Comfort and Affliction

by Michael Frosolono

  “Looks like he was in a fight he didn’t win. He assures me he’s okay.”

  “Did you take him to a doctor?”

  “No.”

  “Any sore spots on his body, like over his ribs?” Eric asked.

  “A few bruises; nothing seems broken. He’s not passing any blood or having trouble breathing; and he certainly isn’t hallucinating, except for the idea that he’s invincible.”

  “Cathy probably will help Joseph return to some semblance of reality.”

  “What did he tell you about Cathy?” Allison arched her eyes.

  “He asked Cathy to marry him.”

  “When?”

  “You mean when did he ask the question or when does he want to marry Cathy?”

  “Don’t play lawyer,” Allison insisted.

  “He asked her yesterday when we were in the church office.”

  “What did Cathy say?”

  “Yes, after they graduate from college. She did agree to marry him before they go to graduate school.”

  “Good for Cathy.”

  “Joseph hasn’t told you anything about his relationship with Cathy?”

  “I’m his mother. As you might expect, he hasn’t revealed much. I know the two of them spend a lot of time together.”

  “Do you think Joseph and Cathy are sexually active?”

  “I hope not,” Allison said.

  “How do you feel about the two of them spending time together?”

  “If you’re asking how I feel about the racial issue, it doesn’t bother me as much as the fact they’re so young.”

  “Probably wouldn’t do any good to try to keep them apart.”

  “Not at all.”

  “How does Reverend Stockman feel about the relationship?” Eric asked.

  “I need to talk with him.”

  “How about now? Reverend Stockman’s outside, and he’s spotted the two of us.”

  A tall barrel-chested black man walked through the doors. “Good morning, Counselor. May I join you two?” His voice boomed through the cafe.

  “Good morning to you, Big Al,” Allison said. “Please sit with us. We need to talk with you.” Big Al came to the table where Eric stood. Allison made the introduction. “Reverend Stockman, this gentleman is Reverend Eric Jameson, our pastor at Aldersgate, and my friend.”

  “So I hear, Counselor,” Big Al said. He offered his hand to Eric. “Let’s sit. No need to be formal.”

  “I’ve been meaning to arrange a meeting with you,” Eric said. “Heard a lot of good things about what you’re doing at Ebenezer.”

  “Has Sister Johnson been telling tales?”

  “Only the truth, from what I can determine.”

  “Well, I’ve wanted to meet you. I hear you’re really shaking up the moribund Aldersgate congregation.”

  “Comforting and afflicting.”

  “More afflicting, from what I hear.”

  “I do my best to preach the Gospel.”

  “Are your words falling on deaf ears?”

  Eric pointed a finger at Allison. “A vibrant core of congregants wants a change.”

  “You’ve done at least one good thing with your preaching.”

  Allison asked, “What are you referring to, Big Al?”

  “The fact that he ran off Ralph Whitfield.”

  “As you know, we Methodists like our sinners inside the church so we can preach to them, maybe convert them,” Eric said.

  “Don’t throw your pearls before swine,” Big Al quipped.

  “Some people do resist the Holy Spirit.”

  “Problem is,” Big Al said, “that misbegotten and misguided child of God believes the Holy Spirit imparts the true Gospel directly and only to him.”

  “I hear he can be a thorn in the side of our black brothers and sisters.”

  “The Holy Spirit moves in mysterious ways and God does not ask us to bear more than we can carry.”

  “May we move away from theology?” Allison said.

  Big Al’s laughter caused the patrons in the cafe to look toward him. “Sister Allison, theology encompasses everything, even the law.” Big Al spoke to Eric. “Thank you for taking such good care of Catherine yesterday. She can be a handful, like her mother.”

  “Your granddaughter’s an impressive young lady.”

  “She is. Sister Allison, what are your thoughts about Cathy and Joseph?”

  “Let the relationship play out by treating the situation with benign neglect.”

  “A modified Gamaliel approach?” Big Al asked.

  Eric offered a paraphrase of Acts 5:38-39 when he saw Allison’s puzzlement. “Let Joseph and Cathy alone. If their relationship is not real, it will fail; if the relationship is valid, we will not be able to stop it.”

  “Precisely,” Big Al affirmed.

  Allison sighed, “Young Love. True Love.”

  Eric sang softly in his baritone voice,

  “They try to tell us we’re too young

  Too young to really be in love

  They say that love’s a word

  A word we’ve only heard

  But can’t begin to know the meaning of.”

  “You sing pretty good for a white man, and Nat King Cole wouldn’t be offended,” Big Al said. His deep bass joined Eric on the second verse,

  “And yet we’re not too young to know

  This love will last though years may go

  And then some day they may recall

  We were not too young at all.”

  Eric and Big Al looked at Allison, who sang with them on the third verse, her clear mezzosoprano tones rising above the men’s voices,

  “And yet we’re not too young to know

  This love will last though years may go

  And then some day they may recall

  We were not too young at all.”

  The other patrons in the cafe applauded and shouted, “Encore! Encore!”

  Big Al rose to his feet and bowed. “If you all want to hear some more good singing, you can come to one of our churches on Sunday morning. We might even let you join our choirs to make a joyful noise to the Lord.” He sat again, a broad smile on his face. “Brother Eric, I understand Chief Holderfield told you he wants us to work together to pour oil on the troubled water some of my black boys stirred up?”

  “He did. I suggested he also speak a few words to our congregations. How do you want to proceed?”

  “Why don’t you let him speak early at your eleven o’clock service? Our Sunday worship service runs a lot longer than yours. It usually takes me a while to calm my folks from dealing with their trials and tribulations before I can begin to preach. The chief will have plenty of time to get to Ebenezer after he’s at your church.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me. You want to call him or shall I?”

  “I’ll stop by the police department and see the good chief after I leave here.” Big Al turned to Allison. “How do you see the legal issues playing out?”

  “First and foremost, I think both of us want the bullying to stop forthwith.” Big Al nodded affirmatively. Allison continued. “Although arrests have been made, I doubt the county district attorney has had time to file formal charges. He may want to go before a grand jury. The case seems clear-cut; a lot of creditable witnesses saw what happened. I don’t think we should interfere with the legal process right now.”

  “I agree, Sister Allison.”

  “I don’t foresee either of us filing a lawsuit because neither Cathy nor Joseph were badly hurt.”

  “I agree again. Some of the boys have bad histories with our local law enforcement, and the district attorney probably won’t be inclined to dismiss any charges.”

  “The broken windows posed a definite danger inside and outside the cafe. Someone could have easily been seriously wounded, even killed,” Allison said. “The property damage and danger the broken glass threatened will be a major reason why the district attorney will want to bring the boys to court.”

  “
Maybe letting the legal process go forward will scare the boys sufficiently to make them stop any future bullying,” Eric said.

  “Perhaps,” Big Al said.

  “You don’t sound optimistic.”

  “I’m striving to be realistic. These boys are borderline juvenile delinquents, despite all the efforts their families and our congregation have expended on them.”

  “We do have the potential for some racial problems, maybe both from the black and the white ends of the spectrum,” Allison said.

  “Just the kind of situation the Restorers would be tempted to exploit,” Big Al said, “along with some of our hotheads.”

  “I think the situation could be helped,” Allison said, “if the boys were seen primarily as testosterone-fueled teenagers, which might take the focus off the racial aspects.”

  “Even so, Sister Allison, the legal process will bring out the boys’ records.”

  “Again, you don’t sound too optimistic about avoiding the racial overtones,” Eric said.

  Big Al spread his hands apart. “The list of mortal sins includes despair; therefore, we must do our best and trust in the saving grace of our Lord and Master.”

  “Indeed,” Eric said.

  CHAPTER 14

  Sunday, 27 July

  The congregants took their seats after the opening hymn, “Many Gifts, One Spirit”. Eric stepped to the pulpit, and looked at the two police officers in the front pew. “Before we go further into today’s worship service, Chief Jack Holderfield wishes to address us on a serious matter related to the topic of today’s sermon.”

  The chief, resplendent in his summer uniform with starched long-sleeved white shirt and neatly knotted black tie, stepped to the front of the central aisle. “Thank you, Reverend Jameson.” The chief’s voice easily carried to the balcony at the rear of the sanctuary. “As many of you know, young members of this and another congregation were involved in an unfortunate situation outside of Jean’s Coffee Shop on Tuesday. The incident carries with it racial overtones.” The chief looked over the congregants, apparently trying to determine the presence of specific individuals. Eric suspected the chief looked for Ralph Whitfield, who no longer attended services at Aldersgate. The chief beckoned to his companion, who rose to stand beside him.

  The second police officer, a physically imposing black man, dwarfed the chief by several inches and many pounds of apparently well-toned muscle. “Captain Timmons and I joined the Vickery Police force together as rookies under old Chief Brooks back at the beginning of the 1960s, right before the Civil Rights struggle truly got underway. Chief Brooks set a policy Captain Timmons and I insist upon maintaining today: Equal protection, equal service, and equal force of the law, applied regardless of race. Our evenhanded policy carried us through the turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s, and that policy will continue to be enforced in the current difficulties.”

  Chief Holderfield once again looked out over the sanctuary until he focused on a lady Eric did not recognize sitting beside Miz Lizbeth. The woman held a tape recorder in her left hand while she scribbled furiously on a tablet in her lap. “Madame Editor.”

  “Yes, Chief.”

  “May I expect my words to be printed verbatim in the next issue of The Alexander County Messenger?”

  “Definitely, if you don’t continue much longer.”

  “May I also expect a supportive editorial?”

  “You may.”

  “Good. I, Captain Timmons, and the entire Vickery police force, as well as the county district attorney and his staff, will allow the justice system to work without hindrance or undue influence in this present case or any other cases. Arrests have been made; we expect indictments within the next couple of weeks. Counselor Stevens and the young lady’s grandparents agree wholeheartedly with our approach.”

  The chief put his right hand on the Glock .40-caliber pistol holstered on his hip. “Anyone, regardless of race or political persuasions, who attempts to interfere, will answer to me and to our legal system. Persons so inclined to distort the legal process will be dealt with severely.” The chief turned to Eric. “Thank you for this opportunity to speak. Captain Timmons and I must leave in order to give the same message to the congregation at Ebenezer.”

  “Godspeed,” Eric said as Chief Holderfield and Captain Timmons walked down the central aisle, accepting handshakes from several of the congregants. “We’ll now continue with the service.”

  Raymond Taliaferro (pronounced Tolliver), about six feet tall and lean, rose to read the Scripture. His close-cropped gray hair added to his distinguished appearance. Eric estimated Taliaferro was in his mid-forties.

  Earlier in the week, Eric had asked Mary Johnson for details about the volunteer lector.

  “Mr. Taliaferro is a financial advisor with an office on East Main Street. He must make a lot of money because he lives in a big house on the lake and drives a fancy car.”

  Eric thought for a minute, reconstructing some of his morning jogs through downtown Vickery. “A white Rolls Royce convertible, usually parked in front of his office?”

  “The one and only such car in town.”

  “He arrives at his office quite early.”

  “Everybody says he works hard at whatever his business involves.”

  Eric had noticed Taliaferro sitting alone in some of the worship services. “Married?”

  Mary pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. “Mr. Taliaferro’s a bachelor. I don’t think he’s ever been married, although I don’t know for sure. He moved to Vickery about ten years ago. He keeps to himself socially, except he’s a member of several organizations like the Lions Club. Mr. Taliaferro worships at Aldersgate when he’s in town on the weekends. From what I hear, he goes out of town a lot. Miz Lizbeth or Allison can probably give you more details. I don’t want to say more.”

  Eric did not pursue the subject because he inferred Mary probably thought Taliaferro was gay.

  Taliaferro spoke in a strong voice. “We have two readings from St. Paul’s Epistles, beginning with a selection from the Third Chapter of Galatians.” He read from the single sheet of paper he took from the inside pocket of his blue blazer rather than from the big pulpit Bible:

  “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.”

  Taliaferro turned the paper over. “Next, a selection from the Third Chapter of Colossians:

  ‘In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.’”

  After nodding to Eric, Taliaferro sat in the cushioned chair behind the small pulpit, and crossed his long legs to reveal black knee socks and highly polished black dress loafers.

  Eric went to the center of the chancel and looked at Taliaferro. “Thank you, Mr. Taliaferro, for your excellent reading of our Scripture lessons for today.” Eric turned his face toward the congregation. “We come into the Community of Believers through profession of faith in God manifest as Creator or Parent, Son, and Holy Spirit, followed by the Holy Sacrament of our baptisms. Thus, in a p
rofound sense, we all begin at the same point within the Community of Believers.

  “Biblical scholars agree the Epistle to the Galatians represents an authentic Pauline book. On the other hand, scholarly controversy exists about the authorship of the Epistle to the Colossians. Some scholars strongly insist St. Paul wrote Colossians; other scholars with equal intellectual fervor maintain a follower of St. Paul, someone with a thorough understanding of his theology, wrote the book in the late first century.

  “While the authorship of Colossians may be disputed, both Scriptures leave little room for doubt about the thrust of the message: Once we commit to the Community of Believers, differences among us with respect to racial, ethnic origin, social status, gender, and, as we’re becoming increasingly aware, sexual orientation no longer have meaning. Such artificial differences must not divide the Community of Believers. All of us exist equally in the fellowship of Christ, all of us qualify as God’s sons and daughters. We are equal brothers and sisters in Christ, and all of us have the same rights and obligations within our fellowship.

  “Let me move away for a few minutes from a strictly Scriptural approach to this concept of equality in Christ. Some historians maintain the American Revolution encompassed three wars: The War for Independence, The War of 1812, and the Civil War. From this perspective, we fought three wars to establish a primary principle of our democratic republic: Our society will be based upon equality of economic and social opportunity, as well as equal protection, under the law rather than upon inherited privilege. Chief Holderfield promoted that understanding a few minutes ago. This principle of civil equality thoroughly resonates with St. Paul’s teaching about the Gospel message because members of the Community of Believers exist in equal fellowship with one another and with our Lord and Savior by adoption through grace, not genetic inheritance. Some people believe this equality in Christ generated the civil rights principle of equality under the law.

  “Linking the previously unheard-of idea of sharing equal fellowship in Christ with the reality-shaking resurrection propelled the early Christians to bring the entire Roman Empire into the Community of Believers. We see those forces active in the world today as we continue the work of the Church to meet our primary objective: ‘Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all to the glory of God.’”