Benediction (Plainsong #3)(58)

Maybe he doesn’t even want to, one board member said. He wasn’t here this last Sunday.

No, he was here, one of the others said. He just didn’t do any preaching.

Would you be willing to allow him to stay, the director said, if I talked to him and he agreed to avoid this kind of controversy?

I don’t want to take the chance, the first man said. There’s no knowing what he’ll say when he gets up in the pulpit. You can’t trust him. He could say anything.

But I think he would be willing to make some kind of promise if I talk to him.

I don’t even want to try.

What about the rest of the board here?

They looked back at the director, in his tie and white shirt, and didn’t say anything.

I’ve spoken to him by phone, he said, but I haven’t seen him yet. Does he look pretty bad? I understand he was attacked.

Attacked. I wouldn’t call it that, another man said.

What would you call it? I heard two men stopped him at night and beat him.

He was out wandering around town at night, looking in people’s houses. What would you expect? After what he said in church.

And you think that justifies what those men did. Settling the score for the whole town, so to speak.

I’m not saying that. Did I say that?

But they did hurt him.

A little. Not much. I don’t think he was hurt very bad.

That makes it all right then.

No. Somebody roughed him up. We know that. But nobody knows who. If anybody knows who it was they aren’t saying. And he never made any complaint or accusation to the police. It wasn’t much anyway.

So he’s all right now. He’s not seriously hurt.

He’s able to talk at least, the first man said. Like we said, he came to church last Sunday and spoke a little.

What did he say?

I wasn’t there. I heard he just said that he didn’t have anything more to say. He told people to go home. It wasn’t a sermon.

It was then that Willa and Alene Johnson opened the basement door and looked in at the board members and the director.

Yes? the chairman said. We’re meeting here, Willa. This is a board meeting.

We know you’re meeting. That’s why we’re here.

But you’re not on the board. This is a private conference.

I know, Tom. I’ve been on the board myself. Before you were even a member of the church, when you were still just a little boy scurrying around here in the basement bothering people.

She and her daughter stepped into the room and shut the door. Willa was carrying her purse. Otherwise they had nothing with them. They came up to the table where the five men and the director were sitting, watching them.

I want to talk to you, Willa said.

But you shouldn’t even be here, the chairman said. I’ve already told you. You must see that.

I know what the rules say, but we’re here nevertheless.

Let’s let her speak, the director said. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear her.

But this isn’t the normal way, the chairman said. This isn’t official now. We’re going off record now.

Have we met before? the director said, looking at Willa.

Yes, but you don’t remember. I’m Mrs. Willa Johnson and this is my daughter Alene Johnson. We’re both longtime members of this church.

It’s good to see you. Will you sit down?

I don’t think so. I don’t expect we’ll be here long enough to bother with chairs. We know what you’re doing here.

We’re talking about your minister.

You’re talking about removing him. About refusing to let him stay here and preach to us anymore.

That’s still under discussion. We haven’t decided that yet.

You will, she said. Before you do, I’m going to say something in his behalf. She looked at Alene. We’re both going to say something.

That would be appreciated, the director said. If you can help us be fair and just, we’d like to hear from you.

Oh, we don’t expect you to be fair, Alene said. That’s not going to happen. That would be a shock to everybody here.

Wait now, the chairman said. That’s too much.

No. It’s not, she said. He was trying to remind us of the truth. The real truth. To help us to think bigger than we do. We need to listen to him. But we’re not. Not enough of us.

That wasn’t the truth, one of the men said. That was just insanity. Craziness.

It’s in the Bible, Willa said. Do you think the Gospel of Luke is craziness?

That was out of context. He takes it literally.

Don’t you? Aren’t we supposed to? At least that passage?

Not here. Not now. Not like that.

Yes. Right here, right now.

My God, are you that ignorant, woman? There’s a war going on.

There shouldn’t be, she said.

Wait, the director said. That’s not the issue. Let’s just calm down. This isn’t helping. Let us pray again. I think we should. He looked at them. Will you all pray with me? He bowed his head and folded his hands on top of the table.

So they prayed again, but it didn’t change anything. Afterward they would not allow the Johnson women to say whatever else they had come to say and the chairman led them each by the arm across the room to the door and went up with them to the street. It was dark now and the corner lights had come on.