Grace House: The Trial of Obscurity

by Rob Summers

  Chapter 27 Invitations

  Reason’s husband Truth being a sort of doctor (though without City credentials), he attended to her as necessary and soon put her to bed, where she napped for hours. In the early evening, she woke all by herself except for Wisdom, who was in his crib nearby. When she got up and checked on him, she found herself far from strong. She had just settled into bed again when Truth came in carrying a long, white cardboard box.

  He kissed her. “Love you, killa’.”

  “Oh, stop it. Shouldn’t you be off with the street singers?”

  “In a few minutes.” He put the box on the bed, sat down by her, and felt her pulse.

  “Give it to me straight, doc,” she deadpanned. “I can take it.”

  He grinned. “The good news is, you have a pulse. The bad news is, you’re wanted downstairs for the party tonight.”

  “Oh, come on, are you sure? I mean, maybe I could put in a brief appearance, if it matters, but that’s about all.”

  Truth took her hand. “Grace says he needs you for something. It was him sent you that.” He glanced at the box.

  “What is it?”

  He opened it for her and held up an expensive looking red party dress. Reason laughed. “What can he be thinking? It looks like the sort of thing Fame Vainglory might wear, only more tasteful and more modest. It’s beautiful, really, and must have cost a fortune, but it just isn’t me. Luckily, I’ve got an excuse, since I’m so tired and all.”

  Truth showed her the inner tag, reading it aloud. “Heavenite Imports, Designer Collection, Eagle’s Wings.”

  “Eagle’s Wings?”

  “That’s the name of the dress.”

  “Eagles aren’t red,” she observed.

  “No,” he said. “Did you see there’s a sort of hat that comes with it here?” He lifted it. “Real glittery. That color is called Lamb’s Blood Red. The Eagle name refers to the kind of wings that renew your strength and make you whole. You get clothes from Heaven, they’re going to have all kinds of special benefits. As your doctor, I highly recommend you put this on and wear it to the party.”

  “OK, I’ll try,” she said. “But what is it Grace wants?”

  “There’s gonna be trouble tonight. Dignity will be facing some difficulties.”

  Reason drew a sharp breath. “If it’s serious enough to fetch me out of bed, then it must be another one of his forays into City life, another of his disastrous, stupid—”

  “He’ll be seeing Fame Vainglory tonight,” Truth said.

  Reason moaned and lay back on the pillow. “Why is he so weak? I can’t protect him. Half the time he just gets me into trouble with him, like this book thing.”

  “Now, don’t get upset,” Truth said. “You and he already won most of the battle today, when you beat up Bits and exonerated Obscurity. Actually, for a long time now these old troubles that always seemed so hopeless have been quietly, steadily mending themselves. Why’s Dignity so weak, you ask? Well, maybe he isn’t, maybe not today.” He got up. “Gotta go now. I’ll see you downstairs when the singers come back.”

  He paused to smooth the baby’s blankets and went out.

  Reason lay thinking for a while, and then wearily got up and tried on the dress. The fancy hat clipped on to her head like a girl’s plastic headband. When she walked to a full length mirror to adjust it, she got a jolt. She had never looked so good. She had almost religious scruples against make-up and jewelry, but with this outfit she needed neither. She was beautiful—well, anyway, as close to beautiful as was possible for her. Besides that, she felt good. No, she felt great, completely rested and recovered.

  Reason’s interest in clothes was on a lower level than her interest in ten year old phone books; but for the first time she began to comprehend what Faith was always telling her about shopping possibilities in Heaven. She looked around for some appropriate shoes.

  Peace had found a seat among the other kids on the great staircase that descended from Grace House’s second story to the front hall, and would have stayed there, except that the others kept jumping up and running to windows. So she jumped up too, and found a place to look out through one of the narrow, vertical strips of glass that bordered the front doors.

  Self-control was shouting from somewhere upstairs, “I can hear them! They must be coming, I can hear them singing!” But this proving to be a false alarm, the children eventually returned to squabbling over the best viewing places on the stairway and balcony (though all were equally good), and then ran to the windows again.

  Meanwhile, adults brought chairs to the landing above and began to settle in. Eldest sister Love went here and there, confirming the order of party entertainments; and eldest brother Joy did his best to keep the kids away from the clutter of objects that had been brought to the front hall for the occasion. These included a Christmas tree, microphones, Obscurity’s amplifier and guitar, a piano, assorted other instruments, and a karaoke machine. Wires crisscrossed the floor.

  To the side of the hall was a buffet which was being uncarefully guarded by Faith until the party should start. (She was chatting with the other women of the household.) Already, mints and peanuts were disappearing from little china bowls, though no one had yet been bold enough to take of the ham and cheese slices so artistically arranged on large platters or to stir the punch with a plunging dipper.

  Just when the children seemed ready to again fight over stair space, they heard the singers at last. It was past nine o’clock and well time! Male and female voices were blending in the street outside. Eager hands opened the doors wide, letting in both the icy air and a heavily clothed, half frozen troupe, still singing as they marched in.

  Hard things and soft things all glorify Him,

  Shut things and open things all glorify Him,

  North things and south things,

  Stern things and supple things,

  Cold things and burning things all glorify Him equally.

  Peace and her sisters and brothers all ran for the stairs again. The great doors were closed behind the singers, and Truth—who led the troupe—turned to them and directed. As they sang, Peace looked from face to beaming face, recognizing the sisters Thanks and Prayer, old Mr. Song and young Mr. Praise, Miss Hymn, Mrs. Psalm, the hulking Mr. Steadfast, and Reason’s sisters Calm and Enjoyment.

  Kind men and cruel men all glorify Him,

  In His hidden counsels they glorify Him,

  Wise men and foolish men,

  Dead men and living men,

  Evil men and holy men all glorify Him equally.

  The song was so beautiful that it sent a shiver through Peace. Christmas vacation had not turned out so badly after all. True, no Heaven House had appeared under the tree on Christmas morning—she now had another Barbie doll—but many things had gone well. The family was all healthy again, and Obscurity had not been thrown out of the house. Uncle Dignity—there he was in his party best, standing near the punch bowl—had made the right decision at last. Maybe now he would like Aunt Obscurity and stop arguing with her.

  Just as good, and beyond all hope, Mr. Bitterly had been thrown out. Aunt Reason would not be fooled by him anymore. Reason was now at the bottom of the stairs, trading silly winks with Truth even as he led the singing, and both of them acting as if they thought no one noticed! Peace liked the winks. She also liked how Aunt Reason looked in a shimmering red party dress that bared her shoulders. The matching headband, sequined and ruffled, shone in her dark hair in a way that would have made Barbie herself jealous.

  Truth now led the choir, still singing, up the middle of the stairway. Peace wriggled to the side with the other children to make way. She knew that the singers would get out of their thick coats and return shortly to sing some more.

  For low men and lofty men all crucified Him,

  Mild men and angry men all crucified Him,

  Wise men and foolish men,

  Murderers and pea
ceful men,

  Cold men and loving men all crucified Him equally.

  Now it was time for the children to sing. Peace hopped up with the others and went to the performing space before the doors.

  Grace knocked at the door of Obscurity’s little attic room, and she invited him to come in. When he did so, he started. Without taking his eyes from her, he put down the package he had brought, a long flat box. The security woman was dressed in high heeled boots, blue jeans, a tie-dyed top, swinging silver earrings, and a wild head band.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I know this isn’t your generation’s idea of party garb, but I’m slated to sing tonight, so I dug out this old outfit from my days with the Gray Ciphers.”

  “You look perfect,” he said. “That is, for performance. After midnight you may want something different. Then check this box; it’s a belated Christmas present. Yes, open it now if you like.”

  Obscurity opened it and found a dark green, floor length dress, more elegant than anything she had ever owned. She pulled it half out of the box, holding it up to herself and looking in the mirror. “Thank you, it’s beautiful. No way will I wait till after midnight to put this on. As soon as my song is over! Thank you. I already owe you so much.”

  “Don’t be in such a hurry to thank me,” Grace said soberly. “You may not like me so well in a moment.” He removed two envelopes from his pocket and looked at them unhappily. “I don’t want to alarm you. Nothing to be very anxious about, but I felt you should know that the Powers have sent these invitations to Dignity and Reason, last minute invitations to their New Year’s Eve Party.”

  Obscurity shook her head. “No, I checked the mail as usual.”

  “They were hand delivered, dear. The messenger was Mr. Notice. He wanted to insist that he himself give them directly to Dignity and Reason, but I wouldn’t allow that.”

  Obscurity touched the edge of one of the envelopes as if it were a live snake. “They’re sealed, they haven’t been opened.”

  “No. Still, I know what they say. The invitations will be not just to the party but to discuss the imminent publication of The Pride Story. The cash advance mentioned will be two or three times the industry average. They’ll be signed not by Mr. Power but by Mrs. Swella D’Ego; and Swella will have written that it is she who extends the invitation, with the permission of her sister; and she will mention as if in passing that it has nothing to do with Mr. Power.”

  “I’m glad you intercepted them, Ambassador. That was a close one. I wasn’t on the lookout for anything hand delivered, but from now on I’ll—”

  Grace raised a cautioning hand. “I’m sorry, Obscurity. I’m going to pass the invitations on to the addressees. I’m going down now to give them to Dignity and Reason. You’ll come with me?”

  Obscurity felt her heart suddenly beating hard. “What for? What are you doing, testing them? Because they won’t pass the test, I can tell you that! I don’t want to be there.”

  “It has to be,” he said. “They must go, and you must see it. Don’t be afraid. Nothing ever happens that we need to fear.”

  Obscurity sat down suddenly on the bed. “You don’t understand. I’m afraid all the time, I’m afraid of everything that tempts Dignity because he always gives in, always; and he’ll drag Reason along with him.” She looked at Grace. “This is the end of them. Even I would be afraid to go in that house on a night like this. You musn’t do this.”