Page 23 of Solomon’s Temple

Her reason for choosing to dance at the club was to pay for her grandmother's surgery that she explained Ma Lula was now refusing. I understood her reasoning for doing what she did, but if she refused to get surgery, there was no need for her to continue working at the club.

I didn't speak on it, though.

I would let her rock until she accepted my proposal. Until then, I'd try to keep my focus on getting her to fall in love with me.

We arrived in Ohio three hours later and pulled up to the bible museum.

During the drive, she became fidgety. I knew why, though. She didn't know me, and I'd taken her to another state without protection and the comfort of her family.

I allowed her to take pictures of my license and license plate and gave her the address of my parents' home to give to her family for safety and security. I didn't mind. I'd do anything to make her comfortable.

“Biblewalk?” she questioned once I pulled into the parking lot of the huge museum.

I smirked. “I'd never been and always wanted to check it out. I hear it's pretty cool. It's about a two-hour tour; after that, we’ll get something to eat, then get back on the road.”

“Yeah, I can tell you're a little rusty with this dating thing.” She giggled.

“Why you say that?”

“Your idea of a first date is bringing me to a Bible museum?” She laughed. “I get it, though, so I won't ruin the moment. But the Charles H. Wright Museum would have sufficed.”

I smiled. “Noted. Can I ask you something? I probably should have asked sooner.”

“Sure.”

“Do you believe in God?”

She was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking about my question. I prayed she didn't say no, but if she did, that was cool. I didn't expect everyone to believe in something they couldn't see. I felt that way for a minute as well, until death came for me, and I got a full glimpse of how He works.

“I wouldn't say that I do, but I do believe there is a higher source. I don't believe God is a person. I believe He or She is an energy. It's where we get the gift of discernment from, from reading people’s energy. He or She is just a vibe in my opinion.”

I nodded. “I can see why you’d say that. Everything we say, do, or touch could give something life or can bring death. Not death in a physical sense, but the things we say and do can be manifested through words. Are you familiar with the Bible?”

She laughed. “I never got past Leviticus and skipped to Revelation.”

I chuckled. “Then you should know the very first verse. In the beginning was the Word, and God was the Word. I’m going to stop right there because we have to get inside, but just know that words are powerful, baby.”

She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at me. “And if God is just a Word, then what does that tell you?”

I let her last question linger. We could go on and on about the Bible all day, so it was best to leave this conversation for later.

“I get it, ma—baby,” I said, smiling at her because I almost slipped. “Let's get inside.” I opened the door and stepped out, went around to her side, and opened the door for her. I helped her out, and we headed inside the building.

After giving our tickets to the woman at the front desk, I took Temple’s hand and led her over to where the tour guide stood with the rest of the people attending.

He explained what the tour would consist of, then walked us through the first part of the tour.

After thirty minutes, I could tell Temple was bored. She kept checking her phone and texting, probably talking about me and how she was ready to leave.

I smirked because I low-key felt the same way. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in learning about the Big Homie; it was the white images of who we called our King of Kings that gave me pause.

The person described in the Good Book looked nothing like what was detailed in there.

I wrapped my arm around Temple’s waist, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “Let’s get out of here. I think I can find us something a little more entertaining to do.”

I could feel her body relax and knew I made the right decision.

“I thought you'd never ask.”