Michael looked out his window at the blur of streetlights and trees as they drove through a foreign, wealthier neighborhood. He kept his gaze out his outside when Meemaw turned into a parking lot, and Michael looked out her side to see their destination. His eyes went wide as saucers and his mouth fell open. Michael groaned, “Aw, c’mon! Here?”

Meemaw put the car in park and said, “There’s no one better equipped than our good Lord and savior to help you.”

Michael cursed to himself under his breath as he exited the car and rushed around to Meemaw’s side. “This ain’t gonna help me!” He reasoned, “Just take me to get those meds. They’re all I need.”

“Those pills ain’t gonna fix you like that,” she snapped her fingers. “Jesus needs to hear from you. I’m tellin’ ya!”

“I haven’t gone in years.”

“And what a beautiful day to come back, now move it!” Meemaw wrapped her arm around his and jerked him up the steps of the church.

Michael stood in the doorway, considering running back to the car as Meemaw spun around in the empty gathering area, searching for something. He said, “Let’s just go.”

Meemaw shushed him and said, “Listen!” The soft murmur of voices reached them from down the hall. “C’mon,” Meemaw followed the sounds with Michael’s wrist pinched in her grip. They came upon an open door and entered the room where a group of teens were gathered around a table.

The brown haired boy standing at the head of the table said, “Hi, can I help you?”

Meemaw asked, “Is this the bible study?”

“You’re here for the teen bible study?”

Meemaw gestured behind her and said, “Him, yes.” When everyone looked to her with blank expressions, Meemaw looked behind her and realized Michael was not with her. She jumped out the room, grabbed him, and dragged him back in. “Him,” she pointed to Michael. “I’ll just wait in the church.” Meemaw couldn’t meet Michael’s glare when she walked past him to leave.

The leader said again, “Alright...Take a seat.” Michael reluctantly looked to the group and felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of one blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl. His heart seemed to stop, but he willed himself to play it off. He slowly worked his way around to the other side of the table and took a seat across from the pretty girl. The leader hadn’t taken his eyes judgmental eyes off of him and patronizingly asked, “Do you even have a bible?”

Michael said, “I don’t.”

Another boy at the table reached into the bookshelf behind him and offered one out to him. Michael hesitantly took it and set it in front of him on the table.

The leader said, “I think it was your turn, Joan. What verse did you bring to discussion today?”

“My verse about hope comes from Isaiah forty-three.” She paused as everyone except Michael flipped through their bible to search for the spot. Her eyes slowly drifted around the table to see when they had found it when she looked at Michael and shared a warm smile, one that made his heart leap in his chest. She looked back at her book and read, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Michael said, “That’s beautiful.”

The leader said, “Well, yes, it is the bible after all.”

The rest of the boys at the table snickered and Michael immediately thought of Tucker and his entourage. He sternly said, “Don’t ridicule me.” The leader looked to him and a tense beat passed between them. “Trust me, you really don’t want to do that.”

The boy’s stoic stare momentarily broke and he saw a flash of fear on his face. The boy quickly shook it off and looked back to his bible. “Anyway,” he continued with the rest of the meeting, and Michael listened to each of their verses about hope.

At the end of their meeting, Joan approached him. She offered out a small piece of paper and asked, “Pocket prayer?”

“What?”

“Do you want a pocket prayer?”

Michael stammered, but did not accomplish saying anything inteligible.

Meemaw entered and rescued him, “So how’d it go?”

Michael looked to Meemaw and managed to spit out, “Good! It was good. Very good.”

“Well, good.” She smiled. “And what’s your name, dear?”

“My name’s Joan.”

“Joan! What a beautiful name. Michael’s new to the church, again. Thank you for helping him.”

“Of course. We want to be as welcoming as we can. Community and friendship is a big part of faith. Michael, I’ll see you next week?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll see you then. Nice to meet you both.”

Joan turned to walk away and Meemaw looked to Michael with a knowing smile. She whispered, “Pretty, huh?” Michael rolled his eyes and Meemaw laughed again. “Bet you’re glad you came now.”

Michael blushed and said, “Stop.” He and Meemaw quietly walked out of the church.

A voice called after them, “Hold up! Michael!” Michael spun around and found the leader running to catch up with them. He stopped in front of them and asked, “Was Michael your name?”

“Yeah?”

“Right, well Michael, I needed to find you and say sorry. I was annoyed with something else going on and I projected my frustration onto you, which is very unchristian. I want to apologize. I was totally in the wrong.”

Michael felt his sincerity and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you next week.”

“Great!” The boy rushed off.

Meemaw asked, “What was that about?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“I won’t make you come back every week if you hate it.”

“No, I want to.”

“Really?”

“Ah, Joan got you, didn’t she?”

“No.”

Michael heard Meemaw’s hearty laugh and her happiness reached him as a smile snuck its way onto his face.