhaps he could try dancing with me sometimes. I can teach you to dance like a pro," he promised.

"Only if you can do it without that stick and with a gentle hand," Marcus stated.

Johnny looked at his dad. "Dad, please, it's alright. I know he will be good to Neo, right, sir?" He asked, his eyes narrowing at the proboscis.

Klaus nodded softly. He had yet to earn the older gorilla's forgiveness. It didn't matter to him that Johnny survived because of him.

Porsha looked at Nooshy, who nodded. "Hey, Big Daddy, Big Mama," she announced, earning a look of shock at the new nickname from Suki. "I know this breakfast is for Neo, and I have a gift planned for him too," she promised the boy. "I ordered you guys a gift that was supposed to be for your baby shower, unfortunately it was delayed in the factory but they delivered it last night." She practically bounced up and down in excitement. "Johnny, is it okay if I give it to them now?"

Her big brother gave her grateful smile, glad she had changed the subject. He had forgiven the monkey, as had Ryan, and Rosita had given him back his job, but he still had a lot of work to do to earn his father's. "Sure, I'm curious now. I want to see too."

Porsha led them all downstairs. "Now, I got help from Alphonso. He knows about this subject and he made sure it was safe and fuel-efficient."

Marcus and Suki exchanged a glance. "Fuel-efficient? What did you get for us?" Suki asked before she saw it.

Sitting on the curb, right in front of the studio. Sapphire blue paint glistened in the sunlight. The carriage sat on a beautiful set of white-wall, high profile tires.

Marcus' mouth fell open as he looked at the mini-van. "Porsha, you didn't have to do this. This must have cost a fortune!"

Porsha shrugged. "And I could afford it. I wanted to do something for you and Big Mama. And I wanted my baby brother and sister to have a safe car to ride in. There's even brand new car seats." She realized. "Are you mad?" What if she'd miscalculated?

He shook his head. "I'm not mad… I'm very grateful but…. Porsha, you know you don't need to spend your money on us. I didn't adopt you for expensive gifts and your money. I adopted you because I love you." He hugged her.

Porsha hugged him back. "I know… And I love you too, Big Daddy. I did this because I wanted to. I hope you like it. Come see. It's got smartphone hookup, a backup camera, automatic headlights and three rows. And it gets 55 mpg in the city."

Suki examined the minivan closely. "This is beautiful, Porsha. Thank you." She hugged her daughter.

Johnny looked at Nooshy. "Did you know about this?"

She laughed. "I did. I went car shopping with them. I earned enough for the first insurance payment." She bragged, referring to her street dancing. "You gave us a home, Big Daddy. A home and a family. We wanted to give back a little of what you've given us."

The huge gorilla hugged his other daughter. "Well, as long as you know, you didn't have to. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat."

"Well, now I feel bad interrupting," a voice interrupted them. Marcus turned to see his parole officer. "We need to talk, Marcus."

——————————

When Ash heard church, she immediately thought of a huge choir singing bland, boring melodies that were meant to be reverent and "honoring to God". And while there was a choir, there was also a full band, including guitars and drums.

A young male lion played an electric guitar and sang, "I can see the clouds roll in. I can feel the winds, they try to shake me. I will not be moved, my feet are on the rock!"

Tyler and the rest of the congregation sang along, except for Ash and the twins. They didn't know the words. She was shocked when many acted like they were at a rock concert. This was not what she expected at all. At least it was fun for the children.

Finally, the choir came down from the bleachers and the band joined their families in the pews. Pastor John stepped up to a transparent glass podium. "A man was desperate for money so he decided to rob a bank. He had never done anything like this before and he was extremely nervous as he entered the bank building. He meant to say, "Don't mess with me lady, this is a stick up." In his nervous condition he said to the bank clerk, 'Don't stick with me lady, this is a mess up.'" Everyone including Ash laughed at the dad-joke introduction. "Well, I'm sure it was a "mess up." The reason he confused his words was the presence of fear, and in his case he needed to be afraid. Actually, fear can "mess up" our lives even in the normal process of living. God wants us to be free of fear. You might ask, "How do you know he wants me to be free of fear?" He tells us in His Word many times, 'Fear not!'" He paced around. "And you know what, I counted. The words "Fear not" can be found in the Bible 365 times. That's one time for every day of the year, including Leap Years. If someone tells you to do something or not do something 365 times, they must mean it. Am I right?"

The crowd chuckled again and she looked down at the kids. They looked bored until Tyler handed them each a children's book to read. He looked at her and let her see his own bored expression. To be fair, he'd warned her that this part was very dull. At least the preacher tried to sprinkle jokes and quips throughout. She could see what he meant. It was fun up until the sermon.

Finally, a young gazelle took the stage while the guitarist picked the guitar back up and the pianist, a small porcupine like her, sat back at his instrument. "I speak the name of Jesus over you. In your hurting, in your sorrow, I will ask my God to move. I speak the name 'cause it's all that I can do. In desperation, I'll seek Heaven. And pray this for you."

For some reason, it felt like the gazelle was looking directly at Ash, like the song was meant for her. How did they know how she was feeling at this moment? How could they possibly know how scared she was? She had been determined to be child free for the bulk of her adult years.

These kids had got to her though and she couldn't imagine life without them. But she was terrified. One minute she thought maybe she could do it but the fear was stronger. With Lance, it felt possible. Now he was gone and she had to do it alone. She didn't know what to do.

At last, the service ended and they were dismissed to go about the rest of their day. "So, what'd you think?" Tyler asked as they got into Alphonso's van.

"I think you were right. The music is definitely the highlight. Sunday School was okay," she laughed. "I was not expecting rock and roll. Nor did I expect to see you banging your head, Alphonso."

Alphonso blushed. "Well, now you know what music makes me do that. If you like the music, it's a free concert once a week." He laughed. "That was a good sermon today too. We're going to take you guys home then come back for my interview."

"You'll get it, Alphie," Tyler insisted. "You were meant for this! Go do your interview first. We'll wait." He promised.

"Are you sure?" He looked at Ash.

"Sure, in fact, we could play at the church playground until you're done. Then I'm buying lunch to celebrate!" Ash promised. If this job was important to Alphonso, she wouldn't spoil it.

The elephant shrugged and smiled at Meena. "I guess, here we go. No more putting it off. I have to tell them the truth." Together they went back inside while Ash and Tyler went to the playground.

AN: Okay, time for bed here. Next chapter, Alphie has his talk with the pastor. Will they still accept him as a youth leader? What does Mack want with Marcus? Find out next time. Please comment and review.