Pink sunlight was scattered on Charlie’s dark wooden floor. It made him smile as he stepped into the room, and he sat down near the window. Outside the window was a church, really quite close to his house.

It was a dirty looking white church, not too tall, with a humble looking steeple. It had milky-glass windows. They were pastel yellow, a minty green, and a very light blue. The one on the east wall had a light pink cross, sometimes causing pink light to fall on Charlie’s floor.

The blue padded chair squeaked a little as he rocked. It had yellow stars in the cushions. Charlie thought about the tidy looking people going into the church, up the green cement steps. He watched the trim usher, wearing a suit a size too big, and an eerily large smile. He gave people papers as they went in, and made sure to shake everyone’s hands. Children held on to their parents fingers. Men clutched Bibles under their arms. Soon they would all start singing and Charlie would push up the window sash to hear a little better.

His doorbell rang, and he grumbled, rising from his chair to go downstairs. She was early today.

“Happy Sunday Charlie, how are ya?” She came right in and set her bags by the couch. Her hair was pinned up neatly, and her socks were lacy. She was pretty, and always appeared to be happy.

“Oh I’m hangin’ in there.” Charlie told her, lowering himself to the couch. “Trouble gettin’ up the stairs this morning.”

She nodded. He held out his arm for her to take his blood pressure.

“You listening to the church choir again?” She asked, smiling up at him from her place on the floor. She opened each compartment of his days-of-the-week pill case.

“I hardly heard ‘em since you got here so early. They were just startin’. Only can hear ‘em good from upstairs in that one bedroom.”

She sat next to him, and tied a bit of tape around his upper arm.

“Ya know we’d be happy to help you get over there Sunday mornings if you’re ever wanting to go. I know how much you love the music.”

Charlie shook his head.

“I’m no churchgoer.” And he was silent. He knew when he would be dying, they’d bring in some phony minister to try and ease his apparently troubled mind about the afterlife. But he didn’t need that.

“You’re lookin’ good Charlie. I added some extra medication for every other day, okay? So that’s Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It’s that big clear one in there, just to help regulate your blood pressure a bit.”

She pointed it out in the pill case.

“Okay? You doin’ ok mentally? Any pains this week?”

He looked to the left, thinking.

“Oh, I’m hangin’ in there.” He repeated.

There was no more singing when Charlie was back in his rocker. He’d have to wait another week. People filing out of the church shook the trim looking ushers hand again. Some children chased each other in the small churchyard, happy to not be sitting still. Charlie would generally fall asleep in the rocker when the church was over, but not today. His joints ached far too much. For a moment he wished those church people would pray for him, but he knew it wouldn’t do much good. It would be nice anyway.

His doorbell rang again, and he was afraid whoever it was would leave before he’d be able to get down the stairs.

“Gimme a minute!” He called loudly. The doorbell rang again as he neared the last step. The half-circle window in the door revealed the trim looking usher. Charlie opened the door.

“Good morning, we’re from the church next door. We’ve brought you a plate of cookies, and would like to invite you to our Easter service next Sunday.” He smiled widely as he spoke. Charlie took the styrofoam plate of cookies. It looked like children had decorated them.

“Oh thanks. They look real good.”

“The service will be at 8 am next Sunday. And a fellowship meal afterwards, we’d love to have you.”

“I’m not much for church. But thanks anyway.”

The usher nodded.

“I gotcha!  Anything we can be praying for, before I go?”

Why did he refer to himself as we? Why did he smile so big when he’d just told him he wouldn’t go to his church? He wanted to tell him the mustache didn’t fit him. Also his dark green loafers.

“If you want to, I got some bad joint pain. Can’t get around too good.”

He nodded again.

“Sure thing, we’ll be praying. Hope you have a good day sir!” And he turned to go.

“You too.” Charlie replied, closing the door. He was a nice guy.

The pretty nurse came early again next Sunday, but not too early.

“You get to hear the singing in the church today?” She asked happily, rolling up his sleeve.

“Yes, they sang a long time today.”

“It is Easter. I’ll betcha that’s why.”

For a moment Charlie wished he’d gone. It would be nice to hear the singing, and see the lady playing the piano. It must’ve been a lady. It just sounded like that.

“Maybe next week you can bring me over there? To church?”

“Of course! I’ll have Amanda go with you, okay?” I won’t be able to get here early next week.”

Charlie nodded.

Amanda wasn’t as pretty. She had a nice dress on though, and even a little white Bible.

“All ready to go to church?” She asked, offering him her arm for stability.

“My hair look good?” Charlie joked. The gray tuft under his chin was all he had.

“You’re in a good mood today aren’t ya?” Amanda asked. He hated when nurses made those kind of statements.

The usher with the green loafers waved to them as they approached the front steps. Kind of him to remember him.

“Morning sir, glad to have you! I never did catch your name.”

Charlie extended his hand like everyone else.

“I’m Charlie. This here’s my hospice girl, for today anyway. Usually I’d have another one.”

“Well it’s nice to see you again, Charlie.” And he handed him a paper, with a picture of flowers on the front. It looked like it was from the 90s, even the font. The back of it had the list of the songs for the morning, and some verses; the pastors’ name at the bottom, in big print.

Charlie and Amanda eventually found a pew near the back, after being greeted far too many times.

“Friendly people here huh!” Amanda smiled over at him.

The piano player was an older lady. Shorter than he’d expected, and prettier. She played beautifully. The small choir sang wonderfully. Everyone stood as they sang. Though he didn’t know the tune, Charlie tried his best to sing along at first, but found it nicer just to listen. He looked over at the pastel pink cross. He knew there’d be pretty pink sunlight in his window just now, but it was nicer to be inside the church, so he didn’t miss it much.

“You like it?” Amanda asked him as they walked the short walk back to his house.

“It was real nice. Good choir. Didn’t mind the preaching.”

Amanda smiled over at him. “I thought it was really a good sermon, didn’t you? Type of message to give you plenty to think about, wasn’t it?”

“It was.” He agreed.

“I’ll go again with ya next Sunday if you’d like to go again.

Charlie nodded.

Next Sunday, he sat in his rocker, bathed in the pink sunlight. A few tiny rainbows were cast on the ground from a sun catcher he’d hung up. Amanda had forgotten to come. He’d even had his other nurse bring him a Bible earlier in the week so he’d be ready and look like all the other men there. His pretty nurse came right on time, at 2.

“How was church?”  She asked him happily.

“Didn’t go.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“She never came to take me. I might not have many Sundays’ left ya know. She shoulda come.”

He was upset, and said nothing while the nurse took his blood pressure.

“You got a lot of Sundays left in ya, don’t worry about that, okay? I’ll just come myself to take you next week, okay?”

He knew she was half lying. But he said, “Okay.”