Bright and early Sunday morning, Mitzi banged on the back door. Mama let her inside. The child was dressed in a white dress with a black velvet bow, wearing black patent leather Mary Janes. Puccini was wearing a bow tie. Mitzi batted her eye lashes ever so slightly and said, “I would like to go to church with you.”

Mama asked, “Is it okay with your mother?”

“She’s asleep, but Granma said it was okay.”

“Let me give her a call first.” Mama picked up the kitchen phone and dialed Grandma Toady. She said, “Oh, hi Lolly. A certain someone is here. She says she has permission to go to church.”

Lolly said something neither Munch nor Mitzi could here.

“Okay, no its fine. We will enjoy her company.”

Max had been in more public places with Mitzi than his mother had, and he was not sure how well church and Mitzi would mesh.

On the way to Mass, Mitzi asked, “Why does Catho-licks call going to church Mass?”

Mama launched into a detailed description of the Latin word Mass was derived from. When she finished, Mitzi said, “If you didn’t know, you just could’ve told me. You didn’t have to make up a story.”

For half a second, Mama started to protest and then she just laughed. Truth was Munch didn’t even have a clue as to what his mother had been talking about.

When they reached the church, the green Volvo was already there. Mitzi bounced up and down in her seat. “My best friend Le is here. Me and Puccini can’t wait to see him. Get the lead out Aunt Estelle.”

Mama glanced at Munch. Her eyes twinkled. She really enjoyed Mitzi’s company. Munch did too, but only up to a point. A sense of dread was starting to swirl inside of him. For a moment Mitzi studied the church and said, “This don’t look nothing like Granma’s church. This looks like Rapunzel or the three pigs might go here.”

So Mitzi thought it looked like a story book church too.

Inside the church Mitzi just stopped. Her mouth formed a perfect O. Her eyes traveled from the stained glass windows to the patterns the colored light made on the floor. She whispered, "I didn't know this was a rainbow church." Next her gaze traveled to the statues in their niche's. When her eyes landed on the statue of Mary and baby Jesus. She whispered, “I never knew Jesus was such a homely baby.” Mama took her hand and lead her to their pew. Munch saw the Duong family sitting where they sat last week. He could feel a grin coming on. It was starting in his toes and singing Hallelujah as it spread across his face. At their pew, Mama knelt and crossed herself as did Munch. Mitzi did neither. She slid into the space right beside Le and said, “Hey good Buddy.”

He frowned and said, “I told you to call me Le.”

Mama tried to encourage Mitzi to sit beside her, but Mitzi had chosen her spot and she was not moving. With all his heart Munch wished he could be so bold and sit beside Thahn Ho.

The service began. Mitzi was very fascinated by the incense that an elder was swinging in the air in front of the Father Henri as he made his way down the aisle. She wondered why the preacher was wearing a dress. All went pretty well until it was time for the Eucharist. Munch started praying Mama would just let Mitzi take it. If she did not, there would literally be hell to pay. The decision was made by Mrs. Duong. Perhaps she didn’t know Mitzi wasn’t Catholic, but she took her up front with Le. Disaster avoided.

After the closing prayer, they headed to the parking lot. The adults talked and so did Mitzi and Le. Munch and Thahn Ho stood silently together not speaking and yet Munch felt like they were communicating in their own way. He had never been with anyone before in silence. Always he wanted to fill the space with the sound of his own voice. This was really strange and wonderful at the same time.

The adults headed for their cars. Mama grabbed Mitzi’s hand. Mr. Duong took Le’s hand. Thahn Ho broke the silence and said, “It was good to see you today, Michael. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it was. See ya, tomorrow.” This was the eighth day in a row he had spent time in Thahn Ho's presence and tomorrow would be the nineth. Another grin spread across his face.

As they drove away from the church Mitzi said, “I liked your church. It was cool. I’m gonna ask Mama if I can be a Catho-lick. Le says I have to be Catho-lick or his mama won’t let him marry me. Its some kind of rule. I told him I’m not even five and I can’t marry him. But if he’s really nice to me, which will be hard for him, I might let him be my boyfriend.”

Mama asked, “Does he want to be your boyfriend?”

Indignant, Mitzi said, “Why wouldn’t he? I am fabulous.”

“Indeed you are Mitzi. Indeed you are.”

“Thanks. Can I have lunch with y’all if you ain’t having anything that’s gross?”

Mama asked, “How does peanut butter and jelly sound?”

“What kinda bread? I don’t want that sprouted kind that tastes like grass.”

“I have some white bread that your Uncle Trace likes.”

“That’ll do. Me and Puccini will stay for lunch.”

*

Munch had left his math homework until Sunday night. He was plowing through it in his room when he heard a knock on the door. It was Lolly, he recognized her knock. He went to answer the door. She had her back pack with her. She asked, “Mind if I do my homework with you?”

“No, I don’t mind. Is everything okay?”

“As okay as it can be with Max grounded. The big doofus is in such a MOOD. You’d think he got the death sentence or something."

Alarmed Munch asked, “Does he think I told on him?”

“No, he knows you wouldn’t do that. He thinks it was me though.”

“Did you tell him it wasn’t.”

“Nope. I’d rather him be pissed at me than Mitzi. Aunt Jessie is all freaked out that he’s gonna start drinking next and then do drugs and then die in prison. She is totally over reacting.”

Munch exclaimed, “Good Lord!” He asked, “How did Mitzi know he’d been smoking?”

Lolly made a face and said, “Well, when you and Thahn Ho came back from the barn, ya’ll both smelled a little like cigarette smoke.”

“Why didn’t Mitzi think we were smoking?”

Lolly sat down on the floor and started digging through her backpack before she answered, “Mitzi is very good at putting two and two together. Her brother went to the barn. You went to the barn and came back smelling like smoke. She knows Mr. Health Nut Munch wouldn’t smoke, so that left Max.”

“Do you think Kevin was smoking?”

“Nah, he was just there while Max did what Max does.” Lolly opened her Literature book and started reading. Munch sat down beside her and got back to his math. After a little while of studying, Lolly asked, “So, how was your walk with Thahn?”

Eager to know if Thahn Ho had talked about him, Munch asked, “How did she think it went?”

“That girl does not talk much. Sorry she didn’t say. How do you think it went?”

“Good, and then something changed her mood. I don’t know what it was.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed she does that sometimes. I wish I knew why.”

Munch wished he knew too.

A sly grin spread across Lolly’s lips. “Mitzi tells me she might become a Catho-lick and marry Le. If she married Le and you married Thahn Ho you and Mitzi would be double kin.”

“Shut your mouth girl! What is it with you and marriage lately?”

“I dunno. I guess I just been thinking about it a lot since the wedding.”

The wedding of his mama to her pa, was not a topic Munch wanted to discuss, much less think about. He didn’t answer and Lolly took the hint. She went back to her reading and he went back to his math.

Of course Lolly finished her homework before he did. He was so absorbed in trying to unleash the mysteries of a + b = c, he didn’t notice that she had pulled out one of his sketch books from under his bed. It wasn’t just any sketch book it was the one that he had drawn Thahn Ho in. He reached for it but he was too late.

Lolly studied the sketch. “You really got the quality of her eyes.”

He muttered, “The rest isn’t so good.”

“So what, the eyes are fabulous. They look so real. You should show her.”

Munch snatched the sketch book away from her. “First of all, don't look in my sketch books without permission and secondly, that is not going to happen." With a little break in his voice he added, "Don't you tell her I’ve been drawing her. She might think its creepy.”

A little twist came to Lolly’s smile. “So you are drawing her. There’s more. Come on, please let me see.”

Though Munch was embarrassed he really wanted to share the tractor drawing with Lolly. “There is only one more.” He opened the sketch book and showed her.

“Oh, Munch, this is really good. I love it, but I promise I won’t tell.” She gave him a hug and said, “I best be getting back to the war zone. I sure wish Aunt Jessie wouldn’t ground Munch when she’s working. It means Grandma Toady and I get to suffer through his nonsense.”

After Lolly left, Munch studied his two drawings. What would Thahn Ho think of them? He would never know, because she would never see them. He closed his sketch book and slid it under his bed. His thoughts turned to her. In a few hours it would be tomorrow and he would be in her presence again. For now that had to be enough. For now it was enough.