“Yes, I would,” David says, smiling. “A woman’s work is never done.”
“No,” Emma says. “A woman’s work is never done.”
Emma stands up, faces David, and takes the pot of coffee, pouring him a fresh cup.
“Thank you,” he says.
Emma sits back on the couch, on David’s right, and leans back into a settled position looking straight ahead.
“What happened there,” David says, reaching toward the right side of her neck.
Emma bristles, and pulls away.
“Don’t act scared,” David says. “God’s will is a good thing. You can’t fight it. You can’t erase it.
“What happened?”
“I was bitten,” Emma says.
“By what?”
“A rattlesnake.”
“Dickens you say? You were bitten in church? Father didn’t tell me about that.”
“He probably didn’t know,” Emma says. “It was just a mistake.”
“That’s what your father said?”
“Yes. Father said it was just a mistake. He didn’t let go of the snake when I reached for it.”
“Well, praise God it was a mistake. I can’t imagine any sin you would have committed anyway.”
“The Bible suggests everybody sins, doesn’t it?” Emma says.
David is startled.
“Well, the Bible says those walking with God can turn away from sin. Reject it. I’m sure that’s what you do, no? Reject sin.”
“Yes,” Emma says clumsily.
“Do you handle snakes?” Emma asks.
“No,” David says. “Father and I try to keep the serpents out of our church. You bring in one, you bring in more. If people live a pure life in God, they don’t have to confront the serpent. We try to root out evil before it gets that far.”
“I see.”
“Well,” David says, looking out the window at the setting sun. “I guess I better get going. It’s getting dark.
“But Emma, I spec you will do. I’m gonna pray about it. You need to pray about it too. Ask God for the strength to be a good wife. Ask God to let you serve Him.”
Emma doesn’t respond. She knows which “him” David means.
“So I’ll miss the church service in Hengar for the first time ever in the morning and visit your church. Your father feels it is important I see his place of worship. I will pick you up here at 10:15 in the morning. We will go to your father’s church. Sit and listen to the word of God together. Then, I’ll bring you home, and if you so kindly invite me for lunch, we shall do that after.”
David stands up. Emma does too. He extends his hand. She reaches out and grasps his. He squeezes, hard. She keeps hers limp.
“I expect you to pray about this,” David says.
She walks with him to the door.
“Good night, Emma.”
“Night,” she says.
“See you at 10:15 in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Emma thinks about Michael. She considers doing her thing. She touches a hand to a nipple and rubs. An image of David flashes into her mind, and her stomach does a sour churn.
She rolls over, and goes to sleep.
12.
Sunday Service
As soon as we think we know what to expect in this world, we realize we have no idea what our future holds. And so it is with David, who told Emma he doesn’t like snakes.
David picks Emma up for the morning service at Sand Mountain Pentecostal as planned, arriving 10 minutes early to her home. He knocks on the door, and her mother answers, showing him through the door.
“If you don’t mind, David, I will ride with you and Emma to the service,” she says. “Jeremiah left an hour ago.”
“My pleasure, ma’am,” David says.
Emma and her mother ride to the church with David – Emma’s mother in the front seat and Emma in the back. At the church, they sit on the front row in the sanctuary – Emma’s mother on one side of David and Emma on the other, the right. After the service, Emma realizes she doesn’t recall a word her father said, yet David seems to know his sermon by heart.
“The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted…
“Proverbs one, verses one through 31. I know it well. And it speaks volumes to us. Your father painted a vivid picture. We are not called to empower women. We are called to serve in the way that God has called.”