Amanda started laughing out loud to in the car. What a
fucking idiot! She couldn't believe he fell for all the crap she was feeding
him. All of Amanda’s grandparents were deceased, the tampons were her’s and
there was no medical condition called a misanthropic rhizome. These two words
had nothing to do with each other. Together, they would describe a human-hating
plant root system. It didn't even make sense. They were just two big words that
happened to sound good together.
The dinner was so boring, she had to find an entertaining
way to end it. It worked as a great excuse to blow Don off too. At another
point in her life, she might have given him more than the time of day, but not
that day and probably not anytime soon after. She may have felt bad about her
rouse, but she knew he'd never know the truth.
Amanda had one more chore to finish anyway before making
her way home. The keys to her aunt’s home in Seattle were with her brother Sam.
Known to most as Pastor Sam, he was the head of congregation at the First
United Methodist Church of Portland.
He and Amanda had always been close, but in the past few
years, they had slowly been separated by their division of faith. Sam was
trying to save a soul that refused to let him do so.
It was her opinion that if they hadn't known each other
their whole lives, she never would have. But he was family, and while a sense
of family had always been broken, he was the closest thing she had. The truth
of the matter was that he raised her; and without him, she didn't know where
she would be.
After arriving and parking her car, she headed up the stairs
and through the front doors. She felt, as usual, like she didn’t belong; like
she should burst into flames at any minute. There were a few evening worshipers
around but the place, for her, was empty;
hollow instead of hallowed dismissed instead of divine.
She walked down the aisle between pews up to the alter.
Behind it, a larger than life stained wooden Jesus was mounted on the back wall
looking sad yet forgiving at the same time. She used to think he was actually
looking down at her categorically when she was younger as if to say “you’re
worried about going back to school on Monday? That’s cute. I have to worry
about nails in my arms and feet. This hurts you know, it’s cool though, because
it’s all for you,” and now the voice in her head just asked “are you lost?
Seriously, did you think this was an O.R.? You save your way and I’ll save mine,
ok?” the last part may have actually been a quote from her brother.
Past the crucifix and to the right was a doorway that led
down a hall where she could see a light coming from Sam's office. As she walked,
she could see through the window of the office door that he was talking to a
younger man inside.
Usually, at this time of night, he would not be seeing
anyone. She honestly didn’t know much about what he did in his free time. He
never needed to leave the building to go home since the basement floor was his
two bedroom living space. Sam mostly came to see her and would have dropped off
the keys at her place but she decided this time to save him the trip. She did, however, know that he didn’t take meetings past 8 pm and it was half past so
whoever he was talking too must have had a lot to say.
It wasn’t long before the young man stood up, shook Sam’s
hand and exited through the office door “excuse me,” he said to Amanda in the
10 feet between her and the door as he passed her and made his way down the
hall with a reassuring look about him. She watched him walk down the hall and
could tell that whatever happened in that conversation left the man filled with
hope and confidence about whatever step his life was about to take.
When Amanda turned back around, she saw Sam standing in the
doorway with a closed smile and raised eyebrows. He was wearing his usual
clerical collar black button up shirt with matching pants and shoes with a
v-neck grey hooded sweatshirt and fleece hap with a golden cross-stitched into
the front.
He ordered the caps for himself and the choir so they could
stay warm last year during Christmas caroling. Sam thought they were something
hip that the kids could wear and promote the church. Amanda gave him points for
trying but thought they looked a little cultish.
He had similar features to hers; blue eyes and dark hair,
just like their mother’s. He was a little taller and his 35 years looked more
like 40, where Amanda was 25 and still got carded. Sam’s smile finally bared
teeth and he called to her “I was starting to think you wouldn’t show this
evening.”
“You seemed to be keeping yourself busy in the meat time,”
she said nodding down the hall where his visitor just walked away.
“Responsibility is a messy business when it comes to
teenage pregnancy. That member is understandably nervous about becoming a young
father and needed to be aware that with great challenge comes great reward. A
new revelation I shined a light on for him.”
“Should you be telling me this? Thought office visits were
confidential?” She replied.
“His situation is no big secret; many know, yet few offer
kind words or assistance when they judge the choices he’s made and the
situation he is in. He’ll be fine as long as he stays on the right path and is
a supportive partner. That and he stays clear of his girlfriend’s father,” they
both took a deep chuckle.
“Sorry I’m late; I got caught up doing my good deed for the
day.”
“I hope it was the lord's work.”
She hated when he said stuff like that “just helping
someone get from point A to point B,” she took a seat in the comfy chair in
front of his desk “then they bought me dinner and I couldn't refuse.”
“Do unto others,” he replied. Amanda rolled her eyes.
“I call it karma,” eastern philosophy was her weapon of
choice when he talked scripture. She decided long ago that most religions had
many common goals and ideas that followed a lot of the same thread. She, therefore, didn’t have to disagree with Sam about his believes, she could just
look at things from her own point of view.
He ceded the point grabbed both her shoulders and said “to
karma then,” and gave her a warm hug. She hugged back then came into his
office. For all of the views she differed with her brother, he was the only
strong male figure she had ever felt comfortable with and a little affection
made all the difference. “Take a seat, I have something to speak with you
about,” he said circling his desk.
“Actually I was hoping to grab the keys and split. I still
have a lot of packing to do,” she replied.
“Oh, it won’t take up
too much of your evening. I’ll have you on your way in no time,” Amanda knew
that wouldn't be the case and she started to tense up a little “it’s
about dad. Well, more specifically, you and dad and the devil.”
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