the couch.
Alexx walked over and shook her. Leslie turned over and saw that it was Alexx, Dana, Ryann and Bishop Parnell. Alexx and Ryann embraced her. Leslie cried so hard that she lost her breath.
ALEXX
Girl it is going to be alright.
DANA
Actually it is not. That was pretty embarrassing. I mean it was over the whole church.
They all looked at Dana in disgust.
DANA
I am just being honest.
RYANN
Please sit and be quiet.
DANA
I don’t know what I would do. He would be dead if it was me. Just make him some hot lemon tea. Say he died of natural causes.
RYANN
Dana – shut the hell up. Oh excuse me Bishop.
BISHOP PARNELL
Trust me I do understand.
LESLIE
I don’t know how to pick my life back up.
ALEXX
You take some time and you continue to live.
LESLIE
He was my world. And then for me to catch him with Aiden. Aiden and I had been friends for a minute. I trusted him.
DANA
I always figured that something was up with Aiden. He was just strange.
RYANN
So all gay men are strange?
DANA
Not all of them, just the ones that are hiding something.
ALEXX
Look my brother is gay. We love him just the same. Nothing changed about him just that he is open now.
DANA
Don’t you mean “out”? Or are you talking about his ass?
RYANN
I am about to stomp a mud-hole in you if you don’t be quiet.
ALEXX
I mean open. His life is open, his mind is open. Do you know how hard it is for a gay black man to make it in our society? While there are many members of the black community who have identified themselves as same gender loving, it is still not accepted by the staunchly Christian group. The prevailing view is that a gay lifestyle is not one that provides people with the right to love as they choose but a lifestyle that goes against biblical teaching. It is not about denying a group the right to love or marry like the rest of the population.
RYANN
It’s no secret that we live in a very homophobic world. For those of us that have said “why doesn’t he just come out”, it is not just that easy. We the world, our judgments, or double standards, our silly gender roles, and our ignorance cater to the down low brothers. What about the down low women?
LESLIE
What are you saying Ryann?
RYANN
I am a lesbian. I have been living with my partner for the last fourteen years. I know that no one ever knew. We kept it that way for a reason. We flew to Washington D.C. back in 2010 and got married. So now we have been married for four years.
DANA
I always thought that you looked at me funny.
RYANN
Dana, please let me be the one to tell you…you are not all that with your “BMW”.
DANA
I know that you are a lie. I am all of that and a bag of chips with some ranch dressing on the side. Plus I don’t drive a BMW – I drive an Audi.
RYANN
I am not talking about your car booboo. I am talking about your body. BMW stands for “body made wrong”.
Everyone burst out laughing. Dana was upset by the comment. She snatched her purse and left the house.
ALEXX
Now we can have an intelligent conversation.
LESLIE
I feel that God let me down.
BISHOP PARNELL
What do you mean?
LESLIE
I have prayed and prayed and prayed.
BISHOP PARNELL
When you start feeling sorry for yourself you give away your power.
LESLIE
What power? God ain’t listening to me. I have been everything God asked me to be. A faithful wife and in church every Sunday.
ALEXX
Do you think that you were the first woman to be betrayed by her husband?
LESLIE
I wasn’t just betrayed by Nathan. I was betrayed by God.
BISHOP PARNELL
God didn’t betray you sweetheart. As Christians we all have our cross to bear. Jesus is bearing the cross. Are you going to make Him bear it alone? Infidelity and faith both look through the perspective glass, but at contrary ends. Infidelity looks through the wrong end of the glass; and, therefore, sees those objects near which are afar
Alexx walked over and shook her. Leslie turned over and saw that it was Alexx, Dana, Ryann and Bishop Parnell. Alexx and Ryann embraced her. Leslie cried so hard that she lost her breath.
ALEXX
Girl it is going to be alright.
DANA
Actually it is not. That was pretty embarrassing. I mean it was over the whole church.
They all looked at Dana in disgust.
DANA
I am just being honest.
RYANN
Please sit and be quiet.
DANA
I don’t know what I would do. He would be dead if it was me. Just make him some hot lemon tea. Say he died of natural causes.
RYANN
Dana – shut the hell up. Oh excuse me Bishop.
BISHOP PARNELL
Trust me I do understand.
LESLIE
I don’t know how to pick my life back up.
ALEXX
You take some time and you continue to live.
LESLIE
He was my world. And then for me to catch him with Aiden. Aiden and I had been friends for a minute. I trusted him.
DANA
I always figured that something was up with Aiden. He was just strange.
RYANN
So all gay men are strange?
DANA
Not all of them, just the ones that are hiding something.
ALEXX
Look my brother is gay. We love him just the same. Nothing changed about him just that he is open now.
DANA
Don’t you mean “out”? Or are you talking about his ass?
RYANN
I am about to stomp a mud-hole in you if you don’t be quiet.
ALEXX
I mean open. His life is open, his mind is open. Do you know how hard it is for a gay black man to make it in our society? While there are many members of the black community who have identified themselves as same gender loving, it is still not accepted by the staunchly Christian group. The prevailing view is that a gay lifestyle is not one that provides people with the right to love as they choose but a lifestyle that goes against biblical teaching. It is not about denying a group the right to love or marry like the rest of the population.
RYANN
It’s no secret that we live in a very homophobic world. For those of us that have said “why doesn’t he just come out”, it is not just that easy. We the world, our judgments, or double standards, our silly gender roles, and our ignorance cater to the down low brothers. What about the down low women?
LESLIE
What are you saying Ryann?
RYANN
I am a lesbian. I have been living with my partner for the last fourteen years. I know that no one ever knew. We kept it that way for a reason. We flew to Washington D.C. back in 2010 and got married. So now we have been married for four years.
DANA
I always thought that you looked at me funny.
RYANN
Dana, please let me be the one to tell you…you are not all that with your “BMW”.
DANA
I know that you are a lie. I am all of that and a bag of chips with some ranch dressing on the side. Plus I don’t drive a BMW – I drive an Audi.
RYANN
I am not talking about your car booboo. I am talking about your body. BMW stands for “body made wrong”.
Everyone burst out laughing. Dana was upset by the comment. She snatched her purse and left the house.
ALEXX
Now we can have an intelligent conversation.
LESLIE
I feel that God let me down.
BISHOP PARNELL
What do you mean?
LESLIE
I have prayed and prayed and prayed.
BISHOP PARNELL
When you start feeling sorry for yourself you give away your power.
LESLIE
What power? God ain’t listening to me. I have been everything God asked me to be. A faithful wife and in church every Sunday.
ALEXX
Do you think that you were the first woman to be betrayed by her husband?
LESLIE
I wasn’t just betrayed by Nathan. I was betrayed by God.
BISHOP PARNELL
God didn’t betray you sweetheart. As Christians we all have our cross to bear. Jesus is bearing the cross. Are you going to make Him bear it alone? Infidelity and faith both look through the perspective glass, but at contrary ends. Infidelity looks through the wrong end of the glass; and, therefore, sees those objects near which are afar
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