by Roni Teson
She and JJ both looked up to the same area above and to the west. “Strange, it looked like the sky just melted on the other side of that bush. Did you see that?” JJ asked as he moved down the walkway and across the sidewalk to their neighbors’ yard. “But close up, it all looks ordinary here.”
Teresa followed JJ and stood next to him in front of her neighbors’ house. “I saw something out of the corner of my eye and I heard something. Do you feel like someone’s watching us? I know it sounds strange, but …”
“No, I feel it, too,” JJ said.
“Let’s go back inside. I’m a little spooked.”
The two moved slowly up the walk and into the house. JJ seemed to be on Teresa’s heels as he shadowed her into the kitchen. His energy level had picked up and suddenly his mood seemed to improve.
“What do you think that was?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Teresa busied herself in the kitchen.
Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she looked through the pantry and decided to make potatoes when she found a bag of them on the shelf. She put the bag on the counter and picked out a few good looking spuds. Water flowed down her hands as she rinsed the vegetables. Then she wiped her hands and found the peeler.
Peeling potatoes in the kitchen took Teresa’s mind off of everything else. She concentrated on the outside of the vegetable and in time made the brown go away. After the fourth potato, she turned on the stove and one by one plopped the potatoes in the water.
“Mom, you’re making potatoes?” JJ’s face contorted with the question.
“Why not?” she answered.
And then unexpectedly, and for no reason, she felt lighter, almost carefree. Maybe her sense of relief came from partially resolving JJ’s issue or from the closure of her father’s death—but her head seemed clearer. Or perhaps her improved state was from something as a simple as the few minutes they’d just spent outside in the air. Whatever the cause, she hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time.
JJ put his head down on the table. His hand rested on his soda can. His voice was muffled as he spoke, “I’m sorry, Mom. I should’ve told you about all of this.”
Teresa sat near him at the table and touched her son’s head. Her feelings of distrust from moments ago vanished as the mother in her emerged. “You know the word has gotten out at your school.”
“I’m sure it has,” he said. “I’ll shut it down. No more flash mobs. Now that the mystery is gone, they won’t want to go anyway.”
“Are they really going to be mad at you?” she asked.
“Probably. Seth was the only one who knew. So I know he told on me.” JJ lifted his head from the table.
“Oh, don’t blame him. You put him in that position by telling him your secret,” Teresa scolded.
“I guess.” JJ took a sip of his soda.
They sat in the kitchen together for a while, each engrossed in personal thoughts, until the potatoes softened in the water. Teresa emptied the water and began mashing the potatoes. Her knuckles turned white as she pushed down and twisted the masher with a sense of contentment. She added a sprinkle of cheese, a lump of sour cream, and a slab of butter, her efforts entirely targeted on the potatoes. In a minute, she pulled a spoon out of the drawer, dipped it into the mixture and brought it up to her mouth. No. The potatoes needed salt and pepper and maybe some garlic.
Reaching up, Teresa dug through the cupboard and found the spices, then added these to the mixture. She put the results in two bowls, placed the food on the table, sat down next to JJ, and said, “Eat.”
As she held the spoon up to her mouth, the phone interrupted her first warm bite.
“Why do we still have that land line anyway?” JJ asked.
“Because I’m an old-fashioned gal.” Teresa dropped her spoon in the bowl and ran to pick up the phone.
“At least you opted for cordless, instead of rotary dial.” JJ chuckled.
Teresa was shocked to find herself glad that Father Benjamin was calling. Her heart pounded a little. This man had been the closest human being to her father in the years before Joe’s death—now she seemed to be connected to him in ways she’d never have imagined. And for some bizarre reason, the idea of her relationship to the priest warmed her heart.
She chuckled slightly as a picture of the Grinch entered her mind—at the specific scene where his heart grows four inches. And for some strange reason, she hoped that silly little message was from her mother—but then it struck her the movie was one of Angela’s favorites.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” the priest asked.
“Oh, no, Father, just more strangeness …” Her voice trailed off.
“Yes, that’s why I’m calling,” he said. “Although it could be my imagination, or should I say the imagination of my friends from the street.”
“What happened, Father?” A friendly compassionate voice was what she heard, and then she realized it was her own. Her heart expanded another inch or two.
“It was as if Juan was there for a moment and a strange woman … Well, never mind,” he replied.
“Do you believe in ghosts, Father?” Where did that come from?
“Yes, but this was different,” Father Benjamin answered.
“How was it different?” She felt at ease staying on the phone with this man, but at the same time totally surprised at her own unusual behavior.
“We seemed to have had a Juan sighting, but not quite Juan. The person in question was an old, homeless guy, and I’m not sure how his appearing at the church was related to Juan. After this old guy disappeared, an unknown woman also indicated the man outside the kitchen had been Juan, and she …” Father Benjamin stammered. “Well, she changed for a moment. It was like something from a Stephen King novel. Very unreal, but I saw it with my own eyes.”
“How did she change?” Teresa asked.
“She went from appearing to be in a drunken state to being completely clear and sober. She transformed into a nice-looking, ordinary woman, in fact. Or maybe I just need a good night’s sleep.” The priest dismissed his story. “Anyway, I called to check on you and JJ.”
Theresa held the phone closer to her ear. “Come to think of it, we had something odd happen tonight. We both heard laughter outside the house, but no one was there. It was weird. JJ saw something in the air that he couldn’t explain. At the same time, it’s all easily shrugged off. We certainly could have been imagining things.”
“Did you hear your dad laugh?” inquired the priest.
“No. This was a young girl.” Teresa let out a nervous chuckle.
“I’m not sure what that could be, but you’re right. All these strange incidents can be easily dismissed, and usually are dismissed. It’s the reason I’m trying to pay close attention.” He sounded quite sincere.
Teresa took a deep breath and thought about the loss this man had suffered. She needed a moment to go beyond the priestly collar and fully understand a person inside of that uniform was now in pain. Consciously, she put more of her nice tone on as she continued, “That’s unusual for a priest to be so open-minded. Do you want to talk to JJ? He mentioned he was taking notes. He’s really interested in these otherworldly happenings, if that’s what they are.”
Father Benjamin spoke in a quiet tone. “Teresa, you’re being very kind right now. Thank you, but you really don’t need to patronize me.”
Yesterday she would’ve jumped all over the accusation; today she felt nothing but calm patience arise. “Oh, Father, I’m sorry. I’m not patronizing you. I really am just trying to be nice. And my son has an interest in this type of thing. What would you call it? Supernatural …”
“I’d say it’s more spiritual.” The priest spoke in a hushed manner.
“Yes, that would make sense,” Teresa said. Spiritual, of course—indications of the possibility of a life beyond
this one would be of spiritual interest.
“Are you up for an early morning breakfast? And can you bring JJ?” the priest asked.
No, say no, she thought to herself as the opposite words flew out of her mouth. “Okay. Is there anything open at 6:00 a.m.?”
“Yes, the railroad car that was converted to a restaurant on First. Do you know the place? The best pancakes in town,” Father Benjamin answered.
“Yes, yes. We’ll be there.” Where are these words coming from, Teresa whispered to herself.
“What? I didn’t catch that last comment you made.”
“Nothing, Father. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Teresa hung up the phone and went back into the kitchen. JJ had enjoyed his share of the potatoes. He sat at the table with an empty bowl and the soda can in his hand.
“What? We’re meeting the priest sometime tomorrow?” JJ asked without waiting for her explanation.
“You heard.” Teresa frowned. “It was like Tourette’s syndrome. I had no control over the words that came out of my mouth. I hope you feel up to it.”
“Oh, yeah. I think we have some things to talk about.” JJ laughed as he spoke. “I’m not sure that the padre will want to hear it all, though.”
“Why’s that?” Teresa asked. She’d sat down at the table again and was eating the still-warm mashed potatoes with satisfaction.
“Well it’s not exactly standard, Catholic protocol.”
“What is Catholic protocol?” Since her son hadn’t been brought up in the Catholic Church, she wondered why JJ thought he knew all about it.
“Aren’t those guys real conservative? Like ghosts and spirits don’t exist?” JJ asked.
“I’d think it’d be the opposite, because of all the angels, burning bushes, and parting seas in the Bible—a lot of miracles and strange happenings. You’d think the Church would be the most open to this type of thing. But in truth, you’re right. They’re worse than me.” Teresa chuckled.
“Yeah, why is that, Mom? Why aren’t you more open to things?” JJ asked.
Teresa sighed, and rubbed her hand across her face as she spoke. “I don’t know. If I were a therapist, I’d probably say it’s got something to do with my mother and sister dying, as well as my father leaving. I guess I’m a little disillusioned due to all the crap that’s happened to me in my life. But, in my own defense, I’m trying.”
JJ squinted as he took a sip of his soda. Then he stood up and deposited the can in the recycle bin. “You’re right, Mom. You are trying. You let me jot this stuff down, and you sort of helped. Maybe you’re loosening up. Do you think your father is watching us, now?”
“I don’t know. I get a chill sometimes, like right now.” Teresa reached out, grabbed JJ’s arms, and squeezed. Laughter filled the kitchen.
“Okay, okay. You’re messing with me. But I like it,” JJ said.
Teresa felt she had seasoned the potatoes just right and had done pretty well with her son, too.
CHAPTER 30
FATHER BENJAMIN SELECTED A PAIR OF jeans and an old polo shirt for his meeting with Teresa and JJ. He hoped the street clothes would help Teresa relax. However, she seemed to be a different person on the phone last night. She seemed to have lightened up, leaving the priest cautiously optimistic.
He paused for a moment and whispered, “What am I doing?” The priest had been close to Juan; perhaps Marcus was simply wishing something unusual was going on. Dragging Juan’s family into this probably wasn’t okay, but the need to investigate spurred him on, regardless.
Was this feeling that an unusual event had occurred simply because he missed his friend, and he was indulging in some wishful thinking?
The priest arrived at the restaurant early and picked a quiet corner so they could talk. Teresa and JJ arrived shortly thereafter and scanned the cafe, sitting down in the lobby when they didn’t recognize the priest. Father Benjamin raised his hand and waved them over, but the two of them remained seated where they were. The priest laughed and stood as he spoke, “Teresa, I’m over here.”
He watched Teresa finally recognize him and tug JJ along through the dining area to the table he’d chosen. As they settled in to coffee—JJ having an iced tea—and ordered their breakfasts, JJ pulled out his spiral notebook.
“Father, I only recently started jotting things down. But I think we’ve had activity for years,” JJ said in a professional manner.
“Activity?” the priest asked. He was certainly surprised to hear the word.
“Well, that’s what they call it in on the show ‘Paranormal.’ I guess you don’t watch that,” JJ responded, tapping his pen on his notepad.
The priest chuckled, took a sip of his coffee, and ran his hand through his hair. His heart lifted a little at the sight of Juan’s grandson diligently investigating the possible paranormal. “Have either of you read the journal that Juan wrote?” he asked.
“No, Father. My Aunt Jessie has it now. I told her to keep it because I thought I’d be tempted to throw it away,” Teresa said.
Father Benjamin noticed that the tight lines which had previously held her eyes in a glare seemed to have vanished. Her whole face appeared much younger, less stressed.
“I haven’t seen it either, but I’m interested to read what he wrote,” the priest responded.
JJ held his notepad up. “In reviewing my notes, Father, the night before last, both my mother and I had unique experiences. I woke up with my head full of stories that I believe my Aunt Angela had shared with me. She’d told me, in my dreams, I think, a whole bunch of facts that didn’t make it to the notebook before I forgot most of them. My mother …” JJ interrupted what appeared to be his best attempt at a formal speech and turned to Teresa. “Why don’t you tell him about the hand.”
Teresa choked on her coffee, caught her breath after a moment, and with a softer look on her face began her own part of the story. “On the same night that JJ had his incident, I woke up and my fingers were wiggling in front of my face. I had absolutely no control over my entire arm. I thought I was dreaming, but my eyes were open. The slight breeze from the movement of my fingers must’ve woken me up. Within moments though, it felt as if a weight was lifted from my entire body, and my arm dropped. I had control of my limb again. I didn’t panic. In fact, I rolled over and went back to sleep. I would’ve forgotten about it, actually, if JJ hadn’t brought up his incident.”
Father Benjamin wasn’t sure what to make of their experiences. “Did you see anything?” he asked, hoping to get additional information.
“No, I didn’t,” JJ answered. “But something felt different. Like the air in my room was thicker than usual. And then last night, we heard the giggling. When we went outside, I saw this melting type texture in the air, probably about three feet up or so. It seemed as if the world had become one dimensional and melted together for a moment. And then it affected the area around the bushes, sidewalks, and grass. The world sort of melted outside of our house then quickly went back to the way it was. Like an optical illusion or something.”
Father Benjamin thought about the unusual stories that many of his parishioners shared with him upon the deaths of their relatives. In all of his time spent near death he’d never heard of or witnessed anything similar to what JJ had just described. “Well, I certainly don’t have an explanation for any of that.”
“Why the street clothes, Father?” Teresa asked, out of the blue.
“I’m not sure. It felt right.” Heat rose to the priest’s cheeks as he blushed.
“What is it that prompted you to call me and ask to meet? I’m curious,” Teresa went on.
“We told you about the General, right?” The priest waited for both JJ and Teresa to nod. “Well, someone called in his body’s location to the morgue. He had climbed into a trash bin to get warm and died in the bin, which was emptied at the dump. He would’ve never been found had the call not
been made.”
“I don’t get it,” JJ said. “What’s odd about that? It doesn’t fit in my notebook, here.”
“The caller told Dotty at the morgue to tell me. I suspect it had something to do with Juan, because at the kitchen last night there was a Juan sighting. And oddly enough the whole line knew about both Juan and the General.” Admittedly he felt a little silly repeating this story as if it had significance, though he somehow suspected it did.
Their omelets appeared and the three waited a minute before continuing on with their conversation. “Couldn’t that be gossip? I thought word of mouth was fast on the streets,” Teresa said. She picked up her fork.
“Yes, we could dismiss all of it. But something about that old guy Sam and the elderly woman who claimed she saw Juan. I know it was some type of sign from him.” Yes, that was what he felt—he felt that Juan had sent him a sign from the other side.
“Father, can you get into trouble here?” Teresa asked.
“What do you mean?” The priest didn’t understand what she was getting at.
“I mean, doesn’t the Church frown upon this alternative, advanced type of thinking?”
“Oh, I’m just having a conversation with Joe’s family.” The priest nodded, “No conflict here. And it’s not rocking my faith at all, if that’s where you’re headed.” Quite the contrary, in fact.
Teresa sipped her coffee and smiled at the priest.
Father Benjamin took a deep breath and then exhaled. He wondered about this sudden transformation of Joe’s daughter. She appeared to be a different person, but for some reason he wasn’t ready to completely let his guard down. “Teresa, you seem different. Did something happen?”
“What do you mean?” she asked with a slight smile on her face.
“Well … You’re more relaxed. I don’t know, perhaps a lot more compassionate than the angry young woman I met with a day or so ago.”
“Was that only a day or two ago?” Even Teresa’s voice sounded less constricted with tension. “Anyway, I don’t really know what could be different. I feel bad that you lost a good friend. I’ve also had to deal with this business of my son’s initiating these flash mobs and being caught by the police. It’s been a rough week. At some point I decided to quit fighting it and to let it be. I can’t fight everything, including my feelings. I think I spent enough time in the angry stage, Father. After twenty years, it’s about time for me to get over my old set of emotions.”