FIVE
Seated at the back of the small crowd of people, the young man wiped his sweaty palms on the pair of jeans; listening attentively to the man on the podium.
"Purpose!- God aligns us with what we're meant to do or be at every point in time in the craziest of ways." The man said.
Eric's mind lingered long enough to catch what the preacher said before fixating itself on his biggest worry– blonde girl!
A part of him soon began to feel doubt ... and stupidity too. He hoped he wasn't perhaps ... cheating God.
He sighed and rose to his feet as the preacher took the closing address. "Amen" were the last words Eric heard before scurrying out of the building, headed for the parking lot.
He hoped to find blonde girl there somewhere among the crowd of people ... but he didn't.
One minute passed, two, three... Eric's heart pounded ever so violently against his chest. He heaved several sighs– but no relief. "Ugh jeez," he muttered to himself. He wondered if he should just go home.
"Hey!" A hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts.
"Mackenzie?" He breathed the words in frustration. "Hi." Eric slowly backed away from the girl.
"I didn't know you attended church." She shook her auburn hair around and blocked his path.
"Hmm I... came to fix the pope's car," his eyes searched behind the girl as he lied.
"What pope?" Mackenzie asked with a giggle; it frightened him when she did that.
"Bless you," he muttered and wanted to run as usual, when suddenly he ran into a girl– another girl.
Those were his exact thoughts. Eric adjusted the loose neck hole of his shirt. "Heyy..." his voice slurred.
"Hi! I'm June. I'm a welfare personnel from youth fellowship and I learn that you're new here."
"Yeahh..." Eric nervously ran his hand through his dark hair, averting his eyes from the girl‐ She had straight dark hair with the autonomous bangs ... Oh, and she had on glasses!– the large square ones most girls would accessorise with.
"If you would come with, I'll be glad to take you to the youth president's office for the briefing." She offered, stretching out a hand.
"I can take you there!" A squealed voice interrupted from behind. "June, don't you have other things to do?– you should be heading out now since you have a long ride back to your dorm." –Mackenzie.
"No, it's fine." Eric cut in, feeling utterly irritated. Anything was better than having to endure a moment with Mackenzie! He saw her jaw tighten before she left.
Then glasses girl proceeded to show him the way to the office.
"You're in college?" He was moved to ask as they walked a garden path to the administrative block.
"Yeah– in Pinebridge. Aren't you?"
"No." He replied bluntly, then proceeded not to fight the flow and said; "Did you think I was?"
"Yeah!" Glasses girl replied with slightly more emotion in her voice this time. "You totally look it. What are you, like eighteen?" She asked, peering up at him from the top of her glasses.
"Good to know." Glasses girl commented and took out her hand‐ he shook it. "God bless you, Eric."
"Wait. How did you know my?..."
She'd left already. "She's nice." He hummed to himself. Eric looked before him and there was a door –so that was why they'd stopped– It read; Youth Administration Office. He lifted a hand to knock on the door.
●●
Meanwhile, at the other side of the door, a little lady paced nervously about the office room– performing her own part of the pre-orchestrated play of destiny.
"First impression ... First impression," she softly chanted to herself as she clutched the sides of her silk dress.
The way the peach blended in against her tan skin and her blonde hair that was held in a pony tail behind her head made her look like a receptionist that had appeared out of a book.
A soft knock sounded on the door. The girl suddenly rushed towards the seat behind her desk and sat there, taking steady deep breaths.
"Still yourself," a soothing voice told her. She could hear it– they all could, though only a few truly listened.
She nodded her head in response and clutched the sides of the table with her head slightly bowed‐ fixing her mind on reality.
"Come in," she uttered in a steadied tone. The door slowly swung open. With her head still bowed, she felt a third presence in the room– a boy!
"Okay.." she hummed to herself. "Hi!" She said her prerehearsed lines as her nasal voice slurred a little at the end.
The girl lifted her head with eyes that blinked rapidly at a dark-haired boy standing in her office‐ he was quite uh ... large in her opinion.
She hadn't expected him to be a person. –It was the right term to use, right?– "Ugh..." the girl muttered as her breath began to grow shallow again and her face paled. The little lady reached into her purse and rose from the seat.
"Excuse me." She whispered and headed for the backroom– Her anxiety had kicked in again. She rested against the wall and placed an azure coloured inhaler to her lips. "Help me," she muttered to the voice and then shut her eyes.
