Everybody Say Amen Read Online Free PDF Page B

being unreasonable by not giving her another chance. And she especially couldn’t understand why he chose overweight, plain-looking Shante over her.
    Rachel knew she was pretty, always had been. But she’d let her hair grow out over the years and now it hung down on her shoulders. She’d also kept her svelte size-eight frame. Bobby used to love how guys were always looking at her. She used to think that and his love for her would be enough to win him back. But he’d made it clear that he loved Shante for what was on the inside, not how she looked.
    It was a mature viewpoint that Rachel just hadn’t understood at the time. Over the years, however, she’d grown up enough to do so. So then why can’t you stand Shante? a little voice echoed in her head.
    “Because I wish he’d chosen me,” Rachel mumbled before quickly catching herself. “No, I don’t. What am I talking about?”
    “Ma, are you in here talking to yourself?”
    Rachel jumped at the sound of Jordan’s voice from behind her. She hadn’t even realized she was standing in the kitchen, in the dark, talking to herself. She tried to fake a laugh. “I’m sorry, baby. I was just mumbling.”
    “Oh,” Jordan muttered like he could really care less. “I just needed some water. I have the hiccups.”
    “Have a seat.” Rachel walked over and flipped the light on. “I’ll get you a glass of water. Maybe even make us some hot chocolate, and maybe we can chat for minute.”
    “Awww, Ma. I just want to get some water and go back to bed,” he groaned.
    Rachel ignored him as she grabbed a glass, filled it with water from the Ozarka machine, and placed it on the table. “Have a seat.”
    Jordan rolled his eyes as he plopped down at the table. Rachel grabbed two more cups from the cabinet, filled them with hot water and placed them in the microwave. After letting the water get hot, she removed the cups, filled them with cocoa, and placed them at the table.
    “Here; now, let’s talk,” she said.
    Jordan groaned again.
    “You want to tell me what’s going on with you?”
    “Nothing, dang.”
    “Jordan, I don’t like your attitude lately. You’re rude and disrespectful, and I just don’t understand what’s going on with you.”
    Jordan sighed, then took a sip of his hot chocolate. “Why you trippin’?” he finally said.
    “All right, don’t get smart,” she warned. “I’m just trying to get you to talk to me.”
    “What? Ain’t nothing wrong. I wish everybody would just leave me alone!” Jordan scowled.
    “Jordan, you’re eleven. How bad can life really be?” Rachel tried to talk calmly because it was obvious something was wrong with her son. “Talk to me, please.”
    Jordan blew a frustrated breath, then sat up. “Fine. I wanna know why don’t nobody like us. Why they’re always talking about us. You, Uncle Jonathan, Uncle David, even Paw Paw Simon. Everybody hates us.”
    Rachel tried not to smile. She forgot that at his age, being liked was one of the most important things in the world. She put her hand on his. “Baby, nobody hates us.”
    “Yes they do. Everybody’s always talking about us.”
    Rachel shook her head. “Sweetie, sometimes, when you’re in a position of power, you’re held to higher standards than everyone else. Your grandfather has always held a position of power, so people expected his kids to be perfect. But we had problems just like everybody else.”
    Jordan looked like he wasn’t convinced.
    “You know Sister Smith, Donyell’s grandmother?” Rachel continued.
    Jordan nodded. “What about her?”
    “She’s raising Donyell because his mother went to prison for bank robbery.”
    Jordan’s eyes got wide as she kept talking.
    “And Sister Hicks got arrested for shoplifting when she was a teenager.”
    “No way!”
    “Yes way.” Rachel smiled. “So, you see, everybody has issues. Some people act so holy that you think they’ve never done anything wrong—but no one on this earth is