Chapter 1: FL I see you.

Cindy’s Pov: 

The loud knock on my door jolted me awake from my slumber.  “Cindy, it’s time for church!” my mom hollered behind the door. I opened my eyes wearily then reached for my recommended glasses. I put it on, heaved and got out of my bed then proceeded to open the curtains to allow fresh air into my room. 

It’s a bright Sunday morning, another day to prepare for church because that’s the routine every Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to church but sometimes, the stress of it makes me weary.

 I rolled out of my bed then looked towards the wall clock in my room, it’s 8:15 am. I still had about an hour to get dressed for church, the service begins at 9:15 am so that’s plenty of time.  But I know my mum would definitely make a fuss if I didn’t  get ready before then. I don’t know why, but she prefers to get to church about fifteen minutes before the service begins.  

And also, it’s a twenty minutes drive from my house to the church. I looked around my room and saw how messy it was then heaved a sigh. My room is a small one but it’s not too bad after all. It contains just a small bed, a small side drawer, small shoe rack and a closet. 

My favorite color is pink, and that’s probably why my dad made it the theme color of my room. I have a few Hannah Montana posters and some gospel musicians posters as well. My Dad would definitely kill me if I keep any posters that are ‘worldly’ according to him. Technically, anyone can call me a typical church girl because most of my time is spent at work or in church. 

I picked the clothes littered on the floor and separated the neat clothes from the dirty ones then put them in their designated areas respectively. I made my bed then proceeded to the bathroom to have my bath. I plastered some toothpaste on my brush and shoved it in my mouth. I looked into the mirror and I felt that wave of insecurity cloud my thinking, again. 

I have perfect blue eyes, a beautiful nose and small but plump lips, my face is proof of God’s existence. My hair is light brown and really long, just like my mother’s. My only insecurity is my weight and to me, I feel I don’t look as smart and extremely gorgeous as I really want to be, just like the supermodels I watch on tv and see on the internet. 

I ran my fingers through my hair and tied it into a messy bun then hastened up with brushing my teeth. I took a quick bath and slipped into a forest green colored gown which was knee length. I have the liberty to wear whatever I liked for today because I'm going to be in the church choir robe so anything I wear doesn’t really matter. I went back to the bathroom mirror to adjust my hair into a neat bun then applied a light makeup on my face. 

I took my white fascinator hat and a white clutch bag then shoved my medium sized Bible and notepad inside it. I looked at the mirror and was satisfied with what I was looking at.  My face card isn’t bad, i reckon. “Cindy!” My mum called out, behind my door. 

“I’m coming mum!” I said in return. 

“You’re coming? It’s almost 9am!” 

“I’m done mum, just wanna grab my stuff”

“Fine! Be down in three minutes, okay!?” 

“Yes mum.” 

  With that, I picked a white heel from my shoe rack and hurried to the living room. My parents and younger sister were already dresssed already, waiting for me to show up. 

“Good morning dad” I said out loud. 

“Morning, my dear. How did you sleep?” He responded In a husky tone. 

“Very well, dad”

“Morning, Cindy” my baby sister said, which made me divert my attention to her. 

“Morning Maddie”. I responded with a bright smile. 

Maddie is five years younger than I am but the bond between us made it seem like we’re of the same age. She’s sixteen and petite and to be honest, I envy her stature most times. I love her so much but she could be really annoying and knows exactly how to get on my nerves. 

“Shall we say a little prayer before we proceed?” Mother called out. 

“Oh yes! Let’s come together” says my dad as we entwine our fingers together. My family is a small one but love bonded us together. Even though we aren’t as rich as we all want to be, we’re content with what we have and make do with what we have available. My dad said a quick prayer before we proceeded to the car. 

The car is a rickety old Mercedes car which my dad has been using for years and he bought it a few years after Maddie was born and since then, he hasn’t changed it. He purchased it when his bakery was in good shape but since two years ago, the bakery hasn’t been doing so well. But at least, me and Maddie are good kids so we don’t complain about their finances. 

The ride to church was smooth and we got there in no time, even less than the  twenty minutes I expected because there wasn’t any traffic. I hurriedly got off the car then proceeded to the choir quarters to collect my robe for the service. 

“Hey Cindy!” A feminine voice called out. She’s one of the friends I made in church. Alice George, her father is the presiding pastor in the church so it made us pretty close as our parents are on good terms. 

“Hi, Alice, can I get my robe? It’s almost 9:15” I said hastily. 

“Yeah, of course.” She takes out a robe from a blue bag then hands it over to me then continued, “Check if it fits” 

I put it on hurriedly then curved my lip into a faint smile and said, “yes it does” 

“Okay, let’s go inside, it’s almost time to begin the service.” Alice says, shoving some robes into the blue bag. As I was about to leave, a husky masculine voice called my name from behind.