SECRET SALVATION

by Chad Josey

  During the wake, Bob stood alone in the living room. His new foster child, Mary, sat with Joseph in front of the television.

  The discussions in the room went unnoticed to Bob. His memories of Rachel played in his mind while sadness overcame him for the current situation facing her son, Joseph.

  Bob was unsure if his emotion came from losing someone he had feelings for, or from losing the money he was being paid.

  After Jacob’s death, a man had approached Bob in his hardware store. The man claimed to be a concerned friend of Jacob’s. Bob had agreed with the man to look after Rachel and her family.

  The man had a request, which surprised him. Bob had to call the man each week providing an update on the happenings at the Bishop’s house. By complying to this request, Bob received a payment each month. One final stipulation for the payment was Bob had to keep his weekly updates a secret from everyone.

  Two-hundred dollars for each call convinced Bob to accept the man’s offer. Of course, it may have also been the pity Bob had for the man since the man was in a wheelchair.

  As time had passed, guilt grew inside Bob concerning his spying on Rachel and his reporting to the mystery man in a wheelchair. Years had passed since Bob had last met the man in person.

  One year before Rachel’s death, the man in the wheelchair visited Bob again in his store. This time the man had a new request: to monitor Joseph and report back.

  Laughter from Joseph and Mary brought a smile to Bob in the living room.

  It seems odd to spy on a ten-year-old.

  The man had explained to Bob how much money the State of Texas gave foster parents turning Bob's greedy wheels. Bob knew he could get closer to Joseph through a friendship developed by a foster child. It meant more money from the State plus an increase in his payment from the man in the wheelchair.

  Bob remembered what it was like visiting the St. Anthony’s Home for Children in Houston. How his heart ached with all the young boys and girls without parents.

  A social worker at the home recommended to Bob a little boy to foster. But, after a month of coming home each night finding something broken, the boy had to leave.

  When Bob met a quiet, little girl named Mary, happiness replaced his guilty conscious from his earlier failure with the boy. Bob had always loved the name Mary and was happy to give fostering another try.

  The first time Bob spoke to Mary she seemed so gentle and soft-spoken. The memory of his first meeting made him smile as Bob watched Mary with Joseph on the floor in Rachel’s house.

  “Yes!” came a scream in unison from the two kids at the television.

  The screaming jolted Bob out of his trance-like state. He saw Liz walking over to them.

  Great, I better take her home. I don’t want her to cause Joseph to get into any kinda trouble.

  Bob stood beside Liz at the television. He heard Joseph say, “We actually did it. We stepped out on the Moon.”

  “Liz, it was such a beautiful service,” Bob said.

  “Thanks, Minister Greene gave a lovely service,” Liz replied.

  Bob knelt behind the children. “Joseph, I’m so sorry about your mama.” Bob paused. “If you ever need anything, you let us know, Son.”

  Joseph shook his head to acknowledge he understood Bob, his gaze never left the television.

  “Well, Mary, we probably should be going,” Bob said as he took her cheese-caked hand.

  “Mary, thank you for coming. I hope to see you at church,” Liz said as she bent over to Mary.

  “Thanks,” Mary said in a soft voice. Mary smiled as she walked away with Bob.

  As Liz was about to kneel beside Joseph to talk to him, Mary came back over to them. She stood beside Joseph.

  A smudge of yellow-powered cheese stuck in the corner of her mouth as she placed her arms around Joseph’s shoulders. “Sorry again about your mama.”

  Mary left with Bob as he took her hand leaving Rachel’s house to his pickup truck.

  “What did you and Joseph talk about?” Bob asked.

  “Oh… um… we both love macaroni-and-cheese… and the Moon landing.”

  “Anything else? Anything about his grandma or anything?”

  “Uh-uh.” Mary mumbled her response while eating a sugar cookie she had picked up before they had left the house.

  The pickup truck continued through the neighborhood. Bob’s sadness faded away.

  I think I’ve found the perfect foster kid to monitor Joseph…

  25-Confessions

  PRESENT – 6:30 P.M.

  Somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean

  1,681 Days Prior to Impact

  SILENCE FILLED the gray room on the boat. Gabriel had left Joe alone to prepare for his long-awaited opportunity to tell Mary everything.

  Gabriel’s advice to Joe was to be honest. To preface what Joe told Mary by saying he only had her best interests in mind by keeping this a secret from her.

  Gabriel prepared Joe for how upset Mary may be. To keep expressing to her over-and-over, he understands why she is angry. It is only good news Joe is telling her. But, no matter how well Joe had prepared, knots churned in his stomach at how she would accept the secret he had kept from her.

  I’ve never kept secrets from her before… How will she ever trust me again? I hope she understands why I did this?

  A quick knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. The bright light from the hallway once again flooded into his room. Gabriel stood in the opened doorway holding a red folder.

  “Joe, it’s time.”

  Great… well, here I go.

  Joe stood from his chair and followed Gabriel out into the hallway. Together, they walked down a corridor within the ship. They drifted side-to-side in unison as the ship rocked through the open waters of the southern Indian Ocean.

  “I have already checked on her to make sure she is okay and told her you were fine. I explained the plane went down and we are now onboard a rescue ship,” Gabriel said as they weaved down the rocking corridor.

  “And… um… how did she take that?”

  “Once she knew you were okay, she seemed calm with the news… it could be she is in shock, though.”

  “And, you don’t think what I’m about to tell her will be too much?”

  “Start from the beginning, but remember the advice I gave you. Let her know you had her best interest in mind. We basically forced you not to tell her.”

  Gabriel stopped in front of a door. He gave Joe the red notebook with all the details of Salvation. With a head nod, Joe was ready before knocking on the door.

  Gabriel pushed the door open. Joe saw Mary over Gabriel’s shoulder. Joe and Mary made eye contact. She stood from her chair running to Joe, who pushed his way into the room by Gabriel. Their immediate embrace and kiss were Gabriel’s cue to leave, closing the door.

  She pulled her head back from Joe. “Can you believe this? When I woke up and couldn’t find you… I… I was—”

  Joe interrupted Mary holding her tight at his waist. “When I woke and didn’t see you, I almost lost it.”

  “Our plane crashed. Talk about a story to tell everyone when we go home,” Mary said.

  When we go home…

  “Mary, let’s sit down. We need to talk.”

  Joe led Mary back to the chair she had been sitting. He slid another chair to Mary sitting facing her; their knees touched.

  Her hands were in his. A wealth of emotion overcame him.

  “Oh, my God, Joseph, what is it?”

  “Well, uh… I… I’ve got to tell you some things. But, first, I want you to know I only did this to protect you. To make sure we will be okay in the future.”

  Joe could feel her hands tensing up inside his. Mary said, “Joseph… you’re scaring me… it can’t be that bad?”

  Joe took a deep breath. The words he had wanted to say to her for months were about to reveal his secret. “I… wanted to tell you as soon as they told me, but they gave me strict instructions not to.”

>   “They? They, who?”

  “Gabriel, and the Eden Foundation he works for.”

  “Told you not to tell me what, exactly?”

  Mary heard Joe’s breathing as he released a deep sigh. The heavy breath carried the literal weight of the world.

  “Remember back when I flew out to Colorado?”

  “Yeah, in September? That’s where you met Gabriel and gave your presentation… right?”

  “Yes and no… True, I met Gabriel. We talked about my research, but I never presented my work. He shared a secret with me. I didn’t believe it at all until I reviewed it myself, and he showed me pictures and the videos.”

  Mary leaned to Joe. “Pictures and videos about your research?”

  “No… he told me about this object they discovered in Space back in the 1950s.”

  A perplexed look overcame Mary. She leaned back into her chair. “What? What kind of object?”

  “To be exact, it’s a small planet that’s bigger than the Moon, but smaller than Earth.”

  “Um… o… kay? What does that even have to do with you?”

  Joe pulled Mary close as he spoke. The words he was about to say, he had only said out-loud to one other person before. Charlie.

  “It will collide with Earth in 2020. The Eden Foundation that Gabriel represents has a plan to save the human race.”

  Don’t tell her about Mars yet…

  Mary wrangled her arm, freeing one of her hands and placing it along the side of his head. “Oh, you poor thing. You must have hit your head during the crash.”

  Joe grabbed her wrist. “No, Mary. I’m completely aware of what I am saying here. Back in September, they told me a planet will destroy Earth by colliding with us in 2020.”

  Mary tensed her body against her chair.

  “The reason they contacted me was because of their plan to continue human civilization. My research will contribute in the future by finding a cure for cancer and other diseases.”

  Mary sat in silence, unsure of what to do or say. Seconds had passed. Joe delivered the information, which she already had known. Guilt crept upon her, not for already knowing the information, but for her secret of monitoring Joe the past twenty years.

  Gabriel had made a promise to Mary many years before. Through her cooperation, Salvation would save them both..

  As Joe explained what would happen to Earth in 2020, for a moment, Mary debated with herself to confess everything to him.

  But, he will never forgive me… He doesn’t know I’ve known this whole time… He’s not aware I’ve been reporting into Gabriel since we were in college.

  Her memories of Gabriel broke the silence in the room. As Joe continued revealing the secret, Mary retraced in her mind how she became associated with Gabriel… with the Eden Foundation.

  September 9, 2001

  Paris, France

  MARY STROLLED DOWN the Champs-Élysées in amazement. She had seen these fancy stores only in magazines and in the movies.

  Today, Mary visited the Parisian shops by herself. Joe had left her in their hotel room to go to his interview dinner with Sauvage Enterprises. Still getting over her jet lag from yesterday's flight from JFK, Mary wanted to see Paris rather than sleep the day away.

  Halfway down the grand avenue, full of its shops and restaurants, Mary rested on a bench. People-watching, as everyone passed by was one of her favorite things to do.

  Within a minute of sitting alone, a man approached her. “Mind if I sit down?”

  “Sure.” Mary admired his expensive suit and his lack of a French accent. “Do you live in Paris?”

  “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, I asked because I don’t see many tourists wearing suits, and your English is perfect.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, that’s funny. People often ask me where I’m from. When I tell them Paris, they usually say something like what you asked. Then, I tell them I’m originally from Iowa.”

  Mary laughed flipping her hair back across her shoulders. She found him to be funny and charming.

  "Hi, my name is Mary.”

  She extended her hand. The young man shook hers.

  “Well, hi Mary…. my name is Gabe, short for Gabriel.”

  Minutes had passed. Silence sat between them after their introductions.

  “Hey, what do you say, we grab a bite to eat? My treat. We can go to that café over there as they have the best coffee around,” Gabriel said pointing down the block.

  Wow, it’s like you’re reading my mind because I'm hungry.

  “I have a boyfriend. He’s actually here for an interview.”

  “I thought I’d ask because I work with a bunch of Parisians. And, it would be great to have lunch with a fellow American. Plus, we’re right here on a busy street, so no worries I’m some crazy guy or something.”

  Gabriel flashed a playful smile. His invitation was innocent enough. Gabriel figured Mary was hungry since he had followed her from the hotel all morning.

  After a cautious pause, Mary answered, “Well… um… I don't think I should.” Awkwardness overcame her after rejecting his offer.

  “Mary, I must confess something to you?”

  Oh, great… here comes the pickup line.

  “Yes?”

  “Does my voice sound familiar?”

  “Familiar, how? It sounds nice.”

  “No, familiar… like we’ve talked before?”

  Okay, this is new… I’ve not heard this one before.

  “Um… I can’t say it is?”

  “What about the phone number you call each week to provide an update about what Joseph is doing?”

  Mary froze at Gabriel’s question.

  How does he know about—

  “The number you’ve been calling since your dad Bob asked you to do so,” Gabriel said interrupting her thoughts.

  “That’s you I’ve been speaking to this whole time? My dad told me to call some number and answer their questions.”

  “I know… for you to receive a monthly insurance benefit after his death.”

  “We needed the money. So, I did it and never told Joe about calling and giving out our personal information.”

  Joe won’t understand why I did this…

  “Yes, Mary. You’ve been speaking to me this entire time,” Gabriel said, trying his best not to frighten her away from the bench.

  “I don’t understand. Why are you here, now? How did you know where to find me?”

  “The number you’ve been calling these past years routes to my office here in Paris. When I knew you would be here, I wanted to meet you in person.”

  The urge to bolt from the bench consumed Mary. “What is the real reason I have been calling and telling you about us?”

  “I can imagine you’ve not enjoyed keeping secrets from Joseph, but it’s for his and your protection.” Gabriel saw a look of concern from her.

  “When you visited your dad in the hospital, he told you he had been doing this for years as a promise to Joseph’s father. Your dad and Jacob, they were best friends. And, when Jacob died, Bob was crushed.”

  “But, I don’t see what this has to do with me or my dad calling you each week?”

  “Think of our firm as a protection agency. Bob hired us to monitor Joseph and his family.”

  “A protection agency… protection from what?”

  “Let’s just say if there are ever any financial or legal issues, our firm steps in without you being aware and takes care of things. That was in the past. But, in the future, we will continue doing the same for you both.”

  “I don’t understand. I’ve never heard of a service like that, let alone how much it would cost?”

  “Your dad paid for our services in-full before he died as a type of insurance policy. He wanted to make sure you and Joseph were taken care of…”

  Taken care of, huh. The bastard sure had a funny way of showing it when he was alive?

  “Bob felt guilty for not being that great of a father to you
.”

  “Huh,” Mary grunted.

  “But, there’s one condition to continue with this service, you must continue to keep this a secret from Joseph or anyone else. If we find out, then we can no longer provide our services.”

  “How do I even know you’ve been providing any service before?”

  “Remember the night this past June after Joseph’s college graduation? That night you both left a party. Joseph had too much to drink and hit a parked car.”

  “Um… yeah.” Mary could not believe Gabriel knew the details as the police finding out still frightened her.

  “And, you remember calling us that week to report where you had been that weekend?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Our team intercepted the police report on that incident. Come to find out, you both had left the scene of an accident. You had to have been scared you would get caught by eyewitnesses?”

  Mary shook her head in disbelief to confirm what Gabriel was saying.

  “Well, the police never called, did they?” Gabriel asked.

  “Um… no.”

  How did you know?

  “Or, you would not want to tell Joseph how he got this opportunity in Paris… arranged by our firm, would you?”

  Mary became angry hearing his last comment. “What do you mean, your firm got him this interview? His grades and work in college speak for themselves.”

  “Yes, they do. But, a job interview out-of-the-blue… to a company he didn’t even apply… in Paris?”

  Mary realized what Gabriel was saying. “Joe would be devastated if he didn’t get this opportunity on his own.”

  “Or, would he be devastated knowing his girlfriend had been contacting us each week to report things to us about his activity?”

  Mary squirmed as she sat listening.

  “Or, would he be devastated knowing your dad had been doing the same reporting about his mother, Rachel, when she was alive?”

  Mary sat dumbfounded. She could not think of a comeback to his statements.

  “Stop! Stop it! You’ve made your point. No one knew of that accident. Joe and I never spoke again about it. And, Joe cannot find out how he got this interview or the fact I've been sharing our information with you.”

  “See, we only have your best interests in mind. It’s all thanks to your adoptive father… even this wonderful opportunity Joseph’s interviewing for, now.”