“Those bastards were acting for another God, not the one I died for, and not the one you prayed to moments ago.”
“Which God do I scream and yell at?”
“His name is Lucifer...ever heard of him?”
“Demon spawn,” Zoe muttered.
“You went through your own hell, and look at you now. You’re a walking, talking ball of fire. You know what you want, you go after the things that matter to you, and you are fiercely loyal and loving.”
“Did my mother have to die for me to become that?” Zoe asked as she played with the pencil that was at her feet. “I would gladly give up everything you describe for one more chance to look at her, to touch her, to tell her how much I love her.”
“Would you exchange your life with Eva, or with your unborn babies, for a chance like that?”
Zoe dropped her gaze and put her hands on her belly. “Why does it have to be one or the other?”
“It’s called life.”
“It sucks.”
“Tsk, such language, and to a saint no less,” Theresa teased. “Life gives you extraordinary pleasures and it can give you extraordinary pain. You can’t have one without the other, so you have to accept them both.”
“I wish she hadn’t gone through all of that no matter what happened afterwards. No one should go through such pain just because she loved a woman.”
“That drawing Stella showed you really made you think about it,” Theresa stated. “It’s different to hear about a crucifixion than to see it being enacted in front of your eyes. “
Zoe turned to Theresa. “Yes. Seeing that image of her with those electrode things… It made me realize what it actually meant. I knew by her words but…”
“You are a visual person. You’re an artist, and those images left a very nasty, lasting impression. You hold her in your arms and listen to her talk, but it’s not the same. I understand that, but you can’t erase those experiences. When she says no to being drugged, her mind goes there. It’s conditioned to go there. You don’t want to experience the pain she felt in Aiden. The most humane thing they did, inadvertently, was to keep her drugged.”
“I’m glad they’re dead. I wish I had killed them myself.”
“Did killing Nurse Gestapo make the pain any less for you after she laughed while your mama was dying?”
Zoe stared at Theresa. “How do you know about that?”
“Didn’t I say that I know a lot of things about you? You haven’t answered my question.”
“No.”
“If you killed everyone who has ever hurt Eva, would it make Eva whole again? Would her memories be erased, her body and mind healed?”
Zoe scowled and played with the pencil, which had broken in two. Reluctantly she looked up and shook her head.
“That is why we leave the judgment to God. He knows what He is doing even though we think He doesn’t. Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. There is something that is in your power and you can do it. You have no idea the power you have over Eva, do you? She will listen to you. You have that silly herb book which you use instead of medications that work. You need to stop that.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Don’t allow her to get away with it.”
“It’s Eva’s body.”
“Yes, it is, but you are the most important person in her life. Soon she will have three most important people in her life. It’s up to you to see that she heals,” Theresa said as she put her hand over Zoe’s belly. She closed her eyes and smiled. “You are going to have two very beautiful children.”
“What? You can see that?”
“Oh, indeed.” Theresa smiled. “The little girl is going to be quite a handful. Well, your mama did wish you had a child just like you.”
“You know my mama?”
Theresa smiled. “We’re like this,” she said and held up two fingers intertwined. “We’re not really, but I do know her because I can see her reflected in you. She gave you the greatest gift and that was her love.”
Zoe bent her head and took a deep breath. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You can see my babies?”
“The Bible says in Psalms 139:16 ‘You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed,’” Theresa quoted.
“Wow.”
“God can see all and I just had a tiny look.” Theresa grinned. “They are both going to be beautiful children.”
“Can I ask you a question about the gifts? How is this gift handed down from generation to generation?”
“Oh, that. Hm. That’s a bit of a story.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Zoe said. “I’m going to need to get comfortable.”
“I don’t get tired.”
“Show-off,” Zoe muttered, making Theresa laugh. “So tell me.”
CHAPTER 34
“It was a dark and stormy night…” Theresa stopped and glanced at Zoe, who was shaking her head. “What? I’ve always wanted to start a story off like that.”
Zoe stared at Theresa. “You must be a riot at parties.”
Theresa smiled. “I was a very shy person, but dying brought out the comedienne in me.”
“Good lord,” Zoe exclaimed and indicated for Theresa to continue.
“Where was I? Oh, yes, it was a dark and stormy night, in a land far, far away,” Theresa said, trying not to giggle at the groan which came from Zoe. “I lived in a small village and had a normal life until I got sick. Unlike today, when you have drugs to cure illnesses, we didn’t have much. I died.”
“You died?”
“Hm. Dead as dead can be. Most unfortunate,” Theresa said without a trace of the humor Zoe had come to expect. “My family was just bereft. On the day that I was to be buried, my funeral procession was stopped by a group of people heading to see a Rabbi that they proclaimed to be the Messiah.”
“Jesus was in the village?”
“Indeed, and just my luck I had to go and die,” Theresa quipped. “My family were devout Israelites, but these people had told them about the Rabbi’s raising of the dead and other miracles. So they detoured and took me to where he was. The first thing I remember on opening my eyes was looking into the eyes of the greatest man who ever lived. His eyes were the kindest, gentlest, and most compassionate I had ever seen or will ever see. Beautiful long lashes as well.”
“You were resurrected by Jesus?”
“I was. The minute I met him, I vowed to always follow him. He was my Savior. So I did. During Pentecost I went into that room with the others, not really knowing what to expect. That was the day everything changed for me; as if dying and being resurrected hadn’t been enough.”
“You got the gifts of the Holy Ghost.”
“I did. I received the gift of languages. I was very shy and I could barely say two words without stuttering, and here I was, telling others of the glory of God in a foreign language. You couldn’t shut me up.” Theresa glanced at Zoe, who kept silent. “What? No comeback to that?”
“Too easy.”
Theresa smiled and ruffled Zoe’s hair. “Well, Red, with these gifts we got some unwanted attention from the Romans. Lots of horrible things happened. I lost my husband Ruben—”
“You were married?”
“How else do you think my descendants came into being? I wasn’t the Blessed Mary, you know.”
Zoe giggled. “Sorry.”
“Hm. I was a good girl, thank you very much, but that’s not to say Mary was not a good girl. One doesn’t get pregnant with the help of the Holy Ghost every day,” Theresa rambled. Zoe grinned at the very obvious attempt to make her comfortable.
“Did you say you were shy?”
“I was. I know it’s hard to believe, but that’s the power of the Holy Ghost. Can I continue my story?”
Zoe nodded and shook her head at the unexpected events a gentle stroll and a walk into a chapel had produced.
“We had a little boy a
nd I was pregnant with another when I lost Ruben. Sara was born in the spring, after Pentecost. I lived in Jerusalem until the Romans came. I remembered what the Apostle Matthew had told us that this was foretold and we were going to escape the coming destruction of the town if we knew what to look for.” Theresa stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. “It was here I knew that my little girl was gifted.”
“How?”
“She looked at one of our neighbors and said ‘Mama, he’s going to die.’”
“Wow. She had the gift of prophecy, but she was born after Pentecost. How did that happen?”
“How was she born? Very messy process,” Theresa joked, making Zoe giggle. “I think it was because I got a double dose of the Holy Ghost. First time was with our Lord resurrecting me and then again at Pentecost.”
“So all your descendants received this double dose?”
“It appears so. Sometimes it’s stronger and sometimes it’s weaker.”
“Why do all of them have either Theresa or Eva as their names?”
Theresa shrugged. “Sara started it by naming her daughter Theresa. I don’t know why everyone else followed like sheep.”
“I don’t understand why it’s still here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Christianity has spread all over the world, and if I remember my scriptures, this gift of languages was given to spread the message of Christ.”
“Yes.”
“So the work has been done. So why haven’t the gifts stopped?”
Theresa sighed. “There is a good reason.”
“Um…” Zoe stopped and played with her pencil for a moment. “Um…what is it? Your descendants are being sent mad by these gifts. They have to stop. There has to be a reason for it. Something doesn’t happen just like that for no apparent reason. Can’t you tell God to stop them? They’re not needed any more.”
“Who are you to tell God to stop giving his gifts?” Theresa gently rebuked Zoe. “Do you think God seeks my council?”
“No, but—”
“You forget who we are talking about. He is the Almighty. The Alpha and the Omega. The One who makes all things exist.”
“Fancy titles, but that doesn’t give me the answers,” Zoe muttered under her breath.
Theresa stared at Zoe for a moment before she burst out laughing. She slapped her hand on her thigh and shook her head. “I just love you, Zoe!”
Zoe looked up at the icon of the crucified Christ. She turned back to Theresa. “If I can’t ask God why these gifts are still being handed down from generation to generation, then I’ll ask you a question.”
“What is that?”
“Why are you here? Why now? Why me? What do you want?”
Theresa let her head rest against the sandstone wall and closed her eyes for a moment. “You are a very tenacious woman.”
“Hm. You still haven’t answered my questions.”
Theresa took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “It’s about Eva. We need to talk.”
“What about her?” Zoe asked. Her heart started to beat a little faster at the very ominous sound in Theresa’s voice. She felt her stomach clench and wanted to run back to Eva and not look back at the chapel.
“You can’t run away.”
“You can read my mind?”
“No, but it’s what I would have liked to do if it were me.”
“Well, I’m not you, and if I want to run away from here I can.”
“The door is that way.” Theresa indicated the door but kept her eyes focused on Zoe. “You can run, but it won’t answer the questions you asked.”
“What are the answers?”
“Why am I here? I’m here to talk to you because you are going to be very important in the coming days, months, and years.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“You are in control. It’s up to you if you want to help.”
“Who do I want to help? Is it God? Forget it. I’m not one of the evangelizers who go out and spread the Gospel. Is that why you are here? You got the wrong girl for that.”
“No, it’s not for God.”
“Who is it for?”
“It’s for the one woman who you are willing surrender your soul to. That answers the ‘who’ it’s for and ‘why you.’”
“What about Eva? What the heck are you talking about?” Zoe found herself trying to keep calm, but her control was slipping.
“Many years ago I did something that solved a problem at the time, but created a bigger problem today. A problem that I should have anticipated but didn’t want to acknowledge.”
“That doesn’t tell me anything. Can you stop talking in riddles? What did you do?”
“I think the ‘what’ needs to be answered with Eva, your Aunt Stella, and Theresa in the room.”
“How bad is this?” Zoe asked as she felt a growing fear overwhelm her. Her voice sounded different to her ears but she didn’t care. The look on Theresa’s face made her involuntarily shiver.
“I fear that if I don’t do something about this, I may end up in my own version of hell, and one that doesn’t have the luxuries that Lucifer provides,” Theresa muttered.
CHAPTER 35
Zoe entered the bedroom to try to explain to Eva the morning she had experienced. She had been in a complete daze on the ride home and spent a few hours trying to make sense of what had happened to her in the chapel. Eva didn’t notice because she was feeling sick and uncomfortable. Zoe didn’t need to obfuscate her. Eva was sitting near the window, her back to the door, enjoying the view of the garden and the sea beyond. Zoe made a very deliberate noise by tapping on the door loudly, causing Eva to turn.
“How is my fruitloopy wife?”
“More fruity than loopy,” Eva replied with a smile as Zoe leaned down and kissed her.
Zoe knelt in front of Eva and held her hands. She looked up into her eyes. “I have some chocolates for you.”
Eva smiled broadly. “Hm, you’re going to be a great Mama.”
“Why? Because I’ll give our babies chocolate?”
“Yes.”
“My fruitloopy wife, that is never going to happen before dinner,” Zoe teased, making Eva chuckle. “What did the doctor say about your eyes?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I can’t remember if I told you or not. The ophthalmologist said it was going to take some time, but he thought they are going to get better slowly and they should get back to almost normal.”
“You remember that?”
“No.” Eva shook her head and held up her hand. Zoe looked at it and saw the words ‘slowly get better’ written in blue ink. She suppressed the urge to laugh, but she couldn’t restrain herself when Eva made a face.
“You are adorable, but I wish it wasn’t just going to go so slowly.”
“Hm, it could have been worse.”
“It did get worse. You died.”
“Here lays Eva Lambros, a bucket to the head,” Eva joked. Zoe scowled at her in response, which only made Eva smile. “What, love? It didn’t happen.”
“It did happen. You did die. That’s not funny.”
Eva stroked Zoe’s cheek. “If I don’t joke about it, it’s going to get me melancholy to think that I was nearly taken from you. I am going to joke about it.”
“Find better jokes.”
“Here lies Eva Lambros, she whitewashed her own headstone?”
“Eva Theresa, do not make jokes about death.” Zoe closed her eyes and chuckled. “That is so bad.”
“But I made you laugh. You’ve cried far too much and it’s not good for the babies,” Eva responded. “You haven’t laughed a lot, and I want you to laugh. I love hearing your laugh.”
Zoe swallowed audibly and took a deep breath. “I have something I need to talk to you about.”
“You better tell me now before Tommy gives me my medication and I get sleepy. You know how these drugs make me go sleepy and you can’t get any sense out of me,” Eva rambled and then stopped when s
he saw Zoe grinning at her. “It’s like a stop and go sign. Go and I ramble and say whatever pops into my head, and then stop and I fall asleep.”
“I don’t want you to ramble or to fall asleep, so I asked Tommy to delay your medication.”
Eva smiled broadly at the unexpected good news. “You did?”
“Don’t get too happy. It’s only going to be for a few hours. I want you to be alert.”
“Why?”
“We are going to get a visitor soon and—”
“Oh, Zoe, I’m not up for visitors.”
Zoe took Eva’s hand. “Listen to me, alright? I wouldn’t invite someone to our home at this time, if I didn’t think it was important.”
“Hm. Alright. So I have to wear my scarf.”
“You can if you want to.”
“I look like an injured Carmen Miranda minus the fruit, although that is where the fruitloopy comes into it,” Eva muttered. Zoe grinned when Eva’s face went from annoyed to comical as she realized she had made a joke. Eva looked at Zoe and giggled.
“That was funny,” Zoe said. “Alright, that was funny.” She shook her head. “I’m going to get the wheelchair and come and get you.”
“Where are we going?”
“The living room.”
“I can walk there,” Eva announced and got up from her seat only to have Zoe gently push her back down. “I’m not walking there.”
“No. Stay put,” Zoe replied as she leaned over and kissed Eva before she got up and walked out of the bedroom.
***
Eva turned the chair she was sitting on and waited for Zoe to bring the wheelchair. She wasn’t feeling dizzy and she was certain the few steps to the living room from the bedroom wouldn’t be hard. She didn’t move. She had put Zoe through too much since her accident and didn’t want to upset her. She could hear Zoe talking to Henry, but couldn’t make out what she was saying to him and then to Tommy. She sighed—it was going to take a while for Zoe to return.
Eva felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into pale blue eyes and smiled. Her mother was looking down at her. Eva sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. She liked this particular hallucination.
[Intertwined Souls 05.0] No Good Deed Page 25
