“Why is Babylon so important?” Alexandra asked.
“The bible doesn’t look too favorably on Babylon,” Koneh said. “The city is credited to putting man’s achievements before God’s and for falling into unforgivable sin.”
Father Callahan pointed to another Latin scribble. “Here is the passage I recognized from Koneh’s words. ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The sea will be as dust and Eden shall be our Beacon.’ It’s right there.”
“Anything else?” Alexandra asked.
Father Callahan shook his head. “Lots of cross-outs, but nothing else legible.”
Alexandra mulled the altered Revelation over in her mind, but it wasn’t a cohesive whole. Perhaps only Bishop Palusa understood his notes. Perhaps not.
“Let’s read the whole thing,” Koneh said. “It’s been a while for me.”
Father Callahan flipped to the beginning of the section and said, “Good idea.”
“You boys have fun,” Alexandra said as she rubbed her burning eyes. “I’m going to get some rest.”
Father Callahan nodded. “We’ll go into the other room so you can sleep.”
As the pair exited the main room of the church, Alexandra removed her leather jacket and laid in a pew. She used her coat as a pillow and curled her legs up to her stomach. After a few minutes her eyes settled on the altar and the crucifix.
“It’s still so hard to believe,” she whispered, though she wasn’t sure if she was talking to herself or someone else.
Sleep eventually overtook her and she drifted away into her dreams. When she awoke, her hands were shaking. She opened her eyes and saw the church exactly as she left it. A few candles illuminated the walls and altar, and debris cluttered the floor. With a start, she sat up in her pew and brought her hand to her forehead – sweat.
One thing was different, however. Someone covered her with a blanket. Guessing it was Father Callahan, she pushed the blanket to the side, stood and stretched her arms. In her sleep her hair became unraveled again. As she braided the waist-long strands, she entertained the notion of cutting her hair. The new style in San Antonio was knee-length, but she didn’t find anything convenient about maintaining such long hair in her new environment.
Her ears adjusted to her surroundings. She heard low voices and the crackle of a fire in the other room. Outside, the wind whistled and she felt the chill it brought. She lifted her jacket and threaded her arms through the leather sleeves. If she ever met the man who lent her his jacket and duffel bag, Alexandra decided she would have to thank him.
She picked her way to the back of the church, where she last saw her new friends. As she approached, she heard Koneh’s raspy voice.
“She is just a child… for something like this…”
The voice trailed away and Alexandra strained her ears at the other side of the wall. A moment later, without a sound, Koneh’s hooded face appeared next to hers. She jumped.
“She is awake,” Koneh said.
“Good!” Father Callahan said from the other room.
After composing herself, she asked, “What were you two talking about in there?”
Father Callahan joined Koneh in the entryway and waved his hand. “Nothing, nothing. We were just getting to know each other a little bit.”
Alexandra pointed to the altered Bible and asked, “Anything else of interest in there?” She wanted to ask if they were talking about her, but she felt petty for even thinking it. She reminded herself that she was not the center of the universe.
“Hard to say, but Bishop Palusa may have indeed received a vision from God – a corrected Revelation if you will.” Father Callahan said. “Anyway, you must be hungry, my dear. You were asleep for almost six hours.”
Alexandra’s stomach answered with an audible growl.
Laughing, Father Callahan asked, “Is rice soup okay again for breakfast?”
She smiled. “Yes, that would be wonderful. And thank you for the blanket.”
“Dear, that wasn’t me,” Father Callahan said.
“It was his idea,” Koneh said with a nod. “I only performed the manual labor.”
Father Callahan turned to Koneh and said, “That’s not-”
Koneh interrupted him again. “Do you mind if I look over that Bible while you cook?”
“Please do,” Father Callahan said.
Without further acknowledgement, Koneh grasped the book and stepped to a pew. Before he sat, he adjusted something under his rags. Alexandra guessed it was his sword. The one he used to kill several men. True, he acted in her defense, but how would she protect herself if that sword was ever turned upon her?
Father Callahan clapped his hands once and said, “Well then, I’ll get started on that soup.”
“I’ll help,” Alexandra said.
“Nonsense, dear. Sit, rest.”
She looked over her shoulder at Koneh and whispered, “I need someone to talk to.”
“Of course. You are free to watch me work, but mark my words,” Father Callahan’s face grew playfully stern, “nobody but Father Callahan and the Almighty Himself are allowed to cook in my kitchen. Got it?”
“Yes, Father,” she said as she bowed dramatically.
The pair shared a laugh.
“This way.”
She followed him into a study. Books clung to wooden racks along the far wall. Papers and debris littered the floor. The ceiling in this room appeared in worse shape than the main chamber of the church. Through the numerous holes, Alexandra spied the apocalyptic sky above. At the center of the room rested a makeshift fire pit, complete with spit and pot. The crackling she heard a few moments prior was from the small fire lapping the bottom of the steel pot.
“The water should be warm enough by now,” Father Callahan said. “I’ve used all the chairs for firewood, so I hope the floor is okay.”
She kneeled by the fire and said, “This is fine. Perfect.”
“Soon, it’ll be the pews,” he whispered.
Father Callahan paused for a moment and then gathered some materials from a bookshelf – a spoon, some salt and a small tin canister.
“What happened to your home?” Alexandra asked.
As he scooped rice from the tin, he said, “Destroyed by the earthquake. I salvaged what I could.”
“I’m sorry-”
“I’ll make it fine, always have. God will provide.”
Alexandra shifted off her knees and rested her bottom on the floor. She didn’t know a tactful way to phrase the subject, so she just started talking.
“You know,” she said, “Koneh believes Heaven and Hell have fallen. Does that mean anything to you?”
He mixed the contents of the simple soup together and said, “Yes, yes. He told me his theories.” Then, lowering his voice, he said, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know quite what to think of your friend.”
“Father,” she said as she lowered her voice as well, “Koneh killed some men before we arrived. He has a sword.”
Father Callahan halted in mid-stir and snapped his eyes to her. Lines and wrinkles gathered around his brown eyes and he appeared a bit older than when she first met him less than twelve hours ago.
“A sword you say? That’s odd.”
She nodded and said, “Yeah. In his defense, the men were about to rape and probably kill me. But, I… I don’t know. Something felt wrong about the whole thing.”
Father Callahan resumed his stirring and smiled gently. “Do not be ashamed to mourn the death of your enemy. All life is precious.”
“I guess that’s it,” she said. “I haven’t exactly been the best Christian… Catholic, whatever. If I do, in fact, have a newfound respect for life, I don’t think our friend in the other room shares our feelings on the matter.”
“Oh, after my talk with him, I think quite the opposite.”
“Really? What did he tell you?”
“Oh, he made me promise to keep the priest-penitent privilege. I cannot say without breaking his trust, no
t to mention my own ethics.”
Alexandra sighed.
“Almost ready,” he said.
Still on the previous topic, Alexandra looked into Father Callahan’s eyes and asked, “Do you trust him?”
He huffed and said, “I trust that he had a vision, one shared by my mentor in Rome. I also trust that he thinks he can find Eden. Of course, I don’t usually place my trust in someone I’ve only known a few hours.”
“I’ve known him a few days and I don’t trust him,” she said as her eyes wandered to the wall separating the study from the rest of the church. Trust him? Definitely not. Intrigued? Certainly.
“However,” Father Callahan said, “I do trust Koneh.”
Alexandra jerked her head back to her companion. “I thought you said you don’t trust people you’ve just met?”
“I said I don’t usually trust them. Your friend is an exception.”
“He’s an exception all right.”
“Soup’s done,” he said as he stood and produced two bowls from another bookshelf. “In fact,” he said, “I trust him enough to follow him to Eden.”
“You can’t be serious Father,” she said incredulously as she accepted a bowl of rice soup from the priest.
“Most serious,” he said with a smile on his weathered face. “As I said, I trust him.”
“What did he say to convince you to go with him?”
Father Callahan sipped his soup, nodded and then said, “There wasn’t one thing, really.”
Following suit, Alexandra brought the bowl to her lips and enjoyed the warmth of the broth. Though the soup was not very filling, it hit the spot.
“Don’t the people here need you?” As soon as the words were finished, she regretted them. What right did she have to question a priest? To tell him where he should be going and what he should be doing?
“Of course they need me,” Father Callahan said. “However, I feel my presence here in Mexico is no accident. Bishop Palusa assigned me here for a reason. And now I know that reason.”
“To follow a crazy man to a place that likely doesn’t exist?”
He pointed to Alexandra’s chest and said, “You wear that cross. Have you no faith?”
After another sip, she rested the bowl on the floor and sighed. “I don’t know where to place my faith anymore Father.”
“A soul without aim loses itself.”
Alexandra frowned and said, “That sounds like a fortune cookie.”
Laughing, he said, “Yeah, I guess it does. I’m sure I read it somewhere. Appropriate, though.”
Alexandra allowed some laughter to escape over the high walls of her self-control. She was never comfortable letting go of her composure. However, this priest wasn’t stuffy and elitist like others she knew.
“I also believe,” he said, “that you are no accident, Alexandra. We were supposed to meet.”
“Why do you think that?”
Scratching the gray stubble on his chin, he said, “Hard to describe, really. It’s just a feeling.”
“Are you two all acquainted?”
Alexandra jumped and her knee smacked the empty soup bowl. It skipped across the floor and rolled to a halt near one of the bookcases.
Koneh leaned against the remains of the door frame. The light from the candles couldn’t breach the shadow over his hooded face, but Alexandra knew what was there - scar upon scar.
Father Callahan looked from Alexandra to Koneh and said, “Well, not really. We didn’t talk much about ourselves.”
“You can play catch up on the road if you want. We need to leave,” Koneh said.
Alexandra said, “Leave? What makes you think I’m going with you?”
The two men exchanged glances.
“I’m done with this,” Koneh said as he dropped the Bible on the floor. “And you’re not finished with her.”
After the echo from the book faded, Koneh turned and walked into the main section of the church. Confused, Alexandra looked at Father Callahan and put her palms to the sky.
“What was that?” she asked.
Father Callahan smiled and said, “It was my job to convince you to come with us.”
“Oh no,” she said as she rose to her feet, “he’s not going to get away with using you, Father.”
“Alexandra-”
Father Callahan never finished his thought. Alexandra stalked after her secretive guide.
“No you don’t, Koneh.”
The target of her anger was perched on the back of a wooden pew. Loose wrappings from his tattered clothing draped over the arm and back supports. As Alexandra approached, Koneh watched her every move like a hawk watches a mouse in the field.
“If you want me to go with you on this foolish trip you’ll have to ask me yourself.”
“Consider yourself asked,” he said.
She stopped a few feet from him and planted her fists on her hips. She decided she would have looked more menacing if she wasn’t dressed in men’s clothing.
“That’s easy. My answer is no,” she said.
“You’d rather stay here?”
“I’d rather get a straight answer from you!”
“You know some topics are off-limits.”
“Fine,” she said. “Give me one good reason why I should travel to Eden with you.”
Koneh grinned and said, “I’ll give you two. First: you need me.”
“Are you sure about that?” She scowled, but she knew he was right. Though she was a Texan woman – she didn’t need any man – these were extreme circumstances.
“Yes, you seem to need my protection. And I am happy to help.” Before she could respond, Koneh said, “Reason two is equally simple: I need you.”
Exhasperated, she asked, “For what?”
“To finish what I start if I should fail.”
“Why me?”
“Look around you, Alexandra. My choices are limited. You seem like you have a good heart.”
“Why not the priest?”
“I saw you first,” Koneh said.
“What about Erzulie?”
“She’s not human.”
“And?” she asked.
“And,” Koneh said, “Eden was made for us – for humans. Angels and demons have no place there.”
Alexandra closed her eyes to keep the tears at bay.
Did she need him? The answer was there before she finished analyzing the question. Since waking up inside the overturned bus, she hadn’t fared well. However, things could’ve been worse if Koneh wasn’t around. In this new world, she did need him.
Did he really need her? Alexandra opened her eyes and examined her guide. At times he’d shown compassion. For the most part, however, he was rude and coarse. His reasons for needing her didn’t quite stack-up in her mind. He was still holding back. If he needed her, he wasn’t giving all the reasons.
Koneh stepped down from the pew and said gently, “The rules have changed.” He moved closer and touched her arm. “You cannot wait here for the next bus to Laredo or south Texas. There are no more busses.”
“I don’t believe that you need me,” she said. “You can do this without me.”
“If that’s what you think,” Koneh said, “then tag along for my sake. I couldn’t forgive myself if I knew you were wandering the Mexican wasteland alone.”
Alexandra believed he would indeed feel guilt if he abandoned her. She also felt foolish for not placing her trust in him before. He saved her life without hesitation. He took a bullet for her! At least she could trust him to keep her safe. That was something. Though his exterior was frightening, Koneh’s heart seemed to be in the right place. Further, and though she knew the thought was foolish, she wondered if she had a place in that heart.
“Okay, fine,” she said. “I’ll go with you. For now. You convinced Father Callahan, so I guess I can’t stay here with him. However, I’m still skeptical about this whole Eden thing. You’ll have your chance to convince me on the road.”
Koneh grinned
and said, “Fair enough.”
Chapter 8
“Do you even know where Eden is?” Alexandra asked as she zipped her duffel bag.
Father Callahan waited for the pair at the crumbled entrance of his church, a backpack over his shoulders and walking stick in hand.
“Don’t I still have time to convince you?” Koneh asked.
“I’m coming for now. However, I usually like to know where I’m going.”
Koneh smiled. “Is the destination as important as the journey?”
Glaring at her companion, she said, “I’m confident whoever said that never dreamed of this situation.”
“Perhaps not,” Koneh said.
She sighed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Perhaps not.” Koneh exited the church.
Grinding her teeth, she followed. How could someone frustrate and excite her at the same time? He wasn’t playing fair.
Alexandra, Koneh and Father Richard Callahan departed the small Mexican village with little fanfare. The men who populated the makeshift tents of the shanty-town appeared to resign themselves to a hollow existence. Their women and their lives were taken from them. One of those men, Renaldo, followed Alexandra to the edge of the town and gave her a flower – a cream-colored bougainvillea. He said it was his last blossom and Alexandra tucked the flower behind her ear.
Though Father Callahan wanted to stay and help the town rebuild, he told Alexandra that he believed he could serve a higher purpose by following Koneh to Eden.
“First,” Koneh said as they left the village, “we will head west, to Tampico. We can salvage supplies if anything’s left of the port city. Plus, a boat would make this trip much faster.”
Alexandra’s reasons for following the raspy stranger were more selfish. She needed him. She both feared him and felt safe near him. Though she wasn’t sure she believed in the existence of Eden, she decided she’d rather find out for sure than be left wondering. What if it did exist? Even worse, what if she passed up her chance to live in paradise while the rest of the world crumbled and died? No, she wasn’t going to miss that bus. If it existed.
Eden (Eden Saga) Page 7