CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 17

OSCAR AND ESTHER HERRINGER

DAVID'S DEATH had created an immense void in the hearts of Oscar and Ester Heringer that they never imagined existed.

For a year, Oscar Heringer preached about resurrection, and the more he personally sank into that abyss of remorse, the more he remembered the day he was resurrected by his son, after all, the decision to kill himself had already been made that day.

The great consolation of the Heringer couple was little Jennie, she was the joy of the house, the princess of their lives, Jennie was for a long time the only reason for their lives.

Oscar frequently visited Charles Wilburn — the biological father of Jennie, the man who kidnapped David — in jail and kept him up to date with everything that happened to his daughter. Oscar realized that Charles was just a pawn in the hands of someone who wanted the death of his son and daughter-in-law, but even so, everything he said was very vague, there was no way he could draw any conclusions from his reports.

As much as he tried to understand why they wanted to kill his son, Oscar Heringer didn't arrive at a logical answer, even his brother seemed to hide something, since every time he brought up the subject, his face took on an expression of terror and immediately changed the subject.

CARLISLE BURKE AND OSCAR found out that they were brothers on their father's deathbed, and after that they became very good friends, even though they had completely different lives, a scientist and a theologian, but that didn't stop them in any way from showing love in their midst. to their differences, that was exactly why they both believed in peace as a whole, they knew that it is the differences that complete each other, and not those who think alike.

Carlisle didn't have the courage to tell his brother the truth from the beginning, he feared that something could get out of hand, that even though he was David's father, emotion could interfere with the logic of the good running of the world, he needed to preserve the faith in the future world anyway.

OSCAR HERINGER WAS SITTING on the stairs in front of his house watching little Jennie play happily in the backyard, it was spring, and the flowers were the most radiant that garden had ever had.

— I needed life in this house — Esther Heringer said happily as she sat down next to her — after David got married, everything was here — she took a deep breath, bringing her thoughts to the surface — different...

— Sometimes I feel cursed, I don't know how to explain it, our two kids are gone, my father has hidden from me all my life that I had a brother... In a way, I'm afraid for little Jennie...

— It wasn't our fault what happened Oscar, it had to happen, God has his way of showing his love for us... maybe He wanted to avoid a greater evil in the future, who knows what goes on in His head.

Oscar laughed wanting to cry, David had said the same thing when Brian had passed away.

— Humanly speaking... it's hard to believe in a love like that Esther, I know I'm talking like a hypocritical heretic, but it's the truth... it's too crazy, it goes against everything we've learned about loving and being loved...

— Many would say that it's impossible for us to love Jennie, but look at her... her father almost killed our son, but what I've learned in all these years is that love is not to be understood, love is to be lived...

Pastor Oscar Heringer spent his days attending to people, praying for them, for their ailments, but when it was personal, Oscar sometimes bordered on atheism. Their faith was often based on logic and not on actual experiences with their God.

As much as Oscar — in his human logic — thought that two plus two is always four, he didn't feel that David was dead, there was a feeling in his heart that somewhere, his son was alive.

His brother a few years ago brought in a project that he thought was great and absurd madness...

Preserving faith in the future...

Oscar Heringer knew that the way the world was going, God would end up in the oblivion of men, just like the Egyptian, Greek, Roman gods and now the God of Israel he served.

— All right, Carlisle — he had said annoyed — you take care of everything, after all, if an atheist recognizes a real Christian in someone, I would too...

Carlisle Burke knew from the start who that person would be...

Your nephew and son-in-law, David...

THE RESEARCH PROGRESS surprisingly, and the completion of the project was nearing the end.

David was chosen for the same reason that God had chosen the biblical David, he had a good heart — not that he was perfect, far from it — but David was a person who did not see difficulties as a heavy burden, for him, his life was beautiful because it was unique, and if there were obstacles in front of it, it was because they had to be crossed — no matter which way...

Carlisle Burke started his project in the Middle East, made a small underground city — but a grandiose research center, in case the chemical warfare that William Johnson was planning to start sooner than expected.

Once the first facilities were ready, Carlisle Burke took Ivy and little Brian — and left David in New York for marketing reasons, he needed to protect his family from the war Johnson wanted to wage.

Businessmen around the world bought into Johnson's idea, and from that moment on it was only a matter of time before William Johnson was proclaimed the king of this new era.

Despite everything, Carlisle was happy, the deal he had made with Ted Johnson had given him plenty of time to make all the preparations against William, despite not being able to save humanity as a whole, he knew that a part of the future of humanity was guaranteed, and David would not frustrate him, quite the contrary, the only person he trusted was his son-in-law.

OSCAR HERINGER DEVELOPED his body and soul in his ministry, preached daily in his church, and every afternoon he preached in public squares, on trains and other public places throughout New York.

Oscar lost count of how many times he was kicked out of the places he entered and even won a small story in the New York Times, as the most insufferable person in the entire United States of America. The article didn't have much repercussion in the city, but in Oscar's life it did.

Being a pastor was an honor for him, he loved what he did, sometimes he didn't quite understand why many things happened, but seeing people freed from addictions such as alcohol, drugs and prostitution was his passion.

Esther, in turn, saw in her husband an escape instead of passion, her husband deep down was bitter with her God for the loss of her two children, she was also the same way, but without knowing how to explain, she managed to live in peace with herself and with God.

CARLISLE BURKE ARRIVED AT her brother Oscar's house and saw him extremely bitter, crying profusely.

— What happened, Oscar? — For the love of God...

— Everything, Carlisle... Everything... Sometimes I feel like the most cursed of men...

— Because?

— All my life I preached a God I did not truly believe, I preached the resurrection, but my children died, I preached happiness, but I myself was in anguish...

— What makes you believe your son is really dead?

Oscar looked at Burke with a look of extreme disbelief, as if he'd made the worst joke in the world at the worst possible time.

— I think you better leave — Oscar said, huffing with anger — you'll be more of a hindrance than a help at this moment.

— So... I think you'd better come with me...

OSCAR WAS WATCHING his son under suspended animation in a cooling pod.

— But...

— He's in hibernation, Oscar, your son is the chosen one.

— Has no way...

— It's better not, Oscar, he's been through a lot lately, I think it's best that he doesn't have contact with anyone at the moment, both him and Ivy.

— Ivy?

— Yes, Oscar… Ivy is my daughter, I ended up combining the useful with the pleasant.

— But then... they're cousins, they couldn't marry...—

— Stop being so, Oscar, the two love each other, even if they were brothers, only God could separate them.

— Yes… that's true, but… why him?

— Maybe you know better than I do, Oscar, David is special, he's not just talented and smart... he's the only one who could support the world Willian wants to make... who knows, even change it...

— But Carlisle...

— Calm down, Oscar, you can rest assured, William doesn't know who the person is, he finances the project because he wants to prove to humanity his superiority, even to God...

— He's crazy...

— So crazy he thinks he's Hitler's grandson...

— But it is impossible...

— Of course it's impossible, your grandmother was schizophrenic, in one of those outbreaks, she told her grandson that she had had a child by Adolf Hitler, I believe she said that because of the various documentaries that were on television at the time, after all, at that time. time, was the subject of the moment.

— How did you find out?

— That's beside the point... the important thing is that you know the truth and stop whining and mumbling against your God...

OSCAR RETURNED HOME completely transformed, no one seemed to recognize him anymore, he radiated a joy from the old days when he saw his two children playing in the backyard of his house.

— He's alive, Esther...

— Who's alive, Oscar?

— David... I saw him...

— You've gone mad, Oscar... David is gone... there's nothing we can do...

— No, Esther... David is the chosen one, Carlisle hid him along with Ivy...

— You are talking...

— Yes… of the project… that's why we don't have that much time anymore…