Meridian. Part 15

"How did you know that?"

"Know what?"

"My full name."

I tilted my chin up and tried to act like I had every right to snoop. "I found a bunch of old letters."

"Letters?"

"From your grandfather to Auntie."

"Where? Were you snooping?"

"In a room upstairs. I was looking for scissors. I"ll give the letters to you when we get home, okay?"

But it was too late. The clouds were back in his eyes, and this time I"d put them there.

89ani *

Chapter 17.

It is what we are taught. It is what we know. It is our deepest secret, for to know the truth quite literally requires a death. The seeker"s death, not ours. Never ours, until the end. So we never tell. When our loved ones begin to fade out of their bodies, & they are able to see us for the first time, well, by then it is too late to explain. So we burn brightly & become the doorway, the path between this life & the beyond.

-Jocelyn Wynn, b. 1770-d. 1876 I hadn"t paid any attention to the town when I"d arrived. But now, as ranch lands and wilderness gave way to shuttered factories and abandoned fringes, I saw the skeletons of a once-vibrant place.

"What happened around here?" I asked.

Auntie sighed. "It pains me to see it. It"s awful. Simply awful.""

Tens spoke up. "Jobs moved, factories shut down, the mine closed. Industry declined for a few years and people left."

Old-style clapboard architecture of the Wild West rubbed shoulders with the brick favored by the early boomers. The newest building looked like its ribbon cutting had happened in the seventies. Paint peeled in strips and signs hung at drunken angles. Potholes spotted the road with a frequency that made them the norm.

As we got closer to town, billboards with Reverend Perimo"s smiling face popped up on both sides of the small highway. After the sixth appearance of his Hollywood A-list face inviting us to meet the Almighty on Sunday I wondered out loud, "Is he for real?"

"There"s something about him." Auntie answered me.

"He creeped me out."

"How?" Auntie turned in her seat and gazed at me.

"He recited Bible verses at me when we found Celia. Then he got all friendly when Tens walked up."

"I don"t like him." Tens growled.

"He knew my name before I"d even told him."

"That could be small-town America at work." Auntie didn"t sound convinced even as she said it.

"But who knew I was here?"

90ani "I don"t know."

*"He is doing good things for this town, though."" Auntie added this as if admitting it pained her.

Gradually, freshly painted houses lit up with Christmas lights started to outnumber the empty sh.e.l.ls. Every lawn had a nativity scene or a lit cross. I didn"t see any symbols of Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. There weren"t any Santa Claus decorations either. "Where"s Santa?"

"The town council voted to put Christ back in Christmas."

"No Santa?"

"Nope. Reverend Perimo dabbles in politics, too." Tens spit the words out like they were sour.

All around us new construction and remodeling were evident. Paint so fresh it appeared wet. A general store, a Christian bookstore, a salon. All sparkled. Fake poinsettias and garlands decorated the storefronts along with the three wise men and the Eastern star.

A mammoth cathedral complex shone under huge spotlights like a professional sports stadium. A cross reflected the light as if it had millions of diamonds embedded in it.

"Wow." I wasn"t sure if it was a church or a Vegas casino.

"Not much else to say, huh?" Tens smiled over his shoulder at me.

"At least he employed townspeople to rebuild it." Auntie said this as if she was trying to find something positive to say.

Tens parked in front of a small ma-and-pa pizza place.

"This is cute," I said.

"Best pizza in town."

Tens eyed me and mouthed, Only. The smells of garlic and yeast bread were comforting. At home, we had pizza once a week.

As we entered the parlor, tinkling bells announced us. A compact man with a full beard walked toward us with an enormous smile. "Ah. Mrs. Fulbright. So good to see you. Perfect timing." He set a menu down and moved away to the counter.

"Why?" I asked as we were seated near the back of the empty restaurant. Tens grabbed the chair next to me.

"There"s a big rush when Bible study lets out in about an hour." Tens replied, "Oh."

91.

"Every night."

a ni *"There"s Bible study every night?"

"Different groups, different activities, but the church has become the town center."

"The usual?" the man asked, returning with three gla.s.ses of water.

"You know me so well. Mr. Lombardo," Auntie said laughing. "Let me introduce you to my niece. Meridian. She"s visiting from Portland."

"For the holidays? Such a lovely girl. We will miss seeing you, Mrs. Fulbright."

"Why?" I asked, wondering if he. Too. Knew she was dying.

Mr. Lombardo dropped his eyes, as if ashamed. "We are moving. At the first of the year."

"Don"t say that. Please."" Auntie gripped his hands.

He dipped his head. "It"s past uncomfortable. We"re too old to fight this. Best to leave."

"Like the Mitch.e.l.ls, the Vanderbilts, the Johnsons, and the Smiths?" Auntie asked sadly.

"We"ve been bought out, so there will still be pizza."

Mr. Lombardo tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"It won"t be the same. Not at all." Auntie wiped away a tear.

As Mr. Lombardo walked off. I dug through Auntie"s purse and handed her a Kleenex.

After a minute or two, Tens leaned into me. "They"ve all been bought out, or they"ve left."

"Who?"

"Anyone who doesn"t agree with Perimo and his believers. No one is exempt. They"ve even elected the town council and the sheriff, all of whom swore to uphold G.o.d"s love above man"s. Men can discipline" their wives and children; the local schools all teach creationism and prayer: taxes go to the church rather than to the government."

"That"s not legal. Is it?" I couldn"t imagine.

"Legal or not, they"ve done it. People are moving here because of the church, and Perimo is so charismatic he can make persecution sound logical and rational. The old-timers are dying or leaving."

"But why don"t they fight?"

"Little one, human beings always take the path of least resistance. It"s the few, the very few, who are willing to stand up to anything," Auntie said grimly.

92ani *Mr. Lombardo set down our pizza, but I found that my appet.i.te had deserted me. "Mrs.

Fulbright, before they come in here, I have to warn you that there are many rumors, many whispers. About you."

"Tell me."

"The deaths, Mrs. Fulbright, the babies. They say it"s because of you. They"re angry. The Reverend says Epiphany is the time of new beginnings and that drastic changes have to be made in order to welcome G.o.d into the New Year. Sacrifices."

"I"ll be okay Mr. Lombardo."

"These are very serious threats. Very scary. I fear for you. I do not hear everything, but enough. Enough to worry."

"Thank you, but I"ll be all right"

He turned to me. "You watch out for her, yes?"

The bells above the door tinkled and a group of families poured in, rosy-cheeked and bright with laughter and merriment. Mr.

Lombardo moved quickly away from our table.

I didn"t know what to say. Tension radiated from Tens. He was wired to spring, and that made me nervous.

"Shall we get this to go?"" I finally asked when none of us move to touch our slices.

"Yes, that"s a good idea." Auntie answered.

I walked over to the counter to get a box and pay. While Tens stayed with Auntie at our table. I listened to whispers that followed me as I walked the length of the restaurant.

"She"s the witch"s -"

"Witch too?"

"Killed those babies -"

"Let the moms die -"

"Wouldn"t let them be purified -"

"Burn -"

I turned to meet the stares head-on. The whisperers turned away, averting their eyes as if they hadn"t been watching me.

93a I stood there for a moment, and their conversations resumed as they ignored me completely.

ni *Auntie held her head high as we left. "Rebecca, nice to see you. Evan, Emily, your daughter Eva is getting so big. She"s a beautiful baby."

As a group they fidgeted and mumbled without meeting our eyes or returning Auntie"s greetings.

"Andrew, you"ve grown into such a handsome man. Ranching suits you." She kept trying.

Some people ignored us, as if we were invisible.

"I helped birth half of them. The other half moved here for the church," she said as we walked out to the Land Rover.