by DC Diamondopolous<\/p>\n
Reverend Langston Penniman sat on the edge of his bed, stretching his black fingers. Everything had either twisted up on him or shrunk except his stomach. Once six-foot-five, he now plunged to six two, still tall, but not the imposing dignitary he once was standing behind the lectern in front of his congregation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His parishioners aged, too. So hard nowadays to attract the young, he thought standing from the bed he shared with his wife of fifty-two years. His knees cracked. He\u2019d gotten his cholesterol under control, but at seventy-five, his health headed south as his age pushed north.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Born and raised in Montgomery, Reverend Penniman had a hard time staying relevant, what with tattoos, body piercing, rap music, not to mention homosexuals getting married and reefer being legalized. For a man his age, changing was like pulling a mule uphill through molasses.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The smell of bacon and eggs drifted down the hall. He heard the coffeemaker gurgle. How he loved his mornings with the Montgomery Daily News\u2014not Internet news\u2014something he could hold in his hands, smell the ink. He even enjoyed licking his fingers to separate the pages.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Off in the direction of the Alabama River, he thought he heard a siren, not far from his church.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBreakfast ready,\u201d Flo shouted from the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flo was the sweetest gift the Lord ever bestowed upon a man. Oh, he was fortunate, he thought, passing her picture on the dresser bureau and the photo of their three boys and two girls. Proud of his church, he was even prouder of their five children. Three graduated from college, all of them respectable citizens.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s gonna get cold if you don\u2019t come and get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a comin. Just let me wash up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The siren sounded closer.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Alabama spring day was warmer than usual. At nine in the morning, it was headed off the charts, as the kids say nowadays.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman washed and dressed. At the bureau, he brushed back the sides of his white hair, his bald crown parted like the Red Sea. When his kids teased him about looking like Uncle Ben, he grew whiskers just as white. His boys joked he looked like Uncle Ben with a beard. He chuckled. He would have preferred Morgan Freeman.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll feed it to the garbage disposal if you don\u2019t come and get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m a comin now, sweet thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He heard the siren turn the corner at Bankhead and Parks.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman looked at the cell phone lying on his dresser. He\u2019d yet to master how to get his thick fingers to press one picture at a time, or type on that itty bitty keyboard. He couldn\u2019t even hold it in the crook of his neck.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He hurried down the hall. The floorboards of the fifty-year-old house creaked just like him. Not quite shotgun, his house did have a similar layout what with add-ons for the three boys.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The siren was upon them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLord have mercy,\u201d Flo said as she put the food on the table. \u201cThat sure sounds angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSure does. Let me take a look,\u201d the reverend said from the kitchen\u2019s entrance.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He went to the living room window and saw a police car pull into his driveway, the siren cut-off. Two uniformed police officers, one black, the other white, got out of the cruiser and headed up his footpath.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you Reverend Penniman?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI am. What\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a girl up on the bell tower of your church. Says she\u2019s gonna jump,\u201d the black officer said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood Lord!\u201d Flo cried, standing behind her husband.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLet me get my keys,\u201d the reverend said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo time, sir. Come with us. You\u2019ll get there faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flo took off and came back with the reverend\u2019s cell phone. \u201cHere baby. I\u2019m gonna meet you there soon as I shut down the kitchen. You should at least have your toast. I can put it in a baggie for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo time,\u201d he said as he hurried out the door with the officers.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman sat in the back of the car with a screen separating him from the policemen. \u201cWho is she?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t know,\u201d the young white officer answered.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s she look like?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBlack teen, skinny, baggy pants, chain hanging from the pocket, hoodie pulled over a ball cap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAkeesha.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou know her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLike one of my own.\u201d The reverend looked out the window as the car pulled away. He clasped his hands together and said a quick prayer for the troubled girl. Lord, help me help her, he repeated to himself. \u201cDid she ask for me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d you find me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYour name is on the marquee of your church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Officer Johnson,\u201d the older man said. \u201cThis is Officer Perry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Officer Perry reached forward and turned on the siren. The noise deafened everything, including the pounding of Reverend Penniman\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They drove toward downtown Montgomery along the banks of the Alabama, the RSA tower soared above the city\u2019s skyline.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The speed limit was forty. The reverend guessed they were doing twice that. His right knee pumped like the needle on Flo\u2019s sewing machine.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The siren screamed. The lights blinked and rotated flashing red and blue on the hood of the car. Reverend Penniman felt like he was up on that bell tower, on the edge, with his arms stretched out, his body holding back the weight of all his parishioners who had wept in his arms.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At the corner of Graves and Buckley, the cruiser slowed, the siren cut-off. Officer Johnson made a right turn. People rushed along the sidewalk their cell phones pressed against their ears.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Halfway down the block, Reverend Penniman saw more people standing outside his church than he ever had inside. A fire truck parked in the lot with men unloading a ladder.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The police car jumped the curb and drove to the side of the brick building. He saw Greaty, Akeesha\u2019s great-grandmother in her burgundy wig, mussed like a tornado whirled through it. She cupped her black hands on the sides of her mouth screaming and crying at the roof. Her pink housecoat hung open revealing her cotton nightie.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before the car came to a stop, the minister jumped out.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Greaty saw Reverend Penniman and ran to him. \u201cYou get my baby off the roof, you hear, Reverend? She done gone and have a meltdown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll get her down. Just craving attention like all teenagers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe cravin\u2019 nothin\u2019 but death. She gonna jump. She all I have!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He ran to the front of the church. Greaty followed. The reverend gasped. \u201cGood Lord.\u201d Akeesha teetered on the edge of the bell\u2019s shelter. Her baggy pants flapped in the breeze.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two firefighters carried a ladder to the roof. They propped it against the gutters.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cGet away,\u201d Akeesha screamed. \u201cI\u2019ll jump, you try to get me.\u201d Her voice carried over the mob.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI know the child. I can get her down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t think so, Reverend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The minister turned to see Officer Johnson standing beside him. \u201cThen why\u2019d you get me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s your church. I thought you\u2019d be younger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m young enough and I\u2019ll get her down.\u201d He gazed up at the girl. \u201cAkeesha!\u201d he shouted using his pulpit voice. \u201cI\u2019m coming to you, child.\u201d He sprinted around the side of the church, to the back, amazed at how his body complied with his will. Officer Johnson\u2019s leather holster crunched with each matching stride.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Akeesha had broken the frame of the door and busted in.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf I have to cuff you Reverend, I will,\u201d Officer Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou really want to save this child?\u201d Reverend Penniman asked. \u201cI\u2019ve known her since she was four. I\u2019m the only father she\u2019s ever known. Now you let me do my business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He pushed open the door when he heard car wheels on gravel.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLangston,\u201d Flo yelled out the window. \u201cWhere do think you\u2019re going?\u201d She slammed the driver\u2019s door.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood Lord, woman, I don\u2019t need you pestering me too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flo ran up to her husband. \u201cOfficer, you arrest this man if he so much\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta save her . . . she my baby\u2014she all I have!\u201d Greaty screamed coming around the corner.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCalm down,\u201d Reverend Penniman said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Greaty wiped her face with the sleeve of her house coat. \u201cShe never been so upset. She so angry. Them girls who beat her up. Them punks who tried to rape her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The reverend looked at Officer Johnson. \u201cGet all those people away from the front of my church. And tell those firemen to take down the ladder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m the one in charge here, Reverend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHow about we get Captain Martinez?\u201d Officer Perry asked. \u201cThey can secure the reverend with a rope and harness.\u201d Before his superior had a chance to argue, young Perry ran off.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d Reverend Penniman shouted.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe a good girl except for her sin,\u201d Greaty sobbed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flo put her arm around Akeesha\u2019s great-grandmother.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFlo, take her to the car,\u201d Reverend Penniman said. \u201cI\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cKeep him safe, Officer. Don\u2019t let him do anything foolish,\u201d Flo said as she led Greaty away.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman heard the whirling blades of a helicopter. \u201cGood Lord. A child\u2019s life is at stake and this is turning into a circus,\u201d he said entering the back of his church.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d she get up to the bell tower?\u201d Officer Johnson asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a room with pulleys. A stairway curls around leading up to the bells.\u201d Reverend Penniman could kick himself for letting Jake show Akeesha the inside of the tower.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Officer Johnson shot up the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cWait! You can\u2019t go that way. You\u2019d come out behind her. I swear, man. You let me handle this my way or that girl is going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Officer Johnson turned on the landing.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The reverend had him in an eye-lock. \u201cPlease,\u201d he said, not used to the sound of the word or the helpless feeling that it carried.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhy is she up there?\u201d the policeman asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s a homosexual.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMy brother\u2019s gay,\u201d Officer Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The minister watched how the cop\u2019s eyes captured a memory, something powerful enough to soften his features.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman climbed the fourteen steps to the landing. He\u2019d always been proud of his bell tower, right now he\u2019d wished his ancestors never built it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Officer Perry returned with Captain Martinez and a boyish looking black man. Both men held gear as they took the steps in three strides.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell Johnson, your call,\u201d the captain said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll feed Reverend Penniman below her, on the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The reverend led the men around a corner to a loft with stairs to the church roof.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGot your Nikes on, I see,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow put that contraption on me and let me out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The firefighters held the harness for the reverend to step into. They hooked the cloth rope to the straps, gave it a tug jolting the reverend backwards, then tossed the rope to another man who waited below. \u201cSide-step going down the incline. It\u2019s not steep, but we got you no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGet rid of the ladder and the lookyloos. And stay well below. I don\u2019t want her knowing you\u2019re around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be down on the first landing,\u201d Captain Martinez said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve had enough talk, gentlemen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman took the steps to the roof praying as he went, for Akeesha, for Greaty, but most of all for himself. That he\u2019d say the right thing, be sincere, because Akeesha had the gift of honesty. He prayed, asking the Holy Spirit to fill him with wisdom.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The door to the roof was ajar. He gently touched it. He felt the rope tug the harness. The door swung open.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The roof slanted and leveled out several feet down. The area around the tower was flat.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He smelled the fumes from the asphalt as he stepped sideways onto the shingles, planted himself and managed the incline. He took his time placing his right foot, then his left, and held for a moment. He did it again until the roof flattened out.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Applause and shouts broke out. \u201cGet back!\u201d Officer Johnson shouted. \u201cEveryone!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The reverend glanced at the Alabama River. The spectacular Montgomery skyline like a masterpiece God painted. Then he looked below. He saw the van of a local TV station, the helicopter off in the distance; the crowd herded across the street by young Perry, and so many cell phones held up to the bell tower it looked like Beyonce held court.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He heard sniffles, then crying.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAkeesha. I\u2019m here to talk, child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t do no good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t climb all the way up here thinking it wouldn\u2019t do no good. You and I have a way together, now don\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPrayin\u2019 don\u2019t work. I\u2019m still gay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo reason taking your life.\u201d He thought back to the convention when one minister said, let the gays kill themselves. We need to protect our children. Only problem with that was all the molesting he knew came from men with little girls. He left those conferences feeling tired and old, the same men year after year with their stale jokes and self-righteous rhetoric. He felt trapped by the old ways and frightened by the new.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEveryone knows. It\u2019s on Facebook.\u201d Akeesha whimpered.\u201d My girlfriend broke with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman made his way around the side of the bell tower feeling the tug of the harness. He looked up at the teenager.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Her hoodie covered all but the bill of her ball cap. She wiped her tears with the black leather band she wore on her wrist. \u201cI wanna die.\u201d She inched forward to the lip of the shelter. Her hand left the arch.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d Reverend Penniman yelled his arms stretched out as if he could catch her.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The crowd oohed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He moved slowly around the tower until his back was to the mob. \u201cSit on the ledge baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m goin to hell when I die. Bible says so.\u201d Her voice quivered. \u201cGreaty found out. Said I\u2019d bring shame on her house\u2014more than my mama in jail. Said a woman\u2019s body parts were made for a man to make babies.\u201d Her voice trailed off.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGreaty loves you, child. She\u2019s running around screaming and bossing, telling us to get her baby off the tower. You hear me, child?\u201d He watched horrified as she balanced herself on the rim of the tower. A slip and she would die.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThey callin me a freak.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSit down now. We need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJump faggot!\u201d someone hollered across the street.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman looked back at the crowd. Officer Johnson grabbed the man. Perry hauled him away.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThey all stupid.\u201d Akeesha sobbed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe can work this out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t dish with me, Reverend. Talkin\u2019s no good,\u201d she shouted.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He lifted his head up to see her lip quivering. \u201cCan be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m goin to hell. Might as well get it over with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, don\u2019t talk like that.\u201d He thought of all those times they knelt together holding hands. Their eyes shut tight, the way Akeesha repeated his words to rid herself of the sin of homosexuality. When they were through, her face was wet with tears. He\u2019d never forget how she\u2019d wipe her fingers several times across her jeans like she\u2019d been holding hands with a leper. He knew then she\u2019d yet to be cured.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He talked to his daughter about it. Rose told him the gay people she knew said they were born that way. She told him his generation treated the Bible like a deli, picking and choosing what to live by, who to hate and the nonsense of fearing God. His conversations with his middle child made him reflect. That\u2019s all it did. He loved his children equally, but Rose had the gift of benevolence.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAkeesha.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou jump, I\u2019ll try to catch you. Then I\u2019ll die trying to save you. You know that\u2019d make Flo mighty mad, child.\u201d He took a careful step back to get a look at her face. She gazed out at the Montgomery horizon. Her calm scared him.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He remembered the first time Greaty brought her to church. She was four, always carrying her dump truck and running it along the pews. During the sermon, she\u2019d nestle into Greaty\u2019s bosom, thumb in her mouth. Her short hair braided. When she got older, she sang in the choir. For extra money she gardened around the church. He\u2019d take her to McDonald\u2019s afterwards. They talked. She was a good girl\u2014even if she did look like a gang banger\u2014 thoughtful and quiet, never swore, didn\u2019t do drugs. But she suffered at school. It showed in her grades, and she finally dropped out. He was the only man in her short life, and she clung to him like a daddy. Her great grandmother looked after her like a one-eyed cat watching two rat holes. She ain\u2019t goin to end up in jail like her mama, or dead like her granny. She gonna be respectful, yes, indeed, she gonna be a fine woman when she grow up.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAkeesha,\u201d he said with a stern voice. \u201cYou want to give Greaty a heart attack? I told you how worked up she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe always worked up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe loves you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cQuit lyin!\u201d She spread her arms out.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not lying. You\u2019ve seen her below. Running around. Now you hold onto that post.\u201d The noon light threw no shadows. The wind rippled his shirt. He felt the sun beating down on his bald spot. \u201cGod loves you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThen how come we pray to change me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCause you wanted to be like other girls. Remember? I\u2019m not a psychiatrist. Praying is all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. In the 1980s, he buried a young man who died of AIDS. He\u2019d never forget how his boyfriend threw himself on top of the casket crying and shouting the dead boy\u2019s name. He never thought homosexuals had feelings until he witnessed that young man\u2019s grief.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe prayed to make your life easier. So you\u2019d be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t work. My life be easier if people left me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re probably right, child.\u201d The reverend wiped his mouth with the handkerchief and put it in his pocket. Even if his heart struggled with what he was going to say, perhaps he could save her. \u201cMaybe God made you perfect the way you are,\u201d he said, thinking of Rose.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou lyin so I don\u2019t kill myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo child. I\u2019m saying it cause God has a reason for you being here.\u201d He heard sniffles. Then he saw her skinny hand swipe across her face. \u201cOh baby, come down and let\u2019s have a good cry together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He watched for any movement from her feet.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cQuite a view up here,\u201d he said, trying to sound casual. \u201cWe live in a beautiful city. Don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI wanna go to California.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, why would you want to do that? What about Greaty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat about her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGirl, I\u2019m getting a crick in my neck looking up at you. I haven\u2019t eaten today. At my age, I\u2019m on a schedule, and I get awfully tired if I\u2019m hungry. We can talk better down here. Sit behind the tower. Alone. I want to talk to you like a grown-up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI am grown up.\u201d She shifted and pulled the hoodie off her head so it fell around her neck. \u201cJalissa broke with me. Who gonna love me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cChild, there\u2019s a whole lot of people in the world. There\u2019s got to be one just for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou not being honest.\u201d She tugged the hoodie back up. \u201cYou wanna boy to love me. I don\u2019t wanna boy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDarlin baby, I admit I don\u2019t know much about such things. All I know is that I love you, and that love is greater than any judgment I cast upon you.\u201d He hesitated, and thought about the words that flowed out of him so effortlessly. It sounded like something coming from Rose\u2019s lips, not his.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He looked up. \u201cAkeesha!\u201d Where\u2019d she go? He held onto the tower. He circled it fearing she jumped from the other side. \u201cAkeesha!\u201d he cried. He didn\u2019t dare to take that part of the roof. The slant angled too steep. He felt weak, a little dizzy but his adrenalin rushed. He went back the way he came, the harness tugging. Sweat poured into his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The door to the roof creaked open.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat you wearing Reverend?\u201d Akeesha stood in the archway.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLord have mercy, child!\u201d His heart felt like a bowl of confetti. Instead of fearing the worst, she had climbed inside the tower and took the stairs to the roof. \u201cYou could have answered me when I called. You done scared the daylights out of me, child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat you mean, your love greater than your judgment?\u201d Akeesha asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, oh, my darlin baby\u2014we should enjoy this magnificent view of our city and thank the good Lord for the beautiful child that you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIn God\u2019s eyes and mine you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou lyin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI swear on my sweet Flo\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThen why we waste all that time prayin when I\u2019m already okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He caught a glint of the stud that she wore in the center of her tongue.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou not as smart as you think, Reverend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman let out a hearty laugh. \u201cWell, I\u2019ll tell you a secret, Akeesha, I don\u2019t have all the answers. Sometimes I have to make it seem like I do or no one would come to my church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThey won\u2019t come anyway, lyin and all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He thought about what Rose said, how the young have turned away from religion. \u201cYou know my daughter, Rose? She\u2019d agree with you. You know she\u2019s studied in India. Traveled the world. Says God is always expanding\u2014not sure what that means.\u201d He walked slowly toward the girl. \u201cYou know something, Akeesha?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat, Reverend?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou taught me something.\u201d His voice fractured. \u201cYou taught me, child. And I\u2019m truly grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cTaught you what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCan we sit here, for a minute? I\u2019m really tired.\u201d He slid down the wall. The harness grabbed at his thighs as he sat.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Akeesha walked like she\u2019d been on the roof a hundred times, maybe she had, he thought. She sat next to him.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou taught me to accept you.\u201d He slowly pulled the hoodie down so he could see her face. \u201cI\u2019ve always thought of you as one of my own. Flo, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Akeesha took his gnarled old hand. She spread each of his fingers to include hers. He felt love in her fingertips.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The confetti in his heart flung out over his beloved Montgomery. It showered like a vital rain. \u201cI think there\u2019s only love in God\u2019s house,\u201d the reverend mused. \u201cSo much of life is good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCan we go to KFC?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reverend Penniman smiled. \u201cNot McDonald\u2019s? We always go to McDonald\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo. KFC.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSure enough. My treat,\u201d he said. \u201cI could take you to a fancy place where we sit at a table with a white cloth and linen napkins. We can order ribs. They have finger bowls with water so our hands don\u2019t get all sticky. Eat as much as we want.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo. KFC,\u201d she said, standing and holding her hand out for the reverend to grasp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by DC Diamondopolous Reverend Langston Penniman sat on the edge of his bed, stretching his black fingers. Everything had either twisted up on him or shrunk except his stomach. Once six-foot-five, he now plunged to six two, still tall, but not the imposing dignitary he once was standing behind the lectern in front of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1514,77],"tags":[1484,1515,1123],"class_list":["post-13633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-egophobia-68","category-english","tag-dc-diamondopolous","tag-egophobia-68","tag-english"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6DakB-3xT","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13634,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13633\/revisions\/13634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}