under the big black sun: a fable
Nobody was home at the trailer to marvel. Mac alone sees a local celebrity on national TV. His face flushes uncontrollably. The Reverend Sarah, as she's known, is being celebrated on the evangelical 901 Club.
The title is slightly misleading—although fully invested as a congregational minister, her alternate role is that of Medical Doctor, known by the charity hospital and others for her free clinic and collected hours of community work. She is a never-married seventy four year old. At local church halls Mac has attended two of her inspirational addresses, but was unable either time among the crowd to speak personally or shake her hand. He spots her often during his driving rounds; she is given free use of a new Volvo each year from a local dealer.
Mac feels a tingle along the back of his neck when Pat Robinson brings up her home town and her good works there. Mac suffers, that neither Cooper or Sybil are around to hear this. Something like this could get away, vanish, as if it had never happened, except for him watching.
"Now, tell me how, just how—I don't know—how it is you can find the time to administer all the good works you do? I mean, the free clinic work, the ministry service alone, not just the Sundays . . .?"
"Well, I don't know how to explain it. I guess sleep is simply highly overrated. [audience laughter] You just get up in the morning and do it, and don't stop for anything.""But three hours a night? I'd thought mightily well of myself for getting five and a half. And I am just a hair younger than yourself." [mild laughter]
"Of course as a young woman, I gave many hours to my medical studies, but that's where I learned to get by on as little shut-eye as possible; all the while never losing in my sight [she raises her eyes to the studio ceiling] my spiritual mission as well. Life is never complete without fully tending to the body's physical requirements, as well as the inner life's, Pat."
"And a gourmet menu for both, with you, Reverend Dr." [laughter and long pause]
"But in all seriousness, Pat. Where has anyone ever gone wrong in serving God? What harm has anyone ever done in praising the Lord and helping hper fellow people?"
The program ends and he turns the set off before anything else can come on and ruin the thrill.The trailer is totally, eerily silent. He doesn't know where Cooper and Sybil and the baby might be and he feels jittery, full of aimless energy. There was so much inside, no words, no sound, only a wild sorrow at the lack of any way to go directly from me to you and for you to know exactly what's in me. To reach the same place between us.
The most he could do when he felt like this was get out and drive. Nothing but motion helped, going where there was a hope of a there that was not here.
