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The air outside the church is unpleasantly chilly. It cuts through Adam’s worn shirt and seeps to the skin that lies beneath.
It’s worth it though, to see Lawrence performing his sermons as if his life depended on them. There’s an art to it. In every quote lies an impact, he likes to think.
Adam turns a corner to find the spot behind the church he normally likes to smoke at before he drives home. But to his surprise, he finds a little blonde girl taking up the space. He remembers meeting her. It’s Lawrence’s daughter, fiddling with her pink church dress. It’s laced and girly, with a baby blue fleeced jacket layered over top. It has a darker blue ‘D’ embroidered just above where her heart sits.
“Hey kid.” He greets her.
“Hi Adam…” Diana sighs. Adam plops down on the curb next to where she stands.
“What’s wrong D?”
“I don’t wanna go to Sunday School anymore.” She pouts.
“Don’t you have to though?”
“I want to go to daddy’s sermons. I hate going to the kids class.”
“Ah, yeah. Not too fun are they?”
“No they’re fine. I have friends there.” She corrects.
“Then why don’t you want to go hang out with ‘em?”
“I don’t like the Sunday school teacher, Ms. Song.” Diana explains with eyes glued to the concrete beneath her pink dress shoes.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“She always looks at me funny. I don’t like it when she glares at me.” She glances at Adam shyly.
“Well she might just have RBF.” Adam says without missing a beat, barely letting the words ricochet in his mind before flying them off the tip of his tongue.
“RB what now?” Diana tilts her head to the side.
“Resting Bi-“ He starts, stopping at the realization that Lawrence would be pissed if he taught his daughter what the acronym means. “Resting Bad Face.” He says instead.
“What does Resting Bad Face do?”
“This.” Adam angles his face down, doing his best attempt at a Kubrick Stare. Diana looks at him perplexed until he bursts out cackling at the absurdity of it all.
She giggles beside him. And in the moment, he can see why Lawrence loves the kid so much.
“She doesn’t look like that.” Diana manages to get out through dwindling hoots of laughter.
“It’s called exaggeration kid.”
“Exaggeration?”
“It means like-“ Adam thinks for an explanation that would make sense to a six year old. “Extreme.” Is the word he finally settles on.
“Oh! I know that one! Mommy said she had to do something extreme.”
“Like what?”
“I uhm…. I dunno. It was a funny word though. Started with a D. Just like my name!” She smiles.
“Just Like your name huh?” Adam says with raised eyebrows. “Was it dinner?” He jokes.
“Pfft no! It was like- uhhhh dishorce or something.”
“Oh.” He mutters. His throat bobs as swallows thickly. “I’m sorry Diana.” Adam says it with meaning. He hadn’t even thought his flinging with Lawrence would lead to this.
“For what?” She asks with the purest eyes he’s ever seen. It only rubs in the guilt even more.
“Just. About your parents. Mine got divorced too y’know?” He says to soften the blow.
“Really? Was it fun?” Diana asks cluelessly.
Adam snorts at that. “Diana, do you even know what divorce means?”
“Yeah! Duh.”
“Uh huh.” He smiles skeptically. “Why don’t you tell me what it means then?”
She frowns. “Aw… I dunno. I’m sorry.”
“Now what are you sorry for?”
“For lying. Daddy says it’s a sin to lie.”
“Don’t worry kid. ‘ts no biggie. Just make sure your dad doesn’t catch you doin’ it.” Adam says with a hand reaching into his pocket. He whips out a small bag of Sour Patch Kids and hands her one.
“Here.”
Diana plucks the treat thoughtfully from his open palm. “Thank you.”
The candy hasn’t sat in her mouth for any longer than fifteen seconds before her lips pucker from the sour taste.
“Bleghhh!” She spits out the candy onto the concrete sidewalk.
Adam bursts into laughter at it, as if it’s the funniest joke he’s ever been told.
Diana wipes her mouth of the candy remains and he chuckles, patting her back.
“We’ll have to get you used to that.”