A Sunday Lesson - Part III Conclusion

Yet, the bird kept pace pecking and squawking as Regina veered down the longest street lined with beautiful homes, mature trees, manicured lawns, and flowered beds. The occasional Sunday gardner stopped to gape at the strange sight of a Sunday-dressed school girl, pony tail & streamers flowing in the wind chased by a little white rooster. Pious church goers began to slow their cars to gaze in wonder at the fast moving duo.  One car had young people inside who paused to cheer her on, “Hey, Gal, you can beat that ol’ Rooster!” They hooted with laughter, tooted twice and sped away. Regina, who had been thumping the concrete in her now painful pumps, began to realize how silly she must look. Filled with embarrassment and rage she nevertheless could do nothing else but run.

Her side began to hurt. Her throat began to burn. Her face felt flushed. She was heaving and sweaty. White Rooster was still on her heels. Regina looked ahead to see the only red light intersection she would have to cross. How she hoped that the light would be green so she could run across. Who knew? Maybe a car would run over that stupid bird. No luck. She had to stop for the red light while the rooster kept pecking at her heels.  She fended him off swinging at him with her straw purse, jelly beans flew his way, as she hit him twice. Fighting valiantly, she could see the pedestrian light blinking in the corner of her eye. The cross street was quite wide and the light very short. She darted across without a second look behind reaching the church’s tall orange brick wall, standing like a protective sentinel. She sank against it, caught her breath, & gazed back to find her feathered enemy. 

But where was he? She squinted to check for a dead white mass  in the middle of the intersection. No sign of him!  Reassured in a instant with not a moment to waste, Regina walked briskly toward her Sunday School classroom. She might be just in time for Mama’s check-in. Mama would never suspect a thing. 

As it turned out Mama never even checked. Regina clomped  home at noon on sore, blistered feet. To avoid another encounter with the rooster she took the wide, commercial street. When at last she passed through the side gate Rooster was there, peaceably picking at the ground with the three hens. She slipped into the house blessedly unnoticed.  At dinner, after the blessing Mama said with a soft, sly laugh, “Well, I guess you got a good Sunday lesson today. A little bird told me that a mean ol’ rooster chased you all the way to church. My oh my,….The Lord works  in mysterious ways.”