by Soidenet Gue
Eddy sighed as Nick’s face contorted with discomfort. His brother was trying to get up, and after he did, he turned his back on Eddy to gaze at the layers of gray clouds parting the sky in long, parallel lines.
“Now that you met Eve,” Nick said, “what’s your overall impression of her?”
“She seems like a sweet little girl. Very brave.”
“Yes, she is. I’m glad the two of you finally met.”
“Me too.”
“Just take good care of her.”
“I will. You know I will.”
“I have a feeling the two of you will get along just fine.”
“Listen now. I don’t want to hear any more talk like there’s not much left to say but goodbyes. We have to fight this. The Lord does work in mysterious ways. Don’t you know that? All we have to do is believe.”
Nick didn’t quite know how to respond; instead, he said, “Please keep her away from the shops, will you? She’s never set foot in any of ’em. Keep it that way!”
The minister looked inside the folder, prompting an alarming look on his face. His hand froze. “What the hell is this?” he asked with gritted teeth. “I’m a man of God, for Christ’s sake! How could you ever expect me to run a bunch of porn shops? Regardless of how much money they’re worth, I’ll never get involved with something so . . . vile! Oh my, yes!” He paused to catch his breath and reduce the tautness in his voice. His face softened. “Jesus, Nick, that’s going to make me look bad. I don’t think I could do it even if my life depended on it.”
Nick faced Eddy, unflinching. “Do you think that’s the greatest sin in the world, eh? I don’t know. You tell me, ’cause you’re acting as if I’m asking you to commit the greatest sin of all . . . which isn’t true.”
The preacher took a deep breath. He considered this very moment as nothing but a gigantic test he had to overcome. The tests, the afflictions would come in different forms, he reminded himself with his hand placed over his heart, like this plague ravaging the planet this very second. It’s in times like these we need to have even more faith in You, dear Lord, because we’re being tested like never before. Oh, dear Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. With utmost politeness, he pushed the folder toward Nick and said, “I’ll do whatever you want. I mean, I’ll help in any way I can, but not this. I’m sorry.” A heavy sigh escaped his mouth before tears formed in the corners of his eyes. “I’m not the person I used to be. You know that.”
“I wish I did, Eddy.”
Nick grabbed the folder, and just when he turned to leave, Eddy said, “Eve is your daughter. I’m sure of it. I’m the one who cannot have any children, not Solène. I’m sorry. Sorry for all the pain, all the trouble I’ve caused. Please forgive me, brother.”
Nick sat, feeling bewildered at first, then vindicated to a considerable extent. His hacking cough prompted Eddy to hasten around the table and reach for his shoulder. “It’s okay,” Nick said. “I’m okay. Just a little tired. ‘And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ John something, no?”
“I believe so. John eight, verse thirty-two,” the preacher said with a thin smile, still not letting go of Nick’s shoulder while Nick tried to stay calm and steady, putting his arms on the table. As Nick’s heavy breathing subsided, Eddy grabbed some tissues and wiped the perspiration from his brother’s face. Nick laughed a little, and so did Eddy, feeling relieved from all the pressure he had felt throughout the trip. Eddy dabbed the damp tissues around his brother’s neck. They sat there a while longer in total pensiveness. And with sorrow in their eyes, they both turned to a pair of squirrels climbing up and down the orange tree, and then to the sudden, piercing caws of half a dozen crows sitting on the lowest powerline.
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