Written by Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee
I recognize you ... in that sheep's clothing you have on. Nobody can see you ... but, me. By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee.
Artwork by Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee
Walter Sebastian looked up into Grace's face, said ... 'Grace, I don't know what to say. I'm honored you would want to take me home with you. Yes ... I will go on one condition'.
Grace asked him what was the condition. Walter Sebastian said ... 'Grace, I feel I need to get to church, thank God I am still here'. Grace beamed ... God, she loved a good-christian man! Mr. Corbett was a good man ... there's no way there could be ... bad ... in that man!
Oh yes! We'll be in church on Sunday morning! I would love to take you to my church. You will love the people there. They don't just go to church to be looked at in their fancy clothes ... they are sincere, God-fearing people ... she smiled at Mr. Walter Sebastian Corbett ... 'just like you, Mr Corbett!'
Mr. Corbett had one more thing to request from Grace. What is that, she asked. I want you to call me Walter ... Grace loved it ... she would love to call him Walter ... it felt good rolling off her tongue ... Wal ... ter! Walter! Walter! Walter! She grinned.
Well, Walter ... are you ready to get ready ... to come home with me? Walter closed his eyes to thank his God ... opened them and said, 'yes!'
Several days later found Walter Sebastian living at Grace's home. They were getting along splendidly. Tomorrow morning ... first thing ... they'd be sitting in the first row in church. Both were excited ... Grace excited because finally ... she had a man in her life! Walter excited ... because he'd be in God's house to thank him for surviving the shark attack ... and for the good woman who took him in.
'Amazing grace ... how great thou are ... that saved a wretch like me' ... people were singing this beautiful song as Walter Sebastian and Grace walked into church.
Walter felt tears overflow his eyes ... God, how grateful he was for his beautiful life. It felt so good to know he was a good man. His heart felt light ... he knew that before the shark attack ... he must have been a helluva man ... a damn good man ... someone who never sinned. He meant to be the best man in this world. God let him live when he didn't have to ... and like frosting on the cake ... he gave him a good woman to boot!
Grace saw the tears in Walter's eyes ... they touched her heart deeply. Again ... she felt such love for Walter. He was just perfect ... just perfect. She was proud of Walter as she watched her friends turn their heads to see who was with her.
Her friends had never seen her with a man ... he must be some kind of special ... for Grace to bring him to church with her. That by itself was a positive sign ... Grace was the best woman in the world ... a truly good woman. They would accept Walter Sebastian as one of their own. He had to be ... the best man in the world.
After the service ... Walter found himself and Grace ... surrounded by many people. All of them were smiling, talking ... they were very happy to meet Mr. Walter Sebastian Corbett. If he was in Grace's company ... he had to be a good person. The best person!
The next several weeks went by ... in a wonderful cloud of love, colors, happy feelings. Walter knew he'd never been so happy in his life ... even if he couldn't remember who he was. As for Grace ... she had grown even more beautiful ... the glow of love only enhanced her beauty.
Last night they'd consummated their love ... it had been out of this world ... one could say it was just heavenly. Walter was so gentle with his Grace ... Grace was ... just graceful ... love-making was beautiful in a good-good way. It was perfect. He treated her body as if it were porcelain ... gentle. He would never hurt this special lady in his life. God, he was so thankful for her. He was glad he was a good man ... because he'd never have a good woman like Grace.
Sitting side by side on the couch ... Grace and Walter ... watched the news together. Walter couldn't believe the awful things that went on ... shootings, stabbings ... murder here ... murder there. Walter commented on how bad it was getting ... Grace told him he was so glad he was in her life ... to protect her.
Next Sunday morning ... Walter and Grace went to church. They sat beside a heavy-set woman. Her face was hidden by her big-ass hat. It had red roses ... green leaves on it. The hat was black. The woman was dressed in a black dress. For some reason ... Walter didn't like sitting beside her. He didn't know the woman ... but ... she made him feel uncomfortable.
He forgot about the woman ... he was singing with the congregation ... 'what a friend we have in Jesus'. He and Grace looked at each other and smiled. Walter Sebastian turned his head to smile at the heavy-set woman ... froze.
There was something about the woman ... for a moment he felt he knew her. A dark cloud came over Walter ... as the woman grinned at him. She recognized Walter ... Walter didn't recognize her. She was the woman who sneezed ... puked ... and blew snot into Walter's mouth in church ... in his prior life. Of course, Walter Sebastian didn't remember.
The big-ass woman grinned at Walter ... with her evil grin. Oh yes, she remembered this man ... she also, recognized evil when she saw it. She was a bad-ddddd woman, herself ... she tread where the devil wouldn't tread.
She saw a male carbon copy of herself when she looked at him. She didn't know his name. She remembered when he looked at her and deliberately sneezed his damn snot in her face ... grinned. There had been a big booger sitting on her nose ... his damn booger ... she had walked in front of her friends with that shit on her nose!
She'd never forget the embarrassment, anger when she saw it in the mirror at church ... she washed it off ... even today it felt as if it was still there!
When people began looking ... the man pretended to help her. Damn his soul ... if God didn't ... she would! The man turned away to the woman he stood beside, moved closer to her.
The heavy-set woman smiled big ... threw her head back ... began singing ... 'bringing in the sheaves, oh Lord ... bringing in the sheaves'.... yes, she was going to get his ass. Standing there like a hypo-fucking-crit!
Walter Sebastian couldn't bring himself to look back to the heavy-set woman. There was something evil about the way she sneered at him. It was as if ... she knew him, hated him ... wished bad for him.
Something niggled at his mind ... like a tiny fish nibbling on bait thrown out in the water on a hook. Nothing happened ... though he felt there was something ... he should remember.
Hell, all he knew was his name or what he hoped was his name. When they found his umbrella, cooler ... they saw the name ... Walter Sebastian Corbett. It was written in a Sharpie pen on his cooler ... the pole of his umbrella.
Grace squeezed his arm ... 'Walter! I want you to meet one of my dearest friends, Zelma Struthers!' Walter came out of his deep thought ... looked straight into the heavy-set woman's face. He felt a darkness in his soul ... He smiled a sick smile at Zelma. 'It's nice to meet such a dear friend of Grace's' ... he said.
Zelma loved this ... she could see she made the man uncomfortable. Walter ... that was his name ... Walter! She grinned the sweetest smile at Walter ... this time it was pure candy-sweet ... all the evil was gone as if it were never there. Walter immediately felt better ... it was if the sunshine came out on a cloudy day. He must have imagined things. He was just happy all felt ... good, right now.
Zelma asked Grace if Walter could come ... help her lift a heavy piece of furniture to move into another room. 'Oh sure ... I know Walter would love to help you ... wouldn't you, Walter?' Walter didn't want to go anywhere near Zelma ... he felt something bad would happen. Why did he feel this way!
It was too late ... Grace had already volunteered Walter ... to help Zelma. For a split-second ... Walter saw evil peep out of her smiling eyes ... like a bird settling on a twig ... gone the next second. Something bad ... something bad-ddd was going to happen ... Walter felt it in his soul.
Zelma was talking up a storm ... she had Grace laughing, talking. Walter didn't smile anymore ... he felt he was in the presence of evil. How in the world did ... he ... know what evil was? He was a good man. He felt something dark ... tug at the corner of his mind. It felt as if ... it were a hand getting ready to jerk a sheet off the bed to reveal ... reveal what?! He knew his ... sheets were clean. He was a good man.
Walter and Grace went home. Grace was chattering up a storm. Zelma was a wonderful friend ... she'd been there always for her. Yes, Zelma would be there through ... thick and thin for her. She couldn't ask for a better friend than ... Zelma.
Walter Sebastian felt ... fear? Fear? He didn't want anything bad to touch his good life. Why did he feel Zelma was a bad sign?
Walter had just finished making pure love to Grace. It was a beautiful hour ... like walking in a field of soft-colored pink flowers underneath the blue sky full of fluffy white clouds ... with a rainbow full of soft, pastel colors. The birds sang beautifully when the special moment came ... for both of them. They held to each other tightly ... the phone rang.
Walter Sebastian knew in his heart ... it had to be Zelma calling. Who else would it be? Grace seldom talked on the phone ... with the exception of her closest friends and the pastor of her church, and the hospital.
Sure enough ... could Walter come over to help her? Yes, yes ... she'd be waiting for him to get there. Soon ... Walter Sebastian was driving toward Zelma's house. He had a bad feeling in the bottom of his stomach ... something bad is going to happen ... he thought.
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