Minister Q: A Story of Devotion, Desire, and Double Lives

Desire, devotion, and disillusionment collide in this powerful story of faith and forbidden longing. Once a woman of the streets, Sister Gloria finds salvation within the strict order of faith. Yet each Sunday, the same man who inspires her repentance awakens the desires she swore to bury. Minister Q preaches purity, but his passion burns like temptation itself. When Gloria uncovers a secret rendezvous note, her devotion takes a dangerous turn. The truth she finds behind the minister's righteous words forces her to face the blurred line between worship and want. Set against the rhythms of Chicago's South Side, Minister Q exposes the collision of holiness and hunger that lives inside every believer. Charles Harvey, award-winning author of Cheeseburger and Other Stories, weaves a story both intimate and incendiary—a meditation on race, religion, and desire that refuses to look away. Excerpt: Sister Gloria opened her eyes and jammed her fists into her lap. She was a pure and saved sister now. However, she couldn't drive away the funkiness of her past life--the funk of men's unwashed bodies, dollars that reeked of cigarette smoke and sweat, and stale gin on thick lips. These odors lingered in Sister Gloria's nostrils like the stench of unwashed panties. And here the young minister was ranting against the very thing poisoning Sister Gloria's thoughts this morning: Lust and filth! Sister Gloria closed her eyes. Minister Q stood in front of her naked, black, and shiny. She started to weep. A Sister seated next to her offered a tissue. The congregation assumed Sister Gloria was overcome by the message instead of the messenger.