Church Folk - Michele Andrea Bowen [10]
Theophilus was embarrassed at the mess he had made in his effort to meet this woman. And now he had to convince her that he didn't see her as some "little jook joint cook." But the way she was holding that meat cleaver made him think real carefully before he opened his mouth again.
"I realize that I haven't made much of an impression on you this evening," he began. "But you have to believe me when I say that I didn't come back here to be disrespectful. I just wanted to meet you. You should call Reverend Murcheson James over at Mount Nebo Gospel United Church and ask him about me. Maybe a good word or two from him will make you feel comfortable enough to see me again."
"Reverend James is my pastor. I'm a member of Mount Nebo."
Theophilus felt like shouting. This woman went to Mount Nebo? Now he knew the Lord was truly on his side. He smiled at her as he said, "You should also know that I'm a single man, all by myself, just hoping to find a good woman."
Essie rolled her eyes at him. "All by yourself? I've never seen a preacher all by himself without a whole bunch of women to choose from. For some reason, women just seem to love preachers. I don't know why."
Theophilus decided to ignore that last comment and said, "Yes, there sure are a lot of women who love preachers and would be glad for one to choose them. But I just told you that I'm looking for a good one."
"And you gonna find her in Pompey's Rib Joint?"
"I'm talking to a good woman right now, right?" Theophilus said, standing over Essie, looking down at her, daring her to differ with him.
Essie knew she was a good woman, one who worked real hard to see that everybody at Pompey's knew it, too. To be sure, good-looking Negro men had crossed her path on many an evening at work. But they all made the fatal error of missing the point—that Essie Lee Lane was not only fine-looking with big sexy legs, she was a woman of fine character who knew she deserved better than what they always wanted to offer her.
"You haven't answered my question."
"What question?"
"I asked you if you were a good woman and you've been standing there staring at me."
Now it was Essie's turn to be embarrassed. She hadn't realized that she was staring at him.
"So, I'm talking to a good woman in the kitchen of one the hottest jook joints in the Delta. Am I not?"
Essie struggled, trying to compose just the right answer to that question. The way he looked her over, head to toe, was jumbling up her thoughts. She frowned. "Why you looking at me like you got X-ray vision? You know that ain't right for no man and especially one claiming to be a preacher."
Theophilus checked his gaze, traveling down to get a fully lighted view of those legs. He wondered if her legs would feel as soft and satiny to his hands as they looked. But he wasn't about to apologize because he couldn't keep his eyes off her. "You know something, Miss—"
"Essie Lee. Essie Lee Lane."
"You know something, Miss Essie Lee Lane. I don't have X-ray vision, truly I don't. But to be perfectly honest, at times like these I sure wish I did." He gave her a smile that started at his eyes and traveled leisurely down to his mouth.
Essie felt flushed looking at him smiling at her like that. Here was a man—a preacher in fact—who told her he wished he had X-ray vision and gave her a look that said volumes about how he would use this gift if he were so blessed with it. She had always been skeptical of ministers—felt that too many of them didn't practice what they preached and had bigheaded notions about themselves. But for some reason, she felt differently about this man, which was disturbing, the more she thought about it.
"What's the matter with you, Miss Essie Lee Lane? You got a thought you don't like?"