Destination Eden

by Jim Payton

  Chapter 10

  The next day Janet made an appointment to speak with the school Principal. She explained she had an assignment she wished to undertake that would require a lengthy leave of absence. After some gentle probing, the Principal elicited the full story from her.

  "I know Joe can be pretty abrupt and somewhat cantankerous Janet," said the Principal, Alistair Jackson. "He is bright and dedicated though. Do you think you could perhaps smooth things over and forget it?"

  "Not really Ally," replied Janet. "I have actually given more thought to this than I have a lot of things. There is a feeling in me that it is something I have to do. Yes, I may end up with egg on my face, but so be it."

  "I will be sorry to see you leave Janet. You are a real star in this school. No, I mean it! Perhaps the best way round this would be for you to take a leave of absence, or sabbatical, for a year. If you go that way we could hold an opening for you."

  "That would be lovely Ally. There are only a couple of weeks left in this term, so what say I leave then? A new teacher will then get a clean start at the beginning of the new term. Would that be okay?"

  The next two weeks moved quickly for Janet. She spent some time trying to work out where she would start, and how to go about proving creation and disproving evolution. She headed up an A4 page with the word Evolution. Below it, she wrote Dictionary, and below that another heading: Evolve, (1) to develop or cause to develop gradually (2) undergo slow changes in process of growth. Under that she wrote the heading Evolution, (1) evolving (2) development of species from earlier forms.

  On a separate A4 sheet, she wrote Creation. Below that, she wrote Dictionary, and below that the heading: Create, (1) bring into being (2) give rise to (3) make.

  Janet could immediately see how confusing the whole thing could be. In its simplest terms, you could say that from earliest times, humans believed they had been created by God or Gods. At the time there appeared to be no actual way of proving or disproving that belief. Then along came various clever people whose interpretation of nature and the environment differed from that. It had eventually become a 'them and us' situation, which never helped anyone.

  Janet turned to her computer. She researched numerous articles for and against evolution and creation. Again, it came down to two things: a young earth or an old earth. One interesting thing was that there appeared to be central ground occupied by scholars from each side who believed some of their assumptions and theories were flawed. Janet knew she was up against serious intellectual powers on both sides. She knew it would be hard for her to argue with PhD's and people who had 'been there, done that and had the tee shirt'.

  "Right," said Janet sitting down with another cup of tea and talking aloud to herself. "How can I attack this? As a layperson, what would convince me that evolution is correct? The only way would be if some 'primeval soup' or DNA 'stuff' was found in the body or being of all current and extinct life forms upon the earth, under the sea or in the air. Okay, so, again as a layperson, what would convince me that creation is correct?

  "The only thing, I guess, would be to find the Garden of Eden, or maybe stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them, or Noah's ark. Yes, I reckon the Garden of Eden could do it."

  A knock on her front door interrupted the self-talking. She opened it to find a young Samoan man standing on her porch. Well, she assumed him to be an adult, but some of the Samoan children she knew from school looked in their twenties while young teenagers.

  "Can I help you?" asked Janet.

  "Please Mrs. Janet can I talk with you? I am a friend of Jesse's. My name is Eti, Eti Solomon."

  "Of course Eti," said Janet opening the door wider. "Come on in. It's just Janet by the way. I am not married."

  "No Mrs. Janet," said Eti standing awkwardly in the passage twisting his beanie.

  "Would you like a cup of tea Eti?"

  "No thanks Mrs. Perhaps water," he answered.

  Janet filled a glass with filtered water and on the way through to the lounge found Eti still twisting his beanie in the passage.

  "Through here Eti."

  Eti followed Janet through into the lounge and sat down behind the coffee table upon which Janet had placed the glass of water with a coaster beneath it.

  "Do I know you Eti? Have you been at Shackleton?"

  "No Mrs. I have just come back from Wellington."

  "And what are doing down there Eti?"

  "I was at Victoria doing my degree Mrs."

  "What discipline?"

  "Science Mrs. Majoring in geology but with more than adequate biology thrown in."

  "How old are you Eti?"

  "Twenty-six Mrs.

  "Impossible, you only look eighteen at the most."

  Eti's face split with a huge grin. "I wish Mrs."

  "So, Eti, how come you know Jesse?" asked Janet.

  "I taught him at Sunday School and Bible Class before I had to go to Vic. I suppose you could say that I took him under my wing. He was a really great kid. I only wish he had made contact before he did what he did.

  "I came up for the unveiling and Jesse's Mum and Dad told me about you when you rang them about Jude Prentice."

  "You know him?" asked Janet.

  "Oh yes Mrs. Well, I have met him a few times. He pops up at unlikely moments Mrs."

  "So I have found out," agreed Janet.

  "I last saw him when I returned to Wellington after the unveiling. He met me for a drink and said that you needed my help in an assignment you had undertaken."

  "I don't believe it," cried a shocked Janet.

  "Yes Mrs.," said Eti. "That's what he said. Truly."

  "When exactly did he say that Eti? Exactly how long ago?"

  "Well first he telephoned me probably a couple of days after I got back to Wellington, then we arranged to meet for the coffee and then he told me he would ring me when you needed me. I suppose it would have been about a week after I got back to Wellington that he told me and then he rang me yesterday to say that you needed me now, so here I am.

  "You did know I was coming Mrs.?"

  "Actually no," confessed Janet. "I suppose Mr. Prentice must have forgotten to tell me."

  "Oh well," said Eti. "Not to worry. So, what is it you need help with?"

  "It’s a bit of a story Eti. Are you a Christian?"

  "Yes I am Mrs."

  "Even after taking your degree?"

  "Yes Mrs."

  "Please stop calling me Mrs. I am Janet."

  "Yes Mrs. Janet."

  "So do you believe in creation or evolution?"

  "A tricky question Mrs. Janet! Being in mainstream science, you are locked into an evolution point of view. The theory of Evolution is what is taught and what you are examined on. I can see that point of view. It is similar to being taught English and Pidgin English. If you are being examined on Pidgin English and answer using English, or vice versa, then you will not get a pass mark. One is derived from the other but that has no bearing on the matter. If you are being examined on evolution theory it is pointless to give creation answers if you want to pass."

  "I can see that," said Janet.

  "So," said Eti. "To answer your question; I am a creationist with a Master of Science degree in evolution."

  Both Janet and Eti laughed.

  "If you were to help me Eti, you would have to commit to a year. What would that mean you giving up?"

  "Work toward my Doctorate."

  "Have you published at all yet?"

  "Just one small article. I must admit that really I am a bit lost at the moment Mrs. I intend to do my Doctorate but exactly on what I am not fully settled. Perhaps a break will help me to refresh my mind and make a decision."

  "Okay Eti. You could be the answer to my prayers. Literally. Let me tell you what sort of a hole I have dug for myself. I suppose it goes back to when Jesse killed himself. I kept in loose touch with the Solomanis' and then went to the unveiling. I was, am, a sort of Christian. I believe in the basics, and go to
Church regularly enough of course. I know Joe, Joe Palmer, who had the disagreement with Jesse that led to what he did. Then, after the unveiling, Jude Prentice introduced himself to me. He said that I could consider him as my guardian angel and that he had a message for me. His words. He said he wanted me to challenge Joe's belief in evolution and convert him to believe in creation. Then he left. I have spoken with my Church Minister and he is convinced, and this will sound silly, that Prentice is a real angel. From heaven.

  "So there you are Eti, that's my dilemma. I have to some how convert Joe into a creationist. This is a man who knows evolution backwards."

  "Is Palmer aware of any of this?"

  "'Fraid so. I have told him that within a year I will have proof that he is wrong."

  "Oh boy," said Eti.

  "That should be girl," smiled Janet.

  Eti laughed.

  "Indeed Mrs.," he said. "Tell me though; do you think Jude Prentice is really an angel?"

  Janet sat in silence for a while.

  "Really Eti, I don't know," she said. "Clearly I have no proof, but since speaking with him I do seem to have this occasional contact or acknowledgment of something greater than me. It's a type of warm euphoric feeling. I have no 'beyond reasonable doubt' proof, but I do have 'on the balance of probabilities' proof."

  "I would have to agree with you Mrs. Janet," Eti nodded. "That would also be my feeling."

  "Can we say no to God?" asked Janet.

  "Many have," responded Eti.

  "But we're not going to are we?" questioned Janet.

  "No Mrs.," said Eti. "I don't think we are."

  "Have you arranged anywhere to stay?"

  "No Mrs." replied Eti. "Not yet. I think I am expected at Jesse's parents."

  "Well stay here," offered Janet. "There is a spare room and that way we will be able to sort out what we are going to do and how we are going to do it."

  "Okay Mrs. Sounds like a scheme to me. I haven't got much. I tend to travel light. I'll get my bag out of the car and then we can start."

  "For goodness sake Eti, call me Janet, Jan, Hey you, or something, but not Mrs."

  "Sorry Mrs., I mean Janet, habit."

  "One you use to your advantage I suspect," smiled Janet.

  With only a grin in reply, Eti headed out the door.