see Nathan.
The singing went on for another five minutes. Just when Tony wondered whether it was ever going to end, it came to a conclusion with a final amen. Reverend Hodgkins motioned for the congregation to sit. In order for Tony to have enough room to stretch out his left leg, he had to sit somewhat sideways. He sat facing toward Shahla so he wouldn’t lose contact with her. What to do with his crutches was another problem. He finally laid them on the floor.
Reverend Hodgkins was giving announcements of the kind made in many churches. News of congregation members who were sick and one who had died. He said of the deceased, “He has preceded us into Glory, where we will be joining him soon.” Tony wondered how soon “soon” was.
He heard the Reverend saying, “We have two guests with us tonight. It is customary for our guests to give their names and tell what prompted them to come to our church. Would you please stand and be recognized?”
The Reverend had sharp eyes. So much for trying to stay incognito. Shahla clearly wasn’t going to stand unless Tony did, and for Tony to stand again after he had just sat down would have taken a major effort. Everybody had turned around and was looking at them. Tony felt growing embarrassment.
He said, in what he hoped was a voice loud enough for everybody to hear, “It is difficult for me to stand because of a recent injury, but I want to thank you for welcoming us here tonight. My name is Tony and this is Shahla. We are friends of Nathan Watson, whose talk about your church has made us curious.” Realizing that “curious” wasn’t a good word, Tony said, “We are on a spiritual quest, and we have been led to your door.”
“Nathan,” Reverend Hodgkins said, focusing his eyes near the front of the congregation, “Do you acknowledge these guests?”
Nathan stood up from the third row and looked back toward Tony and Shahla. “They are my friends, and I take full responsibility for them.”
Tony detected a certain lack of conviction in Nathan’s voice and suspected that his presence, rather than Shahla’s, caused it. But Nathan couldn’t admit that he had screwed up in front of the congregation. Apparently, not just anybody could wander in off the street and attend a service.
Reverend Hodgkins had them bow their heads in prayer. Tony was thankful that the spotlight was off them. He glanced at Shahla, whose return look showed doubts about what they were doing here. Perhaps they would leave during the singing of the next hymn, when the attention of the parishioners would be focused elsewhere. Tony was plotting their escape when the words of the Reverend’s prayer caught his attention.
“It is written that the Day of Judgment is coming,” Reverend Hodgkins said. “Others have tried to pinpoint this day and have failed. With your divine guidance, oh Lord, we, your humble servants, have been privileged to discover the correct date. Let our hearts be light as we divest ourselves of our material possessions and use them for the greater glory of your Church.”
Then he started to talk about the wonders of heaven. To hear the Reverend tell it, heaven was indeed paradise, with amenities to suit every fantasy. If you liked tropical beaches, you would be on a heavenly Bora Bora. If you liked mountains, you would be surrounded by them. If you had been unhappy in love in this life, wait until the next one. Reverend Hodgkins made the possibilities sound better than the seventy-odd virgins promised to every Muslim suicide bomber.
Then he came back to this world. It sounded to Tony as if the Reverend was telling them to turn their possessions, or the proceeds from selling their possessions, over to the Church. He looked around and wondered whether these people were really buying into this. He wondered whether Nathan was buying into this.
When the length of the prayer threatened to put Tony to sleep, he remembered he had a printed program and looked at it for the first time. If he was correct about where they were in the service, the offering came next. And then the sermon. Who knew how long the sermon would go? Reverend Hodgkins was a strong-looking man who could probably talk for hours. Tony’s attention was also called to the fact that he had not had a chance to pee since leaving Shahla’s house, where he had drunk a bottle of beer with dinner. How long could he hold on?
The prayer finally ended, and Reverend Hodgkins asked the men and women who were going to collect the offering to come to the front. He presented them with bowl-like containers, larger than the offering plates Tony was used to seeing in churches. He wondered why. He soon found out. People were dumping in large envelopes, presumably containing cash, as well as checks. This was evidence that the members of the congregation were taking the Reverend seriously about divesting their assets. Tony almost felt guilty about putting in only ten dollars. But why? What was going on here was a sophisticated form of robbery.
And when the sermon started, Tony discovered that it wasn’t an ordinary sermon, building on a quotation from scripture or something similar. It was more of a planning session. Planning for the big day. Except that the Reverend didn’t say when the big day was. He went through the congregation, person-by-person, family-by-family, having them stand and tell how they were progressing concerning divestiture of their possessions. If they owned a house, had they sold it? Was it in escrow? Did they have a place to live, temporarily, after the sale closed? He wasn’t satisfied with the money they had already contributed. He wanted more.
After their interrogation, some people remained in their seats, but others stood up and wandered around, talking to fellow members of the congregation. A few left the building, staring at Tony and Shahla on their way out. Tony had a whispered consultation with Shahla and they decided to leave after they heard Nathan speak.
Nathan’s turn came about thirty minutes into this phase of the program. His only significant possession appeared to be a car. He stated that he thought he could sell his car, but that he needed it as long as he was working. The Reverend suggested that he stop working because the Great Day was at hand. Nathan seemed hesitant. Reverend Hodgkins admonished him saying that only true believers would be admitted to heaven. And they had to demonstrate their belief with actions.
“Let’s get out of here,” Tony whispered to Shahla. He laboriously turned his body around to face the aisle and just as laboriously rose to his feet. They attracted more attention as they walked out of the church. The man who had given Tony the program on their way in smiled at them and said, “Have a glorious evening.”
They went down the church walk to the street and were turning onto the sidewalk when a voice behind them called, “Wait.”
They turned around and saw Nathan running after them. When he caught them, he stood panting for a moment, looking at the ground. When they didn’t say anything, he said, “Isn’t he wonderful?”
Was Nathan serious? Tony was speechless. He began walking toward the car. Shahla and Nathan followed him. He hoped Nathan would get lost. He didn’t want this weirdo around Shahla.
When they had gone a few feet and had separated themselves from other people who were leaving, Shahla said, “Nathan, don’t you realize that this is a scam to get all your money?”
At least she had her head screwed on straight. Tony listened for Nathan to respond.
After a few seconds, Nathan said, “No. No. You don’t understand. You don’t understand.”
He seemed incapable of saying more. Tony said, “The Reverend never said when this big day was going to take place. When is it?” When Nathan was silent, he continued, “You don’t know, do you? He’s going to announce it after he has all your money. And then, while the faithful flock gathers on the hillside and waits for the chariots to come for you, he takes off to Bora Bora or one of the other paradises listed in his prayer.”
They were at the car. Tony unlocked it with the remote and opened the passenger door for Shahla. As she got into the car, Nathan fell on his knees beside it and actually raised his head and looked her in the eyes.
“It’s not true,” he said. “You believe me, don’t you? You want to go to heaven, don’t you?”
“I want to go home,” Shahla said. “I’ve got school tomorrow.”
She shut the door in Nathan’s face. Tony limped around to the driver’s side, stowed his crutches in the backseat, and slid behind the steering wheel. As he maneuvered out of the parking place, he saw Nathan standing there, looking at Shahla, with a strange expression.
“He’s as crazy as some of our callers,” Shahla said as they pulled away.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Tony said. “I’m almost as relieved as your mom will be that you’re not getting mixed up with Nathan. But in addition, I don’t think I could have any part in a religion where you have to be a member of the elite to get into heaven. I guess I’d call that the religion of the smug.”
Shahla laughed. “You know, you’re a pretty smart guy.”
“Thanks.” Maybe he was smarter than he thought he was.
