Chapter 43: Tina Gets Religion – Tina III.1 – Sunday (5 days til Reception)

I was in the shower enjoying the high-end products. The whole apartment exuded luxury. When a voice came from the bathroom doorway, “Hurry up if you want breakfast before church.”

“What the hell!” I screamed. Then asked in a voice louder than necessary, “How did you get in here!”

“The door, you silly fibbie.”

“You know what I mean!”

At that Daphne walked into the bathroom. I made a halfhearted attempt to cover myself. The shower was enclosed by clear glass. Daphne looked at me, rolled her eyes, shook her head, and said, “I laid out your clothes on the bed. Don’t be long.” With that she turned, still shaking her head. As she walked out, she said, “Nice to see no tattoos.”

Thirty minutes later I walked into the other apartment. The dress had small flowers and was tasteful, but it made me feel very feminine. Something I tried to avoid, being in a male dominated field. Daphne, Kate, and Riko were all dressed similarly. Daphne announced I took too long and my breakfast would have to wait. She linked her arm through mine and walked me out the apartment.

As we walked through the lobby one of the security men said, “Off to church?”

Daphne replied, “I tried to make them look like virgins. How’d I do?”

I could tell the two security men caught the joke, but they looked at each other not sure if they should laugh.

Daphne continued, asking, “Do they at least look like they might have been virgins at some point in their lives?”

The guards were now struggling not to laugh.

Daphne finished, “You three will need to go straight to the confessional.”

Kate said, “We will need to go before you. The last time you went, the priest ran out in fear, crossing himself.”

At church it was obvious almost everyone knew Kate and Daphne. They introduced Riko and me to everyone. This appeared to be Riko’s first time as well. We met up with the other women. Rachel was with her boyfriend Jason. Janice was with her boyfriend Rich. All the people Daphne and Kate introduced us to were very friendly. I was raised Catholic, the mass was familiar, beautiful, and I enjoyed it. I always liked the ritual of the service.

After the service, the other women and their boyfriends left. The four of us went to a little gathering where there were snacks and coffee. While there, the Barringtons came up. The boys greeted Riko in Japanese, me in Spanish, and Daphne in Latin. When their mother nodded to Kate, they greeted Kate in English. All the people around us were very impressed. As they should have been, I was. The fact the children remembered my name was impressive.