III
Sundays were church days for Dawn and Luke. Henry
never did attend mass regularly, so Dawn did not miss him as
much on these days.
As she headed out of the Church she thought about how
she enjoyed the fellowship with the other parishioners of
Resurrection of our Lord. She even didn't mind the nosey old
ladies that bugged her about the absence of her handsome
husband. She answers all of their intrusions with a kind heart.
Her husband was a busy man and he preferred to pray in
private. But, Henry was a devoted Catholic who loved the
pope just as much as anyone else.
The old geezers, as Henry called them, would always
answer the same. “mmmm hmm”
That did not make Dawn dislike nor judge them. She
prayed for them when she thought about it. They were a
lonely bunch, who needed something to think about. It might
as well been her.
Mass had just ended when Dawn emerged from the
Rectangular white brick structure that was surrounded by
sugar cane fields as far as the eye could see. Luke, unusually,
was not by her side. He had gotten lost in the crowd pushing
it's way towards the exit. Dawn figured he would meet her out
front.
Monsignor Lavetzi and his young American protege,
Father Mike were standing in front of the large mahogany
double doors of the church attempting to shake the hand of
everyone in their flock.
The Monsignor was a tall, once handsome man that age
did not spare. The lines on his face had long ago become
canyon-ways telling a story of a hard lived life. He had first
hand witnessed two bloody revolutions and was rumored to
have picked up arms himself in Argentina many decades ago.
Once a powerful Cardinal, he was now merely a bull that
had been put out to pasture. Stripped of his title and power he
was sent to this small community in the middle of nowhere
Louisiana.
He planned to resurrect the failing community as his last
great accomplishment. Maybe he could live with himself after
such a nobel feat. Besides, being in another country there was
little chance of anyone knowing about the allegations made
against him in Paris. His secret was safe in Louisiana.
He had only been sent to the United States 5 years
previously and everything had been going according to the
divine plan. The pope, a personal friend of his, himself had
sent him. He had strict orders from the Vatican to keep a low
profile and end out his days in service. For 5 years he had
complied fully.
Flanking his left was the 25 year old American Priest,
Father Mike who's humility was only over shadowed by his
good looks. A former college soccer star, his body was not of
heaven for the temptation that it stirred in the majority of the
women and a few of the men of the parish.
Dawn had found herself on several occasions fantasizing
of what it would be like to know Father Mike biblically. She
thought of how it would feel to have his hard body pressed
against her soft flesh. His lips were full and made to be
sucked she believed. In her mind, they would lie sweaty in
each others arms like she and her husband used to. He was
everything that Henry wasn't. He was humble, gentle and
lived his life in the service of others in the glory of the Lord.
Nevertheless, Dawn had thought of him from time to
time. Then she would push these thoughts from her mind after
a few minutes of enjoying her one guilty pleasure.
Dawn saw Father Mike first as she stepped out of the
church doors. He was shaking the hand of an elderly man. As
his hand was freed it was quickly grabbed by an attractive
teenage girl. Her smile stretched ear to ear and Father Mike
smiled back. Dawn's belly filled with bubbles that rose to her
chest like a warm hot chocolate on a winter night.
She felt a warmness. The back of her neck tightened. She
pushed her lips firmly against each other as she watch the two
smiling and chatting. They must have been ten yards away
when she made her move.
She wanted to steal the attention from the young
beautiful girl. Pushing past a group of gossiping old ladies in
flowery hats, Dawn landed in between Father Mike and
Monsignor Lavetzi. Michael as she called him in her mind,
was still in a flirty conversation with the young brunette.
Dawn stood patiently for her turn. She listened to every
word and noticed every gestures of the conversation next to
her. The girl would laugh and flirtatiously touch Father Mikes
arm. He smiled and tilted his head while he gazed into the
girls eyes. Dawn had had enough when she saw the hair twirl.
“Excuse me Father Mike,” Dawn interrupted.
The young priest turned away from the teenager and she
saw him light up when he saw her. They had developed a
close friendship over the years. Michael was in charge of the
catechism classes.
“I wanted to explain to you what happened in the class
yesterday”
“Yes”
“Who was she?”
Dawn could not believe she was jealous.
“Just a member of the CYA”
“Hmm”
A scream came from her left. It was the brunette. She was
pointing at the roof of the Church.
The crowd that was gathered around chit chatting all looked
up. Gasps and screams echoed. Dawn saw Monsignor
Lavetzi's mouth drop. Father Mike turned pink as he reached
for Dawns hand.
Oh my, Where is Luke? Luke?
Looking up, the sun baked her retinas. She blinked a few
times only seeing the pinkness of the inside of her eye lids
before her vision became clear again.
Her vision still blurred, the small figure on the ledge of
the roof did not look any more familiar than any other shadow
she had seem before. It was a silhouette perched next to the
15 foot crucifix that stood so proudly for all to see. Slowly
her eyes began to focus.
Father Mike grabbed a hold of Dawn's arm and yanked
her towards him. That's when her eyes came into complete
focus. Luke was standing on the edge of the roof some 50 ft
above the pavement.
Her arms threw themselves to the heavens as her knees
buckled beneath her. Catching herself in mid fall, blood filled
every vessel above her neck.
She became aware of things that she had never notices
before. The pavement leading up to the church had glass
mixed in with the concrete that twinkled as the suns ray hit
each piece individually mimicking the night stars that one can
only see in the countryside. The air conditioning of the church
made a hissing, squealing sound similar to a jet. Monsignor
Lavetzi reeked with the stench of slow death.
Dawn yanked her arm away from Michael's grip. The nail
of his middle finger dug into her skin as she freed herself. The
scratch left a red line down her forearm.
The crowd had thickened. Some spectators showed signs
of general concern for the boy on the roof; Others came to see
the show. They gazed up to the rooftop as if there was
something promised to them there.
Dawn wrestled her way to the door of the church,
shoving two of the gossipers to the ground on her way the
way a linebacker would on his way to sack a quarterback. She
shot herself in the door and turned left and entered a second
door that led to a narrow hallway.
She could hear the yelling out front as she made her way
to a third door that had a red sign that read. Roof Access.
The steps had never seemed so many. Her quads began to burn
The steps had never seemed so many. Her quads began to burn
first, then her calfs. I need to get back in shape. When she
reached the top of the stairs she was gasping for air but that
was not going to slow her down.
The door to the roof was locked. She rammed her
shoulder into the steel door which bounced her off of it as if
it was angry at her. She took two steps back and with a
running start speared her shoulder into the door a second
time. It did not budge.
Her heart stopped beating for a moment. She could not
find a breath. The air was thinning, she was sure of it. All that
same blood that had rushed to her head so quickly now had
left with equal haste. She gasped for air, then remembering
hyperventilating as a child, she stopped and took control of
her breathing.
She heard the crowd get louder. Then they went silent.
Dawn felt a hollowness in the place where her heart once
was. Please no. She would not be able to live if something
happened to Luke. He was her reason.
A great collective gasped penetrated the church walls and
into her ears. Dawn launched into a second panic. She
slapped at the door with the palms of her hands as hard as she
could. “Luke!, Luke! Open the door, it's mommy”
She continued to pound away while screaming her son's
name. The stinging on her hands felt like she was squeezing
caterpillars. Her heart started to race reminded her that she
was still alive.
There was no answer, not even a sign of life from the
other side of the door. She pounded and pounded and yelled
and yelled. Nothing.
Her arms grew tired. They felt like jelly but she did not
stop. Her pounds became more like girlish slaps and her yells
diminished from a call out to Luke to more of a whisper to
herself. “Luke, it's mommy, please answer me” She was
helpless to her child.
This was the first time she had felt helpless as a mother.
She had breast fed Luke until his first birthday and according
to Henry he was still attached to her tit. It was unusual for
Luke to get out of her sight much less for long enough to
scale the church. Her hopelessness drifted into self-doubt. She
was convinced she was a bad mommy like one of those
mothers she would see on television whose child had fallen
into a well or suffered some other horrible accident. Those
things don't happen to children with good mothers.
She had beed distracted since the incident the day before.
Luke had not spoken since. He just stared into space as if
nothing was there. She was worried but did not want to
pressure him. Whatever was bothering him he would
eventually get over it or let her know. All would go back to
normal.
She back slithered down the wall plopping her butt to the
cement floor. Knees up, her head landed perfectly in her
hands. She was alone as was her son on the other side of the
door.
Father Michael had tried to follow her up the stairs but he
could not keep up. He had fallen and twisted his ankle after
the fifth stair. Hobbled he limped his way up the steps and
found Dawn.
When she saw him she didn't smile or nod, She acted like
he was not there. Father Mike pulled a set of keys from his
pocket and place the correct one into the door.
Rising from the verge of despair, Dawn took to her feet
and pushed Michael away from the door. She walked out
calmly as not to startle Luke. She wondered if he was still
there. If he was, she did not want to scare and possible cause
him to accidentally fall off of the roof. So she crept.
She stepped out into the sunlight. She did not see him.
How many times can a heart stop in one day? She decided not
to take another breath until she found him safe and sound.
Without lifting up her feet, she edged her way closer and
closer to the crucifix. The closer she got the weaker her urge
to breath became. She did not see him and could not live
without him.
Then she noticed the tip of his blue sneakers that she had
just bought for him last week. Walking to the side of the
crucifix, her life was there on his knees hands open pressed
together just like she had taught him to do. “Luke, It's
mommy”
Luke did not respond to her. She could hear him praying
the same part of the “ Our Father” over and over again.
Deliver us from evil, Deliver us from evil.
Dawn creeped up on Luke saw that there was a 5 point
star drawn in the dirt in front of him. She knelt down beside
him, putting her arms around him. “Mommy is here, Sweetie,
Mommy is here.”
When she felt Father Mike behind her, she erased the
pentagram with her hand as she turned to him.
“I got him. He is safe” She looked at the priest to assure
him that his help wasn't needed.
That night when they arrived at the house Dawn wanted
nothing more than her husband to be there waiting for her.
She was tired of being alone and felt unsafe like someone was
watching. Besides Luke was not well. She needed Henry's
help.
The top of the house rose like a southern cathedral from
the sugar cane that was planted for miles around and could
be seen from at least a mile away. It seduced the young
couple in with dreams of raising a family in solitude. They
could hide from the outside world beyond the cane.
What had drawn her to the house now was less
accommodating. The high ceilings and open spaces made her
lonelier than she did when they lived in a small apartment
next to the medical school.
The loneliness grew as the hours passed. Luke had been
in his bed for some time. He did not want to watch TV nor
did he even glance at his new favorite toy. He just lied in bed
looking at the wall.
Dawn had attempted to bribe him with ice cream but that
did not worked. Nothing worked. He was not talking, not
about what happened, not about anything. Something had
changed. It had been damaged inside of him and she as a
mother needed to know.
Maybe he would talk to his father.
The phone sat next to her as she rocked in her great
grandmothers chair. She attempted to read. First a book that
she had been into then the newspaper, but the lure of the
phone was a constant distraction.
Henry had called each Sunday at the same time since he
left for Honduras. 5:30 sharp. It was 5:32 and he had not
called yet. The clock on the wall was never fast and never
slow. It was the same clock that her parents had over the stove
in her kitchen growing up, Ole faithful. She would have
sworn by it if she were the swearing type.
When it was five minutes to six, Dawn began to worry.
Maybe Luke sensed something, she thought. Her Aunt
claimed to be able to see things but no one in their family
ever believed her. Dawn wanted to but her faith told her that
it was not right. Only satan would give someone such a curse.
Dawn now wondered if it were possible.
The phone rang at 6pm. She jumped to her feet as if
someone told her that the house was on fire. Pausing and
taking a deep breath she answered the phone with a false
composure, “Hello.”
“Hi how are you?”
Disappointed she answered Father Mike, “We are fine
thanks for asking, but I need to keep this line clear.”
“I just wanted to check on the boy, is he ok?”
“Yes he is fine, it was nothing, but I must go.”
With that she hung up with the Priest.
The phone rang again instantly. Frustrated Dawn
snatched up the phone and thrusted it against her ear nearly
striking herself.
“I told you I needed to keep this line clear..”
“Who?” Henry asked.
“Oh baby I was hoping it was you.”
“I see that my love, how are you.”
“Not good”
“What is it my Angel?”
“It's Luke, He needs you. He hasn't spoken in a day and
he isn't right.”
Henry became angry. This is the same argument they had
right before he left for Honduras and he decided to go
anyway. She needed to get over it.
“Awe sweetie, I am sorry.”
“Can you come home, now? I can't do this alone
anymore”
“I'll be home in a month, before you know it. Why don't
you hire some help my Angel?”
Dawn paused.
She needed him now more than ever but she also knew
there was no sense in arguing. Henry does as Henry pleases.
“Ok, I'll find someone.”
“Sorry I have to run I'm being paged into the ER. Love
you honey bun.”
“I love you too”
But Henry had already hung up.
IV
She had placed an ad in the local paper looking for a live-
in maid. She wanted to spend more time with Luke and
needed help around the house. Besides having another adult
there would keep her from feeling lonely.
She spent her day interviewing applicants. A few college
girls had come by but they were too young. She like them ,
but she knew better. She didn't need any boyfriends hanging
around. There was one who seemed nice but Dawn felt too
nice, something about her did not sit right, like one day she
would come home to a meth lab or everything they owned
would be gone.
Luke was in his room. He had not left it since church on
Sunday and Dawn did not want to make him. He could rest as
long as he liked. Plus it gave her time to get things done
knowing he was tucked away in the safety of him bedroom.
She brought his meals on a little wooden tray and put
cartoons on the television. He ate very little and did not seem
interested in the TV, but she kept it on anyway to keep him
company.
There was one more appointment for the day. Already
feeling discourage, Dawn answered the door. At least the
applicant was right on time. When the door open, there was a
little timid looking old Latina lady standing there in a skirt
that went to her knees and and old t shirt covering her saggy
breast. Her hair was in a silver bun and she smiled like
woman 50 years younger than herself.
Dawn liked her at first sight.
Something must be wrong with her.
“Hola, I'm Suyapa.”
The stranger spoke with a deep Central American accent.
“Where are you from?” Dawn asked.
“Honduras.”
Suyapa entered the house and Dawn led her into the
living room.
“Que grande y hermosa esta la casa.”
“I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish.”
“You have a very nice home.”
“Thank you!”
There was something odd about this little old lady but
Dawn could not put her finger on it. She thought it could be
the accent. She had not spent much time with people from
other countries and did not want to be a bigot.
Suyapa took her time getting across the room. She
rubbed her hands across the fabric of the sofa and spun
around taking in the beauty of the house. She came upon a
family picture on an end table and picked it up to get a better
look.
“What a nice looking family, This is perfect.”
“What is perfect.
She explained that she did not want to work for a family
that wasn't nice. Dawn was flattered and left it at that.
Suyapa placed something on the coffee table as she sat
down but Dawn could not make out what it was from her
angle. With the last week she had had, it could have been
anything.
Dawn walked around the back of the chair and then to
another chair that faced Suyapa. That brilliant smile met her
as she eased back into her chair. The smile was seductive and
inviting and Dawn felt comfort in it. She could use a smile
like that around the house.
Dawn did not want to feel desperate and she still felt the
need to ask Suyapa the same questions that she had asked the
others before she could make a decision. She unfolded her
prepared list and looked up. She now could see what Suyapa
had placed on the table: A Bible.
Dawn, “WHEN CAN YOU START?”
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