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Rumors
(A Part of the Idle Talk Series)
Summer 2015
Rumors is a collection of short stories that examine how rumors in the church affect people. A rumor is being spread about a prominent pastor and a popular Gospel singer. One member of the church goes the extra mile to find out if the rumor is true or not. But, the pastor’s spouse, doesn’t do the same thing. On the same day that the pastor decides to address the rumor, the distress and pain of the situation is too much for the pastor’s spouse, and a tragedy occurs. This heartbreaking story will have you examining how rumors affect your own life.
Synopsis
Sentence
This is a collection of short stories that addresses a rumor that is being spread about a pastor and a gospel singer, as well as the fallout from the rumor.
Paragraph
Rumors is a collection of short stories that examine how rumors in the church affect people. A rumor is being spread about a prominent pastor and a popular Gospel singer. One member of the church goes the extra mile to find out if the rumor is true or not. But, the pastor’s spouse, doesn’t do the same thing. On the same day that the pastor decides to address the rumor, the distress and pain of the situation is too much for the pastor’s spouse, and a tragedy occurs.
This heartbreaking story will have you examining how rumors affect your own life.
Insight
Rumors was written as an assignment for an art class while during my time completing my Master’s degree. The assignment was to complete a Creative Project. There were two options: a final paper or am original artistic project. I chose the artistic project, which ultimately ended up being Rumors.
A rumor is being spread about a prominent pastor in the city and her involvement with a gospel singer. The rumor is that the pastor and the singer are having an affair, and they are meeting in a “hooker” hotel in the city. One member of the church talks to the pastor about it but doesn’t leave with any answers. The member encourages the pastor to address it with the congregation. Eventually, the pastor does. She invited the singer to come to church on the day she will address the rumor. Meanwhile, her husband is hearing the rumor as well, but since his wife hasn’t addressed it with her, he doesn’t know what’s going on. Before he can find out, he does something drastic and tragic. The readers don’t know what happens have the tragedy with the husband occurs. They are left to wonder what could have been if things were different. They are left with a sense that unaddressed issues can lead to more heartache. Readers should understand that sometimes things aren’t what they seem, and that they should ask questions before jumping to conclusions.
Abstract
The collection, Rumors, is about a rumor and the fallout from that rumor. The story begins in 2014 with a lady talking to the “Town Gossip” to find out some information about her pastor. She needs to know what’s going on, so she can address it with her pastor. The story then goes to back to 2013 when singer Oscar Eastman finds out some important news about himself and his family from his dying mother. He learns something about a prominent pastor that changes what he knows about himself. We are introduced to Pastor Tammy Callver in another flashback to 2013 when Eudetta Eastman (Oscar’s) mother calls the pastor to reveal the secret that she’s been keeping all these years. We fast-forward to 2014 where Robin Palmer, the lady from the beginning of the story, is having a meeting with Pastor Callver to discuss the rumor. After some commotion, Pastor Callver tells Robin the truth. Robin encourages the pastor to tell the truth. Finally, we are introduced to Reverend Chauncey Callvar, Pastor Callvar’s husband. He is dealing with the members of his church disrespecting him and other emotions resulting from the rumor being spread about his wife. A deacon confronts the man about his wife, leading to a clash that leave the preacher upset and disillusioned about his wife and marriage. His wife wants him to come into the sanctuary to be with her, but he refuses to do so. When Reverend Callver looks at the monitor in his office and sees his wife’s “lover” sitting in the audience, he becomes infuriated. He leaves the church and causes a tragedy that will affect his wife and another family.
Excerpt
Margarita laughed as she turned the corner onto Robin’s street. Margarita couldn’t believe that Robin had called her to “gossip.” Robin Palmer was a little miss goody goody. Margarita couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Church folk sure can use your “sinful” talents when they need something. Ain’t this a trip. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and not tell her a thing. That would be funny. Maybe I should make her beg.”
Margarita laughed again because she knew that she was incapable of keeping her mouth shut. When someone asked her about someone, it was as if she got diarrhea of the mouth. Even if she tried to keep her mouth closed, the information would seep out of the sides of her mouth. Her grandmother was the neighborhood gossip. Her mother was the neighborhood gossip, too. So, Margarita was just following in her family’s footsteps.
“I ain’t gossiping, I’m just sharing information. I’m just a news broadcaster. It ain’t my fault I can find out all the latest news about folk. I’m providing a service. The Christian TMZ!”
●●●
Robin and Margarita were sitting on Robin’s couch at her house. The two ladies had been talking for some time about various topics before they finally began discussing the topic of the hour.
Margarita said, “Child, I’m telling you, Pastor Callvar and Oscar Eastman are having an affair.”
She said, “Are you sure? You can’t be saying stuff like that without proof.”
Margarita waved her right hand as if she was swatting what Robin had just said out of the air. “Martha, my cousin, who works at the Coochie Stank Inn, said she saw them walking in the motel a couple of weeks ago.”
There was a silent pause between the two gossiping women.
She shook her head. “That ain’t the name of that place. That’s just nasty.”
Margarita shrugged. “Yeah, but that’s what we call it. And you know it.”
“You’re gonna stop that foolishness. Is your cousin sure that’s who she saw?”
“Yeah, she’s sure it was them.”
She blew a long hard breath. “Well, she don’t know what they were doing, does she?”
“What are you smoking? It’s called the Coochie Stank Inn. That’s the sleaziest coochie hotel in the city. What do you think they were doing at that place?”
“We just can’t be spreading rumors like that. You know what the Bible says about talking about folk. Exodus 23:1 says, ‘Do not spread false rumors, and do not help a guilty person by giving false testimony’.”
Margarita waved her arms in the air dramatically. “There they go. Church folk gotta pull out the Bible. Don’t give me that. This ain’t Wednesday night Bible study.”
“It baffles me how a Christian gonna say don’t quote the Bible the minute you tell them about their sins. The Word of God is true and right. How y’all Church Folk gonna get mad at God’s Word?”