“’You lose your way, nigga,’ Jack Ellis asked?”

“’What you doin’ defiling’ our house a worship,’ Earl Bob Jenkins added?”

“I looked at them and then looked at the sad woman standing in my church with her baby. For a moment, one brief moment, I felt the indignity that Ellis and Jenkins felt- the nerve of that- that’ nigga to step inside my church; desecrate a white sanctuary.”

Ben lowered his gun and looked directly at Lee.

“But that moment passed. It passed quicker than I ever thought it ever would. She was a nigger. She looked bedraggled and dirty and I swear she stank to high heaven. But under all that, it’ was like Mary coming right down from heaven- all I could really see was a very sad woman holding her child.  I could feel my eyes watering and all I could think was that I didn’t want Ellis and Jenkins and the others to see me.” He paused for a moment. “I suddenly got really light-headed. I thought I was gonna faint.” He raised his voice. “She was a fuckin’ nigger and she came into my church. But I just couldn’t take my eyes off her. I had no clue what she wanted but her silhouette against the afternoon sun, just got to me. I mean, all human beings were made in God’s image and- and how could I not see her that way, standing in my doorway, with her baby, blocking the sun?”

“’Please hep ma baby,” she finally eeked out.

“Dammit nigga, leave,’ Jack Ellis said with such venom as he threw his lemonade glass at her.’

“’You got ya’own church, Earl added.’

“I looked at them and, for the first time, felt their hatred and I wanted no part of it. But they looked at me. I was their leader, their line to God. Why was I so quiet? I could feel their eyes boring right through me. So I looked at that poor, sad woman, holding her little baby and told her to get the hell out of my church and that if she ever set foot in it again, I’d have her arrested.”