Blood and Sand by Michael Lister

Author:Michael Lister
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pulpwood Press

* * *

About twenty of us search a small quadrant from the grid that Brent Tremblay created.

We are no more than a few feet apart, our heads down, poking and raking the ground with the tips of our aluminum walking poles.

It’s slow and tedious, which makes it all the more impressive that so many of these volunteers have done it for so long.

“How long we been doing this?” Demi Gonzalez says.

She is on my left side and she’s asking Charis Tremblay who is on my right.

Derinda Dacosta, who is to Christopher’s right, says, “Several months and, hey, we covered almost a postage stamp of property.”

Charis laughs and says, “We’ve covered a little more than that. Why do you ask, Demi?”

“Do y’all find it odd that in all that time Vic Frankford has never been out here and suddenly today he is?”

“He was probably inspired by John’s talk,” Derinda says.

“I really enjoyed what you had to say this morning,” Charis says.

“I did too,” Demi adds.

“Me three,” Derinda says.

“I’ve been volunteering at the jail near where I live in Destin for several years now,” Charis says, “and I’ve seen firsthand how much injustice there is in our justice system.”

“Thank you all,” I say. “I appreciate your kind words.”

“It’s interesting to hear someone like you,” Demi says. “When it comes to faith and religious expression it seems like most everyone I encounter is at one extreme or the other—extremely religious in a rigid, rules-based way or not religious at all. You seem to be a very smart and thoughtful person who has incorporated his practice of faith into his otherwise full life.”

“That’s very nice of you,” I say. “It’s certainly what I attempt to do, but it’s a practice. One I often fail at.”

“I used to be part of the rigid and rules-based crowd she’s talking about,” Charis says.

“Yes, you did,” Demi says with a smile. “Every other word out of her mouth was Jesus and God and some damn Bible verse. Drove me crazy. But she was the best foster mom on the block.”

“Sorry I was like that,” she says. “Part of the reason I became a foster mom was to be able to put into practice the love and faith I was trying to live. I heard this song when I was a teenager that said don’t tell them Jesus loves them until you’re ready to love them too—or something like that.”

“Exactly,” Derinda says. “Those are great words to live by.”

“And you really do,” Demi says.

“I try to, but . . . like John said, I mostly fail too. I want my faith to be action instead of beliefs, practices instead of just words, but . . .”

“Like organizing this great search for my grandbaby,” Derinda says.

“Maybe, but this may have more to do with guilt than grace. I feel so bad about being resistant to Keith and Christopher. Wasn’t my finest hour. Probably still trying to make up for that. And I know a lot of people think it was just because they’re gay, but there was more to it than that.

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