Warning: No real warnings. Rating of T for a bit of language from time to time and things involving prostitutes and sex but no actual acts.

Disclaimer: See intro

A/N: It's taken me a while to see how I really want this story to develop. I thought I had an idea but I guess I didn't. Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. Reviews are always welcomed.

Oh and if you are on Twitter you can follow me (at symbol) sissouthernink. I follow back.

Chapter 5: Wednesday night Bible Study

"Hey Bethany, I can take the bus. It's not a problem." Gomer said was she walked into the kitchen.

"No Gomer. I can take you to the church. I'm not sure why you want to go, but I'll take you. Besides my mom's meds should be ready and I can pick them up after I drop you off."

"You sure Bethany?" Gomer asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure. You ready?"

"Let's go."

Fifteen minutes later Gomer was standing across the street from the church where Bethany dropped her off. She was hesitant about crossing the street. Every time she tried to step down from the curb, she stepped back up. Her hands were a little sweaty and she held her bag closer to her body. The bible that Hosea had given her she felt was giving her confidence. She took another deep breath, finally stepped down and crossed the street.

Gomer wasn't quite sure where she was supposed to go. She had never been to the church before. Driven past it but never gone in it. There were several groups of people going in several doors. It was after five and she figured that they were there for the dinner that was served before bible study. Therefore, she followed a group in.

Everyone seemed to know where they were going. At the end of the hallway they were walking down, there was a desk for people to sign in as guests of the church. People could also mark if they needed any other assistance from the church. This way, the church would know how many people were coming for dinner each day and how they could further meet the needs of the community. Gomer looked around as she waited her turn to sign in.

The guests seemed to know each other very well; they hugged and greeted each other as well as the church members. The church members all had nametags so if the guests had questions, they knew whom to ask. This part of the church was amazing to look at. It made Gomer wonder how the beautiful the sanctuary was. The table and chairs were nice, much more than card tables and the regular folding chairs. Real linen tablecloths adorned the tables as well as what seemed to be fresh flower arrangements. Gomer was impressed.

She had just signed in and a volunteer introduced himself as Dan, and then showed her to a table. She as hesitant to talk to people because she just knew that people knew who she was and that they would be wondering why she was there. The people at her table we nice people and if they knew who she was, they didn't let on. No one did. She found that very interesting. She looked around at the people coming in, finding places to sit. Gomer wondered what story each of them had to tell. She wondered how many people had stories like hers.

While her eyes were wandering, she managed to catch a glimpse of Hosea. She started to call out to him just to let him know she was there but decided against it. There were too many people in the room and she didn't want to embarrass either of them. Hosea absolutely looked in his element. He was going from table to table greeting people, passing out the menu cards for the night. Someone else had brought theirs. So much for him coming to our table. He was busy directing volunteers, other ministers, guiding people to tables. Too busy to talk to me. Her heart seemed to flutter every time he seemed to get near. What is wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way?

Hosea was dressed in black slacks and a beige button down shirt. He wore no tie and his sleeves had been rolled up. He looked relaxed yet authoritative. For a brief moment, their eyes met, or so she thought. When he smiled, she smiled back and waved but realized that he was looking at someone behind her. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and shame. Gomer kind of slumped in her chair, already feeling small and insecure about where she was and how she would fit in Hosea's world.

Soon the food was being served and when she selected the entrees she wanted, she never expected what she actually received. Gomer assumed in a place this big, feeding this many people that the food would be mass-produced, frozen this frozen that. She couldn't have been more wrong! On Gomer's plate was the best-looking (and smelling) pot roast she had seen in a long time. The mashed potatoes reminded her of the kind her mother made- with garlic, super creamy and buttery. The vegetables were fresh, not canned. The scent of the awesome home cooked meal welcomed her like a hug soldiers received when coming home from war.

Gomer was enjoying her meal so much that she didn't even hear Hosea come and sit in the chair beside her.

"Hi." He said. She looked up surprised to see him.

"Hi Minister Hosea. Seemed like you were so busy that I didn't think I would get a chance to speak to you."

"Oh no, I'd never let you come here and not speak to you. I am glad you're here. Very glad." Hosea's smile was brighter than the sun.

"I'm glad I'm here too. I didn't know what to expect when I was dropped off. But this is great. This dinner is out of this world. I haven't had food this good in a long time."

"We try our best to give our guests what we would want ourselves."

"Well, I for one am glad that you guys love mashed potatoes." They both laughed a little. "Are all of these people coming to the bible study?"

"I wish. But our commitment to God is to meet their needs and if dinner is all they need today, then that's what they'll have."

"I feel a little underdressed. Maybe I should have worn something else." Hosea looked at her.

"No, you look fine just the way you are. Wearing jeans is not a problem here. All we ask is that people come clothed. And if they don't have anything, we run to the clothes closet and find them something."

"I didn't think about how tight they were until I got here. Sorry about that." Hosea shook his head as he wiped his mouth of macaroni and cheese.

"You have nothing to apologize for. We are a come as you are church. And you came as you were."

"You sure it will be ok?" Hosea nodded.

"I'm positive."

"Where will the classes be? I don't want to get lost in here."

"I'll take you to Rebekkah's class, that is if you don't mind? I'd like to introduce the two of you."

"No, I guess I don't mind. You really think I'll like her class?"

"Yes, it's laid back and very welcoming. I think you'll feel very comfortable there."

"I brought my bible and a notebook. I didn't know if I needed to take notes or not."

"That's a good start. Not sure what Rebekkah has planned for the class tonight."

The two continued to talk and eat until it was time for the classes to start. Volunteers started clearing the tables and those who wanted to stay for the classes started going to their various destinations, those who didn't just left. Hosea gently took Gomer's hand, so she wouldn't get lost, and walked her to Rebekkah's classroom.

Gomer saw all manner of women walking into the classroom- all ages, all races. Some looked richer than others did. A few a shameful looks on their faces, others had hopeful looks. Whatever their walk of life Rebekkah was welcoming them all. She hesitated as they walked in and Hosea waited a few minutes until he could get her attention.

"Hey Hosea. Brining me a new student?" Rebekkah asked. Hosea looked at Gomer and smiled.

"I hope so. Rebekkah this is Gomer, Gomer this is the Rebekkah I mentioned in our first conversation."

"Welcome Gomer."

"Thanks." She replied shyly.

"Well, I'm on kitchen duty and we've got a lot to clean up. Hopefully I'll see you before you leave?" He asked, gently squeezing her hand.

"Sure." Hosea smiled and left the room headed for the kitchen. Gomer looked at Rebekkah not knowing what to say. She began to feel intimidated, scared at the thought that the women in the classroom would look upon her with disgust. Nervousness crept in right next to the fear and Gomer began to change her mind.

"I'm sorry Rebekkah. I don't fit in here. I don't want to waste your time, so I'll just go." She turned around but Rebekkah gently grabbed her arm.

"What will you do?" Gomer shrugged.

"Go back home I guess."

"And what about Hosea?"

"I'll tell him…something." She suddenly felt guilty about leaving, especially since he was so happy to see her there. But she was so uncomfortable. "I'm not cut out for this Bible stuff. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Let me welcome you properly." Rebekkah said as she held her arms out to hug Gomer and Gomer was surprised that she let Rebekkah hug her. "I'm glad you're here Gomer. Please know that you're safe here, among us." Gomer looked at her.

"I'm just not sure."

"Come sit with us and observe. You'll see there is no judging here." Gomer sighed and took a seat next to a young lady who looked familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen her. Another woman stood in front of the class and introduced herself.

"Good evening everyone. I'm Zipporah and Rebekkah has asked me to lead our devotion tonight." Gomer stumbled a little bit finding the scripture Zipporah was reading. She hadn't had the bible long enough to find them easily. Once she finished praying Rebekkah stood before them again.

"I want to welcome our new students tonight. We'd love for you to introduce yourselves so when we call your name in prayer we have a face to go with it." Gomer sat nervously as she heard the other ladies state their names. And when it was her turn, she quietly stood and said her name.

The lesson for this class was self-respect and self-worth. The conversation started with how everyone should treat their body as a temple, a place where God would want to dwell, because He didn't dwell in unclean temples. The conversation flowed into how women disrespected themselves by dating demeaning men, staying in abusive relationships (whether emotional, physical, mental or spiritual), then ultimately disrespecting God by not taking care of the vessel He entrusted them with. As the women talked, Gomer felt embarrassed and ashamed for the second time that night. Everything they listed that a woman could do to disrespect her body, she had done. Some of the women, without directly saying her name, belittled her and other women like her. These women, thinking that they were just shedding light on the subject, were condescending, hurtful and mean. And if that wasn't bad enough, the conversation she'd had with Hosea in the park came back to her mind. At that moment, Gomer felt the strong conviction of The Holy Spirit. She tried to blink back her tears, but a few escaped. She tried to wipe them away before anyone saw them. But it was too late. Rebekkah had already seen them. Gomer wanted to leave and tried to quietly, but those women just wouldn't stop.

Rebekkah quietly walked over to Gomer and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Gomer whispered to her,

"Rebekkah, I'm sorry but I can't stay here. I can't listen to them anymore." She was sobbing and trying to be quiet and respectful to them, even though they weren't to her. "I feel ashamed even being here and they're making it worse. They just don't understand." Through her tears, she tried to gather her things but Rebekkah stopped her.

"They may not understand but some of us do."

"How can you? How can they?" Gomer turned to the ladies. "It took a lot of courage for me to walk in here knowing that everyone knew who I was, what I do. I came to learn about God, instead…," she paused. "They say there's no judgment here, but that all you're doing. You are making me feel like less and less of a woman. You're making me feel like I'm less than the dirt on your shoe!" One of the ladies had a shocked expression on her face, as if Gomer's opinions didn't matter because she was a prostitute. "You don't know what it was like for me growing up. You don't know what it's like for me now. This is all I know. Giving my body away is all I have ever done since I was sixteen years old. Sixteen years old! I cannot do anything else. I already feel bad….about what I do, what I am." Her tears were uncontrollable. "You just don't understand. You just don't" Rebekkah put her arm around Gomer and handed her some tissue.

"The young lady you were sitting next to, Mary has been out of the life exactly a month two days ago. And Sarah here," she said pointing to a young lady, also with tears in her eyes, "has been out of the life for seven months. Claudia has been out of the life five years this year. They understand. And I understand." Gomer looked at Rebekkah in surprise, as did many of the other women.

"You? You were in the life?" Gomer asked in a whisper, as if Rebekkah's confession would bring thunderous bolts of lightening from Heaven.

"Yes, I've been out of it fourteen years."

"What? I don't…understand…"

"I used to work for Tobias."

"Money Mike's cousin Tobias?" Gomer asked. Rebekkah nodded her head. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I started young, although I was a little older than you were. I was eighteen and thought I knew it all. I met Tobias at a party and was prostituting and using drugs in a matter of weeks. I didn't respect my body or my mind. And I let Tobias control me and everything I did. He had control of my money, what I wore, where I went and when. When I ate, what I ate." Rebekkah managed to get Gomer to sit back down.

"I gave him so much of my life; I felt that I had nothing left for me. There was no me without Tobias; he saw to it that I knew it. I met my husband Micah in the courtyard one day while the church was set up there. I liked him, and eventually we fell in love but because of Tobias and his housemaster Darius, we could only see each other during those times. Pastor Zachariah spoke one day telling us that no matter what we had done, God would forgive us. And that if we wanted to leave, we could and God would take care of us. Those words of freedom scared me! Being in the life was all I knew. But Micah had a plan for us to leave. Our lives changed the moment we did. As did some of the other women in this room." The room was silent. Every ear was listening to Rebekkah's testimony.

"Now some people will never understand what life has been like for us. They will never understand why we did it, how we stayed in it for so long, how we became so dependent on someone who wasn't God. It's normal to feel the shame; we all did and do in things we know aren't right in the Lord's sight. Deciding to leave the life is hard; forgiving yourself is the hardest. Once you do that, the healing can begin."

"But how can I leave? It's all I know."

"When you are ready, you will be able to leave. And I promise I and the church will be here for you when you do. This isn't a journey that you can take alone. You have to have people journeying with you, those who know what you've been through and those who pray on your behalf until you can for yourself." Gomer closed her eyes but smiled at the thought that there were women who were willing to help her when she decided to leave. If she decided to leave.

The emotions in the room were too great to be ignored. Therefore, the lesson turned to words of encouragement for those women who had just come out of the life and Gomer. She took those words to heart and thought about what Hosea said would happen after she attended a Bible Study. She hadn't even gone back to the mansion yet and she could already feel how difficult it was going to be to disrespect her body knowing how much God cared for her. She needed a plan. If she was going to leave, she needed a plan.

After the classes had been dismissed, she waited outside for Bethany. Bethany wasn't answering her cell phone and no one answered at the house. So she left messages both places and waited. There weren't many cars left in the parking lot and she knew many of the volunteers were just about all gone for the night. Gomer thought about hopping onto the bus, but it was going to be another thirty minutes because of the night route. Hosea walked out of the church towards his car but walked over to Gomer instead.

"Good, you're still here. I thought I'd missed you." She turned to face him.

"I'm just waiting for Bethany to pick me up, but she's not answering. I'm just gonna wait on the bus."

"I'll take you home."

"No, Hosea it's ok. I can wait."

"Nonsense Gomer. It's getting chilly out here and it's already darker than dark." Gomer sighed deeply. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to impose on you. Really I don't mind waiting."

"But I do. You're going to be my wife; I can't leave you out here by yourself." Hosea held out his hand for her to take and eventually she did. "We can talk about class tonight."

"Let's not." She replied as they started walking. "I don't really feel like crying again."

"You cried? What happened?"

"Just a lot of talk of self-worth and self-respect. Anyway, you didn't tell me that Rebekkah had been in the life."

"I'm sure I did. I thought I did."

"You said she could help when I was ready."

"Oh, ok. She was in the life for a long time; she and Micah both."

"She told me."

"Did anything she say help you figure out some things?"

"Some."

"Good." Hosea opened the car door for her again.

Gomer was pretty quiet as they drove, content in listening to Hosea talk. As they reached the gates of Sex Town, she prepared to get out to the car. Before she could, Hosea asked,

"Which way to your house?"

"What? You're going to drive in? I can get out right here."

"It's dark. And I said I would take you home and I will."

"Hosea, you really don't have to."

"Yes, I do." Gomer sighed when she realized that she wasn't going to win this one. "Besides, we can use the time to make another date."

"Ok, make a right as soon as you enter. Then follow the curves. Our houses are totally apart from where we work." As Hosea drove through the two sets of curves, he decided to ask Gomer about her plans for the rest of the week.

"So what are you doing with the rest of your time off?"

"Turn left at the grocery store up ahead. I didn't really have anything planned."

"The fair is in town. It's been a long time since I've been and I thought maybe you'd like to go with me."

"The fair?"

"Yeah, you know funnel cakes, corn dogs, fun rides, carnival games."

"My house is the fifth on the right." He followed the directions and drove into the driveway. "Sure I guess that sounds like fun. I don't remember the last time I did that."

"What, went to a fair?"

"No, had some real fun."

"Well then it's all set. I'll pick you up about five tomorrow. We can eat dinner at the fair and ride rides 'til we get sick." They both smiled.

"Thanks so much for the ride; you really didn't have to do this."

"Yes I did. I just couldn't leave you stranded." He gently took her hand. "I really am glad you came tonight. I know it might be a while before you get a chance to come back, or even want to come back, but I hope you do. Once you get closer to God, you'll begin to understand so much of who you are and what He wants for you. It's amazing and overwhelming sometimes." Gomer looked at him and her eyes seemed so sad and hurt.

"Will you pray for me tonight, when you go to bed?"

"I always do." He replied, kissing her hand.

"Thank you Hosea." She said, with a small smile. Before exiting the car, she leaned over and kissed his lips. "Good night."

"Good night Gomer." He watched as she unlocked her door and closed it behind her.

Hosea's words as he knelt in prayer…

"Dear Lord, I thank You so much for giving me another day, one that was no promised to me. I pray Lord that something I did or said today brought someone closer to You. I thank You for the strength and stamina You've given me to continue on this journey. God tonight I also thank You for Gomer. I'm so glad that she came to the class tonight. It made me so happy to see her and I know that You had something to do with it. Lord I ask that You continue to guide her and bring her to the realization of You. I feel the bond between us growing closer. I ask that You bless our efforts, guide us to where we need to be. I pray for my church and the community around us. Help us to continue in the work that You have called us to do. This I ask in Your name, Amen."