The Other Side of Darkness by Melody Carlson Page B

should talk about something else.” I feel uneasy now. What if Pastor Glenn or Cynthia somehow found out what Colleen just said about them?
    “So, how do your girls like school?”
    I kind of shrug.
    “Have they told you about morning devotions?”
    I shake my head no and nervously sip my Americano.
    “Well, Kyle and Jacob have told me. And Dennis and I made a formal complaint to the board last week.”
    “Why?”
    “Because Pastor Glenn is scaring my kids to death! Jason’s been having nightmares, and Kyle drew a really creepy picture of a demon.”
    I don’t tell her that Sarah’s had nightmares too. But then Sarah has such a vivid imagination. I worry that she’s going to become a drama queen by the time she hits adolescence. I need to pray for her more.
    “How are you and Dennis doing?” I finally remember the purpose of my phone call last night—to encourage and uplift my friend during times of trouble.
    “We’re fine.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah, why? What have you heard?” She leans forward like she expects me to tell her some juicy piece of gossip. “Did someone say we were getting divorced or that we became swingers or something?” She laughs. “Actually I did threaten to run away last night, but that’s just because the twins were making me nuts, and I guess I was having PMS. Then Dennis sent me upstairs to take a bath while he cleaned the entire kitchen.” She grinned. “Can’t complain about that.”
    “That was nice of him.”
    “Yeah, he can be pretty nice. But how about you guys? How are you doing? You getting used to Rick’s new hours yet?”
    “I guess.”
    “Man, I think it’d be such a drag to be home alone every night. Maybe you and I should do something sometime. Have girls’ nightout or something. We could take in a chick flick. Dennis is a nice guy, but he hates chick flicks.”
    I glance at my watch.
    “Are you in a hurry or something?”
    “It’s just that I promised Rick I’d start looking for a job.” As we drive back to the church, she tells me they might be hiring where she works at the Med Center, and I act interested. But mostly I just want her to drop me off and end this. Although she seems oblivious, acting as if we just had fun.
    I force a smile as we say good-bye, but it’s obvious that Colleen doesn’t take her spiritual welfare too seriously. I suspect she’s the one who’d been gossiping with poor Shauna Banks. I won’t be surprised if Colleen is publicly reprimanded before long. She’s stepping way over the line.
    I glance around the church parking lot, hoping that Cynthia isn’t around to see me. I know that I owe her an explanation, and I’ll have to tell her that she’s right about Colleen too. I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised. Colleen really was a wild child back in high school. Come to think of it, she was pretty influential on me back then too. Still, I never took things as far as she did. I’ve never asked her, but I sometimes wonder if her past has haunted her marriage. What would Dennis think if he knew about her background with the guys?
    As I drive home, I ask the Lord to forgive me for rubbing up against Colleen’s darkness, and I ask him to protect me from becoming critical of the church like she has. And I promise to avoid her in the future. Colleen is dangerous, with the ability to contaminate me. And I do not want to be contaminated. As I pull into the driveway, an invasive sense of uncleanness comes over me. I waswrong to spend time with Colleen. I know I need cleansing. Real cleansing.
    The house is quiet and empty, with no one to see me as I remove all my clothes and place them one by one in the washing machine. I wrap myself in a clean towel from the dryer, a towel that is now contaminated by me. Then I tiptoe through the house, hunched down because the blinds are open and I don’t want to be seen by a neighbor. I go into the master bathroom, lock the door, then check to make sure it’s really locked before I drop