WRITING: NANOWRIMO 2022
Coming for to Carry Me Home
American Kingdom: Day 5
Previous chapter:
Brian and Marion were a little subdued the next morning. We had finished a third bottle of wine and were just talking entertaining nonsense toward the evening’s end. I’d managed to pull off my old Ranger trick of downing a pint of water before bed. Good anti-hangover prevention, that.
I wasn’t feeling too good in my body, though. First, I raided my bugout bag for more painkillers, and then took a quick shower. I looked a fine sight in the mirror, full of bruises beginning to look impressive, and an elbow that was pretty much all scab. And hard to bend.
I did my best to sort out the remnants of last night’s dinner. We’d cleared the table, of course, but not everything had managed to fit in the dishwasher and we’d damaged — okay broken — one or two pieces. I unloaded the dishwasher, hunted around for the correct storage places, poured out orange juice and set up bacon and eggs.
“Coffee,” muttered Brian when he came out to check on the noise, so I got that going as well.
When we were all reasonably sanguine I raised the subject of my future.
“You’ve both been very kind…” I began.
Brian held his hand up. “No need for that. We’re glad to help out. Honestly, it’s been a pleasure.”
“Well, thank you, anyway. You’ve gone above and beyond and I’m grateful.”
“Pay it forward,” Marion said. “That’s the way to thank us.”
I smiled. Exactly what I’d been thinking.
“Yes, I shall. Spread the happiness, spread the love. Anyway, I’ve sent off a few texts and one of my girlfriends from the church has agreed to let me sleep on her sofa for a few days until I’m back on my feet. She can come around after school lets out to help move my things. If that’s all right with you?”
Leonie. Large, Black, jolly. When she laughed, and she did that a lot, her whole body laughed and you couldn’t help but join in. Time with her was always a party, no matter what was happening. Her students must be the luckiest children in Charleston.
“You can stay here one more night if you want, Molly,” Brian said. “You’ve got a room and a comfortable bed, and we’d love to take you out to dinner tonight.”
Ohhh, tempting.
I shook my head. “No, I’ve got it set up with Leonie. Best if I stick to that. And hey, I can take you to lunch. A local place, not all touristy. And not too far from here.”
“That would be nice, Molly. It’s a date.”
“Fantastic. I’ll make a reservation, get a time. It’s not fancy, but it is popular.”
“One thing about Charleston,” Marion said, “and that’s the food. It’s all way too delicious. We’ll be eating nothing but beans and salad for weeks to make up for this.”
She twinkled as she looked at her husband’s face to gauge his reaction to this.
“So,” Brian said. “We have the morning free. Perhaps you could show us some other parts of Charleston that aren’t touristy. Your church, perhaps?”
Now, that worked for me.
Next chapter:
The whole thing, chapter by chapter, in progress:
Daily notes: A few surprises yesterday. For me, that is. I’m almost afraid to begin writing. Just how far can this go off the rails?
As well as that, I’m getting pretty close to stepping over the threshold into a different world. One I’ve planned but it will doubtless evolve over time.
This is the crux of the whole book, the whole maybe series right here. Can a bad girl get into heaven?
Molly’s no angel. I think I’ve made that clear from the opening lines when she stands naked at her window for any passing cyclist to see and maybe fall off their bike in astonishment. And then she’s an accomplished fornicator, and blasphemer, full of naughty thoughts.
Do we want those sort of people in heaven?
Well, um, I do!
NaNoWriMo-wise, I’m doing okay. On track, a little ahead of the game. I’ll probably have to go back at some stage and retcon in a few good works so we don’t get the revelation that she thinks she’s good with God to come as a complete shock. A project for when I run out of ideas, I guess.
Like today.
This is the big contradiction of Christianity right here. Jesus says two different things. First, in Matthew 25, the parable about the sheep and the goats.
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
The righteous go to their heavenly reward, those who did nothing for the least of His brethren, are sent elsewhere.
These are the words of Jesus, plain and clear. But in Luke 23 we get a different message:
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Here’s a criminal sentenced to death, probably not someone who performs good works. But he’s on the fast track to heaven. Jesus is telling two different stories and of course, Church dogma prefers the second. However, they cannot ignore the words of Jesus in Matthew and we get all sorts of interesting explanations as to why Jesus wasn’t telling the whole story.
And that’s why, if you’ve noticed, I’ve had my AI image creator draw me as an angel with not a lot of raiment. Can a woman who doesn’t dress modestly get to the good place? If a criminal sentenced to death can gain a solid guarantee in the last hour of a wicked life, then I’d say that the answer is Yes.
And that makes for a good story.
[Later] I’ve spent three days on this very short chapter, fallen well behind the curve. In my defense I’ve had a few things coming up in real life but the real reason is that I’ve had to slow down and think about where I’m going rather than be like the man who got onto his horse and galloped off in all directions.
The big question of Christianity is laid out above. Good works or faith? And underlying it is the even bigger moral dilemma we all face. Just what do we want to do with our life? And afterlife?
Beneath both of these is an even bigger one. Is there an afterlife? Are the atheists right all along? Is religion of any kind a massive scam?
These are huge philosophical conflicts and I need to work out a path for Molly and the other characters to walk across the treacherous and uncertain sands. Or fall into a Slough of Moral Despair.
I’ve been treading warily these past two days, putting some serious thought into calibrating my literary and philosophical compass.
What sort of story am I actually writing? What sort of libertine is my chosen protagonist? Is this going to work?
Better think about these questions earlier rather than later.
Besides, I’ve been putting some effort into building up a community on Medium. I’ve now gotten the hundred followers needed to apply to monetize my writing, and I’ve secured a domain name if I really want to take this further.
Today is a busy day and I need two and a half thousand words to get back on track. Maybe I can do it, maybe not.
Thanks, readers, for sticking with me while I wander.
