Saturday, February 27, 2010

Femme Fatale, Part 2: The Invitation

Mary's desk at the workplace was right outside Mr. Sweeney's office and opposite to Josh's. At lunch, Josh and Mary often had little chats during which she told him that she lived with her father, who was some sort of theologian. Being the only daughter, she had to take care of the home as well. These little disclosures only raised her stature in Josh's eyes and made her seem even more divine, and therefore, increasingly unattainable. Mary's reluctance to talk too much about her life also increased that sense of aloofness about her. Josh found it very hard to find suitable topics for long conversations until he found out that, like him, Mary too enjoyed watching movies. And one day, just like in movies, a downpour came at five in the evening when Mary was about to leave from work, giving Josh the chance to escort her under his umbrella, a wish that he had secretly nurtured for long.

When they reached her home she invited him to come in for a drink. The home was on the second floor of an old, shabby apartment. It had a small hall and two rooms, one belonging to Mary and the other to her father. Her father came out to welcome Josh. He was an old man with wise eyes and shaky hands. He was wearing some kind of a white robe that gave him an air of authority. He informed Josh that he was waiting for his congregation to arrive and invited Josh to join them. Josh did not like the idea, but he was curious to hear that the old man held his sermons in that dingy hall.
Moreover, the idea to stay close to Mary, and to get to know her life better, seemed quite appealing to Josh. The old man was pleased with his decision.

- Son, our congregation is held in secret for we believe in ideals that are different and perhaps quite unacceptable to the corrupt society that surrounds us today,
the old man informed Josh.
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And what exactly do you preach? Josh inquired.
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You will see soon, they will be here any moment now, we will be glad to have your company.

The bell rang and Mary attended it. Five members of the congregation arrived. They all looked like ordinary men who had just come from their workplace for some evening fun. They referred to Mary's father as the Master. Having renounced all religions many years back, Josh wasn't quite sure whether weekday evening sermons were that common. In any case, all these were irrational he thought. After an initial round of introductions, the congregation took their seats and Mary's father got up to light a bunch of incense sticks. Copious quantities of drinks were passed around, which the members had brought with them. To Josh, all this looked increasingly bizarre, nevertheless he sat down with them and removed his necktie to get a bit comfortable. Mary stood demurely next to her father. The little hall was soon filled with smoke coiling out of the incense sticks. The fumes mixed with the intoxicating smell of alcohol that hung in the air, creating a stifling environment. Josh felt uneasy and excited at the same time, only the beautiful face of Mary calmed him.

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