The god of quickness

By Joy Lynn Clark

11/9/2021

Patience is probably a virtue: but I love when duty is swift. Grandma and grandpa on the other side were Catholics. I like to rap fast, I like Dance music and I even was a sprinter in track. So swiftness is also a virtue in my book.

We go through the same thing with the Catholics as the protestants but, the Catholics are timely and on schedule. The protestants will go on and on. If it’s good we will sing on – forever. Grandma would press my hair straight and help me dress – but more quickly. There is no Sunday school for me to have it be even longer with, straight to mass.

As we come in, grandma does some stuff by a fountain and holds her beads. I went by the fountain and grandma said, “no you have to be a Catholic”. Grandpa is parking, then chatting with the men and follows us inside later.

These Catholic pews are different. There is a, “knee-rest”. Unlike those Buddhists we do not get on the floor. I am glad. We stand, we read, we get on the knee rest, And then it’s over. I look at my watch, one hour exactly. Must be the god of quickness. Now off to brunch.

Years later, I think that my mom’s new husband was Catholic. I was visiting her on the weekends. Mom goes to Protestant and Catholic church now. Just like me.

Mom says, let’s go to brunch. I was all excited. But then she says, “we’ve got to go to church first”. I was like, “awww man”. “It’s OK, it’s Catholic Church,” mom says. My little sister smiled and replied, “Catholic Church is fast”. “Well that’s true” I replied and immediately cheered up. Truthfully, I was really hungry already. (Note: We leave really early for mom’s protestant church and get out at 2 PM! I never complain bad because even though there’s no candy there is a huge workout facility.)

We walked past the fountain. We listen to the word. 60 minutes later, off to brunch.