Soup Kitchen

--1--

 Pastor Richmond stood in front of the dying fire, wondering if he should add another piece of wood as he stirred the embers. The soft flames licked at the remains of its host as if it craved more. The radiating heat was just enough to be searing, but not scorching on his skin. "Daddy?"

 He turned around and beheld the woman who had sprung up from his seed. It seemed only a year ago when he and his wife, Lois, had brought her home from the hospital. After a colorful history of rebellion, she got involved in World Horizons, an organization focusing on helping others through the natural resources of their environment. "Yes, Katie?"

 "You'll be at church when Denise comes to pick me up, so I thought I'd say goodbye before turning in."

 Pastor Richmond felt the weight of his years as he picked up a contemplated log and placed it on the hearth. A small burst of sparks welcomed the newcomer and it wasn't long before they were set on devouring it. He straightened and retied the belt of his burgundy terry cloth robe. It was one of the last things Lois had given him before passing away two years ago. Richmond turned and faced his daughter with a sad almost desolate smile and even though he knew it wasn't permanent, he felt he was losing her too. 

 Their grief had taken them in different directions in which all disagreement was dropped. Katie gave up her wild streak of forbidden pleasure which had kept her father up at night and made him wonder what demon had stolen her innocence. Now she stood in front of him, bedecked in the maturity he had been praying for. "You'll be gone for three months?"

 "Four," she corrected. "We're hoping to help the Ytuwa Tribe."

 "Civilize them, you mean?" His words were tight as he recalled his earlier conversation with Adams.

 Katie shook her head, "No. Medically. The National Health Organization will be there as well as a team of scientists from Moyer's University. They want to see if they can learn more about some disease that seems to be killing them. The group I'm in is just there to offer help."

 Richmond winced. Behind him, the fire picked up and crackled with insidious mirth. His mouth went dry as he forced down the memory of a melody performed with wooden flutes as a proud group of heathens celebrated the passing of one of their healers. His cheeks paled as he pressed a fist against his mouth to hold back a threatening eruption from his gorge. Katie's look of concern was embedded with puzzlement as she asked her father if he was alright. 'No,' he wanted to scream. Yet how could she know? How could anyone know of a ceremony performed on a moonless night so long ago when vodka flowed like blood through his veins? "Yes," he managed. "Heartburn. What are you going to do there again?"

 Katie rolled her eyes. "I just told you, Daddy. We'll be seeing what we can do to help them."

 Richmond tilted his head to the side and studied his daughter. She was young and full of hope to make her mark in a cold world. "What makes you think they need or want help?"

 Katie looked at him as if to say, "Who wouldn't want a TV?" Her mouth opened and closed as she sought the right words, unaware the smallest things she took for granted would soon become a cruel memory. "Have you seen the way they live, Daddy?"

 "Have you," he countered. He unscrewed the top on a bottle of Amaretto and filled his glass. The veins in his hands had begun to pulse, so he hastened to secure the cap and shoved his hands into the robe's pockets. "You have to understand, Katie, their way of life in its present state is normal to them. Our ways may seem better, yet at the same time, it may be disrespectful to their values as well as a hindrance. Remember what happened with the Indians? Look at what the help of an outsider did to them. They were given guns and whiskey. Now they're nearly extinct."

 Katie stood deep in thought. Her next words were barely audible. "I didn't see it that way."

 Richmond smiled, "I'm not against you going. I was there too, once. I just think it would be prudent if you kept in mind it may be better to go for the experience to change you and not so much them."

 Katie nodded. "Thank you, Daddy." She walked over and hugged and kissed him. For a moment her head lingered in the spot on his shoulder which provided her with the most comfort from her youth. 

 Richmond chuckled and stroked her hair. "I love you, Katie. Now go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow."

 He waited until he heard her door close. The veins in his hands were still pulsing as he downed his glass and grimaced. The Amaretto's heat burned the back of his throat and warmed his gullet. Outside the howling wind rustled through the treetops and carried the note of the Ytuwa. 

--2--

 Daniel's head was pounding. He groaned and rolled over in bed only to be greeted by an empty spot that had grown cold. Startled, he shot up and was rewarded with the strike of a bolt of lightning in the center of his forehead. As if on cue, Amanda was beside him with a small glass of milk and three Excedrin. "Here."

 Daniel swallowed the pills. "What time is it?"

 "Late," she said. "I called the office to let them know you wouldn't be in."

 "Thank you."

 He pulled the covers over his head, ready to go back to sleep, but Amanda had other plans. She pulled back the window curtains on his side of the bed. The whisper of material against the metal rod made him wince as an invasive stream of light made an effort to penetrate the cocoon he was wrapped in. "I'm not getting up."

 Amanda stood just as firm. "It's after 11:00. I am not going to Sanford until later, so in the meantime, we can rake the rest of the leaves."

 Daniel shifted onto his back and pulled down the blanket with great reluctance. Amanda's face was unreadable as he shot daggers in her direction. "No."

 "Yes," she said turning to leave. 

 Daniel sighed. After over ten years of marriage, he knew it would be pointless to argue. If he didn't get moving she would be back to steal the blankets and if he still refused, ice water would do the trick. He recoiled at the thought as he contemplated his luck. Knowing her, she would skip the second step and just douse him. The image made him shudder. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Another bolt of agony blinded him and caused him to bend over. The sour taste of the previous night's excursion taunted the back of his throat. He took a few deep breaths and straightened up. Amanda had been kind enough to leave a plate with some dry toast on the nightstand next to him. He picked up a piece and gnawed on it, as the Excedrin's magic began to take hold.

 Amanda came up to check on Daniel when he was in the shower and collected his plate. It had been a while since he and Brian had gone out and made her think of the upcoming dinner on Friday. She sighed, not pleased with the thought of going. It almost felt as if it were an insult since she tended to have almost nothing to offer and on the rare occasions when she did speak, she was met with odd looks. After a few times, she learned the best way to suffer through the evening was with monosyllabic answers and lots of brandy.

 On the other hand, Daniel seemed to flourish as he basked in the light of attention and more than once, Amanda felt an ominous presence between him and Brian when he and Michelle exchanged pleasantries. In those moments, like Amanda, Brian would shovel something into his mouth as her husband and his wife talked as if they were the only ones at the table. It was in those moments when Amanda wondered if it would faze her if she learned Daniel was having an affair. It wasn't an idea she entertained, yet she would be lying to herself if she didn't admit the thought had crossed her mind now and again.

 The sound of running water stopped. Unlike most mornings, there was no trace of the whistle Amanda listened for which let her know how soon he would be out of the bathroom. She left the room and headed downstairs to wait for him.

 Despite his hangover, Daniel had more fun than he anticipated as he and Amanda raked the leaves, unaware of the small pile of hickory nuts the squirrel had left behind before its head was crushed in the driveway. The browning foliage protested under the rakes' plastic tines as they were gathered and the hardened soil was scratched. Amanda stood across from him, her face glossy from a thin sheen of sweat that belied the day's chill. An errant leaf had managed to embed itself in her hair which blended well with the fall colors. She took a breath and blew back a strand that had settled across her face then looked at her watch. "I thought this would take us longer."

 "What time is it?"

 "Not even 1:00. Are you feeling better?"

 Daniel nodded. "Much. I didn't think we'd be out so late."

 Amanda's features were even more shadowed as a cloud fell over them. She glanced down at her thumb which had been throbbing while they were raking. A small circle of blood had seeped through the band-aid's gauze giving the brown surface an internal stain. "I'm surprised he couldn't wait for Friday."

 Daniel shrugged. "He just wanted to get together."

 "How many people are going to be there again?"

 "On Friday?" Daniel chewed his lip as he tried to remember. "I think maybe three. Can't remember outside of Pastor Richmond."

 Amanda's relief was visible. She liked Pastor Richmond. He was diplomatic and had a knack for directing the conversation to something outside of sports and gossip. After a night in his presence, Amanda felt as if she had learned something and he was one of the few who did not make her feel alienated. "I wonder why he'll be there."

 Daniel shrugged. "It has something to do with Michelle's father wanting to do something for his church. He's going to try to give donations in hopes of gaining some votes. You know how it goes. I just don't know if it will work. Pastor Richmond doesn't strike me as one who can be bought."

 Amanda agreed. "Are you hungry?"

 Daniel wiped his forehead with his shirt sleeve. His headache was gone along with the lingering traces of nausea from the night before. "Yes. You?"

 Amanda nodded. "I started some ham and string beans in the Crockpot. It may be done enough by now. Do you want to put it over some rice? I'd just have to make it."

 "That sounds good."

 Amanda left her rake on the leaf pile and walked back to the house. Daniel watched her leave and felt a sudden urge to call her back just so he could guide her down onto the earthy mass and have his way with her while her hair molded into one accord with the rustic scent of fall. Instead, he went to the side of the garage to get the wheelbarrow so he could transport the leaves to the small pit in the back of the house where they burned most of their trash.