Martin by George A. Romero

Author:George A. Romero [Romero, George A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 0812870204
Publisher: Day Books
Published: 1984-06-09T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

It seemed to Martin that he had just lain his head down on the pillow when he heard Tati Cuda screaming at the top of his voice.

“You will go with us to church! You stay in my house. Will you embarrass me like this? This is a Catholic family! I will not be seen without you in church!”

Martin rose quickly and put on his clothing from the previous night. He had just arrived home only a few hours before and had entered the house quietly, careful not to wake the old man or Christina. He heard the old man’s wheezing snores as he climbed the stairs and had peeked in on Christina to make sure that she was comfortable. Despite the old man’s warning, she failed to lock her door each night.

Tati Cuda, Christina, and Martin walked the few blocks to the small Catholic church that was nestled between two deserted factories on Commercial Street. It seemed as if the narrow stone building was their only support. Martin welcomed the cool darkness as they entered the front door. Like everything else in Braddock, it was half-empty, and only a few parishioners dotted the pews. As the priest idly chanted through a Latin portion of the mass, Tati Cuda fingered a rosary intently. Christina sat and leafed through her hymn book, but Martin could see that her mind was elsewhere. She hadn’t said anything to him, but Martin could tell that she was still very upset from last night. He knew Arthur would never come.

Martin gazed around the small church. He looked at the beautiful stained-glass windows of blue and green and red against the dark wood-paneled walls, which depicted scenes from the Stations of the Cross. These windows were the pride of the Catholic population of Braddock, and the little church was tended with loving care.

Martin was like a small boy, wiggling and shifting his weight in the hard wooden pew. He watched the attendants as they served the priest. He stared at the crucifix above the altar. He noticed that the hands, hips, and forehead of the Christ were running with blood. The pew in which he sat had a crimson velvet cushion for his knees, and he stared at the deep, vibrant color all through the mass.

When the mass was over, the pitifully small congregation filed out. Martin and Christina smiled at each other for the first time that morning. Tati Cuda had gone on ahead to speak to the young priest. When the two young people noticed that the old man had turned down the path toward home, they hurried to catch up with him.

“Christina,” the old man turned to his granddaughter. “We have supper later tomorrow. I told the new priest to come to our house for supper tomorrow. You will make a good meal.”

“As if I don’t, you old bastard,” Christina thought as she glanced toward Martin. A strange, eerie smile was spread across his face.

Christina fixed a light lunch and when they finished, each one went about their Sunday chores.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.