The Tormenting Beauty of Empathy by Richard Robbins

Author:Richard Robbins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: literary fiction, religious fiction, contemporary fiction, family saga, immigration, guatemala
Publisher: Evolved Publishing via Indie Author Project
Published: 2021-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Indiantown, Florida, Spring 2016

Upon finishing her weekly sermon, Josefa carefully walked down the steep stairs of the high school stadium, through the large crowd that had assembled to hear her. Over the three years since she’d begun preaching regularly, her crowds had steadily grown, necessitating a move to the stadium a few months earlier. She missed the days of speaking to intimate groups of neighbors in the small field outside the community center, but could not turn away the true believers and curious skeptics who came from increasingly farther distances to be in her presence.

She continued out through the stadium gates, past the small-town business district, and eventually reached the little community center where she’d performed her first sermon, and which now served as her full time office.

Señor Mazum sat waiting inside, working at his desk, and looked up as she entered. “How did the sermon go today?”

“Very well, thank you,” she replied. “It’s gratifying to see so many people, from such distances, giving up their time on a Sunday. There must have been six or seven hundred people there today.”

“Your crowds continue to grow. It’s a sign that you’re reaching them. You’re making a difference in their lives.”

“Thank you. It does seem to give people comfort. I just wish that I was as comfortable giving the sermons as they were receiving them.” She waited for Señor Mazum to stop working and give her his full attention before continuing. “I mean, I know that people have come to expect me to speak every Sunday, but must I? I mean, I do feel a connection to the spirit, and that connection does seem to imbue me with words that soothe the congregants, but must I dedicate all my efforts to preaching? Must I sacrifice what remains of my childhood? My friends all treat me differently. Will it always be that way? Must I forego a college education, and stay here in this community forever? If that’s what I must do, I guess I will do so, but sometimes I feel as if I haven’t been given a choice.”

Señor Mazum stood up from behind his desk and walked over to her. “Josefa, my dear, every choice that has been made has been yours, and yours alone. You have chosen this life. If you decide to choose another, then it’s a sign that you’re destined to follow another path.” He reached out to hold her hands, and looked up. “Go, my dear. Go home and rest. Be with your friends. Be the child you long to be. And after a few days, speak with your mother about your choices. You’ve been blessed with a kind and loving mother, who only wants what’s best for you. She’ll provide worthy guidance. And know that whatever you decide, I will gladly support. Also know that no decision is ever final. You may choose to follow one path for now, and another in the future, and may even return to the prior path. Go... go home before the rains come.

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