I had never really been to church, I mean my parents believed in god I guess, but they never really took me and my brother to church, since they were busy working or something. Or it was just not that important to them. I didn't believe in god, after everything...I couldn't even bring myself to doubt that thought, that there was nothing up there, but it still felt comforting to sit in this church, looking at the praying people around me. I knew they would be disgusted if they knew that I was gay, but right now they didn't and that was ok. 
                          
I looked at the wooden Jesus and I sympathised with him. He died a cruel death, he suffered but then he rose again and everybody loved him even more because of that. At least that was what I had heard. And I do not want to compare myself to Jesus, oh god no, but...I too felt like I had risen again. Like I had pulled through the worst and now, I could start fresh. It was comforting and while I sat there, being lost in thoughts and hope, somebody sat down next to me. 
                          
"Discúlpeme señor" an old lady said next to me. I turned to look at her, a little confused as to why she was approaching me, that I immediately forgot all about the little bit of Spanish that I knew from high school. "Excuse me?" I asked dumbfounded and the sweet old lady seemed surprised, before her old round face scrunched into a smile, as she chuckled. She seemed sweet with her black hair, that had a few grey strains mixed into it and her pink blouse. 
                          
"Oh I am sorry, I wanted to see if you were alright? I have never seen you around here before" she said with an accent, but her English was surprisingly good. I was taken aback by the question and I must have looked like it, but she seemed so nice that I just kind of...started talking to her. And I was right, she was an angel. Her name was Maria and she was a volunteer for that small church, so that was why she had taken an interest in me. All in all she seemed quite like a saint and when I told her that I was moving here from America, she wanted to know all about it and I told her. I mean I didn't tell her that I was gay and why exactly I was running away, I just said that where I had stayed wasn't so great and she looked sad at that. 
                          
She took me with her to one of the backrooms, where she gave me some tea and cookies and they were really good. We talked for a while and I told her that I was a ballet dancer, which she loved and insisted that I showed her what I could do and I did. I had never seen somebody so excited when I would dance for them, it was really sweet. She told me a little bit about herself as well and she didn't have any children since her husband died just after the wedding in an accident and she loved him so dearly, that she didn't want to remarry. So she started throwing herself into charity, helping others and church and that was also very interesting. All in all she seemed like a very special and sweet person. 
                          
When I mentioned, that I didn't know where to go yet and I asked her if she could recommend any cheap motels or something around here, she insisted, that she could not let me go to one of those places. Apparently, she owned a small townhouse around here, that her husband had given to her for their wedding and she said that I could stay in the small apartment she always rented out, since it was free at the moment. And she even said until I found some work I wouldn't have to pay for it. I thought that was too much, so we just agreed that in return I would help her bring some food she made for the local orphanages to them every morning until I had work and I was fine with that. 
                          
So I waited for Maria, as she helped the pastor with something and when she was finished she asked me to follow her to the house where I would...live from now on. She didn't even really ask about my situation when I just briefly mentioned that my home life wasn't that great, she just helped me and I loved her for that. We walked across the plaza with the moon shining down on us and it only took us a few minutes to reach the house. It was small and had two stories and was located in a patio, but it looked adorable. Apparently she lived on the first floor and she showed me my small apartment on the second floor, which I could reach through a beautiful staircase on the side of the house. She walked with me up there and when she opened the place I was already in love.